Chapter 3 - A Long Lost Friend
Yumi gasped as she heard Yana's voice properly for the first time in five years. She gasped as she saw what was left of her sister, whom she had left for so long, believed to be dead and gone. Left here with X.A.N.A. Yana turned round to loomat them all, and it was Odd, Ulrich and Aelita's turns to gasp. For Yana had lived up to her twin-ness, and ressembled Yumi like no other. But the differences were there, and Yumi was shocked to lay eyes on her sister again, knowing that it was real at last. Yumi watched as a tear fell onto the soft ground of the Lyoko forest region.
'Uh, Yumi?' came Jeremie's startled voice from above. They all looked up, except for Yana, who looked to the ground instead. 'How does you're sister spell her name?' he asked, sounding worried, and slightly freaked out. Yumi frowned and looked to Yana, who shrugged, but toed the ground, meaning that she had some idea of what was happening. Yumi smiled at her, before turning back to Jeremie's question.
'Y-A-N-A, why?' she asked him.
'Umm, it's just that a new player just appeared a few moments ago, not long after you defeated that black hornet and crab actually.' Jeremie said thoughtfully. Yana looked up at Yumi, her head wizzing up instantly. Her face looked keen and happy at the same time. Yumi gave her puzzled look but let her continue.
'You defeated the black crab and hornet?' she said, sounding astonished. Yumi nodded uncertainly and Yana suddenly hugged her sister tightly. Yumi was at first startled, but then hugged her back with all her might. Odd, Ulrich and Aelita watched as the two sisters embraced like they were one. Ulrich had never seen Yumi so happy, and felt genuinly glad for her. When they broke apart, Yana seemed to have shed the cold outer core that she started off with.
'Thank you Yumi. When you destroyed them, you freed me. I'll explain later, but first I believe there is a tower we are aiming for, am I right?' It was more of a statement than a question, but they were pleased to see that Yana was happy, and so was Yumi. The two girl nodded and ran off together, Yana leading the way slightly, but without overpowering Yumi, so to speak. They were a perfect pair: they met three more monsters, and each time, Yana and Yumi would work together to defeat them all. They would then run on, making sure that they didn't loose the other on the way. Yana acted like she knew lyoko like the back of her hand, but they supposed that she had been trapped here somewhere. What they didn't understand was how she had gotten there in the first place.
They reached the tower in record time, thanks to Yumi and Yana, who were nearly always ahead. Aelita was about to enter the tower, when Yana shot out a hand to place it on her shoulder. Aelita looked at her fully, trusting her. Yana smiled at her and bowed her head.
'Do you mind if I do this?' she asked her. Odd and Ulrich started to mutter: only Aelita could deactivate the towers, right? Yana looked over at Yumi, who was looking slightly dazed at her sister's request. Yana smiled at them all and turned back to Aelita. 'It's just, I've seen so many being activated: I want to feel what it's like to deactivate one again.' Aelita smiled back at her, and nodded. Yana's face seemed to light up in happiness, and the other watched as Yana slid gracefully through the tower walls. They turned on Yumi.
'Yumi, how come Yana is still alive? You said she was dead!' Odd started angrily. Yumi put up her hands in defense and tried to talk but the boys wouldn't let her. 'Yeah Yumi, and how did she get into Lyoko in the first place? I don't understand...' but the explanations would have to wait: they were suddenly going back, and Yumi awoke in her room as usual.
She qickly got the clock ready for Aelita, and grabbed her things and was out and in the shower before Ulrich and Odd could finish bombarding her with their questions. No doubt they would talk to Jeremie about it, and then Aelita, but Yumi would tell them at breakfast. She didn't even know some answers herself: she need Yana to help her before they would be satisfied.
Her thoughts returned to her sister and Yumi's heart rose until it seemed to be in the clouds. Yana was alive. After five years of lost hope, her sister had returned. Yumi found herself crying she was so happy. 'And I thought you were lost...' She whispered to herself in wonder. She heard someone come in to the shower block and frowned: yesturday she had been the only one. She peeped over the rail and saw Aelita get into the shower next to her. Yumi smiled, she knew that Aelita and the others could and probably would do something different today.
