Epilogue

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Yumi sprinted down the street at full tilt, all the while mentally beating herself for forgetting to leave practice early. Rika and family were due in exactly seventeen minutes. Her hair was falling out of its pony tail, still being held out of her face by the yellow pre-wrap she had stuck in it haphazardly during the early morning practice. Kia and Jamie had called the whole team, bright and early, to remind everyone that there was practice. By bright and early, she literally meant five-thirty. Practice started at seven.

Her volleyball bag bounced off her back and hip with every step. She was exhausted from her coach's attempt to get them whipped into shape for their first match against Lincoln. Before she passed out, she promptly kicked off her volleyball shoes and grabbed her slides, not bothering to put them all the way on, and took off out of the school. She was already twenty minutes late before she was even out the doors of the gym.

"Yumi! Hurry up! You're late!" Ulrich was leaning against the doorframe as she stormed up the driveway. He was smirking at her. She figured she looked amazing at that minute. Hair tasseled, wife beater and sports bra, and a pair of black spankies. There were shorts and warm-up pants in her bag, but she didn't have a second to spare as she raced home.

"Shut-up. Take this. I'm getting in the shower." She pushed her volleyball bag at him and ran up the stairs. He could hear the water running as he took his time up the stairs to her room. He dropped the bag he had casually slung over his shoulder. "Run my checklist!" Yumi yelled from the shower. Ulrich chuckled. He surveyed the room once. Spotless. She had only spent the last two days cleaning and scrubbing the house; that included threatening Hiroki to the point of severe pain if he messed up anything between the day she started cleaning and today.

"Alright!" He walked to the bathroom door and leaned against it. This was the eighth time he'd 'run the checklist' for her. "The guestroom's ready?"

"Yes. Clean sheets, crib for Mira. Next?"

"The gifts are wrapped?"

"Sitting on the kitchen table. Aelita picked out pink bags, by the way."

"House cleaned?"

"God, I hope so."

"Uhm… what else? Oh, pancake mix?"

"Six boxes in the pantry. I think that's enough."

"Why is pancake mix on the list?"

"Is this your list?"

"No."

"Then don't question its contents." The shower stopped running, and the curtain was pushed back.

"Next?"

"I think that's all. Oh wait, I think the last one was 'be on time getting home so you don't have to rush'." The boy grinned as he waited for her response. The door opened, making him stumble back a step. Yumi walked past him quickly, towel wrapped around her; she wrung her hair out with one hang, other hand bunching the white towel on the side. She glanced over her shoulder as she reached her room.

"Yeah, well, I forgot about that one. It was your job to remind me. That's why I put you in charge of the list." Ulrich's eye twitched in response to her lack of modesty. It made it so hard to be a good boyfriend when she did things like this.

".. Right. You got caught up in practice. I called your phone."

"We turn phones off at practice. Ring and run, you know? Jim has the same rule." The door to her bedroom was shut quickly. There was a distinct sound of clothes being pulled on and then the door opened again. Yumi was dressed in a pair of black shorts and her 'Junior Angels Camp' coach shirt. "And I'm running on a schedule now, right?" She grinned and draped her towel over her shoulder. Ulrich checked the clock hanging on the wall.

"Right." She was only a half-hour behind schedule. That was on-time in Yumi-time.

"Tyler called? He said he was on his way to get them? Please, say he remembered."

"Tyler called. He said he was on his way to get them." Yumi sighed and nodded.

"That's great. Mom, Dad, and Hiroki?"

"Hiroki's at Johnny's. Your mom is in her study and has already agreed not to bother you for at least an hour, and your dad isn't home from work yet." The girl smiled.

"What would I do without you?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. "You're amazing."

"You'd probably forget something." His arms snaked around her waist.

"This summer was crazy," she muttered, burying her face into his chest.

"Got away from us, huh?"

"Ran away." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Are we ready for the school year, though?"

"You mean the attention when the rest of the school gets back and finds out?"

"Exactly."

"We can handle it." Yumi took the moment to reflect. It really had been so busy between volleyball for her, soccer for him, and Lyoko for both of them, that they hadn't had the time to just freeze for a moment and enjoy each other's company. This is what she'd never want to miss; tiny moments, snapshots in time, where she was just lost with him. He pressed tiny pecks across her jaw.

