CL Fanfic: The Fallen One

Chapter 1:  Siblings

       Ulrich let out a sigh as he leaned against the wall. Someone had called him the day before and said that they were coming for him. He didn't understand what the person was talking.
       "Ulrich? You who?" Ulrich snapped out of his daze and stared into the face of his friend Yumi, who he was madly in love with. A look of concern painted her face. "You ok?" she asked. Ulrich nodded his head and smiled weakly.
       "Yeah. I'm fine. Just tired." He answered. Yumi folded her arms across her chest and sighed.
       "Alright then."
       "As I was saying, I might have found a way to bring William back. It's not 100% done, but pretty soon it will be." Jeremie said. Aelita smiled along with Odd.
       "That's great Einstein. But…Will he still be Xana-fied?" Odd asked. Jeremie shrugged his shoulders.
       "I don't know." He replied. Ulrich was going to say something, but someone had grabbed his arm and was pulling him away from his group. He wanted to yell, but something was stopping him.
       A moment went by when the person finally stopped pulling him and they where away from his friends.
       "What is your problem?" he asked as he turned to face the person who had just dragged him across the campus. His expression softened though when he saw who his 'kidnapper' was. A girl, about a year younger then him, stood before him, her aqua green eyes bright with excitement and happiness. She had long brown hair with wild strips of blue streaks and was spiked in the front, looking kinda like Ulrich's hair almost. She wore a mossy colored open shirt with a blue tanktop underneath, black cargo pants and blue shoes. In a way, she looked a lot like Ulrich.
       The girl suddenly launched herself into Ulrich's chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and almost in tears. He smiled and placed his arms around the girl.
       "Ulrich?" Hearing his name he quickly separated from the girl and faced his friends. Yumi looked mad/jealous while the others looked confused.
       "Uh… hey." He replied. The girl who stood next to him hit him in the side with her elbow and looked at his friends as if telling him to do something. He somewhat glared at her. "Yeah, yeah. Alright. Guys, this is my sister, Oriana." His friends were speechless, never thinking that Ulrich had any siblings. Then…Odd spoke.
       "Wow…I always wondered what Ulrich would look like as a girl…Now I know. He'd look pretty hot." Ulrich sent death glares toward Odd as Oriana giggled.
       "Thanks for the compliment." She said, figuring it was a compliment. Odd smiled nervously, knowing that he would probably die later for the compliment. Yumi smiled.
       "I'm Yumi. This is Jeremie, Aelita, and Odd." She introduced. Oriana smiled.
       "I've heard so much about you all. Ulrich speaks frequently about you when we talk." She said. Ulrich blushed and turned his head away.
       "Let's go and get some breakfast. I'm starving." Odd complained. The group then headed off to the cafeteria. Once inside, Ulrich handed Oriana a tray. She looked confused at first but then relaxed.  After he had gotten everything he wanted, she did the same thing and followed him to the group's table. She sat in between him and Odd. Yumi sat across from Ulrich as Aelita sat across from Oriana and last was Jeremie who sat across from Odd.
       "So. Where was it that you went to before coming here?" Jeremie asked, curious. Oriana looked up to him.
       "I was home schooled. But my grandparents didn't think I was learning anything so they convinced my parents to send me here." She answered.
       "Well, we hope you like it." Yumi said. Odd took a bite of what he was eating and smiled.
       "We'll make sure you enjoy your stay." He added. Oriana smiled.
       "Thanks." Aelita took Jeremie's croissant and took a bite of it.
       "So, what is it that you like to do?" she asked. Ulrich sighed as a smile crossed his face.
       "Oh no. Here we go."  He said sarcastically. His sister punched him in the arm.
       "Shut up Ulrich." She hissed. She then turned back to the group. "Well, I like to do a lot of things. Drawing would be first since it's my absolute passion," Yumi grinned as she pointed her fork at Odd.
       "Alright, another artist in the group. Now Odd will have someone to draw with." The group laughed as Odd just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Oriana then continued.
       "I also love computers. Creating websites and computer games are my specialties."
       "Another computer geek." Odd spoke. Hearing his comment, Jeremie pushed his glasses back up on his nose and tried to ignore it.
       "I like to do some sports like archery, swimming, dodge ball, kick ball, and climbing. Um… Oh and writing. Like stories and poetry." Yumi smiled as she looked at Ulrich.
       "Another Ulrich. Cute." Ulrich looked at his food and blushed.
       "And last but not least, singing and acting. I wanna be an actress hopefully someday." Oriana said. Ulrich looked back up and looked at his sister.
       "Maybe Odd could help you out there."
       "And maybe you could join our band."
       "Ulrich, dear!!" Ulrich turned his head to the sound of his name but quickly regretted it. Sissi stood in front of their table and smiled to Ulrich but soon noticed Oriana and how she looked like Ulrich. "Who is this and why does she look like you?" Sissi asked. Oriana smiled as she placed her head in the palm of her hand and looked at Sissi.
       "I'm 'dear' Ulrich's look-a-like. Is that a problem for you, miss prep?" She asked smugly. Sissi was taken back by the way she was being talk too and stuck her nose in the air and walked away.
       "Whoa!!" Some people had over heard what Oriana had said and turned from their seats and looked at her. Some started whispering while others laughed.
       "Seems like you're gonna have some popularity competition there Ulrich." Jeremie said. Ulrich merely shrugged his shoulders and placed his hands behind his head, having  finished his breakfast already.
       "I'm not all that worried. I could care less if she gets more popular then me. I only hangout with you guys anyways. I don't really need more friends."  Everyone smiled to his compliment.
       "Aww. You really mean it? What a nice thing to say." Odd said.  Ulrich sighed as he stood up.
       "Let's go Oriana. Time to get your schedule." He said. Oriana got up and saluted to the group and smiled.
       "Hope to see ya later!" Were her last words before she left the cafeteria with Ulrich.

