AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for the gaps in my posting schedule. June, July, and August are the busiest months of the year for me. I'll try to go no more than two weeks between postings.

Hikaru looked out the window of the plane as it reached cruising altitude for their flight to Okinawa. Moving to the lounge area, he said, "I'm glad we were able to have this trip together before we all have to go our separate ways to work and school." He turned to see the reaction of the others as they joined him.

"I just wish Haruhi and Kyoya were here too," Coco pouted, crossing her arms and sticking out her bottom lip. "He's always working and she's always studying."

"To be fair," Kaoru said, poking her bottom lip, "The four of us have hardly been around Hinansho because we've been working on finishing the Spring Line before classes begin again."

Estee ruffled Coco's hair devilishly. "He has a point."

Coco swatted at her sister's hand. "But why aren't they here with us now? I thought we were all heading to the new beach house in Okinawa to enjoy some time together before everyone's schedules get extremely hectic."

Rene cast a melancholy glance around the group. Heaving a sigh, he commented, "Atsuhiro said Kyoya was called away suddenly Thursday morning. He'll meet us at the beach house when his business is complete."

"Haruhi left a note for me with the front desk clerk," Chiharu chimed in. "She headed to Okinawa early to be sure the house was clean, stocked, and ready for all of us."

"That sounds like okaa-san," Rene remarked wistfully. "She's always been taking care of us. Why, I remember when she taught Kyoya and me to cook so we wouldn't starve when we started University after our families disowned us."

Reaching over to pat his shoulder, Mitsukuni said, "She's been taking care of all of us for much longer than that." He paused pensively. "You know, if she hadn't stumbled into our lives, I don't know where we'd be today."

Reiko shuddered and curled into his side. "I really don't want to think about that, Mitsukuni. We could have lost you." He pulled her into his lap and rubbed her back while whispering in her ear. Finally, she looked up and gave him a small smile.

"There's nothing to gain from such speculations," Takashi asserted. "We are better people for having known her. We should celebrate that fact rather than speculating about 'what might have been' and getting depressed."

Kaoru looked up from his sketch pad. "You know, those two have been talking about getting married next summer, but they really haven't had time to do any planning. Maybe we should put together some suggestions for them to look over." He turned the sketch pad so they could see what he was drawing.

"Wow, those look great," Coco commented. Pointing to the figure on the right, she said, "That western-style gown would look wonderful on Haruhi. Though, the traditional one is gorgeous too."

Shrugging, Kaoru remarked, "They haven't mentioned whether they want a traditional, western, or some mixture."

"There are lot of things they haven't mentioned about their wedding," Estee noted. She was lost in thought for a moment before she exclaimed, "That's what we can do this weekend. We can help them start their planning."

"That doesn't sound very interesting for the rest of us and I thought the point of this weekend was to spend time together," her sister responded in confusion.

Chiharu spoke up excitedly, "Estee has a really good idea." She waved at several people who started to protest. "Just hear me out. We have about a two-and-half-hour flight ahead of us. We can use some of that time to put together a…wedding planning booklet. Kaoru and Hikaru can put in some sketches for wedding party garments."

Now everyone was listening intently, excitement growing as Chiharu continued. "Estee and Coco could make a list of locations at Hinansho for the ceremony as well as available flowers. Rene could make a list of color themes. Mitsukuni and Takashi can think up a list of honeymoon destinations."

"What about us?" Reiko asked. "How can we help?"

Grinning, Chiharu said, "We can make lists of tasks that need to be done between now and the ceremony. Between you recently getting married and my wedding coming up, we should be able to put together a pretty comprehensive list of things they need to think and talk about."

"I have a suggestion to take our plan a step further," Hikaru cackled, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "After we all have dinner together tonight, we lock the pair of them in a room with our creation and not let them out until brunch on Sunday."

Takashi's brows were furrowed in concern. "I don't know about them sleeping together. I know they've set some boundaries between them regarding how far they plan to take their relationship before the wedding."

"But they have slept together—just slept, nothing else—before," Reiko commented.

Mitsukuni reached over and squeezed her hand. "That's only been when we've all been together. Never just the two of them."

Rene waved his hand to get everyone's attention. "Maybe we should be sure it's a room with two beds. That would allow them to keep their boundaries intact."

