24: Getting (it) together
YUMI
Yumi's eyebrows furrowed while reading the morning paper during breakfast.
There had been another sexual assault in downtown Paris, the sixth case in two weeks. Police assumed that they were related, but had very few leads. It seemed that no one – not even the female victims – witnessed or recalled anything. Even more disturbing was that the victims had all been teenage university students.
She detested men like that, who hated women or enjoyed harassing them for their own sickening pleasures.
To a lesser extent, when she started out at Kadic, she rarely socialized with her male classmates for fear of being taken advantage of. She was fiercely independent and it worked; guys avoided her, though they gossiped behind her back.
Then she met Ulrich, and she knew instantly that he wasn't like the others. He – and the other LYOKO warriors – genuinely cared for her well-being. It didn't take long before Yumi realized that she liked his company. Despite their differences, he made her feel included and recognized where the fine line was most of the time.
Lately, it's been quite clear Ulrich meant more to her than she cared to admit…
Her mind drifted back to the concert tickets on her desk. Saturday was less than 16 hours away, and it couldn't come any sooner. And she wouldn't be going alone…
2 days ago…
She was feeling nervous as she tried to come with the best way to tell him. Usually, she had no problems when it came to conversing with Ulrich. Then again, the context was a bit different…
Yumi bit her lip. What if he said no? Not only would that be a blow to her self-esteem, but her concert experience would also be marginally decreased.
Her heart sank when Ulrich walked out of the classroom. He was chatting with Melanie who appeared quite content. However she knew better than to jump to conclusions. Perhaps they were merely discussing exponents or isosceles triangles. Still, every time…there was the inevitable interruption.
She was about to walk away when Ulrich called her name. Yumi put on a smile and brushed a strand of her long black hair from her face.
Ulrich was smiling as well. He reached into his bag and handed her a piece of paper with writing on both sides.
"My fantastic analysis of hydrochloric acid, as promised."
This was another thing that she enjoyed about being with him. Running gags and random moments never got old.
"Thanks. Been looking forward to becoming a master of HCl with this."
"Well, we all know that the world is in dire need of HCl gurus these days…" Ulrich said casually, which made Yumi laugh.
"By the way…are you busy this weekend?"
"Not really. Why?"
She sensed the opportunity. "Remember the concert tickets I won?"
Sadly, Ulrich wasn't really on the same page. "Mhmm. For having the sexi – er – cutest…wait no! I mean – most amazing Halloween costume!" he said sheepishly, blushing furiously.
Yumi rolled her eyes, her face was also red. He thought it was sexy and cute… If Odd had said any of that, he would've ceased to exist. But she decided to forgive Ulrich's slip-up this one time.
"Yeah that one. The concert's this Saturday and…they gave me two tickets. I was wondering if…"
Now Ulrich understood. She was asking him out. His heart stuck out of his chest, triumphant.
"…you'd like to go see U2 with me?" said Yumi, her voice barely above a whisper.
"S–sure Yumi. I'm down for that!" Ulrich wanted to add 'awesome', 'cool', 'I can't wait!' but stuck with his calm demeanour.
Yumi grinned. He said yes. "Great. The bus leaves downtown around noon and we'll be staying the night in Nice, if that's fine with you?"
"Yep. I'm alright with that. Wow…best field trip ever!"
"You up for the eight hour ride?" she teased.
Ulrich shook his head. "I'm sure we'll come up with something to keep us occupied." Yumi nearly flushed crimson again just from one simple word: we.
"I guess I should start listening to some U2 music so I don't feel left out…" he added.
"You've never heard of U2?" Yumi was aghast.
"Uh…they're a band right? Two members whose names start with U?" A glance at his friend's expression told him that he was incredibly wrong.
And he made things worse with a joke. "Hey, if I joined, it'd be U3! Heh…get it?"
