Disclaimer: Don't own nuthin'… 'nuff said.

Ok, this chapter's got a lot of romance and mushy stuff going on between everyone's favorite couples for the first SEVERAL paragraphs. If you're one of those people who could really care less about Yumi's tickle-spot or Aelita's biting problem, feel free to skip down, oh, say a good quarter of the chapter. (yeah, yeah, got carried away a bit) It gets more action-y and intense later on… promise.

For those of you who are hopeless romantics, I suggest you pop in Firehouse's Love of a Lifetime or Steelheart's I'll Never Let You Go and crank it up as you read those paragraphs….. (yes, I am an eighties rock fan and I wrote them while listening to those songs…)

Code: Lyoko

Mirror, Mirror

Part IV: In the Real World

Several hours have passed since the meeting that morning. Odd was the first to leave after a phone call he received. He wouldn't tell who it was, but everyone else pretty much knew who it was, based on his happy reaction. He had left red-faced and saying something to the effect that the caller wouldn't try to paint his nails pink. Jeremie and Aelita left shortly thereafter, saying that the two of them were going to work on figuring out a way to get some kind of plan together to defeat the evil twins. Yumi and Ulrich teased Jeremie about a "different" kind of work he and Aelita might "accidentally" get into that left him beet-red and embarrassed. Aelita giggled and gave Jeremie a sly and mischievous smile that made him even more embarrassed.

It is now eight o'clock at night and Yumi and Ulrich lay in the living room floor together watching a movie. Yumi yawns and stretches. Ulrich sees her arm raise up in front of him and takes the opportunity to tickle her exposed ribs. She squeals and jerks, trying to cover her ribs with her arm. "That's not nice!" Yumi exclaims playfully and tries to elbow Ulrich but he catches her arm by sliding his arm in the crook of her elbow. She turns to look at him as best as she can. He smiles and looks at her mischievously. "Don't you dare!" Yumi says but finds that her warning is fruitless as Ulrich sits up a bit, uses his other arm to hold Yumi's arm, and proceeds to tickle her some more. She struggles to free herself amidst his tickling and her laughter from the tickling. Finally he stops and she lays flat on her back and tries to slow her breathing. "It's not fair!" she says with a playful pout on her face. "What's not fair?" Ulrich asks drawing closer to her face. "You've found one of my tickle-spots and I've not been able to find any of yours!" she replies poking his ribs playfully. "It's almost like you don't have any at all!" Ulrich gives her a puckish smile. "Oh, I have tickle-spots. I'm just not gonna tell you where they're at!" He leans much closer, nearly touching her lips with his. "You're just gonna have to find them yourself…" Ulrich finishes his sentence by kissing her lips. She moans in delight and wraps her arms around his neck. Suddenly, she feels him tickle her ribs again and she breaks away from the kiss laughing. "Ulrich…!" She manages to shove him away and straightens her shirt and growls at him in mock anger. He sits back laughing. "I hope you're enjoying this, but remember, when I find a tickle-spot on you…watch out!" Yumi says. "I'm sorry I tickled you, Yumi," he replies smiling. "No, you're not. You enjoyed it!" she counters. Ulrich pauses for a second and tilts his head. "Ok, you're right, I'm not sorry, but it was fun! And you can't say that it wasn't!" Yumi presses her lips together, not wanting to admit that he was right about that. A loud noise on the TV distracts her and Ulrich bites his lip to help prevent himself from falling into the temptation to tickle her. He sighs heavily and rolls onto his back. Yumi glances over at him and cocks her head to one side.

"I take it that we're through watching the movie?" Yumi asks leaning towards him. "Yeah. I've seen it before so I know how it ends," he answers. Yumi picks up the remote and turns the TV off. "Hey, I'll be right back," she says standing. "OK, I'll stay right here," Ulrich replies and sticks his hands underneath his head. Yumi jogs off and heads upstairs. A moment later, she returns with a huge pillow that has red flowers on a white background. He widens his eyes as she pauses to dim the lights in the room. She drops the pillow next to him and motions for him to raise his head. Ulrich obliges and Yumi slides half of the massive pillow under his head then lays her own head next to his on the remaining half. "Now, isn't this more comfortable than the floor?" she asks, slightly giggling. Ulrich smiles and nods. He feels her shift next to him and then feels her arm slide across his chest. She kisses him on the cheek and he wraps his arms around her. "I guess you could say that we're having 'a moment'," Ulrich says chuckling. Yumi giggles and shifts her head so that it rests on his chest. "Yeah, I guess so. Hey, I can hear your heart. It's beating really fast!" Ulrich smiles and replies "Gee, I wonder why…" Yumi giggles again and gently rubs his chest.

Ten minutes pass and the couple lay nearly motionless on the floor. The only thing to disturb their stillness is the frequent kisses between the two. Ulrich's mind suddenly begins to dwell on his twin.

"Yumi?"

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Do you think our twins feel the same way about each other like we do?"

Yumi raises her head and gives Ulrich a perplexed look. "Why?"

"Well, Jeremie said they were like us. Do you think it's possible?"

She thinks for a moment before replying. "No. Based on what my twin said, she's most likely to go after you. Besides, Jeremie said they are only like us in the DNA department and I'm pretty sure X.A.N.A. has strained out emotions like that from them." She lays her head back down on his chest. "Why do you ask?"

Ulrich shrugs. "I dunno. I guess it's one of those 'night-time questions' that just pops into the mind." He raises his arm and looks at his watch. "Man, I wish I didn't have to go back to my dorm…" he whispers. Yumi gets a naughty smile on her face and whispers back to him, "Nobody says you have to go…." Ulrich smiles at the thought but shakes his head. "Tempting, but no. It'd look bad. Especially since your mom and dad has finally trusted you enough to leave you home alone for a whole weekend. I don't want to break your mom's trust either." Yumi sighs and realizes he's right and sticks out her bottom lip. "What if I held you hostage?" she playfully asks. Ulrich gives her a slightly bewildered look and replies, "Hostage? Yeah. That'll go over well." She laughs softly and the two sit up. "Well, can't blame me for trying. And you're right. If we did stay here alone together and my parents found out, both of us would dead!" Ulrich nods and stands. He reaches down and pulls Yumi up with both hands. The two wrap each other in their arms and just listen to each other's breathing. Finally, the pair walk to the door and Yumi starts to open it but stops herself. Instead, she pulls Ulrich in close and plants a kiss on his lips. After a minute passes, the two part and Ulrich gently runs his hand down Yumi's cheek. "Bye, Yumi. See you tomorrow." She touches his hand that is on her cheek. "Bye, Ulrich. Be careful going back to your dorm." After another kiss, Ulrich exits her house and Yumi watches him until he is nearly out of sight. She sighs and closes the door.

