AN: I'm FINALLY back! It seems my muse left me for a little bit and work beckoned. After a short stint, I wrote more for you guys! I'm glad some of you liked my poem so much. Yes, I did write it. It wasn't originally for this story, but it seemed to fit well. Instead of being long winded, I'll get right to answering reviews.

Anime Bubbles: Glad you like BCH so much! I was quite appalled at Ulrich's nerve, also. I used to keep a diary so I know how mad you get when someone reads it!

Shadw: I think Ulrich should give the knife to the principal, too, but I don't think he wants to. We'll just have to see!

Little Vili: I knew you'd like that chapter! I wish I could have gotten to it sooner, but I had to have the other stuff in there that would lead up to the grand finale, which I hope will be coming soon! I've worked on this story for almost a year now!

Jlyoko: Yes, I really wrote the poem. It partially describes a darker part of my life.

Luna: I haven't decided yet how big of a role Ari will play. I don't want to make the story focus around her, but I still want her in it a little. As of right now, I don't see her joining the Lyoko part of the gang. Too many stories do that and in some of them it ruins the ACC and the story.

Ok, that about does it for answering reviews or it might get too long! On with the chapter! As always, read, review, and enjoy!

By 9:30, the storm had abated and had turned to only a light mist. The weather affected the students as the general mood was a tired and sluggish one. For the counselors who had patrolled, there was good reason for the exhaustion, and it was reflected in their teaching. In Yumi's class, a majority of the time was dedicated to reading and working on assignments. The last part of class centered around a discussion about various authors who used nature as a theme or muse.

"For tomorrow, write down five things in nature and five places that could inspire you," Yumi said in her best semi-teacherish voice. There was no protest to this assignment, for at Kadic the workload was at least three times as hard. Some students pulled out a sheet of paper to begin, but others chose to wait for the bell. They didn't have long, as soon as the bell pealed out, the students surged out of the classrooms. The P.E. students, especially, were looking forward to their next class. Gone were the laps around the track and endless push-ups. In their place was a variety of more pleasing activities. Today, it was canoeing.

Ulrich and Jim had already pulled the canoes out of the storage shed, and the 15 were sitting lined up at the edge of the lake, along with 32 orange lifejackets. Having already been forewarned of the day's activity, the students came already wearing their swimsuits.

The first ten minutes of class were spent selecting lifejackets and Jim and Ulrich checking the fit. once everyone was outfitted, Jim blew his whistle to gain their attention.

"Everyone ready? Good, Ulrich'll give you directions," Jim boomed.

"Um... thanks, Jim. Ok, everyone find a partner, and Jason and Abby come up to the front." The two younger students walked shyly to the front of the group while the others paired up. Before long, 14 pairs stood facing the lake. As to not waste any more time, Ulrich went through the group, assigning each pair a canoe. Once they were all standing beside a canoe, Ulrich realized there was a problem: they were a canoe short.

"Yumi and Odd, you'll come with Jim, Abby, Jason, and I. Everyone else grab a paddle, get in your canoe, and we'll push you off." After some brief instructions on how to operate a canoe, 13 of the small boats were floating in the lake.

Because Jason and Abby were not strong swimmers, they had to go with Jim and Ulrich along with a strong swimmer besides those two. It was agreed that Ulrich, Jason, and Yumi would use one canoe, and Jim, Abby, and Odd would take the other.

"Yumi, I'm sorry," Ulrich said after their canoe has been in the water for a few minutes. He couldn't see her reaction, for he had taken the front seat, Jason was in the middle, and Yumi was in the back.

"Sorry for what?" Yumi asked cautiously. She watched his back, his muscles moving beneath his skin as he paddled the canoe.

"I'm sorry I've been pushing you so hard... for being nosy... I'm sorry you won't let me help you."

Yumi's eyebrows raised up in surprise; this was not what she expected. Her face softened as she realized the remorse in his voice was genuine.

"It's not your fault," Yumi said softly, "This is something I have to do on my own."

"But I can help," Ulrich protested, turning his upper body around so he could see her. "You don't have to go through this alone. Theo may not care about you, but I do."

"What do you mean Theo doesn't care about me?" Yumi asked, attempting to sound shocked.

"Umm... who's watching where we're going?" Jason asked nervously. He knew there was an argument brewing and didn't want to be literally caught in the middle.

Ulrich snapped back around facing forward and his paddle bit into the water, steering them toward an emptier part of the lake. Yumi tried to match her strokes with his and thought on what Ulrich had said. Why did he say Theo doesn't care about me? How much does he know?

Over in another canoe, Odd was having problems of his own.

"Abby, you might want to face forward," Odd said.

"But I don't want to," Abby whined.

"The view is better that way," Odd said, trying to tempt her into sitting the correct way.

"I think the view is much better right where I am," Abby said with a grin.

Odd groaned inwardly as he realized that one of Ulrich's admirers had become his own.

"Stop bickering you two," Jim bellowed.

"Yes Odd, stop bickering," Abby said sweetly as she tried to scoot closer to the blond boy.

"Jeremy, time to get some rest."

"Yes Nurse Dorothy, just let me finish this program."

"Alright, but hurry up."

"Jeremy, something's not right here in Lyoko," Aelita typed.

"What do you mean?" Jeremy replied via type.

"There are no pulsations, but I have this bad feeling; it's like XANA is waking up and planning something terrible."

"Do you want me to send someone to you?"

"No, there's no danger, at least not yet. We don't want to send anyone until it's necessary," Aelita replied.

"Are you sure? I could send Odd to check it out."

"Jeremy, I thought I told you to rest," Dorothy called.

"Yes ma'am," Jeremy called back to her. On his laptop, he typed, "Have to go, I don't want to get caught. Take care and let me know as soon as anything happens."

Before she could reply, Jeremy logged off and shut down the computer. After laying down and pulling the covers up, he laid his left hand on his laptop, still warm from recent use, and fell asleep.

AN: Hope you guys liked it! Please leave a review before you go, thanks!