The dark haired angel walked across a smoky plateau. She walked closer to the boy. He waited as she took even strides with her lengthy legs. She reached her final destinations and leaned in.
Suddenly the boy's alarm clock rang. His eyes burst open. His roommate was amazingly already awake.
"Good morning sleepy head!" The blonde-purple haired boy said. "What did you dream about last night… it couldn't have been a beautiful dark haired angel. 'Yumi wait no! Come back'" The boy laughed. "You should write some of this stuff down Ulrich and actually talk to her, not in your dreams though." Odd said jokingly.
"Leave me alone Odd, it's just hard. Do you really think she likes me?" Ulrich asked slightly insecure with the rumors he heard about his darling Yumi. He had always liked her. No, he loved her. It was talking to her that he had problems with. He kept his emotions on a short leash. He never let them out, he never showed a thing. Love was the one thing that kept him almost human.
"Let's go we're going to be late for class." Ulrich said, slightly embarrassed that his best friend even knew about his secrets. They walked through the buildings to find their way to the coffee machine. Once there they found a blonde haired boy talking to another girl with pink hair.
"We need to go and get Yumi, Xana's launched an attack." The boy said as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. They group looked at him with surprise.
"Here we go again, a band of fearless heroes fighting a demonic artificial intelligence, stuck inside a giant computer, wow our lives really are complicated." Odd said as he stared at Ulrich and smiled.
"Jeremy, what's Xana up to this time… it hasn't effected anyone yet has it. I mean if it had someone would have been hurt or…" Ulrich didn't even finish his sentence before he ran.
The rest of the group looked at each other and ran after him.
Though his reactions were unknown to the others, Ulrich knew exactly where he was going. Straight towards the most uncomfortable place in his mind, he kept running. He knew if he stopped, even to catch his breath it would be too late.
When he got to his destination, he was shocked and he knew that everything he hoped that wouldn't happen, happened. He looked at Yumi's front door, it was hanging on a hinge, barely left there by the monstrous attack.
Ulrich stared at the house and fought back tears. He turned and set out to find the others. They knew where he'd be. If they were all fine, then only one would be left to be attacked, or worse, killed. Ulrich walked slowly towards the group, dragging his feet with every step.
They looked at Ulrich with curiosity until they saw the look on his face. They immediately ran towards the woods. There they would take the sewage trip towards the factory and face their best friend, and worst enemy.
Once they got to the factory, they slid down the ropes to find a rude awakening. Suddenly out of the shadows, a tall figure dressed in black emerged. The figured smirked as the shadows gracefully highlighted her raven hair and pale skin. At the sight of his love, Ulrich's jaw dropped.
"Yu-Yumi! How? Why? What…?" Ulrich managed to stutter as he stumbled closer to the smiling, yet overpowered, Yumi.
"Nothing happened Ulrich promise. We should really get to Lyoko. Who knows how long my father has actually been under Xana's control." Yumi said, not showing an emotional attachment to her father at the moment.
"Yumi's right, let's go." Jeremy said, slightly worried for the girl. Is she in shock about her father? He asked himself within the quiet sanity of his own mind. Normally she's a tad bit more emotional about this kind of thing.
The group rode down to the doom, which awaited them in the virtual world of Lyoko. They knew it well, for they had seen and been in it several times before. They needed Aelita, the pink haired girl, to deactivate a tower, for she alone was the guardian of Lyoko.
Once the group got to the scanners, Jeremy called from the room above. "Are you guys ready? Ok then Odd and Aelita go first. See if you need to clean up first before I send Ulrich an Yumi." Jeremy said as the fearless warriors stepped into two of the three scanners. Yumi looked at Ulrich with a glimpse of something in her eye. It wasn't longing, or desire, like it normally was, but something more… deserted and blank.
They looked at each other for only a few brief moments to Ulrich really saw what Yumi's eyes held. It was not an emotion at all, but a symbol. It flashed for only a few moments, but Ulrich knew it too well to be fooled. It was Xana's symbol. Yumi looked at him once more, sized him up, and attacked. She first covered his eyes and mouth so that Jeremy wouldn't hear, and then suddenly with a rush of energy Yumi pushed Ulrich into the steel elevator.
"Yumi… what are you? What are you doing?" Ulrich practically screamed. He looked as she began to throw punches. Knowing exactly what he was up against, Ulrich managed to block every punch. Ulrich looked at the girl with hope.
"Ulrich? Yumi? Where are you guys?" Jeremy called into room. Since there was no answer he checked his screen. "Aelita, Odd hurry up, I think something may have happened to Ulrich and Yumi. I think maybe Xana's gotten to them!" Jeremy called to the virtual Aelita and Odd.
"Well don't be so worried, those two are tough as nails, I hope." Odd said to Jeremy as he killed a small block like creature.
"Great Odd, you killed one out of the four bloks." Aelita said as she continued to hide behind a rock.
Ulrich and Yumi had reached the more abandoned part of the old factory. Parts of old machinery and other useless, outdated items were flung all around the room. Suddenly, Yumi picked up a nail gun. She looked at Ulrich, and gave a smirk. She started to aim for Ulrich, who was no frozen with fear. He knew one day Xana would be able to infect his darling with his mind killing powers, but he never thought it would be this bad.
"Seems that the end has finally come for you Ulrich." Yumi said with a pixilated tone. Ulrich looked at the girl with a great desire, he longed for her… he wanted her to always be unharmed. How was he to fight the one he loved?
"Yumi, please don't," Ulrich whispered falling to his knees, he continued, "I… I won't and can't fight you. I don't know what else I can say before you end up killing me but please Yumi, try to fight it. This isn't you. You aren't part of Xana." He looked at the girl. She looked back at him and she suddenly dropped her nail gun. She put her hands on her head.
