A/N: It's been a hot minute, I just so happened to rediscover all of my old work and had a spark of creativity. It's been a long wait, and I won't be updating often because of adult things nowadays. For now, just enjoy this chapter.
"Is everyone okay down here?" Ulrich asked in concern as he peeked his head around the corner that led to Aelita's room. He was dressed simply in a pair of pajamas, it was clear he had just woken up.
"We're fine in here, but who was screaming?" Odd called back, his voice muffled by the large wooden door. Ulrich frowned and turned the corner and continued down the hallway trying to find the source of the scream. Suddenly he stopped dead, his eyes catching a glimpse of a form slumped in the gloom .
"Shit! Odd, it's William," Ulrich yelled dropping to one knee beside the unconscious teen. Concern filled the man's chocolate brown eyes as he gently lifted William to a sitting position on the wall. The dark haired teen was breathing much to Ulrich's relief, but his skin was a sickly pale color.
"What's wrong with him?" Odd questioned, crouching beside the pair. At first Ulrich didn't respond, instead he gingerly lifted William in his arms and stood unsteadily.
"I don't know, let's get him to a room," Ulrich grunted as he turned in the small hallway. Odd nodded in silent agreement and moved to follow his companion, but paused and glanced back into the darkness. A shiver tore down his spine raising every hair on end, something was watching him, something was there.
"C'mon Odd, I can't open doors with my ass," Ulrich yelled from around the corner pulling the man from his thoughts. Even as he turned and made his way to companion Odd couldn't help but feel like he was being observed.
"Have you missed me Boy?" A twisted voice teased from the darkness, it's tone mocking and full of malice.
William's eyes slowly slid open revealing the room around him, he was alone… always alone. The room was dark, the walls scarred and battered as if clawed by an animal.
"You thought you got away, but you'll always be trapped with me," the voice hissed, it's sinister words reverberating through the teen's head.
"Trapped with us but still alone," another voice, this one light and wispy, whispered from the darkness.
"Please just stop, leave me alone," the teen begged, his voice desperate. All around him the shadows lazily began to swirl together. Suddenly they picked up speed and started to rise up from the ground in a dark and writhing mass.
"Take your revenge, kill them," the voices murmured in unison, their words blending together.
"Stop… please," William sobbed sinking to his knees on the cold floor.
Suddenly the shadows melted away revealing William's Zweihander laying on the pale white floor, it's blade growing red with power. Panic flashed across the dark haired teen's face as he stared at the fearsome weapon.
"What's wrong with him?" Legend questioned snidely, his gaze leveled at William. Around him everyone shifted uncomfortably, it was clear they didn't have an answer.
"Why do you hate this guy so much?" Koen asked from his seat opposite of the unconscious teen's question took Legend by surprise but he soon turned to glare at the offending blonde.
"It's his face, he always looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. I can't stand how he mopes around like he is the only one who has problems," Legend spat bitterly. The room fell silent as the teen's brazen words hung in the air.
"You're one to talk," William groaned, his voice strained and weak.
"William, are you okay to move?" Aelita questioned in concern as the dark haired teen struggled to a sitting position on the bed. The teen in question answered her with a dismissive grunt.
Suddenly Legend grabbed William's shirt collar and yanked him forwards. Odd was on his feet in an instant, ready to break up whatever was about to happen.
"If you've got a problem with me go ahead and say," Legend spat, his temper flaring angrily. At first William held the teen's gaze, his eyes boring holes in the other teen.
"Yeah, I've got a problem. I've got a problem with you thinking that you've got the weight of the world weighing you down, that you've gotten the shit end of the stick," William growled, baring his teeth in anger.
"What gives you the right to judge me damnit?" Legend roared, yanking William's shirt collar even harder. Odd moved to grab the teen but was stopped when William raised a hand to stop him.
"I've seen Hell, and lived through it for years. I've fought my friends time and time again with no control of my body. I housed a psychotic computer program in my body and died to destroy it. So I think my stick has a bit more shit on it," the dark haired teen growled leveling his gaze at Legend cooly.
