The characters Yumi Ishiyama, Mr. (Takeo) & Mrs. Ishiyama, and Ulrich Stern are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.
Note: This story takes place immediately after 'Welcome.'
She felt the Imp inside her stirring again. It whispered to her, telling her things, suggesting things. She listened.
It seemed like the Imp had always been with her. When she was younger, it got her into a lot of trouble, so much so at times she despaired of ever reaching adulthood. But it was the Imp that found her husband for her. After that day, she made her peace with it, and it with her.
It mostly seemed content to let her live her life and tend to her husband and children, but sometimes it would whisper to her that things were too quiet, too stable. Like today.
It started a couple of days ago when her husband, Takeo, opened a door he was not prepared to open. He had found the foil wrapper of a condom in the garbage and was wondering where it came from.
And her daughter, Yumi, had to go and tell him the truth.
To say he was upset was an understatement, and the fact he had started drinking before the subject came up didn't help any. He raged and railed, and just about beat Yumi, something he had never done to either of their children, even at his drunkest. She got between them though, took the children and left.
She stayed away for most of the evening, to give Takeo time to calm down, or at least pass out. She also used the time to calm Yumi down, reassuring her that things would sort themselves out tomorrow.
Her daughter had just about calmed down when she remembered that her boyfriend Ulrich Stern was coming by to visit. Yumi frantically searched for her cell phone to call him, tell him not to come, but she couldn't find it. Yumi pleaded with her mother to let her use her cell phone, and cried when she had to tell her daughter that she too left with out one. All the while, her son Hiroki was sitting in the back seat, silent.
It was late when they returned home, mother and daughter afraid of what they would find there. What they found was their neighbor, Mrs. Dupree, rushing out of her house, complaining about the noise coming from the back of their house. Dreading the worst, they ran around to the back of the house to the strangest sight they had ever seen.
There was her husband, Takeo Ishiyama, and Yumi's boyfriend, Ulrich Stern, standing on the back porch, singing off key as loud as they could. They had their pants pulled down for some reason, and were both holding bottles of liquor. Mrs. Dupree informed them that they had been alternately singing and urinating off the porch for about an hour now, one trying to out distance or out sing the other.
It was all she could do to keep a straight face.
She told her distraught neighbor that she would take care of things, and apologized for the disturbance. She and Yumi then went and took their men inside.
The next morning was hell for the both men, and she didn't make it any easier on them. But she knew Yumi's problem had been solved when she heard her husband say to Ulrich, "welcome to the family, son."
That was when the Imp started whispering to her again.
She stood in the laundry room and watched the condemned men trudge to their penance. As Takeo walked by, the Imp whispered how luscious he looked in her old robe. The Imp drew her from the laundry room into the hallway where she could watch him pick up the living room undetected. Oh yes, she thought to herself, he does look luscious. And as he bent over to pick up the living room mess, she started quivering in places as she watched his leg muscles and butt flex with his bending and rising motions. Moist warmth began to spread from her heart downwards as she translated that motion to other things, intimate things.
Then the Imp whispered, it's been a long time since the two of you have played together. Why should your daughter have all the fun?
Mrs. Ishiyama agreed, Yes, why should my daughter have all the fun?
The Imp whispered and she listened. The day before, after everyone left for work and school, she prepared. She had showered and dressed for the day, but after everyone left, she undressed. She knew her makeup was perfect, because Takeo had given her an extra long appreciative look when he saw her that morning. That pleased her. She went and got the family's digital camera, replaced the memory card already in it with a new one, and set about her task.
It took a while, but she got what she wanted. With each shot, the Imp encouraged her on, telling her what her husband would think when he saw the pictures, telling her how good he would feel when they finally came together. When she was done, she printed out the pictures she wanted, replaced the original memory card in the camera, and put it away. Both she and the Imp chuckled in anticipation.
Today, she was ready to implement her plan. She went to work, as usual, but at lunch time, told her supervisor that she was feeling ill and needed to go home. Her supervisor said okay, take care of yourself.
When she got to her car, she called her husband.
"Ishiyama, how may I help you?" he answered.
"Come home and find out," she replied in her most sultry voice, in Japanese.
"Dear, I'd love to but I can't," he replied, also in Japanese.
"Are you sure you couldn't make a little time for your wife? I've got a surprise for you."
"Honey, I really can't, I..."
"Look in your briefcase, in the folder in the back."
There was a brief rustling as he got his briefcase and looked for the folder. There was a moment of silence before she heard his sudden intake of breath.
Then he whispered, "I'll be there in thirty minutes."
She and the Imp smiled in triumph.
Yumi Ishiyama and Ulrich Stern covered the last few blocks to Yumi's house. It was a bright autumn day, too beautiful to be stuck inside a classroom. For Ulrich, cutting class wasn't a new thing, even before XANA and the supercomputer and Lyoko. But this was the first time Yumi had ever cut a class just to cut a class. Yumi suggested they go to her house for a while, since her parents were gone to work and Hiroki was at school. They would have the whole house to themselves for the afternoon. Ulrich got a smile on his face when she suggested it, hoping it meant what he thought it meant.
They arrived and the house was quiet. They quickly went upstairs to Yumi's room, and threw their stuff down. She left for a moment, saying she wanted to get some drinks and snacks from the kitchen. He stood there waiting, looking at the fans and scroll she had gotten from Japan a few weeks back. She was right, he thought to himself, they do look like her fans in Lyoko.