       Class began a half hour later and Odd noticed Ulrich finally entering the class, but with his sister behind him. Ulrich took his seat next to Odd as Oriana sat behind the two. Jeremie and Aelita both turned to Ulrich.
       "Isn't she younger then you?" Aelita asked. He placed his head in his hand and sighed.
       "Yeah. You could say that she's smart though and she's in our grade." Behind him, they could hear Oriana giggling.
       "You may look alike, but it seems that your brains are different." Jeremie joked. Ulrich gave him a look of sarcasm and closed his eyes.
       "Whatever." At that moment the teacher spoke up.
       "Alright class. Let's get started…"
       Classes went by quickly, surprisingly which meant lunch was next. Everyone was at their normal tables, eating and chatting away happily. Oriana though was no where to be found.
       "Ulrich? Is it true that the new girl here is your little sister?" Milly and Tamiya asked. Ulrich looked away from the door and looked at the two 7th graders.
       "Yeah. It's true." He answered. The two girls smiled at each other and thanked him and left.
       "Speaking of your sister, where is she?" Aelita asked curiously. Ulrich shrugged his shoulders and began eating his lunch. Yumi took a seat next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, somehow knowing that he was a bit worried.
       "If she's anything like you, she's fine." She said confidently.  He laughed for a split second.
       "She's everything like me, but at the same time, she's not."
       "Hi guys!!" Out of nowhere, Oriana showed up, as if she were called or something.
       "Uh…hey." Oriana took a seat next to Aelita and smiled.
       "Where were you?" Ulrich asked. Oriana held up a bag,
       "I was getting my art stuff ready for the next class. And I was checking out my room."
       "Your room must have that 'fresh, clean room' smell to it. I remember when I joined Kadic and my room smelled like that." Odd said. Ulrich laughed.
       "Yeah, that was before you took your shoes off." He laughed as did the others.
       "They're getting better!" Odd defended.  
       "Whatever you say good buddy."
       "Stop being mean Ulrich." Oriana complained. Ulrich sighed.
       "Stop being annoying Oriana." He replied. His sister glared at him and folded her arms across her chest.
       "Jerk." She mumbled under her breath. Being next to her, Aelita giggled. Oriana smiled.
       "So, are you gonna get any lunch?" Odd asked. Oriana shook her head and pulled out a soda from her bag.
       "No."
       "Then can I have your share?" Oriana shrugged her shoulders.
       "Sure." Odd grinned widely as he got up and went to get her helping of lunch. Oriana smiled as she turned back to the group. "So, what's after art?" she asked.
       "Well, next would be P.E." Aelita said. Oriana smiled.
       "Cool!"
       "You like P.E?" Odd asked, sitting back down with his second tray of food. Oriana shrugged her shoulders.
       "You could say that… I don't know, I'm weird." She confessed, smiling.
       "You got that right." Ulrich said quietly, but loud enough for the table to hear. Oriana glared at him but smiled again.
       "Cooler than you though." She said smugly towards her brother. Ulrich simply rolled his eyes. "Anyway! I'm bored. I'm gonna go and look around the school for a while until class starts." Oriana dug through her bag and grabbed a Yo-Yo and walked out the door.
       "…Your sister likes Yo-Yos?" Yumi asked. Ulrich shrugged his shoulders.
       "Must have picked it up when she was with our Grandparents." He said.
       "How come she didn't live with your parents?" Jeremie asked. Ulrich looked at the door and shook his head.
       "I'd rather not talk about it." He said, his tone sounding a bit pained. Odd, Jeremie, Aelita, and Yumi each exchanged questioning looks and dropped the subject. They grew silent as they ate their meals. Odd finished his first and got up.
       "Well, I'm gonna go find Oriana so she doesn't get lost around the school and show her around. Later." Odd put his tray away and went outside leaving the others. Aelita and Jeremie were next to finish. They too got up and left after saying bye to Yumi and Ulrich. After they left, Yumi noticed that Ulrich still looked upset.
       "Are you ok?" she asked, worried about her friend. He sighed and pushed his tray away from him.
       "Yeah, I'm fine." He lied. Yumi knew he was lying too, but waited to see if he would tell her the truth or not. She let out a sigh and took another bite of her food before getting up and throwing the rest away and putting her tray back. She then looked back at Ulrich.
       "Coming?" She asked. He got up and threw away his food also and put the tray down on top of hers and joined her. The two walked outside and seemed to walk off in the direction of the forest. Yumi sighed as they walked further into the forest and stopped. "Ulrich, something's bothering you." She said. Ulrich looked up to her then back to the ground. "Talk to me. I promise I wont tell anyone." She pleaded. Ulrich clenched his hands into fists and looked away from her.
       "The way my parents treat Oriana is something that completely sickens me. And the way she takes it, makes me angry." He said in a low tone, obviously angered by what he was saying. Yumi frowned as Ulrich continued. "They only kept her till she was 9, then they shipped her off to my Grandparents saying they couldn't handle her anymore. But it was the complete opposite. She was like putty in their hands…But they sent her away anyway." His rage somehow built up inside him as he spoke and finally something snapped inside him as he punched a tree that was beside him with all his strength. His fist left an impression in the tree. After, Ulrich's hand stung but he didn't show it.
       "Well, she's here now and she'll be in good hands from now on." Yumi said, offering some relief to her friend.
       "Hi Ulrich!!" Ulrich and Yumi turned to the voice and saw Odd and Oriana in a tree above them. Seeing Oriana's smile put Ulrich in a somewhat better mood then he was just a minute ago.
       "What are you doing in a tree?" He asked looking at Odd. Odd shrugged his shoulders.
       "She dragged  me up here!" he replied. Oriana jumped down from the top branch down to the one Odd was on and sat down.
       "He followed willingly." She added, grinning from ear to ear. Yumi smiled and placed her arm around Ulrich's neck.
       "See? She'll love it here." She said quietly to him. He nodded his head. "Well, it's close to class time so we might as well get going." Yumi said a little bit louder for Odd and Oriana could hear. They pouted as they climbed down the tree. Reaching the lowest branch, Odd jumped down first and after, Oriana. She landed with a loud thump, Odd underneath her.
       "Oh my God, I'm sorry Odd!!!" She apologized quickly. Odd half what smiled as Oriana helped him up.
       "It's ok. Luckily, you weren't heavy. Then it might have been a different story." Odd said.
       "Odd, you're always in the wrong place at the wrong time." Yumi said, grinning as she somewhat leaned on Ulrich. Odd dusted off his pants and glared at her.
       "No I'm not." He argued. Yumi rolled her eyes as her and Ulrich began walking back to school.
       "Whatever Odd."