Yumi finished her shower sooner, and went back to her dorm to get dressed. She wore her usual outfit, but she wrapped a black scarf round her neck over the top of her shirt. She wrapped it loosly so that the two ends fell down over her chestto even below her waist. Yumi smiled at her reflection, and swiftly picked up her bag and album and went out of the dorm, greeting Aelita as she came back in.
Yumi came into the cafeteria, feeling peoples' gazes apon her as she swept through to their usual booth. She sank into the seat next to Ulrich happily, and the others smiled at her as they realised that they didn't need to ask why. That didn't stop Odd from trying though.
'What's up Yumi?' he asked teasingly. Yumi reached round Ulrich to punch him playfully on the arm, and Jeremie laughed as Odd shot Yumi a mock-offended look. Ulrich laughed with him as Odd tried to punch Yumi back again, but missed miserably. Yumi drew back quickly and laughed as Ulirch caught Odd in mid-fall, for fear of becoming his best-friend's human crash-mat.
Aelita came running up to them all, looking happy as well, and took Jeremie's laptop from him with one pleading look. Yumi watched as Jeremie looked over Aelita's shoulder to see what she was doing. His gaze was firm and serious, so they figured it was to do with Lyoko. Odd fnished his breakfast again, and sat back holding his stomach in pleasure.
'Hello my dear Ulrich' came the annoying voice of Sissy. Ulrich froze, Odd sighed, Jeremie shook his head in disbelief and Aelita didn't even glance up at her. Sissy started to grow red at Aelita's lack of reaction. Yumi groaned and turned to face the girl that stood over them like she was superior. Which she most certainly wasn't. Yumi stood up so that she was taller than Sissy. Just so that Sissy could see that, but not so that it made her look too tall.
'Look Sissy.' Yumi said calmly, but with a hint of menace in her voice, 'I am having a really good day. Don't spoil it for do you understand me? Because I am not going to let the likes of you and your little tag-a-long friends ruin it for me. OK?' she said sternly. Sissy stepped back a few paces and nodded silently. Yumi turned back to the others, who were all grinning at her knowingly. Sissy ran off in the other direction, and Yumi sat back down.
'Guys I want to go to the factory,' Yumi told them seriously. 'It's been five years, and I want to see her again, please.' Yumi pleaded. The others looked at Jeremie, who nodded reluctantly.
'I see why you want to go Yumi,' he said carefully, not looking at her purposefully, 'but don't be disapointed if it takes a little while; Yana could be anywhere, and we don't know if she's safe yet. She could be possesed by X.A.N.A, or maybe driven mad in the past five years.' Yumi sighed and nodded at them. Ulrich put an arm round her, and she smiled sadly at him.
'I know.' she admitted, 'I guess I did all the time; I was just so happy I didn't want to believe that Yana could be...bad.' Yumi said quietly. Odd passed her his orange slice, his way of saying he was sorry for her. Yumi gave him a watery smile, and Odd grinned back at her, a thumbs up lifting her spirtits. Yumi started eating at last, and soon they were all finished. Aelita finally looked up from the laptop, looking serious. She muttered something to Jeremie, who looked at the monitor briefly before replying to whatever she had said. Jeremie looked at Yumi, his face giving no idication of news in the slightest.
'Yumi, Aelita's just confirmed that Yana is still in Lyoko. She is free from X.A.N.A, but we don't know how long that will last. I've set a scan up for her, and it will track her; if she gets into any danger, we'll know. The only other thing is that we can't materialise her until the scan is over.' Jeremie told them calmly. Odd and Ulrich nodded, and Yumi sighed, before she too, nodded in agreement.
'Let me guess, the scan is to make sure that she's stabble and not under X.A.N.A's control, right?' Yumi said as she played with the orange peel left on the table. Jeremie smiled at her sadly and nodded. They stood up and started to make their way to the factory.
They stopped at Jeremie's room first to get a program that would help him understand Yana more. It was when they were next to the portrait of Franz Hopper that Yumi stopped shortly. The other stopped slightly ahead of her, and turned round to face her.
