AN: Many, many, MANY apologies for taking so long to update. I wanted to give you guys an awesome chapter so I took extra time on this one. I don't have all too much to say on this author note, so I'll be quick and let you get straight to the chapter. I would like to dedicate this chapter to ... and thank him/her for the review he/she left. That reviewer left some interesting suggestions and gave me the sort of review I look forward to getting. Thank you again! Now, onto the chapter. I feel the need to remind you that the :: indicates a dream beginning and ending. As always, read, review, and enjoy!
::Everything was dark. I couldn't see, hear, or touch anything. Where am I, my mind screamed as I found my voice could not. Slowly, my mind rewound and played from the beginning.
I was in Lyoko with Odd, Ulrich and Aelita. On earth, X.A.N.A. had gotten control of a fierce storm and was making it stronger by the minute. At the moment all of us, except Jeremy, were in Lyoko and were surrounded by four mega tanks and three crabs.
"Laser arrow!" Odd cried as he fired the dart at the crab nearest to him. The blow glanced off the monster, causing little damage.
"You did 15 points damage," Jeremy announced, his voice seeming to hang down from the sky of Lyoko.
"You can do better than that," Ulrich scoffed at the blond haired warrior.
"You're right," Odd said, setting up his next shot more carefully. "Laser arrow!" This time, his shot was dead-on, destroying the crab.
"My turn!" Ulrich half-shouted as he leapt at a crab, stabbing at the X.A.N.A. symbol on the top. "Impact!"
"Nice one," Odd remarked as he set his sights on a mega tank, "The last crab is yours, Yumi."
"Ok, here it goes," I said, flicking open my fan. I sighted the monster I was to destroy, but as I went to throw my weapon at it, my body froze. While I was incapacitated, the crab took the opportunity to charge a laser and fire. Unable to move, I braced myself mentally for the pain to come.
"Yumi, do something!" Aelita cried as the beam sped toward me. Too late, the others saw what was going on. The laser hit me in the torso, throwing me back several feet - and right in the path of a mega tank. It lost no time in charging a blast of its own and fired the wall at me. Once again, I flew into the air. This time, I landed at Ulrich's feet.
"Yumi, only 70 life points left," Jeremy announced.
"Odd, get Aelita out of here," Ulrich barked at his friend, "Yumi and I will take care of things here."
"But I-," I started to say before Ulrich cut me off.
"Yum, I could really use your help," he said tersely, trying to fend off the last crab and three of the mega tanks. Odd had taken out a tank as he took Aelita to safety, but the we were still outnumbered.
"I can't move," I blurted out. As I said it, the three tanks around us fired on Ulrich at the same time, lifting him up from the sheer force of the blows, then throwing him back toward me.
"Ulrich, only 60 life points left," Jeremy said as he watched his friend's virtual life drain away. The last crab loomed over me menacingly and, in an act of savagery, it crouched down so the charging laser was even with my face.
"Get out of there!" Jeremy shouted frantically. I tried again to move, but failed. The only part of me I could still move was my head. This I turned away, obscuring my view of the nearly charged beam. Seconds seemed to drag on for hours as I waited for the blast to hit and bring the pain I was so used to. I closed my eyes in resignation, but the laser never struck. Surprised at the delay, I opened my eyes and turned my head back to look at the crab - only it wasn't there. It was then that the sounds caught up to me. First, a scream - was that really my voice?
"Yumi!" Ulrich had yelled before his side slammed into the crab, knocking it off balance and sending the beam speeding off into the sky. Next came the crunch as Ulrich hit the ground, his left shoulder taking the brunt of the blow. The rest of the sounds then caught up, but I didn't care about them. All I could think about was Ulrich throwing himself against the crab and hurting himself - for me.
Finally, my muscles would respond. My heart sank, though, as it was too late. Somehow sensing Ulrich's defenses were down, the remaining four monsters had encircled him. I snapped my fan open, stood, and whipped it at the throng. Along its arcing path, it destroyed a tank, then a crab, their pieces scattering as they exploded. The remaining two tanks unleashed their laser wall on the defenseless boy, trapping him between the beams momentarily, then pitching him backward.
"Thirty life points left Ulrich," Jeremy said, holding his head in his hands, "And Odd and Aelita need help!"