       Classes started and the art class ended back up in the forest to take in the scenery and draw what they saw. Odd, Jeremie, Aelita, Ulrich, and Oriana all sat underneath the same tree.
       "So Ulrich, have your drawing skills gotten any better since I last saw you?" Oriana asked, sketching doodles on her paper, not doing the real assignment yet.
       "Ulrich draws? Wow Ulrich, I never would have thought." Aelita giggled as Jeremie smiled. Ulrich rolled his eyes.
       "No Oriana. They haven't. I don't draw." He answered. Oriana sighed as she finally started on the assignment. An idea popped into her head as she got up and moved to sit under an opposite tree to where they were sitting. They wondered why she did that but decided to not ask, in case she was upset or something. Odd leaned over to Ulrich.
       "You know, your sister is really pretty." He said, hoping his friend wouldn't kill him. Ulrich rolled his eyes.
       "You're not going to make her your newest girlfriend." He answered back, drawing a bunch of trees and things. Odd sighed as he went back to leaning against the tree and glanced at Ulrich's little sister. He thought that she looked calm and relaxed where she was, watching her pencil move as she drew whatever it was that she was drawing. Odd shook his head as he picked up his pencil and started drawing.

       The art class lasted for an hour and by then time it was up, almost everyone was done with their assignment. Looking at the art teacher, Oriana hesitantly gave her picture to him.
       "Excuse me, but do we get the pictures back?" She asked as he looked at the picture. He slightly nodded his head as she walked away. Odd and the others handed theirs in next. The teacher looked at Odd.
       "Well. It seems that you and Miss Stern had the same ideas." He said. Odd looked at him questioningly. The teacher then grabbed Oriana's picture and showed it to him and the group.
       The picture was of them, sitting peacefully under the tree and drawing. Odd's had somehow turned out almost the same, but with Oriana instead. The group was surprised.
       "Wow." Was all they could say. The teacher smiled and then took the picture back and collected the rest of the classes pictures.