Title: Insomniac

Warnings: None.

Rating: G

Author's Note: So, a bit of a wait, but here's the next part. I have to say that I was actually really looking forward to this and basically wanted to keep going but thought it would get a bit...much after awhile. This part is kind of close to me because I have horrible insomnia and often times ate breakfast with my father at a truly ridiculous hour. And that ridiculous hour was the best because it was the only time I really got to see him, so yay, some real life slipping in!

Thank you to everyone whose favorited, followed, and left feedback. You all are too kind. I hope you enjoy this too!

7. Her parents wondered how she turned into an insomniac - she could never properly explain that it was because she was waiting for her phone to ring any second.

"Yumi," her father greeted, surprised. Yumi flashed him a smile over her shoulder and reached for a bowl. "Why are you awake?"

"I took a nap yesterday, guess I'm just not tired," she replied. She poured in cereal and added milk. Her smile was bright even as her father studied her critically. "How are you?"

Her father settled back in his chair and returned to his toast. "Good and you?"

"Good," she replied. She tucked her hair behind her ear and let the silence settle in. The crunch of toast and pop of cereal filled the room, along with the gentle turning of a page and the scrape of a spoon on the edge of a bowl. Yumi's eyes drifted to her cell, watching the minutes tick by slowly on the digital clock.

"Expecting a call?" her father asked.

"What? No. Of course not. It's four in the morning, who would call now?" she laughed.

"My thoughts exactly." He reached forward and she grabbed the phone, secreting it away in the pocket of her hoodie. An eyebrow arched above his glasses and he calmly grabbed a napkin from the holder in front of her. She ducked her head to hide flushed cheeks.

. . … . .

Yumi woke with a gasp. Her hair stuck to her sweaty forehead and her she had to peel her shirt away from her chest and stomach. Her hands fumbled along the side of her bed until she could find her phone in the dark. She pressed a button, watched the screen light up, and checked phone calls and text messages.

No new messages.

Her relief came in a whooshed sigh, and she fell back onto the pillows, phone clutched to her chest and heart beating too fast to fall back to sleep.

. . … . .

Her mother knocked lightly on her bedroom door. A gentle tap-tap-tap that she didn't hear over the music pulsing from her ear buds. She jerked as one ear bud was tugged from her ear. "Yumi," her mother sighed. She ran a hand over her face and gave Yumi a tired look. "It's after one in the morning, what are you doing up? You have school in the morning."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just studying for my history test tomorrow," she replied. She lifted her textbook up like proof and ignored the way her mother studied her face. "I'll…I'll go to bed. Soon," she added, dredged up a bright smile from some depth and prayed her mother wouldn't catch the lie.

"Yumi…" Yumi dropped her gaze and her mother sighed, sat on the edge of her bed and reached for her hand. "Yumi, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Great even. I'm just worried about the test, you know because it's worth a lot of points and…" she trailed off as her phone buzzed.

"Who could possibly be texting you at this hour?" her mother demanded. She reached for Yumi's phone but Yumi dropped her book on it and laughed nervously.

"No one, probably a wrong number. Or Shannon. It could be Shannon, she was studying for the test too." She yawned and stretched. "I'm exhausted, better rest up. For the test. Goodnight, Mom."

Her mother sighed and tucked the fallen strands behind Yumi's ear. "Go to sleep, Yumi. Goodnight." She flicked the light off and closed the bedroom door behind her.

Yumi laid in the dark, eyes staring into space and counted heartbeats until she heard her mother's door close. One hundred twenty-eight heartbeats after that she checked her phone and swallowed hard.

X. ROUS attack. L in 15.

-Odd

With a groan she reached for her sweatshirt and pulled it on, popped her window open and swung a leg out. Really? Yumi thought as she dropped to the ground. Why can't X.A.N.A. attack at a decent hour?

. . … . .

She woke with a scream, phone clenched tight in her fist and the bitter taste of blood and bile in her mouth.

She stumbled to the bathroom, rinsed her mouth, and didn't sleep the rest of the night.

. . … . .

"How's school going?" her father asked. He ignored her look and spooned more sugar into his hot tea. She wondered what it said that he didn't even question her joining him for breakfast at four o'clock anymore.