Meanwhile, Jeremie pecks away on his computer, trying to finish the Second Seal. The pauses and looks at the screen puzzled. "That doesn't look right…." he mumbles to himself. Aelita stands behind him watching him work. "Jeremie…" she starts but realizes that he's not paying attention to her. "Ah, there's the problem!" he exclaims and makes the adjustment in the code.

"Now, just a little bit more modificammph!" Jeremie is interrupted by Aelita spinning his chair around and planting a huge kiss on his lips, nearly knocking off his glasses. She withdraws after a minute, leaving a stunned Jeremie sitting in the chair with a dumb-founded look on his face. She giggles at him as he tries to speak, but all that comes out is goofy sounds. He finally regains his composure and looks up at her, not sure what to say.

"I think you have worked long enough tonight."

Jeremie straightens his glasses and clears his throat. "I guess, but you could have just said something."

"True, but doing that way made sure I had your full attention!"

Jeremie grits his teeth in guilt and blushes.

"And, sometimes," Aelita continues. "I think I'm competing with that computer."

Jeremie gets a look of astonished realization on his face and says, "What! Really? I had no idea! I-- I'm so sorry, Aelita! I didn't mean"

She bends down and puts her hands on his legs, then leans in close to him. "I know. Old habit. That computer was once the only way the two of us could communicate. I'm not mad, Jeremie. I just want to spend some time together, other than working on the Seals." She gives him a kiss and sees that he's feeling guilty. "Hey, relax Jeremie. I know you're trying. I probably was wrong to interrupt you like that. I'm sorry." Jeremie shakes his head takes one of her hands. "No, no! I'm the one who should be sorry. I get so caught up in my work, I tend to forget about other people and things." Aelita smiles and replies, "Let's just forget it, ok? Now, I want to spend a little time with a certain computer genius with glasses before I have to go back to my dorm." Jeremie smiles and gives her an apologetic look. "Ok, just let me save this and turn off the monitor." Aelita smiles cheerfully and nods. Jeremie turns, taps a few keys, and then turns off the monitor. He turns and Aelita gently slides into his lap, but she finds that the arm rests on Jeremie's computer chair gets in the way of her legs. Jeremie notices her discomfort and motions for her to stand. After she stands, Jeremie gets up and pushes the chair under the desk then turns to his closet. "I may have something that is more comfortable," he says opening the closet and pulls out a large beanbag. Aelita looks at it curiously. "Where did you get that?" Jeremie drops it on the floor next to his bed. "Odd gave it to me a while back. He said it was losing the stuffing out of it and had already bought a new one. It was a simple fix, but I didn't really have a use for it. Until now!" Aelita nods and replies. "That was nice of him." Then she drops down onto the beanbag and stretches across the entire thing. Aelita looks up at him, smiling innocently. "It is comfy, Jeremie!" she states rolling onto her back. "I wouldn't know. Someone has taken up all the room on it so I can't sit down with her!" he says back to her. Aelita sticks her tongue out at him gives him a devilish grin. He kneels down next to her and gives her a playfully stern look. "Stick your tongue out like that again and see what happens!" She giggles mischievously and sticks her tongue out at him again. He quickly tries to grab it, but misses. "Eww! Gross! Don't do that!" she giggles, turning her head away. "I warned you, Aelita! But you didn't listen!" he replies. Aelita looks back up at him and crinkles her nose in playful defiance. He takes his finger, attempts to brush her nose playfully, and she playfully tries to bite it, but accidentally bites his finger for real. Jeremie's eyes widen and jerks his finger back and gets a shocked look on his face. "OWW!", he yelps and sits back on his legs, cradling is finger. Aelita, equally shocked, sits up and gasps. Jeremie looks at his finger and sees a pair of teeth marks in it. "Oh, Jeremie! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't realize that it was that close!" Aelita exclaims remorsefully and wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. Jeremie regains he composure and shakes his hand that got bit. He looks at Aelita who, having been seen peeking up at him, reburies her head in his shoulder.

"You bit me! I don't believe it! You bit me!"

"I said I was sorry!" comes the muffled reply from the pink-haired girl who still has her face hidden.

Jeremie smiles softly and shifts his body to wrap his arms around her. She allows him to pull her close and feels his hand tenderly rubbing her back. "I know you were just playing around; that it was just an accident., Aelita. I know you didn't mean to. Besides it's not all your fault. I shouldn't have tried to poke your nose." He hears her fail to suppress a giggle and gently squeezes her. Aelita peeks up at him and sees a tender smile on his face. "That'll teach you to do that again!" she rebukes playfully. He chuckle and shakes is head. "Yeah, I guess so. Though I may have you tested for rabies!" he jokes. Aelita looks at him in disbelief and thumps him in the chest with her hand. He chuckles and straightens his glasses. "Dang glasses. Sometimes they are a real pain," Jeremie says frowning. Aelita tilts her head slightly and asks, "Have you ever thought of getting contact lenses?" Jeremie sighs and pulls his glasses off to adjust the nose piece. "Yeah, once. But they would be really expensive in my prescription." Aelita leans back from him and watches him fight with the nose pieces. As he starts to put them back on, Aelita stops him. "Wait, I want to see something…" Jeremie blinks at her curiously and Aelita gently takes his glasses from his hands. "I just wanted to see what you'd look like without your glasses," she states and surveys his face. "Um, well, that's great, but you do realize that the entire room is a blur to me now…right?"

