A Day in the Life of the Nonaka Family!

"Ahhh! My first day off in a long time!" Rika sat up on her shikibuton and stretched her arms out. "I could just go back to bed but I'd be wasting time that would be better spent downtown," she threw her kakebuton off and walked over to her dresser. "Gramma!"

"Is everything okay?" her grandmother dashed over and peered inside Rika's room.

"Where are my clothes?" Rika asked.

"I gathered all of the clothes together last night so that I could wash them today," Rika's grandmother said.

"Oh...," Rika sheepishly said. "But now I don't have any clothes to step out in."

"What about that darling outfit your mother got you from New York?" Rika's grandmother suggested.

"But it's...pink," Rika scorned. "I'd rather go outside in my pajamas."

"Suit yourself," Rika's grandmother hummed.

"Hey! I could just wear my school uniform," Rika ran over to her closet. It was nearly empty except for a wire hanger dangling on the clothing rod. "Drat...," Rika huffed as she stomped over to her dog bassinet. She didn't have a dog, but she enjoyed making Henry or Takato sit in it when they annoyed her. Rika dug underneath the cushioning until she got a hold of the dreaded pink fabric. "She knows I don't like this stuff, and she still buys it!" Rika winced at the pink sundress. "I guess it's not like I'll run into anyone today," she sighed as she pulled the dress on.

"Hey!" Tai smiled.

"What?" Izzy snapped.

"Why did you call us?" Koji said. Kouichi was standing next to him.

"Seriously! I was planning on sleeping in today," Sora yawned.

"I would have video-chatted you, but none of you guys are glued to your computers 24/7...well, except for Izzy," Tai said.

"Screw you. I'm hanging up now...," Izzy grumbled.

"No! Don't hang up yet! We've got a great idea and we wanted to tell you before we forgot!" Davis said.

"I'm not in a good mood, so cut to the chase," Izzy growled.

"Yeah, please! I don't have a lot of minutes left on my phone," Takato said.

"You don't have unlimited minutes?" Mimi asked. "I thought everyone had unlimited minutes."

"Not me. My phone's only supposed to be used for emergencies," Takato said.

"And this is an emergency!" Tai yelled.

"How is one of your stupid ideas an emergency?" Koji snorted.

"Did you end up sending someone to the hospital?" Kouichi asked.

"No," Tai said.

"Then bye," Izzy hung up his phone.

*click*

"I should get going too," Takato hung up his phone.

*click*

"How the hell did you even get this number?" Koji said before he hung up.

"Bye-" Kouichi was cut off.

*click*

"This did not go as well as I pictured it," Tai said.

"Why didn't you just group text everyone?" TK said.

"Because having a phone conference makes it sound more...important," Tai said.

"And what is so important that you had to wake everyone up?" Sora sighed.

"I was just going to tell everyone that we should go to Rika's house," Tai said.

"I don't think she'd like that," Sora said.

"Come on! Who doesn't like surprises?" Mimi squealed.

"Lots of people don't. I don't like surprises," Sora said.

"But wouldn't it be fun to visit a friend?" Tai asked.

"I don't think she considers you guys friends...," Sora said.

"Aww, pooh! She totally loves us!" Davis scoffed.

"Even if that's true, you guys don't even know where she lives," Sora said.

"But Takato does," Tai said. "We have to text everyone with the details!"

"Already on it! Text me back!" Davis hung up his phone.

*click*

"You guys are unbelievable! You're invading her privacy!" Sora yelled.

"You don't have to go. We were just letting you what we planned on doing today," Tai said.

"That's not what I'm saying! Don't get me wrong, I want to go too," Sora said.

"Then start getting ready! Davis is already mass-texting everyone else," TK said.

"Okay, I'll get ready. But I'm only going so I can make sure you guys don't misbehave, not because I'm nosy," Sora said.

"Sure...," Mimi laughed.

"Meet up at the park?" Tai said.

"Yep!" TK said.

"Sounds good to me," Sora shrugged.

"See ya there!" Mimi squealed.

"Okay! Bye," Tai hung up his phone.