"What?" he asked. She grinned, winding her fingers through his hair.

"Nothing really. I'm just happy." There was a knock on the door and she groaned. "Yeah. Door. We should get that." He held her for a second as she tried to pull away. "Ulrich! That could be them! Let go," she whined playfully. He let go of her waist, taking her hand to be pulled down the stairs. Yumi opened the door with a deep breath, only to reveal the gang and not Rika, Keith, and Mira.

"Took you long enough," Odd snorted at the couple.

"We were busy," Yumi teased. She let them in, noticing they were lacking one Sam. "Where's Sam?"

"Wasn't interested." The blonde smiled, taking a seat on the couch. Charlie was the last one to come in, bouncing with each step and shoving Odd over so she could sit next to him.

"Sam slept in because Odd had her swimming till four in the morning. She's still sleeping." Yumi coved her face, laughing into her palm at the expression on Odd's face combined with the serious tone in Charlie's voice. Ulrich raised an eyebrow at his roommate.

"You make it sound bad, Charlie. She can finally swim. So we spent a long time in the pool yesterday. It was totally innocent," Odd defended.

"Without trying to drown you? Oh, and nothing you do is innocent."

"Well..." Before he could get his comeback out, the doorbell rang about nine times in a row. Yumi let go of Ulrich to run and get it. Keith stood first, holding his arms up in a mock flinch, Rika behind him with a baby carrier, followed lastly by Tyler.

"Guys!" She lunged, hugging Keith quickly, choosing to skip the beating that she'd been aching to give him for months. That may have been suited for hello at another time, but she was just thrilled to see them.

"Could we at least get in the door before you attack us?" Keith choked jokingly. Yumi blushed.

"Oh, duh! Get in here. Where is my goddaughter?" She stepped out of the way to let them in. Rika lifted the carrier.

"She's been waiting to see you." Yumi cooed over the baby. Tyler looked around the living room in mock disgust.

"Not to be rude, Yumes, but I'll come back when there aren't so many teenagers in your living room. See you later." Yumi barely waved at him as Mira was handed to her. Everyone was seated around the living room, save for Ulrich leaning against the wall, and Rika who was standing in front of Yumi. The little girl was in a tiny pink dress; she had little wisps of dark hair and her deep brown eyes were closed.

"Thank God; she looks just like you, Rika," Yumi teased. Keith made a face. "Oh! Right. I'm such a ditz today. Guys, this is Rika and Keith and their daughter, Mira. Mira's my goddaughter." Yumi was very excited about that fact; more so than she thought she'd be. Everyone waved hello.

"Guys, you've met Ulrich." Ulrich rolled his eyes. Yumi had a tendency to introduce people to who they already knew sometimes. "That's his twin sister Charlie, The blonde next to her is Ulrich's roommate, Odd. That's Aelita and her boyfriend, Jeremie."

"Oh right! We've heard all about you guys. I probably could have figured out who was who just by everything Yumi's told me about you. Let's see. Aelita and Jeremie are our resident geniuses?" Rika asked. The couple blushed.

"That's them," Yumi laughed.

"The real question is, 'who are you?' Miss Yumi. Look at this; Coach? You're a regular volleyball girl again. For our sake, when we talk to Tristan, are you at least keeping up with your training?"

"Oh, Ulrich keeps her training," Odd joked. Yumi glared at him while Rika laughed.

Mira yawned, tiny fists stretching over her head. She opened her eyes and looked up at Yumi, gurgling happily.

"Hello, Mira," she said in a baby voice. Aelita watched in amusement; it was the first time she had ever seen an infant up close. To see Yumi interacting with her made her smile; she had a feeling she was actually really good with kids, even if she complained about Hiroki and Johnny. And then there was Ulrich, who was just getting a kick out of the whole scene. Yumi had said she loved children - the question came along during the very long ride to Japan - but he never imagined that she would fawn over Mira like this. "Oh, Ulrich, will you get the bags out of the kitchen?" Rika eyed her carefully.

"Yumi, if you went overboard, I'm going to be so mad at you." Yumi stopped bouncing the baby and looked at her friend.

"No, you won't." Rika sighed. She would probably squeal like she was twelve again.

