It was a perfect night in that small city in France. If you looked up from the ground, you could see tiny stars shining in the charcoal-black sky; and if you happened to look down at the ground, you would have seen a similar display, only this one of yellow city lights. A soft and sweet summer wind circled over the land, and for most people, just being out in the world felt better than anything you could have slapped down twenty dollars at a spa for. For most people, anyway.

Nothing seemed to feel very good for Yumi Ishiyama anymore. Standing outside of a nightclub in the middle of the city with a cigarette in between her reddened lips, she looked rather bored. She worked nights at the club, and, at that moment, was on break. Kind of. Well, to be honest, she was just avoiding someone. But she didn’t like to think of it that way.

Yumi was a beautiful young woman. Now 22 and working hard to put herself through college, she had certainly developed into something of interest for some of the people who found their way into the nightclub she worked at. Dressed in a black, low-cut shirt, matching mini-skirt, and a small apron that she was required to wear, she was very aware of the looks she got from some of the men inside the club. She ignored them all, though, no matter how attractive her lookers were.

Men were filthy beings to her. Many of her friends had tried to understand why she felt that way, but one thing Yumi was good at was keeping secrets. Unfortunately, her mysterious ways just seemed to make her more attractive.

She looked down at the now-short cigarette in her hands. Slowly, she exhaled a final cloud of smoke from her lungs, and then dropped the spent cigarette and stepped on it. She was just turning to go back into the club, when she found herself face-to-face with a man about her age, who had apparently been leaving the club. He was taller than her, and had dark brown hair and eyes that were such a deep shade, you could have drowned in them.

“Yumi?” he asked softly. Yumi was so close to his face that she could smell the faint odor of alcohol on his breath.

Yumi took a step backwards. And then she slapped him across the face.

“Leave me alone,” she whispered in an eerily blank manner. She stormed past the man and back into the club.

The man stared after her with a distant look on his face. But then he sighed, shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and began walking out into the night.

Inside the club, music pumped through the building, embracing the mobs of people who were dancing or getting drunk. Yumi ignored it all, though. Lost in her own world.

The sound of her name brought her out of her trance. “Yumi?” It was Jenna, someone she worked with. Jenna was tall and skinny, with large breasts. Red, curly hair sat on the top of her head lazily. Yumi always thought of Jenna as somewhat of a friend, though they weren’t that close. “Who was that?” she wanted to know.

Yumi swabbed at the surface of an abandoned table with a rag. “Just some guy.”

Jenna looked at her hard, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she picked up a tray of old glasses and carried them to the bar to be washed.

Yumi sighed and stared at the door of the club. “Ulrich,” she mouthed to herself.

Ulrich, indeed.

She remembered how they broke up, back when she was in High School, and he was still in Junior. How she just-so-happened to see him kissing Emily one day. And that day… he “just-so-happened” to break her 15-year-old heart.

She shook her head. That was in the past. Nothing she could do to change it now. Yet… a part of her wondered what it would be like to talk to him again. Because Yumi was no longer going to Kadic when the incident with Emily occurred, there was no reason to stay in contact with him. Yet, there he was at the club tonight.

But men… men were all the same. She'd had relationships since she knew Ulrich, each of them ending in heartbreak. She was sick of it. And she didn’t want to go through any of that again.

She didn’t want to love anyone now. It was too much trouble.

Yumi began remembering her days at Kadic. She remembered Jeremie and Odd… and Aelita. She remembered Lyoko and Xana, and fighting there, with a digital fan and a skimpy outfit. And, of course, her teammates.

She caught herself smiling faintly. Those were good memories, now. Even when she felt stressed or sad or angry, those four friends of hers were always there to help her feel better.

And no one ever made her feel better than Ulrich.

Yumi realized then that she was walking to the entrance of the club. And she didn’t want to stop until she got outside. She wanted to talk to Ulrich again. She wanted to start over.

She rushed outside, into that wonderful summertime night air. And she saw Ulrich far away, walking down the sidewalk. Like a dream.

But the other side of Yumi spoke to her. “Don’t do it. You’ll just hurt yourself again.”

“You know that.”

Yumi watched Ulrich for a while, as he got smaller and smaller. And then he disappeared from the light of the city, into the void of nighttime.

“Ishiyama! Come on! Get back to work!” A male voice boomed from inside the club. That was her boss, who everyone hated.

Yumi stood for a moment, looking out to where Ulrich had once been.

And then she walked back to the door of the club.

“Maybe one day I’ll talk to you again,” Yumi thought. “Maybe.”

But at that moment, the warm, wonderful air of summer seemed to get just a little bit colder.