Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or the song Beauty from Pain by Superchick. I do own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and any other characters that are in this story.

Beauty From Pain

The lights go out all around me
One last candle to keep out the night
And then the darkness surrounds me
I know I'm alive
But I feel like I've died
And all that's left is to accept that it's over
My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made
I try to keep warm but I just grow colder
I feel like I'm slipping away…

Jim looked at the scrawny mousy looking man before him, supposedly one of the best doctors in the world. "Any changes?" he asked.

"I'm sorry sir," the doctor looked regretful, "Program 52-"

"Musa," Jim said.

"I'm sorry?" the doctor said confused.

"Her name is Musa and you'll refer to her as that. You'll refer to her sister as Cascada. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," the other man said gulping nervously. "Anyway, um, like I was saying, since we taken Pro- I mean, Musa and Cascada off sedation they seem to be okay physically."

"Seem to be? Physically?" Jim questioned becoming really impatient.

"Yes sir, I can see no signs of any bodily harm on them but of course I'm not totally sure because I can't get to close to them."

"Dr. Dietz! They are children just like any others who were unfortunate enough to be forced into something they couldn't have even understand so don't tell me that you won't get close to them!" the gym teacher said backing the doctor into a corner.

"It's not that I don't want to get near them!" Dietz cowered. "It's just that I can't! The girls seem to have gone into a metal state that they're very defensive of who can come into their personal bubble. At the moment, Musa will only allow that boy, uh, Weird-"

"Odd."

"What?"

"That's his name," Jim corrected. "Just, go on."

"Um, yes," Dietz said pushing the glasses back up his nose. "Odd and the pink hair girl, Aelita, I believe her name is, are the only ones that Musa will allow close to her though she seems to cling on to the boy like a lost puppy," he chuckled before clearing his throat. "Pardon the pun."

Jim ran his hand through his hair. "And Cascada?"

Dietz sighed. "She's even worst. Unlike Musa who will either shy away from others Cascada is in a somewhat hostile state. The Asian girl, Aelita, and Agent Emma Dunbar are the only ones she'll allow close to her."

"She's not allowing William?" Jim asked surprised.

"No. She seems especially hostile towards him. Either way you put it," Dr. Dietz shrugged. "They're like powerful temperamental three year olds."

"What they must have went through," he sighed leaning his forehead against the wall before glaring at Dietz. "Can't you do anything?"

"I'm sorry but the workings of the human mind is already complicated enough as it is. There is no way that I can think of that'll take the two out of their current states and keep their personalities. I'd advise you to talk to Schaeffer. He would probably know more than anyone."

Jim chuckled grimly. "The man hasn't had actually human contact in years. I wonder if he even remembers compassion." The brunette sighed before straightening up. "One more thing, and then you can leave. Have you done the scans on Odd?"

"Yes," Dietz said looking like a child waiting to open his Christmas presents. "It's absolutely unbelievable but all injuries, even the ones that were feared that surgery wouldn't be able to fix are all completely healed and gone. It's really unbelievable! It should have taken him months to heal but he's walking around like nothing happen in less than twenty-four hours! It's a medical mystery!"

"It's a mystery all right," Jim sighed.

CODE TWILIGHT

It was the moment she had been waiting for; to finally be able to sit with both of her parents again, like a family. And yet…she couldn't find happiness in this moment. It wasn't right that she should be enjoying this time when her sisters were unable to.

"Is something wrong, sweetheart?" his hand held hers.

"Yes," she thought.

"Of course not, Daddy," she smiled lying through her teeth. He bought it easily and she felt a part of her heart crumble. She vaguely remembered a time where he could easily tell that she was lying.

"Dear," Elena said, a little more aware to the inner turmoil her daughter was feeling, "don't you need to check up on Musa and Cascada?"

The man looked hesitatingly at his wife and daughter before getting up and leaving the room after kissing them both on the forehead.

"He's not even willing to help his other daughters."

