Alita’s POV:

I knocked on the door to Jeremy’s room. As soon as he let me in, I showed him the picture I had fond on the Internet this morning.

“There now, ya see?” I said. “XANA really is alive, & he’s controlling this athlete! The reporter even got a shot of the electricity coming out of his hands! That’s not all, Jeremy, look at his eyes!” He looked at the photo I had printed.

“Alita, do you know how blurry this is?” he asked. “That light is probably just a glare from the camera.”

“What about his eyes, Jeremy?” I asked again. “XANA’s symbol doesn’t just appear out of nowhere!”

“It looks like the glare messed up the whole picture.” I knew he hated when I brought this up, but I knew there was something wrong. “Alita, it has been 2 months now since we killed XANA. I know you’ve given most of your life time to this, but we finally got rid of him.”

“But what if we were wrong?” I asked. “What if he, I don’t know, faked his own death or something?”

“Why would he do that?” Jeremy asked.

“I don’t know.” I said. “But even you can’t deny that some strange things have been happening.”

“Like what?”

“Well, that Japanese scientist went missing. It was said that he had been working on creating a digital world, the same type of project my father was involved in.” I said. “Then the athletes were showing signs of unusual strength, speed…”

I’m talking, of course, about the Ninja Training Competition in Tokyo. Sponsored by an unknown millionaire, it was challenging the best athletes from around the world to compete. Sort of like a mini Olympics.

But I digress.

“They think that’s from steroid use.” Jeremy said.

“Exactly!” I said. “It’s the perfect cover up for XANA, don’t ya think?”

“Alita.” he said. “XANA is dead. You saw him die with your own eyes.” He paused, knowing that he wasn’t getting anywhere. “C’mon, I’ll walk with you to dinner.”

^*^*During Dinner^*^*

“Jeremy’s right, Alita.” Ulrick said after he looked at the photo. “It’s really hard to tell what it’s a picture of, any way.”

Od looked up from his food. “Besides, you were there when we killed XANA.”

“He’s right, Alita.” Yumi said. “We’ve talked about this for weeks now, ever since that scientist disappeared.” she smiled. “I know it’s hard, but we don’t have to worry any more.”

“Yeah, Alita.” Jeremy said. He took my hand from across the table. “Just try to relax, ok?”

I picked up my tray & stood.

“Where are you gong?” Jeremy asked.

“My room.” I said. “I’m not very hungry any more.”

Yumi’s POV:

“Come in.” Alita said after I knckd on the door. When I entered, I saw she was laying on her bed. It looked as if she had been crying.

“Are you all right?” I asked. “We weren’t trying to offend you, but…”

“It’s all right.” Alita said. “I just thought that if anybody would take me seriously, it would be you guys. I thought Jeremy would, at lest.” Ah, so that’s where the problem was!

“He’s just kinda worried about you, Alita.” I said. “I know you’re used to worrying about him, maybe even more then Jeremy did, but it’s all in the past now.” That’s when I had a great idea. “I know! Let’s go somewhere tonight, just us girls! We haven’t had a girl’s night since before XANA’s death, & I think you’re in desperate need of it. As a matter of fact…”

She sat up suddenly. “Fact? Fact! Yes! Yumi, that’s it! If I show Jeremy facts, not just research, he’ll have to believe me!”

“Ok, whatever you’re thinking, if Jeremy asks, I did not tell you to do what ever you’re thing right now, got it?”

She smiled & headed for the door.

“Where are you gong?” I asked.

Alita’s POV:

I stepped out of the air port. I did it. I can't believe it, but I did! Of course, it was only a matter of time before Jeremy & the others saw through the story I had told the principal of my father’s death. They would never guess where I went though, so I figured I was safe.

Grabbing my suitcase, I walked down the streets of Tokyo. I had never, in all my life, done some thing this crazy.

Should I be worried that this crazy feeling felt so good?

*^*^*^

Ok, where the heck am I?

It must be the hair. That’s what my father always used to say when my mother or I did something with out thinking it through all the way. So, while I was actually in Tokyo, about to find enough evidence to prove to Jeremy & the others that XANA really was still alive…

…I had forgotten that I didn’t know how to speak Japanese. Speaking Japanese tends to be helpful when you are in Japan…

I some how made my way to an area that seemed to have some kind of party inside each building. Suddenly a couple guys started yelling at me.

“I’m sorry.” I called to them. “But I have no idea what you’re saying. Do you speak French?”

They said some more stuff. When I tried to walk away, 1 of them grabbed my arm. He was drunk, & so were his buddies.