Aelita smiles passionately and replies, "Then you won't see this coming…" She leans into him and lands a kiss on his lips. He nearly falters due to his blurred vision, but quickly regains control and joins in the kiss perfectly. The two lean back onto the beanbag and become lost in the overwhelming passion, only to be jolted back to reality a couple of minutes later by a loud commotion outside in the hallway. The two separate instantly and look towards the door. Aelita realizes she still has Jeremie's glasses and after a quick inspection to make sure they are alright, she hands them back to him. He takes them and promptly puts them on. "What was that?" Aelita whispers. Jeremie shrugs and stands. He walks quietly over to the door and cracks it open then peers out the crack. Jeremie smiles to himself as he sees that it is Odd coming back from… wherever he's been, and has been tackled by an excited Kiwi. Jeremie quietly closes the door and turns to Aelita, smiling. Her face asks him what was going on and he tiptoes back over to her. "Well?" she asks him softly. "It was Odd. Kiwi just took his legs out from underneath him and he fell." Aelita sighs in relief and leans her head against him. "Oh, good! I thought it might have been Jim checking the rooms. I shudder to think what he would do if he caught us!" Aelita says. Jeremie chuckles and replies, "He'd probably faint." "Yeah, then have us suspended after he woke up," chimes in Aelita looking up at him. "Then your perfect school record would be tarnished forever." Jeremie blinks in confusion. "Perfect record? What perfect record? I haven't had a perfect record since Odd and I found the factory!" She giggles and replies, "I'm messing with you, silly! And are you saying that you regret discovering the factory and it's secret? Are you also saying that it hasn't been worth it?" Jeremie shakes his head quickly and answers, "No, no! Considering what I've gained from the discovery, like three great friends that I can trust, and a certain pink haired girl who stole my heart, I'd do it again. No question." Aelita smiles and presses her body closer to his. "You know, out of the six billion people on planet Earth, I'm glad it was you who answered my SOS," Aelita says softly. Jeremie hugs her gently and replies, "Me too."

The two hold each other for fifteen more minutes when they hear someone out in the hall fighting with their keys. Jeremie and Aelita wait and listen to see who it is. "I bet you lunch tomorrow that it is Ulrich and Kiwi is going to bark when the door opens," Jeremie states grinning. Aelita pauses for a second in thought and then gets a competitive grin on her face. "You're on!" she replies and quickly pulls away and heads to the door. She quietly cracks the door open and sees Ulrich standing at his door trying to unlock it. He finally gives up and knocks on the door. After a few more knocks, Odd finally opens the door and Kiwi lets out a couple of barks. Aelita closes the door and turns around. Jeremie's face is beaming in light of his victory. Aelita scowls playfully and acts as if it is no big deal that he won the bet. Jeremie walks over to her and she sticks her nose up at him as he tries to hug her. "Oh. Pouting, are we?" he says. She just snorts at him. "Ah, it's going to be like that, huh? Fine." Jeremie turns around and she watches him out the corner of her eye. "I guess I'll just go back to work," he finishes and a sly smile forms on his lips. Aelita get wide-eyed and nearly lunges at him. "No! No work! Please don't! I'm sorry I snubbed you," she says catching his arm and spinning him around. "But, for your information, I wasn't pouting. I was sulking." Jeremie raises his eyebrows and replies, "There's a difference?" "Yes." She replies simply, half-smiling at him. "Oh. Ok. Sure," he says not wanting to challenge her and just smiles at her.

Aelita sighs and lays her head on his chest. "Oh, I don't want to leave…" Jeremie gently rubs her back and kisses the top of her head. "I know. I don't want you to, but it is getting late. You and I both need to get in bed." He pauses and realizes what he implied as Aelita begins to snicker. "Let me rephrase that: get in our own beds!" Aelita snickers some more and lifts her head up. "You're so cute when you goof up like that!" she comments and kisses his lips. "Thanks. I think," he responds after they separate. She steps back from him and sighs, fighting the temptation to actually stay with him. Jeremie nods and steps around her and opens the door carefully and quietly. Aelita smiles at him and steps out of his room and turn around to kiss him one more time. "Good night, Jeremie. Sleep well." Jeremie returns the kiss and replies, "Good night, Princess. Love you." They kiss one last time and she turns and begins walking down the hallway. Jeremie watches her until she rounds the corner at the end of the hall., then closes his door.

The next morning, Ulrich wakes up and glances at his clock. Six o'clock. Great. I wake up this early on a day that I don't have to get up until ten… figures, he thinks to himself and rolls over trying to get back to sleep. Suddenly he feels something land on his bed. Just as he lifts his head to see what it was, a slobbery tongue rakes across his face and the distinctive smell of dog-breath fills his nostrils. He snaps awake and sits up, instinctively shoving the furry intruder onto the floor. "ODD!" he shouts as he wipes the dog slobber off his face. Odd mumbles incoherently and rolls over. Ulrich scowls at him. He looks down and sees Kiwi sitting on the floor looking up at him with his tail wagging. Ulrich slides out of the bed and picks up Kiwi. "Come here, Kiwi! I think your master misses you!" he spits out in anger. "Maybe you should wake him up so he won't be alone!" Ulrich walks over to Odd's bed and drops Kiwi on Odd's head. Odd begins to flail and Kiwi wisely jumps off the bed before he is knocked off. Odd sits up almost in a panic and looks around the room wildly. "Wha—what was THAT?" he stammers. Then he sees an angry Ulrich glowering at him. Odd instantly scoots backwards against the wall and pulls his covers up to his nose.

"Keep your dog off my bed and if he EVER licks my face at this hour in the morning again, I swear, I will cut his tongue out!" threatens Ulrich. Odd sits on his bed not saying a word, wide-eyed and shocked. Ulrich turns to look at Kiwi, who has taken refuge under the desk, and says, "And I will do it, too!" Ulrich then turns back to his bed and sees dog hair all over the sheets. He puts his hand on his face and grits his teeth. "Great. More laundry…" he says disdainfully. Odd slumps slowly back into his bed but never takes his eyes off Ulrich. Ulrich sighs heavily and begins peeling the bed coverings off.

"S-Sorry, dude. I didn't know he was up. Usually he wakes up when I do…" Odd says meekly. "And he usually sleeps on the foot of my bed."

Ulrich pauses and sighs. "It's alright. Just make sure that he doesn't do that again, ok?" he replies now obviously more calm than he was a minute ago. Ulrich wads the covers up and tosses them at the foot of his bed with the rest of his laundry. He walks over to his chest of drawers and pulls out a fresh set. Odd relaxes more and sits up in the bed, pulling his knees under his chin.

