Disclaimer: I disclaim any rights to Code Lyoko.

Chapter 16

"We give you a cooling off period and you get into a fight with him?!"

It was an hour after Yumi's meeting with Ulrich. Aelita had called an emergency lesson in her dorm.

"It's his fault!" Yumi lashed out at Emily.

"Yumi, Ulrich is one of the most attractive guys at this school," said Naomi, massaging her temples in frustration. "Girls are going to pine for him whether he's your boyfriend or not. Just because Sissi was stupid enough to act on the attraction doesn't mean he's about to ditch you!"

"Besides, you aren't as mad at him as you are at yourself," said Aelita casually. Yumi swallowed a gasp. She would never admit to it, but Aelita was right. Yumi didn't know why she was angry with herself, but she was.

"And you're partially blaming yourself for this, aren't you?" prodded Aelita. "Even though you had nothing to do with it, something you did must have been wrong if Sissi kissed him, right?"

Yumi nodded slowly. It always caught her by surprise just how insightful Aelita was when it came to human nature.

"Yumi, you could beat him within an inch of his life and he'd still think you're perfect," said Aelita, her face hard. "You may not agree, but I've seen it in his eyes when he's staring at you. You didn't do anything wrong. It was all Sissi!"

"How do you know?" asked Yumi shrewdly. Although Aelita made sense, she was still furious. Though at what precisely, she didn't know.

"If it wasn't your fault, and it wasn't his fault, who's else could it have been?" countered Aelita. "It wasn't Ulrich's fault, I can guarantee it."

"Why would he kiss someone like Sissi, anyway?" asked Azra. "Everyone in the school knows he despises her."

"I'd say take a day to mull this over, but I'm worried you're going to kill Ulrich by morning," said Aelita dryly. "I know you're still peeved, though, and for that I blame your pride."

"Remember, once you make up with him, you'll be a stronger couple than before," said Heidi brightly. Her face fell at Yumi's brooding expression. "Okay, so we can't cheer you up. There'll be a giant smile on your face once you work it out with Ulrich."

"Are we done here?" asked Yumi, frowning. It wasn't like she wanted to be angry. She just was. She realized it wasn't fair to anyone, but since when was being a teenage girl ever fair?

"We obviously aren't getting through to you," said Emily exasperatedly. "Dismissed."

"Thank you, Rosa."

"No problem, sweetie," said the kind lunch lady, handing Aelita the package of snacks and sandwiches.

Jeremie is going to eat something whether he likes it or not, though Aelita determinedly. She saw Ulrich coming through the doors of the cafeteria and waved. His face was washed over with relief and he waved back urgently.

"Glad you're here!" said Ulrich, pulling out a chair for her at the gang's usual table.

"Something wrong?" asked Aelita innocently.

"Yumi hasn't told you about...?" Ulrich faltered, not knowing how to put it.

"Oh, that," said Aelita casually.

"Right," said Ulrich, nodding. "Why is she so mad?"

"Well, you were kissing her rival," pointed out Aelita. "How would you feel if she kissed William?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" defended Ulrich.

"Have you told her that?" asked Aelita.

"Of course I have, but she doesn't believe me!" said Ulrich. Rosa's eyebrows raised at the loudness of his voice on the other side of the lunch counter. He waved sheepishly and looked down.

"Maybe she would if she knew how you really felt about her," replied Aelita. Ulrich groaned, and she sighed. "All right, do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"There's good news?" asked Ulrich. Aelita nodded solemnly. "Save that for last."

"She's still enraged," said Aelita. "At you, Sissi, and herself."

"Wait, why is she mad at herself?" asked Ulrich, bewildered.

"Since she still thinks you've got a thing for Sissi, she's wondering what she did to make that happen," answered Aelita simply. Ulrich's left hand fisted and he groaned again.

"What's the good news?" asked Ulrich desperately.

"Her dad's back," murmured Aelita, smiling. "She told me about the night he left. He came back and worked things out with her mom."

"That's great!" said Ulrich. His grin faded when his memory came back to him. "She told you...everything?"

"Yeah," said Aelita sadly. "At least she was there for Hiroki. The poor guy might not have been able to handle it if she wasn't there hugging him while it was going on."

"Right, right," said Ulrich, nodding again, trying not to let his face betray his ease. "Thanks, Aelita."

"Any time."

Yumi found herself glowering at Jeremie and snapped her gaze to the ground. All five of them were at their bench in the courtyard. First period was over, and Jeremie was informing them about the mission to Sector 5 he had planned out for tonight. He and Aelita were sitting in the middle of the bench, his arm around her waist and her listening intently. Odd was standing up behind them, and was smacking his lips to tease them until he got a well-aimed punch from Aelita in the shoulder. Ulrich was leaning against the arm at one end, and Yumi was at the other, trying not to look at him.