Yumi got it, mentally snickering at Ulrich's lameness. But her expression remained hardened. Ulrich gulped, hoping that she wasn't thinking of giving him another research topic to write on.
JEREMIE
Jeremie didn't even have time to register the betrayal.
He stepped out of the bathroom when he was grabbed by two of his male classmates and forcefully dragged into their bedroom. Despite the provocative description, given this story's T rating, surely Jeremie wouldn't be subjected to some hot morning manlove intimacy?
"Guys, what the hell is going on?" he asked furiously. His captors didn't respond. He struggled but they clearly overpowered him. He was set down on a folding chair and his arms were tied. Jeremie looked into their eyes, but Ulrich and Odd weren't being possessed by XANA.
Okay, being betrayed by Odd and his crazy schemes didn't really come as a surprise. Heck, he went through the school's entire stock of doughnuts and had some weird food battle competition – which he lost – just for a chance to talk to a girl he considered a goddess.
But if the normally-sane Ulrich Stern was involved as well…
Satisfied with their handiwork, Odd remained standing while Ulrich grabbed another chair and plopped down on it. They were grinning. Jeremie was not amused.
"Alright, what's this about?" It looked as though he was being interrogated.
Ulrich cleared his throat. "You see –"
"That's a cool-looking shirt," Odd blurted.
Jeremie was perplexed. He had been wearing the same cyan turtleneck for ages. Ulrich glared at his co-conspirator.
"I thought we're doing the good cop bad cop," Odd shrugged.
"You know I can hear you guys, right?"
"Yeah. Let's ignore the ridiculous things Odd's saying," Ulrich turned his attention back to Jeremie.
"So…Aelita-"
"Do I really need to be tied up like this?"
"Oh, that's to stop you from escaping. We needed your full cooperation."
"I have half a mind to send you two to a mental institution. Or arrested. And possibly flogged."
"You can do all that after we get our point across. Now Aelita…"
"What about her?"
Ulrich sighed. Despite Jeremie's genius over every academic subject from chemistry to world history, there was one area he was absolutely clueless about. They were probably going to miss breakfast over this.
"When are you planning on asking her out?" Odd asked.
Suddenly, it was like the temperature of the whole room had risen by five degrees. Jeremie shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"I…don't understand the question," he mumbled quietly.
"Let's generalize further. You like her, don't you?" Ulrich said quietly. Jeremie looked down at his feet and didn't reply, even though the answer was simple and obvious.
Yes, he liked her. Aelita was the only girl that made him feel that way; incredibly bright, stunningly beautiful and angelically innocent. His heart skipped several beats every time he made her laugh.
His first kiss had been with her, and he was pretty sure it was her first kiss as well. He recalled that paralyzing moment – his brain suffering from emotional overload – when Aelita detached her lips from his, her face radiant.
Things stayed the same after that, though he appreciated their companionship nevertheless. Still, Jeremie remained optimistic that they could…be more than friends. He imagined them as a couple, walking hand in hand, taking in the amazing world around them.
But he wasn't sure why his feet were still rooted to the ground. Was he afraid to confess? Maybe.
"Hey!" Ulrich waved his hand in front of Jeremie's face.
"Huh?"
"You like Aelita, don't you?"
He nodded. They've probably already figured it out.
"Does she know how you feel?"
"No."
"Why don't you tell her? A lot of stories would've been much shorter if the main character took the initiative and expressed his feelings," Odd pointed out.
Jeremie mumbled something along the lines of "she doesn't think the same way."
Ulrich shook his head. "As a non-partisan observer, I know for a fact that she's heads over heels for you. You two are always so happy together."
"You're aware that Aelita's been sleeping in the supercomputer for most of her life. She doesn't have a…comprehensive understanding about relationships. You'll have to make the first move," said Odd in a more serious tone.
"Wait. Why do you guys care so much?"
Ulrich chuckled. "Is our friendship an adequate reason? You and Aelita are really close – even Sissi acknowledges that. The problem is getting it together. You have one guy hoping something will happen out of the blue–" he stared pointedly at Jeremie.