"Rene's right. We need to choose the room carefully. Since we're basically giving them some homework to do, there needs to be a table and chairs," Kaoru interjected.

"If we tell them this is work/homework, they should be comfortable with it." Looking around at the group, Reiko announced, "It sounds like we have a plan. Let's get busy."

OHSHC

Fuyumi and Shima sat on the sofa in Fuyumi's apartment enjoying a cup of tea following a delicious light lunch.

"Thank you for inviting me to join you for lunch," Shima said, setting her teacup gently on its saucer. "It's rather quiet with all those scamps in Okinawa."

Chuckling, Fuyumi sipped her tea and remarked, "That is quite true. I've missed my three scamps as well. I'm glad they'll be back soon."

Smiling, Shima fixed Fuyumi with a firm look. "Now, care to tell me the real reason you invited me to lunch?" She sat back and folded her hands in her lap, patiently awaiting an answer.

Sheepishly, the younger woman set her teacup down. "I should have known you would see right through me." She took a deep breath and said rapidly, so as not to lose her nerve. "I want to know all you can tell me about how Shizue runs her household. I'm hoping to find something I can exploit to get back at her for how she supported Yoshio at my husband's funeral, as well as how she treated Rene and Yuzuru." After finishing in a rush, she stared down at her hands in her lap. "That just sounded so mean and rude now that I say it out loud. What must Shima think of me?"

After a moments silence, Shima started laughing. "I would be happy to fill you in on all the dirty little secrets of the Suoh household that I know. It's about time someone took her down a peg or two. You should probably go get a notebook because there is a lot that I can tell you."

Turning around, Fuyumi opened a drawer in the end table near the sofa and pulled out a notepad and pen. When she turned back, she was confused as Shima stood up.

Seeing the expression on the younger woman's face, Shima chuckled, "I'm going to make us some more tea. This will take a while and it could be very thirsty work." She winked before heading to the kitchen.

OHSHC

When the group arrived at the new beach house in Okinawa, they were surprised to see Kyoya and Haruhi with their arms around each other standing on the front steps, smiling and waving in welcome.

"Go ahead and put your bags in your rooms," Haruhi called. "Lunch will be served on the back veranda in about an hour."

The twins exchanged a glance before inquiring, "And just how long have you two been here alone, hmmm?" Their tone hinted at impropriety and clandestine events by the couple.

Refusing to rise to their bait, Kyoya murmured, "I've been here since I completed my business that called me away from Hinansho." He raised an eyebrow as if to challenge them to dispute his statement.

In contrast, Haruhi ignored the question and its implications by continuing, "I put name placards on the doors so everyone will know which room is theirs."

The group trooped inside as Kyoya and Haruhi led the way upstairs to the bedrooms. "If any of you want to switch around, just move the placards so we know where to find you if we need you," Haruhi said off-handedly as she waved down the hall. "We'll meet you on the veranda."

As soon as Kyoya and Haruhi were back downstairs and out of sight of the group, he pulled her into a passionate embrace and kissed her. After a few moments, they drew apart and Haruhi whispered, "Do you think they'll give us any time alone once they're settled?"

Shrugging, Kyoya kissed her ear and took her hand, leading her to the kitchen so she could finish preparing lunch. "Who knows? I need to talk to Rene about being my best man for our wedding. I'm glad we decided on the western style so I can include my brothers."

"Well, in my humble opinion, you always looked better in a tux than you do in a hakama," Haruhi replied as she looked around the kitchen to identify what she needed to do to finish preparing lunch. Opening the refrigerator, she pulled out a large pitcher of lemonade and set it on the counter. Next, she retrieved eleven cups from the cupboard and set them next to the pitcher. "Are you going to include Yuzuru as well?"

"Yes, I want to drag all my brothers into it. Any idea on your attendants?" he asked, taking a tray from a rack for the pitcher and cups.

Leaning back against the counter, she tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. "It would make the most sense for it to be your brothers' significant others. The other two I'd like to ask are Fuyumi and Shima." She turned, picked up the tray, and headed toward the door leading to the veranda.

Kyoya held the door open for her. "Do you think Masaya would be our ring bearer?"

