Ulrich quietly opened his bedroom door to check on Yumi. She was asleep but still looked distraught in her dreams.

Ulrich and Yumi had been at the hospital until 6am sorting out his death. Mrs Ishiyama stayed at the stern's house as she didn't wish to go back to an empty house.

Ulrich had called Odd and Sam to ask them if they would take Krystal to school and have her over one more night due to the recent event.

Ulrich sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands.

Why can nothing be happy for us?

When we were dating-something bad always made one of us unhappy.

It's always a challenge for us. Always, and it's starting to take its toll on me.

Ulrich was taken out of his thoughts by his mother-in-law sitting down next to him.

"Oh, didn't realise you were awake"

She smiled sadly.

"Yumi is going to grieve for a long while I foresee it"

Ulrich looked up at her and nodded. He knew that she was right- knew that this wouldn't pass over easily.

"You're a sweet man, Ulrich. Yumi does treasure you. I know you'll look after her as does her father. I know his words last night touched you. And also do not tell Yumi this right away but after the funeral I shall be moving back to Japan to be with the rest of my family, Yumi has her own family now"

Ulrich just stared up at her. "If you think it's for the best"

"I do, when I lost my father my mother moved away for a bit and it helped me to become emotionally stronger"

Ulrich nodded not wishing to think how that would affect Yumi right now.

Mrs Ishiyama decided to go and organise her husbands' funeral declining Ulrich's offer of him going with her for support.

Ulrich had just dozed off on the sofa when Yumi entered the lounge. She looked at him and sadly smiled. He had been stuck as to what to do last night at the hospital and this morning she had cried herself to sleep in his arms.

'I bet he thinks I'm pathetic, crying this much over my father but I loved him and respected him and had just started to feel able to talk to him freely when this had to happen. I must be cursed and poor Ulrich copes with all of it.'

Yumi sat down gently next to her husband but it still awoke him.

"Sorry Ulrich" she murmured looking at him

"Nah, don't be daft Yumi. How you feeling?" he asked stroking her hand

"A bit better I suppose now that I've slept. Is mother still in bed?"

"No, funeral directors, I did offer to go with her but she didn't want anyone with her"

Yumi nodded her head and muttered something about Japanese tradition

Yumi leaned onto Ulrich.

"I'm sorry" he whispered into her ear

Yumi nodded.

Over the next few hours, Yumi spoke to Ulrich about what happened in Japan when a person died and how it was tradition for the daughter of the family to give a speech on how their father helped them through tough times, and how important a role they played in their growing up. Ulrich learned a lot that afternoon about Japanese tradition. Yumi didn't only speak about her culture but of how close she had gotton to her dad and how they had spoke about things, that Yumi had never known or Mr Ishiyama never known. Yumi told Ulrich how she felt guilty about not telling her father about her miscarriage and about Lyoko. Their talk had ended when Mrs Ishiyama had walked through the door with silent tears falling down her cheeks.

Later that evening

Odd and Jeremie had paid a visit to the stern's house to pay their condolences but it had ended short when Yumi ran out of the room in tears with her mother rushing out of the door telling Ulrich that she would handle it.

Ulrich, Jeremie and Odd spent the evening talking about the past, present and future.

Eventually they left and Ulrich descended to bed only to find Yumi crying her heart out with her mother trying to comfort her but to no avail.

"Ah, Ulrich I've tried my best, said everything to her but nothing just constant crying" Mrs Ishiyama sighed

Ulrich sat beside Yumi and took her hand. Yumi responded by crying into his chest.

"Everything is just a constant reminder that he's gone" Yumi cried.

"I know and it will for a while Yumi, I thought you would know that. Everything that you are going to see, going to hear, going to do will remind you of your father and yeah you might cry but it will get better. You'll get through this"

Yumi stared up at him and smiled a little.

"You'll help me, wont you?" she asked

"All the way, Babe I'm not only your husband but your best friend and psychologist, and I'm always here for you, no matter what"

Yumi nodded and allowed Ulrich to dry her tears.

"Even if my profession wasn't a psychologist, I'd still be yours"

Yumi laughed slightly and even laughed when Mrs Ishiyama announced that it took Ulrich a couple of minutes to calm her down and she couldn't calm her own daughter down!