Hello! Seeing as I've gotten quite a number of reviews (specifically for last chapter, a certain someone's been reviewing like crazy; thanks!), I've decided to post a chapter this week, but to warn you, I most likely won't be reviewing until around late April. Exams are coming up, and I have to focus on those. Also, once I finish school, I will start picking up my other stories. I chose to focus on this one because I know it's the most popular one because YxU and Romantic/comedy/dramas do well for Code Lyoko. Which is kind of sad actually. There are some good stories that don't necessarily deal with those genres.

So here's chapter 18: Letting Go

Yumi twisted around in her sleep. She had a peaceful sleep that night. She stirred and finally sat up. She blinked away the blurriness, and realized that she was in Ulrich's house. She quickly recalled the events of last night. The breakup with Zander; crying in the forest; Ulrich fixing her up; her revelation of love; the movies they watched; and finally her falling asleep into Ulrich's arms (that part was done on purpose). Yumi blushed. She noticed that she was alone now, and Ulrich was obviously up or he decided to sleep somewhere else. Yumi threw the blanket off of her and stood up.

"Ulrich!" she called, looking for him. She was answered with silence. Yumi went upstairs to where the bedrooms were. She searched each one, and finally found Ulrich in a tangled mess of covers. He was on the floor, sleeping quite soundly. It seemed that Ulrich was in the middle of dressing himself when he fell asleep. He was shirtless, but his jeans were still on. A pair of pajama bottoms were on the floor next to a T-shirt. He couldn't even change, he was so tired.

Yumi walked over and kicked him in his back. Ulrich gasped. "Huh?" he muttered as he sat up and looked around. He saw Yumi and gave her a sleepy grin. "Hey." He mumbled, still groggy. He stood up, the covers falling off of him. Yumi turned away, she didn't want the image of Ulrich's chiseled chest in her mind. Well she did, but then she'd blush, and that might lead to Ulrich finding out that she found him attractive. Yumi knew she loved this man, but she was unsure if this was mutual or unrequited.

Ulrich grabbed the T-shirt and threw it on. "How you feeling?" Ulrich asked now waking up.

"A bit better." Yumi mumbled.

"You're still depressed, aren't you?"

Yumi didn't try to hide it from him. He'd know if she were faking anyways. Ulrich sighed. "Don't worry. There's someone out there for you."

"Is it you?" Yumi thought. Yumi simply gave him a curt nod and looked off.

"Your silence speaks volumes." Ulrich noted. "I don't like it. You get quiet when you're really sad. I've noticed that about you." This comment solicited a light blush from Yumi. Ulrich perked up. "Tell you what, I'm going to do for you what you did for me."

Yumi was confused. What did he mean by that? "What did I do?"

"You took me out and helped me move on. Now I'm going to help you let go of your feelings for Zander and of the idea that you're alone in this world."

"Good luck trying." Yumi joked.

"I'd tell you to get dressed, but you don't have any clothes, and honestly, neither do I. So let's stop by my parents' house right quick, and then we'll go to your apartment.

"Do you think that's a good idea? I mean your parents might suspect something if we show up in PJs."

"I told them last night that I was looking for you because you went missing. They'll understand that you probably just wanted to be alone, and you crashed at the pad. The fact that we'll tell them all of this will pretty much make us credible. They'd suspect us if we try to hide it." Yumi had to admit. That made sense and it was the right thing to do.


When they arrived at the mansion, Ulrich's parents had very concerned looks on their faces for several reasons.

"Is everything okay?" Mr. Stern asked slowly.

"Yes," Ulrich said. "I found Yumi at a park around midnight. She didn't want to be bothered so I took her to my house." Ulrich's parents remained silent.

"We hate to have to ask you two this," Mrs. Stern began, "but we have to. Did anything that you might want to tell us happened last night?"

"No, nothing like that." Ulrich said. "We're just friends."

"Seeing as there was no reason for you to even tell us any of this, we'll believe you." Mr. Stern said. "But I must warn you. You can't take Yumi to that bachelor pad overnight. People will think things that will make all of this very complicated."

"That may be true, but they are single." Mrs. Stern said.

"I know that, and honestly, I'm okay with it as long as they were in love and what not, but the last thing you want is people thinking that you two are sleeping together when there's nothing between you."