Haruhi laughed. "I seriously doubt he would agree to that since he will be in middle school. How about Ren? He did reasonably well for Mitsukuni and Reiko's wedding. He'll be older and better able to handle it by himself."

"Quite true. Of course, it goes without saying that Ageha and Hibiki will be the flower girls." Kyoya glanced around to be sure the table settings were all in order.

"They would never forgive us if we didn't include them," Haruhi confirmed. "Have Kaoru and Hikaru started plying you with sketches for your wedding attire yet?"

Shrugging, Kyoya replied, "They've been at the Hitachiin Studio. I've been busy looking into Seiji's death. Maybe I should ask them about that tomorrow on the flight home?"

Nodding her head in satisfaction at the state of the table, Haruhi walked up behind Kyoya and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Sounds like a plan."

"Hey, look, Kyoya and Haruhi are right across the hall from each other," Coco called excitedly to the others as they walked down the hall to locate their rooms. "This could make it a lot easier."

Estee left her weekend bag by the door to her room and walked to where Coco was standing. First, Estee opened Haruhi's door and peeked inside. Then she did the same for Kyoya's. "We should use Kyoya's room. He has a table and chairs where they can work on the planning packet."

"Good idea," Hikaru responded as he opened the door to his own room and tossed his tote carelessly inside. Joining Estee, he examined the doors. "It will be easy enough to tie the doorknobs together so they can't get out until we want them to."

Rene slung his arms over Hikaru and Estee's shoulders. "They will be so glad that we're helping them plan their wedding."

Waving a hand and whistling to get everyone's attention, Kaoru said, "I'm starving. Let's go have some lunch and talk about how we're going to spend our time here this weekend." His suggestion was met with cheers and other sounds of agreement.

OHSHC

Yuzuru sat in his office at Ouran engrossed in the speech he was writing for the opening ceremonies on Monday. With his elbows on the desk he rested his chin on his fists while he read through the final paragraph again. "That looks good," he thought contentedly as he saved the document.

"Well, at least you're here getting some work done," Shizue said coldly, smirking as he startled to discover he was not alone.

Standing from behind his desk, he moved to the sideboard where he had tea steeping. "Would you care for a cup of tea?" He poured a cup for himself while he awaited her answer.

"I didn't come here for tea!" Her voice was shrill as she dismissed his courtesy with an impatient wave. "I want to speak to those worthless men on the School Board. Where are they?" Her scowl deepened as Yuzuru calmly took his cup of tea back to his desk and sat down to enjoy it. "I asked you a question!"

Placing the teacup gently back onto the saucer, Yuzuru leaned back, folded his hands in his lap, and commented, "I haven't seen anyone all day. I've been sequestered here getting ready for the opening ceremony, just like I do every year." Unconcerned, he picked up his cup and took another sip of tea. "Are you sure you don't want a cup?"

"Forget about the tea!" Shizue slapped a sheaf of papers down on the corner of the desk. "What do you know about these collection notices?"

Suppressing a smirk, Yuzuru set his teacup down again. Picking up the papers, he leafed through them slowly, appearing to read each one carefully. "Fuyumi's collection agency did an excellent job on these. Including the unpaid vendors, but also all her unauthorized loans. The fees are a very nice touch. And the warning about failure to pay resulting in court proceedings, judgements, and additional legal fees is masterful."

After fifteen minutes, Shizue was tired of waiting for him to comment. "How could you let this happen? Are you so incompetent that you can't even run a simple school?"

Yuzuru's expression hardened as he slammed his hand down on his desk, stood up and leaned toward her. "YOU are the reason this happened. YOU are the one who keeps siphoning off Ouran money to fund your pet projects. The last two payrolls were covered by my investment portfolio because you practically drained all the funds from the school's accounts."

Indignantly, Shizue snapped, "As owner, I am entitled to compensation."

"Maybe you should have read the charter that established the school. It was set up to support itself. Any compensation to the owner would be through salary for services performed or through ancillary partnerships." Yuzuru stood up straight and crossed his arms over his chest. "You certainly haven't performed any services for Ouran."

"That is no way to speak to your mother," Shizue said frostily.

Yuzuru snorted mirthlessly. "I don't know where you get off calling yourself my mother. Apparently, you didn't expect me to find out that you removed me from the Suoh family registry two years ago."