*click*

*click*

*click*

*click*

Rika had finished shopping at one of her favorite stores and she felt instantly relieved when she found a huge hoodie to cover her sundress up with. Now she had just enough money left over to grab a bite at a snack car and refill her CharlieCard.

"This is the life," Rika sighed in satisfaction as she noshed on a beef kabob. She slipped her headphones on and turned the music up as she trudged her way down the subway. Not wanting to go home yet, Rika decided to hop inside a train going to Harajuku.

*Buzz buzz buzz*

"What's this?" Rika stuck her hand in her hoodie pocket. "It's from Davis..."

Meet us at the park. We're gonna go to Rika's house, but don't tell her anything. We want to surprise her :)

-Davis

"That idiot!" Rika shoved her phone back into her hoodie.

*The Yellow Line train will be headed eastbound toward Harajuku now. Please watch your step and move away from the gliding doors.*

"No!" Rika tried to get out of the train before the doors closed but she was yanked back.

"Hey kid! You could have hurt yourself!" a man in a business suit let go of Rika's hood.

"Argghhh!" Rika plopped down on an empty seat. "I just wanted to spend a peaceful day around the city. Now I have to get home before those goons do!"

"Wow! It looks like a dojo!" Davis said in awe.

"You probably don't even know what a dojo is," Koji snorted. "But it does kinda look like one."

"Rika's so lucky! I wish I could live in a house," Mimi pouted.

"It is nice," Izzy said.

"Hey, how come you never told us that Rika has a nice house?" TK asked.

"First of all, you never asked and secondly-," Takato said.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?!"

"That...," Takato turned red.

"Hi Rika! We bought you some bubbly!" Tai held up a green, glass bottle of sparkling apple cider.

"And your favorite, Guilmon bread...," Takato nervously held up a pink pastry box.

"I don't care! Get the hell out of here!" Rika stomped her foot.

"Rika! That isn't any way to treat your friends," Rika's grandmother said. "Any friends of Rika's are always welcome."

"They're not my friends," Rika grumbled.

"Come on in!" Rika's grandmother led everyone inside the house.

"Thanks Ms. Nonaka," Tai flashed her a big smile.

"Call me Nanna!" Rika's grandmother said. "You must be Izzy!"

"Actually, I'm Tai. That...," Tai pointed to Izzy. "He's Izzy."

"So you're the one that gives me updates on the club activities," Nanna nodded at Izzy.

"You talk to my gramma?!" Rika yelled.

"You barely tell me anything, honey. I get worried about you," Nanna wrung her hands.

"As President of the club, I think it's only responsible to let your families know what's going on since you're only in middle school," Izzy said. "We do the same with Takato's parents."

"Since when did you become their babysitters?" Koji scoffed.

"Since Sora made a good point. If you think about it, our club is like a family," Izzy said.

"Dysfunctional?" Kouichi said.

"Yes, we definitely are that," Izzy said.

"But as members of a family, we also have to look out for each other as well," Sora said.

"Tai?" Davis tugged at Tai's shirt.

"What?" Tai turned around.

"You're no longer the host club daddy," TK said.

"Host club daddy?" Nanna raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! He's our host club daddy! He came up with the idea of having a host club!" TK hugged Tai's arm.

"But why is Izzy the president?" Nanna asked.

"Long story short: Tai got excited about making the club, got overwhelmed when he found out it was harder than it seemed, and passed off the hard work to Izzy," Sora said.

"Here's a family tree of our host club!" Davis handed Nanna a piece of paper with colorful doodles on it.

(: Our Family Tree! :)

(Drunk, Overweight Uncle- Tai) (Host Club Mommy- Izzy) (Host Club Daddy- Sora) (Weird Yet Hot Aunt- Mimi)

(: The Cutest Kids You Will Ever Meet!- Davis and TK :)

(Wednesday Addams- Rika) (Thing 1 and Thing 2- Koji and Kouichi)

(Lovable Family Puppy- Takato)

"Hey! How come Sora took over my place as Host Club Daddy?" Tai whined.