She returned with refreshments and they sat at the table next to the window. They both smiled and tittered as they ate, still somewhat uncomfortable with each other. Even though they were lovers, they still haven't reached the place of casual acceptance of the other's presence.
Then they heard the door open and close.
"Oh no," Yumi whispered, "if mom or dad find me here, I'm dead!"
"And I'll probably be on the slab next to you," Ulrich said, "out the window and down the drainpipe!" He started to open the window.
"No! After the last time, the drainpipe came loose! If we put any weight on it, it'll fall right off!"
"Great! What are we going to do?"
Just then, the door opened and closed again. Now, the teens heard voices.
"Mom and Dad are home!" Yumi whispered, "something must be wrong, daddy never comes home during the day unless there's a problem."
The voices downstairs quieted, and the two teenagers crept to the bedroom door. Yumi carefully opened the door and listened.
"I think we might be able to sneak out if we're very quiet," she said. Ulrich nodded and they crept into the hallway.
They were just about to the top of the stairs when they heard voices from below. Quickly, they pulled back and flattened out on the hallway wall and froze. The voices changed now, brief sentences followed by intervals of silence. Then, other sounds started drifting up to them. Titters and sighs, then soft moans.
"Is that what I think is?" Ulrich whispered to Yumi.
A male voice spoke softly while a female voice moaned louder.
"Oh. My. God," was all Yumi could say, her face turning beet red.
Now, the voices were getting louder, like they were coming upstairs. The kids were frozen, waiting for the end to come. Not only would they die for skipping school, they would die for interrupting her parent's intimate time.
But the voices stopped at the bottom of the steps, which in some ways was even worse. For now they could hear more of what had been going on in the other part of the house. Both adults were thoroughly enjoying each other's company, and were letting the whole world know it.
Ulrich put his arms around Yumi, trying to comfort her, trying to distract himself from the scene being played out below. The Ishiyamas were speaking Japanese, and he couldn't understand what they were saying, but he perfectly understood the tone of their voices and the other sounds they made. He held Yumi in his arms and rocked her slowly from side to side. All the while, he muttered a mantra, "cold showers and pushups, cold showers and pushups..."
Yumi understood exactly what was being said below, the words of love, the words of encouragement, the words of instruction. She buried her head in Ulrich's arms, trying to keep the sounds out, trying not to invade her parent's privacy any further, trying not to visualize what was going on at the bottom of the steps.
Finally, the moans rose to a crescendo and there was silence. The teens thought the show was finally over when they heard movement. For a moment, Yumi was afraid they were coming upstairs now, but the movement receded, into what sounded like the living room. Then the sounds of lovemaking started up again.
"My God, your dad's an animal! I'm surprised you don't have twenty brothers and sisters!" Ulrich softly exclaimed.
Yumi shot him the Evil Eye of Death for a second, then got a smirk on her face.
"Now you know what you have to live up to," she whispered evilly.
Yumi and Ulrich had arrived at Yumi's house at about 12:15 pm that day. It was about 3 pm when silence finally fell on the living room. The entire time, Yumi and Ulrich sat pressed against the hallway wall upstairs, listening, afraid of moving and giving away their presence.
Finally, the silence was too much to take. They slowly and softly crept down the stairs. Yumi's parents were nowhere in sight. But when they came to the bottom of the steps, they saw two pairs of legs entwined together, the rest of their bodies blocked by the living room couch.
Ulrich took a step forward and Yumi stopped him. "Don't you dare!" she hissed, "just go outside and I'll join you in a minute."
He nodded and softly walked to the front door, carefully opened it, went out and carefully closed it.
Yumi stood there a moment and thought. Hiroki was going to be home soon, and this was the last thing he needed to see. She was almost an adult now, and she wasn't ready to see this!
She walked silently into the living room, careful not to look at her parents, and got the blanket they kept there. She brought it over and covered her parents up. Only then did she look at them.
Both of them had contented smiles on their faces. For this moment, all of their cares were erased, and all that remained was their love for each other. Her father was resting his head on her mother's chest, arm wrapped around her, hugging her to himself. Her mother looked like a schoolgirl again, full of love and her lover, not yet having faced the trials of life that beat down all men and women.
Then the Imp whispered to Yumi.
This is what I give to your mother, it said, spice, the ability to, for a moment, throw aside the cares of the world and enjoy life. Oh, she got into trouble listening to me when she was younger, but she had yet to learn when to indulge and when not to. But she eventually learned, and your father was one result. Their first years together were wonderful for them, despite the hardships they went through. Then, she forgot me for a while, and suffered needlessly for it. Ulrich coming into your life gave me the opportunity to remind her I was still here, and what we could do together.
This is my Gift to your mother. If you will accept it, I will give you the same Gift. You know somewhat of the dangers and sorrows that will come your way, over and above those that life throws at everyone. I can help ease your burdens, and Ulrich's, if you let me.
Yumi thought a moment, remembering all of the fights her mother and father had, then looking at their faces now. She then said, "I accept."
Her mother stirred and fussed a little in her sleep, then softly said, "Yumi, you will never regret it."
Yumi joined Ulrich outside.
"C'mon," she said, "we had better go pick Hiroki up. Maybe we can take him for some ice cream or something until mom and dad have a chance to straighten up."
"Okay," he replied, and they set off.
And in her mind, Yumi felt the Imp inside her stir. It whispered to her, telling her things, suggesting things. She smiled as she listened.