A/N: Hello again! A shoutout to my newest reader(s)! The guest reviewer(s) :)! I'm glad you enjoy the story. Of course, thanks to everyone that reads this story. It's come a long way after all. Without further ado, enjoy the read.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!


To Yumi's disappointment, her plans to watch the tournament with her father were cancelled. The building in which the contest took place had caught fire and the event was postponed until further notice. She had informed Ulrich by sending him a message with her phone.

An hour had passed by and she hadn't gotten a response. She figured his mother must have already arrived at his apartment. Yumi decided to spend the time by doing some household chores and some administrative work. Sure, there were no drastic changes in her finances, but she couldn't afford to skip looking over them. Yumi was sure that even if she did have that luxury – could you call it one? – she would still dutifully check it regularly.

It was time for lunch by the time she was done. Her phone notified her of a message and she quickly unlocked it to see if it belonged to Ulrich. It did. He revealed his mother had brought his father along, which sent Yumi into a worry frenzy. She sat down on her sofa and turned on her TV, but muted the sound when her phone rang.

She picked up and was so surprised to hear people arguing, that she didn't greet Ulrich. "What were you thinking? Isn't this the same girl that caused all that trouble years ago? And now you're just going to do it all over again? You will never succeed like this!" Yumi heard his father shout.

"Dear, it's his life. He can choose whomever he wants to date, can't he?" She heard a timid voice interrupt Ulrich's father. Yumi assumed it was Ulrich's mother.

"Anyone, but her! And definitely not now. You're not responsible enough now. She will bring you down. I don't trust her. Do you even know what she's studying? Business Management! She might even make use of this opportunity to take over your position!" Yumi thought he went too far.

"DAD!" She saw it coming. To anyone that would have come across as pure frustration and anger. To Yumi, it was a scream. One that called out to anyone or anything to help his family get to their senses. And it pained her that she wasn't here to help him. She listened to him defending her, but his father didn't want to hear it and kept arguing against him.

"Dear, that's enough. Ulrich, maybe you should reconsider things too. For your own sake as well as ours. We also don't want it to be like this," Yumi almost laughed at that. Was his mother trying to brainwash herself?

"And one more thing. You might have found your way out of going abroad, but you shouldn't think you're off the hook yet. I can't believe you just mess around with our business like this. One more misstep and you'll be fired. You're clearly in need of more rigorous training."

Yumi heard some shuffling and some muffled sounds. They were followed by a loud bang of an opening door and probably a dramatic exit by his father. She could make out his mother's last attempt to assure him everything would be fine, but was certain that wouldn't do its job.

After hearing another click, she figured – and hoped – that he was now alone. "Ulrich?" She tried.

"Yumi?" Ulrich replied after a few seconds with a surprised tone that confirmed he had probably called by accident after sending his message.

"I heard everything," she revealed.

"Great," his bad mood returned. "You know, it's not like I don't want to understand him. But, it's beyond impossible now. Every. Little. Thing. Is. A. Problem," he emphasized.

"Maybe we should try to uncover why he's like that?" Yumi pondered. "It might help."

"I'm not really in the mood to play detective or whatever," he said curtly.

She ignored him. "Is there anyone who has been close to your father for a long time? Someone who would know him inside out?"

Ulrich sighed. "Yumi, don't, please. I'm not interested in any stories about his past. It doesn't justify anything. He's turning into a monster. That's not even the worst part. My mother acts like these fights are perfectly normal, because it's not good to keep everything to yourself. Except, she doesn't realize that her words are not helping at all. It's simply empty promises and maybe she's brainwashing herself to see the best in things while it's obviously going down the drain."

"Well, we have to start somewhere. Since he's the root of our problems, we should take him out. Our sole goal is to let him leave you alone right? For now," she added.

"I'm going back to bed," he said.

"Ulrich…"

"No, Yumi. He said it himself, I'm the child. He's the adult. And that will never change. I mean, he should be the one with the best insight, if he's so proud of his abilities. Why do I have to do this? It's ridiculous," he blabbed to himself more than Yumi, which she picked up on. She patiently remained silent.