"How am I still the Host Club Mommy?!" Izzy yelled.

"Hmm...," Nanna awkwardly nodded at the 'family tree'. She cupped her chin and turned to Tai. "You remind me of one of Rika's friends. Kaoru, I believe."

"His name's Kazu, and he's NOT my friend," Rika crossed her arms.

"Rika, it's okay to have friends," Nanna smiled. "Here, take a seat!" she gestured the kids to the rec room. "I'll be back with some plates and cups!"

"Thanks Nanna!" all of the kids sweetly chorused.

"Okay. Why the hell did you guys show up here?" Rika slammed her hands on the table.

"We just wanted to see how you were doing!" TK smiled.

"You guys saw me yesterday!" Rika growled.

"I know...but you did say we could come to your house," Davis grinned.

"When the hell did I say that?" Rika made a face.

"Remember when me and TK were fighting?" Davis said.

"That's right. You said if they stopped fighting, we could come over," Izzy reminded.

"Ugh!" Rika buried her head in her hands. "Fine, you guys can stay, but after the bread, you guys gotta go home!"

"Okay, okay," Tai whined.

"So...," Kouichi picked at the hem of his shirt.

*clop clop clop clop clop* Mimi pulled her cheeks in and out repeatedly.

"Stop that," Sora gently guided Mimi's hands away from her face.

"So, anarchy rules?" Koji pointed to the words on Rika's hoodie.

"Yeah," Rika pulled her knees to her chest.

"Hey kids, do you want pizza?" Nanna stuck her head inside the rec room.

"No thanks, gramma. They're gonna leave soon," Rika said.

"Nah! We can stay a little longer," Tai said.

"But-"

"That's great! I'll order some right away!" Nanna smiled and walked off.

"Are you guys trying to piss me off?" Rika said through her teeth.

"I am, but I don't know about everyone else," Koji smirked.

"Hey! Is this a karaoke machine?!" Davis squealed as he pulled out a microphone that was attached to a stereo.

"Don't touch that!" Rika hissed.

"Riiiikkkka!"

"Great! Talk about a series of unfortunate events," Rika groaned.

"Rika! Where are you?"

"I'm over here...," Rika called out.

"Hi honey!" Rika's mom ran up to her and gave her a big hug. As soon as she did that, she quickly held Rika away from her. "Rika? What is that?"

"My hoodie," Rika said.

"Take it off! It looks horrible with that outfit," Rika's mom said.

"Fine...," Rika grumbled as she attempted to pull the hoodie over her head.

"Oh my gosh! We're twins!" Mimi squealed. Her and Rika were wearing identical pink sundresses.

"What?" Rika shrieked, frantically trying to take the hoodie off.

"I got it in New York on a modeling shoot. Isn't it darling?" Rika's mom gushed about Rika's outfit.

"I used to live in New York!" Mimi squealed. "Wait a minute...you're the Mademoiselle Makino!"

"Oh, that's my professional name! You can call me Rumiko," Rika's mom smiled.

"You're so pretty! I wish I could be as glamorous as you!" Mimi gasped.

"You're so sweet!" Rumiko giggled. "I'll be back, I'm just going to say hi to Nanna!"

"I guess we're not the only twins anymore," Koji stifled a laugh.

"Shut up," Rika got up from the floor and put her hoodie back on. "I'm stepping out. Don't follow me."

"Why? Where are you going?" Sora asked.

"Nowhere that's any of your business," Rika shoved her feet into her sneakers and stomped out of the house.

*SLAM!*

"Rika?" Rumiko called out.

"She just left," TK jerked his thumb toward the door.

"She does this all the time! I just don't understand why," Rumiko sighed. "Anybody want to go on a little trip to the city?" she bounced back.

"But what about Rika?" Takato asked.

"Don't worry about it," Rumiko winked.

Everyone except Koji was lurking behind newspaper racks and vendors' stands. Koji just casually strolled a couple of feet behind Rika. "So you like to stalk your daughter?" Koji asked.

"Shhhh!" everyone hushed him.

"What?" Koji shrugged.