Shizue froze in shock as Yuzuru revealed that he knew what she had done. "How did you…"

"Does it really matter how? It's just one more episode in your pattern of disregarding or disposing of people like used tissues." Yuzuru stalked around his desk and stood in front of Shizue.

"Well, I never…"

"Oh, yes you did. Three years ago you tried to get rid of Rene..."

"Who's Rene?" she demanded.

"My son, Rene Tamaki Richard de Grantaine," he growled. "Three years ago, you made arrangements to drop him in France with absolutely nothing."

Sniffing haughtily, Shizue said, "Oh, that filthy boy you soiled our family's name with."

"How could he possibly soil the family name when you never added him to the registry at all?" Leaning over her menacingly, Yuzuru advanced, forcing her back towards the door.

"Don't you strike me," Shizue shrieked, shielding her face with her arms.

Coldly, Yuzuru stated, "I have no intention of laying a hand on you." He reached around her, turning the knob and pulling the door open. "I have work to do. Please leave before I call security."

With wide eyes, Shizue looked at Yuzuru like she'd never seen him before. Then she turned on her heel and practically ran out of the secretary's office.

Waiting a moment to be sure Shizue wouldn't return, the secretary asked, "Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Hinan?"

Smiling gently, he replied, "No. I'm just going to finish my tea and read over my speech one more time. You can leave whenever you're ready."

"Thank you, sir." The secretary retrieved her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk. As she opened the outer door, she said, "I'll see you Monday morning. Enjoy the rest of your weekend."

OHSHC

Fuyumi was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner when she was startled by the door to the apartment crashing into the wall as if flung open violently.

"We're home!" Hibiki yelled.

Wiping her hands on a dish cloth, Fuyumi stepped into the doorway between the kitchen and the dining area. Leaning against the doorframe, she responded sarcastically, "Oh, really? I never would have guessed."

The Shidos laughed at the interaction between their daughter-in-law and their grandchildren.

"Did you miss us?" Hibiki demanded loudly of her mother. She ran up and threw her arms around Fuyumi's waist, snuggling into her mother's side. More quietly, she admitted, "I missed you."

Ruffling her hair, Fuyumi replied, "Yes, I missed you guys too." She waved for Masaya and Ageha to join the hug. Ageha ran over and snuggled into Fuyumi's other side. Masaya approached more slowly with a pained expression that practically screamed, "Do I have to?"

When Masaya finally got close to her, Fuyumi reached out and squeezed his shoulder rather than drawing him into the hug with the two enthusiastic girls. "Did you have fun?" she asked simply.

He shrugged before admitting, "Yeah, I guess. The best parts were when Grandpa Shido and I could go do guy things while they went shopping."

Disentangling herself from the girls, Fuyumi laughed as she walked over to her in-laws and pulled them into a hug. "Thank you for taking them on this trip."

Taking a step back to look Fuyumi in the eye, Mrs. Shido replied, "Thank you for letting us borrow them. I think we needed it as much as they did."

"I'm glad everyone had a good time," Fuyumi said as she led them to the dining area, gesturing for them to seat themselves. "I'll just go bring dinner in and we can all tell our stories."

While Fuyumi was dishing up dinner, Masaya started telling a story about their time at the beach house with Kirimi. Just as he finished, there was a knock at the door. Fuyumi went to answer it, commenting, "I don't know who that could be. Most of the others are at the beach house for the weekend."

Opening the door, she found Yuzuru with a huge grin on his face. "You wouldn't believe the conversation I just had with Shizue…well, if you could call what we had a conversation. Anyway, she showed up out of…" He stopped and glance at the dining table. "Oh, my. I apologize for interrupting your dinner. Anything I have to say can wait." He started to back toward the door.

Fuyumi grabbed his arm and led him to the dining table, grabbing another chair from the corner as they walked by it. "Why don't you join us for dinner?" she said, moving her chair over to make room for another.

While she went to the kitchen for another place setting, Masaya, Hibiki, and Ageha stood up and bowed politely. "Welcome, Suoh-sama," they chorused before resuming their seats.

Yuzuru stopped in his tracks. A look of consternation washed over his face. "I…need to address that issue in my speech on Monday. I forgot all about changing my name," he thought. Settling into his seat, he smiled at the trio, replying, "Thank you for the greeting."