"Aelita," her mother said softly. That was all that was needed for the well of tears to break from the pink hair girl's eyes as her mother softly comforted her.

This wasn't anything like she expected. She had expected to feel elated, finally with her mother and father but, not at the cost of her sisters.

Blood didn't matter. The bond that they shared was enough. The bond that the whole Lyoko group shared was enough for a family. She just wanted her entire family together again. Was that too much to ask for?

CODE TWILIGHT

"Why am I even still here?"

"I was wondering that same question too."

A pointed glare. "Ulrich! Let's see if we can leave!"

"You can go, Sissi," the brunette boy said staring out the window at the expanse of snow covered land. "Jim cleared you and you can leave whenever you want to."

"Then why don't you come with me?" the girl pleaded.

His grip tightened on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. The bothersome girl had no idea how much he wanted to strangle her.

"Sissi," Yumi said calmly. "None of us are leaving until Musa and Cascada are back to normal."

"Yeah," Jeremy added. "If you want to go you can. We're not stopping you."

Sissi bit her lip before sighing and returning back to her seat. "I'll stay."

"Then two rules," Ulrich said turning to her. "No whining and don't get in the way," he said before getting up and leaving the room.

"I better go with him," Yumi sighed getting up and following after the boy.

"So…" Jeremy began to fill the awkward silence since only he and Sissi were the only ones left. "Uh…."

"I have no chance with him, do I?" the girl cut him off, her voice sounding much older and if the computer whiz was correct, more…mature.

"Uh, well no," he said simply.

The girl chuckled bitterly. "Thought so," she murmured discreetly wiping the moisture from her eyes by pretending to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Uh…w-well I'm sure you'll find someone," Jeremy said stepping into uncharted territory. Though he and Aelita were officially together he was still no where the romantic like some of his other male friends.

Sissi laughed. "Thanks I guess. I bet my problems are nothing compared to what you've guys have done for what? The past three years?"

"Believe me, I would rather worry about a zit then-then this" he said spreading his arms out to indicate the situation that they were in.

"But this is what brought you and the others so close together. A lot of people would love to know that their friends are actually their friends and not just people out to get something from you," Sissi said solemnly.

"Well," Jeremy said standing up, "I guess we're lucky," he smiled. "Whether you know it or not. You already have two definite guys waiting for you back at the hotel," he said before he too left the room.

"Those idiots," Sissi snorted to herself before taking out her cell which she had recently gotten back from the interrogation agents. She turned it on only to find her screen filled with text messages from Herve and Nicolas, all asking if she was okay and whether she was mad at them for some trivial matter that they seemed to take way out of proportion. "Honestly, what would those two do without me," she sighed but a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she got to work on replying to the two boys' messages.

CODE TWILIGHT

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I'm okay."

"You don't seem like it."

Ulrich caught the small stress ball that he had thrown up into the air before throwing it back up again. From the corner of his eye he peered at the dark hair girl sitting on the edge of his bed. She gazed back at him, telling him that she didn't believe for one minute that he was okay. It was one of those bitter sweet moments, knowing that the girl of your dreams who was alsoone of your best friends could read you so well without even having to tell her anything. It made lying to her an exhausting challenge that at the moment he had no energy to deal with.

"It's my dad."

"Did he say something?" Yumi asked leaning down next to him on the bed as he made room for her.

"I don't know. This-It's just over whelming. You know, finding out that your dad used to work for some top secret organization."

"Odd seems to be dealing well with it."

"Yeah but he's Odd," the samurai pointed out. "Besides, at this moment, his dad's past is the least of his worries."

"I feel sorry for him," the geisha warrior sighed turning to the brunette. "Every time he seems to find something good for him…"

"It's taken away and he's left bruised and hurt," Ulrich finished.

"Right, but you're changing the subject. We can't really do anything about Odd's problems at the moment. Let's deal with yours."

"What about yours," Stern said bitterly as he started to throw the small ball back in the air again.

Before he could catch it, it was snatched away and without even looking he could tell that the Asian girl was looking at him with eyes that begged him to take her mind off of her own problems. He sighed. The things he did for her.