"And the other person simply doesn't know what love is. Besides, you have to admit Aelita's something else. It won't be long before she's taken."
Jeremie thought of one person in particular. He had noticed Aelita had been hanging out with Bryan more recently. Then there had been the incident where she was caught coming out of his room in the morning – he wasn't convinced that nothing had happened. He was jealous and he knew it.
Apparently, so did Ulrich. He smirked. Typical high school love triangle? Been there, done that.
"Don't worry. They're only friends."
"For now," Jeremie muttered under his breath.
"Actually, he thinks you're already going out with her and I quote: 'Aelita's really lucky to have a guy like him,' wide grin, etc. Ah…Canadians, so polite and diplomatic," Odd added. That lightened Jeremie's mood considerably.
"Plus, I've overheard him on the phone talking to someone named 'Val', so there's a good chance he's already going out with her."
"So here's your chance. We all have plans this weekend, leaving you and Aelita the odd ones out."
"I don't know…"
"You know her interests better than us. Take her out somewhere – it can be as simple as dinner and a walk downtown. I'm sure she'll enjoy it. When was the last time you asked her to hang out?"
"Remember Einstein, what's the point of doing nothing? Might as well take a chance and find out!"
"Great, I'm listening to advice from two competent love masters. One who has had more rejections than fingers and toes, and the other who can't admit his feelings either."
Ulrich's cheeks heated up while he loosened the cuffs binding Jeremie to the chair.
"Ouch. So my record isn't that great. I have a shot at going one for one this November with Catherine though!"
Jeremie got up and no longer felt like sending his friends into an asylum. Although he rarely offered praise to anyone, he was grateful to have had this morale-boosting conversation. Odd was right, what's the worst that could happen?
He pictured Aelita's smiling face and his lips curled upwards as well. Getting it together…that was the hardest and shortest part; and things could only go up from there.
ULRICH
Ulrich was hungry and wasn't paying any attention in chemistry.
The best field trip ever was only a day away, and he was going with his best friend. Just the two of them.
He had never gotten around to letting Yumi know how he really felt about her. He had been hesitant, not wanting to destroy their friendship and was scared of being rejected. And even if they started going out, his aptitude in relationships was either zero or a very small decimal value.
Then again, even Jeremie was asking Aelita. And Odd…well, his ineptitude didn't hide his familiarity with relationships and he now had a shot with Catherine, something Ulrich thought was nearly impossible to pull off.
Furthermore, exams were not for another several months and XANA was currently inactive. And the most festive time of the year – Christmas – was just around the corner. And maybe…the right moment was too…
"…your homework this weekend will be to research on an acid or base of your choice and write a two-page report, which will conclude this unit."
Ulrich abruptly stopped daydreaming as he absorbed the words 'research', 'acid' and 'report'. Did he just hear Mrs. Hertz correctly?
"I'll be looking for typical properties: pH, density, melting and boiling points, as well as diagrams. I'd also like a section on applications of your acid or base."
Ulrich recalled the contents of his analysis on hydrochloric acid for Yumi, and was shocked when he realized that he had included all of the aforementioned items.
Coincidental circumstances were an oddity in Ulrich's life. But when it happened, awesomeness followed closely behind. He couldn't help but look smug, and if his mouth were larger he'd be grinning from ear to ear. This marked the first time he'd completed an assignment well before the due date; in fact, before it was even announced.
No homework this weekend…
Of course, none of this would've happened without Yumi. It was as if she knew such an assignment was on the horizon. She was a godsend.
Ulrich also felt an urge to give her a hug. However: a) sudden embracing was not in his character and b) he wasn't sure whether Yumi would be as receptive to being bear-hugged. He decided to settle on a simple 'thank-you'.
This weekend was getting better and better.
