A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating for so long you guys :[ There's been so much happening in real life, and I lost interest in writing for a while, and then there was college and family stuff... *sigh* Anyways, I've managed to finish this chapter (finally!) and I really hope you'll like it! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed and faved the past year as well. It makes me so happy to hear that some of you can relate to Hana in some way, or have also been in situations similar to her. So thank you for being so patient, and I hope you'll enjoy~!

...

"Yeah mom, I'm doing them now." A pair of polka-dotted socks crossed the floor and stopped in front of the tiny sink of her kitchenette. Turning the faucet, she brought the phone up close to the rushing water and put it on speaker so as to convince her mother she'd been washing dishes the entire time. "I just finished prepping for dinner later, too."

"Oh? And what's on the menu for tonight?" Her mother asked.

Hana twisted her head in Maika's direction, but her friend could only shake her head and smile. Just as they'd been about to do their homework, a sudden craving for chocolate chip cookies prompted Maika's hundredth trip downstairs that week- right before Hana's mom called to ask if she was getting enough to eat. Her sugar intake was certainly off the charts, but there was no doubt that mentioning it would give her mom a cow. "Ugh," Hana began, but her list of excuses became jumbled in her head, "curry...?"

A loud sigh swept through the speaker."Honey, if I find out that you've been eating instant ramen again, instead of making your own meals-"

The corner of Hana's lips gave a faint twitch. "I haven't," she says. And besides, the jumbo-sized box of ramen she'd bought two weeks ago was already empty and sitting beside the fridge. "I-I mean, I might've eaten ramen a few days ago, but not last night. I had yakisoba last night."

That Maika had bought straight from the convenience store. She'd given up on cooking after burning through both cartons of eggs, so just about everything they'd eaten this week had been ready-made meals instead of freshly prepared...

Hana shut off the faucet and opened the refrigerator door. "I'm just running low on veggies, okay? It's no big deal." Her hair bun bobbed as she leaned slightly against the door, eyeing the interior of her empty fridge in astonishment. I can't believe I let it get this bad again. She had the advantage of living above a 24-hour convenience store, so why did this keep happening? She spent a few more moments in front of the doorway before shutting it slowly, releasing the door a few seconds later. "Stop worrying so much, mom."

"Well, what sort of mother wouldn't worry about their child?" Hana glances at the girl sprawled on her living room floor and considers switching off the speaker. A males' voice suddenly called out from somewhere in the background- her father, no doubt. He sounded a little frustrated as he repeated her mother's name, leaving Hana to suspect she'd snuck off on her own to get the call done in the first place. "Okay, I'll be right there!" Her mom shouts. "Looks like I have to go."

"Sounds busy over there."

"Yes, but it just proves that people like the food," she chuckled. "Your father says that everyone in town's stopped by at least once, but I think he's just exagger- EH? I SAID I WAS ON MY WAY!" Maika presses the back of her hand to her mouth as a light laugh tinkled out, and Hana didn't hesitate to turn off the speaker this time as her mother continued to shout. She listened to her mom drone on until she said her "Bye. Love you, too." And ran a hand down her face.

Maika paused for a moment to find her milk-filled mug and plunged a cookie into its depths. "Sounds like your parents are doing well."

Hana sighed. "According to the magazine they sent me, weekends seem to bring in the biggest crowds for them."

"They were mentioned in a magazine? That's amazing."

"I know, but I still worry. They're so old now, and still working so hard. I wish they could've invested in something more relaxing."

"You're going to make your mom cry if she hears you talking like that," Maika warned, wagging her cookie at her. "You should be happy they still have so much pep in their step. If you want to talk about old than look at my dad. He's in his mid-40s, and still dresses like he's in his 20s!"

"Don't exaggerate. When has he ever dressed like that?"

"Around the house. He's always buying clothes that he knows doesn't suit him, and then whines when I tell him not to wear them out in public. You know those big, floral-patterned Hawaiian shirts he brought back from his trip last year?"

Hana snorted. "You mean the matching set he bought for you guys to wear the next time you went together?"

"Yes, those! Well, imagine the same shirt, only covered in Brad Pitt's face."

"Benjamin Button!?"

