Heights of Heaven

A Code: Lyoko fanfiction

A/N: I decided to take a few liberties with the ages of the characters, but this story takes place after episode 28.

Odd yelped as a bladed foot came slashing in at his face just as he sat up from bed in the morning. Throwing himself backward as quickly as he could, he just barely avoided getting his nose broken, though the smell from the foot as it passed a centimeter from his nostrils wasn't really pleasant.

A loud thump rang out through the room as Ulrich followed through, eyes closed as he lunged forward in a kinetic-transfer amplified linear palm-strike…one that struck Odd's left shoulder as he rose to ask his friend what in the blue hells he was doing. The purple-loving boy flew back against the wall with a cry. Yep, it looked like drama was going to be the order of the day.

Ulrich was still apologizing when they came down to breakfast. Odd was trying to calm him down by saying that his shower had really soothed the bruised area, but it was obvious that Odd was favoring his left side. Jeremie and Aelita looked up as Ulrich and Odd approached with their trays.

"What happened to you, Odd?" asked Jeremie, confused as to why the spiky-haired member of the Lyoko gang was acting as if he had just been through a round with a street punk.

Odd grinned evilly at Ulrich, who sighed in despair and put his head down on the table. "Oh, Ulrich just knocked me into the wall with a palm-strike."

Ulrich raised his head a bit.

"Right after he nearly broke my nose with a crescent kick."

Ulrich's face met the table again. "I said I was sorry," he mumbled plaintively.

"Oh, I know," said Odd cheerfully, "And you're even forgiven. But you've got to be kidding me if you think that I'll give up a chance like this to torture you since I'm being nice and not bringing up Yumi."

Ulrich groaned. "I must have been very bad in a past life."

"Well, you did just knock Odd into the wall," replied Jeremie, starting in on the razzing of his friend, and eliciting another groan from Ulrich.

"Ulrich-kohai?" asked a male voice in Japanese, which had Ulrich sitting up straight and spinning in his seat to look at the speaker, an older boy with long brown hair that was gathered into a ponytail. He didn't look particularly Japanese…in fact if one was forced to guess his ethnicity, they might give Roma…Gypsy…as the source of his blood. They wouldn't be incorrect either.

Yumi was standing next to the boy, who was dressed in dark gray and black, and giving Ulrich a look that clearly said: 'Who is this guy?'

Ulrich took in a breath and answered in Japanese. "Ker-sempai…nani koko tsukai ka?"

The boy's face fell. "Sore…sore sensei."

"Senpo…nai, ka?" asked Ulrich with mounting dread.

Ker nodded. "Kitsu."

"Doushite?"

Ker just shrugged. "Senpou kikyuu." Like Ulrich, he was not one of many words, and he had not come to terms with his sensei's death either, though it did explain the duffle the boy was carrying. Ulrich would bet two…no ten to one that it contained the heirloom swords of the school, along with the scrolls that held the school's secrets.

"Wait," said Yumi in French, the fact that Japanese was her first language letting her understand what the two were talking about effortlessly. "Your master just died, Ulrich?"

The green-clad boy nodded. "Yeah…just when I decided to start practicing again," he gave a little sniff. "Excuse me guys…Ker-kun?" He walked out with the long-haired boy.

Yumi sat down heavily in the seat that Ulrich had just vacated and looked at the others. They just looked back at her, as if expecting an explanation. She just looked at them blankly for a few minutes before getting up and walking out the door to follow those two.

"Are you going to be alright, Ker-kun?" asked Ulrich, his eyes fairly dry. "I know that he was like a father to you…"

His old friend nodded. "He was my father in all the ways that mattered. I got my crying done a while ago…I guess it helped that I was with him in the end…and Rachel-koishii's been a great help." Reaching into the duffel that now sat at the two boy's feet, he withdrew a trio of swords, all in mostly the same style.

Two had absolutely identical fittings and seemed to have the same blade length and curvature, a fact which Ulrich knew to be true. Kanesada and Muramasa, the twin heirloom blades of their style…Ker's swords, now. The other had olive green and gray fittings with iron composing the tsuba and fuchi kashira, outside of a brass habaki. It was that sword that Ker handed to Ulrich.

Balancing the sheathed weapon on both palms, Ulrich looked over it to Ker. "Ker-kun…are you sure?"

The long-haired boy nodded. "It was his last work at the forge. I know he wanted you to have it. But enough of the past…how have you been, Ulrich-kun?"

Ulrich's face twisted as he wondered how to answer that question. Could he trust his old friend with the secret of Lyoko? Yes…but he needed his word. "Ker-kun, I need your word that you'll keep this secret."

Ker nodded. "Of course. I swear I will not betray your secret."

Ulrich looked down at the katana in his hands and started to tell Ker about all that had happened with Lyoko.

Yumi stayed hidden in the bushes a ways back from the two as Ulrich told his old friend of Lyoko. Obviously Ulrich trusted this Ker fellow quite a lot if he was so willing to tell the story after just getting him to swear to secrecy. She could tell fairly easily that the two of them had trained in martial arts together in the past…they were hardly trying to hide that, but she wished she knew more about that time. Shaking her head to clear it of her thoughts, she listened in more closely as Ulrich finished the story.

"So…that's everything."

She could see Ker nod. "I see. You've been busy. I take it you were going to ask for my help?" At Ulrich's nod, he continued. "I'm not sure that I'll be able to do that, buddy." Sheathed blades in hand, he stood and started pacing. "I've got to get back to Rachel-koishii…and only you and Yumi-san can speak Japanese…and I can't speak French. Besides, I'd mess up your group's chemistry for quite a while…I'd need an excuse to be here, and I've got my training to think of. I have to carry on the school as senior student."

Yumi could almost feel Ulrich's frown. "You're right, I guess. We just could have really used you, especially because I can tell you've only gotten better."

"I'm sorry, Ulrich-kun…but we all have our duties. I'll be here for a while…perhaps I can help get your skills back into shape, along with the others. It'd help with that martial arts tournament that you've entered, anyway."

Ulrich looked up in surprise. "How'd you know about that?"

"Blind luck," admitted Ker, "I just saw your name on the sign-up sheet as I was looking for you. I don't think your friends here know yet. Your father?" he questioned.

Ulrich nodded. "I didn't want to worry them…not after what happened last time."

"No man is an island, Ulrich-kun," said Ker, then inclined his head towards his younger friend and walked away. "I'll stop by later…I think your classes will be starting soon."

Yumi glanced down at her watch. The long-haired boy was right. When she looked up, Ulrich was already jogging down the path. She followed him at a discreet distance.

A/N: Well, that's that. Tell me what you think, good or bad. Oh, and the Japanese isn't likely to be perfectly accurate, so I'm not providing translations, but Yumi tells you basically what they were talking about. Don't worry, I'm not hiding any clues from you in it...yet, at least. And don't worry, Ker won't take over the plot. He's got his own stories to star in. He'll just stand by the side, letting you learn a bit more about him...and Ulrich's history.