JEREMIE
As his classmates began to pack up and leave, Jeremie walked over to Aelita's desk. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Ulrich and Odd smirking at him and his nervousness returned. Right before they left, Odd flashed Jeremie a thumbs-up.
Aelita zipped her backpack and looked up. "Hey Jeremie. What's up?" she asked cheerfully.
"You're going to rehearsal soon?"
She nodded. "Just have to get some things from my room."
Okay… Aelita's smile was turning his brain into mush. He stared at her feet and murmured softly and quickly:
"Wasdringifyourfreethaturdaya ndmayberhangoutordosomethege ther?"
Even though one day it could be the longest word in the dictionary, Aelita didn't catch any of it. She giggled and grabbed Jeremie's arm.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" She leaned in towards him until they were shoulder to shoulder. Jeremie's face turned deep red as his eyes found their way to hers.
"Uh…" He started losing his train of thought. Aelita's chuckling wasn't making the situation any easier.
Aelita kind of liked having this 'power' over Jeremie. It was a pretty nifty means of getting what she wanted. Plus, hearing him stuttering and seeing the shy side of him was somewhat sweet.
She heard her watch go off and broke off from Jeremie. "Hey I have to go. You can tell me when I come back okay?"
However, just as she began walking away from him: "are you busy tomorrow?"
Aelita turned around. "Nope. Why'd you ask?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to…you know…hang out or something? Go for a walk downtown…grab something to eat…"
Just as Ulrich predicted, Aelita was pleasantly surprised. Apart from the factory, Jeremie rarely asked her to go anywhere. And he had never asked her to go out for the sake of recreation. In addition, Aelita had been waiting for a chance to see the sights of France's capital and take a short break from school; she never really got to with Bryan because of time constraints.
"…the weather's supposed to be good until the evening," Jeremie continued. "I mean…it's okay if you don't want to," he added quickly.
Aelita shook her head. "No – Jeremie, that's a wonderful idea. Of course I'll come!" her face broke into a grin and her green eyes sparkled.
"R–really?" Jeremie couldn't believe it. He smiled back nervously.
"Yes!" she said happily, unable to contain her excitement that for once, Jeremie had proposed an excursion – and it was definitely and excellent choice. Aelita threw her arms around him. This time, Jeremie's senses were intact and he hugged her back. She smelled of the fresh open sky but her body was warm against his.
No words needed to be said. Jeremie was on cloud nine, and his heart was doing cartwheels. On the other hand, Aelita was equally as thrilled. This was why she held Jeremie in such high regard. Other people might think of him as just another creative genius with no sense of relaxation. However, every once in a while, he had one of these brilliant plans. He always seemed to know just what she wanted.
When they broke apart yet again, their faces were still etched with smiles.
"I really need to get going," Aelita insisted.
"Okay. I'll fill you in on the rest of the details tomorrow at breakfast then?"
"Sounds good Jeremie. Can't wait!"
Mission accomplished. Jeremie headed back to his room to do some research – aka Google for things to do in Paris. It had been a while since he had set foot in the urban metropolis, and he wanted things to go smoothly tomorrow.
No school. No XANA. Just a chance to spend time with the person he cared about most.
BRYAN
Bryan was worried.
His friend couldn't see his face from over 6 000 kilometres away, but his tone said it all.
"So…XANA definitely knows something about…them?" Valerie asked over the phone.
"The ones we've been looking for, I'm sure of it," Bryan replied wearily. The sight of the spectres had creeped him out. He remembered feeling completely useless and incapacitated by his own memories.
Then again, the brief experience of their psychological torture seemed to have that effect on his mind.
"Hey. It's going to be alright. All that's in the past now," Valerie said softly. "I'm sure we'll find a way once it wakes up."
"…yeah." Bryan responded with uncertainty. Confrontation was inevitable, and he was an easy target if he couldn't overcome his fears.
"By the way…I have another favour to ask of you."
"You know, I should really start charging you for my services."