Maika shuddered involuntarily at the memory of that particular day, and paused before grabbing her mug off the table, in fear of dropping it. "He liked it so much, that he decided to make one of himself. And he gave it to me...!"

Abruptly, Hana's grin widened. "Of his own face? You could make some serious money if you get him to sign it."

"I've thought about it, too, but it would break his little heart." And this is what they discussed as Maika gobbled cookies and Hana washed dishes for real this time; Mr. Nozomu's tastes, and other things based on their home life.

"I'm surprised the paparazzi still hasn't gotten a hold of this information. He could make a new line of face-covered shirts, and I bet they'd still sell like hotcakes."

"Please don't give him any ideas," Maika groaned, falling dramatically on the floor. "I don't want those ugly things to be the next big thing. In fact, I have my dad's gift hidden away in the back of my closet. Made sure to never to see the light of day again."

"Such a cold-hearted woman."

"You know it."

It's been four days since Maika had become Hana's temporary caregiver, and the weekend had arrived in the blink of an eye. Hours would be spent in front of the TV watching movies, napping, or mindlessly scrolling through videos on the internet until her friend got back from school. She'd even been convinced into doing some online shopping to pass the time, which Hana had been reluctant to do until she saw the great deals on pet supplies and the like. The fluffy bed she'd ordered for Marmalade two days ago had arrived early this morning, with the cat bowl expected to arrive on Monday. Hana's leg was mostly healed as well, despite having to still wear an ankle brace to ease her friend's concerns. Maika had been super strict about not letting her overexert herself, so she hadn't been allowed to cook any of the meals or do any of the chores around the house until now. Not that any of them got done anyway. The sink was full of dirty dishes and the trash was full of all the empty food containers and candy wrappers Maika had bought for them. So to sum it up, Maika might've sucked at cooking and cleaning, but when she treated you to something, boy, did she go all out.

Sorry, mom. I'll make sure to buy groceries once my house arrest is over.

As Hana continued to wash dishes, she began to recall the last time she'd run out of food and fallen into a dark state of despair; and that had been during Japan's infamous Golden Week. There had been lines out of Maji Burger's door every single day, so Hana's phone was ringing off the hook as she was being called in to work by her stress-ridden manager. She'd only been working at MB for two weeks at the time, so the experience of working at a fast food place during that hectic holiday had pushed her to her absolute limits. Just so she could keep up with the demand of work, Hana had skipped grocery shopping and chores so she could get a few hours of sleep, so Maika (who'd been worried enough by her friend's job already) had invited her over to her house for a sleepover. And with the thought of free food in mind, Hana had jumped at the chance no questions asked. Of course, snacks and drinks had been distributed a plenty, but Maika's BL manga had become the constant topic of the night, so Hana hadn't been able to fully enjoy the food at all. The only highlight of the event had been in the morning when she could finally go home, but not before having a meal of blueberry pancakes that Maika's father was so famous for. Hana had been dropped off at home that day with her belly stuffed, and a box full of leftover pancakes; pancakes that she'd eaten for both lunch and dinner later that same day. Thinking it over now, Hana wondered how she'd ended up so desperate for food that she'd willingly stayed over at Maika's of all places.

"The pancakes. It was definitely the pancakes," she mumbled.

"You say something?" Maika says.

"Huh? Ugh, no..."

Glancing over at the living room, where the weatherman was going over the weekly forecast, Hana became aware of her friend idly hovering over her math homework. Being the study bug that she was, Hana had done a good job of catching up on the lessons she'd missed, and was able to finish assignments well before Maika had even gotten started. There was still English homework to complete, but Hana was positive she'd be able to finish it by the end of the day. And with homework out of the way, she'd finally be able to put in the final touches of cat-proofing her house- something she'd been surprisingly looking forward to.

Because I'll get to see Marmalade again...!

Hana's mouth curled in anticipation at the thought, and she tugged on the curtain of the window above the sink to let in more sunlight. As the warmth enveloped her chest, she began to whistle to the rhythm of a commercial's catchy jingle and rinsed dinnerware before positioning it into the dish rack. Satisfied with her pace, the teenager glanced up through the window where the speck of a ball flew upwards and into a hoop.

