Ulrich watched Yumi lay on the bed sleeping. The medication they gave her before must have been wearing off because she started to stir in the bed, until her eyes opened.

“Hmm?” She looked over at Ulrich sitting neck to her.

“Yumi.” Ulrich said in a soft voice. She turned her head at the sound of her name. “Yumi.” He repeated with more relief now that she had woken up. But Yumi looked up at him as if he was calling her name to tell her something. She tried to sit up, but every muscle in her body ached from the fight she had gotten in. “Yumi,” Ulrich repeated pushing her back down to a laying position. Yumi look at him as if his vocabulary had been lowered to her name. He watched her look around to figure out where she was. Then she looked back at him.

“You go into some fight.” Ulrich said. He was right, the side of her neck, left shoulder, and her torso were bandaged from the fight she had gotten into. The doctor has talked to Ulrich once and told him her arm was broken, her shoulder was cut, the side of her neck was cut too, and it looked as it she was stabbed in her left side. Apparently whoever attacked her attacked on her left. “How are you feeling?”

“. . . fine . . .” His one word response told him her neck hurt her too much to tell him what was wrong. He knew her muscles had to be stiff from laying there all day, and she had to be sore. He looked down at her with his emerald eyes. Her brown owns looked back at him.

“Yumi, I know it hurts for you to talk, and I have to head back to the school soon. But if anything comes up, text me K?” Ulrich asked getting a nod in return. Ulrich knew how much Yumi hated hospitals, but he never knew why, he made a mental note to ask her after she could talk without being sore.

*** Later that Day ***

Ulrich walked back to the hospital after his classes. He didn’t expect Yumi to be any better then she was that morning, but she had to be lonely without anyone there she could talk to. As soon as he walked through the halls and knocked on the door to her room, he hoped she was at least a little better then she was that morning.

“Come in.” The words where painfully spoken as Ulrich opened the door and walked in. Yumi had kept herself busy, she was sitting Indian Style on the bed with her black jeans and white T-shirt on folding paper to look like a crane.

“I see you kept busy.” Ulrich said as he walked up to the side of the bed and watched her fold the paper until it was done. She looked over at Ulrich.

“Why did you come?” Yumi said. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but”

“Don’t talk.” Ulrich said stopping her from finishing her sentence. “I want to know if you remember anything from the fight. Did you get a look at this guys face?”

“No.” Yumi said. “It was too dark.”

“Do you think it was XANA?” Ulrich asked.

“Maybe.” Yumi said looking down at her bandaged left arm.

“Did her sound like XANA?”

“I don’t know.” Yumi said getting pissed off at him. He looked over at her.

“Yumi, I really care about what happens to you, I don’t want this guy to end up attacking you again.” Ulrich said putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I understand that.” Yumi said. “It wasn’t XANA, It was a personal issue.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Ulrich asked. “This guy attacked you, at least tell me who.”

“Someone from my past.” Yumi said. “Long past as in from when I still lived in Japan, three or four years ago.”

“Go on.” Ulrich said advising her to go on.

“I don’t want to talk about it, I need to handle this on my own.” Yumi said. “Please Ulrich, promise me you’ll let me handle it.”

“I can’t” Ulrich started.

“Ulrich, I mean it.” Ulrich had never seen her brown eyes so serious before.

“OK” Ulrich said as much as he didn’t want to. “But promise me you’ll be careful.”

“Deal.” Yumi said before laying back on the pillow of the bed.

“Tired?” Ulrich asked.

“Yeah.” Yumi said. Ulrich laid his hand on top of hers.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, I have some homework to do.” Ulrich said.

“Say Hi to the others for me.” Yumi said.

“OK.” Ulrich said heading out the door.