Returning from the kitchen, Fuyumi said, "Thank you for greeting our guest, kids. However, he is not Suoh-sama anymore." Setting a plate in front of Yuzuru, she continued, "He is now Hinan-sama."

As Fuyumi resumed her seat at the table, Masaya abruptly turned to eye her in confusion. Mr. and Mrs. Shido exchanged a glance before Mr. Shido asked, "Did something happen while we were gone?"

While the group ate dinner, Fuyumi and Yuzuru explained about the newspaper article, the discovery at the courthouse, and Yuzuru's adoption. They glossed over the problems at Ouran, though Fuyumi made a mental note to fill the Shidos in on that aspect later.

OHSHC

After two fun-filled days of sun, surf, and sand, the group boarded the plane and settled into their seats for the flight home. Though tired from all the activities, they were teasing each other happily.

"Hey, Mitsukuni, do you regret the 'private' sunbathing?" Hikaru called. When the blond turned to scowl at him, he continued teasingly, "Does Reiko have any good sunburn remedies for those sensitive places?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

As Mitsukuni blushed a deep red under his sunburn, Reiko primly answered, "Of course I do. I even brought some along and we already applied it liberally to each other." She winked at her husband. "That's what took us so long to get ready to go."

Starting to feel slightly uncomfortable at the innuendos, Rene piped up. "Hey Kaoru, did you and Hikaru ever find your swimming trunks?"

Looking disappointed, the twins shrugged in unison. "No, we didn't. Thanks for bringing us the towels."

Hikaru commented, "Who knows, maybe the current carried them away."

"I'm bummed because we just created those last week," Kaoru added, propping his chin on his fist grumpily.

Estee and Coco tried to cover their giggles as they pulled the aforementioned garments out of their carry-ons. "Looking for these?" Estee asked as she and Coco held up the trunks, waving them like flags.

When Kaoru made a grab for his, Coco pulled them out of his reach. "Nope. That's my trophy." Shoving it back in her carry-on she continued, "That's what you get for going moonlight skinny dipping without us."

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a glance before they purred, "We'll keep that in mind for next time." Then the twins put their heads together, plotting how to retrieve the swimwear and get back at their fiancées.

Shaking her head at the antics, Chiharu turned to Haruhi, chuckling as she asked, "Did you two have fun doing your 'homework' last night?"

Haruhi rolled her eyes as she replied in exasperation, "You know, you guys really didn't need to lock us in a room overnight just so we could do our wedding planning."

Kyoya picked up her hand and started rubbing soothing circles on the back. With a wicked grin, he commented, "Well, they had no way of knowing that we arrived at the beach house two days early so we could have some uninterrupted time alone to talk about the wedding, the honeymoon, and other related topics." He leaned over, nuzzling her ear and kissing her temple.

"What?" the twins demanded. "Atsuhiro said you were called away on business and would meet us at the beach house."

Chiharu looked at the couple in disbelief. "The front desk clerk said you left early to make sure everything was ready at the beach house."

The couple exchanged a glance, then Kyoya spoke first. "I learned recently that Haruhi needs to be my urgent business if I want to have a relationship with her."

Haruhi continued, "And the best way for me to be sure everything was ready was to discuss answers for all the questions you guys have been asking us about the wedding and related matters."

Rene facepalmed. "They've lulled us into a sense of complacency, then unleashed their deviousness on us."

Ignoring the antics of the others, Takashi tapped Haruhi on the shoulder. "But did you get your 'homework' done?"

Laughing, Haruhi turned to look at him and finally replied, "Yes. Most of it was just checking off the things we'd already talked about and making notes of points to follow up on. Which took all of fifteen minutes, even making a list for each of us of our next steps in the process."

Before the discussion could go any further, the pilot announced the plane had reached cruising altitude and they could now move around.

Unbuckling, standing, and stretching, Haruhi declared, "Let's move this to the lounge where we can be more comfortable."

The twins jumped up, grabbed Haruhi and Kyoya, and dragged them toward the lounge. "Okay, since you did your homework, now you can show us what wedding garments you want."

"Okay, okay," the couple laughed.

The rest of the flight home was spent in laughter and friendly banter.