Her gut somersaulted to her chest as she stopped what she was doing.

Since the night they'd walked her home, Hana hadn't heard anything from either Kagami or Kuroko. The coach had apparently kept to her word about extending practice that week, and Maika had reported (albeit disappointedly) seeing the duo fast asleep during lessons and even lunch time.

Seeing them like that had managed to keep Ayumi away, so Hana had gotten a break there. But it had also confirmed, much to Hana's chagrin, that the plotting and scheming would carry on even in the midst of her absence. Brainstorming plans with Ayumi had become Maika's new lunch time ritual, and it wasn't like she was against setting them up, either (She was just as vocal and enthusiastic about the pairing as Ayumi was).

Hana's most recent encounter only seemed to convince Maika that Hana's relationship with Kagami was steadily developing, and she wasn't about to let the frizzy-haired girl call it quits just yet. Not after seeing her interacting with a boy for what seemed like the first time since high school began. Hana was still hoping, though, that Maika would show a little more respect in her ability to find her own boyfriend. Then again, it wasn't like she'd made any attempts to socialize with boys outside of school in the past few months anyways. And her little encounter in the hallway with him had been the very definition of horrible, so she couldn't really count that.

She might've just been playing mind games with herself, or whatever, but she just couldn't deny the attraction that seemed to spark whenever she and Kagami crossed paths. Hana wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, but she knew she had to talk to him if she ever planned on figuring out what it was. She'd considered texting both him and Kuroko about the discount from the other night, to try and bring it up as casually as possible. And when she couldn't drum up the courage to do that, she went with option B and tried to block them out of her head altogether.

Ultimately, though, she just couldn't help but dissect the events of that night.

The cauldron of thoughts prompted a soapy hand to reach for the curtain, but not before impulsively peeking one last time. To her surprise, a male with a shaved head lunged up to dunk a basketball in Kagami's place.

Hana's face grew instantly hot. Stupid! You were just freaking out over a stranger! Have you totally lost it?

"Hana?"

The fabric she'd been clutching onto tore from the curtain rods as she shrieked, splashing into the sink with a loud POP-POP-POP-KER-FWUMP! Maika's yelp came from behind her as something heavy hit the floor, accompanied by a waterfall of plastic and other unknown artifacts.

"S-sorry! Are you okay?"

"I might've lost a few years of my life, but I think I can deal."

Hana hurried to shut off the water as she pulled the soaked curtain out of the sink and onto the dish rack. Covering the kitchen floor behind her was an assortment of candy wrappers, empty food containers, tea packets, and a whole other assortment of their week's spoils. "What were you...?"

"Taking out the garbage," Maika answered flatly. She knelt down and took an armful of the clutter before squishing it back into the container. "I was gonna ask if you could help me since some of it was spilling. But if I'd known you were so scared of garbage, I would've thrown myself out a long time ago."

"I thought you were sitting in the living room."

"Maybe if you weren't so focused on whatever it was you were looking at, you would've noticed me sooner." She pushed her lenses up the bridge of her nose knowingly and waited for a reaction.

Hana bumped against the counter in shock. Way to go, Hana. Why not just hang a sign that reads: BEST VIEW OF KAGAMI AT THE PARK, HERE! on your window?

Too embarrassed to speak, Hana bent down to help Maika pick up the mess instead.

That was when the doorbell rang.

"Guests?" Hana said, instantly startled.

"I'll get it!" Maika said, rushing to the door.

"But I never have guests."

"All the more reason to see who it is!"

As the brunette hurried to open it, Hana was suddenly alarmed by the possibility of Kagami or Kuroko standing outside. "M-Maika, wait!" She crashed into her friend's backside as the door flew open.

"Surprise~!" shouted the group that awaited them outside.

"Oh wow!" Maika gushed.

The presence of all nine of her relative's faces flustered Hana to no end. "Wh-wha-!? What is-?"

"We're sorry we couldn't get here sooner," Chigusa apologized. "It took everyone forever to get ready before leaving the house."

"'Everyone'?" muttered Satomi, a similar looking girl fashioned with long braided hair. "We were all ready. Toru was the one who couldn't find any of his shoes."