It wasn't fair. The way Jeremie was looking at Aelita made her stomach churn. Like if Aelita got so much as a paper cut, Jeremie would drop everything to make it better. It was the Look Yumi had seen in all those sappy romance films, except a thousand times more sincere. Aelita gets a promise ring, Yumi gets stabbed in the back. She didn't like being jealous of Aelita, she was glad Aelita had Jeremie, but she wanted someone to give her the Look.

She wanted Ulrich to give her the Look.

Ulrich had long since abandoned his attempts to keep his eyes off Yumi. Every curve of her face was etched into his mind already, but that didn't stop him from doing so again. A stray lock of hair was hanging in her face, the wind must have pushed it there, and his right hand, which he had shoved in his bag, yearned to pull it out of the way. Her chocolate colored eyes were studying the pavement beneath their feet. He guessed she wasn't listening to Jeremie, either, only nodding when it seemed appropriate.

The bell rang, cutting Jeremie off in mid-sentence. He sighed, knowing the only one who listened to him was Aelita, anyway. Yumi held her books tighter and took two steps before Ulrich called out.

"Yumi," Ulrich hitched his bag over his shoulder and moved to stop her. She hesitated, and her head turned a fraction of an inch, but she kept walking.

So she still hadn't cooled down in the seventeen hours(no matter what Odd said, it was not obsessive to keep count) between their argument and now. He turned around to go to class with Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita, all with empathy on their faces.

"Ulrich, breathe!"

Ulrich inhaled deeply at Bastien's request, but didn't stop pacing back and forth in the dorm he shared with Odd.

"Let the breath out!"

"Sorry," mumbled Ulrich, exhaling.

"Stop worrying, you haven't lost Yumi," said Jeremie.

"I don't get it, why would Sissi kiss me like that?" asked Ulrich furiously. It was three days ago, and he still couldn't figure it out. Yumi dodged being around him quite well, and had made no attempt to make amends yet.

"It does you no good to worry about it," said Thomas sharply. "It's done, and now you need to fix things with Yumi."

"She won't even listen to me," said Ulrich pointedly.

"Eh, we'll work around that," said Jean-Baptiste casually. "Besides, every couple has a lover's spat. It's only natural."

"Not every couple," said Ulrich, glaring at Jeremie.

"For the record, Aelita and I have had a fight," said Jeremie flatly.

"When?" asked Odd, shooting up into a sitting position on Jeremie's bed. "You never told us!"

"And have you try to butt in to make it better?" asked Jeremie, adjusting his glasses. "I'd have to be the dumbest genius alive."

"What was it about?" asked Christophe interestedly.

"Odd, Ulrich, you two are my best friends, but I'm about ready to kill you," said Jeremie simply. "Whatever you found that was so humorous about the Taelia incident was obviously lost on Aelita."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ulrich, bewildered. "We'd never say anything to her!"

"Maybe not on purpose," said Jeremie. "She overheard you two joking about it on the way to your dorm yesterday morning."

"Wait...you had a thing for that Taelia girl?" asked Alexandre, turned red from suppressed laughter. "What is up with you and girls with pink hair?"

Jeremie shot him a menacing glare. Odd and Ulrich flushed and sheepishly stared at the carpet. Jeremie wasn't amused. Odd coughed into his fist before popping the question.

"Ah...what'd you do?" asked Odd. Jeremie thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Can't tell you," said Jeremie finally. This grabbed all the boys' interest.

"Why not?" demanded Thomas.

"You'll hit me," answered Jeremie curtly.

"Now I'm not sure I want to know," replied Alexandre, smirking. Jeremie turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Shut up," was his response.

"Come on, Jeremie!" pleaded Ulrich. "You can't just discover the secret of making up with a girl after a fight and keep it to yourself!"

"All right," said Jeremie wearily. He spoke slowly, "Aelita and I...talked...it...out."

The boys gaped at him, but only Ulrich acted. "You're right, I'm going to hit you," declared Ulrich.

"Ouch," muttered Jeremie, rubbing the bruise on his arm.

"Thanks for the help, Captain Cliché!" retorted Ulrich. "I told you, Yumi won't talk to me! You've got a girlfriend who always listens to what you have to say!"

"When she's in a good mood," corrected Jeremie. "You've seen Aelita when she's mad. Imagine how fan-freaking-tastic it was having her mad at me. Thanks, buddy."

"So how did you..." Jean-Baptiste trailed off.

"Make her listen to what you have to say," Jeremie instructed Ulrich. "If she says she has to be somewhere, don't let her go. If she pushes you away, hold her tighter. And don't forget to apologize."

"I didn't do anything wrong!" defended Ulrich. "And neither did you, for that matter!"

"I was sorry I hurt her," said Jeremie evenly. "And I know you are, too. Saying sorry is basically the only thing you can do to make her feel better. I suppose you could give her chocolates, if you wanted. I didn't have any on me when I cornered Aelita after dinner."

"I thought you were working yesterday when you skipped supper," said Odd.

"Yeah, I was plotting your murders," retorted Jeremie.

"So, I guess we're not off the hook?" asked Ulrich innocently.

"She thought the only reason I loved her was because her hair was pink," said Jeremie through gritted teeth. "Do you realize how hard it was getting her to listen to me?"

