Twelve new reviews. Twelve. Oh my gosh. lies down somewhere until the excitement wears off

Otritzi: Thanks. I loved writing Yumi; she's like the girl I'd like to be. Ulrich was fun too, because we're kind of alike (both of us have problems talking to people), and Jérémie was cool as well, and just wait until I get to write Odd! Afraid our blonde dog-loving pal doesn't appear in this story, but BEAR WITH ME. He WILL appear eventually!

Angles 'n Dreams: Is it? Oops, my bad. I just read this one story where someone said 'Yumi-tan' and it sort of stuck.

Tsukia Malleo: I've done that with most of my stories, but just decided to write this one all at once, so I could see what the overall affect was. I wasn't sure if I was going to post it or not, but, well… now I'm glad I did!

Mousewolf: My sister's description when she saw the show. (Her commentary was ever-so-funny, because all the episodes I have are in Welsh, and she doesn't understand a word, so she just made comments on everything she saw. Hee hee!) Jérémie isn't as mopy as the actually Harry Potter, just saying that now, and he is WAY better looking than Daniel Radcliffe.

tehrandomkitten: Aren't they just? The whole point of being a teen is complaining about how unfair the world is; at least, it is from Ulrich's point of view. And mine too at times.

mystic ned: REAL mysterious, Ned! James Morairty and Trystan? Now WHY would you think that…? ;-)

Amaherst: All will be revealed! Odd isn't in the story yet – on the pilot episode Garage Kids, it shows him arriving when Yumi, Ulrich, and Jérémie are already friend. But don't worry; Odd will have his day!

RaevanDawn: You watch Code Lyoko too? Wow, I'm surrounded by familiar names and faces!

Harry Potter Mania: Posting! Posting!

HvonM: Thanks! I thought it'd be fun to see the group when they've first met and stuff, before Lyoko. (Which doesn't appear in this story, BTW, but if this one does well I'll write the sequel, where they meet Aelita and stuff).

SuperAdmiralOfTheWeb: Your wish is my command!

Now, this is where I either lose everyone or gain more people. I'm not sure if I've got Jérémie right; in the absence of Odd, I've made him a little more sarcastic than he is in the show. But, whatever: it's your opinions that matter! Note: there is no computer game called Fatal Glory in this world. But, if you want to have some sort of idea what it's like, it's a cross between The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Quest for Glory, and Neverwinter Nights.

Jérémie B.

Yumi can be incredibly insensitive sometimes. I mean, this guy obviously adores her – love at first sight, and all that jazz – and yet she just blows him off and treats him as if he's some kind of lower life form, suitable only for squashing.

Ulrich strikes me as quite a nice person. He didn't immediately insult me or make fun of my accent, and didn't call me a geek like most people would. He isn't even complaining about sharing a dormitory with me. I know he wants to, but he's being polite and staying silent. This shows that he does care about my feelings, even if he doesn't really care for me.

I unroll my poster of Albert Einstein and attach it to the wall with blue-tack.

Ulrich glances over. 'Are you sure we're allowed to do that?' he asks. 'Won't it ruin the walls or something?'

I shrug. 'It's my room. Unless you'd rather I took it down…?'

'What? No, don't worry. So long as you're okay with my posters.'

'Sure. Is it okay if I set my computer up?'

He nods and unrolls a poster. It shows a two teens in karate costumes with various flags from different countries swirling around them. I wonder what it's for, but then just write it off as a band or something.

Ulrich opens out more posters and I begin setting my computer up. When everything's in place I turn it on and make sure everything's working. Good, it is. When I open up the Internet Explorer I find that there's also wireless internet access in the room. Very good.

Then I begin unpacking my CDs, web cam, and other computer 'junk'.

Ulrich's placing some books and photos on one of the bookcases. He looks at some of my games. Then he notices the one on top.

'Cool!' he says, rushing forward and momentarily forgetting about the photos of his family. 'Fatal Glory!'