"Give me my baby." Yumi handed her over reluctantly. Ulrich walked out of the kitchen holding a pink bag in each hand. Odd snickered.

"You are so whipped." Charlie shoved him. If Sam was there, she would have done it herself.

"Be nice!"

"I am being nice. I could have said what I thought, that he looks like a total, whipped, pansy carrying those ridiculous pink bags, and that I wouldn't be caught dead-" Charlie elbowed him in the ribs. Keith chuckled to himself at the scene. Yumi took the bags from Ulrich and kissed him on the cheek, as he attempted to bite his tongue in front of Yumi's friends. They probably already thought he had a temper, and Odd wasn't helping the fact. He decided he could deal with him later. They did share a dorm.

"This one is for you two, and this one is for Mira." Yumi held the bags up to Rika. "And you have to trade me if you want to open them." Ulrich grabbed her waist with a grin.

"Well, that's not very nice, blackmailing your best friend. I'll hold Mira, Rika." Rika smiled even brighter at the brunette.

"See, Yumi? I like this one. You should keep him." She handed over Mira, yet again, and took the bags from Yumi.

"I planned on it."

"Keith, do you want to open one?" Rika's eyes said, clearly, that this was not a question, but a demand.

"As you can see, Ulrich, being whipped comes with the territory," Keith pointed out. "I'll open the one for us." Rika grinned, walking over to him, handing him the bag, and then taking her seat on his lap.

"You're not whipped, sweetie, you're trained. There's a difference." She pulled light pink tissue paper from the sparkly pink gift bag. "Yumi… you didn't pick this bag out did you?"

"Do I even need to answer that for you? Aelita picked out." The younger girl blushed.

"I love picking out gifts." Rika grinned bigger and pulled what was on the bottom out.

"Yumi!" she squealed. Yumi smiled, taking a seat next to Ulrich on the floor in front of the couch. Rika held up a tiny black and red kimono.

"There's more." The girl gently handed the kimono to Keith and dug back into the bag again. The tiny pink dress she pulled out next made her raise an eyebrow.

"Yumes…" The dress was gorgeous. It was also froofy and pink.

"Aelita again. There're some little onesies in the bottom, too. Open yours now, though." She tapped her heels nervously as Keith handed the kimono back to Rika and picked up the second, smaller bag. "Listen, I know you've been putting every last penny into the apartment and the baby but... Rika I know how badly... Well. Open it." She bit the inside of her lip. Ulrich, arms full, gave her a gentle, reassuring nudge. Keith pulled at the white paper, dropping it to the floor and looked inside.

"Boxes." Rika rolled her eyes at him, taking the boxes out. One was blue, the other red. She opened the blue one first. It was a plain gold band.

"Yumi," she breathed. She looked up to meet the girl's eyes, hers already laden with tears. Her fingers shook as she picked up the red one. The tears poured. Inside the red box was a single princess-cut diamond, surrounded by four tiny pink stones, set into a gold band. Even Keith seemed choked up.

"They're the rings you picked out, remember? With all the money you're putting out... And I knew you wanted to get married before the end of next year." Rika nodded.

"How did you afford these?"

"You don't need to ask that. They're my gift to you two," Yumi cut her off. Rika jumped off Keith and crushed the girl in a hug.

"I love you. So much. You don't have any idea what this means to me. To us." Yumi laughed.

"Yes I do. That's why I did it. I'm glad you like them." Rika finally let go and went back over to Keith.

"Thank you, Yumi." He smiled at her. She smiled back. The whole, loving scene was interrupted by a sudden wail from one ignored Mira. The teens laughed. Yumi looked down at the baby, and then held Ulrich's eyes as he rocked her.

"Hey!" Odd interjected. The two of them looked up. "Don't even think about it!" The couple blushed, but kept their smiles.

What a summer.

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A/n: Oh, geeze. This is.. great. Guys, we're done! Runway Summer is FINALLY finished. Thank you all so, so, much for sticking with me this whole time. Thank you! I love you guys. Your reviews made me smile so much and made writing that much more enjoyable. I hope you'll all continue to read my fics. I'm working on THIS year's summer story along with a combined one with Sparkling Mist. I need to sign off before I start with the water works. THANK YOU!