"Now what?" Aelita enquiringly asked as she gently snuck through the door into Jeremie's room, joining Yumi's side on the bed.

"We wait," she replied, chewing on her oversized black sleeves out of boredom. Jeremie heeded no attention to either; he was busy working on decoding the rest of Franz Hopper's diary.

"How long?" The nervous woman held the stick eye-level, twirling it in her fingers.

"Ummm…" Yumi reached over and grabbed the box that sat at the end of the bed. She peered closer to read the instructions. "3-5 minutes."

They all sat in silence, with the frantic tapping of Jeremie's keyboard being the only sound to fill the room. Yumi laid on the bed backwards, her neck and midnight hair swiftly hanging over the edge. Aelita tensely sat with her legs crossed, staring at the small stick. The minutes ticked by excruciatingly slow.

"How long has it been?" The anxious pinkette asked, her eyes still glued onto the plastic twig.

Jeremie has been listening to their conversation, even though he appeared completely focused on the glowing screen in front of him. He checked his watch. "One minute."

Both girls sighed, Yumi burying her hands into her face. Aelita sat on the bed with her stomach twisting and her heart thrashing, she was almost sweating from the nerve-wrecking sensation. Suddenly, a banging on the door distracted all three.

"Yoo-hoo! Anybody in there!?" It was Odd, who quickly took it upon himself to walk inside the room. Yumi shot off of the bed.

"Quick!" She screamed to Aelita. "Hide it!"

"Oh! Uh…" she stuffed it beneath the pillow, the first place that caught her eye. Odd bounced into the room with a goofy smile on his face, as usual.

"Hey zombies!" He gleefully greeted. "I haven't heard from any of you in a while, it's like you disappeared off of the face of the Earth."

"We've been busy," all three replied in unison. Skeptical, Odd raised an eyebrow and folded his arms.

"Yeah, sure. Well, Ulrich and I are going to see a movie tonight. We want you all to come. Especially you, Aelita. You need to get out. Put a smile on your face, will ya?"

Aelita frowned, and Jeremie gave Odd a slight albeit subtle glare.

"Well that depends on what's playing," Yumi requested.

"Paranormal Activity 4!"

"Uh," she groaned, scratching her head. "And… Ulrich is going to be there?"

"Yeeeesss," Odd playfully sung, leaning into Yumi's face. She backed away nervously.

"Okay, I'll go."

"Sweet! Now what about you two?" Odd spun around, glancing at Jeremie first and then Aelita.

"No thanks," Aelita quietly declined.

"Aww, come on, princess! It'll be fun! Besides, Jeremie will be there if ya get scared."

Jeremie blushed, but then snapped back. "Hey! Who said I was going?"

"Oh come on, guys," Odd whined, placing his hands on his hips. "Besides school, Ulrich and I never see you anymore. It's like you formed your own little group without us. We just want to hang out again, all 5 of us, like we used to."

Jeremie looked to the side, sulking a bit. Odd was right, they never hung out as friends anymore, and he missed it. "Well… I'll go if Aelita goes. I'm not going to leave her here alone."

"Don't let me ruin your fun, Jeremie."

"You're not ruining my fun, Aelita. But I think Odd is right; maybe it would be good for us to all go out together."

Aelita bit her lip, toying with the thought in her head. "I'll think about it," she sighed.

"Great! Meet us at our dorm at 7. See you all tonight!"

"But!" Aelita perked up as Odd rushed out of the door. "I only said I'd think about it!"

"Aelita," Yumi scooted next to her, placing her hand on her shoulder. "I think it would be good for you to go see this movie. You spend your days cooped up in your room, and I don't think it's healthy."

Aelita played with her thumbs, staring at her lap and sighing. "I don't know, Yumi."

"Aelita," Jeremie released himself from his chair, sitting next to her on the opposite side of Yumi. "She's right, you know."

"But…"

"Shhh," Jeremie whispered, taking both of her hands in the warmth of his grasps and rubbing them soothingly. "Hey. It'll be okay, 'Lita. You'll have all of us with you. Nothing will happen, I promise."

Again, Aelita sighed. She stared at her hands and the way Jeremie brushed his thumb caringly against her skin. She was reluctant. Maybe it was a good idea, but still, she was reluctant. She looked up at Jeremie, and in her eyes he could not only see, but feel, and even taste the fear that settled inside her heart.