"Ever since I could remember, she's always liked being by herself. I don't understand how she got so antisocial. I try getting close to her, but she always pushes me away. At first, I thought she had something against me, but when she made more friends, I noticed that she treats them the same way she treats me. I just hate how this is the only way I get to spend time with her. I think she hates me," Rumiko sighed.

"If it makes you feel better, Rika hates everyone," Tai said.

"She hates me...," Rumiko started to cry.

"Look what you did, Tai!" Sora smacked Tai on the back of his head.

"Oww!" Tai shrieked.

"Shut up!" Izzy hissed.

"Miss Makino, you know that's not true. Rika loves you...she just doesn't know how to show it," Takato said.

"I think she's just scared to get attached to people," Kouichi kicked at a pebble.

"But why?" Rumiko wiped her tears dry.

"Maybe she lost someone important to her when she was younger," Izzy blankly stared ahead.

"There was her father. She was definitely a daddy's girl," Rumiko pensively said.

"If you don't mind us asking, what happened to her dad?" TK asked.

"I was away on one of my photo shoots, so I don't know. When I came back home, he disappeared without a trace. I'm not sure if he died or ran off or what. Nobody knew what happened, not even Nanna. She was the last person to see him. All I knew was that after he was gone, Rika was never the same. She used to sing and laugh, but she's not like that anymore," Rumiko sniffled.

"Yeah...," Koji looked straight ahead.

"She's headed inside that store," Davis pointed.

"Davis! It's rude to point!" Mimi slapped his hand.

"Oww! I was just trying to show you where she went," Davis pouted.

"She confuses me to no end. I don't think I'll ever understand her. Why is she going to a vinyl store? She doesn't even have a record player," Rumiko said.

"Maybe that's where she buys her drugs-"

"Tai!" Sora elbowed him in the gut.

"What? I was going to say drugstore cosmetics...," Tai rubbed his sore spot.

"Shut up, she'll hear us!" Rumiko put her finger to her lips. They tiptoed inside the tiny store and hid behind a Paul McCartney standee. "This is the first time I've actually walked inside. Usually, I just hang out by the doorway...I'm scared."

"It's okay. There's nothing to be scared of," Sora said in a soothing tone.

"Nonaka! Long time, no see! I was wondering if you were even gonna show up!" a clerk said to Rika.

"Hey, Len," Rika nodded at him.

"I'd like to stay and chat, but gotta keep track of inventory before Jake gets back. Keyboard's right over there," the clerk tilted his chin to the corner.

"Thanks, Len," Rika said as she walked over to the piano. When he was out of sight, Rika looked around the room and then started to play a sweet, unique melody.

*clank* Tai accidentally bumped into a rack of cassette tapes.

"Dammit Tai!" Izzy huffed.

Rika abruptly stopped playing the piano and scanned the room again. "Who's there?"

"Oh my gosh! She found us out!" Davis whisper-yelled.

"It's just me."

"Koji?" Rika scorned.

"Koji?" everyone mouthed.

"Just get out," Koji mouthed back to the entourage.

"What are you doing here?" Rika clenched her fists.

"Eh, everyone was getting on my nerves, so I decided to see what you were up to," Koji shrugged.

"So you left those goons behind?" Rika snorted.

"Meh, they probably won't realize. It's almost like I never left them," Koji smirked. "By the way, nice music, I guess. Not really something I would listen to, but it was nice."

"Thanks. Luckily for you, you won't hear it anymore because if I catch you stalking me again, you're dead," Rika slid her finger horizontally in front of her neck. "And you better not tell anyone about this, because then you'll be deader than dead," she threatened.

"Trust me, I'm not telling anyone," Koji scoffed.

"Hey! We do not get on his nerves! He loves us!" Tai gasped as he eavesdropped on Koji and Rika.

"Just get out of here while he distracts her," Izzy pushed Tai forward.

"I am not annoying!" Tai whined.

"Shut up! Everyone else is already outside!" Sora grabbed Tai by the wrist.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Tai said.

*diiiing*

"Tai? Sora? What are you guys doing here?"