"Hey, Ulrich?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

Ulrich glances at his friend and nods. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

"How did you feel when you discovered your twin?"

Ulrich pauses and thinks for a second. "Honestly? I felt scared and angry all at the same time. And I kept bouncing between the two, especially when he paralyzed me with those shuriken." Ulrich surveys his friend and notices he's acting a bit out of character. Odd has sullen up and seems to have a rather distant look to him. "Odd, what's wrong? You've been… different since they attacked us. You're not your usual weird self. I mean, you turned down food yesterday at Yumi's house."

Odd frowns, staring intensely at his bed. "I feel… violated. Something was taken from that was personal and then perverted into something utterly evil."

Ulrich walks over and places a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know how you feel, Odd. It happened to all of us. Well, except for Jeremie, of course. The best thing for us to do is figure out a way to stop them."

Odd snorts and turns his head away from Ulrich. "You make it sound as if they're just another one of X.A.N.A.'s brainless monsters, but they're not! They are US! No, they're BETTER than us!" Ulrich steps back in shock at his statement.

"Don't think I'm taking this as casually as you imply. I know this is serious. But I'm not going to try and contain my anger inside me and let it cloud my judgment. And, sure, they maybe stronger or faster than us, but they are not unbeatable."

Odd shoots him a disbelieving glance. "And how do you know that?" Ulrich crosses his arms and replies, "Because they have our DNA. We can be defeated, though I don't like to admit it, and since we can, they can. It's just a matter of figuring out how. Relax, Odd. We will beat them!"

Odd frowns at him and turns away again. "Maybe you can afford to relax, Ulrich, but I can't. I have to be ready for the next time!" And with that, Odd tosses his covers off him and gets up, grabs his gym clothes off the floor and heads out the door, leaving Ulrich standing in the middle of the room baffled.

Meanwhile, Aelita stirs underneath the sheets of her bed and fights her body's desire to wake up. She manages to drift back to sleep and begins to dream. Her dream starts off as a normal day with Jeremie in school but then turns… weird. She sees in her dream Jeremie get purple blotches on his face and claim that it is the next best thing in fashion. Then Yumi walks up to them wearing a white t-shirt and red plaid pants. She giggles as she realizes that Yumi's teeth are missing. Then Ulrich joins them but his head is stuck on Kiwi's body and acts oblivious to that fact. Just when Aelita believes the dream couldn't be that bad, it turns scary. The face of her twin breaks into the scene and begins to laugh at her hatefully. "You are the weakest one, Aelita!" the face calls to her. "You will not be the one to go first, however! I will eliminate your so called 'friends' first, then I will strangle the life force out of you slowly!" Aelita sees her friends begin to melt as if they were wax figures left in the sun too long. She then hears a commotion and sees Odd, who looks as if he was colored on by a kindergartner, try to reshape them but finds himself melting also. Aelita then hears a scream…

She sits up and realizes that it is her screaming. She feels tears streaming down her face and glances around the room. Her eyes stop on her clock as it just turns to six thirty. Aelita inhales deeply to try and calm herself, but she can't shake the feeling that her dream was real. She wipes the tears away and swings her legs off her bed. Aelita rests her head in her hands and tries to force the images of her friends, her Jeremie, melting away out of her mind. Then, her mind begins replaying the piercing words of her twin from the dream.

"You are the weakest one…"

Aelita feels pangs of realization hit her. "No… no I'm not! I… I can fight back!" she mumbles to herself, trying to counteract the feelings of helplessness that has begun to grip her.

"I will eliminate your so called 'friends'…"

Suddenly, Aelita feels defiance begin to stir in her and raises her head. "No. No you won't kill them. We will stop you!" she says confidently and wipes away a tear that threatens to roll down her cheek. "And I will get stronger!" Aelita gets up, turns on the room light, and gets a change of clothes from her drawers and her gym bag from the closet. Then she exits her room with a determined look on her face.

Ulrich finishes locking his door when Aelita rounds the corner. He notices her coming towards him and smiles at her. "Hey, Aelita. You're up early also, I see." She nods and returns his smile. "Yeah. I… couldn't stay asleep." Ulrich bends over and picks up his gym bag and slings it over his shoulder. "If you're looking for Jeremie, I think he's still in his room asleep." Aelita shakes her head. "Then let him sleep. I came to see you, Ulrich." Ulrich's eyebrows flick up slightly. "Ok…" he starts hesitantly. He notices Aelita is struggling with something but she finally gathers her courage. "Ulrich, I'd like to ask a favor of you." Ulrich shrugs and responds, "Sure. What is it?" Aelita shifts nervously and replies, "I would like for you to show me some self-defense moves to help me out, if that's ok." Ulrich smiles and nods. "Sure. No problem. Yumi and me are going to the gym to do some sparring. You can join us if you want." Aelita smiles at him and nods. "I will. Thanks, Ulrich. I appreciate this!" Hey, it's no problem. Just ask anytime!" The two friends start walking down the hall and Aelita glances at Jeremie's door as they pass it. "Heh, you didn't keep him up past his bedtime did you?" Ulrich jokes. Aelita giggles and replies, "No, but it was tempting. How about you? Did you keep Yumi up past her bedtime?" Ulrich shakes his head. "No, but as you said, it was tempting!" The two laugh as they begin to descend the staircase to the ground floor.

Moments later, Aelita and Ulrich arrive at Yumi's house. Ulrich knocks on the door and Yumi pokes her head out the upstairs window. "Hey, Baby! Hi, Aelita! Be right down!", she calls down to them. A minute later, Yumi opens the door and steps out, locking it behind her. She turns and kisses Ulrich. "Morning, Babe! Sleep well?" she inquires hooking her arm in his. "For the most part. Right up until Kiwi decided that I was better off awake than asleep." Yumi giggles and turns to Aelita. "Morning to you too. How are you?" Aelita smiles slightly and answers, "Fine. I rested nicely, but then again, I didn't have the furry alarm clock that Ulrich had!" The girls laugh and Ulrich frowns unamused. "Ha, ha. Very funny," he says as the three walk towards the Kadic school grounds.

