A/N: Sorry everyone last chapter.
"Are you sure these coordinates are accurate, I mean how do we know this isn't just a trap?" Ulrich asked from his seat in the Skid.
"Stop being such a sceptic Ulrich" Jeremy said. "XANA won't be expecting us so we have the element of surprise"
"But we should still keep our guard up" Yumi warned.
They knew they were going into uncharted territory and it was risky but they had to do it to save Odd.
"Get ready guys you're getting close"
Odd wasn't fairing well, he felt like he was having his heart pulled out but no matter how much he cried out he refused to let Xander stop.
"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!" Xander slammed his hands on the pop-screen, shattering it into pixels ceasing the process immediately.
"Hey what's up?" Odd asked sitting after his restraints had been removed.
"I can't do it" Xander sighed helping Odd off the table. "I can't hurt the one who I see as a little brother" He pulled Odd into a hug.
"Xander..." Odd sighed and pulled away. "Xander you're my friend and I want to help you"
"Odd I haven't been entirely honest with you" Xander said.
"Well what is it? you know you can tell me anything" Odd said.
Xander bit his lip and then opened his mouth to speak but suddenly he let out a scream of pain and clutched his head.
"Xander! What's wrong!?" Odd asked frantically.
"Odd...RUN!" Xander screamed and then fell silent...his eyes slowly opened but instead of being blue they were crimson red.
"Xander-" Odd gasped as he found himself hanging in the air by a cloud of smoke with Xander pointing a sword at his throat.
"Die" He said coldly pulling his sword back to stab.
"XANDER!" Odd yelled closing his eyes tightly, when he didn't feel the sword ram through his chest he opened his eyes and saw Xander holding his head again.
When it was over the smoke around odd dissolved and he fell butt first on the ground.
"I'm sorry" Xander apologized his eyes full with tears.
"W-What just happened?" Odd asked crawling to his friends side despite his fears that Xander would go berserk again.
"When my conciseness was transferred into the supercomputer there was an error" Xander said once he had pulled himself together.
"What kind of error?" Odd asked.
"A virus the XANA part of me that makes me lose control" Xander admitted. "It and I are always fighting for possession and if it wins I'll die for good this time"
Odd's eyes widened.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" He yelled grabbing Xander's shoulder.
"Because I didn't want you to worry!" He snapped swatting Odd's hand away only for it to make a comeback and clutch his shoulder even tighter.
"Idiot! We're friends and friends don't hide things from each other!" Odd yelled tears running down his face.
For a moment Xander looked like he was going to argue again but no words came out of his mouth, instead tears leaked out of his eyes and down his cheeks where they dripped off his chin.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry" He cried extending out his free arm and wrapped it around the younger boys shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug.
In the meantime the Lyoko Warriors were closing in on what looked like the entrance to a replica.
"Alright guys your about to enter XANA's strong-hold" Jeremie said. "Remember, Your mission is to find Odd, grab him and get out of there and remember if any of you lose all your life points you'll disappear forever"
"We got it Jeremy" Ulrich said, taking a steady breaths to calm himself.
"Alright getting ready to materialize" Aelita confirmed taping the buttons on her command pad and shifted the stirring stick forward.
"Okay here we go" Yumi nodded.
In a flash of bright light the three were in an underwater tunnel and began running as fast as their legs could carry them. The tunnel seemed to go on for miles until they came to a closed door which Aelita opened with her powers and upon doing so they saw they found Odd another boys arms.
"Let go of him!" Ulrich yelled drawing his sabres. "Super Sprint!" The German youth sped forward with Yumi and Aelita backing him up with a fan and energy field.
"STOP!" Odd yelled stepping in front of Xander.
Ulrich screeched to a halt, turned and used both his blades to deflect Yumi's fan and shatter Aelita's energy field.
"Ulrich what are you doing!?" Yumi shouted catching her fan.
"Don't blame me! Blame Odd" He snapped glaring at the cat boy in front of him. "What's going on here?"
After Odd had managed to calm the peeved samurai he explained everything to him, on how "XANA" was actually his childhood friend Xander and why he had kidnapped him.
"This all seems a little far fetched" Ulrich said, his swords still in his hands. "This wouldn't be the first time XANA has tricked us" He growled circling around Odd following his movements just in case he decided to lunge.
"Ulrich trust me, he knows things that only Xander would know" Odd reasoned. "The XANA we know knows nothing of human emotions or nature" Odd looked at him with pleading eyes.
An hour seemed to pass before Ulrich finally sighed and gave Odd a semi smile.
"Honestly Odd sometimes you're such a spoiled brat" He sneered playfully.
"I am not!" Odd whined puffing his cheeks into a pout.
"Then how come you'd always whine until someone did as you said?" Xander chuckled from behind earning a chuckle from Aelita who had (along with Yumi) had been silent.
"You guys are so shrewd sometimes!" Odd pouted.
"So how do we get the key out of Odd without hurting him?" Yumi asked.
"Maybe we could copy the data from my materialization program to stabilize Odd's key and digital code long enough to separate the two" Aelita stated.
"Sounds good to me" Odd yipped even though he had no idea what she had just said. "What do you think-!" Odd's blood ran cold when he Saw Xander clutching his head once more. "No don't do this now buddy!" Odd begged holding his shoulders. "Not when we're so close!"
"It's to late for me Odd" He said through a forced smile. "Go live for both of us"
Odd shook his head over and over again, his eyes started to leak with tears, he was biting his lip not wanting his last words to be regrettable.
The room began shaking violently, the cables began ripping themselves out of the wall and the glass that separated them from the digital sea started cracking.
"Get out of there!" Jeremie yelled.
"Goodbye Xander" Odd whimpered turning around and running with his friends through the door and onto the Skid.
Odd looked back as the base exploded tears streaming down his face.
Once back at the factory Odd was tackled to the ground by two surprisingly heavy teenage girls and a muscular brunette boy hugging him and telling him how glad they were to have him back.
After all was said and done they took back up to the computer room he was warmly welcomed back by Jeremie.
"Odd I'm sorry we weren't able to help your friend" Aelita said sadly.
"It's okay guys I know you would have saved him if you have" Odd smiled weakly.
"He was good friend to the very end" Yumi smiled putting a hand Odd's shoulder.
"I know I'll miss him" Odd sighed.
"Miss who?" Came a voice that was all to familiar.
Odd spun on his heels and looked on in shock as boy wearing blue jeans, black shirt and a brown jacket stood right in front of him his hair brown with blue highlights around the edges.
"B-But how?" Odd stammered.
"What did you think I was doing when you guys were talking? Twiddling my thumbs?" Jeremy chuckled. "I was able to hack into the system and steal most of the data and then use it to remove the key, then I pulled him out of their before it went up in smoke but XANA escaped"
"Einstein I could hug you!" Odd yelled jumping in the air and almost falling on his face but Xander was their to catch him.
"Hey what's wrong?" Xander asked.
"Oh no" Odd whined realizing with disappointment that his flu was back.
"Come on Odd lets get you back to bed" Ulrich said.
"Don't worry I'm feeling better honest" Odd insisted waving his hands in defence but before he could say another word he felt himself being carried in two strong arms.
"Bed" Xander said sternly looking Odd straight in the eye.
"Okay" Odd sighed bulging his bottom lip out into a pout.
"Finally someone who can keep you under control!" Ulrich laughed soon joined by everyone else.
Odd hid a smile he was happy then he had ever been, he had gotten his best friend back and even though XANA was still at large he knew that everything was going to be just fine.
End
A/N: I was actually planning a more tragic ending but I don't do very well with that I decided to give anyone a happy ending.