Ulrich couldn’t stand it any longer and had to see Yumi and tell her before it was too late. He couldn’t figure out what he was going to say but he had to. Ulrich remembered that he had told Odd and Jeremie where he was going after Odd and Jordan had come back. Jordan was going to stay over in Aelita’s room for protection and Jeremie had set up some sort of an alarm with Jordan watching him so that Catie couldn’t attack at night. Ulrich thought Jordan was going overboard but really didn’t care.

        Ulrich walked down the road to the hospital and realized someone was behind him.

        He turned around to see a blond haired girl. Her head was down so that the blond hair was covering her face, but Ulrich could see that a part of her face was damaged.

        “Catie?” Ulrich asked, not really knowing what to do. 

       “So she did tell you, didn’t she?” Catie said as she pulled out a gun from behind her. She pointed it at Ulrich and looked at him to show him her face and said, “You see what she did! This is why she must be stopped!” 

       “But why us?” Ulrich asked to stall for time and prayed for some one to help. “Why Jordan’s boyfriend?” 

       “Just people in the way.” Catie said as she pulled the trigger. 

       Ulrich fell to the ground as Catie ran away. He felt like he was falling into darkness. He saw a light and voices were telling him he wasn’t done on Earth. The next thing he noticed was that he was looking down on his body as it was in surgery.

         “Scary, isn’t it?” a female voice asked from next to him in the air. 

       Ulrich turned to the voice and saw a girl that in a strange way, reminded him of Odd. “Yes, it is.” 

       “You must stop Catie, Ulrich Stern. You and your friends. Jordan is in grave danger and if she doesn’t survive all of this, the world will not survive. She is as important to the survival of this world as you and your friends are.” The girl said.

         Around Ulrich, every thing began to change. He found himself standing in a rocky area that was full of fog. In front of him was a battle. And in that battle was all his friends and Jordan, plus many more that he didn’t recognize.

        “You see, you and your friends, as well as Jordan, are part of a group of people that have been given lives to save the Earth. Yours started when you said that you would help Jeremie in getting a girl out of a computer. Hers started when her real family was killed by aliens and she was shot with a supersonic ray gun created by these aliens that had strange effects on her.” 

       “May I ask, who are you?” Ulrich couldn’t help but ask. 

       “Just a friend of the dead and of the living.” The girl said. “Tell Odd that I haven’t forgotten.” 

       Ulrich felt himself falling down. He found himself opening his eyes and seeing his father’s stern face above him with his mother’s kind one.

        His father lightened up for once and smiled at seeing his son open his eyes. “How you feeling son?”

        “Sore.” Ulrich said bluntly.

        “You have some people that would like to see you.” His mother said as the two of them got up and walked out of the room.

         After they left, Jeremie, Odd, Jordan, Aelita, and Yumi came in. Yumi had to roll in in a wheelchair. 

       “Hey buddy.” Odd said as he sat down in the chair his father had just left.

        Aelita walked over to Ulrich and handed him a bunch of flowers. “We thought it would do something for the room.” Aelita said with a smile. 

       Ulrich smiled and said, “Thanks.” As he sat the flowers on the table next to the bed. 

       “What happened?” Jordan asked, standing next to Odd.

        “You were right, Catie is trying to get rid of us.” Ulrich said as he tried to reposition himself, but his chest started to hurt, so he stopped moving. 

       “Are you ok?” Yumi asked, seeing his pain in his face. 

       “I’m fine.” Ulrich lied. “I’m just glad Catie is a lousy shot.” 

       “What do you mean?” Jeremie asked.

         “Well, when you’re about a meter away from the person you are trying to kill and the person is still alive, I’d call that a lousy shot.” Ulrich said with a smile. His smile faded when he saw that no one else was smiling, not even Odd. 

       “They haven’t told you yet, have they?” Aelita asked. 

       “Told me what?” 

       “You were dead, for at least a day.” Odd said. “They were about to send you to the morgue when you started to breath again.” 

       “What!” Ulrich asked in surprise. Than he remembered the talk with that girl that looked like Odd. “Hey Odd, this may sound really random, but do you know a girl that had blond hair like yours, with the purple diamond?” 

       “Ya, why?”

        “She said she still remembered.”  

      “You talked to her, but how, she’s been dead for a couple of years now!?”

        “Who is she, she wouldn’t tell me her name.”

         “Candie.” Odd said. “But how did you talk to her?” 

              “You said that I was dead.”

        “People that have been dead have been able to talk to people from their past before.” Jeremie said. “It wouldn’t be surprising if you were able to talk to her while you where dead.” 

       “Oh, uh, guys, we need to get back to school.” Aelita said, looking at Yumi more than at Odd, Jeremie, or Jordan. 

       “Oh, right.” Odd said as he got up. “See ya.” 

       “Bye guys.” Yumi said as the two watched their friends leave for school.

        As soon as they left, the room fell into complete silence, except for the different calls over the inter calm.  

            “I guess you where wondering why I’m in a wheelchair.” Yumi said, not looking at Ulrich. 

       “It did come into my mind.” Ulrich said. 

       “They said that when I was shot, it hit my spinal cord, causing it to make me paralyzed from the waist down.” 

       “What!” 

       “They said that there was only a 10 present chance that I could walk again.” Yumi still didn’t look at Ulrich but he made himself move so that he could get face to face with her. He grabbed her chin and moved her head so that she was looking him in the eyes. 

       “You will walk again.” Ulrich said. “I believe that you can, and I’ll be there the whole way through.” 

       “Thanks Ulrich.” Yumi said as Ulrich let go of her chin. She took her chances and went forward and kissed him on the lips.

        Ulrich was surprised at first and then was able to get his arm around her back as he went deeper with the kiss.

        The two let go after a few seconds and looked at each other, blushing.

         “Sorry.” Yumi said as Ulrich let go.

        “No, don’t be sorry.” Ulrich said as he sat back down so that his chest didn’t hurt so badly. “What got me to get in all this mess was that I was going to see you and tell you that I love you and that I am tired of all this. Not knowing if you’re going to see anyone the next day, or that your best friend might get killed without them knowing the truth. I love you Yumi.” 

       “I love-“ Yumi got cut off as a new voice popped its way into Ulrich’s head. 

       “Ulrich! Wake up!” it sounded like Odd. 

       Ulrich opened his eyes and looked at Odd with evil in his eyes. “You couldn’t have waited one second, could you?” 

       “What, was Yumi about to say I love you?” Odd asked, jokingly.  

      Ulrich threw off the blankets and started to get ready for school.

The End