Just then, a girl came up behind me. She started to yell at the drunk guys. I don’t know what she said, but seemed to scare away the drunk guys.

“Thanks.” I said. To my surprise she answered.

“No problem.” She was able to speak French! Maybe I cold get some info from her! “I’m Flora, by the way.”

“Alita.” I said. “Do you know any hotels around here that are some what cheap?”

“In the Golden Gai?”

“Oh, that’s where I am?” I asked. “I am so lost. At lest that explains all the bars around here…”

Flora laughed.

“Well, I brought 157,352 yen with me for my entire trip.”

“How long is your trip?”

“That, I really don’t know.” I said. I wasn’t leaving until I had my proof.

“Well, good luck trying to find any hotel. They’re filled with tourists for that sports tournament.” Flora said. “Hey, I know! I live with my dad at the American Embassy, why don’t you come stay with us? It’ll be free, & I can guarantee that we’ll be able to find something fun to do!”

“Ok, that sounds good.” I said after giving it some thought. After all, she did just help me out, & so far she was the only person I was able to talk to.

Alita’s POV:

“Crap.” Flora said as I went back into her room after setting my stuff down in my own. “There’s this thing tonight for the torment. I’m sorry, I was looking forward to hanging out, but…”

“You’re in the tournament?” I asked.

“No, but my father is funding part of it. As his daughter, I have to go with him.” Flora started looking through her closet. “At lest it’s at a trendy night club. You want to come along? It might get kinda dull, though…”

I smiled. This cold be my ticket to find some evidence to take home with me!

“I don’t mind.” I said. “It might be fun!”

“Great!” she said & pulled out a short blue dress. “I’ll get changed & then we’ll get ready to go.”

*^*^Later*^*^

“Getting board yet?” Flora asked as we walked around the room for the 5th time that night.

“Actually, it’s kinda cool that…um…you know…so many people…” I said. I hoped she wouldn’t see my disappointment. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened yet.

“Nice try.” Flora said. “C’mon, I have an idea.” We made our way to the door of the private room we were in above the club. Making an excuse that we were off to the bath room, we slipped down stars.

“I know the perfect place we can go!” she yelled over the music.

*^*^*^*^*^

“Tokyo is amazing at night.” I said. It was like it never slept. “I never knew Tokyo was fames for it’s jazz.”

“Yep. Sometimes the best thing when you’re under 21 is to stand out side the different clubs & just listen to the music…”

“There you are!” a voce said in perfect French. “Do you know how much you scared all of us? Jeremy is out of his mind!”

I turned around. “Yumi?” I asked. “What are you dong here? Are the others here too?” There was no way I was gong home yet!

“No, I didn’t tell them where I was gong.”

“Oh, Flora, this is my friend Yumi from school. Yumi, Flora’s a friend of mine who I’m staying with.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Yumi-san. Alita-san has told me nothing of you, but I’m sure she would have said good things.” We all laughed. We decided to cross the street to go into a park & get some peace & quiet.”

“Hey, aren’t those 2 of the athletes in tomorrow’s event?” I asked once we got in. It looked like they were having an argument.

“Let’s find out!” Flora said. We all ducked behind a large bush.

“Dude, c’mon! You won last week’s challenge can’t you tell me what the prize was?” The other guy said nothing.

"Well, that's definitely not normal." Flora whispered.

Alita’s POV:

We got out of the park quickly. Yumi went back to the hotel she fond & canceled her room there, because Flora instead that she stay with us, considering Yumi & I were friends. Flora even gave Yumi the gust room next door to mine, which was linked to mine by a door opposite my bed.

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. We had come back to try & get some rest, but sleep just wouldn’t come to me.

Yumi opened the door between our rooms & came in. “Can’t sleep ether, huh?” she said as she lay on the floor next to my bed.

“No.” I said. “It might just be jet lag, but…”

“I know. What we saw was really weird. I’m beginning to think that you may have been right after all.”

“Great! Too bad the boys still won’t, at lest until I find evidence to take home with me.” I said. “We need to find out from Flora if there are any places around here that used to be a lab, or some thing. That’s probably where the Super Computer is.”

“Wait, what are you saying?” Yumi asked. “That XANA built anther Replica?”

“Exactly. Hey, where do you think that music is coming from?” I asked, for we did her some music, but wasn’t from ether of our rooms.

“What about Flora?” Yumi asked suddenly. “If XANA really is at this old lab, do you think we would be able to trust Flora with the secret of Lyoko?”