"I… NO! You fool! What do you think you're doing? This is the end for you… No Ulrich. Please! Just run far away!" Yumi said as she began to stumble around. She fought Xana; she didn't have the best chance. But she had no other choice. She wouldn't risk hurting anyone.
"Yumi… I won't leave you! I can't. I would die. Besides… Yumi, I-I…"Ulrich started. He watched she fell to the ground, her heart had nearly stopped. Xana wasn't giving up without a fight. "YUMI!" Ulrich screamed as he cradled the girl. Yumi, though nearly dead, continued to fight Xana.
Back in the upper room with Jeremy.
"Come on you guys, just a little further to the tower. How are you two holding up?" Jeremy asked a little worried about his other friends.
"Jeremy we're doing the best we can. We've both taken a few hits from those hornets." Odd said as his laser arrow shot one of the monstrous creatures.
BACK TO YUMI AND ULRICH… YAY!
"Ulrich…" Yumi whispered to the boy, "I-I…" Yumi was cut off by the sharp pain that Xana had left within her. She looked at him and two tears left her eyes. Ulrich new she couldn't help it, but he also knew he would have to be strong for her. He blinked back tears. He would not cry now, not when she needed him most.
Suddenly, a rush of darkness flew into the air. It paused a few moments then it disappeared. Yumi's eyes bolted open. "I-I fought back…" Yumi said with a slight giggle as she looked up at Ulrich.
"Oh Yumi." Ulrich said hugging her. He didn't know why but this felt like the right thing to do.
"Yumi… I…" Ulrich started, "I need to tell you something, right here, right now. Yumi," Ulrich sighed. "Yumi I love you. I think you're beautiful, and even though you might not feel the same way… I…" Suddenly a bright flash enveloped the world, and they were returned into the past.
Yumi looked up at the ceiling. She longed to see Ulrich. She got out of the bed and looked at her clock. Only 1:00 A.M.? She got her clothes on and went for a walk. She didn't want to talk to anyone, except Ulrich. She walked down the winding roads that lead to the school. She had a few routes she could take without climbing the fence. She took a look at the wrought iron fence and noticed that it wasn't locked. Wow! The school really does care. She thought to herself. She walked into the school. She didn't want to wake Ulrich up so she just decided to walk into the woods.
Yumi looked around to see if anyone was watching before she slipped into the trees. She didn't want anyone to try to follow her or to try and stop her. She was determined to go wherever her feet would take her. As she got deeper into the forest she swore she heard something, she became slightly scared as she turned to see if anyone was around. She took a few more steps before she stopped and hid behind a tree. In the distance Yumi say a figure sitting on the moist grass of the early morning. He was writing something. Yumi recognized the shape.
"Ulrich." Yumi whispered under her breath. She looked at him for a few moments. He was just looking at his paper. He looked a bit confused, she knew why. Just then he ripped the page out of his notebook and let a gust of wind carry it. Ironically the wind blew the note straight to Yumi. She looked at it and decided to read it before she talked to Ulrich. She opened the note silently… she read it to herself.
Dear, Yumi,
I've been thinking about you all the time.
I can't stop. It's like an infectious rhyme.
My heart beats twice at the sound of your name.
And us not being together, well, I take the blame.
I can never quite tell you just how I feel.
Though I love you, it's your heart I must steal.
You being around makes me feel proud.
And now I'm glad I didn't read this aloud.
By
Ulrich Stern.
Yumi looked at the note and then stepped towards Ulrich. He jumped at the sight of her.
"Uh… H-hi Yumi, what are you doing…" Ulrich looked at her with a confused look in his eye. As she slowly walked towards him she read the first few lines of his poem aloud.
"Dear Yumi, I've been thinking about you all the time. I can't stop. It's like an infectious rhyme." She repeated. He looked at her and blushed.
"You weren't supposed to see that," he said, "no one was supposed to see that actually." Ulrich looked away for a moment. Yumi took a few steps closer; she sat down next to him. They looked away from each other before their eyes met. Yumi looked at Ulrich's eyes, they were filled to the brim, with emotion. She had never seen this side of him, she thought it would be scary, but it wasn't.
"You looked… distressed," Yumi had said, as she looked deeper into his brown eyes.
"Yumi, I wanted to tell you something, it's really important." Ulrich took a breath and continued on. "Yumi, I've watched you for so long with out saying a word, I've fought by your side as well. It's been all I can do to keep my feelings from blurting out." He paused, unsure if he should tell her how he really felt. He took one look at her face and decided he must.
"I can't help watching you without feeling like there is something missing from my life. Then I realized it was you. I… I love you Yumi. I know it might seem a bit much but I can't control something like this and…" He looked at Yumi for no less than five seconds. She took him in her arms.
"Ulrich you have no idea how long I've waited for this moment." She said. "I know how you feel," she couldn't seem to let go of Ulrich. He felt so warm in her arms. They just sat there for a few moments. Both were wondering how long this glorious moment could last.
"Yumi, look." Ulrich said as he finally let go. He pointed towards the rising sun. They sat for a few moments in awe just looking towards the beautifully colored sky.
"It's beautiful." Yumi said.
"Yeah, you are." He said as his face slowly turned to a smile. "I have to go, my parents will get worried…" Yumi started. She looked at Ulrich's face. Neither of the two wanted to leave. But they both knew they must. Yumi slowly got up. She turned to walk away. She looked back for a few moments then said, "I love you Ulrich." She looked at him for just a couple more minutes till she ran off into the bright new day.