Hello everyone! It's been a while, and actually I did that on purpose. Now don't get angry, I waited to start this chapter because I wanted you all to let the event of the past chapters thoroughly sink in. But I'm ready (and have time) to get on with the story. I'm glad that Ulrich and Yumi have finally gotten over their first hurdle. And now that Ulrich is single, he can pursue "other interests." I'm sure you'll love this chapter as well as the next. This chapter is more of a healing chapter if anything. I've wasted enough time dawdling, now let's get on with the story!

Chapter 10: Moving On

The weekend had been very bland after the very eventful night that Yumi had at the office. She was still replaying the scene of an irate and emotional Ulrich tearing up the office. She was sure the room was nowhere near as damaged as his heart was. She had no idea what he was going through. And it scared her to think of what he might do to himself in such a precarious position.

When she finally came home (around 3 in the morning) she wasn't surprised to see Sam and Aelita awake and worrying over what happened to her.

"It's over." She muttered to them as she fell onto the couch. Her two roommates exchanged glances.

Aelita crouched down next to the Asian beauty. "What do you mean 'it's over'?" she asked.

"It's all over with. He knows everything."

Sam gasped. "You told him? What happened?"

"He freaked out. He already knew himself he only wanted me to come clean with it. I've never seen a human being hurt so badly before. I know it's not all my fault, but I can't help feeling I helped push him into paranoia." Yumi said as her voice cracked. She couldn't hold it in any longer. All of those emotions she had to hide the strong pride she showed at the office were slowly tearing down now.

Aelita rubbed her shoulder in a consoling matter as Sam patted her back. "I just wish I could take all of his pain away. I know I don't have to because I'm not the one who hurt him, but I can't bear to see someone so innocent and sweet deserve the Hell that Emily gave him. It's not fair!" she shrieked as she began to let out heavy sobs. She stayed that way all night until she fell into a peaceful sleep.


That next day, she simply moved around the apartment. She clean something, then watch TV; she'd eat something and then she would go outside and stare at the cars that passed by. Sam and Aelita knew that Yumi was simply going through her normal phases of rebuilding herself. Sam joked and called it "Yumi's Self Awareness Time." It was pretty accurate though. Yumi was simply thinking about everything in her life and what had recently happened. She was rebuilding herself for what was to come. She knew she had nothing to fear, she only wondered what she would do when she saw the others again.

On Sunday, she finally called Ulrich's cell. Unfortunately he didn't pick up. She even called Sissi, but she said he wasn't answering her either. She tried Jeremie and Odd—nope. She finally decided to call his parents.

"We're sorry Yumi, but Ulrich hasn't contacted us either." Mr. Stern stated." When we came home Friday we found a note on his bed. It said that the wedding because they broke up, and he went away to gather his thoughts."

"Well do you know where he might be?"

"He's at the house he bought. It's the only place he could be." There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "Do you know exactly what happened, Yumi? All we know is that their relationship is done with."

"I don't know if I should really be the one to tell you, Mr. Stern." Yumi said.

"I know bu—," before he could finish, Yumi heard the sounds of a woman's voice pleading for him to give her the phone. Yumi concluded that it was Mrs. Stern.

"Yumi, is that you, dear?" she asked. She sounded as if she had been crying.

"Yes, Mrs. Stern, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Tell me the truth, Yumi. Was Emily cheating on him?" Yumi felt a cold jolt go through her body. "Was she? I had a feeling that she was hiding something from him. I felt that she didn't really care for him too much, but I didn't want to make scene."

"She . . . did."

Yumi could hear her heavy breathing through the phone. "I knew it. I knew I should've talked to him more, but what was I to do." She started sobbing. "I'm sorry Yumi. Please forgive my foolishness, this was my fault, I couldn't even watch out for my son's safety."

"It's not your fault, Mrs. Stern. Emily fooled us all. And she was doing it from the start. We should be thankful we found out in time."

"You're right. I know you're right. But Ulrich—he's so sensitive. He's a really sweet boy." Yumi smirked at her calling Ulrich a boy. "He deserves so much. I know it's going to be hard on him. Yumi, please stand next to him. He needs a friend."

"I don't know if I should be the one to do that. I mean, I was the one who told him. I even kept it from him because I was scared he wouldn't believe me."

