Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko. Wish I did.

A/N: It's been one year since I joined FanFiction! Pretty strange year, too.

Chapter 13

Yumi felt a wave of gratitude crash over her as the game ended. Kadic lost by ten points, but it didn't matter. Ulrich had probably seen her, but that didn't matter either. The most comforting thing of all was the fact that she could retire her pom-poms and wouldn't have to put up with Sissi anymore than her friends did.

She leaned over the water fountain, rehydrating herself. She was caught by surprise when something warm went around her waist.

"Hey."

Yumi turned around in Ulrich's arms and smiled meekly. "Hi," she said, hugging him.

"You're pretty good," said Ulrich.

"Uh...thanks?" Yumi didn't expect him to say that.

"No, really, you are," said Ulrich. "You look nice in the uniform, too." Then again, that didn't mean much coming from him. He would think she looked nice wearing a garbage bag and snowshoes.

"Thanks," said Yumi, blushing slightly.

"So, cheerleading, huh?" asked Ulrich. "I didn't know you were into it."

"I'm not!" said Yumi quickly. "I'm quitting."

"Then why'd you join?" asked Ulrich.

"College," the word sprang out of her mouth before she could stop it. "I thought having it on my record could help me, since my grades aren't doing so hot right now. But I can't take much more of Sissi's dictatorship."

"This must be the shortest cheerleading career I've ever seen," said Ulrich, smirking. Yumi smacked him in the shoulder.

"Very funny," said Yumi.

"Well, in celebration of our defeat and your resignation, why don't we grab a pizza?" asked Ulrich. "My treat."

"Sounds great," said Yumi, nodding. "Put onions on it and you die, though."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ulrich promised, smiling.

"I feel like I should be wearing a letterman's jacket," said Ulrich, taking a glug from his soda.

"Why?" asked Yumi.

"In all the movies the cheerleader is with the quarterback," said Ulrich.

"If it's between you and the school quarterback, I pick you," said Yumi, popping a piece of pepperoni in her mouth. "No contest."

"Do you enjoy trying to make me blush?" asked Ulrich, his face heating up.

"A little bit," answered Yumi.

"You're cruel," joked Ulrich. Yumi leaned over and locked her lips with his. He pressed a hand to the back of her head and deepened it. She heard the grumbling from the other people in the building at the show of affection, groaned, and pulled back. Ignoring the many suggestions to get a room, Ulrich grinned. "Okay, maybe the right word is devious."

"I'll take it," said Yumi. "So, you're really okay with the whole cheerleading thing?"

"It's your decision, not mine," said Ulrich, shrugging. "I feel like you've got a whole other life going on, though. Secret admirers, cheerleading, what next? You're a jewel thief, too?"

"If it comes to that, I'll let you know," promised Yumi, grinning. "I propose a toast."

"What to?" asked Ulrich curiously.

"To...making Sissi look like a fool in front of the entire school," said Yumi, smirking. They clinked cans and drank.

"To pizza without onions," said Ulrich, smiling. Again, they drank.

"To each other."

They drank to the last drop.

Ulrich tore his eyes away from his history book when his phone lit up next to him. Not that he could hear it ring, with Odd blaring his music. Normally Ulrich would have ignored the call, but it was Yumi.

"Hello?" Ulrich gestured for Odd to turn it down. Odd sighed, mouthing the word "loverboy," and channeled his music through a set of headphones.

"They're at it again," said Yumi dully without introduction.

"Oh," said Ulrich. He knew what that meant. "You want to talk about it?"

"Yeah," said Yumi softly. Ulrich pushed his homework off his bed and reclined on the pillow, giving her his full attention. "Hiroki is sleeping over at a friend's house."

"That's good," said Ulrich. "Any idea what they're going on about?"

"Not really," said Yumi. "They're mostly yelling incoherently. Probably about money."

"Is it bad?" asked Ulrich.

"Worse than usual," answered Yumi flatly.

"I'm really sorry, Yumi," said Ulrich sincerely.

"It's not your fault," said Yumi. Ulrich could hear her voice cracking, and was sure she had started crying. The shouting in the background was definitely the cause. He had never been able to listen to the fighting before.

"Look, Yumi, I gotta go for a few minutes, but I'll call you right back, okay?" said Ulrich. "For now, put on some music and read a magazine to tune it out. My parents don't get along either, and it always worked for me before I went to Kadic." Yumi agreed, thanked him for the tip, and hung up.

"Where are you going?" asked Odd loudly. Ulrich waved and walked out the door.

Yumi was grinding her teeth as the yelling grew louder. Not even an old CD of the Pop Rock Progressives could drown out the ruckus. She focused her eyes on the closest reading material she could find: a dictionary. Not incredibly entertaining, but she had already gotten through the A's. Her cellphone buzzed and she answered it quickly.

"It's me," said Ulrich.

"Hey," said Yumi gratefully.

"Go to your window," instructed Ulrich. "I have a surprise for you."

"I hate surprises, you know that," said Yumi, but complying with his demand.

"Open the window and look down," Ulrich continued. Yumi obeyed and dropped the phone when she saw his grinning face looking up at her from just beneath the window frame.

"What are you doing?" hissed Yumi. Ulrich ended the call and shrugged.

"You've been crying," said Ulrich, noting the shining streaks on her cheeks. Yumi turned away and started rubbing her face. "I thought I might distract you from the fight."

"You weren't wrong," said Yumi, opening the window wider. "Get in, it's cold out there."

Ulrich swiftly scaled the rest of the rain gutter and jumped into the room. Yumi nearly choked him in a hug, but released him when he started sputtering for oxygen.