Anger flared in Legend's brown eyes and he reared back to punch the dark haired teen but was stopped when Ulrich grabbed his arm and yanked him back.
"That will be enough out of you young man," the German man hissed as Legend yanked his hand from his father's vise like grip. The pair locked eyes for a minute before the brunette turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, muttering under his breath the entire time.
"Well, that got a little tense," Odd chuckled nervously, trying his best to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the remaining occupants of the small room.
"He takes after his father, I promise you that much," Yumi teased from the doorway, finally drawing attention to her presence. This comment brought a small smile to the gathered companions, each of them remembering Ulrich's short temper when he was younger.
"We should probably go talk to him, that got a little out of hand after all," Ulrich replied glancing over at his wife, who nodded in agreement.
A silence fell over the remaining occupants as the Stern's quickly left the room in search of their son. William let out a sigh and sat up in his bed letting his bare feet touch the cold floor.
"Kid's got some problems," the dark haired teen grunted as he stretched his arm outwards while massaging the sore muscles. Odd smirked slightly at how coolly William brushed off the events that had just unfolded.
"William, you know you can talk to us right?" Aelita asked in a small voice breaking her silence. The question caught the dark haired teen off guard and he glanced over at his companion in confusion.
"I-I know what it's like being controlled by Xana, but I couldn't even begin to imagine what you went through. No matter what though, you're never going to be alone anymore. We're here for you, for anything you might need," Aelita continued, her cheeks turning a shade of pink.
"Thank you, but I just need time to myself. A lot has changed, and I have to come to terms with that," William grunted as he unsteadily rose to his feet. Odd and Aelita both nodded in unison, despite them wanting to help their friend they would have to let him come to terms by himself.
"Don't be so down you guys, everything will work out in the end," William chuckled as he limped out of the room leaving the others in silence.
Raindrops splashed against the concrete roof of the factory as the storm grey clouds rumbled above. William sighed as the cold rain stung his face sending shivers down his spine. A tear rolled down his cheek as his emotions got the better of him.
"You know, it's not good for you to bottle up all your feelings," Odd advised from the relative dryness of the factory's covered staircase. The dark haired teen remained silent, trying his best to ignore the newcomer.
"How would you know? You've always been the carefree one," William replied, staring off into the woods that surrounded the factory. A sad smile crossed the blonde's face as he leaned against the rail beside the dark haired teen.
"You might not know this, but I got married," Odd whispered in a low tone. "Her name was Addilyn, and she was beautiful. When we had Koen I was the happiest man alive."
"B-but then, Addilyn got sick," Odd continued, his voice cracking slightly. "She passed away when Koen was only four," Tears formed in the man's eyes as memories of his wife filled his mind. A sad smile cracked the blonde's lips as tears streamed down his cheeks, the salty trails mixing with the falling rain.
William bowed his head, guilt eating away at the pit of his stomach. Beside him Odd sniffled and wiped a mixture of tears and rain from his eyes.
"Addi always called me a wimp, wonder what she would say now?" The blonde whispered sadly, his brown eyes staring out over the treetops that surrounded the old factory. His head filled with thoughts from the past, filled with thoughts of his wife.
"I'm sorry Odd, looks like I'm still a kid afterall. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself that I never considered my friend's hardships while I've been gone," William sighed as he slowly clambered to his feet. The older blonde grinned and reached up with a damp sleeve to wipe away the tears that had formed.
"We've got some catching up for you to do, a lot has happened and all of it isn't bad," Odd grinned as he reached over to put his arm around Williams's shoulders. His smile faded slightly as he glanced over his friend, he was still a boy, barely older than his own son and yet he had seen the worst of the world. Things would change now, Odd would make sure of it, Xana wasn't taking his friend from him again.
"So you're telling me that Sissy is in charge of Kadic now?" William chuckled as he leaned against the railings of the factory's upstairs balcony overlooking the elevator doors. Odd was nonchalantly leaned beside him, his back against the rail and hands clasped behind his head like he hadn't a care in the world.
