AN: Ok, time for the next chapter! First of all, let's clear some things up. There was no gunshot. If you read chapter 18, it says it sounds like a gunshot. That's just the sound of a very large branch breaking. Also, Theo is a character from the show. He appears in the episode Claustrophobia. He is not my character and never was. And, if you get angry with me while reading this chapter, read the author note at the end. Just so you know, I'm working on changing the spelling of Ulrich's name to the correct form. From this chapter on, it should be Ulrich with an h. When I get time, I'll change the others. As always, read, review, and enjoy!

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An angry Theo strode out of the gym and back to his dorm. Close behind him was an equally angry Ulrich, who had observed the whole thing from a distance.

"What did you do to her?" Ulrich half-shouted at Theo's back.

Turning around, Theo fixed a disdainful glare on Ulrich and sneered, "I didn't do anything to her. Why don't you go find her and take her back to bed with you? Or did she run away from you when she woke up?"

Ulrich felt his blood begin to boil and in an attempt to forgo a fight, he turned away to walk back to the gym. She wouldn't just leave like that, Ulrich thought. He stopped before the gym doors, debating whether or not to tell Jeremy and Odd his plan. Making his decision, Ulrich slipped into the gym and walked unobtrusively around the carefree students. Even Jeremy had lightened up and was trying to dance with one of Sam's friends. His movements were a little awkward, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. When he reached the door Yumi had stormed out of, Ulrich looked back.

"Hi Ulrich, want to dance?" Emily asked, walking up to him.

"Hey Emily. I was just leaving, sorry - maybe next time."

"Where are you going this early? It's only ten.. there's still two hours left to dance."

"A friend needs me," was Ulrich's reply.

"This friend does too. One dance? Then you can leave."

Ulrich felt like he was being pulled in two directions. Part of him wanted to go make sure Yumi was alright. The other part wanted to stay and dance with Emily. She seemed to like him where Yumi was dating Theo and was therefore off-limits. Yumi hadn't even looked for him tonight though she said she would see him here. His decision made, Ulrich took Emily's outstretched hand and let her pull him to the dance floor.

"One dance," he said as the song began.

Three songs later, Ulrich pulled away from Emily.

"I really have to go now," he said reluctantly, "I might be back later."

"I'll be waiting," Emily said and smiled at him.

Ulrich smiled back at her and walked out into the hall toward the front door. He figured Yumi stayed on campus. When he neared the door, he was surprised to see rain pouring down. The wind was so strong now that it was blowing the rain slant-wise. Quickly rethinking, Ulrich narrowed down the areas to those that offered shelter. That left the covered walkway around the school, the tool shed, the halls, and the sewer. He started with the walkway because he knew that would be one of her favorite places to go to calm down. It was also the best place to watch a storm from. This he knew, for many story nights he found himself hiding in these very shadows, letting the sights and smells of the angry weather wash over him. When his search of the walkway yielded no results, he went next to the halls. A brief glance down the halls of the school and dorms also left him still searching. I guess it's out into the rain then, Ulrich thought. Heading toward the tool shed first, Ulrich made full use of the tree cover as he ran. He jiggled the doorknob to no avail as it was locked. The windows were left uncovered and a quick look inside showed Yumi was not there.

The last place on campus was the entrance to the sewer. Luckily for Ulrich, the tree cover blocked most of the rain, leaving the brown haired boy mostly dry. Fumbling with the damp cover, Ulrich slid the manhole cover aside and climbed down, closing the passage behind him. Though Ulrich did not see Yumi, he didn't rule out the sewer. Opting to leave his skateboard behind, Ulrich started walking down the length of the passageway. The air was clammy and the smell not so wonderful, but he didn't mind. His footsteps echoed down the tunnels and he stuck his hands in his pockets. It was a lonely sound and the steady flow of water through the center of the tunnel did little to mask the noise. In his pocket, Ulrich's right hand touched his cell phone and wrapped around it. It would be a lot quicker to just call her, Ulrich reasoned, then I can check on her and get back to the dance. He pulled out the black device and accessed his contact list - Yumi's number was on top. Before pushing the button to initiate the call, Ulrich hesitated. What if she doesn't want to talk to anyone, he thought, what if she doesn't even have her phone with her? Doubt tugged at him, and before he could be overcome by it, he pushed the button and put the phone up to his ear. The rings seemed to go on endlessly until finally Ulrich ended the call. Slowly, the hand holding his cell phone fell until it hung freely at his side.