'Yesterday, when you were chasing me. I disappeared about here, right?' Yumi said slowly. They all nodded, and Ulrich and Odd came forward. Yumi gulped, 'well, I went through a secret passageway. It's hidden behind this painting, it's of Franz Hopper. Me and Yana found it about six years ago. I only remembered it yesterday though. It's quicker and comes out at the back of the elevator, so we can leave the skateboards and scooter there. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys before.' Yumi hung her head, and pulled back the painting to reveal a well-hidden hole, big enough to get them all through.
Yumi stepped inside, and jumped down to a lower level, so they could easily stand up in the tunnel. Odd and Ulrich followed next, then Aelita and Jeremie last. Yumi lead them through the passage silently, and stopped at a dead end. Ulrich, Odd, Jeremie and Aelita started looking round for an exit, but couldn't see anything. Yumi pulled back a rock to reveal a button. She pushed it down and the rock wall moved aside quickly. She stepped through, and the others did the same. On the other side, Yumi pushed a red spot on the wall, which made the rocks move back into place as fast as before. Yumi smiled at the others before going round towards the elevator.
When they reached the the control room, they all gathered round Jeremie's computer monitor, which had windows whizzing left right and centre. Jeremie sat down and immidiately started typing. He hit enter, and a window came up. It was like the one which Aelita spoke to them through. But Aelita didn't come up, she was stood next to Ulirch and Odd. Instead, Yana's face appeared, but she seemed happy yet tired.
'Hello!' she smiled happily. Yumi grinned back, but stopped when Jeremie shot her a glance. Yumi rolled her eyes and looked back at Yana, who had her head cocked slightly. 'By the way,' Yana started coyly, 'am I so untrustworthy that I need to have a scan sent through me?' Yana had her eyebrows raised at them, but she didn't seem angry. Jeremie and Aelita goggled at her.
'How did you know that we put a scan on you?' Jeremie asked her amazed. Yana merely shrugged at him. She smiled cheekily at them all, and grinned widely.
'When you've been in Lyoko for the past five years, you get to know the way it works. I can eaily tell when somebody is scanning me - at first I thought it was X.A.N.A!' she excliamed. Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremie narrowed their eyes suspiciously at Yana, who seemed oblivious to it all. Aelita just looked stunned.
'Five years? That's more than I've even existed!' she told her. Yana shifted uncomfortably on the screen and nodded uncertainly. The others all goggled at her, except for Yumi, who was listening carefully to what her sister was revealing to them all. Yana looked to Yumi, who looked back again. Yana's eyes widdened as a look of understanding passed between the two. Yana smiled sheepishly at them all, before sudnely snapping back to her serious mood.
'I know Aelita. I'll explain, I swear, but I can't now. X.A.N.A can hear me, and I know that he doesn't know some of the things that I'm going to tell you to explain. I also know that you can't materialise me until the scan is over. I know that it's actually possible because one: Aelita's there, and two: I've read the files and anyway, I saw it when X.A.N.A had me trapped in-' Yana cut herself short, and turned slightly pink. She had a hand over her mouth, and looked almost like Yumi, who was giggling silently at her sister. Yana turned back to Yumi happily, and closed her eyes wistfully. When they reopened again, her eyes were shinning.
'So, how are mum and dad?' Yana asked Yumi. Jeremie got out his laptop and Yana and Yumi started talking through that, while Jeremie and Aelita went through Yana's scan results. Odd and Ulrich were jocking around with ana and Yumi. Yana was cheery and happy and Odd enjoyed making her laugh. Eventually, Jeremie and Aelita came over to them, looking half-happy, half-sad. Yana stopped laughing, and went off the screen with a short goodbye to Yumi, who was looking expectantly at them both.
'We've just finished going through Yana's scan results.' Jeremie said Yumi nodded impatiently. 'And she's fine as far as we know: we can materialise her tomorrow morning before school. Go tell your parents, Yumi, they'll be glad to have their daughter back.' Jeremie finished smilingly. Yumi punched the air, and ran out happily. Yana came back onto the laptop screen, looking puzzled.
'Where's Yumi?' she asked, 'How were the results?' Odd and Ulrich grinned down at her, and Aelita told her the results. Yana's eyes lit up again, and she started to laugh in pure happiness. Odd told her where Yumi was and Yana grinned once more.