"Hey, have either of you noticed any change in Odd's behavior since our last visit to Lyoko?" asks Ulrich. Yumi thinks for a moment then replies, "Yeah, he actually turned down food yesterday! He never turns down food!" Aelita nods. "He also seemed… dispirited once he became lucid after getting de-virtualized. Of course, being Odd, he tried to hide it, but you could tell he was affected by what happened. Why do you ask?" Ulrich shoves his hands in his pockets and watches the ground as the trio walks. "Well, this morning he said some things that were almost borderline revengeful. I'm really worried about him. He was so out of character. It's as if he took his defeat personally." Yumi widens her eyes in mild shock. "Wow. That is out of character. There was only one other time he got like that and that was when Samantha was nearly…" She stops herself and presses her lips together. "…you know," she finishes quietly. "Yeah, I remember, but he bounced back quickly from that and got back to his old self," Ulrich replies. "That's because the situation was resolved quickly. This problem hasn't been resolved yet. It could take awhile," Yumi states. Ulrich frowns slightly and nods in agreement. "Well, I hope this 'twin dilemma' we have gets fixed soon. I'd hate to see me best friend start down a path that he'd normally wouldn't take, if you know what I mean." Yumi and Aelita nods and the trio walk a little farther on in silence. "I know how Yumi is taking it, but what about you, Aelita? How are you handling this twin thing?", Ulrich finally asks. Aelita frowns and turns her head away. "I have to be honest. When I am with Jeremie or you guys, I feel like I'm handling it ok, but when I'm alone, I feel so… helpless. Like this morning, I had a nightmare that included my twin. She said some things to me that, if you don't mind, I don't want to repeat. Just know that it… scared me." Yumi puts an arm across Aelita's shoulder to comfort her. "It'll be ok. Just remember that it was only a dream," reassures Yumi smiling at her. "I know, Yumi, but the things that were said, they cut me deeply," replies Aelita hanging her head slightly. "Well, remember this: no matter what anyone says about you, true or untrue, real person or dream, you will always have a friend in us and will always be loved by Jeremie, no matter what!" Yumi says smiling. Aelita smiles as Yumi's words begin to strengthen her. "Thanks, Yumi. I appreciate it," Aelita replies smiling.

At the gym, Odd works the punching bag, unaware that Sam has dropped by and was watching him. His focus is entirely on the bag, making sure each punch lands as hard as the previous one. She smiles slightly as she admires his concentration.

The only other time he looks so focused is when there is several platefuls of food in front of him! she thinks to herself and chuckles softly. Just then the gym door opens and Sam sees Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita enter. Odd doesn't notice them come in and continues to pound the bag. The trio pause in shock as they see Odd punching away. Then Yumi spots Sam and waves cautiously to her. Sam waves slightly and sighs nervously. The trio walks over to her and Aelita breaks the ice first. "Hello, Samantha! It has been a while!" Sam nods and smiles, not really sure what to say. "Its just Sam. Nice to see you too, Aelita. Yumi, you look well," Sam replies. Yumi smiles and says "You, too. How have you been?" Sam fidgets and answers, "Fine. Just trying to get used to Kadic still. I see that you are still in one piece, Ulrich." Ulrich smiles and blushes slightly. "Yeah, I've learned to stay on Yumi's good side." Yumi smiles and kisses his cheek. "Yeah, he has. It only took one lesson! I'm proud of him!" The girls giggle and Ulrich's face gets redder. "Hey, I'm going to go get changed out, Babe. Then we can get started," Yumi says. Aelita nods and chimes in, "Yes, me too." Ulrich sits his bag down as Yumi and Aelita head off to the girl's locker room. "I see you have a new student," Sam muses. Ulrich pulls out his towel and a bottle of water as he glances up at Sam. "Kinda. Aelita just wants me to show her some basic moves." Sam nods and Ulrich sits down to take off his shoes. Once he does, he steps out onto the floor and begins to stretch.

Odd finishes his punching spree on the bag and notices Ulrich running through one of his martial art patterns in the middle of the gym floor. He raises an eyebrow and picks up his towel off of the nearby chair. He wipes the sweat off his face and tosses it onto the back of the chair. Then he notices Sam sitting on the bleachers, watching him. A smile creeps onto his face and feels a bit embarrassed. He waves to her and she smiles and waves back. Then Odd sees Yumi and Aelita come out of the girl's locker room. Yumi is wearing black pants that have two parallel white stripes running down the side of each leg and a black form fit tank top. Her hair has been pulled up into a ponytail and held in place by a black scrunchie. Aelita is wearing a pair of pink jersey shorts and a white tank top over a pink short sleeved shirt. Both girls walk over to where Ulrich's bag sits and takes off their shoes. "Ulrich is teaching Aelita martial arts?", Odd whispers to himself. "Wow. Cool." He smiles as the trio begins to stretch some more, with Ulrich showing Aelita how to stretch properly. Odd sighs and picks up his water bottle and takes a quick drink, then walks cautiously over to them.

"Hey, guys. Gonna get ya a good workout?" Odd asks weakly.

"Try to, anyways," replies Yumi. "You know Ulrich. Hardly gives me a reason to break a sweat!" Ulrich eyes her and replies, "Really? I guess I'll have to fix that!" She chuckles and shakes her head. "No, no! That's ok! Really!" Aelita stands nervously next to Yumi and says, "Well, I plan on getting a little workout, courtesy of Ulrich." Odd nods and smiles. There is a bit of an awkward pause and Odd finally turns to Ulrich. " Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Ulrich nods and replies, "Sure, Odd. Keep stretching, you two, until I get back." Then the two boys walk over to the punching bag Odd was working on. Odd nervously fidgets with his hand wraps, then finally speaks.

"Hey, Ulrich, I'm sorry about this morning. I shouldn't have stormed out like that and said all those things."

Ulrich nods and smiles at him. "It's alright, Odd. I understand that you've been taking this kinda hard. Look, just forget about it, ok?" Ulrich says forgivingly then chuckles. "And if it makes you feel better, I'm sorry I dropped Kiwi on your head." Odd gives him a quizzical look and then a smile forms across his face. "It's ok. But next time you want to wake me up, use something like breakfast instead." The two laugh and Ulrich glances over at Yumi and Aelita. "Look, I gotta get back to my 'class'. See you at lunch." Odd perks up and his smile expands two sizes. "Lunch; I can taste it already!" Ulrich shakes his head and walks toward Yumi and Aelita. "Ok, ladies, are you loosened up good? I don't want either of you to accidentally pull or strain anything." The two girls nod and Ulrich begins the lesson.