"I thought my eternal gratitude is more than sufficient payment. I'll throw in $50 in Monopoly money."
"Eww I already get enough Monopoly money from you every time I beat you in that game."
"Hey, I'm pretty sure that you're not allowed to rob the bank every time you pass GO," Bryan pointed out.
"Meh, robberies are what keeps long boring board games interesting. How about this, you do my English homework for a month."
"Sure, I'll start it at the end of June."
"You suck Bri, that's when summer vacation starts. I'll be in remedial classes because I'd have failed by then," Valerie pouted, which earned a chuckle from the other end.
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Stop robbing banks."
"Haha. What else?"
"Can you look up someone for me? Alan Meyer, former president of Deckard Inc. His name's familiar, but I can't wrap my head around it. The supercomputer didn't yield much information either."
"Wasn't he a good poker player with his own card franchise?"
"That's what I told Aelita, but she didn't believe me."
"Hmm…Alan Meyer, Deckard. Got it. I'll tell you if I find anything."
"Awesome, thanks Val."
"No prob."
"Alright I have to go escort Aelita to her rehearsals and then babysit two adorable toddlers."
"Nice. Tell them Aunty Val said hi."
"Done. But they just get excited and ask when you're going to visit them."
Valerie laughed. "One day, I promise. Glad to know I'm still extremely popular overseas. Anyways, you take care of yourself okay?"
"As always."
A pause. "Love you Bri," Valerie said softly.
Bryan smiled. "And I love you too, Val."
AELITA
Aelita returned to her room after another SubDigitals practice session and dinner with Bryan. She stripped her clothes off and collapsed onto her bed half-naked and let out a great big sigh.
She was happy and confused, but not happy over her confusion or puzzled over why she was content.
Jeremie had asked her out on a date. That was what Yumi had said, after they had shared their plans for the upcoming weekend. At first her thoughts were focused on walking along the streets of Paris; she could hardly wait. And now, it was all now sinking in.
So technically, are we...boyfriend and girlfriend? Aelita honestly didn't know, but was aware that she was blushing.
Jeremie… He was the one who re-introduced her to the real world, the one who spent hours talking to her. She really appreciated that. For a while, he was her only friend.
Aelita knew that he cared for her deeply, and likewise, she cared about him a lot as well. She enjoyed his company and it wasn't just because they shared similar interests and were often on the same level intellectually.
However, Aelita wasn't sure if she was ready to love. Yes, there were always rumours going around the classroom that she and Jeremie were dating. Future Mr. and Mrs. Einstein. Although Aelita never spoke of it to anyone, she was starting to grow tired of the teasing. They were gossiping about her as if her future was already set in stone.
She and Jeremie were very close. But still, shouldn't she have a choice?
Besides, her understanding of dating was through observing other couples and television programs that tended to feature very artificial couples. It seemed that boyfriend and girlfriend were virtually inseparable, they spent nearly all of their time with one another; so what would happen to her other relationships?
Like with Bryan…
The two LYOKO children had gotten to know each other better, and Aelita found herself spending more time with him than with Jeremie as of late.
He was different, but not in a bad way. He wasn't exactly as smart as Jeremie – especially with computers – but he was by no means the dullest tool in the shed.
Bryan also didn't take things as seriously and didn't seem to be a stickler for the rules. He was easy-going, he liked to joke and fool around. Similar to Odd, but Aelita felt that Bryan had a better grasp on humour; he made corny and lame things laughable.
The more Aelita thought about it, she realized that she also enjoyed being with him. Of course, he had an air of mystery surrounding him. Aelita felt that there were still a lot of things that she didn't know, from why he calls her A-tan (she still hadn't Googled it), to his murky past.
He also tended to deceive or outright lie to her and could be a bit immature, but to Aelita, it was cute and it warmed up her insides. She liked him, but he was always uncomfortable whenever she got too close. As with Jeremie, Aelita never felt any awkwardness by their close contact, and he was so comforting and gentle…
Bryan was only a friend…she reminded herself – albeit a good one. He probably already has a special someone back in Canada.