Yumi stood up and stretched her arms. "I think I'll give you two a moment alone, ring me when you've figured out what you guys wanna do." She gave a friendly wave and headed out the door, leaving it cracked slightly. Jeremie turned his attention back towards Aelita, and tilted her chin towards his face.

"Aelita, you know I'm never going to let anything bad happen to you again."

"Yeah," she said with the faintest glimmer of a smile spreading on her pale, pink lips. "I know."

"I think this would be good for you. I don't want to see you keep hurting. So go out with us tonight and try to have fun. Please?"

Aelita pondered for a moment, staring at Jeremie as she pressed her index finger against her petite mouth. Finally, she delicately shut her eyes and took a great breath; deeply exhaling before looking back into Jeremie's gaze. "Okay."

Jeremie let out a sigh of relief and grinned at her. "Aelita, you know I care about you," he lowered his voice and quietly spoke, as if he were attempting to avoid the possibility of anyone hearing him. He fleetingly glanced at the cracked door before redirecting his regard to Aelita.

"Of course."

"I mean, I really care about you."

"I know, Jeremie." She smiled at him timidly, but felt the slight grasp of his hands in hers becoming tighter. Jeremie locked his eyes on her, staring directly into the sparkling emeralds on her face.

"Aelita, I…" Jeremie hesitated as Aelita curiously leaned in closer to him. She raised her eyebrows at him, wondering what caused his change in demeanor. The woman, intrigued at his sudden edginess, sternly gaped at his mouth as his words froze; it almost appeared as if he were trying to produce an 'l' sound before ceasing his sentence. Jeremie felt himself growing warm, especially his face, and his heart began to thud inside his tight chest.

"You what, Jeremie?" The two sat only inches away from each other, and as she spoke Jeremie could feel her breath against his face.

"I… um…" He stuttered, a heavy blush spreading across his cheekbones. "I… am very hungry," he suddenly said, pushing himself away from Aelita and turning to face the other direction. "So, we should go get something to eat."

"Oh," Aelita reacted, confused and a bit surprised. "Well, okay." Jeremie, almost thankful, happily took her hand and led her out the door. They rushed down the hall and to the cafeteria with growling stomachs, eager for a hearty meal. When Jeremie shut the door behind him in a hurry, unknowingly to him it bounced backwards, and as a result did not close completely. It was left slightly cracked, as before when Yumi had left.

A few moments later, a happy and giddy yipping was travelling down the empty hallway before Odd's bouncing terrier butted his way into Jeremie's room. It seems today was a day where the warriors neglected to lock their doors; as Kiwi had escaped when Odd left to shower. The little bull terrier curiously snooped around, sniffing everything in front of him and sticking his long nose where it didn't belong. A certain scent from the bed was drawing him in. Kiwi hopped onto Jeremie's bed, burrowing under the blankets and the pillow. Under the pillow, the inquiring doggy found something that greatly intrigued him. The same plastic stick from before had been left under the pillow when Odd barged into the room, and Yumi, Aelita and Jeremie had completely forgotten. Seeing it as a toy to play fetch with later, he released a small bark and ran back to his master's room with the stick in his mouth.

"Kiwi!" Odd joyfully shouted as his puppy ran into his room. "There you are! My little diggity dog!" He scooped the terrier up and cradled him in his arms before noticing the object in his mouth. "Huh? What ya got there, boy?" Kiwi barked and squeezed out of Odd's grasp, dropping the item at his feet. Perplexed, Odd bent down and picked it up.

"What the? Kiwi, where did you find this?"

The dog barked in response and ran to Odd's desk, pulling out a photo. He dropped it at his owner's feet and continued to irritatingly yip. When Odd picked up the picture, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Jeremie?! You found this in Jeremie's room!?"

Again, Kiwi barked. He then proceeded to his bed that had been made inside Odd's dresser and curled up.

"Oh wow, I don't believe it! But… who's could it be? Let's see… who was in Jeremie's room earlier… Holy crap!"

"Hey good buddy, whatcha got there?" Ulrich asked as he returned from the shower, scrunching his soaking hair with the towel.

"Oh, I don't know… you tell me, Ulrich," Odd teased as he threw the stick at Ulrich. "So what have you and Yumi been up to, huh?"