"I couldn't find them because Takuya couldn't remember where he'd left them!" Toru defended, scowling.

"Why do you always let him borrow your stuff when you know he's just gonna lose it?" Yuuto questioned his older brother.

Takuya shrugs. "What's the big deal? I found them didn't I?"

"In the backyard!" Karin snapped, looking up from her cell phone. "What are you? A dog?"

Taishi, the shortest and youngest of the boys snickered. "Takuya-nii-san was called a dog!"

"Enough! We finally get to visit Hana-chan, and this is how you act?" Chigusa chastised.

"Ah, your family's so lively!" Maika murmured.

Maybe that was why she hadn't gone to visit in so long, Hana thought. She'd subconsciously remind herself how tiring it was to be around so many children. Hana didn't particularly hate children, they were just loud and annoying and better in small doses... As the siblings continued to weigh in on whose fault it was for arriving late, Hana noticed the large plastic bags that both Rinnosuke and his brother, Haruo, were carrying. "You guys brought food?" She asked.

"We thought we'd have a feast!" Satomi jumped in.

"T-to celebrate the occasion!" Chigusa explained, letting go of her brother's cheeks. "Since it's the first time we've come to visit you."

Maika caught Chigusa's hand. "Then let's not waste any more time! Come in come in! You guys want some snacks? My name's Maika by the way."

As her friend led her relatives inside, Hana suddenly felt a large hand on her head. Recognizing the gesture, she looked up and was met by alarm in her cousin's eyes. "Rin-kun?" Following his line of sight, she realized Rinnosuke was staring at the ankle brace she had on. "O-oh! I'm doing a lot better now, so you don't have to worry about it! Maika's just making me wear it because she's kind of a worrywart." But her reassurances only seemed to make his frown get even droopier.

"Did tanukis break into your house, Hana? This place is a mess!"

"Taishi, you're being rude!"

Having forgotten about the trash they'd left in the kitchen, Hana felt a wave of embarrassment color her cheeks. Her cousin's outburst did seem to snap Rinnosuke out of it, though, but now he appeared to have a whole other worry in mind. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt as he started marching past her. "Oh no you don't! You're a guest so you don't have to clean!" she cried, but it fell on deaf ears.

Unsurprisingly, Rinnosuke had taken it upon himself to gather all of the trash. Over in the kitchen, Haruo was trying to fix the curtain Hana had torn from above the sink, and Chigusa was washing dishes and passing them to Satomi to dry. Hana stood behind them after failing to convince them to leave things as they were, trying to stay out of their way now that she had no other choice.

"Oh, how reliable," Maika murmured. She'd hurried to collect her homework from the living room, and distributed whatever puddings and cookies were left to help keep the kids distracted. A move that would be sure to bite them in the butt later, Hana thought. "Aren't you glad I invited them over?"

"So it was you!"

Maika pressed her index finger to her lips and guided Hana toward the entrance. "Your cousin Rin came to class on Thursday looking for you."

"And you didn't tell me?" Hana demanded.

"I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well you didn't fail!" she confirmed, her frustration evident. "What did you even tell him? You didn't tell him I fell down the stairs did you?"

Maika quickly shook her head. "No, no way. When he saw you were absent, I told him you'd be missing school for the next few days cuz of a sprained leg. No other details, I swear."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. It wasn't until he started panicking that I suggested he come over to see you. It was his friend who gave him the idea to bring the whole family over," Maika added plainly. She pouts and looks disappointed for not having thought of it herself.

Hana wears a frown.

Koganei...!

After glancing behind her, Maika leans in closer. "Hey, isn't your cousin on the basketball team? If it's like that, than wouldn't he know Kagami-kun?"

"No! Not a word!" Hana says abruptly, causing Maika to rear back. "My parents made a rule not to let boys in the house while I was alone. And... and if Rin-kun finds out I was with not one, but two guys, than he'd definitely have a major freak out."

"But if they're guys he knows-"

"Exactly! Teammates see each other all the time and are expected to work together and stuff. I don't want things to get weird between them because of- because of whatever this weird thing between the three of us is."

"You make it sound like you're in a love triangle!" Maika laughed, but Hana's expression wasn't nearly as thrilled.

