Memory is a delicate thing, and any memory can be torn from someone easily. Once lost memories can sometimes come back or they can stay forever away from their creator. But memory is something that wants to come back and can only be eliminated completely by strong magic or extremely bad chance.

Yumi:

I was standing waiting in the place that Ulrich and I usually met. It was at the main gate out of the school. He was late, we had planned to meet at ten o' clock sharp and it was already nine minutes after. Ulrich was never late for our dates and I couldn't understand why he was late now. We had been planning this for a week now and I knew that he knew the time we were to meet.

Suddenly I saw him running to meet me. He seemed out of breath and looked frustrated. As he got closer I noticed that his cloths were a little off, as though he had quickly thrown them on. When he reached me he was out of breath and paused to catch it.

"What's the matter?" I asked worried.

"I... over... slept..." he said gasping. "Very... strange... dream..."

"What was the dream about?" I was getting interested; he didn't normally talk about his dreams.

"Don't... know... I... forgot..." he gasped. "As soon... as I... woke up..."

"Oh," I said disappointed. "So, shall we?"

We began walking to the park. Our date was going to be a nice day together, mostly at the park, but with lunch at a café. We had it perfectly planned and knew what we would be doing all day. We had also made sure that it wouldn't rain today; the weather channel had said sunny all day. As we walked Ulrich caught his breath and stopped breathing hard.

I began moving my hand over a little, just enough so that our hands touched. As my hand brushed against his he jumped slightly, but then he placed his hand around mine and we continued to walk holding hands. I smiled inside; ever since that day, the day we met the traveler, I knew that he loved me. With that knowledge we decided to show our affection toward each other more openly.

We were almost at the park now. It should taken been a longer walk, but it seemed like less time. The park was big, about two thousand acres. We had arrived at it from the south, so we were closer to the small lake that was in it. That was where we were headed. We had planned a relaxing day at the small lake and we had wanted a picnic but neither of us could figure out how to do so.

As we entered the park we began walking through some of the trees. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out and there were only a few clouds in the sky. The temperature was a perfect seventy eight and there was no humidity. We couldn't have asked for a better day. It seemed as though it couldn't get any better, but then I was with Ulrich so it always could.

We neared the pond, it wasn't really a lake but a large pond, and sat on a bench. There were other people in the park, mostly children with their parents. The children were playing, together or alone, and seemed to be having a good time. I knew now that X.A.N.A. was gone we could live in peace and we would never have to worry about anything like that again.

No... forget, stop worrying about Lyoko. You are safe. Forget for now. You are not needed...

"What?" I asked Ulrich.

"Hm, I didn't say anything." He replied.

Forget and I will return to you all those who are missing. Relax, allow yourselves to forget.

"Don't you hear that?" I asked.

"The wind?" Ulrich asked confused.

"No, it sounded like some guy talking about something called Lyoko." I said.

"Lyoko? What? Yumi are you feeling all right?" he asked me with a worried look on his face.

"Now that you mention it, I am feeling a little tired..." I replied yawning.

"Yeah, now that you say it so am I." he agreed yawning as well.

Children of Lyoko forget, for now, and I will allow you to live as normal children. Children of Lyoko forget about Lyoko. Forget and sleep...

I suddenly found myself unable to keep my eyes open. I was feeling really tired as though I had been kept awake all last night. I knew that I couldn't keep conscious for much longer and...

When I woke up I found Ulrich lying next to me. We were still in the park, but I couldn't understand why I had fallen asleep. It must have been the warmth from the sun mixed with the serenity of the day. I looked over at Odd and Sam; they had fallen asleep as well. So had Jeremie and Aelita. It seemed as though we had all fallen asleep together. Well that wasn't good, we had all gone out together to spend time with our significant other… and had slept through most of it.

The others were getting up now; whipping the sleep from their eyes. They looked around confused, but they seemed to feel the same way that I did. It was like a spell had been cast over us putting us to sleep, but that was unrealistic. It was more likely that we simply hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before.

"That was odd," said Odd grinning. "Now I won't be able to sleep during class."

We all laughed. It was true, not that it happen too often… but hey, a nap during a class can really boost moral. Just as long as the teachers didn't notice.

"For some reason that sleeping made me hungry." Aelita said and checked her watch. "Oh, it's noon. I guess that's why."

"Where shall we eat?" Sam asked.

