The Revelation

                                    

                                          
Yumi and Sissi ran through the forest at top speed. Dirt kicked up underfoot. Sissi's cane was strapped to her back from a black belt she made. The two girls vaulted over a bush and ducked under a branch. Sissi's eyes glared forward, never wavering. "Are you sure he's there?" Yumi breathed hard.

                          
"Where else would XANA trap him?" Sissi panted. "Ulrich and Aelita said he went into the woods, right? The only place XANA could trap him quietly is at the Hermitage. Come on!" The girls' lungs were hurting, but Sissi's speed didn't slow until Yumi begged her. "Ugh, fine." She paced around.
                          
"We'll find him, Sissi. Whew, don't worry," Yumi breathed.
                          
"This is just great!" Sissi shouted. "First, Jeremie finally gets that decoder for Hopper's diary, but now XANA's trying to take over the tower to access all the data. Second, Odd's empty head gets trapped by XANA, and a polymorphing specter is on Lyoko. And only Ulrich is there to protect the tower! Geez, I knew something would happen to that idiot. For all we know, XANA could be done with him!"
                          
Sissi's clenched hands pressed against her temples as she ground her teeth. Suddenly, she felt arms wrapped around her. "It's alright, Sissi. XANA de-virtualized both of us. We couldn't have seen it coming," Yumi sighed, hugging her. "Okay, I'm read-"
                          
"Good!" Sissi bolted off. They quickly got to the Hermitage grounds. "ODD!"
                          
They waited.
                          
"Mghmh!"
                          
"Wait, do you hear water running?" Yumi said.
                          
"There must be a hose at the back of the house. Come on!" When they ran the corner, they saw the outside hose was indeed on. Shutting it off, they looked around. "Now where is-"
                          
"HELP!" shouted a familiar voice. On the ground was an outside drain. The girls looked down the grating and saw Odd swimming in the water. They had just stopped the water in time. A few minutes more and there would be no air for him. "Wow, am I glad to see you girls."
                          
"You'll have to thank Sissi. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't know where to find you," Yumi said. "Hold on, we'll get you out." The girls squatted down and grabbed the grating. "Ready? One, two, three!" They groaned as they pulled.
                          
"Come on! Pull!"
                          
"I'm trying!" Suddenly, the grating flew off. The girls tumbled to their butts, but Sissi quickly crawled back, reached down, and pulled Odd up out of the hole.
                          
"That's the longest a girl has kept me waiting," Odd laughed.
                          
Sissi rolled her eyes but smiled as she and Yumi pulled him out completely. "We thought you were dead," Sissi said.
                          
"Aw, I didn't know you cared so much for me, your Majesty," Odd smirked.
                          
Glaring deep into his eyes, Sissi's voice became low, "Of course, I care about all of you, Odd. Don't ever forget that."
                          
"Never," Odd smiled. Sissi gladly smiled back.
                          
Yumi looked at the two."Uh, I hate to break... whatever this is up, but shouldn't we get back to Jeremie and decoding Franz Hopper's diaries?"
                          
"Right... right!" Sissi's head shook. She grabbed her phone. "Jeremie, we got Odd. How is everything on your end?"
                          
"Everything's alright. We got a little help from Franz Hopper. We're decoding his diary now."
                          
"Great," Sissi sighed, hanging up. She rolled her head back, gazing at the bright blue sky that stretched overhead. The birds happily singing finally reached her ears. She closed her eyes. The cool breeze pulled the tension from her shoulders. The earth felt so firm and steady. Finally steady. A light warm presence drifted to her shoulder, and she could feel Odd smiling behind her. She sighed again as she looked back at him. "Come on. Let's go."