"But you still told him. You're a very honest soul, I know you are. Please promise me you'll watch over my boy." Yumi couldn't bear say no to a pleading mother. It made her think of her own mother.

"Okay, Mrs. Stern. I promise." Yumi could've sword she could feel Mrs. Stern's smile through the phone.

"Thank you. Here's the address to the house. Feel free to stop by; even if he doesn't want a guest, I know he needs to be around people."


Yumi didn't visit Ulrich that day. She decided that she would see if he would show up at work. It was until she walked through the front doors that Yumi remembered that Sissi was no longer working as the front desk clerk. Yumi beamed at the new employee.

"Emily! So nice to see you!" Emily glared at her.

"Shut it!" she barked.

Yumi acted as if she were scared as she took a step away from her. "Ooh. That's not a very good first impression, Em. You have to be nice to each and every person, or you'll get fired."

"Just go on through!"

"I look forward to working with you, Em. You were right. Working with you isn't so bad after all. I don't know what I was so worried about." Yumi said as she stepped through the elevator doors.

Yumi then remembered that William was now the new janitor. She made a mental note to leave a big mess for him to clean up. Yumi approached her office—the office that she and Ulrich shared—hoping that Ulrich would be on the other side and back to his cheerful self. But he wasn't there. She figured that he might've been late. She sat down at her desk and began working on some files. Before she knew it, it was lunch time, and there was still no sign of Ulrich. Not really having an appetite, she decided to work through lunch. At least that was her plan until she received a knock on the door.

Sissi popped her head through and smiled when she saw Yumi.

"Hey, Miss Business Lawyer!" Yumi chirped.

"Why hello to you too." Sissi said as she gave her friend a squeeze.

"Did you see Emily?"

"Of course I did. I actually had to give her a run through of what to do. It was so awesome!" They both laughed. "Is Ulrich here?"

Yumi frowned. "No, he's not."

"You think he's going to be alright?" Sissi asked as she leaned on Yumi's desk.

"I have no idea."

At that moment the janitor came in. Yumi and Sissi glanced at him, but then did a double take. "William?" Yumi asked.

The janitor looked at her and then grumbled something.

"That is William! Look at you at your new job!"

"Hey, Will!" Yumi said as she kicked over the trashcan. "Don't forget to clean this up."

"Now that's cruel." Sissi said as she tried to hold in a laugh.

"Hey, needs the practice. We don't want him doing a bad job do we?"

William didn't say anything as he picked up the trash and dumped into the rolling garbage can.

After the lunch break ended, Yumi started back at her work. It felt lonely being in that big office with no one to make small talk with. She really enjoyed her time with Ulrich. Work didn't really feel much like work when your boss is also your friend.


It became a pattern. Ulrich didn't show up for work the next day or the day after that, and he still wasn't answering any of her calls. She had to have left like 50 messages by now! Yumi was getting frustrated. She couldn't stand Ulrich's moping any longer. She was going talk to Ulrich whether he wanted to talk to her or not .

Even though it was Thursday and she was supposed to be going to work, Yumi got dressed and prepared to go see Ulrich.

"Yumi, why are you up so early? You don't have to be at the office in like three hours." Sam asked as she yawned.

"I'm going out." Yumi said.

"Where are you going this early in the morning?"

"I'm going to see Ulrich." Sam's face quickly turned into a goofy one.

"Oh, so you're seeing Ulrich."

"Sam, it's not like that." Yumi said as she rolled her eyes. All Sam could think about was gushy romance fantasies.

"Sure it isn't. Who goes to comfort their boss at 8 in the morning? It's normal, right?"

"Everyone shut up! I'm trying to sleep." Aelita mumbled as she sat up from her bed.

"Sorry, Lita." Sam said. "It's just that Yumi's going to Ulrich's.

Aelita instantly perked up. "You're going to Ulrich's? Are you going to ask him out? Are you going to make out with him?"

"Where is all of this coming from?" Yumi asked. "He just broke up with his girlfriend! He's not going to want to make out or anything like that?"

"Hmm, you're right. It's important that you just strengthen your friendship for right now. You know, gain some territory. That way, when he's back on the market, it'll make going for the kill that much easier." Sam said. "Good thinking, Yumes! I didn't know you were such a great schemer—stealing Ulrich's heart like this!"

"That is NOT what I'm doing!" Yumi professed.