"Your father's right. Don't let this happen again . . . unless you two get married. Then it won't matter." Mrs. Stern joked. Ulrich and Yumi blushed while Mr. Stern chuckled.

"We promise." The young adults chimed.

After Ulrich changed clothes, he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He opened it to see his mother standing in the doorway. She walked in and sat down on his bed. She wanted a chat with her son.

"Yes, mother?" Ulrich said using a mocking formal tone.

"Son, we really need to talk." Mrs. Stern said bluntly.

"Is it about me bringing Yumi to my house? Nothing happened. I'm saving myself for my wife. Well, if I ever have one."

"That's just it, Ulrich. I want to talk about you and Yumi—together—as a couple." Ulrich blushed. He sat down next to his mother and awaited her next words. "I know that you love her."

"What makes you think that?"

"I've seen the way you look at her. And I know you love having her around."

Ulrich sighed. "When did you find out?"

"When you got quite easily got over Emily. I knew that there was something that had obviously grabbed your attention away from your sorrows."

"Honestly, I think I started having feelings for when before I even broke it off with Emily." Mrs. Stern was alarmed to hear this.

"Why is that? Did something happen?"

"I had this dream. We were in the office, and I was really tired. Yumi gave me a massage, and then we started kissing."

"Is that all?" Mrs. Stern asked. Ulrich nodded. "Well, I'm sure you started looking at her differently, but that doesn't mean there was something there."

"I know that. It was just that I realized—or I had to accept the fact—that Yumi was definitely attractive to me."

"Well, I'm not that surprised. Yumi is more down to earth than Emily. I never liked Emily anyways."

"You don't like any of the women I've dated." Ulrich mumbled. Mothers are always protective when it comes to the women their sons date.

"And I've been right with every single one of them."

"So what? You don't like the idea of me and Yumi together?"

"Actually, I do." Ulrich was surprised. "Yumi doesn't seem to be in it for the money or fame. You stripped her of that glorious paycheck, and when she had a chance to get it all back by either taking that job in Europe or marrying that Zander guy, she did neither. She chose to stay here. It's obviously taken a toll on her, but the girl's tough." Mrs. Stern sounded impressed. "I knew she was trustworthy when she told you about Emily even at the risk of her own job. She's not playing any games with you."

Ulrich looked at his mom with a frown. "You've been profiling Yumi since the day you met her. Haven't you?"

Mrs. Stern laughed. "I have." She admitted.

"Mom!" Ulrich grumbled. "Let me make my own decisions!"

"I have! I haven't done anything . . . yet." Ulrich gave his mom a look that said, "Really?" "Well I haven't!"

"Then what are you going to do now?"

"I want to see you happy. I think Yumi can do that for you. So I just want to tell you that I think you should explore the idea of being with Yumi."

"I don't know. I mean she's my employee. That'll make things awkward in the workplace."

"No it won't. It never got to me and your father."

"Yeah, but you two were already married. We will be dating and just starting out a relationship. It'll be very different."

"I suppose." Mrs. Stern admitted. "But you can't let that stop you. You must tell her how you feel. If you don't, it'll make things even more awkward and you won't be able to lift that truth off of your chest."

Ulrich stared at the ground in deep thought. "Do you think she loves me back?"

"Now you see, that's the part that I've been wondering for a while. She hasn't really shown any interest in you, but when you two came today, she seemed to be totally different."

"That's because she just broke up with the most important person in her life."

"She is depressed. But her body language; the way she looks at you—even the way she stands next to you—it's all different than from before."

"Explain."

"Her body faces towards your direction more. It's like she's trying to keep you in her sight. When she looks at you, I can see a want and a need in her eyes. Whereas before, she only looked at you as friend, she now looks at you as someone that she's interested in. She's been drinking in your appearance and your stature." Ulrich blushed. "And she stands much closer to you than she was before. She even leans in towards you."

"My goodness. You'd give Sherlock a run for his money!" Ulrich exclaimed. Mrs. Stern laughed. This got Ulrich to thinking. If she knew this much, what else did she know? "Is there something else that you know about us?"

"Like what?"

"Do you know something that you didn't mention before?"

