Summary: Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita discover a part of Sector 5 that they've never been...there they discover the Guardian Program, a young girl who weilds a strange, key-like weapon and is the only one who can truly wipe Xana from the face of Lyoko. ((Code Lyoko with hints of Kingdom Hearts sprinkled in for taste))
Diclaimer: I do not know Code Kyoko nor the Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts, I just borrowed them for the time being and promise to return them in like-new condition.
Pairings: UlrichxYumi, JeremyxAelita, OddxSerenity
Chapter Two: Meeting the Guardian
"Guardian Program?" Ulrich asked the girl, who had introduced herselt as Serenity, and was apparently a program run on Lyoko, like Aelita. Ulrich had never heard of a Guardian Program, but it seemed that the girl wasn't an enemy, since she had helped take out Xana's creatures and didn't seem to want anything from Aelita. He looked her over, wondering why in the hell she was suddenly here and why she hadn't show herself earlier.
"So...if you're a program here..." Odd started, asking the very same thing Ulrich had been thinking, "And you've been here all this time...where've you been?" Serenity turned her ocean-blue eyes towards Odd, but they seemed out of focus, as if her mind were far away as her physical self stood with them. Suddenly, Serenity's eyes came back into focus, looking at Odd.
"It is preferable that we continue this conversation elsewhere," Serenity told them, "I am picking up multiple viruses heading this way. Xana knows I've been activated and has now gone on the offensive." The four looked at each other before they heard the roar of one of Xana's creatures. They took Serenity's advice and fled Sector 5 towards the more isolated Arctic Sector, Serenity catching a ride with Odd on his hoverboard and Aelita with Yumi.
When they landed, Serenity scanned the area before deeming it safe to continue the interrupted conversation. The others stood slightly seperate from her, looking at the strange girl with a mix of curiosity and mistrust, Aelita was looking at her in awe, amazing that she could defeat Xana's creations so easily. Finally, Odd again stepped up to speak to the program.
"Who are you?" he asked, speaking what the entire group was thinking, "Why are you here? If you've been here the whole time, why didn't you come out before?" Serenity looked at Odd with an even gaze, as if processing the question before answering him.
"I am Serenity, codename for the Guardian Program," she replied, "I was created by Fraz Hopper to protect Lyoko and Aelita from Xana. I was also created to delete Xana from Lyoko. As to why I never showed, I was not activated until recently when my User summoned me to protect Aelita and Lyoko."
"The opened door," Ulrich muttered, gaining looks from the rest of the group, "The opened door, that was Serenity's part of Sector 5. She was probably locked up in there and Hopper finally let her out. I guess he must not trust us to take care of Xana." Serenity looked at him for a moment, her head tilted to the side in what appeared to be a confused look, then shook her head.
"My User trusts you," she said, "He trusts you with Aelita and Lyoko, but you do not have the capabilities to destroy Xana. You are to protect the outside world from Xana's influence, I am to erase Xana from Lyoko. Also, my User didn't have the power to activate me before. He recently gained it..." Three of the four looked at her with a mistrusting gaze, but it was broken when Jeremy said that it was getting late and that they needed to get back to the real world before anyone at the school started missing them.
"Bring us back, Jeremy," Yumi said. Aelita and Odd were the only ones who waved to Serenity before they were brought back to the real world, disappearing in a whirlwind of data and leaving Serenity standing in the Arctic Sector alone.
Once they were gone, Serenity felt a shiver go down her back. She didn't have to look over her shoulder to know that there was what looked like a man dressed in a black coat, hood pulled up and shadowing his face in complete darkness. She reached behind her and pulled the key off her back, turning and looking over her shoulder at the man.
"So...you show yourself," she said, ocean eyes narrowing at the man, "Xana..."
To be continued...
Author's Notes: The second short chapter (is it just me, or are they already getting shorter? Pretty soon my "chapters" will be one sentence!)! I would have written more, but ending the chapter with a physical manifestation of Xana was too tempting. I'll write more in the next chapter, promise! Please read and review!