Family Reunion

One week had passed and I was folding clothes and my dad stood outside selling crops, smoking his cigarette. Mom was making preparations for lunch. After I got done I looked at the jacket Aaron wrapped around my body and blushed.

"I should give this back." I said to myself.

I put on my coat and grabbed his jacket off my bed. I jogged out my room and to the front to put on my shoes.

"Where are you going sweetheart?" My mom asked from the kitchen.

"I'm gonna return Aaron's jacket! I'll be back!" I called out to her.

"Okay! Be safe!" My mom said.

"I will!" I jogged out the house then ran past my dad. "I'll be back dad!"

"Alright, be safe!" My dad said.

"I will!" I smiled and shook my head then jogged over to Aaron's side of the village.

Aaron's side of the village was just as busy as my side was. After all, his family does own a bakery there. I walked through the doors and the cowbells chimed. Aaron looked up and smiled.

"What a rare occasion, a special visitor?" Aaron rose an eyebrow.

"I came back to give you your jacket, idiot!" I blushed and threw it at his face.

"Thank you thank you." Aaron laughed and took the jacket from his face.

"Well it certainly sounds lively down here." A woman walked down the stairs and smiled at me. "Oh, Risa-dear..What a pleasant surprise. How are you and the family?"

"We are doing well, Yaya." I smiled and walked to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm getting better and well enough to be active again." Aaron's mom smiled.

"I'm glad. My parents are excited to see you this Christmas." I said.

"I'm equally as excited. Christmas was the day we all became friends back when we were in highschool." Aaron's mom chuckled.

"Ahh that's right, that's how you met dad also. Risa's dad had a huge party at his place." Aaron said.

"Mhm. Fell in love with him instantly.." Aaron's mom said then closed her eyes. "Those days were pleasant..even if I'm 37 now, I still feel like I'm 17 sometimes."

"Don't flatter yourself." Aaron teased and laughed softly.

"What do you know?" Aaron's mom scoffed.

I giggled a bit and watched them. I got a call from my phone and answered it.

"GET OVER HERE NOW! YOUR SISTER MADE IT!" My dad yelled through the phone with excitement.

"Geez Dad, thanks. I don't need my ears!" I said. "I gotta go, my sister made it home early."

"Alright, oh wait. Take these cookies with you. Free of charge." Aaron's mom smiled.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Mhm. It's on the house." She said.

"Well thank you." I smiled. "I'll see you both in two weeks!"

I took the cookies and jogged back home. I smiled happily to see my sister once again. As I walked in the house and closed the door, I took off my shoes and ran up the stairs and set the bag of cookies on the counter then dashed to my sister and tackled her into a huge.

"Whoa!!" My sister yelled surprised.

We fell on the floor and laughed. Dad and mom laughed also. I sat up and looked at my sister.

"Tomoka..I missed you so much..!" I wiped my eyes.

"I missed you too.." Tomoka smiled and wiped my tears also. "You're still as much as a crybaby as I remember."

"S-Shut up.." I smiled and sniffled then got off her.

"So how is the modelling job? I see you on TV all the time." My dad asked.

"It's fun but at the same time, stressful. The stressful part is the fact I can't see you all more often. I practically spent my 20th birthday by myself." Tomoka sighed.

"Well now you're here! Well until after New Years of course." I said.

"Mhm! I wanna talk to you about so many things!" Tomoka smiled.

"Well you girls can talk during your lunch, I made some for you all." Mom smiled.

"Thank you!" I smiled happily then took my sister's hand and ran to the kitchen.

"Seeing them together again, brings me joy and happiness." Dad said and smiled.

"Yeah..this is the most I've seen Risa smile." Mom said.

"Well she will be smiling a lot more this Christmas.." Dad said.

Mom took the cigarette out of Dad's mouth and he groaned lightly and she giggled. Meanwhile, my sister and I sat at the table and ate our lunch.

"So, how are things between you and Aaron?" My sister asked in a gossiping way.

"H-Hmm?!" I blushed madly and nearly choked.

"You like him don't you?" My sister teased.

"N-No I don't..!" I said.

"Oh stop it, your face is as red as a tomato." My sister laughed.

"Shut up!" I pinched Tomoka's cheeks.

"Tell the truth, do you like him?" She smiled.

"W-Well...only a little.." I looked away and blushed.

"Confess to him this Christmas or New Years. No do it on New Years, under the fireworks." My sister said.

"Why are you so invested in my love life?" I puffed my cheeks.

"Because this is your first time having a love interest. I don't want you to mess an opportunity like this up." She smiled.

"M-Mmph.." I looked at her shyly.

"You don't know how to tell him that's why. Well I'll help my little tsundere of a sister out!" Tomoka smiled.

"I appreciate it, I guess.." I looked away.

Tomoka giggled and we kept eating our lunch. Later on that day, we all played Uno in the living room. Dad and Tomoka stared each other down.

"So what's the hold up father..is it that you do not have the Raging Red in your hand?" Tomoka said in a villainous voice.

"Oh ho ho..with how the rules are set up..anything can happen, my dear apprentice.." Dad said.

"Hmph, play your card or draw and play, if you can." Tomoka said.

"I shall draw!" Dad said.

Mom and I smiled nervously as we had 4+ cards in our hands. Dad and Tomoka roleplayed like this all the time during Uno. Dad drew a card and his eyes lit up and he gave an ominous chuckle.

"I activate a special ability." Dad said.

"I-Impossible..! Late game activation..?!" Tomoka said.

"I activate, WORLD REVERSAL!" Dad put down a reversal. "This is my ultimate bluff..no one has gotten past my bluff..can you defeat World Reversal?"

"A very skilled play..Late Game Bluff..but this game is already over.." Tomoka said.

'Impossible..did she see through my bluff..?!' Dad thought.

Tomoka drew a card and we all laughed softly. Tomoka giggled and couldn't play anything.

"It's my turn.." Mom said then we all visualized ourselves in a fantasy world.

"Uhm, where are we?" I asked.

"This is your mother's domain..! We only come here when she's about to pull off a nasty play..!" Dad said.

"T-The Uno Goddess has...appeared before us?" Tomoka gulped.

"I activate my Special ability! Triple Skip!" Mom set down three skips in a specific color order, Red, Blue, Yellow.

"No way..it can't be that Legendary Technique..!" Dad said.

"T-The Triple..Skip...win technique..?!" Tomoka said.

"I draw a card!" Mom said. "Your turn Risa."

We were all stunned by her play. Why did she draw a card? Did she not have the color? So many questions raced in my head.

"Risa..this play decides the very fate of this world..!" Tomoka said.

"R-Right." I gulped. The only yellow I had was a reverse card. I did not want to risk the play. "I draw!"

"Smart play!" Dad said. He drew a card as well.

"Fools..! You played right into my plan!" Tomoka said.

We all looked at her. She looked at her cards then looked up at us.

"Ohohohoho! I activate my Special ability! Double Requiem!" Tomoka set down two 0 cards.

"No way! She played us like a fiddle!" Dad said.

"N-No way.." Mom dropped her cards. "I was defeated.."

Our world turned back to normal in our heads and dad sat back and pat Tomoka on her back.

"You played well..you are the master bluffer now." Dad chuckled.

"Why was that game so stressful.." I said.

"Because the entire game we bluffed and made the game very intense." Tomoka giggled.

"Count me out next time." I giggled.

We all sat on the couch a few minutes later to watch a movie. We had a great day and some we were gonna prepare for Christmas. We planned to decorate the tree and the house. I was excited to do those tasks with my sister.