"Um...sorry?" offered Odd weakly. Jeremie's glare didn't soften.

"It's been three days," said Jeremie. "Go find her and set things right. Hopefully somebody will say the three magic words that will make us go away."

"And if she still won't listen to me?" asked Ulrich, standing up and heading for the door.

"That's when we take control," said Odd. Ulrich frowned at the vagueness but crossed his fingers and prayed for a miracle all the same as he swiftly left.

He came to an abrupt halt when he saw her walking through the park. More like marching. Every move she made was stiff and routine. Her eyebrows formed a deep smile, and her mouth didn't mimic it. Ulrich felt his book bag drop from his shoulder and onto the ground; her presence commanded his attention. Angry at him or not, it didn't change how he felt about her.

Jeremie's words rang through his head. Make her listen. Easy for him to say. True, Aelita had a temper, but it was mild compared to Yumi's. Ulrich would be the last to deny that Yumi could wipe the floor with him if need be.

She still hadn't noticed he was there. Yumi was probably off to her house to eat lunch. To avoid him. Ulrich quietly prowled up behind her, hoping to keep the element of surprise. Unfortunately her instincts must have tipped her off when he was only a yard away from touching her shoulder.

"Ulrich?" Yumi's face was one of shock, which confused him. Surely she knew he was going to talk to her?

"Yumi, this has gone on long enough," Ulrich started the speech he had memorized last night. Said speech was wiped clean from his memory when her eyes narrowed and she took a step back from him.

"Save it," she said.

"No." Ulrich grabbed her elbows and felt her tense. She didn't pull away, though. "Hear me out."

"Why should I?" asked Yumi coldly. "I've seen enough already."

"Yumi, will you just listen to me?" Ulrich was having a hard time keeping his voice level. Why was it so easy for her to infuriate him? His words kept her lips sealed for the time being, at least. "I did not choose to have Sissi's slimy lips on mine! What part of that don't you understand?"

"The part where you didn't push her away!" answered Yumi.

"You've known me for over a year! Do I really seem like the kind of guy who would cheat on the best thing that ever happened to him?"

This stopped Yumi's next shout from coming out of her mouth. Ulrich's eyes were boring a hole through her, and his grip had grown tighter. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make his point. He didn't want them fighting anymore. He just said she was the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Will getting you a bat so you can take it out on Sissi make you happy?" asked Ulrich. Yumi felt the one thing she thought was impossible at the moment: a smile creeping on her face. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but it was funny all the same.

"Yumi!"

The smile fell from her lips. Of course. Of course he had to come and ruin everything.

"Go away, William," Ulrich managed to say through gritted teeth. The black-haired boy frowned and came closer.

"Chill out, Stern," replied William. "Yumi, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later. The Subsonics just came out with a new CD, and I bought it yesterday. I thought we could..."

The way Yumi was gaping at him silenced William. He didn't really think this would work, did he? The hopeful expression on his face told otherwise.

"Go away, William," Yumi echoed Ulrich's words.

"Oh, come on, it'll be a lot of fun, and--"

"She said go," Ulrich snapped. William's frown returned deeper, and he set a hand on Yumi's shoulder. She felt herself being jerked away; Ulrich's arms pulled her towards him and further from William.

"William, I'm not interested," said Yumi with finality. This didn't discourage him.

"Maybe tomorrow?" offered William.

Ulrich was able to turn the scream about to leave his mouth into a low grunt in his throat. William wasn't a girl, and Ulrich would take some delight in mangling his body...No, no, too messy. William was good-looking enough to get a decent girl, why did he have to go for Yumi?

"Are we speaking the same language?" retorted Yumi, more than a little annoyed now. "I said no."

"You really oughta go now," advised Ulrich hotly.

"Make me," replied William coolly.

Oh no, thought Yumi. Her gaze darted from Ulrich and William and back again. Blasted pride! What were they going to do, duke it out for her honor? Ulrich's grasp on her was tighter than ever; she was sure her arms were red under the sleeves of her shirt. Her fists clenched as she watched the silent battle they were having with their eyes and was reminded vaguely of a western showdown.

"All right, Pighead, Big Shot, break it up," she ordered stiffly. She broke out of Big Shot's arms and yanked him by the back of his shirt to follow her.

"Yumi!" Ulrich started stumbling over his feet as he walked backwards with her. "What are you--"

"You need to cool it," chided Yumi, letting him go only when they were at least twenty meters away from Pighead.

"He started--"

"I don't care who started it!" Yumi felt like she was dealing with preschoolers. "You think I want to see Delmas suspend you?"

Ulrich chewed the inside of his cheek as he watched William stalk away over Yumi's shoulder. At least she cared what happened to him. Now, though, she was even more angry. Great.

"I'm late for lunch," muttered Yumi, storming out of the park. Ulrich groaned and slid down onto the ground in the shade of the tree behind him.

If she says she has to be somewhere, don't let her go.

"Oh, shut up, Jeremie."