"But it would be so cool if you went out with him!" Aelita said. "Just think of it! You, him, dating, then marrying, and all of the double –and let's not forget TRIPLE—dates we could go on!"

"Oh gosh, she's starting to ramble again." Sam said as she clamped her hand over her ears. "Get out, Yumi, while you still can!" Yumi quickly left the insanity of her two roommates and made her way over to her car.


She drove to the address that Mrs. Stern gave her, and had to admit that Ulrich picked a very ritzy suburb to live in. The lawns were a lush green, and the houses were more like mansions. But she didn't care how nice they looked, nothing compared to the Fortress that his parents lived in.

She wasn't at all surprised when she saw Ulrich's house. It was the biggest of all of them, perched on a cliff that was facing the sea. Ulrich must have inherited his taste in houses, uh, mansions from his parents. She knew also saw the Grand Caravan that Ulrich must've been talking about as she parked her car. It was really big and nice. She rang the doorbell and waited. After a couple of minutes, she rang the doorbell again . . . then she began knocking on the door . . . then she banged on the door . . . she began beating the door.

"Ulrich, open the door! It's me Yumi!" she yelled. She then put her ear to the door. She heard the shuffling of feet. That idiot was definitely in there. "I know you're in there, I can hear you!" Still nothing.

Yumi was angry. She was not going to be avoided so easily. If she couldn't get through the front door, she'd climb through the windows . . . all of the first floor windows were locked. Curse him!

Yumi circled the house as she tried to find a point of entry. When she made her way to the back of the house that faced the sea, she saw that the fourth story window (yep the fourth story, and Lord knows there were a few more) was open. It must have been a bedroom because there was a balcony as well. But how the heck was she going to get to it? Yumi was quite the fearless daredevil. She took off her scarf and wrapped it around the pillar under the second story window, and began climbing. She was making steady progress as she reached the second, third, and finally the fourth story. She climbed, using the windows and flower shelves as a very crooked pathway. When she finally reached the balcony, she grabbed onto the railings and began to climb over when she slipped and almost fell. She grabbed the edge of the floor to the balcony, and was left dangling for dear life. If she let go she was sure to meet a watery grave as she peered over her shoulder and saw the sharp rocks that awaited her demise. Stupid girl! How could she be so dumb? She should have just gone home. Now she was going die.


Ulrich let out a sigh as he peered through one of the windows and didn't see a sign of Yumi. It wasn't that he didn't like Yumi. He just wanted to be alone. He didn't want to be bothered by anyone. He needed his solitude. He made his way back to the fourth floor and back to the bedroom he was currently occupying. He fell onto the bed and just stared at the ceiling. He had been doing a lot of staring and thinking lately. He grabbed the bag of chips on the bedside table and began eating them. He stayed that way for a few minutes. He then went out onto the balcony and stared at the beautiful seaside scenery. But he couldn't enjoy its beauty. His heart was too hurt to let him enjoy anything.

"Hey, Ulrich!"

Ulrich smirked, he thought he heard Yumi calling to him, but she was long gone by now.

"Ulrich, help me, you idiot! I'm about to die!" Yumi screamed.

Ulrich looked down and yelled at seeing a dangling Yumi. Ulrich grabbed her hand and practically threw her over the railings. Man was he strong! "Yumi! What the heck are you doing dangling from a balcony?"

Yumi was taking in deep breaths. "I was trying . . . to see . . . you. But you had to be a stubborn baby and not answer your stupid door!"

"Hey, it's not like I made you climb up a six story house."

"Why are you even living here?" Yumi shrieked. "The only reason I'm here is because I was worried about you! You haven't contacted anybody since Emily broke your heart. I know you're sad, but come on! You've got to get over it!" Yumi said as she poked him in the chest. It was rather hard and felt fleshy. Yumi then realized that she was talking to Ulrich while he was wearing nothing but his boxers. Yumi let out a yelp as she covered her eyes and as Ulrich ran into the bathroom.

"Gosh, Ulrich! Put some clothes on!" She shrieked.

"I'm sorry! But how was I supposed to know you were coming through the window?" he yelled back.

Ulrich returned with his body covered. "What do you want anyways?" he asked.

"Like I said, I came to see you. Do you know you've got your parents worried sick over you?" Ulrich looked at the ground. "Ulrich, you've got to move on!"