As I ran over to Ulrich, my fan flew my way and I caught it expertly. When I reached him, I stood over his body protectively. As it was, Ulrich was cradling his left arm in his right and appeared to be in shock. From the looks of it, Ulrich seemed to have dislocated his shoulder, but I wasn't sure. I snapped my fan open, ready to defend us, when I felt my movements slow. This time it only lasted for a few seconds, but I knew it could get worse at any moment.
Aware of the gravity of the situation, I took the offensive, hoping to eradicate the tanks before I was incapacitated again. My first throw was too high, but my second hit the mark and only one mega tank remained. While I set up my next shot, the mega tank started charging its laser. Knowing it was now or never, I flicked my wrist and released my weapon. Not bad, I thought to myself as the fan sliced cleanly through the center of X.A.N.A.'s symbol, quickly destroying the tank. I wasted no time celebrating, though, as Ulrich was still injured because of me.
"Are you alright?" I asked Ulrich, kneeling down beside him. During the fight, he had drawn himself into a sitting position so we were now level with each other.
"I'm fine," Ulrich said shortly, still cradling his left arm, "You?"
"I'm ok... I don't know what happened before... It was like I couldn't move."
"It was probably some glitch in the program," Ulrich said, looking me in the eye. Unable to contain myself any longer, I wrapped my arms around him, being mindful of his injury. I laid my cheek against his and the tears that coursed down my face wet his cheek too.
"Your getting hurt was all my fault," I said softly, guilt washing over me.
"It could have happened to any one of us," Ulrich said, pulling away from me slowly. He brought his right hand up to my face and used his thumb to carefully wipe the tears from my cheeks. I felt my face heat up and saw an answering blush appear on Ulrich's.
"When the two of you are done, Odd and Aelita still need your help," Jeremy broke in. Ulrich and I stood up quickly. The sudden movement caused Ulrich to wince as it jarred his injured shoulder.
"You stay behind," I said, still feeling guilty, "You have too few life points left and you're injured. I'll go to Odd and Aelita."
"What happens if you freeze again?" Ulrich asked, "I'm coming with you."
"What about your shoulder? You can't run and fight with it like that," I protested.
"Maybe you could make some sort of sling," Jeremy suggested, trying to get the argument over and help to Aelita sooner. Ulrich and I looked around at our surroundings, searching for something to support his arm.
"I can't see anything we could use," Ulrich said, frustration clear in his voice.
"I can," I said quietly. Ulrich looked at me questioningly so I reached my hands up and put my fingertips lightly on his headband. I ran my fingers around the strip until I reached the knot at the back. As my fingers struggled to untie it, I realized how close my actions had brought us. Our cheeks were almost touching and his warm breath puffed against the side of my neck as he tilted his head down to aide my search. I felt my face heat up again and my fingers flew faster trying to untie the tightly made knot. Finally, it gave way and I pulled away, the ends of the strip held between my fingertips.
"Good thinking, Yumi," Jeremy said, "Now tie it on and get to the other two." Carefully, I wrapped the middle of the headband around Ulrich's injured arm to keep it from slipping, then secured it tightly on the other side of his neck. Once I withdrew, Ulrich slowly lowered his right hand and let the sling take the full weight of his arm.
"Better?" I asked. Ulrich nodded and we were off, weaving through the trees toward the desert region. I glanced over at him every now and then and saw his brow was furrowed more often than not. I'm not sure if he was thinking about the upcoming battle or the pain in his shoulder. Before long, the terrain showed less trees and the soil became sandier. Shortly after that, the trees disappeared completely and we were fully in the desert region.
"Where to now, Jeremy?" Ulrich asked, stopping beside me.
"Odd and Aelita are behind the rock formation to your left," Jeremy answered. We looked over and, sure enough, Aelita was waving at us to get our attention.
"We see them, let's go," I said, changing direction and running toward the two with Ulrich right beside me.
"Hey Ulrich, what happened to your arm?" Odd asked when we reached them and slowed to a stop.
"Nothing," Ulrich replied, "Let's get to the tower and get this over with."
"We're not far away," Aelita said, "Just beyond that outcropping."
"How many monsters?" I asked.