"Well there is one thing that I know, and you probably thought I didn't know. I know that this wasn't the first time that Yumi spent the night at your house." Ulrich froze. "When we came to visit you, her purse was on the couch. I don't know if your father noticed it. He never mentioned it, but I knew that she was in the house. I started to think that you two slept together then, but you two didn't have the body language or anything of the such that would give you away."

"Wow. You're good."

"I know. Now don't let this woman get away, Ulrich." Mrs. Stern said as she grabbed her son by the shoulder. "She's a keeper. Love is like fishing. If you don't throw out any bait, all you'll have is a can of worms. So you need to lure her in so you can find out how she feels."

"Okay, Mom. Stop trying to come up with analogies like Dad does." Ulrich said rolling his eyes with a smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry. Your father does it so often; I just wanted to see how it felt. It kinda fun actually." Mrs. Stern smiled. Ulrich kissed his mom on the cheek and they both walked out the door.


While mother and son were having their chat, Mr. Stern and Yumi were waiting on them in the living room. They were sitting on the sofas that were facing opposite of each other.

Mr. Stern spoke first. "So are you alright now?"

"I'm fine." Yumi said.

"I've heard about the job offer from Europe. Are you gonna take it?"

"No. I want to stay here where my friends are."

"You'll get paid tenfold over there."

"I'll get my old paycheck back eventually. Plus, that'll just make me rich and alone." Yumi winked. She knew what he was getting at.

"I see someone did listen to my speech about what makes life good." Mr. Stern smirked. "I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and Zander."

Yumi was surprised to know that he knew about her and Zander. "Oh. It's okay. He wasn't right for me. How'd you know?"

"I know his father. He was bragging about how his son was dating my son's secretary. Like that was supposed to be some kind of attack on Ulrich's pride and therefore an attack on mine."

Yumi snorted. "Zander was going for the same idea also. I was used by him."

Mr. Stern frowned. "I've seen how devastating that can be. Ulrich's gone through it a lot. Even I have to a certain degree when I was young."

"If you don't mind my asking, how did you meet Mrs. Stern?"

Mr. Stern blushed a little. Yumi found that adorable. "It was in high school. I was an arrogant little punk. It was when I was bragging about how I was toughest in school. That little lady stood up and told me to shut my mouth. She put me in my place. I was used to girls just fawning over me and doing whatever I said. But she was a defiant, stubborn one. She was a challenge and someone that I would have to work and struggle for if I wanted her. And I did. I tamed her, and she tamed me. We used to go at it like cats and dogs. We couldn't stand each other. But we enjoyed insulting and yelling at each other. After that summer, I realized that life was very quiet and dull without her. I found every other girl boring. I wanted to fight with Elena some more. So when sophomore year came around, I was glad to see her again. But she had a boyfriend. She didn't have much time to argue and fuss with me. I was jealous. Her boyfriend dumped her later on that school year. He said he was tired of her stubbornness. He was looking for someone who was dumber and less opinionated. He left her for the head cheerleader. I was livid when I found out. I remember her crying. She yelled at me in anger. When I found out why she was so upset, I beat that guy's sorry butt. She heard about it, and she said, 'Tobias, you're weak! Is that what you call a beating?' We became friends. We still argued like a married couple. Eventually went started going out, and then we became a married couple and just bickered for the fun of it."

"Awwww. That's sweet." Yumi cooed. Mr. Stern laughed. "I'm sure you'll find someone. In fact, I can't help but feel that you and Ulrich tease each other the same way Elena I used to and still do sometimes." Yumi blushed.

"Well, he's my boss, you know."

"Tell that to Jane and Mr. Rochester."

"But we're much different from them."

"You're right. He was at least ten years older than her. Ulrich's a year younger than you. That just means he'll be around longer." Mr. Stern winked. Yumi grew even redder. "I'm just messing with you."

"Well maybe I do like Ulrich. What are you gonna do about it?"

"I've always wanted a daughter to spoil. Of course that is assuming you'll let me."

"There is nothing wrong with a little spoiling." Yumi joked. They both laughed.