'You've played it?' I ask.

'Are you kidding?' he exclaims. 'I love this game! It's brilliant!'

I laugh at his enthusiasm. 'I'm glad you think so. You have no idea how hard it is to find fans of this thing.'

'Tell me about it,' Ulrich agrees. 'For such a good game, hardly anyone's heard of it.'

I glance at his suitcases. He's practically finished. 'How about you play for a bit?'

He jumps and eyes me warily. Wondering whether it's right to trust me.

'It's okay,' I say. 'I've brought my laptop, so when I'm done I can play on that. How about we play multiplayer? I think I've brought my network cable…'

He still looks doubtful. Maybe I'm extending the hand of friendship too quickly. I'm not entirely sure how you go about these matters; friends haven't really appeared in my life since preschool. I just have to hope that Ulrich's love for Fatal Glory (and possibly Yumi) will lead him to accept me.

Suddenly he grins. 'Thanks,' he says. 'Multi-player'd be cool. I've only done it once, and my friend kept trying to kill me because I had a really cool sword that he wanted.'

'Which one?' I ask as he inserts the disk and starts up the game.

'The Dai-Katana of the Night,' Ulrich says proudly. 'Best weapon in the game.'

'As good as Drana's Staff?' I say as I begin sorting through my clothes.

Ulrich turns to gape at me. 'You got Drana's Staff?' he says incredulously. 'That only happens if you kill Oriette…'

I smile. 'Did I mention I completed the game and have both of the expansion packs?'

The German looks at me with new respect. 'Wow,' he says.

I bow. 'Why, thank you. Your awe is appreciated.'

For the next few minutes Ulrich makes a character. I make suggestions every now and then, as to Class, Race, and general appearance.

'Okay,' Ulrich says as I snap my suitcase shut. 'Wolfe Myazaki, Samurai, Orient, favourite weapon: dai-katana, favoured enemy: Gull Rats… what do I put for general history?'

'Anything,' I say as I turn on my laptop. 'Just don't go saying Wolfe is the son of a millionaire or has super powers.'

'Why would I need to do that when there are the Boots of Flying Speed?'

The next few hours pass in a blur as the two of us play. We occasionally shout at the screen and at each other (all in the name of fun, you understand. Neither of us were being serious), then fall about laughing at the stupidest jokes. I'm glad I have Ulrich to keep me company through the school year. I do not mean to make assumptions, but you hardly tell someone you are intending to ignore for the rest of the year about the incident when you were nine and confused 'Protestant' with 'prostitute'.

During a particularly loud bout of laughter the door opens and Yumi slinks in. She takes one look at me and Ulrich and raises an eyebrow. 'Okay,' she says slowly. 'What are you on?'

'Sugar high!' I say.

'Minus the sugar!' Ulrich chimes in.

'Gods, you're weird,' Yumi says. She turns away from us and catches sight of the computer screen. Her jaw drops.

'Is that…?'

'Indeed it is,' I answer. 'Fatal Glory, plus expansions.'

'Sugoi!' Yumi shouts, and immediately kneels down between me and Ulrich. 'I love this game. So what are you two being?'

'I'm a Spellbinder,' I answer.

'Samurai,' says Ulrich.

Yumi nods. 'Cool. I like playing the Geishas, or just any Thief-type class. Nicking stuff is the only was to get ahead.'

'Hear that, Ulrich?' I say. 'Lock the door.'

Yumi hits me lightly on the arm.

Ulrich's eyes flicker between Yumi and me. Possible jealousy? Oh, I hope not. I do love Yumi, but it's more big-sister-little-brother love than the type he's thinking of.

'How do you two know each other?' he asks eventually.

I just know that Yumi's reply will be a snappish one, so I cut in first. 'My family took me skiing two years ago,' I say. 'I broke me leg and had to spend the whole two weeks sitting in the lodge.' Not that I minded. I much prefer reading to falling over.