"Shhh!" they hushed him.

"Hey! It's Rika and Koji!" Matt waved to them.

"Dammit Matt!" Tai gave himself a facepalm.

"Were you guys following me?!" Rika yelled.

"I just came to buy a capo, I don't know what they were up to," Matt jerked his thumb at Tai and Sora.

"We also came to buy some some capos!" Tai fibbed.

"Do you even know what a capo is?" Matt smirked.

"No, but Izzy knows," Tai blushed.

"Oh really?" Matt looked amused.

"Hey! Where'd he go?" Sora looked behind her. "He was just here a couple of seconds ago!"

"Sure he was...you guys are low," Matt shook his head.

"But he was! Everyone was here, even your mom!" Tai said to Rika.

"Yeah, right. My mom wouldn't bother following me around. She's too busy caring about makeup and clothes," Rika scoffed.

"You don't mean that," Sora gasped. "Your mom isn't as shallow as you think. Everyone has some depth to them, even her. You might criticize her for paying too much attention on people's looks, but you're not any different when you judge her on her outward appearance instead of getting to know what she's like on the inside."

"I guess you've got a point there," Rika sheepishly looked on the floor.

"Now let's get going. I bet the pizza's here by now," Tai grinned.

"Pizza?" Matt perked up.

"Not you! It's a host club thing," Tai snapped.

"Come on! You know you can't hold that over my head forever. I know what you're up to," Matt put his hands on his hips.

"I'm not up to anything! You act like we're begging you to be a host," Tai said.

"That's because you are," Matt smirked.

"Someone's conceited," Sora shook her head.

"You didn't want to be a host, so we stopped bugging you about it. Anyways, we should get going now! See you at school!" Tai waved at Matt.

"Hey! Where are you guys going?" Matt yelled.

"We're having a small get-together at Rika's," Koji smirked.

"Oooh, can I come too?" Matt beamed.

"Sorry. Only friends are welcome," Tai teased.

"Rika, I'm your friend too, aren't-hey! Where did Rika go?" Matt whined.

"Where did she go?" Tai asked.

"Come on, Tai! We're gonna lose her," Sora pulled Tai out of the store. "Bye Matt!"

"Forever alone," Matt slouched.

"Hey Rika! Look at me! I'm a walrus, arf arf!" Davis stuck some chopsticks in his mouth and clapped his hands.

"Pooooke," TK lightly poked Rika on the cheek.

"Stop touching my face...," Rika growled.

"Seriously! You're gonna get pizza grease all over her face and then she'll get bad skin," Mimi sat on TK's lap and dabbed Rika's cheek with a napkin.

"You're acting like my mom," Rika swatted Mimi's hand away and slid over to Takato.

"Now who's ready for a private concert?" Davis held the karaoke machine in the crook of his arm.

"No thank you," Kouichi shook his head.

"Did someone say thank you? Okay!" Davis pulled the microphone to his mouth and began to sing. "I'm gonnaaa sing a sooong! A sooong that will wake you uppp and when you hear my voooiceee, you'll call me a sweet buttercuuuup!"

"Ew...that has to be the worst song I ever heard," Izzy winced.

"That's because he's singing it wrong. Crank it up and let me take a shot!" Tai sprung up from the floor.

"You're joking, right?" Takato gulped.

"I'm gonna sing a sooonngggg, a song that will wake you uuuuppp! I'm gonna belt it oooutt!" Tai sang off-key.

"Okay, you're done," Sora unplugged the machine.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" everyone except Rika laughed.

"Hmmm," Rumiko sighed. "Why does Rika look so miserable?" she peered into the rec room.

"Honey, if you spent more time with her, you'd be able to tell that she's not miserable at all," Nanna said. TK and Davis were serenading Koji, Mimi was playing with Kouichi's hair, Tai balanced a cup on his head, Sora was rolling her eyes at Tai, Takato was happily eating his Guilmon bread, Izzy huffed as he picked plates and napkins up off of the floor, and in the center of the chaos, a slight smile spread across Rika's face and a light began to flicker in her eyes.