"It's not like I've never been cheated on before, but I thought that I had finally met someone who would be loyal to the end. Do you know that every relationship I've ever been in, I was always taken advantage of? The girl would either flaunt me to her friends; or just want stuff for me; or just want publicity; and now that I'm of marrying age, they just want me for my money. I've never had one girlfriend who ever cared about me and actually me." Ulrich said. Yumi gave him a pitying smile.

"I'm sorry, Ulrich. But you know you'll never find the right woman unless you go through all of those trashy girls first. You gotta dig through mounds of dirt and useless rock before you get to the diamonds." Yumi said as she gave Ulrich a hug. She then jumped out of his arms. "My God! You stink!" Ulrich blushed.

"I haven't really been taking care of myself."

"No kidding! Go take a shower—right now and not another word!" Yumi said as she pushed him into the bathroom. "And don't you even think of putting the same clothes on. Leave on them on the bed. I'll get to them after I take care of the rest of the house.

"You haven't even seen the rest of the house." Ulrich said.

Yumi laughed. "I saw the damage you did. You broke several chairs and even a brand new TV!" Yumi gasped. "And you're bleeding!" she said as she grabbed arm and saw gash on it. "How'd you do that?"

"I threw a picture of me and Emily at a window, and a piece of glass flew into my arm."

"And you didn't bandage it? Idiot! Okay, first I'll have to take care of this and then you can shower—and how did you get that cut on head—don't tell me—you are so reckless!" Yumi muttered. Ulrich started laughing. He was soon in an uncontrollable laughter. "And what's so funny?" Yumi asked.

"You are." Ulrich said through his laughter. "I mean, you act like you my freaking mother or my wife at least."

"I'm just being a good friend is all." Yumi said. Getting frustrated at his laughing, she punched him in his wounded arm.

"Ow!" Ulrich yelled and he glared at her. They both shared glares and then broke into laughter.

After she fixed up Ulrich's arm and head, Yumi began cleaning up the demolished house. It looked as if a tornado came through the first four floors. Apparently, Ulrich was on a mission to demolish each floor of the house, and his mission was going quite well. There were broken TVs, broken windows (one was actually on the second floor and Yumi silently cursed herself for not checking the other side of the house before she decided to climb up the house to the fourth floor), broken railings, there was actually a hole in one set of stairs, and he actually managed to rip the stove out of the wall. Just whose house was she in? Ulrich's or the Hulk's? Not to mention the piles of endless trash and debris, Yumi had some serious work to do in repairing this house.

Of course she had jobs like this before. She remembered cleaning out houses for people when she was still in college in order to make some extra cash. People called her the Magic Maid. Sure it was corny, but at the speed and cleanliness she went, it was utter magic as to how those houses got cleaned.

Ulrich didn't really think Yumi was going to clean up like she said she would. Not after she would see the damage he did to the house. When Ulrich got out of the shower, he didn't hear her moving around. He peered his head through the door and saw a set of clothes on the bed. She must've put them out for him. He snorted. Was she his mother or something? Not really caring about it, he went ahead and put them on. He went downstairs and saw that, for the most part, the house was actually clean! But where was all of the debris and trash! Ulrich ran down the stairs and into the kitchen where he saw Yumi at the counter, seasoning some food.

"What did you do this place?" Ulrich asked. Yumi turned her head and gave him a look as if she didn't know what he was talking about.

"What do you mean? I said I was going to clean up, and that's what I did."

"Yeah, but where's all the broken stuff?"

"In the front yard next to the garbage." Ulrich looked through the front window, and just as she said, all of the junk Ulrich destroyed was piled up, waiting to be dumped by the garbage men.

"Are you some kind of cleaning goddess, or something?"

"Close." Yumi smirked. "I used to be called the Magic Maid."

Ulrich laughed. "Magic Maid? Really?"

"I know, corny." Yumi said as she picked up her finished dish and placed it on the table.

"Sushi? For breakfast?" Ulrich gave her a puzzling look.

"Well if you hadn't ripped the stove from the wall, I could've made us a real breakfast!" she chided.

"Sorry." Ulrich said. As he sat down and grabbed a handful of sushi and stuffed his mouth. Yumi gave him a disgusting look. "What?" he asked.

"Who are you? Odd?"