"Five crabs and seven hornets," Jeremy replied.
"Piece of cake," Odd said, "I could have taken care of them myself, but I didn't want you guys to miss out on the fun and Jeremy told us to wait so Aelita wouldn't budge."
"Ok then Super Odd, you can go to the left while Ulrich and I go to the right," I said.
"Super Odd, I like that," Odd said, edging around the rocks.
"More like super ego," Jeremy muttered. Ulrich and I chuckled as we went around our side.
"How many arrows do I have left?" Odd asked, ignoring Jeremy's remark.
"Seven," Jeremy answered, "And the storm's getting even stronger so you guys need to hurry."
"We know," I said. Flicking open my fan, I set up my first shot. The arcing path sliced open a crab and I got that exhilarating feeling as my adrenaline rushed and body prepared for the battle. As soon as my fan came back to me, I was on the defensive. Two of the hornets had set their sights on Ulrich and I. I took it upon myself to defend us both to spare Ulrich the movement. He had already drawn his sword and held it out in front of him one handed.
"Ready?" he asked quietly. I nodded and we set up a maneuver we had worked out on Earth.
"I'll take the front," I said, opening my fan as wide as it would go.
"Now!" Ulrich shouted. We shot forward at the monsters, I in front deflecting the lasers from both of us and Ulrich behind me, preparing for his first strike. Once we were in range, I pulled to the side and back abruptly and Ulrich leapt forward and jumped onto the back of the crab on the farthest right.
"Impact!" Ulrich shouted, stabbing the X.A.N.A. symbol, then jerking his sword free and leaping onto the back of the next crab. The two hornets from before worked out what we were doing and aimed for Ulrich. Almost without thinking, I raised my arm and released my weapon. The spinning fan sliced cleanly through the pair of airborne monsters, leaving only the exploded remains. I caught my fan as it came back to me and held it at ready in case I needed to defend Ulrich again.
In truth, it should have been me up there risking my life points. When we planned in my back yard, we had agreed that Ulrich was better at defending and I didn't have to cut too deeply with my weapon to cause serious damage. Before Theo, we had practiced this maneuver together almost every night after supper until we were exhausted or it became too dark to see. Once we were done for the night, we'd either talk or stargaze - or sometimes both. Occasionally we'd just lay side-by-side quietly looking up into the twinkling heavens. Sometimes those were the nights I liked the most...
I snapped my mind back to the battle at hand as a laser whizzed by me, almost striking my arm.
"Watch it Yumi!" Ulrich shouted, jumping to his third crab as the one he had just been on exploded.
"Laser arrow!" Odd yelled, launching another dart, "Yeah! That makes my fourth hornet. How about you guys?"
"Two hornets and a crab," I replied.
"Three crabs," Ulrich said as he plunged his sword into the third. He tugged one-handedly to pull his weapon out and get to safety before the monster exploded, but the sword wouldn't budge.
"Ulrich, get out of there!" Jeremy cried, "The explosion will take away the rest of your life points!"
"I can't get it!" Ulrich shouted, still tugging. The crab's legs buckled in preparation for the explosion, but Ulrich remained on its back.
"Ulrich!" I cried as I jumped up onto the crab's back and pushed him clear of the blast. I had no time to escape, though, and my body felt as if it was being torn apart, muscle by muscle. I was sure that the explosion had drained my remaining life points so I was quite surprised when I landed ungracefully on the ground.
"Forty life points left, Yumi," Jeremy announced grimly, "Odd's at 60 and Ulrich 30."
"Only two monsters left too," Odd remarked, "X.A.N.A.'s going easy on us today."
Ulrich picked himself up from where I had knocked him to the ground and walked to where I was.
"You ok?" he asked.
"Fine," I said between clenched teeth as I waited for the pain to subside.
"I'd help you up, but well.. you know," Ulrich said, shooting me a sheepish grin.
"You can play the gentleman later," Jeremy said, "The factory isn't going to be able to withstand these winds much longer! Plus you still have a crab and a hornet left and you have to get Aelita safely to the tower."
"You sure are demanding," Odd said, aiming for the hornet. He fired two arrows and the second hit the mark, destroying the monster. During this time, I got to my feet and found my fan a few yards away from where I had landed. Ulrich's weapon, however, was nowhere in sight.