"Well, it just makes me wonder that if my dad was hiding something this big away from me, what else could he be hiding?" he said sitting up, running a hand through his messy brunette locks.

Yumi sat up too with him. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "You know," she said, "I heard somewhere that the goal for a parent is to make sure that they can give their children the life they never had so that they can later do the same for their children."

"What are you trying to get at?" Ulrich asked inhaling the scent of her hair.

"Just that…that maybe your dad isn't a total bad guy."

The boy pulled away from her, looking at her incredulously. "Are we talking about the same man? Evan Stern, my father?"

"Just here me out," Yumi sighed. "Maybe the reason why your dad forces you to be the best is because maybe his dad didn't; maybe he doesn't want you to repeat the mistakes he made in his life. Not because he loves making your life miserable but…because he loves you."

"Love? My father doesn't have a heart," the boy snorted.

"I bet he does" the girl said pulling her knees to herself. "He just needs your help showing it."

"You seriously must be on something," Ulrich said leaning back down on his bed and turning his back towards her.

"You know, you're being really stubborn for someone who doesn't want to be like their equally stubborn father," Yumi snapped getting up and leaving the room, slamming the door on her way out.

Ulrich gripped the stress ball that the girl he had left. He squeezed it in his hand but it did nothing for him. Frustrated he threw the ball at the wall hard before putting back on his shoes heading for the door. A super secret high tech base like this had to have some kind of gym or training room where he could relieve his stress.

CODE TWILIGHT

A body was thrown against the wall by a large spark of electricity. "William! You need to stop!" his mother cried as she rushed over towards him. She glared at her son's attacker before her gaze softened at the strawberry blonde with her knees drawn to her, a far off look in her eyes. "William," Emma sighed turning back to her son. "You really need to stop. You can't force her to do something she doesn't want to do," she said softly rubbing his back as he sat up.

"I think I really messed up, mom," he sighed. "Sometimes it was hard to even tell if we were actually together. I'm really an idiot."

"Will-"

"No," the boy said shaking his head. "Cascada told me, Musa told me, even he told me," the teen said pointing to his head. "I tried to not be like Leon and in the end, it only made things worse."

Emma got up and walked across the room towards Cascada, guiding the girl to her bed where she tucked her in. "Sleep," she whispered to the plant A.I. who slowly nodded, showing some kind of comprehension as her once vibrant green eyes closed. The woman then turned back to her son. "Let's take a walk, shall we?" she said in a voice that held no room for argument.

The shaggy hair teen nodded as he followed his mother out the door and into the empty hallway.

"You know," Emma said after a few minutes of silent walking, "we all strive to do something, to make ourselves different so we'll shine brighter against others but sometimes…when we try to hard we end up loosing our path."

"Mom, I think I heard this before," William sighed rolling his eyes.

"Then you'll hear it again," Mrs. Dunbar said tugging on his ear.

"Ow, ow, ow! Mom my ear!"

"Now, like I was saying," the woman spoke ignoring her child's protest of pain. "Sometimes we loose the path that we're meant to take because we think it's not the best one. You, my dear, unlike most people have more than two paths set before you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" William said rubbing his sore ear when she finally let go of it.

"I mean," Emma sighed, "that you feel cheated because you're not sure whether or not the real you is just a computer programming, but you forget," she said poking his head and then his heart, "that Leon isn't the only one there. You have the presence of that poor boy that was dragged into this horrendous experiment in you. So don't think of yourself as just another Leon clone. You are the only one making sure that that little boy's sacrifices were not for not." Emma chuckled before pulling her son into a hug. It surprised her that she hadn't notice how much taller than her she was. "I know I probably just added a lot more weight to your shoulders but," she said biting her lip as tears fell, "I just want you to know that you're so important to not only me but to all of your friends."

"Why are you saying this?"

Emma pulled away from him with a watery smile. "I just don't want you to forget who you really are. I know I haven't been totally honest with my past, but I'm still your mother. I hate seeing you in pain and pushing away the people who really care for you."