“Well, she hasn’t done any thing to break my trust.” I said. “Then again, I don’t want anther Willem incident again…”

“Why don’t we ask Flora now?”

“Because it’s mid night.” Yumi said.

“Yeh, but maybe she’s up like we are.” We headed across the hall, after all we had nothing better to do.

 Now, she’s wrapped around his finger

She’s the center of his whole world

& his heart belongs to that sweet little

beautiful, wonderful, perfect all American girl.  

We knocked softly, then opened Flora’s door. She was up, & it was her CD player that was playing the song.

“Sorry!” she said. “I didn’t men to wake you up.”

“The music’s fine.” Yumi said. “We were up any way.”

“Flora, do you know any old buildings that are abandoned around here?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound too strange.

“Uh…well…there’s this old Shinto shrine on the outskirts of Tokyo that nobody uses any more…why do you want to know?”

“Uh…you said that winners get a special “gift” which is what we saw tonight. Yumi & I figured that they’d have to go some where nobody would go.”

Flora’s POV:

“So…why are we here again?” I asked as we snuck into the shrine.

“To finally figure out what the real story is behind this tournament.” Alita-san answered. “Let’s go. You said it was the basement, right?”

I nodded. As we got down there, we herd voices.

“That is exactly what I want! It’s the perfect way to get rid of those Earth brats, since they already think I’m dead!”

I gasped. “That’s the professor who disappeared a few weeks ago!” I whispered. “But what is he talking about?” Alita-san & Yumi-san looked at each other. I felt that they were hiding some thing, but I wouldn’t press them about it.

Just then, an athlete who had won last night’s event came out. He looked right at us.

“Run!” Yumi-san said, & that is exactly what we did.

*^*^*^

We ran deeper into the basement, until Alita-san cracked the code needed to open the door. We ran inside, safe…for the moment.

“What is that thing?” I asked. Before us was the biggest computer I had ever seen!

“A super computer!” Alita-san cried. “Is that enough proof for you, Yumi?”

“But…it’s impossible!” Yumi-san said. “I saw XANA die with my own eyes! How can Lyoko…?”

“Huh?” I asked.

“It’s not Lyoko, Yumi! It’s a Replica!” Alita-san said. She had sat down in front of the computer & was typing some commands into it. She took something out of her pocket & threw it at Yumi-san. “Put this on, quick!”

We herd sounds of who or what ever was after us trying to break down the door.

“Flora, can you keep a secret?” Alita-san asked.

“Um…yeh, of course.” She threw something at me. It was a necklace with a heart charm. Yumi’s had a tiny fan, & Alita’s had a par of wings.

Flora’s POV:

I was suddenly aware of hitting the ground. Hard.

Then, I noticed I was in some kind of forest, & Alita-san & Yumi-san were standing after the fall. At lest, I thought it was them.

“I thought we shut down Lyoko.” Yumi-san said.

“We did.” Alita-san said. “We’re on a Replica. I think XANA made more so that we wouldn’t notice that he’s was trying to kill us.” She turned to me. “Can you stand?”

I stood, kinda embarrassed that I was the only one who didn’t make the landing. “What are you guys talking about? Where are we?”

“Um…well…that’s a very long story…”Alita-san said. “The quick answer is that a virus called XANA that Yumi & I thought was dead is still alive, & we’re on a Replica of a virtual world.”

“You lost me.” I said. Suddenly, 2 huge red…things…came in front of us.

“You have a weapon?” Yumi-san asked as she threw 2 fans towards the things.

“Um…” I looked around. That’s when I noticed my outfit. Holy crap! “Do I?” I asked. Just then a sword appeared in my hand. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Good. Hit the symbol on the Krabs.”

Yumi’s POV:

Flora-san was not dong that well. I really hoped that my 1st trip wasn’t as bad as her. Alita & I tried to take them out quickly, but I herd a scream & looked to see that Flora-san was turning into pixels.

“Alita, what happens when we lose our life points if the necklaces brought us here?”

“Um…Right back to where we came from, in theory…”

“In theory?!?!?!”

Just then 2 Tarantulas showed up. “Well, here goes nothing I guess…” I said & threw myself back into the fight.

Flora’s POV:

“Yumi-san!” I cried as Yumi hit the floor. She must have just come from the Replica they talked about. Luckily, she was on her feet in seconds. The athlete was in here, & it was hard to outrun him. Suddenly, he just stopped.

“What just happened?” I asked, a little breathless.

“Alita must have taken care of the tower.” Yumi-san said. She walked over to the computer & put on a head set that was sitting there.