"I didn't bring a flower this time, sorry," said Ulrich sheepishly.

"I don't care," replied Yumi, shutting the window. "What happened to your vertigo?"

"Pr--" Ulrich stopped himself from uttering the word "practice." "Some things are more important."

Yumi couldn't refrain herself from embracing him again. He smiled and fastened his arms around her back, reluctant to let her go. She pressed her head into his shoulder, trying to block the sound from the living room.

"If they catch you here, my dad will throw you out the window you came in," warned Yumi.

"I don't intend on staying," assured Ulrich. "But they can't fight all night. I just want to be here for you."

"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me," murmured Yumi. A long string of Japanese words reached Ulrich's ears, and although he couldn't tell what they meant, he could sense the anger behind them. "I wish they'd just shut up."

"They're probably under a lot of stress," said Ulrich. "From what I've heard, being an adult isn't easy. You know they love you, right?"

"Yeah," said Yumi, biting her lip. "I just...Sometimes I wonder if they still love each other."

"I've seen them together, and they're crazy about each other," said Ulrich soothingly. "Your parents are venting, that's all."

Yumi sat down with her back against the wall under the windowsill and pulled Ulrich down with her. She was shaking. This was one of the few times he had ever seen her so vulnerable. She was usually strong and reserved, seeing her this way was slightly off-putting. Nonetheless, he held her tight as she sobbed almost silently into him.

The bellowing downstairs morphed into weeping from Mrs. Ishiyama. Mr. Ishiyama was silent, or at least, so quiet neither Yumi nor Ulrich could hear him. Yumi had organized herself, and was still enfolded in Ulrich's grasp. He was whispering to her, doing his very best to divert her attention to other topics. She went along with it until a loud honk from outside startled them. Yumi got onto her knees and peered out the window, then gasped.

"Ulrich, I don't think they're venting anymore," she said. Ulrich looked out over the sidewalk and saw a taxi by the curb. Mr. Ishiyama walked out with a suitcase and got in, not looking back. All was hushed in the rest of the house.

"Yumi..." Ulrich wasn't sure what to say. Yumi struggled to keep the fresh tears from flowing. He rubbed her back tenderly, that being the only thing he could think of to help. She flung herself at him, nearly knocking him on his back.

"Why?" Yumi's question was muffled against Ulrich's shirt. "Why did he have to go?"

"I...I don't know," Ulrich muttered. This shouldn't have been happening to Yumi. Not with the chaos they already had in their lives. She had never done anything to deserve this. "Yumi, it'll be okay."

"How?" asked Yumi bitterly. "How can anything be okay after this?"

"He came back before," said Ulrich. "M-Maybe he'll come back again."

"What if he doesn't?" asked Yumi. Ulrich couldn't supply her an answer. All he could do was grip her firmly. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"You can only keep going," said Ulrich. "If there's anyone who can make it past this, it's you."

Yumi wished he had never seen her like this, weak and defenseless. But at the same time, she wanted nothing more than to stay enveloped in his arms and let the rest of the world melt away.

"Yumi, I'm going to have to leave soon, but I want you to call me if you want to talk, okay?" asked Ulrich, pressing a kiss on her lips. She gave his ribs a squeeze and nodded against his chest. "I'll stay a few more minutes. I don't want your mom to catch us like this after what just happened."

When Ulrich was certain Yumi had collected herself enough to get some sleep, he kissed her goodbye and left the same way he came, swearing to himself that he would do whatever it took to make things easier for her.

"Say it."

"No."

"Say it."

"Jeremie, I'm not doing it!"

"What's the harm?"

"It's stupid! There's no point!"

"Just say it!"

"I...love...you."

"Ulrich, I'm flattered, but you're not my type."

"Odd, you aren't funny."

Ulrich glared at Jeremie, who had hung a large poster of Yumi over his bed. Why he had to tell it he loved it was a mystery, but Jeremie insisted.

"Where did you even get that picture?" asked Ulrich.

"I found it in your journal," said Odd brightly.

"You what?" Ulrich roared.

"Relax, I didn't read it!" defended Odd quickly. "I just opened it and shook it until a picture of Yumi fell out. I already know you love her, I don't need to see it in writing."

"I had it blown up," said Jeremie. "You're going to say I love you to it when you wake up and before you go to bed."

"Because...?" Ulrich waited impatiently for him to fill in the blank.

"If you can't bring yourself to say it on the spot, then maybe it will slip out when you're with her after saying it so much," answered Jeremie. "Odd will make sure you follow this schedule."

"What if Yumi sees it?" asked Ulrich.

"Don't let her in here," said Jeremie. "At least I'm not making you say it to a melon."

"Odd would eat it first," said Ulrich, smirking.

"I would not!" retorted Odd.

"This is still stupid," muttered Ulrich.

"But it's useful," said Jeremie. "It's three syllables, Ulrich. It's not that hard."

"You know, Odd and I never made you do something like this," said Ulrich.

"I wasn't as hard-headed as you," replied Jeremie. "Say it again."

"I love you," said Ulrich, looking back at the poster. Yumi was smiling and waving at the camera. The corners of his mouth tugged upward.

"Make it personal," said Jeremie.

"I love you, Yumi," rephrased Ulrich.

"Good," said Jeremie. "Remember, once in the morning and once at night."

Ulrich scowled but chose not to argue. Somehow Jeremie's logic actually made sense. Not that he'd admit that to the genius. He sighed and flopped back on his bed. Jeremie said his goodbyes and left to work on the antivirus.

"I love you, Yumi," murmured Ulrich, kicking off his shoes and submitting to sleep.