"Will you quit joking around?" she says irritably. "Rin-kun's like an older brother to me, Maika. And he's always been super protective of these sorts of things. Especially since... well... you know."

Maika frowned, knowing exactly what she was referring to. "Okay... I can understand why he'd be protective of you. But do you really think it would be a big deal? It wasn't like anything happ-"

The front door shut beside them and Maika was promptly cut off. "R-Rin-kun!" Hana blabbed, her frizzy hair rising on end. Catching him off guard, she swooped in without warning and began to pull him toward the kitchen. "S-so what are we cooking today? I haven't eaten all day and I am so so starving right now."

"We're having sukiyaki!" Taishi hollered gleefully from the living room.

"Sukiyaki?" Hana and Maika both echoed.

"I did say it was a special occasion," Chigusa says, approaching them as she dried her hands with a dish towel. "It isn't every day we get to come visit you, Hana. And it's been forever since we last saw you too." She leaned in and whispered slyly, "Plus, Rin-nii is still trying to make it up to me for the other day. So he was more than willing to go all out!"

Hana watched her cousin smother a smile and could hardly resist one of her own. "I guess I can't complain about that. But I... I don't think my cooking pot is going to be big enough for all of us."

"That's okay, we brought our own," Chigusa said, revealing the huge iron pot stowed in one of their bags. And Hana hadn't noticed till now, but there were more than enough ingredients piled in the rest of the bags to fulfill several servings. As well as...

"Beef!?" Maika exclaimed, shooting toward the dinner table. "Yes! My eyes do not deceive me!"

"You'd better not eat it all," Hana mumbled. But even she had to admit that the sight of beef had lifted her mood a good fraction of what it was before. She picked up two of the bags from the table and smiled approvingly at the amount of veggies that inhabited them. It even made her want to send her mom a picture to let her know she'd be eating healthily tonight. Hopefully, she'd be able to sense it with that mother's intuition she was always talking about.

"Hana-chan, what are you doing?" Satomi questioned, pulling up beside her.

"I'm gonna help chop the cabbage and leeks," she chirped, and set them down at the counter.

"But an injured person like you shouldn't even be in the kitchen right now."

"Eh?"

"She's right, you should go rest, Hana-chan," Chigusa agreed.

"Eh?"

"She said to go rest," Maika chimed in, clutching onto the bag of beef like a newborn baby.

Hana's jaw dropped. "But I said I was okay!"

"You missed 3 days of school because you were 'okay'?" Haruo said skeptically, finding it appropriate to join the conversation now. Thanks, Haruo.

"Well, I am now!" she screams dramatically. Shaking his head, Rin-kun appeared behind her and started to push her gently in the opposite direction."Wha-? Rinnosuke, not you too!"

"Go, Hana," they all commanded, uniting simultaneously to push her out of her own kitchen.

Unbelievable.

Hana's apartment was small and comprised of three areas: The first area was her bedroom, the second, the bathroom, and area three was the living room, kitchen, and dining room- all of which were very open and so close that they blended together. Now, with the addition of her relatives, the apartment meant for one felt as crowded as a can of sardines. Since being thrown out of the kitchen, she'd joined the youngest of the Mitobe siblings in the living room, and was surprised to find that the Wii had been fully set up upon arrival. She could hardly even remember the last time she'd played with the damn thing. It had been a gift from her older brother and was meant to keep her from feeling lonely now that she'd started living on her own. Thankfully, the layer of dust covering it had been thinner than she'd thought.

"Whooh! Money honey money- Match point sucka!" Takuya exclaims, as a crowd of animated characters on the television erupts into cheers.

"It's all in the wrist, Toru. You don't have to swing your arms so much."

"I tried it and it isn't working! Scoot back, Karin!"

The younger girl frowned. "Scoot back? That's how far the living room goes!"

"40 to 15, Toru!" Takuya informed his brother.

Toru swiped angrily at the air with his controller. "Stop bragging!"

"Oh, out!"

"Quit it!" Taishi cried, squishing up against Karin on the couch. "You're gonna hit me!"