"Yup, and Ulrich, Yumi, Jeremy, and Aelita all teach there now too," the blonde man continued, a lazy grin stretched across his face as he caught the teen up with the rest of the world.
"I guess that explains why you all live here," William grunted, gesturing to the remolded factory that had been completely abandoned last time he was on Earth. Long gone were the cobweb filled corners and dusty floors, now the old factory had been revamped. Wood floors had been placed over the aging concrete and lights hung from the ceiling giving the building a warm, home-like feel.
"It was Jeremy's idea. He and Aelita got married and moved away, but he kept having panic attacks in the middle of the night about Xana returning. So, they came back and bought the factory with the money from their tech company they started," Odd explained as he watched William look around the remodeled space. "They invited us all to come and live, and little by little we turned this dusty old place into a home."
"The group was always inseparable," William snorted.
"Yup, I even tried to talk them into matching tattoos," Odd laughed, pulling down the neckline of his shirt to reveal a tattoo etched just below his collarbone. It was a simple black ink skull with a samurai sword imposed through the top, ribbons wrapped around the back reading "Lyoko Warriors".
"I can see why everyone wasn't on board," William snorted, the tattoo was definitely Odd's style.
"I got the motivation after watching some old movie called 'Starship Troopers', they had a really cool one," Odd chuckled as he pulled the collar of his shirt back over the tattoo. As he moved the fabric William caught sight of a small diamond ring hanging from a simple silver chain around the man's neck.
"It was Addi's, I always keep it on me now," Odd explained, following the teen's gaze to his necklace.
"I-It's beautiful, she was a lucky lady," William stammered, not sure what to say as the man shifted uncomfortably beside him.
"No, I was a lucky man. I was lucky to get a chance to be with her, even though I lost her. I'd never change that," Odd sighed, wrapping his fingers around the ring sadly.
"Tell me about her. Hell, tell me about everything, I've missed so much," William requested, while he wanted to catch up he couldn't stand seeing the usually chipper blonde having trouble.
"Man, wait until I tell you about Jim," Odd snickered, his face sliding back into its usual cheerful grin.
"This is strange, even though the Supercomputer was shut down Lyoko continued to evolve," Jeremy muttered as he scanned through the many different lines of code that were projected onto the multiple screens around him.
"It looks like Xana found ways to work around being disconnected, maybe he was able to find power when we did the remodel," Aelita responded as she leaned over her husband's lap to get a better view. A slight blush tinted Jeremy's cheeks as his Wife's hand rested on top of his thigh, even after twenty years of marriage her touch still set his skin on fire.
"It looks like he made it so you can actually feel on Lyoko," Jeremy stammered, trying his best to ignore Aelita's petite hand resting on his leg.
"Hmm, I wonder if you'd be able to feel something like this now," Aelita whispered into the Blonde's ear as she moved her hand up to the zipper of her husband's dress pants. Jeremy jumped in surprise, suddenly forgetting anything to do with Xana or Lyoko.
"Remember when we came down here years ago, back when we first moved in here?" Aelita questioned, her hot breath tickling Jeremy's ear making him shiver as her nimble fingers teased along the growing bulge in the man's slacks.
"W-What about Xana?" Jeremy stammered as his wife playfully nipped at his earlobe, her fingers deftly unzipping his trousers.
"You deserve a break," Aelita purred, spinning Jeremy's chair so he was faced away from the cluster of monitors. She gave a sly wink and sunk to her knees, her black eyes staring up at the blonde as she took him in her hand. After a few quick pumps Jeremy had his head leaned back against the headrest, all thoughts of Lyoko and Xana quickly banished from his mind.
Ulrich was never a hard man to find, especially since he had a habit of blaring heavy rock music anytime he retired to the small gym he'd built after moving into the factory. Yumi sighed as she leaned against the door frame of the gym, her dark eyes admiring her husband's form as he sliced through a training dummy with one of his many swords. His brow was furrowed in concentration as sweat beaded across his forehead and fell to the wooden floor.