A little while later, Odd walks over and sits down next to Sam to watch Ulrich teach Yumi and Aelita. Sam smiles at him as he takes a drink from his newly refilled bottle of water. "How are they doing?" he asks motioning slightly toward the two girls with his hand. Sam nods and replies, "Well, Yumi is holding her own pretty well, but then again, she's been learning from him a lot longer than Aelita. Aelita is doing well for her first time, don't get me wrong, but she's still gotta get more confidence in herself. And what about you? How did you do?" Odd chuckles and takes another drink. "My arms feel like they're gonna fall off. But I did manage to work up an appetite!" Sam giggles softly and brushes a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear.. "Odd, your appetite never goes away. It just gets enough to keep quiet for a couple of hours!"

"Ok, that's enough technique. Now to put it into practice a little," Ulrich says. Yumi gets an excited and competitive smile on her face that Aelita finds almost frightening. Ulrich turns to her and says, "Aelita, we're going to do a little bit of sparring, but since this is your first lesson, I'm going to give you a choice. You can either go first or wait and go after Yumi." Aelita raises her eyebrows and freezes, not sure how to respond. "Don't worry, I won't run over you. I'll help you out and work with you. Now, since Yumi has been doing this for a while, I know she can handle herself. If you want, you can wait until after Yumi and I spar, just to see how it goes. Or you can step out and go first. Your choice."

Aelita glances nervously over at Yumi who is smiling. "Relax, Aelita. It's fun, really! And Ulrich does take care of you. I was just as nervous as you when I first sparred, but after I did, I found out that I enjoyed it. I also found out that when I spar, I get the best work out," Yumi says encouragingly, Aelita inhales and then decides to just spar now and get it over with. "Ok, I go first," she states. Ulrich smiles and nods. "Alright, let me get you some gear. Yumi, I'll have you referee for us," Ulrich says and motions for Aelita to follow him over to his gym bag. Yumi nods and begins to stretch to keep herself limber. Ulrich reaches into his bag and pulls out two pairs of sparring gloves. He hands a pair to Aelita and says, "Try these on to see if they fit. If not, see if Yumi's fit." Aelita slides the fingerless and padded gloves on and nods toward him. "They fit fine." Ulrich finishes putting his on and walks back out onto the floor. Aelita follows as she opens and closes her hands, trying to get used to the gloves and the extra weight they put on her hands.

"Ok, we'll go very slow at the start until you get a little more comfortable, then we'll pick it up a bit," Ulrich says turning to face her when the two reach the middle of the floor. She nods and he raises his hands. "How should I start?", Aelita asks raising her hands, trying to mimic Ulrich's hand position. "Well, first of all, don't try and copy your opponent move by move. Granted, there are times for that, but I want you to make up your own style. But also feel free to incorporate things you see other people do into your technique. If you see me or Yumi or even Odd do something you like, take it and use it. As for right now, just start off simple. Use those basic techniques you know." Aelita nods and nervously advances toward him. She throws a punch but is too far away from him. Aelita feels her face turn red and steps in closer. She throws a kick and he gently blocks it. "Good, you realized you can get in closer. Be sure to always watch your distancing. You don't want to waste energy on things that doesn't even come close to connecting," Ulrich coaches. Aelita nods and throws another kick. Ulrich blocks it and throws a punch of his own. He makes it come obviously short of her. She tries to block it wildly. "Watch out that you don't waste energy trying to block things that aren't even going to connect with you, either. Learn to judge where things are going and where they'll stop. However, be careful, because things can change mid-stream," he advises. Then he side-kicks at her, and as she tries to block it, he changes the kick into a front kick and gently taps her stomach. She looks surprised and jumps. "Whoa!" she exclaims and steps back. Ulrich smiles reassuringly at her and she regains her composure. "Come on, let's go." Aelita nods and steps toward him, throwing a punch. He blocks it softly and punches at her. She blocks it and smiles, feeling her confidence beginning to grow slightly. The two spar like that for a little while longer, then Ulrich says, "Now, try putting combinations together of two or more moves. Don't limit yourself by only throwing one technique at a time." She nods and kicks at him twice. He blocks both kicks and says, "Good! Keep it up!" They spar for another minute and Ulrich backs away from her quickly. "Ok, that's enough, Aelita." She lets out a sigh of relief and smiles thankfully at him. Odd and Sam begin to applaud and cheer. "Good job, Aelita!" Odd shouts. Aelita blushes and walks over to the bleachers. She plops down and begins to take off the gloves. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Ulrich asks. Aelita shakes her head no, picks up her water bottle, and takes a drink. Yumi gives her a thumbs up then turns to Ulrich. "Oh goody! My turn!" she exclaims happily. Ulrich nods and she turns toward her gym bag. Yumi gets out her gloves and puts them on.

"Oh, boy! This is where the fun begins!" states Odd. Aelita looks over at him and asks, "Why's that?" Odd gives her a big smile and replies, "Well, their sparring sessions are very fun to watch because sometimes, it gets a little personal. Yumi tries to get away with something, but Ulrich repays her and then a vicious cycle forms. Usually, Ulrich has to take Yumi to the ground and pin her to get her to finally stop." Sam nods in agreement. "Yeah, I don't know how many times Ulrich has had to do that," she states. "Wow. I don't know why she wouldn't want to stop…" Aelita says. "It's a pride thing. Yumi is just not going to give up," Odd answers.

Yumi and Ulrich face each other and Yumi has a determined look on her face. "Ok, Yumi, here's what I want you to work on. I want you to work on doing multiple lead-leg kicks. I want to see you doubling or tripling up on the lead-leg before doing a spin or a turn kick, ok? Also, don't forget you can use different heights of kicks," Ulrich instructs. Yumi nods and shakes her arms to loosen them up. "Ok, sparring positions!" Ulrich shouts. The two step a leg backwards and raise their hands. "Begin!" Ulrich says and stretches his front hand out and Yumi tags it, signifying that she's ready. Yumi instantly lunges at him with a double round kick to the head but Ulrich blocks both kicks then counters with a side kick that lands on Yumi stomach. She staggers backward a couple of steps and Ulrich advances toward her, throwing a couple of jabs at her. She blocks the first one and dodges the second. Jim walks into the gym and pauses for a moment when he sees Ulrich and Yumi sparring. "Oh, boy. There they go again…." he says shaking his head.