"I'm hungry."

"You are Odd, aren't you." Yumi said as she shook her head. Ulrich gave her a smile.

"This is good." He said once he swallowed.

"Thanks." Yumi said as she picked out a sushi and plucked it into her mouth. She missed the taste of sushi. It reminded her of home. If only she could use chopsticks, that would make it all better.

When they finally finished their small breakfast, Ulrich stood up and said, "Well thanks for fixing up the place and for the food. I'll see ya Monday."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Yumi said. "I'm not leaving yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you already; I'm here to help you. By the time I leave, you'll be over Emily for good." Yumi said with a proud look on her face.

Ulrich smirked. "And just how are you going to do that?"

"We're going out." Yumi said definitively. Ulrich's face fell.

"Out? Like what? On a date?" Ulrich asked.

Yumi let out a left. "No, you dummy! We're going out of the house. Why would I take my boss out on a date."

"Well how was I supposed to know what you meant? And who said I was going anywhere?"

"I did." Yumi said as she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the door.

"But I don't wanna!" Ulrich whined.

"Shut up, you big baby; we're going outside and that's final." Yumi said as she lugged him out the door and into the bright sunshine. Ulrich shielded his eyes as he stared around. It had been a week since he had been outside. Yumi shook her head at his reaction. He was acting like he'd never been outside his whole life.


Ulrich look was busy looking out the window of Yumi's car, looking at the blur of color going by. "So where exactly are we going?" he finally asked.

"To the most magical place in the world." Yumi said in an exaggerated voice.

"We're going to Disney Land!" Ulrich beamed.

"Nope. We're going to Serenity Garden."

"What?" Ulrich said, all enthusiasm left his voice. "I mean, I was joking about Disney, but you're taking me to a garden to get over a fiancé? What kind of help his that?"

Yumi frowned. "Serenity Garden is a beautiful place!" She protested. "It's peaceful, and soothing, and I feel so rejuvenated when I go there."

"Aren't there a lot of old people there?"

"Yeah, but it's not the garden's fault it's right next to Nursing Home."

"You act like an old woman. You're old on the inside." Ulrich said bluntly.

"Don't make me leave you stranded on the road." Yumi threatened.

Ulrich sighed. "Nice car by the way. It reminds me of the old car I used to have."

"Sam told me you had a used car before."

"Yep. I still have it actually. It's for memories' sake. I had my first kiss in that car."

"Oh really." Yumi said in a sly voice.

"Mmhm. Her name was Amber. She was sweet like honey." Ulrich chimed. "At least that's what I thought until I saw her kissing another."

Yumi gave him a pitiful glance. "You really do have relationship problems, huh?"

"Uh huh. Women are always after me for my money."

"I'm sorry, Ulrich."

"It's okay. I'll just have to be alone for the rest of my life."

Ulrich had to admit. Serenity Garden was very beautiful. The flowers were a variety of reds, blues, and a plethora of other colors. The fragrance filled his nostrils with a euphoric scent.

"So, do you feel different?" Yumi asked.

"It's a very soothing place, but I still don't see how I'm supposed to get over Emily this way."

"Just give some time. Sit down on the grass and lay back. You'll feel nature take you away into a glorious world of peace."

"Are you a hippie in disguise?" Yumi laughed.

"No, I just love flowers. Don't you ever tell anyone though. The last thing I need is the people at the workplace think I'm some girly priss."

"Whatever." Ulrich said as laid down and closed his eyes. He breathed in the scent of the flowers and let them take him into a state of high. Yumi sat next to him as she admired the flowers.

"You know, I come here whenever I feel depressed." Ulrich opened an eye and looked at Yumi. "I remember I first came here after I heard that my father was in a car accident. I got a call from my mom." Yumi said as she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "We didn't know if he was gonna live or not. I was just walking around, and I found myself here. I was overwhelmed by how beautiful and calm everything was. It put me at ease. I felt myself reach a deep understanding about my place in the world. This garden is so peaceful, and there's life everywhere. No matter what happens in life, it still goes on, and we have move on with it. I was actually ready for whatever news my mom gave me on my dad. I was so glad when she told me that he was going to make a full recovery. Ever since, I come here when I feel like I'm in trouble."

Ulrich stared at Yumi in awe. Yumi gave him a confusing look. "What?"