Her feelings were all over the place, so she decided to drop the subject for now and take things one step at a time. After all, in the end, everything shall surely be alright.
She wrapped herself in her warm sheets and closed her eyes. But she still too excited to fall asleep. Whether or not she was going as a close friend or Jeremie's girlfriend didn't matter; tomorrow was definitely going to be a day to remember.
And she was right. Saturday December 2, 2006 would end up being another day that completely changed her life, forever.
VII
Minutes before midnight, a white van arrived outside a lonely warehouse just outside of the French capital.
The driver turned the engine off and stepped out. His appearance exerted elegance and power. And though the driveway was nearly pitch-black with no illumination, he was wearing dark shades to conceal his identity.
The door on the passenger's side of the van opened and a woman emerged, dressed in the same manner as her partner. They both appeared to be nearly identical in height and facial features, save for hair length.
She said something in a heavy eastern European accent and he gave a curt nod. He rolled his suit sleeve up to reset his watch to the correct time zone.
Nothing but silence greeted them, as if the whole city was sleeping (obviously) or holding their breath. The two headed to the back of their van, each taking out a briefcase and a duffel bag.
The two figures then headed towards the warehouse entrance. Before stepping inside the vestibule, the man took one last look upwards at the night sky that yielded no visible stars due to the light pollution.
VII
Age: Unknown
Rating: Unknown
Unknown: Unknown
"Tempus est nunc*," he muttered under his breath, and stepped into the darkness.
11:59:57…11:59:58…11:59:59…12:00:00
*The time is now.
Fragmented Legacy Fun Fact 024:
If you look closely at the summary/title block, it's now Aelita S. & Jeremie B; wonder what that means… Happy Belated Valentine's Day 2013 =D
A|N's
This concludes Season II of CL:FL. 100 000 words in 24 chapters! =D
I'll be taking another break from writing. This chapter ends things on a high note though, and I have an idea of what to do next. If there is a Season III, it will be both longer and shorter than the previous two, if that makes any sense.
Finally, a BIG thanks to everyone who has read/thumbs-upped/reviewed/spread the word about this story. I appreciate that a large majority of comments have been very insightful and have helped me along the way; and I hope that this story reflects that. You're all AWESOME!
Feel free to leave a comment, and as always, thanks for reading Code LYOKO: Fragmented Legacies =)
Replies to Reviews
[Sartruce]
Glad you enjoy the funnies, I've always felt that adding them – without overdoing it – enhances my story and sometimes the plot (my favourite books also incorporate humour). Yeah Yumi's a challenging character, but I'm glad I didn't just write about Aelita. Yumi offers a more rational perspective and her relationship with Ulrich is special and unique. Haha when a profile lacks details, it means they exist but I don't have a concrete idea yet of what they look like or how big their role will be.
[Mel72000]
I got the idea to do the snippets from the awesome graphic novel Scott Pilgrim. They really help set the tone with a hint of humour and minimizing the length of introductions. And thanks for pointing out Yumi and Ulrich's avatars…don't know why I thought they were ninjas (maybe reading too much Naruto =)).
[EAB84]
Thanks! Haha high school English paid off =D I agree with you on Aelita and Bryan's relationship. I may have overextended a bit while trying to work it into the main plot of the story. With the ups and downs of relationships being a key part of CL:FL, I'm mainly focusing in this department. Nevertheless, I hope you're enjoying it so far!
[LyokoWarrior915]
Bryan combines my interest in Star Wars and Naruto! I gave him Nagato's powers because I thought a Lightsaber was too overpowering (slice through anything!) and resembled Ulrich's weapon too much. As for a pairing between Aelita and Bryan…I think this chapter clarifies things =). And Alan Meyer, I think he's a baddie from the new Lyoko series – Evolution.