Yumi kicks at Ulrich's midsection, but he deflects her kick, spinning her around backwards. She kicks backwards toward him, but he slides to the side and kicks her, gently landing the kick on her chest. Yumi growls at him and double round kicks at him, one kick low and the other high. He blocks the kicks and dodges a jab to his face. Yumi throws two more jabs, which Ulrich blocks, then throws a reverse punch. Ulrich turns and the punch lands sharply on his shoulder. She follows up the punch with a round kick to his gut but realizes that he set her up when he grabs her leg. "Oh, no…!" she squeaks just before Ulrich quickly takes her other leg out from under her. She break-falls as not to injure herself, but then feels Ulrich land on her chest, pinning her down. She struggles to free a hand but Ulrich lets all of his weight rest on her. "Ak! Ulrich!" Yumi says struggling. Ulrich smiles at her but Yumi frowns. Suddenly she uses her legs to push upwards and tosses enough of him off her to get her right arm free. "I see you've been practicing," Ulrich states as Yumi tries to hook her free arm around his neck. Yumi smiles deviously and replies, "You bet!" Ulrich smiles again and grabs her free arm. Then Yumi realizes that he set her up again. "No…! Not again!" she says as he shifts his body and quickly turns her over on her stomach. He uses her captured arm to pin her in a shoulder lock. Yumi presses her lips together in defiance, despite not being able to do anything. "Are you done?" he asks her. She shakes her body a couple of times to see in there are any weak spots, but then relaxes. "I guess. Let me up, please?" "Only if you promise not to do what you did last time." "What! I didn't do anything last time!" she exclaims. "Then your memory is going bad. I seem to recall that after I let you up the last time we sparred, you kicked me in the behind!" he retorts. Yumi's face reddens and she tries to suppress a laugh. "How do you know that was me?" she asks playfully. "Because no one else would dare do that!" he snaps back with a suppressed smile. "Oh. Can I get up now?" Yumi asks innocently. "You still haven't promised me." Ulrich replies. "Oh, ok! I promise!" she agrees and Ulrich releases her then stands. She rolls over onto her back and he takes both her hands to help her up.

"Well, that was disappointing," pipes up Odd. Yumi and Ulrich turn their heads to look at him curiously. "What?" asks Ulrich uncertainly. "I mean, that was short and very mild. Not really that exciting," he replies disappointedly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Odd. I completely forgot to be entertaining when my face was being pressed against the gym floor!" Yumi returns sarcastically. Sam and Aelita chuckle softly as Odd gives Yumi a hurt look. Then, the ring of a cell phone catches very one's attention and everyone immediately checks to see whose it is. "It's mine!" states Aelita as she pulls out her pink phone.

"Hello?"

"Yes, I would like to place a lunch order, please! I would like a couple of whole boiled lobsters, a side of baked potato with sour cream and lots of butter, and a huge chocolate fudge sundae smothered in almonds!"

Aelita presses her lips together and narrows her eyes in aggravation. "Jeremie BelPois, I swear, I'm going to smack you if you keep that up!" Snickers escape the lips of the four people who are straining to hear the conversation. On the other end of the line, Jeremie begins to laugh and Aelita shakes her head in embarrassment. "I hope you don't expect me to buy you all that for lunch," she continues. "No, I don't. But it would be nice!" Jeremie replies cheerily. "Yes, I bet it would," Aelita states sarcastically. "But all you're getting is bread and water!" She hears Jeremie laugh again and then he clears his throat. "Listen, I'm heading to the factory to start inputting the data for the second Seal. Just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't have to come and find me. I don't care what you bring for lunch, but be sure Odd doesn't get into it!" Aelita nods and replies playfully, "Ok, Jeremie. I'll think about getting you something more than bread and water. Maybe." Jeremie chuckles and she continues, "I'll see you soon. Bye, love you!" "Love you, too!" he says right before hanging up. Aelita puts her phone back into her bag and glances up to see her friends looking at her expectantly. "What?" she asks innocently. "Well? What's this lunch thing that's going on?" asks Yumi. Aelita sighs and replies, "It was a simple bet, and I lost. Nothing serious." "What was the bet on?" inquires Ulrich, now putting his gloves in his gym bag. "Well, it was about what would happen when you opened the door to your room last night," she replies crossing her arms. Yumi and Ulrich look at each other wide-eyed and knew what each other were thinking. Aelita realizes what they must be thinking and states, "Get your minds out of the gutters. We weren't doing anything!" Yumi smiles devilishly and replies, "Yeah, sure," She turns to Ulrich. "I'm going to go get changed out. Then we can go get our own lunch!" Ulrich nods and takes a drink of his water. Odd and Sam stand and Odd turns to Sam. "Hey, you wanna to go get lunch too?" he asks with a nervous smile on his face. Sam looks at him, pondering his request. "Depends. Will you eat like a decent human being?" Odd gets a hurt look on his face and replies, "What's that supposed to mean?" "Just what I said. Will you?" she asks again. "Good luck on that happening," states Ulrich. Odd shoots him a hard glance. "No one asked you," Odd snaps then redirects to Sam. "I will try." Sam sighs and nods. "I guess that's good enough." The two wave to Ulrich and Aelita as they turn to leave. Yumi returns and Aelita stands. "I'm going to go change. You two go on with out me. I'm going to go and get Jeremie's lunch after I change," she says. "Ok, Aelita. Have fun!" Yumi says smiling. Ulrich picks up his bag and he and Yumi hold hands as they leave the gym.

Jeremie yawns as he waits for the elevator to return to the surface. He steps into it as the door slide open. He taps in the code and the elevator beings descending. Then, he hears his laptop beeping. He pulls it out and opens the lid. Jeremie grows wide-eyed as he sees what is on the screen. "Oh, no…." he whispers with dread in his voice. He quickly reaches for his phone.