"Great, now I really am useless," he muttered. As Odd set up his next shot at the last monster, my mind quickly added up how many shots he had taken and compared it with how many arrows he had at the beginning of this battle.
"Odd, don't!" I half-shouted, "That's your last arrow!"
"What's the verdict, Einstein?" Odd asked, holding off his attack.
"She's right," Jeremy answered, "You'd better let her take this one."
"Aw man..."
With no further prompting, I whipped my fan at the crab and felt immense satisfaction as the monster exploded, leaving a clear path to the tower. Determined not to let us get by that easily, X.A.N.A. opened a rift between us and the tower.
"Think you can bridge it?" I asked Aelita.
"It's too wide, I'm sorry," she replied.
"Yumi, can you use your telekinesis to transport us over?" Odd asked, for once coming up with a good idea that didn't involve him being the "hero."
"I think so," I said uncertainly.
"Ok, me first," Odd said, stepping to the edge of the crevice.
"Stay still," I warned him, afraid of what might happen if he moved and broke my concentration. Placing my fingertips to my temples, I concentrated on Odd's form and pushed it upward with my mind, all the while imagining him being as light as a feather like I did with the slabs of rock I usually moved. Next, I used my mind to push him to the other side. Once his feet touched ground, it was Aelita's turn. Before I could send her over, though, I handed my fan to Ulrich.
"You can use this for now," I told him, turning back to the task at hand. Aelita, too, was transported without a problem and Ulrich was up next.
"What about you?" he asked, facing me.
"What do you mean?" I asked, feigning stupidity.
"How are you getting across?" he asked impatiently.
"I'm not," I stated simply, "Now please stand at the edge so I can send you across."
"Not without you," he argued. So stubborn! I guess I'm going to have to do this the hard way... Seizing control of him with my mind, I used my telekinesis to raise him up and over the ravine. After I nearly lost control twice, he gave up struggling and the rest of the trip went smoothly. I knew he'd be angry with me, but it had to be done. The transfers were taxing and once Ulrich's feet touched ground, I fell to my knees, breathing heavily.
"Good job," Jeremy said, "Now the rest of you get to that tower and fast!" Odd and Aelita didn't hesitate to follow orders, only glancing back once at the lone figure on the other side of the ravine. Ulrich, on the other hand, faced me, his eyes locked on mine. I rose slowly to my feet, never breaking our eye contact. Neither of us moved, though for one of us motion was not an option. It was me. I was immobile, once again. This time, I couldn't even move my head. I could move my eyes, mouth, and breathe, but that was all. My senses remained, though, and tremors passed from the ground to my feet and upward. Mega tank, my memory told me and I tried again to move.
"Behind you!" Ulrich shouted.
"I know, I can't move," I shot back. I could see him trying to unfold my fan, but the weapon wouldn't cooperate.
"Come on!" he yelled at the unruly object, "Open already!"
"It's ok Ulrich, just go," I said, resigning to my fate and trying to sound sure of myself. The shaking stopped and I heard the click and whir as the metal ball opened behind me. I had the great desire to shut my eyes as I waited for the attack, but found myself unable to close them on Ulrich's helpless gaze. The high-pitched whine of the laser charging stopped abruptly and I knew my time left on Lyoko was short.
"Goodbye Ulrich," I said, doing my best to smile at him - and failing miserably. As the laser wall struck me full on from behind, I saw Ulrich flinch and then saw nothing as the force of the blow threw me forward. My back felt like it was on fire, but I forgot that quickly as I saw the ground disappear beneath me and the digital void started to close around me. Why wasn't I devirtualizing? I should be feeling that familiar expanding as I transferred back into the real world, but nothing was happening. My heart fluttered in panic as the fog swirled above me and I turned in the air so I was falling backward. My last sight was Ulrich's silhouette, standing at the edge of the ravine.
Now I'm alone, in the dark - forever. My heart screamed the name in my soul, yet he'd never hear me I'm never coming back.::
AN: There you go! I hope you guys liked this chapter. There will be no spoiler this time because I'm going to work on the next chapter over vacation and because I've been working on all my homework for the past few days. Please leave a review before you leave! Thanks!