Yuuto, who'd given up his seat for Hana, jerked back when the heel of Toru's foot bumped against his leg. "Will you watch where you're going? Didn't I just say it was all in the wrist?"

The cheering from the television grows louder. "I win!" Takuya shouts.

Toru grits his teeth. "Satomi, back me up here!"

"I'm a little busy right now," she yells from the kitchen.

"But I do better when I'm in a team."

Their older brother, Haruo, immediately rises from the kitchen table."I'll play! Pass me a controller!"

Hana shook her head, smiling. "I still can't believe you guys brought your own."

"Well all you had was one controller," Toru says, unable to keep his cynism from showing. "How's anyone supposed to play like that?"

"You can still play against the characters in the game, Mr. Wise Guy," Karin said, rolling her eyes.

"But that's so boring."

"He's right. It's way more fun when you're up against another person," Takuya chuckles. "So who's it gonna be? Haruo's on Toru's team, so what about mine? Hana-chan?"

"I'm happy watching from here," she insists. Hana knew better than to get in the middle of a game involving Takuya and Toru. Since their competitiveness with each other was ubiquitous in just about everything they did, staying out of their way was definitely for the best.

"I wish Koganei-kun were here," Toru mumbled. "He could wipe the floor with you while blindfolded!"

"Why? Because he used to play tennis?" Yuuto asked. "I don't think it would make much of a difference, though?"

Karin snorted. "Of course, it would. If he's practiced before then he should know what he's doing, right?"

Yuuto presses against the couch and shrugs. "But you could be a racecar driver in real life and still suck at playing Mario Kart."

"Okay, enough talk!" Takuya snapped, and tossed a blue controller in Yuuto's lap. "Yuuto, you're on my team."

As the four brothers pushed furniture aside to make more room, Maika plopped her crossed arms on the couch's armrest next to Hana. "Having fun?" she asked.

"Toru's controller still hasn't made contact with my face, so I guess a yes is appropriate. You haven't eaten all the meat yet, have you?"

"Naw, not yet." Maika paused for a moment to watch the boys elbow each other in their dash to score points. "They're way too energetic."

"More energetic than us anyway. All we've been doing is eat cookies all day."

Maika laughs and leans her head against Hana's shoulder. "I'm still having trouble telling them apart, though."

Hana follows her friend's line of sight and points toward the center of the group. "Who? Toru and Takuya? That's probably because they're part of a set of triplets."

"EH!? No way!"

The corners of her mouth turned up. "It's true. Toru, Takuya, and Satomi are triplets."

"That's amazing!" Maika cried, flabbergasted.

"You should've seen Chigusa's face when mom told us," Haruo told her, taking this moment to speak before serving. "She thought she was gonna have all boys, and she'd be the only girl in the family."

"Well at the time I did!" Chigusa exclaimed. She stood between Rinnosuke and Satomi at the kitchen counter, with carrots, green onions, and other vegetables spread around them. "Satomi was a pleasant surprise, though," she said, patting her sister on the head.

Toru and Takuya frowned. "Hey!"

"So starting from the oldest it's Rinnosuke-kun, Chigusa-chan, Haruo-kun..." Maika mumbles, counting her fingers.

Hana nods. "Then Takuya, Toru, Satomi, Yuuto, Karin, and Taishi." After mulling it over for a few seconds, Hana turned toward the kitchen. "By the way, why isn't Shuuichi-kun here?"

"He had a 'prior engagement' to take care of," Chigusa air-quoted.

"Eh, there's more of you!?" Maika asks, her volume increasing.

"Oh, it's just one more. He's a first year like you and Hana-chan."

"And he couldn't be here because of a date...?" Hana guessed. That seemed to be the case with most of her cousin's absences. Shuuichi-kun may have been popular, but he rarely ever missed events like Rinnosuke's basketball games, or family get-togethers. Not unless the girl he was currently seeing meant an awful lot to him.

Chigusa nods. She didn't look angry, but she wasn't exactly happy either.

"But he said he'd bring us desert later to make it up to us!" Taishi says cheerfully. "I-I mean you. Make it up to you."

A hand flew backward and the trio on the couch all ducked. Hana decided to snag the cushion from behind her and hold it up like a shield. Karin and Taishi did the same. A camera shutter clicks beside her, and Hana jumps. "You brought your camera?"

