A/N: First and foremost I want to apologize for my spotty updating. Normally I try to update my different stories everyday with only a break in there periodically, unless I inform you prior that I will be going on vacation; however, I have been dealing with an occipital neuralgia and there are some days I am just not able to get on the computer. I am updating as much as possible, but until I can get the right treatment, there might be days in between updates. I'm sorry, and as soon as I can, I will be back on my normal updating schedule again. Until then, please bear with me and I will update as much as I can.

For this story, I hope Hikaru is ready for triplets! I realized after I went back and read the last chapter that I never named the babies, so I have added their names in this chapter because… well you need to know them so that I don't constantly call them by ambiguous descriptions for the remainder of the story. LOL. This story will be wrapping soon and probably only has another couple of chapters. Enjoy!

Hit counts (I think this is right, if not, I will correct next chapter): Tamaki – 101, Hikaru – 44, Kaoru – 59, Kyoya – 4, Mori – 4, Hunny – 2.

Chapter 35 – Home Coming

Before Haruhi delivered, she had received a few steroid injections to help increase the development and lung function of the triplets so that if worst case scenario came to pass, the babies would have a greater chance of survival and less complications. For all of their preparations and planning, Hikaru and Shiori's children were incased in plastic for the first two weeks of their lives. It seemed as if one had breathing issues, the other two would develop them as well. Oxygen was on them constantly so that they breathed better, and yet with all of that, the triplets were still doing better than most people expected considering they had been born five weeks early.

Every day Hikaru and his wife would travel to the hospital and spend their day there. As soon as the NICU opened to visitors, they were waiting by the door in order to spend time with their children, and when they were kicked out because morning hours were over, they remained at the hospital waiting for the afternoon visiting hours to begin. This was their day every day for two weeks.

After the first three days, they were able to hold their oldest, Keiichi (square jewel first son). He had been born first and seemed the strongest, and yet he also struggled periodically. When they considered allowing him to be moved to the step down nursery from NICU, the moment he had been separated from his siblings, his O2 stats started to drop and he had to be returned, only improving when he was once again with his brother, Hiroaki (widespread brightness), and sister, Harumi (spring beauty – named for Haruhi and born 3rd). They may have been in different beds, but it was more than apparent to everyone that the triplets needed each other and did not want to be apart. So as the siblings improved, if one had to remain in NICU, they all remained.

Two weeks… For two weeks the new Hitachiin babies stayed in the hospital and their parents were only able to hold them and care for them during visiting hours. And then the day happened. Hikaru and Shiori had known their babies were improving and that their last child, Harumi, had finally been taken off the oxygen, and they prayed her stats held overnight. As they walked into the NICU, Nobuko was there to greet them with a big grin on her face. "What's going on?" Hikaru questioned spotting his children behind the doctor. The smile seemed happy, but she was blocking their path to their babies.

Her smile growing, Kyoya's wife asked, "How would you like to take your children home today?"

Hikaru seemed dumbfounded by this question and it was up to his wife to speak, "Are you kidding?"

Nobuko shook her head, "No. All three are stable and even Harumi made it through the night and this morning without issue. I am clearing them to go home, but if there are any issues, you need to come back immediately. Watch all three closely, and if you see any signs of respiratory distress or problems, call me and come to the ER."

"So… So…" Hikaru had tears in his eyes and found himself choked up with emotion as he forced out, "So we can really take them home? They can sleep in their own beds?"

The doctor smiled softly understanding how much of an emotional roller coaster the parents had been on since the birth, and even before that, "Yes, you can. You can take them home and start raising them… with the help of everyone else in our group of friends." She winked as she added the last part and walked up to the parents and pulled them in for a hug. They were emotional and so was she. It had been a long two weeks and no parent wanted to leave their kids behind in the hospital, no parent wanted to have to worry about visiting hours or if their babies would make it through the night. Nobuko and Kyoya knew how lucky and blessed they had been that Kichiro had been born healthy and had been able to go home when his mother had been discharged; however, as a doctor, she had seen too many cases where parents had not been as lucky as she had been.

Stepping back and wiping his face on his sleeve, the new father said, "We didn't… uh, we didn't bring anything with us. Their car seats are at home still."

"Call Kaoru or one of your maids to bring them… unless you would rather wait to take them home."

"NO! No. We'll make the call right now."

Shiroi giggled as she wiped her own tears away, "What my husband means is that we will make the arrangements because we are ready to have them home."

"I thought you might," Nobuko grinned and stepped around the parents in order to leave the NICU.

"Nobuko?" The new mother called over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll tell Kyoya the good news and we'll keep it to ourselves so that you are not bombarded by the others for a day or two. You know they are going to find out sooner rather than later though."

Laughing, Hikaru agreed, "Yah, they will and that's alright. A day or two is fine before we have to deal with the boss. Thank you again, Nobuko."

"I'm always here if you two need me. Oh, and it isn't only Tamaki you should be concerned about."

"It isn't?" The parents asked together.

"Hikaru, I heard that your grandmother will be in town in three days. Also, Hunny has been antsy to meet the babies too."

The father snorted, "Yah, but no one is as dangerous with hugs as the boss is. With my grandmother, I only have to worry about what she and my mother might try to put on my kids. Tamaki might suffocate them."

Laughing, the doctor said, "Maybe, but his son is still alive, so he apparently knows how to be careful. I think it is just Haruhi that is in danger."