'When can I get materialised?' she asked them through her tears of happiness. Jeremie told her that it would have to be tomorrow, and Yana seemed ok with it all. Yumi came back in, looking slightly flushed, but very happy.
'Mum and Dad are thrilled. They say that you'll have to stay with us at school, because of them being in Japan, but they are sooo pleased to have you back!' Yumi cried happily. Yana was smiling with Yumi, and they really ressembled twins.
'This is going to be great!' said Jeremie, giving Yana the thimbs up for the first time. Ulrich and Aelita nodded along with him as they watched Yumi repeatedly punch the air in her joy.
'Yeah just think of the look on Sissy's face when she finds out that there's as good as two Yumis for her to deal with!' Odd said, grinning his trademark grin. Ulrich, Odd, Aelita, Jeremie and Yumi all laughed as they imagined Sissy's face when she met Yana for the first time. Yana looked amused but puzzled at the same time.
'Who's Sissy?' she asked them, looking about as if looking for her. Odd jumped down next to the laptop suddenly, making Yana disappear off-screen in fear. She reappeared on the super-computer's monitor, looking a bit hassled but otherwise fine. Odd laughed at Yana's reaction, and fell over backwards accidentally. Yana laughed at Odd, and Ulrich laughed at the two of them. Yumi stood between them all, watching the havoc unwrap.
'Sissy,' Yumi told her sister, 'is a girl at school, her dad's the principal and she's not in my year, thank God, but she's in the others', poor them. She has the biggest crush on her "Ulrich Dear" imaginable, and doesn't like me that much because of it. Odd really likes to tease and annoy her, and it's very funny to watch.' At this point Odd stood up solomnly and took a deep bow. Ulrich was waiting when he stood back up again, and hit him on the back of the head. Yana and Yumi laughed, along with Jeremie and Aelita.
'She wants to join our group, but the thing is we won't let her, because she's a pain. She thinks it's her job to try and find out our secret: a.k.a X.A.N.A. Sissy has two tag-a-long friends. Herb, who rivals with Jeremie in class - Jeremie wins, naturally. And Nicholas, who's thick and teased a lot by Odd and Ulrich. Actually they tease both of them - its very entertaining.' Yumi paused thoughtfully, and watched Odd take another bow, with Ulrich this time. Yana and Yumi grinned again, and watch Jeremie smack them both on the back of the head. Yana turned back to her sister.
'So she's incredibly annoying and thinks she rules the school just because her dad is the principal? She is in love with Ulrich and doesn't like you and therefore probably won't like me either is that about right?' Yana summed up. Yumi grinned and nodded. Odd and Ulrich did the same behind her, and Yana giggled on the screen. She looked to the side of the screen and did a double-take.
'Look at the time! You'd better be getting back to school - thanks for comming to visite me though. Isn't there anyway I can keep in touch with you guys though?' Yana asked them. Jeremie thought for a moment then snapped his fingers at a sudden burst of inspiration.
'There's a computer in my room, and in Yumi and Aelita's room. If you link Lyoko up to the one in Yumi and Aelita's room - it's already linked to mine, then you can talk to them like that.' Jeremie told her. Yumi hugged him happily and then went to high-five Odd and Ulrich. Aelita nodded at what Jeremie had said.
'If you need any help, just ask Einstine there, he'll have no trouble.' Odd told Yana, grinning to her. Yana nodded and grinned, before giving her goodbyes and disappearing from sight, back to Lyoko. They stayed in the factory for a few more minutes to check everything was ok, before going back to school, via the passageway.
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Back on Lyoko, Yana broke the connection to the laptop. She sat back on her hands and bottom in the middle of the tower amd sighed happily. She was o happy to be out of sector five at last: and she couldn't wait to be materialised tomorrow. Yana wouldn't let X.A.N.A stop her from getting out, and immediatly started to fly through the files, trying to find the one that had stood out before when she had looked through them in the sector.
Yana smiled to herself as she finally found the file she had been searching for for nearly and hour. Yana sat back, and started reading, content with her efforts and with her day.
Well, what do you think? I'd like to know what you think of it all - its great knowing my stories are liked. thanks for reading, naioka1992 - xoxo