Ulrich chuckled. "It's just that, I've never seen this side to you. And you've never told me anything about your life really, other than your life with Aelita and Sam."

"Yeah, well, I just have faith that you'll feel better here. Honestly, I never even told Sam and Aelita about this place. It's my own special place."

"Not very special, seeing as it's a public garden swarming with grandmas and grandpas." Ulrich mumbled.

"Respect your elders, Ulrich. The seniors here are very warm and friendly."

"Right."

"I'm serious! Like her." Yumi said pointing to an elderly woman sitting on a bench."

"Who's she?"

"She's Mrs. Hattie. She comes here every day and sits on that bench." Yumi waved to the woman, who waved back in reply. Yumi then stood up and ran towards her. Ulrich slowly got up and followed.

"Hello, Mrs. Hattie." Yumi said as she gave the old woman a hug.

"Why hello, Yumi. How are you?" Mrs. Hattie asked.

"Good, I'm just hanging around."

"It's been a while, dearie. I haven't seen you since last month."

"Sorry, I've been busy with work and all."

"Well are you going to introduce me to this fine, strapping young man?" Mrs. Hattie said as she smiled at Ulrich. "You never told me you had a boyfriend. Is that why you've been so busy?" she teased.

Ulrich and Yumi blushed. "No, no, no, no. Ulrich is just a friend of mine." Yumi said.

"Hello, Mrs. Hattie." Ulrich said as he grabbed Mrs. Hattie's hand and kissed it.

"My, he's so sweet. You should watch out for him."

Yumi rolled her eyes. "He's only acting like a gentleman to impress you, Mrs. Hattie."

"Hey, I'm a very nice person." Ulrich protested.

"No you're not. You just complain and mope around."

Mrs. Hattie laughed at their bickering. "You two remind me of myself and my deceased husband Bert." Ulrich and Yumi blushed again. "We used to fuss about too."

"Well it was nice meeting you, Mrs. Hattie but we have to go." Ulrich said.

"Oh, I hope I didn't embarrass you."

"No, we really do have to go, we need to be somewhere soon." Yumi said.

"We do?" Ulrich asked.

"Yep."

"Well I hope you two have fun." Mrs. Hattie said.


"Yumi, why are we in an arcade?" Ulrich asked.

"Because, it's the best place to keep your mind off of bad stuff." Yumi answered.

"What are we supposed to do here."

"Gee, I don't know, Ulrich. What do you normally do in an arcade? I mean these games sure don't give me a clue as to what we should do here." Yumi said, acting clueless.

"Okay, I get it." Ulrich said. "But we get to play what I want to play."

"Oh come on." Yumi whined.

"Well I'm the one in need." Ulrich pointed out. "Now where's Dragon Slayer at? I'm wanna beat you at something." Ulrich spotted the arcade game and ran towards it. He then motioned for Yumi to come over. Ulrich got his satisfaction at beating Yumi, but she was soon beating him. There was actually a crowd of gamers watching them play as they fought each, both of them taking turns at beating the other.

"You're really good at this game." Ulrich said as he pressed in a quick combo to subdue her character.

"My brother's a game freak. I know all about this game."

"Well you're no match for a guy who actually makes video games." Ulrich said as he dodged Yumi's attack and countered, defeating Yumi's character. "Ha! In your face!" Ulrich said as he started doing a victory dance.

"Well that's very mature of you, Ulrich." Someone said. Ulrich and Yumi turned around to see Sam and Odd behind them.

"Shut up, Odd. I can beat you too, and you know it."

"Yeah, but what we should be talking about is what you and Yumi are doing here . . . together." Sam said as she nudged Yumi in the arm.

"I think they're on a date." Odd cooed.

"We're not." Yumi said defiantly. "I'm trying to cheer Ulrich up, that's all."

"Well a date would cheer him up." Odd countered.

Ulrich snorted. "A date with this stiff is the last thing I need." Ulrich joked. Yumi elbowed him in the gut.

"I'd make a very good date!"

"Just ask the non-existent ex-boyfriends she has." Sam commented.

"You've never had a boyfriend?" Ulrich asked, surprised.

"Not a longstanding one. Normally they'd last about a couple of weeks. And then it was only a few."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've never been into romance really, so I guess they were bound to fail."

"I would have never known." Ulrich said, bewildered.

