"Yumi! You're gonna be late for school!" Yumi sighed and looked at the clock. She wished she had time to make Ulrich a "Get Well" card, but she didn't want him to worry when she didn't show up. She would just have to look especially nice, be extra fun, and ignore William. He won't like it, she knew, but she would just explain the situation to him later. Besides, they're not actually dating…
Yet…
Throwing on some mascara, which was a step up from the usual rouge that she knew Ulrich would appreciate, Yumi rushed out the door. She slung her bookbag over her shoulder and tried her best not to look worried when she pulled up to the school. He hates it when she worries.
"Hey, guys," she said, smiling when Ulrich looked up from his bench, where he was staring at his knees. Odd was laughing at his own joke, and Aelita and Jeremy were deep in conversation to the side. She chuckled at Ulrich's desperate look, and decided to jump to his rescue.
"Odd, shut up. No one wants to here your corny jokes this early in the morning," she said. Ulrich sent a silent thank you behind Odd's back, but Odd puffed up like a blowfish.
"That one wasn't so corny, was it, Jeremy?" he asked indignantly.
"Um, sorry," Einstein said distractedly. "I didn't hear you."
"Yeah," Aelita added, "we both tend to tune out your jokes." Everyone but Ulrich and Odd laughed, which worried Yumi. Ulrich always laughed at comments at Odd's expense, but now it made him look even more run down.
"Hey, Ulrich," she said, stabbing in the dark, "wanna come spar?" He looked up at her, as if it were he'd never heard of sparring.
"He passed out yesterday," Odd said as if to a little child. "Why would he want to spar?" But Ulrich stood up, a strange look on his face, and nodded. He walked off towards the park, and Yumi followed signaling for Odd to stay behind.
"I think he has had enough of your jokes today," she said shortly. Joining Ulrich, she took a fighting stance, and he mirrored her. After exchanging and dodging a few blows, she stepped back and asked, "What happened yesterday?"
Ulrich lowered his arms and turned away. He was silent for so long, she worried he wouldn't answer. Then finally he turned to her.
"Did Jeremy and Aelita find out what XANA did in that last attack?" he asked. She blinked, stunned, and shook her head. He nodded slowly, then said just as quickly as Delmas, "He killed my parents."
"What?"
"He killed them. They are dead, killed by a blown fuse, with XANA's symbol in the printer. He murdered, Yumi, because he knew it would hurt me. I care about Princess Aelita and everything, but Lyoko is getting more and more dangerous." He looked at her carefully, sorrow and what she now recognized as grief in his eyes. "I'm an orphan because I got involved. What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know Ulrich," she said. "But if you want to pull out of this fight, which I can't say I would approve of, you might want to tell Jeremy. He will find a way to do it, to help you pull out." When he stayed quiet, she said, "Do you want me to tell them?"
"No, not yet. Let me find out what I want to do first. I don't want anyone influencing my decision." He turned to her, determination in his eyes. "No one knows but you."