"What the… a pregnancy test!? Where did you get this?!"

"Kiwi brought it to me. He found it in Jeremie's room."

"And how do you know where Kiwi found it? Did you see him?"

"Well, he told me. He's a smart diggity dog."

"Right… there's no way this is Yumi's. Why would she need it?"

"You tell me, good buddy. The only people in his room today where Yumi and Aelita," Odd winked as he patted Ulrich on the shoulder. "Your blush says it all."

"What!? No! Yumi and I haven't done that! We're just good friends!"

"What, do you expect me to believe it's Aelita's, then? Jeremie isn't exactly a ladies man, you know."

Ulrich stood in disbelief and scratched his head furiously, trying to figure out the source of the test. "What does it say, anyway?"

"I don't know. There's just a line."
"Well what does that mean?"

"How should I know!? Hey, if you and Yumi haven't been doing the tango, then maybe you might want to figure out what William's been up to, huh?"

Ulrich angrily knocked Odd in the shoulder. "That's not funny, Odd."

"I know, I know," he apologetically replied as he rubbed his aching arm. "But seriously; maybe she got tired of waiting for you to make a move."

Ulrich stared furiously at the pregnancy test that sat in his fingers. He furrowed his brow, rage coursing through him at the idea of Yumi being with William. "Do you think I should talk to her?"

Odd shrugged. "Do whatever you think is right. Just try to not lose your temper, grumpy pants."

"Hey! I am not grumpy!" Ulrich spat at Odd before slamming the door behind him. Odd merely chuckled.

Nearly shaking with fury, Ulrich stormed down the hallway and to Aelita's room. He assumed that was where Yumi would be, if anywhere, because she was always stuck to Aelita like glue as of late. Or perhaps it was the other way around. It was more so that Aelita was the one sticking like glue. Superglue, at that.

"Hey, Yumi?" Ulrich knocked on the wooden door to Aelita's room. Unsurprisingly, Yumi opened the door. He was right in his assumptions.

"How did you know I was in here?" She questioned, slightly astounded, but pleased to see him nonetheless. Ulrich, however, did not return the same friendly gestures. She could feel the heat from his anger radiating off of his body. "Ulrich? What's the matter?"

"This is where you always are now a days. It's like you're Aelita's guardian angel or something. Is she in there?"

"No, her and Jeremie went out to lunch."

"Good. I need to talk to you."

"Uh… okay," Yumi shut the door behind her as Ulrich ragingly helped himself into the room. He threw the pregnancy test down onto the counter before her.

"What is this?" He demanded, coldly glaring at her.

Yumi leaned down and quickly recognized what the small, plastic object was. "Oh, no!" she shrieked, stepping backwards. Her eyes glossed over with terror and her skin flushed completely white. "Where did you get that?"

"Kiwi found it in Jeremie's room, and brought it to Odd, who showed it to me. Well? I know for sure I'm not the reason you took that."

"Wh-what!? Ulrich, it's not for me!"

"Oh yeah? Then who's it for? You and Aelita were the only girls in that room who could've taken this."

"Maybe it was taken a different day? I-I don't know who's it is! It isn't mine! Ulrich, trust me!"

"Do whatever you think is right. Just try not to lose your temper." Odd's voice echoed inside Ulrich's head, and for once, he actually decided to listen to him. Still reluctant, but not wanting to argue, he sighed; letting the tense nerves in his body relax. "Okay, Yumi. If you say it isn't yours, I believe you."

Yumi appeared almost shocked at his calm demeanor. It wasn't usually like Ulrich, honestly. However, she was thankful. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. You don't know who's it is?"

Yumi shook her head, but bit her lip at the same time. Ulrich knew she was hiding something. "Yumi, are you okay?" he caringly asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Huh? Yes, why?"

"Well, you've been acting weird lately… you don't leave Aelita or Jeremie's side and you seem like you're hiding something."

"I'm okay, really. Thanks though." She turned to walk away, but Ulrich grabbed her hand and stopped her. Yumi looked down at the intertwined hands, and looked back up at the brunette.

"Yumi, you know if there's ever a problem, you can talk to me about it."

Yumi smiled at him, removing her hand. "Thanks, Ulrich. But I'm okay, really."

