The aftermath is worse than usual this time around.
Normally, there's a few scrapes and bruises. A nasty cut every now and again, and maybe a sprain, but it's never bad enough to warrant a hospital visit. At the most, they come up with an excuse—I tripped, I fell down the stairs, sparring practice went badly—and they see Nurse Yolanda, but beyond that, there's little they've had to do. When it's at its worst, they simply do a return trip.
It's a hard decision, but Jeremie resists the suggestion emphatically. So they cope.
This time, the aftermath is a smattering of cuts and scrapes on his back and abdomen. "I got thrown into the scrap heap," he tells her through clenched teeth as she helps apply the disinfectant to the areas he can't reach on his own. There's blue and violet bruising around his neck and back, and he has a split lip. There isn't much she can do for that, but she offers her support anyways, and he seems grateful.
Aelita is spewing apologies as Yumi works with the first aid kit (She's used to it, after all; all ninth graders are required to take health class. That, and Aelita and Ulrich have expressed their discomfort with working with those materials, but also... well, would anyone trust Odd with that sort of thing?).
Beyond the obvious wincing, Jeremie's face is unreadable. He takes Aelita's hand in a surprisingly bold gesture and, giving it a squeeze, he murmurs, "It's okay."
"That was way too close," Ulrich cuts in. His gaze is hard as he stares at Jeremie, and his eyes flick towards the boy's torn and stained sweater also on the bed.
Odd huffs and flops down heavily next to Jeremie, swinging an arm up to rest it on the young prodigy's shoulders— in contrast to his swift movements, however, he sets it down delicately. "Yeah, Einstein! We really need to crack down on this— you'll be nothing but a pulp by the end of it if we don't."
Yumi rolls her eyes, lifting her gaze from the gauze she's wrapping around a rather wide slash on his wrist. "Not funny, Odd." Couldn't he summon at least a bit of seriousness in this sort of situation?
Jeremie shrugs. "I know. It isn't like there's much I can do about it, though."
His tone is flat, and when she looks up once more, she can see the exhausted acceptance in his eyes.
"...Why don't you come with us to Lyoko next time?" Aelita tries. The withering look he gives her in response is saturated with exasperation.
"Then who would stay out when XANA possesses someone to screw with the supercomputer?"
Aelita doesn't have a counter; in fact, she looks rather taken aback. Jeremie takes his glasses off and runs a hand through his hair, then down his face. "I'm sorry," he sighs, "I'm just tired."
"We all are. This is serious." Ulrich sits down on Jeremie's other side, cupping his knees with his hands. His face is unsettled, and he looks away when Jeremie cringes at the touch of an alcohol pad on a scrape on his ribs. "What if you die next time?"
"We need to figure out why XANA's targeting you," Aelita enters the conversation again with a quick interjection, her hands curling into fists. "Then, we'll be able to stop it."
With her work done, Yumi withdraws, recapping the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and setting the unusued bandages back into the kit. Once it's closed, she stands off to the side, observing his body language carefully for any signs of things she may have missed.
"Well, I don't know why it would," Jeremie remarks, holding his hands out helplessly, "I don't exactly have much use for you guys."
Now that seems to catch Aelita's attention. Her green eyes soften. "Don't say that. You know we depend on you."
He doesn't consider her reply for very long, nor does he yield to it in response. "Either way, there isn't really any way we can figure out why. I haven't been to Lyoko since- since I got possessed, so there's no reason for this change. It doesn't make sense."
"Maybe it's trying to wear you out," Yumi ventures at long last, "Or distract you."
"It's definitely working," he mutters, turning his gaze disdainfully towards the far wall.
"We'll figure it out," Aelita promises immediately, a new note of determination to her tone, "Maybe we could check Sector Five for anything. Have you read anything new in my father's diary?"
"Nothing spectacular." Jeremie leans down, resting his chin in his hand. "But that might be worth a shot, actually. I did dig up some stuff with the scanners, but it wasn't anything mind-blowing."
"Let's do it, then." Aelita smiles reassuringly, and despite his sour tone earlier, Jeremie manages to summon a small one as well. Fondness flashes through Yumi; those two always know how to cheer each other up, it seems, despite any past arguments or grievances.
"Does tomorrow work?"
At the others' approval, Jeremie's expression shifts into something definitely more hopeful than before. "Okay then. Now- I've got some stuff to work on. Thanks, guys. I'll see you tomorrow."
With that dismissal, they bid him goodnight and exit. The other boys go off to their own room, and Yumi walks alongside Aelita towards the girls' dorms. Sure, she has a curfew to make, but she doesn't mind sparing the extra few minutes to chat with her only female companion amongst the Lyoko warriors.
"What do you make of all this?"
Aelita starts at the sound of Yumi's voice, but, after briefly meeting her gaze, she turns her attention to the floor with a meek shrug.
"I don't know. I just hope Sector Five has answers."
Yumi waits a moment for Aelita to continue, but she doesn't. When she arrives at Aelita's door, they both pause, and Aelita turns to face her.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Yumi. Let's hope we figure this out, yeah?"
"Yeah. I'll see you."
Once Aelita shuts the door, Yumi has no reason to stay any longer, so she heads back home.
The mere idea of a potential solution makes a fresh sprig of hope rise in her. Even so, she recalls Jeremie's tired eyes and Aelita's strained smile. Did they really have any explanation as to what XANA's plan could be? Or was the AI simply beginning to catch up with them?
With William gone, another new member was out of the question. They needed to crack down on this as soon as possible before things truly spiraled out of control.
Yumi glances over her shoulder back in the direction of Kadic Academy as her hand comes down on her house's doorknob. Heaving a weary sigh, she twists it, pushes the door carefully open, and heads inside.
They'd figure it out. Even if they didn't, they'd sort out some contigency plan and roll with the punches as they always did, and it'd end up fine.
Even so, she can't shake the unease that lingers in her as she closes the door in her wake.