Well, my aim to update last weekend didn't turn out so good but some of my family visited and occupied- aka kicked me out of- my room and that also meant I couldn't go on my computer. But I'm back now! This chapter hasn't got a lot of drama, that will be coming soon though, but I realised I haven't wrote much on Odd, Aelita and Jeremy's feelings towards Yumi, so here is Odd's view on the situation. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer- I own nothing!

"Ulrich? Ulrich, are you okay?"

Ulrich snapped his head up at the sudden sight of a hand flash in front of him. Turning to his right, he saw the concerned faces of his three friends.

"You okay?" Aelita asked, resting a hand on his tense shoulder.

Ulrich sighed and looked down at his shoes, "Not really."

Odd frowned at his best friend's behaviour, thoughts going to the mysterious girl that he had never met, but saw Ulrich with, "Is it that girl?"

Ulrich nodded slowly, not looking at the others' expressions.

Odd leaned forward on the wooden bench, glancing once at his friends, and once at the scattered students on the tar covered surface, "Ulrich, can I talk to you?" Another glance at his two friends, "Alone."

Ulrich nodded once more, following his blonde friend to a quiet corner beneath one of the many arches. "Look, Ulrich. I don't know anything about you and that girl..."

"Her name is Yumi." Ulrich snapped at his friend, not certain why he was feeling anger at Odd's words.

Odd rolled his blue eyes, "Whatever but you've changed. A lot."

Another frown lay upon Ulrich face, "What do you mean I've changed?"

Odd sighed, not wanting to anger his friend, "I mean, all of a sudden you've been... distant."

"Distant?"

"Ulrich, what's going on with you and that girl?"

Ulrich narrowed his eyes, "Yumi."

"Okay, what's going on with you and Yumi?"

Ulrich thought deeply before shaking his head, dark brown strands falling over his eyes, "I... I don't know." Brushing back the strands, he looked directly at Odd, "Something's wrong with her, Odd, something really bad."

Odd frowned at Ulrich, "What?"

Ulrich shook his head again, "I don't know. Odd if I told you something, would you promise not to tell anyone, not even Aelita and Jeremy?"

Odd thought it through. He didn't like to keep things from his friends, especially Aelita, who he told everything to. But Ulrich was his best friend, he had known him for almost all of his life, and wanted to help him. He could see how much Yumi was affecting him. He nodded slowly, preparing himself.

"A couple of days ago I... I saw her arm. I never noticed before but she always wears long sleeved shirts, even if I did, I didn't question it. But I found out why. Odd, she had cuts all over her arm, I only saw the one but I guessing that the other one is the same."

Odd's eyes widened in shock, "She cuts herself?" Ulrich nodded, "Why?"

"I don't know Odd. She nearly told me but then we got interrupted, she hasn't spoken to me since then."

"Were... were the cuts old or...?" He trailed off, not knowing what to call them, fresh? New? The words sounded to normal to describe something as serious like this.

"Most of them looked old, but I saw a couple that weren't."

Odd stood there, speechless. "Is this why you're acting like this?"

Ulrich brought his gaze back to his black trainers, "It's one reason."

"One reason?"

"I know cutting is a really serious problem but... I feel that there is more. People don't start cutting themselves without any reason. I've tried to get her to tell me, but I can't push to hard, I don't want to scare her."

Odd smiled softly at his friend, knowing the hidden message in the words, "You like her, don't you?"

A faint blush rose to Ulrich's cheeks, "Yeah. Yeah I do."

Odd's smile grew, "Does she like you back?"

Ulrich sighed heavily, "I don't know. I mean, I think she's starting to trust me, at least I hope she is. Sometimes I feel that we could be together, but how can I be with someone who doesn't let me in."

Both boys stood in silence, deep in thought.

Slowly turned around the corner, Yumi froze at the sight of two boys, but her heart stopped racing when she recognised one to be Ulrich. She was about to take a timid step towards him and his friend but stopped when she head them talking.

"... she had cuts all over her arm..."

They were talking about her. Yumi wasn't somebody who would eavesdrop, but she wanted to know exactly how much Ulrich knew, and how much he was going to tell the blonde haired boy.

"Why?"

Yumi felt her heart racing again, did Ulrich know?

"I don't know..."

Yumi closed her eyes as relief flooded her body. Silently, she leaned against the brick wall and sighed. He didn't know. After she almost told him why, she was scared that he would find out by himself, with her giving him the first 'clue'.

"You like her, don't you?"

Yumi frowned, scared of what the answer would be.

".. yeah I do."

A strange feeling took over her body. A blush creeping to her face. Why was her body reacting like this? She couldn't be in a relationship, not now, maybe not ever. She couldn't like him back. She couldn't.

".. how can I be with somebody who doesn't let me in"

If she couldn't feel the same way he did, why did she feel her heart break at his words?