Warning: Rated 'M' for horror-genre violence, adult situations and adult language.
The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.
Certain characters have been adapted from 'The Stand,' by Stephen King, and he is the copyright holder of these.
Certain characters are based on 'Hikaru No Go' by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata. I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.
Brief references are made to a character from 'Watership Down,' by Richard Adams, and he is the copyright holder of this character.
After that battle, XANA wasn't heard from, except briefly, for some time.
Yumi went to Japan, and returned a few weeks later, with a tale of ghosts and a game she called go and XANA being trapped. When she returned, she fairly well jumped into Ulrich's waiting arms at the airport, something which shocked her father. He was just about to reprimand Yumi and give Ulrich a piece of his mind when Yumi's mother took Ulrich in her arms, warmly hugged him, and gave him a kiss, saying how glad she was that he was able to meet Yumi on her return. Mr. Ishiyama spent the entire trip home slowly shaking his head and muttering to himself.
Odd and Sissi grew closer. He was right, she was a marathon, and he intended spending the rest of his life running it. The first time Principal Delmas saw them walking arm in arm across the campus, he nearly fainted. It took a long time for him to accept Sissi's choice of boyfriend.
Around Christmas, Odd gave Sissi a gift. Two rings, sized for her and him. They were white gold, and they looked like chain circlets. For as long as they lived, they never took those rings off.
Aelita and Jeremie grew closer too. But there was always just a little bit of distance between the two. Whereas most young couples would let their passions run away with them, Jeremie always seemed to keep an iron grip on his. Aelita had no doubts about his love for her, but sometimes she was almost driven to tears because of his control. It was a long time before she understood why Jeremie was that way.
Jeremie never read another Stephen King novel in his life.
Life slowly returned to normal, at least what passed for normal in their lives. They were six Soldiers, fighting on in their little piece of the Great Struggle between Good and Evil. And they would Stand and Prevail against the very Hordes of Hell itself.
Years later...
"Push, Yumi, push!"
"Uuuhhhhhh...Aaarrrggghhhh!"
Panting with effort, Yumi bore down once again, seemingly pushing her life down and out of her. But it wasn't her life she was pushing out.
Ulrich, her husband, was by her side, mopping her sweating brow with a sponge. She held his hand as she pushed through the contractions, nearly crushing it several times. He didn't seem to notice.
"It's okay Yumi, you're doing great," he told her.
"Just a little more... I see the crown," the doctor said, reaching down, "and there's the head!" Yumi could feel him as he grasped the baby's head and turned it.
"Here comes the shoulder, one more, Push!"
"Aaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh!"
With a shout, she pushed one last time. With that push, the baby rushed out into the doctor's waiting hands, a girl. The doctor held the girl up and gave her a smack on the bottom, causing the child to cry, thereby taking her first breath.
"It's a girl! Father, come meet your daughter!"
Ulrich turned from Yumi's side and went to where the doctor was sitting holding the new life in his arms. The doctor swiftly clamped the umbilical cord, then gave Ulrich the scissors so he could cut it. When he cut the cord, one of the nurses in attendance took Ulrich and the baby over to a table, while the doctor delivered the afterbirth. Ulrich laid her down, and the nurse began checking the child over, taking measurements, fingerprints and footprints, and doing the mundane things nurses do when a new life comes into the world.
After the nurse finished, she cleaned the baby up, diapered her and swaddled her in a blanket. She gave Ulrich the little bundle, and he brought their child over to Yumi's side.
"Yumi, meet your daughter..." Ulrich hesitated. They had never decided on name for the baby, boy or girl.
Yumi, still tired from the delivery but smiling, took the baby in her arms, settled her upon her breast, and performed her own, mother's, inventory.
Ten little fingers, ten toes, hair like her father's (he'd never be able to deny that he was the father, even if he were so inclined), a nose just like hers, and eyes...
Yumi blinked twice to clear the tears from her eyes and looked at the baby's eyes again in wonder. She'd seen those eyes before. Years before, in a place of Testing and Healing.
"Abagail!"