"There is a Japanese café that opened up recently." Jeremie said. "I heard about it on the internet. It is supposed to be really good."

"I didn't know that the Japanese made cafés." Ulrich said sounding confused.

Everyone turned to look at me. I stared dumbly back and then realized why they were looking at me. "How should I know? I was only born in Japan, I don't live there."

"Oh, come on Yumi, we all know that you are the only one of us that knows anything about Japanese culture." Odd said.

"What about Aelita?" I asked defensively.

"Two generations ago..." She replied. "I know less about Japan than you do."

"Well, I don't know." I said. "It could be a café, or it could be a restaurant. Either way, let's go check it out."

The restaurant was close by, only a few blocks. The name of it was Kojo, and it had a real Japanese appeal. The entire building looked brand new, and it was designed just like a Japanese building. When we entered it we saw low tables and cushions for chairs. There was also a stone garden and a fake waterfall. I could smell fish and chicken in the air, and my mouth began to water. Looking around at the others I saw similar reactions to mine. They all seemed to like this place, and they all looked hungry.

A Japanese woman walked up to us and asked us if we were a group; she had a wonderful Japanese accent. We said yes and she took us to a table. After we sat down she gave us a menu and asked us what we wanted to drink. For once we mostly ordered water and she left to allow us to decide on our orders and get our drinks.

The menu was written in both authentic Japanese and French. There were pictorials around it that looked Japanese. It just really fit the atmosphere. I looked up to see how the others were reacting and got a few questions almost instantly.

"So, what's good?" Odd asked. "I'm starved and ready to try nearly anything."

"So am I." Ulrich agreed. "I am feeling adventuress."

"I've always wanted to try sushi." Jeremie said thoughtfully. "What do you think?"

"You know that sushi is raw fish, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but I have always wanted to try it." Jeremie replied defensively.

"I haven't really ever had it either." Aelita agreed.

"Well, I think sushi is a great idea." I said thankful for an easy way out.

We all looked at the menu under sushi. There were many different types and each one of us chose a different one. When the lady came back with our waters we made our order. She walked away with our orders and we began to talk casually.

"This place is nice." Jeremie said. "It is peaceful without being to quiet."

"Aren't all Japanese restaurants like that?" Sam asked suddenly.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Most of Japan is like that..." Odd said. "Quiet yet there."

"Hey." Aelita said beating me to it. "Japan has a sense of beauty to match the serenity."

"And we actually aren't all quiet." I replied with a small grin.

"But, Aelita, I thought you weren't born in Japan."

There was a brief pause and everyone looked at Aelita. She blushed slightly, and looked down at the table. "I'm wasn't." she responded.

"Where were you born anyway?" Sam asked.

"I... Um..." she said and trailed off.

There was silence among the group. We all felt uncomfortable. Aelita didn't usually talk about where she was from. She had been abandoned as a young child and left alone in another country. Someone had eventually found her and brought her to France with them. She now lived with a foster family, but she still felt alone.

"Hey, did you hear about that accident at Kaidac Junior High school?" I heard someone say.

"You mean the school that is three schools in one?" another man asked.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"No, what happened."

"Apparently a science teacher was working late in the schools lab when she claims that she was attacked by something. The lab was nearly destroyed and she was injured, not fatally but badly enough. She was really spooked; I heard that all they could get her to say was a description of some green monster and a dark shadow of something…"

"Oh, I wonder why they didn't tell me." Said the second man.

"Why would they have?"

"Because I am the one who they got to replace her while she is recovering."

I looked over at the two. The first man was in his thirties but the second was much older. He looked like he could be in his nineties. He had long white hair and a long white beard. He was also wearing half moon glasses. I got an impression that he was a nice man, but I don't know where I was getting it from.

When I turned back I saw that everyone else was looking over at the two as well. They all looked as shocked as I felt. None of us had been told about this, and that was probably to keep us calm. If the truth got out in the school their might be a panic, but I didn't know how they would explain the lab.

Our food arrived and we ate in silence. None of us spoke until we got back to the school. It wasn't like us to be so quiet, but on the other hand these events weren't quite as normal either. We decided to keep this quiet for now and let the school deal with it; it would be strange if some students started snooping around.

The new teacher enters the school and begins a class. He seems nice but is there really more there, or is this just a normal person who has nothing to do with the true battle with X.A.N.A.? The children may not remember Lyoko now but they still suspect something...