'I was there too,' Yumi continues. 'There were some kids hassling Jérémie so I sorted them out.'

'Yumi, you knocked one of them out.'

'That was accidental.'

'What about the broken nose?'

'Okay, so maybe that one was a little bit my fault…'

'We've been e-pals since then,' I say.

Ulrich nods. 'Cool. Now we're all at school together.'

Yumi's features tense a little. 'Of course.' She stands up, and suddenly she seems colder. 'In five minutes the bell rings for lunch. The cafeteria is the one-storey building with big glass windows. Your meals are paid by your tuition fees, so no need to carry any cash. G'dbye.'

She leaves.

I look at Ulrich. He's got an eyebrow raised and a curious expression. Without saying it, I know what he's thinking.

'Yumi hasn't really had good experiences with the guys here,' I say carefully. 'They tend to… you know…'

Ulrich nods. 'There were a few guys like that at my school. Of course, they were about seven, so the hoodies were way too big for them; they looked more like Ringwraiths than tough chavs. But I know what you mean. They make fun of Yumi for being different and try and go out with her just to prove they can, right?'

I nod.

Ulrich sighs. 'Poor Yumi.'

His tone is kind, sincere. I guess his feelings for Yumi aren't pure infatuation or a devotion to her appearance; he does seem to genuinely care for her wellbeing. After knowing her for barely three hours and being snubbed by her, Ulrich still wants her to be happy. Maybe there is such a thing as love at first sight; or maybe this guy is just really, really, stupid.

A bell rings. I jump and fall off the chair in a heap. Ulrich and I look at each other and both start laughing at the same time, with me complaining about the hardness of the floor in between chuckles. Ulrich helps me up and we head off to lunch.

We exit our room and look around. 'Okay,' Ulrich says. 'Where do we go now?'

I shrug. 'Not a clue. I wasn't really concentrating on the way here. I was too busy praying I didn't have to share a room with a chav.'

I don't even have to ask Ulrich what he was thinking about. The blush speaks volumes.

There are footsteps from one end of the corridor. I turn to see a tall girl dressed in pink walking down it, flanked by two boys. One of them is a slightly gormless (okay, a very gormless) looking guy in red shorts and the other has an old-fashioned green top and very bad acne. He squints at me through thick glasses.

The girl catches sight of me. She sighs. 'Follow me to the cafeteria.'

It seems Ulrich hasn't heard her (his mind on other things, maybe?). He turns to me. 'Hey, Jérémie,' he says. 'What's the betting we're going to wander around lost and end up in the girl's part of the dorms?'

I grin. 'Certain,' I say. 'Although Yumi lives outside school with her parents, if you're wondering.'

He turns crimson and looks at the floor.

The girl steps forward, swinging her hips a little more than necessary. 'Hi,' she says brightly, stepping between me and Ulrich. 'I'm Elisabeth Delmas.'

She holds out her hand. Ulrich looks at it politely. 'Nice to meet you, Elisabeth,' he says, looking more than a little confused.

Elisabeth laughs and flicks her hair over her shoulder. It hits me in the face and I step back a bit. 'Please,' she says sweetly, 'call me Sissi. All my friends do.'

'O-kay,' Ulrich says, still looking really uncertain. He steps around Sissi to talk to me. 'Ready to come cafeteria hunting?'

I grin and nod.

'Oh, that's not necessary,' Sissi says. 'I'll show you the way.'

'Erm… thanks,' Ulrich says. Sissi links arms with him and starts dragging him down the corridor, chattering brightly all the time. He looks over his shoulder and gives me a pained look. I try not to laugh.

The boy in the green sweater turns to his friend. 'How come she asks him to call her Sissi?' he says in an affronted tone. He has an annoying, whiny kind of voice. However, I am not one to take anything at face value.

'He was the captain of the soccer team at his last school,' I say.

They both turn to look at me as if I'm something that's crawled out from under a stone. 'Oh,' says the boy with glasses in an unimpressed tone. 'A jock.'