What now? I guess I should keep going until I find her, he thought, starting to walk toward the factory again. When Ulrich reached the end of the sewer, he climbed up the ladder and slid the manhole cover open. Though it seemed impossible, it was raining harder than before. After exiting the passage, he slid the cover back over the exit. He then made a dash across the bridge and shoved his cell phone back in his pocket. His hands now free, he used his momentum to leap at his usual rope and swung down to land in front of the elevator. As he straightened up from his half-crouched position, his eyes scanned the area. Once again, Yumi was not in sight. A quick inspection of the elevator, computer room, and ground floor confirmed his suspicions - Yumi was not there.

"Where are you, Yumi?" Ulrich wondered out loud. The steady plink of a leak in the ceiling was his only reply. Closing his eyes, he pictured Yumi as she ran out the door. Well, she's not on campus, Ulrich thought, and she's not here. If she would have kept going instead of stopping to find shelter from the rain.... she would be home! Pulling out his cell phone again, Ulrich dialed the Ishiyama's number. After two rings, a woman answered the phone.

"Hello Mrs. Ishiyama, this is Ulrich. I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if Yumi's there."

"Yumi? She went to the dance. I'll let her know you called when she gets back, ok?" Yumi's mother replied, "You can come wait for her here if you'd like."

"Thank you, but I think I'll keep looking for her. If she doesn't want to call me when she gets back, could you give me a call? My number should still be in her contacts list. Thank you, Mrs. Ishiyama. Goodnight." Ulrich ended the call and put his cell phone back in his pocket. Not home either, he thought, walking toward the factory entrance. He made his way back through the sewer and onto school grounds. His feet carried him to his dorm and, his mind still clouded, he unlocked his door and entered. He fished his coat out of the closet and changed back into his normal clothes. Slipping the dark brown jacket on, he headed out of his dorm.

His plan was to retrace her steps from the moments she left the gym if she took a straight path home. Instead of cutting through the gym, Ulrich slipped through the boys' locker room. The outside exit was close to the door Yumi had left through, and once outside, Ulrich walked on the same sidewalk she had traversed only a half hour before. Hands in his jacket pockets, Ulrich kept his head down to keep the rain from hitting his eyes. Though he did his best to stay under the cover of the trees along the sidewalk, the rain still got through. After only a few minutes, his hair was plastered to his head and his pants were soaked. The only part of him that was dry was that which was covered by the jacket. Luckily before leaving, Ulrich had transferred his cell phone from his dress pants to his jacket.

Once he has walked a block, Ulrich stepped off the sidewalk and sheltered under a leafy tree that could keep him relatively dry. Pulling out his cell phone, he checked for any new messages or missed calls. Finding none, he started to put it back in his pocket. His hand stopped halfway, then he brought the phone back up. Wiping the rain from his face, he selected Yumi's number from his contacts list and called her. He put the phone up to his ear and listened to the dull monotone of the ring. Faintly, his ears picked up another sound. It was so quiet that at first he thought he was mistaken, but as he looked in the direction of the noise, his breath caught in his throat. The sound he had heard was Yumi's cell phone ringing and in the distance he could see a motionless body.

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AN: Alright, for any of you angry with me for having Ulrich dance with Emily, hear me out BEFORE you flame. All flames will be directed at the bottle of water I keep with me which will therefore render them useless. Ulrich didn't know Yumi was in trouble. If he would have known, he probably would have walked right past her. Emily didn't know Ulrich was going to help Yumi, who was in trouble. If she did know, she would have helped Ulrich find Yumi. It just so happens that Ulrich was feeling a little lonely so he agreed to a dance, then lost track of the time. There, now that's out of the way. Onto the spoiler!

'Lightning flashed across the sky as Ulrich reached Yumi's side. The sight he beheld was not pleasant. Yumi was sprawled face-down on the sidewalk with a good sized tree branch laying across her back and shoulders. When the lightning lit up the sky again, one could see that Yumi's head laid in a small red-tinged pool.'

There you go! I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter up cuz it soooo loooooong! It took me forever to write! I just hope it doesn't take me forever to type! Many reviews would be helpful in getting it done sooner ; ). Well, I'm out of here for now. Please leave a review before you go, thanks!