"But-"

"No buts," she said silencing him with a finger. "You should really rest."

"Cascada-"

"Is in a state where she needs you the most," Emma said, "but you won't be any help to her if you don't understand what she's going through, what she's been through."

William sighed leaning against the wall. "Thanks, mom," he whispered tiredly.

"No problem, hun," the woman smiled before walking off, leaving him room to think.

"Understand what she's going through…" he whispered to himself staring out the window. Instead of seeing the snow covered scenery of the world outside he saw the image of the one person who could possibly answer all his questions. "Tell me…everything."

A tired smirk. "Took you long enough," Leon began.

CODE TWILIGHT

Another yawn escaped Odd's lips, the seventh in the last half hour as he continued to hold the tray full of food. His father looked concerned at him but Ken Della Robbia didn't speak. He knew the reason why his son was so tired.

"So, do you need anything?" Ken asked as they made their way down the hallway.

"Other than getting the police and media off of Musa's back and thinking of a believable excuse for why the band suddenly went missing, no," the boy replied shrugging.

"Jim's already taking care of the police. Once he's done no one will probably remember the roof incident."

"Oh! So you guys got those cool flashy light pen things that erases people's memories?" the boy grinned. Ken held a new respect for his son. Odd hid his emotions well, so well that even he, his own father couldn't tell.

"No," Ken said shaking his head. "Sorry, that's only in the movies, kid."

"So…another question," the cat warrior said. "Area 51…?"

"Is the United State's secret," the man said ruffling his son's hair as they stopped in front of their designated door. The light mood that the two had pretended disappeared as Odd stared expressionlessly at the door. Ken squeezed his shoulder reassuringly before walking away.

There was nothing he could say to his son. Odd had to do this alone.

The purple loving boy took in a deep breath before putting on one of his go-happy grins, the type that hid the pain he feeling. Balancing the tray on one arm he gripped the handle of the door, opening it.

He stepped into a room, the only contents including a bed, a table, and two chairs. "Musa," he called out, "I brought you some food." Odd frowned. Musa was supposed to be in the room and in her current state he knew that she didn't leave the room.

The boy stepped further into the room, his foot slipping before he caught himself. He looked down at the puddle of water he had stepped in. It led into the bathroom where more water was pooling out from underneath the crack of the door.

Forgetting about the food he held in his hands, he dropped the tray running towards the door. He briefly let out a sigh of relief when the door opened easily for him.

"Please," he thought as his frantic gaze searched the bathroom.

Musa stood, back towards him at the sink where the water spilled over the sides like rushing rivers. Odd walked slowly up behind her, coming into view in the mirror slowly so he wouldn't surprise her. "Musa," he said softly. The girl looked up at his reflection in the mirror before quickly bowing her hands and continuing what she was doing at the sink.

Odd finally was close enough to see what the wolf A.I. was doing to herself. Her hands were covered with soapy foam as she continued to scrub them furiously; the exposed skin an irritating red. She would scrub; rinse the soap off, look at her hands quickly before letting out a displeased cry and adding more soap onto her hands.

"What did I do?" she murmured to herself with a tone that frightened Odd. She sounded hysterical…insane… She suddenly stopped, turning herself to face him, soapy hands held out in front of her as she bit her lip so hard blood trickled down. "S-so much blood. So much blood on my hands…" She looked at Odd pleadingly, as if begging him to do something, but he had no clue what he was supposed to do. "It won't go away, Odd. No matter how much I scrub them, the blood doesn't go away!" She turned back to the sink beginning her scrubbing again.

"Musa," Odd said again, placing a hand on her shoulder but he withdrew when he felt a shock go through him. Sparks danced insanely around the girl and though Odd fell asleep during most of his science class he remembered clearly that water and electricity did not mix well. "Musa," he tried, gripping her shoulder despite the shocks that went through him. "You need to stop before you hurt yourself or someone else.

