Recap:

He looked at the floor. "I'm not blind Ulrich... I see the way you look at her."

He sighed. "Even if I do, I can't do anything about it. She's a princess and I'm just a lowly ronin. I can't be with her, but I can protect her as long as she is with me on this journey so she may be enlightened." He looked into Aelita's eyes. "What else can I do?" He pleaded. Aelita smiled "tell her" she said "now I should really take my own advice and tell Jeremie how I feel..."

Ulrich smiled "He feels the same way". Aelita blushed "now take my advice and you won't regret it... trust me" she winked and sighed then walked back over to Jeremie.

Ulrich went over to Yumi. "Uh...can I talk to you?" as he said this he looked at Aelita and Jeremie and the each gave him the thumbs up.

Chapter 4:

Yumi looked up at Ulrich "sure..." she patted the floor next to her, "what about?"

"Um well...I uh." he turned a deep shade of crimson. "What is it Ulrich?" she asked. Aelita whispered to Jeremie "I hope he doesn't lose his focus". Jeremie nodded "yeah no kidding"

"speaking of which, I have something to tell you" Aelita blushed

"okay g-go for it" Jeremie said.

Yumi tilted her head "Ulrich?"

Ulrich and Aelita both say the same thing. "I love you." Jeremie faints. Yumi turned a bright shade of red. Ulrich turned dark read as Aelita shakes Jeremie. "Y-you love me? wow..." Yumi laughed nervously. "Yeah, I have felt like that for sometime now." Ulrich looked around and saw Jeremie had fainted. "Did you tell him Aelita?" Aelita looked at him with a 'what do you think?' expression and kept shaking Jeremie. "Here" Ulrich tossed Aelita some smelling salts. Yumi blushed deeper "how long?" Ulrich turned to Yumi. "Since you caught your friend there." Points to the bird. Yumi laughed "not very long then" she smiled

"Thanks Ulrich" Aelita took the vial and waved it under Jeremie's nose. Jeremie jumped up "HIYAWAHTAMATA!" he cried out causing Aelita to laugh.

"No," Ulrich started, "but I can't stop thinking about you. I wasn't going to say anything till I had a little push" pointed to Aelita. Yumi laughed "that's Aelita for you... she just can't leave things alone..." Aelita glared at Yumi, as she helped Jeremie sit up. Odd rolled over saying "Can you feel the love tonight" and continued his snoring. Yumi laughed and stood up leaning on the wall of the cave for support. Kiwi chased his tail and Jeremie fixed his glasses "what happened... I dreamt that I was running through a field of wild pink roses… and then there was that horrible stench" he wiped his nose

"That would be because of this, love" Aelita held out the smelling salts

Jeremie shook his head "no please no keep it away from me" Yumi attempted to walk but tripped over Kiwi and fell into Ulrich "sorry..."

"Its ok." their lips touched briefly. Yumi blushed and froze. Ulrich blushed and looked at his shoes, coughing a little. Yumi looked at him and smiled. He smiled back and helped her walk. Kiwi went back to Odd and licked his face. "Oh Juliet, I didn't know you liked me that way?" he said in his sleep. Yumi giggled a bit "umm... thanks Ulrich... again..." she looked down and sighed. Ulrich looked at her. "What is it Yumi?"

"nothing... my ankles just sore..."

"Oh...ok." he took more of her weight on his shoulders. "Anywhere in particular you want me to take you?"

"anywhere to give those two some privacy" she gestured to Jeremie and Aelita who were now lost in a lip-lock. Ulrich laughed softly and took her to the tent in the back of the cave. She crawled inside and held the flap open for him "coming?" Ulrich looked a little embarrassed. "Maybe I should sleep out here"

"I'm not going to sleep yet... we can just sit in here and talk" she said with a slight laugh. "ok then" he crawled in as Aelita and Jeremie end the kiss. "Now how are we to make sure they stay together, Aelita?"

"hmmm... good question Jeremie. Ohmygosh! Yumi hasn't said she loves him too!" She jumped up "this could be bad..."

"What are you going to do?"

"What is there to do?"

"I don't know, and even if she does what then? How can they stay together since Ulrich isn't a prince?" Aelita shrugs "if the emperor likes him enough... who knows..."

"I have an idea, though its a long stretch" Odd woke up and looked at them. "And did you two know that when you kiss you can wake the dead?" Aelita turned to Odd "so what's your idea?"

"Go to where his old lord use to rule and make him one." He smiled as if it was obvious. "Hmmm... not a bad Idea... but we don't know where he's from" Aelita said

"ask"

"he'll want to know why" she said.

"Have Yumi ask him"

Jeremie laughed "same scenario... she'll also want to know why"

"We'll explain it to them then." Odd looked at them like they were slow, "come on, they are meant to be with eachother. Can't you see that?"

Aelita smirked "now there's an Idea..."

Yumi lit a lantern and hung it from the middle of the tent "why did it have to be this way? Why did I have to be a princess?" she sighed and lay back just staring at the lantern. "what do you mean Yumi?" Ulrich sat beside her, his hands in his lap. "I mean if I weren't a princess it wouldn't be forbidden for me to... never mind" she sighed. He reached out and held one of her hands and it seemed a spark shot through both their bodies at the touch. "Please tell me." he implored

"To be in love with you..." she sat up and looked into his forest green eyes. "Now I know you love me it's even harder..." a small tear escaped her eye. "Yumi..." he lifted a finger and wiped the tear away. "I don't want to be anywhere with out you. There must be a way that we can be together." He looked into her eyes and fought the urge to kiss her. Yumi laid her forehead against his shoulder "I wish there was..." He held her close, one hand on her back the other on her head. "What if I was a prince? We can go to my old lords castle and rebuild the kingdom." he looked at her with a sparkle in his eye. "Is that possible?" she asked looking up at him. "With Jeremie's and your help, I think so." He smiled as he thought the idea through. "We can do that and be together."

"It's definitely worth a try" she said smiling.

A/N Chapter 4 is done ^^ tell me what you think.

-LoVe-N-HaPpInEsS-