"But really. If a secretary is like the wife of a business, and if there is a great secretary behind every businessman, then you really are the ideal woman for Ulrich. I'm not pushing you into anything. The paparazzi is the only thing you'd have to worry about, and I know they can't handle a fighter like yourself. But you make sure you don't let Zander or his father bring you down. You're much too strong to let that ruin your youth."

"Thanks, Mr. Stern." Yumi said. "I won't let it bring me down."

A few moments later, Ulrich and Mrs. Stern came down the stairs and into the living room.

"I'm ready. Let's go." Ulrich said. He was carrying a soccer ball.

"I see what we'll be doing today." Yumi commented.

"Yeah, I love soccer. But that's just the beginning. We'll do other stuff."

"So is this hanging out," Mr. Stern started.

"Or is this more?" Mrs. Stern finished.

Ulrich and Yumi looked at each other and smirked. They turned to the two adults, and said, "Somewhere in the middle." And they both walked out the door.


When they got to Yumi's apartment, they weren't surprised to see their friends there.

"Yumi! You're alive!" Odd exclaimed as he grabbed the girl into a bear hug.

"Did you two spend the night together again?" Sam cooed.

"And what if we did?" Ulrich said.

"Ooooh." Aelita replied. "Sounds interesting."

"Nothing happened." Yumi responded.

"She was all over me." Ulrich joked, remembering the hug she gave him.

"It was just a hug." Yumi said through gritted teeth.

"Oh so there was some touching going on." Jeremie said.

"Not you too." Yumi groaned.

"So where were you?" Aelita asked.

"I was at a park." Yumi said.

"But how'd Ulrich know to find you there?" Sam asked.

"It's her place of peace. She told me about it." Ulrich answered.

"Oh so she tell you, but no one else." Sam said. "I see how it is."

"Makes you wonder what other secrets they're keeping from us." Odd commented.

"I'm just going to get a change of clothes."

"Going out already? But you just got back." Aelita whined.

"I'm going to help Yumi get over Zander." Ulrich said.

"You could just kiss her. That might work." Jeremie said.

"Hey! No rebounds." Sam said.

"Yumi hurry up and change." Ulrich said. Yumi was already through the door. Sam and Aelita followed.

"We're so happy for you!" Sam said.

"I'm not with him." Yumi said.

Sam gave her a confused look. "With who? I meant we're happy that you left Zander."

"Are you with Ulrich for real?" Aelita asked.

"No. I'm not." Yumi said as she put on a T-shirt. She blushed and smiled. "But I have to be honest. I love him."

"Oh my god! You're kidding!" Sam shrieked.

"Shut it." Yumi said. "The boys will hear you."

"But you love him? Like IN love with him?" Aelita asked quietly. Yumi nodded. Sam and Aelita silently jumped and danced around the room. Yumi couldn't suppress her laughter any longer.

"So when are you gonna tell him?" Sam asked.

"Not anytime soon. For all I know, I only feel this way because I just broke up with Zander."

"That's not what it is." Aelita said.

"It isn't" Sam agreed.

"Well to be on the safe side, I just want to test the ground first."

"Well you two have fun on your second date." Sam teased.

"It's not a date, and when did we go out before?"

"Remember when you took him out?"

"Oh. That. Well that wasn't a date either." Yumi grumbled. She needed to get new roommates.

Once Yumi was dressed, Ulrich took her to an empty soccer field.


They were stretching on the field and warming up. "I heard you're a great soccer player." Yumi said, breaking the silence.

"I could've gone pro, but I wanted to take over the business." Ulrich answered.

"Well that's not fair. I have to play soccer with a potential pro."

"Don't worry. I'll go easy on you." Ulrich said. Yumi frowned. She wasn't much of a soccer player, but she didn't like the idea of anyone taking her lightly. Ulrich knew that. That's why he was smiling at her like an idiot.

"Stop rubbing it in." Yumi said.

"What? It's not my fault you suck at soccer."

"I don't suck. I just don't play it too often."

"It's okay Yumi. We can't be perfect at everything." Ulrich said as he patted her on the back.

"Now you just kick the ball into the goal." Ulrich said. "It's that big net surrounded by poles."

"I know where to kick it!"

"When I'm all pent up. I like to kick the ball as hard as I can. So you try."

Angry at Ulrich's words, Yumi channeled her anger into one kick and sent the ball flying . . . right into Ulrich's stomach. "Score!" Yumi yelled. Ulrich fell back.