Yumi and Ulrich sit next to each other at Yumi's house, enjoying the ham and turkey sandwiches Yumi prepared for them. "You're a good cook, Yumi!" Yumi pauses and eyes him cautiously. "Thanks. That was a compliment, right?" Ulrich turns to look at her innocently. "Of course! What else would it be?" Yumi nods and replies, "Good answer." Suddenly, Yumi's cell phone rings and she picks it up. "Hello?" "Yumi! Is Ulrich there with you?" asks a frantic Jeremie. "Yeah. What's up?" she replies. "Get to the factory! X.A.N.A.'s awake!" he states and Yumi gives a puzzled Ulrich a look that tells him what the trouble is. He sighs and gets his phone out and dials Odd.

Odd tries to suppress his appetite in front of Sam but finds that the temptation to have thirds almost too much. Then he feels his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulls it out and answers, "Ulrich, this had better be important…" "Odd, get to the factory. X.A.N.A.'s on the move." Odd crinkles his face in anger and nods. "Ok, be there shortly." Sam gives him a quizzical look and sees the disappointment and anger in his eyes. Odd stands from the table where they are sitting and looks at her apologetically. "Sorry, Sam. Something's come up with Einstein. I gotta go," he says sadly. She sighs in mild disappointment and nods. She's seen this before but lets it go, knowing that he will tell her everything about…. these emergencies that he goes on, when he is ready to. "It's ok, Odd. Go." He gives her a weak smile and takes off. "And be careful…" she whispers after he's gone.

Aelita hangs up the phone after getting off with Jeremie. She sets down the pizza on her desk and curses X.A.N.A mentally for ruining her lunch with Jeremie. She leaves her room and takes off down the hallway. Then she sees Sissi standing at the entrance. She tries to squeeze past Sissi, who is taking up most of the doorway, but bumps into her. "Hey, watch it, Aelita!" Sissi snaps as Aelita continues to run past her. "Sorry, but I'm in a hurry!" Aelita calls back to her. "You better watch where you're going, Aelita, or I'll get my daddy to move you out onto the street!" Aelita ignores her threat and continues toward the factory.

Jeremie exits the elevator to the control room, but he stops almost instantly when he enters. The lighting in the room is dim and he blinks his eyes to try to get them to adjust to the lower level of light.

This is odd. The lights have never been dim like this before… he thinks to himself. A few seconds later, he begins to see well enough to start toward the computer console and chair. Jeremie finally finds his way into the chair and activates the console screens.

Wow, something has drained the power drastically. Jeremie begins to run a diagnostic and suddenly realizes that two life forms are being detected in the scanner room. "No way that's Yumi and Ulrich. They haven't had enough time to get here…" he whispers to himself. A few keystrokes later and the identity of the life forms sends a wave of fear over him and chills down his back. He reached for his cell and begins dialing Yumi.

Yumi answers her phone as her and Ulrich reach their skateboards that are placed in the tunnel. "Jeremie? What's going on?" she asks. She hears him swallow loudly and say, "Yumi, they're here… in the scanner room…" It takes her a second to figure out what he is talking about. "Just hold on, Jeremie. We're almost there!" she reassures him. Ulrich watches his girlfriend intently as she hangs up. Her face is pale and fear is present in her eyes. "What is it? What's happened, Yumi?" Ulrich asks, now getting worried. "Ulrich, they're here…"

Jeremie tries frantically to send the elevator to the surface to delay them from getting to the control room but fails when the elevator suddenly stops obeying his commands. He watches helplessly as the life signs board the elevator and it begin to ascend. "No…" he whispers in fear as he hears the elevator come to rest at the door. He feels the air in the room get thick with fear as the door slides open, revealing two shadowy figures standing inside the elevator. Sweat beads roll down his brow and onto his glasses' lens.

Ulrich slams his fist against the elevator door in frustration. "Dang it! What's wrong with this thing!" he nearly screams. Yumi firmly grabs his shoulders. "Take it easy, Ulrich. We'll just have to go down the other way!" she says. Ulrich grunts angrily and hears Aelita coming up from behind them. She pauses when she sees Yumi and Ulrich standing in front of the elevator doors. "What's wrong, Yumi?" Aelita asks upon seeing Ulrich upset. "The elevator's not responding. We'll have to go the other way," Yumi replies, trying to calm Ulrich down by gently massaging his shoulders. Ulrich finally lets out a large sigh and relaxes a bit. "Yumi, you and Aelita head on down. I'll wait for Odd and meet you there." Yumi starts to object but nods in agreement. "Ok, Babe. Don't be too long." She kisses him on the cheek and heads off with Aelita following close behind her.

Jeremie breathes heavily and backs up against the wall. "Well, well, well. What have we here?" asks a female voice that is suspiciously like Aelita's. "If you weren't wearing those nerdy clothes and have on those goofy glasses, you might just be a bit cute!" says the girl stepping towards him. He swallows nervously. "But I can't be too sure. It's a bit too dark to tell." "I'll see what I can do about that," says the other voice, which is also female. Jeremie strains to see through the dimness what the other figure is doing, but can't quite make out what is going on. Suddenly the lights brighten and he blinks in the sudden illumination. He looks up to see two girls that look almost exactly like Aelita and Yumi standing before him. Jeremie notices that the two are clothed exactly how Aelita and Yumi described them to be clothed on Lyoko. He gasps and Atilea steps closer to him. "Well, that's better, now isn't it?" she says with a demonic smile on her face. "My, you are cute. I'm Atilea! Hope you don't mind if I get the introductions out of the way!" Jeremie freezes in fear as she plants her hand hard on the wall next to his head. "We don't have time for this, Atilea," snorts the ebony haired girl, leaning impatiently against the adjacent wall. "Shut up, Imuy. You're just jealous because I saw him first!" snaps Atilea at her. "Whatever," says Imuy blandly. Suddenly, the maintenance door opens and Yumi and Aelita step into the room. They freeze when they see Atilea and Imuy standing across the room. Aelita sees Jeremie next to Atilea and gasps. "Jeremie!" she shouts and starts toward him but Yumi catches her arm. "No! Stay here!" Yumi commands. Atilea raises an eyebrow. "So, it's Jeremie, is it?" she says to Jeremie. Jeremie looks at her, unable to speak.

Atilea turns and looks back at Aelita. "I hope you don't mind me getting to know him a little better!"

And before anyone can say or do anything, Atilea turns back around and plants a huge kiss on Jeremie's lips.