OHSHC

When Atsuhiro picked up the group from the airport, he informed them that Fuyumi had arranged for them all to have dinner in the private dining room with her, the kids, and Yuzuru. Atsuhiro also told them security would be waiting to take their bags to their apartments. The group breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing they didn't need to worry about any details when they reached Hinansho.

As soon as they walked into the dining room, Ageha launched herself at her brothers. "I almost can't believe you survived without me for two whole weeks," she cried teasingly as she hung from Hikaru's neck with one arm and reached to ruffle Kaoru's hair with the other hand. Both brothers wrapped arms around her waist to steady her.

Estee and Coco stepped up and pulled the trio into a group hug. "We did our best to keep them out of mischief," they assured Ageha in unison, smirking at their fiancés.

Fuyumi waved for everyone to settle at the table already laden with food so they could begin eating. They shared stories of their travels and compared notes on the beach house.

Once everyone was finished, Fuyumi stood up. "Tomorrow is the opening ceremony for Ouran. I'm so proud of Masaya who will be a first-year middle school student, as well as Hibiki and Ageha who will be fourth-year elementary students. Who wants to accompany us tomorrow?"

Masaya groaned and buried his head in his arms which he laid on the table. "That will be so embarrassing, having a whole crowd show up with us for the opening ceremonies."

"I have to work tomorrow," Takashi, Chiharu, and Mitsukuni said simultaneously. They looked at each other and fought smiles. Reiko added, "I need to get back to my plants."

"We're going for Ageha," the twins and their significant others chorused.

Raising an eyebrow suspiciously, Ageha demanded, "Have you been working on that while I was gone?"

The quartet refused to answer or look her in the eye, confirming her suspicions.

"Haruhi and I will be there to support Fuyumi," Kyoya stated.

Rene placed a hand on Yuzuru's shoulder. "I'll be there for you," he said quietly.

Patting the hand on his shoulder, Yuzuru choked out quietly, "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

Smiling at everyone, Fuyumi clasped her hands together as she declared, "Yuzuru has offered to drive the kids to school every day. I'll make arrangements..."

Kyoya interrupted, "I will drive those of us will not be remaining for the entire school day. Please meet out front promptly at eight o'clock."

"Yes, otou-san," Rene called comically, ignoring Kyoya's glower.

OHSHC

The opening ceremony went smoothly and, while all the students headed for their classrooms, Mrs. Nekozawa waved to get Fuyumi's attention. "I just wanted to let you know how the Board replacement project is going."

"Give me just a moment," Fuyumi replied. She turned to the group waiting for her. "I'll meet you at the car in just a few minutes."

Kyoya inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Take whatever time you need." He turned and the others followed him in the direction of the parking lot.

"No problems, I hope?" Fuyumi asked.

"None so far. We've received a fair number of nominations and we're checking to be sure the nominees are willing and able to serve." Mrs. Nekozawa paused, as if deciding just how she wanted to phrase her next words.

Fuyumi waited patiently, though her thoughts wandered to the group waiting for her at the car, the collection agency, and the investment accounts. Her attention was drawn back when Mrs. Nekozawa cleared her throat.

Sheepishly, Fuyumi said, "Sorry, just mentally going over a list of things I need to get done today."

"No problem. I understand completely." Taking a breath, she said, "Your name has come up in the nominations a number of times. Would you be willing to serve, if elected?"

Shaking her head, she responded, "I'm sorry. At this time, I have far too much on my plate to be able to devote the required time to the office. Maybe I'll be available during the next election cycle."

Smiling, Mrs. Nekozawa assured her, "I suspected as much. I'll let you get on with your day."

"I will be at the meeting to cast my vote," Fuyumi murmured as Mrs. Nekozawa headed toward a group of ladies waving and calling.

Turning back for a moment, she responded, "We look forward to seeing you there." She waved as she headed off to join her group.

OHSHC

Wednesday morning, Rene was headed to the dining room for breakfast when he saw Chisato coming through the front door. Changing direction, he called out, "Good morning, Chisato. Welcome back."

"Good morning, Rene," she called back. "Are you headed to breakfast?" she said more quietly as they met in the middle of the lobby.

Holding out his hand to take her weekend bag, he replied, "Yes. Care to join me?" After taking her bag, he held out the elbow of his other arm for her to take.