"Okay. I deserved that." Ulrich breathed.

Yumi laughed. Ulrich stood up and frowned at her. "That's not funny." Yumi laughed harder. "You better be glad I don't kick the ball at you."

"You wouldn't dare." Yumi glared.

"That's because I might seriously hurt you."

"Whatever. Now go get the ball."

After Ulrich brought the ball back to the center of the field, they started playing. Yumi was actually pretty good. She managed to score two goals, but Ulrich won with four.

"And the Great Stern wins! The crowd goes wild. Ulrich is showered with the cheers of millions of adoring fans. The fan girls scream. The paparazzi are going crazy." Yumi kicked the ball into his side. "Yumi, you don't have to be such a sore loser."

"You don't have to be a jerk."

"Aww. I'm sorry. Are you mad?" Ulrich cooed. "Come here. I'll let you hug the Champion Soccer Player." Ulrich said as he gave Yumi a hug. She stiffened. "Fine then. Be that way." Ulrich said as he fold his arms and gave a "humph."

Yumi laughed. "Drama King."

"And you're a stiff neck!" Ulrich said.

"No I'm not!" Yumi said.

"Yes you are. You don't even know how to take joke."

"I just can't take your overbearing pride."

"You're just mad because I won."

"I don't play soccer! How do you expect me to win?"

"Excuses, excuses." Yumi aimed for his head this time, but Ulrich punched the ball away.

"Ha! That's what you get for being so spiteful! That's the reflexes of a martial arts master."

"Like you know how to fight." Yumi said. "I bet you'd get your but owned in a real fight."

"Not likely. I know several forms of martial arts."

Yumi's eyes lit up. "You do? Me too! How come we're just finding out about this with each other? We could've been sparring the whole time." Yumi exclaimed.

"You wanna take me on now?" Ulrich asked.

"Do you even have to ask? Let's go!" Ulrich chuckled at Yumi's enthusiasm.

They both gave each other a short bow and began the fight. Ulrich went for a low kick which Yumi evaded by rolling backwards. Ulrich stepped forward and threw a punch. Yumi grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her for a kick to his face. Ulrich dunked. Ulrich went for a series of punches, but Yumi managed to block them. She retaliated with a roundhouse kick. Ulrich grabbed her leg, stopping the attack. Yumi kicked off of her other foot and dug her foot right into Ulrich's temple. Ulrich fell onto his side. Yumi was going for the pin, but Ulrich stuck his feet in front of him. He then pushed her back with them. He stood up and went for jab to the chest. Yumi sidestepped and went for a kick to the torso. Ulrich blocked it with his arm and grabbed Yumi by the shoulders. He flipped Yumi over him and onto the ground. Yumi managed to hook her foot around his ankle, taking Ulrich with her to the ground. They both fell to the ground in a heap of tangled arms and legs. Ulrich sat up, panting. Yumi tacked him to the ground.

"I win!"

"What? I thought we were done."

"Excuses, excuses." Yumi taunted. Ulrich frowned.

"Well if that's how you want to play, Ulrich grabbed Yumi and swung onto the ground next to him.

"Stop it!" Yumi said.

"No." Ulrich yelled as he squeezed her.

"I can't breathe." Yumi said.

"That's the point." Ulrich said.

Yumi squirmed out of his grasp and rolled over onto the ground. She gave him a smile. "No hard feelings?" Ulrich returned the favor.

"None."

Ulrich stood up and then helped Yumi up. "So what next?" Yumi asked.

"I'm taking you to the forest. It's not too far from here." Ulrich said.

"Why the forest?"

"I love the forest. It's like the Serenity Garden when it comes to me. It's my place of peace."

When they were further in, Ulrich looked around the forest and then started climbing up a random tree. When he was about ten feet off the ground, he looked down and waved at Yumi. "Join me." He said.

Yumi climbed up the tree and sat next to him on the branch. "This quite the sturdy branch."

"Yeah, it can actually hold you. I thought it'd snap."

"Aren't you like twice—maybe even three times my size?" Ulrich chuckled.

"I'm just messing with you." Ulrich said. "Now just take in the sights of nature."