“Alita, are you there?” she asked.

“Yes, Yumi.” Alita-san said. “The tower is all taken care of, but I need a favor. I left my cell phone behind. Will you take some pictures before I destroy the Replica? I don’t know what will happen to the computer, & I need some type of evidence to take home to Jeremy.”

“Who’s Jeremy?” I asked.

“Alita’s boyfriend.” Yumi-san said as she took some pictures.

Alita-san seemed to blush. “What???”

*^*^*^A Week Later*^*^*^

Alita’s POV:

It feels good to be home. I was glad that Flora-san had talked Yumi & I into some shopping before we had to leave! Ulrick & Od were having a great time with the DDR game we picked up, & Jeremy loved the book I got him about Japanese history.

“I’m sorry to ever have doubted you.” Jeremy said as he walked to me to my room after class. Ever since I got back, he had been extra sweet to me. “Do you know how much I was worried about you?”

“You’ve only told me ever since you picked me up at the air port.” I laughed. “I forgive you. You know we’ll have to work on re-building the Skid, right?”

“Tonight?”

“Can’t.” I said. “Go to Tokyo to stop a demonic AI & come home to receive tons of make-up work.” At this point, we had reached my door.

“Um…why is your room singing?” Jeremy asked.

“I’m supposed to get a new room mate today.” I said. “Cool, huh?” I went into my room before he replied. He followed me in.

“Is your new room mate invisible?” he asked. “Sure have a lot of pictures, though.”

“Ha, ha. Very funny.”

“Hey, why dos this picture have you, Yumi, & some other girl in it?” Jeremy asked.

I took a close look at it. “No way!”

“Way.” said a voce from the doorway. I turned to find Flora.

“Oh my god! What are you dong here?” I asked as I hugged her.

“I’m your room mate.” she said. “I talked to my father & he agreed to let me go to school here. I told him that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to follow his foot steps, & the only way to find out was to settle in 1 place.”

“So…why Kadic?” I asked.

“So I can help you to fight XANA. Duh!” she said.

“You know about XANA?” Jeremy blurted out.

“Flora, this is Jeremy.” I said.

I just want to start by saying that this story has meant so much to me. I’m happy to report that as of this moment, Sunrise has gotten over 100 views! It’s also, I think, the 1st fanfic that was not a one shot that I’ve finished!!!

I do have some big news about my next story, but I’ll get more into that later. Now, to explain a few things that I may have left out:

*^*^*^ Alita’s Theory: How XANA Came Back to Life *^*^*^

Ok, as you know, I started this story shortly before Sesen 4 ended & set it after that same sesen ended. Now that I’ve seen the ending, I can now tell you the full theory I cam up with (Note: This is some thing I came up with. I’m not trying to say that this will happen if there is a Sesen 5).

Jeremy said that Franz Hopper had sent him a program. What if it wasn’t Franz who sent it? What if it was XANA? Then, of course, the data would be false. I think that if XANA knew he would die, he would do everything in his power to prevent that. Basically, I think that when Jeremy launched the program, XANA only pretended to die, & escaped into the Digital Sea (like Franz Hopper did at the end of Sesen 3. Well, not the faking death part…). When XANA figured out the gang had fallen for it, he knew he’d be able to do stuff with out them knowing.

He just didn’t plan on Alita figuring it all out.

*^*^*^ The Necklaces *^*^*^

This is a little more science fiction then Alita’s theory. Basically, let’s suppose that in those necklaces Alita made, she put a wire less chip in them. Because the Skid was destroyed, when she got to the computer with the Replica, she bascely sent data to the necklaces, & they were off!

Besides the charms in this story, here’s a list of the other charms:

Ulrick – 2 swords in an X, blades pointing down.

Od – Laser Arrw/Arrwhed

*^*^*^ My Anncment *^*^*^

This was an amazing story to write. I have so many kind words about my story. I’m quite happy that I feel ready to go through with my original plan.

This story…is the very 1st in a series that I’ll write!

I’m not quite sure what I’ll call it yet, but you should know I’ll take some time “off” before starting the next story. Don’t worry, it won’t be a lot of time off, ‘cuz I don’t do a lot of prewriting. Or any at all, in fact (Yep, my English teachers hate me for it).

*^*^*^ The Other Anncmnt *^*^*^

Because of where the next story will be located, I’m thinking of rating high & making it T. Don’t worry, if you’re not over 13 years of age though, I won’t put in too many plot twists…unless I just can’t help myself!

*^*^*^ Questions *^*^*^

Is Flora’s favorite song “All American Girl?”