'Not really,' I say politely. 'He just likes football.'

The one in the shorts snorts, and the other raises a eyebrow. 'Only a Brit calls soccer football.'

I want to ask why being a Brit is such a bad thing, but I don't get the chance, because they walk in front of me and ignore me for the rest of the walk.

I sigh. I guess not everyone here is as nice as Ulrich.

Eventually we reach the cafeteria. Sissi finally lets go of Ulrich and he quickly steps out of her reach. I help myself to a vegetarian meal of cheese sandwiches and salad.

Sissi sits down at a table and smiles winningly at Ulrich. 'Why don't you sit here?' she says.

It's obviously apparent that Ulrich would rather not, and that he's casting around for a reason to sit somewhere else. He catches sight of Yumi, who's sitting alone and eating her meal in total silence.

'Sorry, Sissi,' my German friend says in a completely unconvincing apologetic tone, 'but I promised my friend I'd sit with her.'

Sissi's head whips around, trying to find Ulrich's friend. She sees Yumi and scoffs. 'Oh, her,' she says in a disinterested tone of voice. 'Don't bother wasting time on her. She's a total loner.'

Not a muscle moves on Ulrich's face, but his eyes grow colder and his voice harsher. 'She's my friend,' he says frostily. 'Come on, Jérémie.'

We start walking, and can both hear Sissi hastily trying to explain herself. Ulrich ignores her.

'Hey Yumi,' he says, and sits opposite the Japanese girl.

She looks up at the two of us with a vaguely panicked look in her eyes. I get the feeling that she's waiting for some kind of signal to run; fight or flight.

I join the two of them and tuck into my sandwich. 'So what actually happens in this assembly?' I say.

'Oh,' Yumi says. 'Mr Delmas talks to you about the school rules and stuff and then you're shown your registration classrooms. There your teacher hands out timetables and maps and stuff. Proper lessons for you begin tomorrow.'

'What lessons did you have this morning?' Ulrich asks.

'Art, History-Geography, and English,' Yumi answers, a little hesitantly.

He nods. 'Cool. I like Art, although I can't exactly draw.'

'Yumi can!' I say. 'She's brilliant at Manga. Especially drawing Pokémon.'

Yumi blushes and stares resolutely at her fork.

'Maybe I could see the pictures at some point?' Ulrich says. You can just tell that he hopes the answer is yes.

Yumi nods, just once.

Ulrich looks very pleased with himself for the rest of lunch.

It's after school now. I'm sitting on one of the school benches, laptop perched on my knees, and Ulrich's practising his football skills. Passing the ball from his foot to his knee to his chest and eventually balancing it on the back of his neck before starting again.

Yumi's walking toward her bike. Ulrich looks up to say goodbye, then notices that she isn't alone. She's being followed by a guy in a black hoodie who's walking with his arms out at his side; makes him look like a gorilla. It's obvious that she's hardly appreciative of his company.

'Aw, come on, Yu,' the guy says. 'Jus' one kiss won' 'urt…'

Yumi snorts. 'Easy for you to say!' she says. 'It'll mentally scar me for life!'

The guy chortles. 'I knows you wants it.'

'Trust me, I don't.'

Although her tone is sharp and confident, although her face is a mask of disgust, I know she's terrified. One of her hands is holding her bag in place and the other hangs by her side. It's shaking so much it's almost a blur.

Ulrich's face hardens as the guy pushes Yumi against a wall. 'One kiss, and I'll stop buggin' ye…'

Yumi's trying to lean back as far as possible, but is being hampered by the wall. I stand up to at least try to do something. However, before I've even taken a step…

Whack!

The guy's head smashes into the wall and his nose breaks, spurting blood all over Yumi's clothes. She pushes him away roughly and takes a few steps away from the school building. Then she looks at the soccer ball lying innocently on the ground and the even-more innocent looking Ulrich. He shrugs.

'Oops,' he says.