The forest was quite beautiful. There was the sound of a river nearby and the chirps of birds. Bugs were flying about, and the forest animals were out walking about, eating grass and minding their own business. Not too far off there was a fox lurking around.

"Hey, look at the fox." Yumi pointed out. Yumi then noticed another fox come onto the scene.

"He's got a friend with him." Yumi and Ulrich watched the two foxes. They were playing around.

Yumi laughed. "They're sparring like were doing not too long ago." Ulrich forced a smile on his face.

"Um . . . that's not playing."

"What do you mean?" Yumi asked. She continued looking. Her eyes went big. "What are they doing?"

"They're mating." Ulrich said.

Yumi stared in wonderment. "Oh." She said rather dazed. "I could've gone with life without seeing that." Yumi said.

Ulrich was trying to suppress a laugh and a blush all at once which proved to be very hard and impossible. "There's just one more thing I wanna show you." He said, changing the subject. He jumped off of the branch and started walking down the forest path with his hands in his pockets. Yumi followed. The path led to a cliff that overlooked the entire forest and part of the city.

"The view's beautiful. Yumi said. Especially with that setting sun." Yumi said, mesmerized.

"Yeah." Ulrich agreed. "This is my secret spot."

"I thought the forest was your secret spot."

"No, it's definitely a spot of meditation. But when I wanna be alone where no one can find me. I go here. I'm only telling you seeing as you told me yours." Ulrich said.

"I can see how this can put you in a good mood."

"The view definitely helps. But the main reason I like to come here is because it's very secluded. The dense forest is pretty much a sound barrier to the rest of the forest. The fact that we're so high means no one in the city can hear us. But no one can really hear you anyway. I mean this is New York City after all."

"I forget we were in the city."

"Yeah, cities like New York have very small spaces of just pure nature. We're in the outskirts of course."

"I see. But why did you mention the fact that no one can hear us anyway?"

"Because when I need to get something off of my chest, I come here and yell it at the top of my lungs. It could be a secret, my true feelings—anything. Now you go and yell out everything. Everything that's bothering you and everything that you need to say."

Yumi looked back at the view of the city. She didn't know where to begin. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ulrich's cell phone.

"Sorry, I have to take this. I'll just walk off, and come get you when I'm done." Ulrich said. He walked into the dense forest, the tall bushes and trees consuming his figure.

When he was finally a good distance away, Ulrich took the call. "Hello."

"Yes, is this Mr. Stern?" a Japanese-accented voice said.

"This is he."

"Yosh (Good). I am Kazuo Hirai, President and CEO of Sony."

Ulrich's heart skipped a beat and his breath was caught up in his chest. He felt goosebumps all over. "Yes, good aftern—I mean good morning Mr. Hirai." Ulrich said, taking the factor of time zones.

"And I suppose it's good afternoon to you. I'm calling to propose a meeting with you."

"Ah, that's very good news."

"You have your secretary to thank. We are very impressed with how she has approached our company and has handled negotiating terms with us. We had heard of your unfortunate occurrence. Are you alright now?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I was let out of the hospital only yesterday, in fact."

"That is very good news. You are a very wise man to have picked a very trusthworthy secretary. Ms. Ishiyama is a great asset to you."

Ulrich smiled. He could only imagine why. "Yes. I'm lucky to have her."

"Ah. I trust it's more than luck. It's skill, ne? Well, let us discuss business. I know you need to build up strength, so we are willing to hold off the meeting for some time. But we want to start discussing the possibility of creating a partnership with your company."

"That's great. I should have everything ready in a month. We will meet with you and your board then in Japan."

"Yosh. I speak for the all of the board members when I say we look forward to your visit. Be sure to bring that secretary with you."

"I will. Arigato." Ulrich said, more so to leave an impression on the President. Ulrich pocketed his cell phone with a triumphant smile on his face. And so begins the gradual expansion into Asia. Ulrich ran to tell Yumi the good news.


Yumi took a deep breath as she walked in a small circle. What should she yell first? She faced the cliff and put on a determined face. She'll start with what had been bothering for so long.