"It's good. I got a hundred on my literature essay," she replied. She sipped her orange juice and slathered jam on her toast. "I was the only one in class to do so."

"That's wonderful," he replied. He gave her a warm smile and reached over to ruffle her hair. "You've been studying very hard lately. Your mother and I are very proud of you."

"Thanks," she replied, felt the small smile tug at her lips in return. "How's work?"

Her father's face turned sour and stiff. "The usual," he answered. "Bureaucratic nonsense." He paused and collected his dirty dishes. "You shouldn't make plans for Friday. There's a party and your mother and I are going, we'll need you to watch your brother."

"Of course," Yumi replied.

"That's my girl," he said with a smile. He ruffled her hair again on his way past. She waited until he was heading upstairs to take his shower before she made her first coffee of the day.

. . … . .

"Yumi. Yu-mi. Yumi."

She jerked into wakefulness and Odd chortled as she flailed wildly to regain her balance. She caught herself on the library table while the librarian gave them the evil eye. Ulrich hit Odd upside the back of the head and Jeremie gathered their belongings quickly and silently.

Yumi waited until they were on the library steps before kicking Odd in the shin. "Ow!" he yelped. "What was that for?"

"Knocking my chair back," she snapped.

"I tried to wake you politely, didn't I guys?" Jeremie snorted and Ulrich shrugged. "I was saving you a fine anyway. You were about to drool on your book."

"Gee, thanks," she muttered. She rubbed at her mouth and chin self-consciously, but surely Jeremie or Ulrich would be considerate enough to tell her if she had any dried drool. She felt bone weary and sluggish, her head was stuffy and she couldn't stifle her yawns.

"You okay?" Ulrich asked.

"I'm fine," she replied, flashed a too-brief smile. "Long day is all."

"Yumi," Jeremie started but she waved a hand, cut him off.

"Really, guys. I'm fine. I've got to get home, text me if anything happens."

She stumbled home to bed, grabbed a few hours of sleep before the worry and fear took hold.

. . … . .

She thought it would be easier once Aelita was materialized. She thought the attacks would lessen, or stop. She'd thought Jeremie would be able to shut down Lyoko finally. She didn't anticipate that it would get more complicated. That suddenly they wouldn't be able to use the Returns, which meant she needed to be sneakier.

In hindsight, she really should have expected it.

. . … . .

"All I'm saying, Takeyo, is that if you worked decent hours she wouldn't be up half the night just to spend some time with you."

Yumi laid on her bed, stared up at the glow-in-the-dark stars she'd recently tacked to her ceiling and listened to the argument downstairs.

"Have you seen her lately? The rings around her eyes are so dark-"

"I thought that was how she was wearing her make-up these days," her father protested. Her mother made a shrill huffing noise of anger and Yumi curled on her side. She felt for her pulse, counted heartbeats and breaths and willed herself to fall asleep.

"You never notice anything! She is up half the night and wakes early to eat with you. Something is wrong with her!"

"It's a phase, Akiko. I was a night owl when I was younger."

"I'm just saying-"

"I know what you're saying!"

Her phone buzzed as she drifted on the edge of sleep. Her eyes snapped open and she checked the new text.

Showtime. Swrs n 10. – U

She groaned and rolled out of bed.

. . … . .

She woke with a gasp, her heart pounded in her chest. Her phone had fallen to the floor in the middle of the night and she groped blindly for it, checked for missed calls, missed texts. Nothing.

She smiled as she sunk back into sleep.

. . … . .

"I've missed you," her father stated late one Saturday morning. Yumi looked up from the bowl of cereal she was pouring herself. The clock read 10:02 over his left shoulder. "Breakfast has been lonely without you," he added.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, I've just…"

"It's fine." He cupped her cheeks in his hands and studied her face intently. "You're fine, aren't you?"

"Of course I am, Dad," she muttered. She grabbed her bowl and a spoon and escaped his searching eyes. "I miss our breakfasts too," she said as she sat down. And she did, really. It felt nice to tell the truth for once. She looked up to see him settling down in his seat, a cup of tea and a piece of toast in front of him.

"Maybe we can do brunch instead?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "I'd like that," she agreed.