"Okay. I care about you, Yumes. So don't feel like you have to hide from me."

Yumi perked up an eyebrow at Ulrich. "What did you just call me?"

"Oh, Um… Sorry. I guess it's just a name I came up with."

Yumi timorously smirked, a trifling blush sneaking onto her pale cheeks. "I like it."

Ulrich smiled back at her. "I'm glad," he whispered.

"Hey, Ulrich?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, just out of curiosity, what's it say?"

"Um… there's one line."

"Oh, thank God!"

"What!?"

"Nothing! I've got to study, so bye now!" Yumi, flustered and nervous, shoved Ulrich out of the room. He had now reverted back to being completely skeptical of her.

"Well that was handled poorly," Yumi mumbled to herself.

Ulrich left Aelita's room, and immediately headed down to Jeremie's. Something was up, and he wasn't going to let his crush on Yumi interfere with getting the answers he wanted. The test was in Jeremie's room to begin with, so more than likely, Jeremie knew what was going on.

"Hey, Jeremie? Are you in there?" Ulrich asked, scratching his knuckles against the door. To his surprise, the door opened.

"Hey, Ulrich. What's happening?" Jeremie opened the door wider, inviting him inside.

"Where's Aelita?"

"Sleeping. She's in her room. I think Yumi might be with her but I'm not sure."

"Um, why is it that Aelita can't seem to ever be left alone lately?"

Jeremie paused in his tracks, swallowing harshly. He readjusted his glasses and turned to face Ulrich. "Uh, I don't know. I guess girls are just clingy sometimes."

"Hmm. Hey, Einstein, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Ulrich," Jeremie confirmed as he sat down in front of his computer to continue the work that had been so many times interrupted.

"Do you know anything about, oh, I don't know… this?" Ulrich threw the test onto Jeremie's keyboard. Flabbergasted, Jeremie jumped backwards in his chair.

"Oh, no!" He screamed; exactly as Yumi had done. "Where- um, where did you find that?"

Ulrich scratched his chin, intrigued by his reaction. "In your room, Jeremie."

"What were you doing snooping around my room?"

"I didn't; Odd's dog did. And Kiwi brought to Odd, who showed it to me."

Jeremie smacked his palm against his forehead. "This is a disaster," he muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. Um, I don't know who's it is. And I certainly don't know why I was in my room. Now, I'm busy, I need to decode this diary. So if you'll please leave me alone."

"Jeremie, I know that you know about this."

"Ulrich, do you honestly think I got some girl pregnant?" Jeremie spun around in his chair, crossing his arms. "Is that was this is about? I don't even have time for that stuff; I've got my work cut out for me! Especially with decoding this diary and finding Aelita's anti-virus."

"Well, you and Aelita have been pretty close lately."

Jeremie's jaw dropped. "Augh! Are you serious right now!? For one, the answer is no way absolutely not! But second of all, even if I was, why would it matter!? What Aelita and I do or don't do is none of your business."

"Maybe I wasn't talking about Aelita." Ulrich wrinkled his brows at Jeremie.

"Uh, what are you getting at?"

"Nothing. I don't know. I'll see you later, Jeremie." Ulrich, still unsatisfied, but now even more suspicious, left the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Well?" Odd asked as Ulrich fumed into their dorm. "Did you find anything out?"

"Neither Yumi nor Jeremie spilled the beans, and I couldn't find Aelita but I honestly can't see her needing this anyway. She probably doesn't even know what that is." Ulrich threw himself backwards onto the bed, resting his arms behind his head. He let out a heavy, defeated sigh.

"Hmmm," Odd thought out loud. "Maybe it's just a prank, then."

"Maybe…" Ulrich sat up and looked over at Odd. "I did notice something weird, though…"

"Oh yeah? What would that be?"

Ulrich paused for a moment, and then sighed. "Jeremie and Yumi had the same exact reaction when I confronted them about the test. They both freaked out, and said 'oh, no.' Yumi even asked me what it said, and I'm pretty sure I heard Jeremie mumble how much of a disaster this was."

"You don't think…that…they're connected?"

Ulrich shrugged, staring at his hands that lazily laid In his lap.

"You think that maybe…Jeremie…and…Yumi!?"

Ulrich looked back up at Odd.