"Only because Hitomi cried whenever he tried to go near her as a baby and now she tries to beat him up if he misbehaves. I heard that Hunny had to pry Emi away from him recently."

"Yah, I was there that day. She just laughed and laughed. He was careful though, but Hunny started to fear for her life. Then he said something about starting her training early like they did with Akio, Hitomi, and Mieko."

"They weren't the only ones who started early. Chika and Satoshi also started their children early… like as soon as they could walk."

The trio found this fact utterly amusing and then the doctor commented, "Poor Tamaki might be put in an early grave." After another round of laughter, Nobuko left the couple alone to make their arrangement. She was elated that she had been able to give them the good news, and she knew her husband would be just as happy for them… even if he might not show it, or if he did it would be subdued compared to how he was really feeling. After years of marriage, she had come to understand him quite a bit, and she knew how important his friends from the Host Club were to him. If he had to choose between them and the family he grew up with, Kyoya would have probably have chosen the Host Club; although, in the recent years he and his brothers had come to some sort of peace, and there had been times when he turned to Yuuichi for advice and help.

After placing the call to one of the servants at the house and swearing the man to secrecy, Hikaru and Shiori returned to the NICU and held their children until someone arrived with the diaper bag with clothes and three car seats. They felt like they were in a dream world and could scarce believe that they had been given the go ahead to take their children home. As they started to dress the babies in their new clothes, they almost expected someone to chastise them or tell them to stop, and when they walked out of the NICU with three babies secured in their car seats, they wondered if someone would stop them before they made it out the door. Instead of that though, each and every nurse hugged the new parents, gave the babies a kiss, and wished the new family all the best in the world.

The parents were only stopped briefly when they ran into Kyoya during their escape from the hospital. He didn't keep them and on gave them his congratulations before letting them continue on their journey. He knew what it meant to be taking the babies home and he didn't want to keep them for too long.

When they arrived home and carried in the babies, Hikaru yelled, "Kaoru! Tsukiko!"

Hearing his twin call him, the younger redhead raced down the hall and down the stairs fearful something had happened. His brother and sister-in-law were home early, and although that didn't necessarily mean anything bad, last night Hikaru said the babies would be in the hospital for at least another couple of days. So what were the new parents doing home? Flying down the stairs, with his wife hot on his heels, he called out, "What's wrong?" And then he stopped in his tracks two steps from the bottom, his wife running into him and sending him tripping down the remaining steps. Luckily he was able to catch himself on the banister before he fell face first onto the hard marble floor. Situated around his brother and sister-in-law were three carriers, and those carriers were not empty.

Tsukiko gasped, "Are those…?" Of course they were, they had to be because her sister and brother-in-law wouldn't go out and kidnap three infants (at least she didn't think so dear reader).

Smiling as wide as he could, Hikaru nodded, "These are our babies." One by one, he pointed to the triplets and introduced them, "This is our daughter Harumi. This is the oldest Keiichi, and then the second born, Hiroaki."

"Are you sure?" Kaoru winked teasing his brother.

The new father looked again and said, "Yep. Keiichi and Hiroaki might be identical, but Keiichi has a cowlick on top of his head. Thankfully or it might be hard to tell. Harumi is easy to tell because she is the only girl." Pride laced his voice and his chest puffed out.

Kaoru started to chuckle, "I was only teasing you, but good to know or I might get them confused."

"No, we are not playing the game that everyone did with us. Remember when mom had to pull out the footprints taken at the hospital just to make sure we were who we were supposed to be and had not been mixed up? Yah, not going to happen."

"Ha! You say that now."

"Nope, not going to happen," Hikaru snickered remembering the day in grade school when their mother had told them they might have gotten mixed up as babies… turns out they hadn't, but it had been a bit scary until they compared the footprints. The last time he had felt this happy and carefree had been the day he had married Shiori.

Kaoru and Tsukiko stepped closer to the babies and asked, "Can we hold them?" Which caused the new parents to laugh since they had said it at the same time.

"Yes, you can," Shiori grinned. Finally, her babies were home and her family felt complete.

Two days later, much like Nobuko warned and Hikaru anticipated, the hosts converged on the Hitachiin home. Apparently, Hikaru had called Haruhi to tell her the good news since she had helped bring their children into the world, but told her not to tell the others except Mori, since he knew the former wild host wouldn't tell anyone. She told Mori and Akio heard them talking about it. Akio told Mitsuo, who told Hunny (had to expect he would tell his father dear reader), who told his wife, Sachiko, who told Kayo and Kiku, who told their husbands, who called Kyoya, who was with Tamaki and the blond overheard (I know it sounds convoluted dear reader, but this is what happened). After all of this, and Tamaki finding out, he called everyone together to go and visit the new parents and their children. For two weeks they had not been able to lay eyes on the triplets and now was their chance, the former president of the Host Club was not going to delay any further! (Dear reader, he did eventually find out that Kyoya knew – or he might have realized it since Nobuko was the pediatrician – and attempted to lecture his friend… it didn't work since the Shadow King told him to shut up and then threatened him with something – I really don't know what, but it was enough to turn the princely type white and make him lose his soul. Actually, maybe I don't want to know).

And thus, the peace in the Hitachiin house disappeared. With five infants now running things, it was to be expected, however, no one complained and they all enjoyed these precious moments while they had them… even if they were dead tired and Hikaru almost gave the baby a bottle of coffee instead of formula one night (or was it more than that dear reader?).