She turned a tear stained face towards him still scrubbing her hands, but at least the electricity had stopped.

"I'm sorry," she whispered tearfully.

Odd brought her close to him, tucking her head underneath his chin. "It's okay," he said rubbing her back reassuringly as she clutched onto the fabric of his shirt.

"I'm sorry," Musa repeated again.

Odd brought her closer to him. "I'll always forgive you, Muse. Nothing to be sorry for."

He held her like he did many times before. He wanted to reassure her because no matter what, no matter how many times she may have stumped on his heart, he would always love her, no matter what…

A surprised squeak exited from Musa's mouth as she went limp in his arms. Odd looked down to see a dart sticking from her arm, a tranquilizing dart. The boy looked up furiously to meet the calm and even gaze of one Waldo Franz Schaeffer.

"It seems like Lana-"

"Musa," Odd corrected heatedly.

"Musa it seems has gone into a sense of hysteria. We'll have to put her in a more secure room."

"You mean a prison," Odd said picking up Musa's limp form in his arms. Hopper didn't respond. Though the cat warrior never had any feelings before towards the man, at the moment he could feel nothing but loathing towards the man who was treating his supposed daughter like another science experiment.

The boy pushed past the older man who still only appeared to be only a few years older than him due to the aging process he had used thanks to the scanners. Gently, Della Robbia placed the unconscious girl back on the bed before turning to the man who had yet to move from his position by the bathroom door.

"So, was it all lies?" Odd asked keeping his tone neutral.

"I have no idea what you could be indicating," Franz said pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"Bull!" Odd growled letting his anger and frustrations take over him. "Musa and Cascada looked up to you as a father and in the last few days you have been treating them like experiments instead of people."

"Well they are, after all experiments," the man said matter of fact. Odd was about to retort but Hopper silenced him with his next sentence. "But you are right," he said looking down at Musa. "They are humans too. They were before. They were during. They still are now."

He walked over towards the wolf A.I. brushing a strand of her raven hair out of her pale face.

"I remember when Aelita was younger. She loved listening to stories, no matter how old they were. To her, the older they were the better." He looked over at the perplexed boy standing across from him. "Tell me something, Odd. Are you too old for stories?"

Odd stared at the man contemplating what he was getting at. He looked down at Musa. She would want this. He was doing this for her. "I'm only too old if there is no hot chocolate with marshmallows," the boy said giving a ghost of a grin.

Hopper nodded. "Then I shall get some. You'll probably need the sugar. This is a long story."

"Is there a happy ending?" Odd joked as the man made his way to the door.

Hopper paused looking over his shoulder. "That's up for you to decide."

Here I am at the end of me
Trying to hold to what I can't see
I forgot how to hope
This night's been so long
I cling to your promise
There will be a dawn…

After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

-Beauty from Pain by Superchick

Okay so I wanted to try something new with the song. Instead of having it throughout the chapter I put part of it at the beginning and part at the end. This chapter was more of a...filler I guess, but it doesn't really seem like one though I don't think much info was given in this chaper. More like the clam before the storm. Sorry for any grammatical or spelling problems. I'll fix them later.

Bad news. I probably won't be able to update as often because my computer decided to strike against me. In other words, it's broken for some unknown reason and I may have to pay 200 to 1000 U.S. dollars to get it fixed. So that's basically 100 dollars out of my savings and my allowance, in the worst case scenario, for the next possibly 16 months. Yeah, that stinks. And I only had the thing for a year! Funny how it stopped working a few days after the warranty was up.

Anyway, in other words, I expected to finish this story by the end of the summer. Now it looks like It won't be finished until Christmas, maybe even the next year.

There a new poll on my profile. So if you have time please take it. I wanted to get a better feel of the age group I'm writing for because I have some ideas for possibly the third story but they're kind of iffy. Not anything like lemons or anything but they are controversial a little and I hinted to them a little in this chapter. Hint: It deals with Sissi a little.

Nothing more to say so...PLEASE REVIEW!