The week continued on. Yumi acted normal, well, not exactly. She'd call her mother, leave messages, and acted like her mother would pick up. "Ema, mama's not answering my calls, she just be very busy at her job or something," she laughed, lying on the couch after school with Ema and Masaomi sitting across from her.

"Masaomi-san, do you see what I mean?" Ema whispered to the older man, looking at Yumi with a worried look on her face. "It's like she isn't even acknowledging that her mother is... D-dead..."

"She's going through the stages of grief, Ema-chan," Masaomi said seriously, putting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. "First and current stage, denial." He sighed. "It's going to take a long time for her to heal... When did you say the funeral was? We'll have to fly her over..."

"It's next week," Ema bit her lip, tearing her gaze away from her seemingly cheerful best friend. "But, Masaomi-san, I don't... I don't want her to..." She trailed off, clenching her hands into fists.

"Ema-chan," Masaomi put a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "We'll have to inform everyone else of the situation. But don't worry, as you said, we're all going to help her get through this."

"What are you guys talking about?" Yumi stuck out her tongue, playing with her cellphone as she rolled over to face them. "I heard my name~" she giggled, a little bit too out of her usual character.

"Oh n-nothing!" Ema stuttered, laughing nervously and waving it off. "We're just talking about America... And how you should visit your Aht next week!"

"That sounds nice," Yumi nodded, sitting up. "I can see Mama too! Are you going to come with me Ema-chan?"

"I'm afraid I can't," Ema frowned. "I don't have a passport..."

"That's fine, I shall go with you," Masaomi smiled, standing up. "Alright then, Yumi, you should go pack. I'll inform the hospital that I'll shall be taking a few days off, and we'll head to America!"

"Awesome!" Yumi clapped her hands, immediately getting up as well. "Thank you, brother!" She bowed, then ran off to go pack.

"I'll be able to handle this," Masaomi reassured Ema. "Though, I'm not so sure how the others will..."

"I just want to help my best friend get through this," Ema said, a determined, yet grim expression on her face. "That's all I ask for, Masaomi-san."

"Then we'll all do our best, for Yumi's and your sake."

A couple days later, around 5 AM, Yumi and Masaomi were off to America! Luckily, Yumi was pardoned from school, and Masaomi had managed to catch those couple days off. "Do you have to go?" Wataru whined. "Can't I go with you?"

"I'd like for you to," Yumi whispered, bending down to his height. "But Brother over there doesn't want it!" She puffed her cheeks out. "But I'll be sure to get a souvenir or something!" She ruffled his hair, laughing.

To everyone, it seemed as if Yumi had no idea what was going to happen.

But on the inside, she knew. She refused to accept the truth though. 'Mama's not dead... She's not dead... There isn't a funeral.. We're just going to visit...' Those were the main thoughts whizzing through her mind.

"...mi? Yumi?" Masaomi snapped her out of her thoughts, "Are you ready to go? We need to get to the gate soon."

"R-right!" Yumi said her last goodbyes. She gave Ema an extra long hug. "I'll be back in a couple days! You have Juli to take watch out for you though, so don't worry!"

"Don't worry about me!" Ema smiled. 'It's you everyone should be worrying about...' She thought, waiting until Masaomi and Yumi disappeared from sight before joining the other Asahinas.

By the time Masaomi and Yumi were ready to board, Yumi's cheerful demeanor disappeared completely, being replaced by a depressed one. "I don't want to go..." She whispered quietly, looking up at Masaomi, who was giving her an empathetic look. "I don't want to see her..." She trailed off.

"So you do know why we're going," Masaomi said softly, placing a hand on top of her head and trying to comfort her. "Yumi, I truly am sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to bring her back," Yumi snapped. She shoved his hand off, before realizing what she had done and apologized. "I don't know what came over me..." She frowned, mentally scolding herself before following Masaomi into the gate leading to the plane.

"Auntie..." 12 hours later, around 1 PM a day behind Japanese time, Yumi met her Aunt with Masaomi by her side. Mio said nothing, eyeing Masaomi strangely, and turned, gesturing for them to follow her.

They navigated their way through the airport, getting into Mio's somewhat cramped car, and making their way to her home. "The funeral is tonight," Mio said, breaking the thick silence. "Yumi..."

Yumi didn't reply, leaning her head against the car window. She felt her hand being squeezed softly by Masaomi, but she still didn't offer any form of communication. She felt numb, almost like she was dead herself. She felt the need to laugh ironically, as she looked out the window and watched the beautiful Michigan scenery pass by. She couldn't even enjoy it, I mean, how could she? Her mother was dead, there was no way she'd be happy at a time like this.

That night passed in a blur. Yumi didn't even remember most of what had happened, she was too busy silently crying as she kneeled at the side of the coffin, clutching the side of it until her knuckles turned white, and once the time the coffin was lowered into the ground and the soil put on top of it, Yumi let out a choked, anguish-filled scream.

"Mama... Mama.." She sobbed, on her knees in front of the gravestone. "Mama... Come back... Please don't leave me..." She stayed there until Masaomi quietly picked her up, despite her protests.

"Yumi," Masaomi whispered, a little pained to see her like this. "Calm down... We have to go back home okay..?"

"No! Don't take me away!" Yumi screamed, not able to contain it anymore. "Mama! MAMA! NO! NO NO NO!"

The rest of the stay in America was not pleasant, to say the least.

A/N: I KNOW IT'S A SHORT ASS CHAPTER BUT I HAD TO GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY. And I'm so sorry I haven't been updating! I recently started school, so you guys will probably either get a chapter every other week, or once a month. :( Im so sorry! But since it's Labor Day Weekend, I'll try and get another chapter up!

Edit: 9/20/13 AHAHAHA I KNOW I SAID I'D GET A CHAPTER UP ON LABOR DAY WEEKEND BUT I DIDNT AND I'M SO SORRY! I swear i'll get one up this month! Maybe... if I still have the inspiration to continue this and not start a new one... /cries