"I always feel like I'm alone! I feel like there's no one for me! But I no there is someone, so I won't settle." That was a good start. But that really didn't relieve her of any sorrow or pain. "Why can't I just fall in love? I don't like to admit it, but I'm jealous of what Sam and Aelita have with Odd and Jeremie. I want to fall in love and get married too! Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of getting married and being successful in life. I don't think I can be successful without someone always by my side. I want a family. I want to have kids . . . I miss my own family. So I feel even more alone. I know I have Sam, and Aelita, and Odd, and Jeremie. I have Ulrich too now." Yumi smiled. "I like him . . . I love him." Yumi whispered, her voice cracking.

"Ulrich saved me. He saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life: Zander. I thought I loved you, Zander. I only loved the fact that with you, I wouldn't be alone anymore. At least that's what why thought, but I felt even more alone with you. I had no one. You were playing me. You used me before, and were trying to use me again. I know that now. If I had not have listened to Ulrich, I would be married and in Europe by now. But it would've ruined everything. I need to have true love. Not a desperate settlement I made out of selfishness." Yumi's breathing had quickened. She was trying to maintain her composure.

"I don't need you Zander! And truth be told, I never needed you! I don't love you. I don't even think I ever did." She could feel tears streak across her cheeks. "You exposed me and exploited my weakness. You tore me down. But Ulrich's helped me build myself back up. You'll never have the power to control me. Never! I never needed you Zander. You never loved me." Yumi sobbed. "You never cared about me. How dare you! I actually feel sorry for you. Because you go through life alone, cold, and never pleasing yourself let alone your stuck father. Have a nice life. Beacause my life is great without you in it. I don't have anyone to love me. But I'd rather not have anyone than live a lie that I do have someone. I'll find him. I must. Because if anyone could ever understand me. It's only because they're alone too. And I don't want him to be alone. Whoever I'm supposed to be with, we need each other. Because no one else will do."

Yumi felt Ulrich's arms wrap her into a hug from behind. She leant into him and cried. "You hear that?" he yelled. "She doesn't need you Zander. And she's not alone. Even if she think she is. She has me. She has Sam and Aelita. She has Odd and Jeremie. She has a family that loves her. She's got an awesome job. And she's got a heart of gold and a soul that sets the world on fire" Yumi smiled. "And somewhere out there. I know there is a man who's just dying to be with her. She deserves to have someone in her life. She doesn't deserve to be without a love."

"Neither do you." Yumi said looking up at him.

Ulrich smirked. "Ah, that might be true, but people like us just have the worst luck when it comes to love. People only pretend to love me for my money and reputation. People are just too cruel and judgmental to love you."

"It's because you're rich, and I'm too defiant."

"Yeah." They both sat down, Ulrich still holding Yumi, and watched the sun sink into the horizon. Yumi finally let go of her pain and let it sink along with sun. But unlike the sun, it would never rise again.


I'm done! I could've finished like Wednesday, but I got stuck on how to transition. It's a good thing I didn't type then or yesterday because you would've gotten a crappy ending to the chapter, and I almost forgot to put in the call from Sony (It's very important actually). Anyways, it will be a while before I update. I have a lot of assignments due this month. It's a really important month. It's the month before I graduate from high school! MAJOR! I'll try and update around my next day off. This chapter is written similar to the chapter when Yumi helped Ulrich (it's funny because the file for Moving On is next the the file for Letting Go), but I wanted to make it different by having some story development in it.

The next chapter will cover the events that take place before Ulrich and Yumi leave to go to Japan. I got some scene in Japan that I can't wait to type up ;) . The next chapter MIGHT be on the short side. If anything, it's just a chapter to get things set up and prepared for the next chapter. Now I know I told you all I wasn't sure when this would end. I'm starting to lean more towards after them dating. My ideal ending is for it to end when they get married. I just need some plot lines to occur between then. But you have to remember guys, I'm typing this story as it comes to me in my head. I've made something stuff spur of the moment (Zander was actually one of them) and so far, I guess you guys like it.

I'm also thinking about starting another YxU fic. It's going to be quite different from this, but it's still AU and it's pretty much me taking an old concept and twisting it around. Kinda like what I did with this one. If you want to know more about it, just message me or ask in my review. It's just thought right now. And even if I did start it, I probably won't put it up until around summer (that's the earliest). Well you guys have a good weekend. Review!