Maika adjusts the large lens to her digital camera. "I almost forgot I had it with me. Since its been a while since you've seen your family, I figured a couple of photos couldn't hurt. Say cheese!"

Hana ducks behind her cushion as the shutter sounds again.

Maika smiles deviously as she stands up. "Don't be that way, Hana! Hey, Karin-chan, hold your cousin for me please!"

Hana's heart drops. "D-don't do it, Karin!"

The younger girl smirks and snaps her phone shut before twisting her body in their direction. "You want one of the two of us?" she asks, grabbing Hana by the shoulders. "Cheese!"

Hana's grip on the cushion tightens as Maika tries to pull it away from her face. "You know I hate taking pictures! I never look good in them!" The frizzy-haired girl hurls her body between the space behind Karin and the couch in a futile attempt to hide, bumping her head against Taishi's arm. "Stop!" she cries.

"What are you guys doing?" Taishi asks, noticing the wrestling match the girls were having beside him. "Is that a camera?"

Maika laughs. "We're trying to take a picture of Hana but she won't let go!"

Her arms were fully wrapped around the cushion now in a vice grip as the two girls tried pulling it away. She even tries to kick Maika off the armrest but quickly regrets it as the action only seems to motivate her to continue with more enthusiasm than before. Karin wasn't showing any signs of letting up either, and soon, all Hana could do was scream for her life and use her legs to hold her crazy attackers back.

Taishi's mischievous smile stretched from ear to ear as he placed his tiny hands against Hana's sides and began to tickle her. Hana's body bucked as she erupted into a fit of giggles, and Maika and Karin laughed along with her. "Perfect! Keep doing what you're doing, Taishi-kun!" Maika ordered, pulling back far enough to get a decent shot.

Toru was the first of the boys to notice what was happening and glared at Karin's back as her feet knocked against his own. "Karin, what are you doing? You're in the way!"

Karin refused to turn around as she was finally able to yank the cushion away, and raises it above her head like a trophy. "I got it!"

"Hey, I said you were in the way."

"Does it look like I care? I'm kinda busy here."

"Busy...?"

"Looks like they're murdering, Hana," Yuuto observes plainly.

"Pft, her face is super red!" Takuya laughs, abandoning the game to see what all the commotion was about. "Hey, check it out, a camera!"

Hana was laughing so hard she started having trouble breathing. "You... little... punk...!" She reaches for Taishi's stomach and begins to tickle him back in retaliation. The youngest Mitobe began giggling and slapped the couch. Hana went even further and flung another cushion at Karin's face, causing her to fall backward against Toru's legs and sending them both toppling over. This caused everyone to dissolve into fits of laughter.

Chigusa stops chopping the cabbage on her cutting board as squeals of fright and hoots of laughter detonated from the living room behind her. Karin and the boys were in the midst of a fight consisting of couch cushions and whatever else was lying around that they could use as projectiles, while on the other end of the room, Maika and little Taishi worked together to tickle Hana silly.

"Hey! Didn't we agree Hana was too injured to be messing around right now?"

Stomach aching and face beet red, Hana's speech was so slurred she wasn't sure she could form words. "Chi... gUsa... help...!"

"Hana says she doesn't wanna take a picture with you so she's fighting back!" Maika shouts.

"Eh? You hate taking pictures with me that much?"

"Isn't that beyond the point?" Satomi mumbles.

"Yeah, so we're punishing her!" Taishi laughs.

"Oh, we're taking a picture!" Chigusa huffs, and quickly throws off her apron. It lands in her brother's arms as Chigusa tugs an unwilling Satomi along to join in on the fun.

With a shake of his head, Rinnosuke watches his family from the kitchen and bites his lip, stifling a laugh as he continued to prepare tonight's dinner.

A/N: Maika's one of my fave characters, and I was happy to spend more time with her this chapter. Also, the Mitobe siblings~! x3 Did you guys know that there were originally only 9 siblings in the manga, but in the anime there were 10!? So weird xD But I've happily included Taishi cuz the more Mitobes the better! lol I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but please keep an eye out and thank you for your patience ; 3;