"When are you going to let me use a real sword, this wooden one is lame," Legend groaned as he halfheartedly smacked his own training dummy with his wooden Shinai. Yumi glanced over at her son and sighed, he was just like his father was at that age, scowl and all.
"I was planning on giving you one of my katanas, teach you like I learned. But, it seems like that isn't your chosen weapon," Ulrich grunted as he leaned against the dummy the teenager was striking at. Legend paused and glanced up at his father in confusion.
"My chosen weapon?" Legend repeated cocking his head to the side.
"I looked over your Lyoko information, your weapon is a battle axe instead of dual katanas. It seems only right that I train you to use that weapon since it's what Lyoko chose for you," Ulrich explained as he slid his own sword back into its sheath.
"Does that mean you're letting me go back!" Legend exclaimed, his brown eyes growing wide at the possibility.
"Not yet you're not, we're not sure what changes Xana has made," Yumi announced, stepping into the room before her husband made a promise without her. Legend deflated slightly at his mother's words until his father gave him a sly wink.
"He should definitely train for it, never know when we might need the help in there," Ulrich smiled as he pulled his wife in for a kiss much to his son's chagrin.
"Gross, get a room you guys," Legend spat as he shielded his eyes from his parents sharing a kiss.
"Kiddo, this was OUR room before you came a- oof!" Ulrich began, before he was silenced by a swift elbow to the ribs from his wife.
"We won't be telling our son about the business that happened in this gym," Yumi hissed, narrowing her eyes at the brunette man beside her. Ulrich coughed loudly and diverted his gaze from the angry black haired woman he currently had his arm wrapped around in a familiar embrace.
"I know where this is going, I'm leaving," Legend groaned loudly as he stalked out of the room away from his parent's antics.
"Soo, where is this going?" Ulrich purred into his wife's ear once his teenager was safely out of the room.
"Not anywhere you're hoping," Yumi snorted loudly as she pushed the brunette away playfully and made her way out of the room.
"Struck out yet again," Ulrich chuckled to himself as he flipped the lights off and followed his family out of the gym.
Thunder rumbled quietly in the distance, the clouds overhead drifted aimlessly as the rain that was assaulting the French countryside slowly tapered. The mid afternoon sun was still blocked out by the storm, it's filtered light bathing the world in a grayish hue.
William was sat on a cushion that was set into the base of one of the large second floor balcony windows, his dark eyes staring out a raindrop drenched window. A slight grimace was played across his features, the only outward indication of the war waging inside of him.
"You can't lock me out forever boy, I'll take control of you again," Xana's voice purred, it's sound grating on William's eats like rusty metal.
Glancing around the room, the teen caught sight of his old master and torturer. Xana was floating above him in his favorite form, like a proverbial ominous storm cloud.
"Jeremy and Aelita will find a way to shut you down for good," William growled as he scrambled to his feet so he stood to face the cloud of data.
"My boy, look around you," the voice chuckled darkly, it's words bouncing through Williams's skull. "We're still in your prison, your mind is linked to mine. Without me you cannot exist."
The teen's gaze shifted from Xana's form to the white walled room he found himself in, horror set in as his eyes settled on the far too familiar gouges in the walls.
"You see now pet? Even if they shut down the computer I'll still live on with you," Xana rasped, his smoky form settling around William's shoulder.
"I won't be your pawn!" William bellowed as he ducked away from Xana's smoky tendrils and summoned his Zweihander with a crackle of black energy. Roaring in rage the teen swiped out at the entity with a mighty swing, the blade slashing through the smoke dissipating it.
Feeling Xana's hold on his mind weaken, William staggered back as the room around him began to fade.
Sweat beaded William's forehead as his vision slowly began to return, his eyes darting around the room in fear. Slowly his breathing returned to normal as he recognized the oddly comforting concrete walls of the factory that had become his home. Once his legs stopped trembling he carefully hauled himself up off the cushion and weakly stumbled from the room. He needed to find Aelita, and fast.