lostmoonchild: Okay, here's chapter twenty three. I don't remember if anybody reviewed but if there were any reviews, thanks! Now my computer screen is dying on me so I can't read what I'm writing very well so you'll have to be tolerant until I get a new monitor. I don't own Code: Lyoko or anything else unless I say otherwise.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Oh God, what had she done wrong this time?

Yumi silently moaned in embarrassment as she watched her family and friends sit next to each other. Her parents were dressed nice seeing as it was their daughter's graduation while her remaining family were dressed in regular clothes, except for Abby. From the look on the small girl's face, she wasn't happy about having to wear a blue dress that she was obviously told not to get dirty. Her friends were dressed in moderately nice clothes showing that they cared about her enough to dress nicely.

She tried to get Morgan to trade places with her but they couldn't since the dress that Yumi had bought was a sleeveless and they didn't want to give away their little game because of Morgan's scars and a tattoo that was the kanji symbol for 'love' so they couldn't trade places. At least, not while her parents were around and since Ulrich and Odd could both tell the differences between their girlfriends.

Yumi smiled faintly as she remembered that Morgan had told her in secret that she and Odd were to be married in about a year. Odd would go to college first while Morgan stayed home to make sure that the housework and everything was done then once Odd finished college, she'd get more of an education. When Yumi had pointed out that by then the two would probably have kids, Morgan had simply shrugged and said that they'd figure something out when the time came. Right now, they wanted to keep their engagement between friends and some family members.

"Ishiyama, Yumi." Mr. Delmas said after clearing his throat.

Yumi stood up and walked onto the stage, accepting her diploma. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her cousins and friends stand up clapping loudly before they took a deep breath. "Don't you dare shout it." Yumi mouthed making a warning look.

"You love us, even when we do shout stuff like what we're about to shout." They mouthed back unable to keep from silently laughing.

"Guys… I'm gonna knock your heads in."

"SECOND BORN, FIRST TO GRADUATE! NOW GET A JOB!" The group shouted.

Yumi felt her face burn and knew that she was blushing from embarrassment. She smiled when she saw her mother grab her cousins by the arms and pull them down into their seats. Laughing, Morgan grabbed the guys' arms and pulled them into their seats as well. For a minute, Yumi wondered how she could have gotten landed with such irresponsible goofballs for cousins.

No, Yumi corrected herself, they goof around because nobody ever taught them anything other than be serious all the time. They do just have their serious moments, they just rather not show it all the time. Big cousin is serious twenty-four seven which results in little cousin goofing around whenever she gets the chance. Sighing softly, Yumi sat down in her chair and jumped when somebody jumped on her. "Abby, what are you doing?" Yumi asked holding onto the small girl.

"I wanted to sit with you. You look soooo distant with these goofs." Abby said happily in Japanese.

"Uh huh… are you sure your mother and uncles and auntie didn't send you over here to make sure I wasn't plotting ways to kill them?" Yumi questioned.

Abby made and innocent face and nestled against Yumi, looking content. "You wouldn't kill mommy or anybody else. You love them too much." Abby said innocently.

Yumi smiled at the small girl and kissed her on the forehead. "Go back to your mother, little ameko. You know how she gets when she can't see you."

"I'm the only idiot wearing blue in a bunch of black clothes."

"Yeah, but that won't stop her from worrying. Now move."

Abby jumped off of Yumi's lap and took off running back towards her mother. Smiling softly, Yumi turned her attention back to the principal talking before throwing her cap up in the air when Mr. Delmas said that he welcomed the graduating class of 2006 into the world of adulthood.

"Oh, my baby is growing up so fast." Mrs. Ishiyama said hugging her daughter.

"Good job, Yumi." Mr. Ishiyama said patting his daughter on the back.

Yumi could see Jason was slightly upset at not having a mother to hug him or his sister and tell them that they're growing up so fast and a father to tell them "good job" once they graduated. They had nobody to even treat them like they were the person's own children. They only had their children to parent and to be around for.

It was then Yumi noticed that Jason and Sakura's son wasn't in Sakura's arms. "Where's Hikaru?" Yumi asked.

Sakura giggled a little and pointed behind her. Yumi looked behind Sakura and nearly started laughing when she saw Morgan was holding onto Hikaru with Odd looking at her with a new look she had never seen before in his eyes. "Something tells me somebody wants to get a certain somebody pregnant." Sakura said with a giggle.

"he'd better not get her pregnant before they graduate or else I'm gonna kill him." Jason growled, not looking at all happy with Odd seeing Morgan holding a baby in a motherly way, knowing that Morgan wouldn't really have any problems giving Odd any children.

"he won't. Our little Ami-chan wants an education first." Yumi said not wanting to tell what the couple had planned for after they were graduated and married.

Jason looked at his cousin with a knowing look before saying, "You're hiding something."

"What can I hide from you?" Yumi questioned, her eyes already beginning to flash in response to an unspoken challenge.

"What is my sister and her idiot lover planning?"

"I wasn't aware they were lovers." Yumi lied knowing that her parents would probably get nervous about the kids already taking on partners.

Jason gave Yumi a "you'd better tell me now before I force it out of you later" look but hid the look when Morgan came over to the group with a now sleeping Hikaru. "Here's your baby. He tried to nurse on me, Sakura. Do you nurse him when he's about to go to sleep?"

"Yeah. Helps him out."

"Try a pacifier or a bottle. You can try weaning him from breast milk onto a bottle and that mashed up baby food."

"Yeah, had to do that with Amaya, didn't you?" Jason questioned deciding to poke fun at his sister's misery.

Morgan smiled in response and picked her daughter up. "What'd you have to do, mommy?" Abby asked, unaware of the displeased look on Mr. Ishiyama's face.

"We had to have you on a bottle and moved you to soft foods until you could eat hard foods without any problems." Morgan said grabbing her daughter's hand and playfully moving around like she was dancing.

Yumi smiled and looked at Ulrich, seeing a thoughtful look in his eyes. "No, Ulrich, not having kids yet. Just wait a while." Yumi whispered grabbing Ulrich's hands. "Just wait a while."

Ulrich smiled a little and said, "I'd be stupid if I wasn't willing to wait. Since because of waiting, I got you."

Starting to laugh, Yumi grabbed her mother's camera and took pictures of her friends and family. Today had to be one of the best days in the world and nothing could ruin it. Not even…

"THOMAS! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

…getting groped right in front of the whole school, including your parents and little brother.

lostmoonchild: Okay, I couldn't resist throwing that in there. Honestly I find the whole Thomse/Yumi "relationship" kind of funny since you've got a guy who enjoys groping and a girl who can beat the crap out of you. Guy grops, girl beats. Now read and review, maybe I'll get a monitor sooner.