"Well it's not that hard to believe." Odd said. "She's so sarcastic. Who could stand that plus her stubbornness. It's pretty much the same reason she's barely been able to keep a job."

"Yeah, you were her only hope, Ulrich" Sam said. "Might be her only hope for love too." Sam said as she raised her eyebrows in a suggestive way. Ulrich rolled his eyes.

"Stop it, Sam." Yumi said.

"I'm just trying to get you a promotion." Sam said innocently.

"What are you guys doing here anyways?" Odd asked.

"Yumi thinks that an arcade will make me forget about Emily." Ulrich answered.

"Is it working?"

"A little, I guess."

"Well we're going to meet up with Jeremie and Aelita to get something to eat." Sam said. "You guys wanna join us?" Ulrich and Yumi agreed, and the four of them were on their way.


They found Jeremie and Aelita sitting at a table in the Mall food court with their food already there. They were delighted to see Yumi and Ulrich there with Sam and Odd. "Hey, we thought this was going to be a double date." Jeremie said.

"Well now it's a triple date." Odd teased as he placed the bags of food on the table.

"It's not a date!" Ulrich and Yumi both shouted. The others laughed. They settled down, grabbed their food and began eating.

"We asked them to come. I mean we were just gonna hang out around the mall anyways." Sam said.

"No, it's perfectly okay." Aelita said. "I mean, just think if this were a real triple date. Oh the fun we'd have!" Aelita squealed.

"Please, Aelita, don't go into one of your rants." Sam begged.

"Actually triple dates are a lot of fun." Ulrich said in a matter of fact tone.

"You've been on one?" Odd asked.

"Yeah, it was with . . . Emily and her friends." Ulrich said as he frowned. "Well it was fun . . . You'd love triple dates, Aelita. I hope you go on one someday." Ulrich mumbled.

"Thanks, and I hope you get back to your old self, Ulrich." Aelita responded.

"Well Aelita could have her triple date if you or Yumi start dating someone." Jeremie said. "Or you could just date each other."

"Will you all quit bringing that up?" Yumi said.

"Hey, we're just having fun at your expense, Yumes." Sam said.

"Well it's getting quite annoying." Yumi said, annoyed.

"It's actually very unethical. I mean, she is my employee." Ulrich said.

"Oh come on. Businessmen get busy with their secretaries all the time." Sam said as she took a sip of soda. Ulrich spit his out.

"That is not true!" Ulrich yelled. "We don't screw our secretaries."

"And then when they get home, they get busy with the maid." Sam continued. She then smirked. "Did Yumi ever tell you what her what she used to do for extra cash?"

"Oh mean that maid service she did?" Aelita asked.

"Yep. See, with Yumi you get a two for one deal, Ulrich."

"Now isn't that quite the business deal." Jeremie joked. Ulrich and Yumi were now a nice tomato red.

"Well I had a very great time, but I think I should be going now." Ulrich said as he stood up.

"Oh come on!" Sam pleaded. "Stay! We were just having fun."

"No, we should be leaving." Yumi said as she stood up.

"Ah, leaving together are we?" Aelita smirked.

"I bet they're leaving so they can be alone." Odd joked.

"Shut up!" Ulrich said.

"We don't have to take this crap." Yumi said as she walked off.

As they walked off, Odd yelled, "Hey, go easy on her, Ulrich!"

"Jerks." Ulrich muttered.

"The nerve of them. As if that's the only thing they can ever talk about." Yumi said.

"I know. I mean, I don't need such intimacy."

"Me neither."

"They're just jealous that were not held down by such lustful desires."

"You're exactly right." Yumi said. Ulrich and Yumi burst out laughing.


"So where are we going now?" Ulrich asked. They were back on the road, and he was back to his favorite activity: staring out the window.

"I really don't know." Yumi said. "Where do you wanna go?" Ulrich opened his mouth. "Other than home." Ulrich closed his mouth. Yumi laughed.

"I never wanted to come though!" Ulrich said.

"Well too bad. Pick a place."

"Let's go to a karaoke bar!" Ulrich chirped.

"You wanna go there?" Yumi said incredulously.

"Yeah, karaoke's fun."

"Okay."


"And I just can't contain. This feeling that remains!" Ulrich sang, finishing the last line of There She Goes.