"I'm tired, Yumi. I want to go away somewhere. Another planet would be ideal. Maybe I should ask Jeremie and Aelita whether I can live in the game. Escaping reality really sounds great," he carried on.

"I'm sorry, Yumi. I don't have the strength now. I know you are right. I know he won't suddenly turn angelic on me. I know! Can we put this off for now?" It sounded like he was on the verge of breaking down in tears.

"Yes," she answered, then bit her lip when she heard her voice quaver. "Let's take it slow," she said.

"Thank you," he breathed out and then stopped talking. Yumi closed her eyes, willing her tears to stay away.

"I'm coming over," she said, determined not to leave him alone.

Yumi didn't wait for his sure-to-come rejection to her plan. She ended the call, quickly gathered her things and dashed out of her apartment afterwards.

A little out of breath from running all the way, she rang his doorbell. "I told you not to come," he grumbled from the other side of the door. She leaned against his door. "Must have been after I ended the call," she spoke softly, but was sure she could hear him. "Would you have stayed home if you had heard me?" He asked as he opened the door. She fell into his arms. "I don't want to leave you alone," she said, then firmly hugged him.

He pulled her inside and closed the door.

"I know…," he whispered, then leaned against the wall with Yumi still in his arms.

She started to cry. He tried his hardest not to join her. Crying once was enough. But she got to him. There was no other in the world he could confide in like he could with her. Not even their friends. He promised her good times, yet all that happened was misery.

He sank to the floor and held her closer. "I wish I could give you more," he said. Alarmed by his words, she looked up and shook her head.

"You deserve better," Ulrich continued.

"So much better," he said it again. "Maybe this is why I never approached you." Yumi kept shaking her head. "Why should I trouble her with this life?"

"Yumi," he wanted her to look at him, but she refused.

Ulrich got up and pulled her along to the kitchen. He gave her a glass of water and handed her a few tissues too. He downed a glass himself and attempted to talk to her again.

She hugged him again. Yumi's hold around him tightened and Ulrich breathed in and out slowly. "Yumi," he gently spoke. "I'm not going to start our ending scene. Don't worry." He stroked her back, feeling her relax. "I'm at a loss. I'm lost. But we promised to solve this together, so I'm holding on. You shouldn't ever doubt that I will let go," Ulrich embraced her to reassure her. "I want you to throw all your feelings at me, like you did today when you suggested what you did. Don't leave anything behind. We're partners and I don't want you to become lost as well. Especially because of me. In return, I'll do the same." He lay his head on hers.

Yumi nodded. "I will," she said. "You already cried with me. What more do I need?"

He laughed.

"But that's definitely better," she caressed his cheek, then stood on her toes and kissed him there.

They stared at each other before a rumble of Yumi's stomach sounded loud and clear.

"I didn't eat yet," she admitted. Ulrich ruffled her hair and turned around to get her something to eat. Yumi watched him. She was relieved that Ulrich was capable of holding himself together. It was a strength that was forced to develop throughout the years. She merely wished she had the strength to keep him from falling apart, to continue supporting him.

Ulrich returned with two plates of food and gestured for her to take a seat. "Thanks," she said when he put down the plate in front of her. She was still deep in thought when a sandwich rose to her eye level. Ulrich had lifted it as a reminder. While eating her lunch, she renewed ideas and formed questions in her head. Who could they talk to? Could their friends help? Maybe Jeremie could figure out who was relatively close to Ulrich's father. Yumi would discuss the options with Ulrich tomorrow, before undertaking her own next step.


A/N: See you next time, which will most likely be next year! But I'll see if I can get in an early update. I'm not going anywhere, with this lockdown'd (yeah, not a verb :P) world. Christmas on weekdays means loooooong weekend :D, yay to the working force. Well, stay safe! And a Merry Christmas in advance, despite the sad vibes from this chapter :)!