Yumi laughed. "Hey, I wasn't that bad." Ulrich said as he got off the stage.

"You weren't. You actually can sing, it's just that it doesn't help when you're jumping around like a goofy idiot."

"Whatever. You sing a song."

"Wait you want me to sing?" Yumi said pointing at herself.

"Yeah. You think you can do better." Ulrich said.

"Fine." Yumi said.

"Cause this is the real world. I'm not a little girl. I know exactly who I am." Yumi sang as she finished singing Real Girl.

"Well?" she asked Ulrich.

"Not bad." Ulrich said as he nodded his approval.

"Not bad? I was great!" Yumi said.

Ulrich and Yumi began taking turns singing, trying to out-sing the other. Then they decided to sing duets. They sang well into the night and pretty much sang their throats raw. After calling it a tie, Yumi finally decided that they could return to Ulrich house.

"Finally! I'm home!" Ulrich said as he jumped onto the sofa."

Yumi yawned as she plopped onto the seat next to him. "What time is it?" she asked.


"It's 7:30." Ulrich said as he cut on the TV.

"Ooh! It's Tales of Earthsea! I love this movie!" Yumi exclaimed as she sat up straight and intently watched the movie.

"Tales of Earthsea is good. But if we're talking about Hayo Miyazaki films, Howl's Moving Castle is the best." Ulrich said.

Yumi looked at him as if he were stupid. "How'ls Moving Castle is definitely a classic, but nothing's better than Laputa: Castle in the Sky. That's better than the other two."

"You're Crazy! I can see if you said Princess Mononoke, but not Laputa."

"No, Laputa's better, but Princess Mononoke is better Howl's Moving Castle." Yumi said.

"Well they're all good." Ulrich said. Yumi nodded. "But you know which one's a classic, right?"

"Yeah."

"Spirited Away." They said in unison.

"I have them all." Ulrich said.

"You do." Yumi said, her eyes sparkling at him. He nodded. "You're my hero!" She said as she tackled him in a hug.

"You wanna watch'em?"

"Of course I do!" Yumi squealed. "Where are they! I'll go get them!" Yumi said. Ulrich pointed to the end table on the right of the sofa. Yumi propelled herself of the sofa and grabbed the movies as she took out the Laputa disc. "We're watching this first! I don't care what you say! This. Is. First!" Ulrich laughed.

"Okay, but we're watching Howl's Moving Castle next." Ulrich said.

"Deal. Now go get the popcorn and other delicious movie snacks." Yumi commanded.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Ulrich said.

Yumi got comfortable as she waited for the movie to start. Ulrich sat next to her and handed her a soda and put several types of candy and a giant bowl of popcorn between them. Yumi looked at the soda and frowned.

"Mello Yellow? What no Dr. Pepper?"

Ulrich frowned. "Sorry, that's all I got. I love Mello Yellow."

"Dr. Pepper's way better." Yumi said as she too a swig of soda in defeat.

They talked a little bit during the movie and laughed at the funny parts. Once it finished Ulrich switched it out for Howl's Moving Castle.

"I'm telling you, Howl's Moving Castle is way better than Laputa." Ulrich said.

"Dream on." She then sneezed.

"Cold?" Ulrich asked.

"A bit." Ulrich then walked off. He returned with a blanket.

"Here ya go."

"Thanks." Yumi said as she covered herself in the blanket. "Are you cold?" she asked as she offered him the other side of the blanket.

"No, I'm fine." Ulrich said as he removed the empty bowl and candy of the sofa so they wouldn't get in the way of the blanket.

They started watching the movie and Ulrich gave Yumi a smile. "Thanks Yumes."

"For what?" she asked.

"For helping me move on." He said. "I don't feel so bad anymore. You're a good friend, and I may have spoken ill of you at the office, but I was in the heat of the moment."

"It's okay, Ulrich. I did lie to you."

"I know, but I still trust you. Maybe not as much as I did before, but I really do trust you. And if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to move on. So thank you." Ulrich said. Yumi just gave him a warm smile and they continued watching the movie.


Well that's it. I hope you like this chapter. It's a break from the suspenseful and dramatic chapter that we've had so far.

In the next chapter, Ulrich finally returns to work. But his strange behavior is just beginning. Yumi also meets a jerk. All of this and more in Chapter 11: Things Quiet Down . . . For Now