Laughing lightly, Chisato placed her hand on Rene's arm. "Love to. I was too nervous to eat before I left Yokohama this morning."

"Nothing wrong, I hope." Rene handed her bag to the front desk clerk and asked him to have it taken to her room before he escorted her to the restaurant.

Settling at a table, the pair ordered breakfast and Chisato regaled Rene with stories about her siblings' antics during the week she spent at home.

After their dishes were cleared away and they were quietly enjoying a cup of tea, Rene asked, "What did the doctors say?"

Chisato took a deep breath and gave him a half-hearted smile. "Well, it's not bad news…exactly." She paused to gather her thoughts before continuing. "I'll need to continue treatment here for at least another three months. My doctor in Yokohama won't be able to get things set up there any sooner than that." She looked down at her hands, picking at the napkin.

Reaching over to still her hands, Rene murmured, "Don't worry about it. You're more than welcome here."

Huffing, she responded, "I know that. I just feel so bored and useless. And that will probably get worse after you move back to University next week."

Squeezing her hand gently, he stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Actually, I was going to ask if you would be willing to help Kosaku out for a few months. He's the Hinan accountant and his wife is pregnant. He has several interns coming from University, but he could really use some experienced help so he can get everything in order before taking family leave when the baby comes."

Chisato shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to talk to him. Maybe a short-term accounting position is just what I need."

"I'll take you to the accounting office and introduce you." As they approached the front desk, the clerk was on the phone and frantically waving to get Rene's attention. "Is there a problem?"

Covering the phone, the clerk sighed in relief. "There is a bride having a meltdown in the formal garden. You seem to be able to handle these situations so well, could you…?" He trailed off, looking at Rene pleadingly.

"Go ahead. I'm sure he can call someone to escort me to the accounting office and introduce me," Chisato assured Rene. She gave him a little push in the direction of the front door.

"Thank you," Rene mouthed as he headed for the door.

As Chisato turned back to the front desk to ask for an escort, the clerk called out, "Fuyumi, are you headed to your office?"

Smiling, she replied, "Yes, I am. Do you need something?"

Gesturing to Chisato, he explained, "Rene was going to introduce Chisato to Kosaku, but he was called away to deal with a hysterical bride. Since your office is next to his, would you?"

"It would be my pleasure." Fuyumi waved down the corridor that led to the offices. "It's good to see you again, Chisato. How was your trip home?"

"I had fun seeing my mom and siblings. There are still a lot of decisions I need to make about my future, but I'm still gathering the information to make informed ones." Chisato looked around curiously as she followed Fuyumi through the corridors.

Fuyumi knocked on a door frame. "Hey, Kosaku."

The accountant looked up and smiled at her. "Hello, neighbor. Is there something I can do for you?"

Waving the younger woman forward, Fuyumi replied, "Kosaku Ito, this is Chisato Ogarashi. She's an accountant."

Chisato bowed respectfully. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Rene mentioned that you were looking for some temporary accounting help."

"That I am. Tell me a little about yourself." He stood and pulled out a chair for her at the table where he was working.

Seeing that the pair were engrossed in their conversation, Fuyumi headed for her office and the tasks waiting for her.

Chisato described her university studies and her work experience at a regional accounting firm. "I planned to return to Yokohama and find a job, but that's been delayed for a few months. I could really use something to keep me busy between medical appointments."

"That's very impressive. I think we will get along very well. Let me show you our set up." Kosaku pulled out a notebook to explain the chart of accounts, as well as the new divisions system that was being added. Chuckling, he explained, "The Hinan family started less than five years ago with just Hinansho. As they had funds and opportunities, they expanded into other areas. It reached a point where they couldn't oversee everything themselves."

"How do they handle it all?" Chisato asked, flipping through the prior year's financial statements for the Hinan Family Trust. "Not only are there businesses across five industries they support a number of foundations and schools."

"Well, just before Mitsukuni and Reiko's wedding, they decided to set up some boards to manage each of the areas. They have a wide network of contacts, so they were able to set them up rather quickly." Tipping his chair backward a few inches, he picked up a notepad from his desk. "These are the few remaining tasks to adjust the accounting system to support the new structure."

Chisato read over the list and nodded. "Looks like you've made significant progress in such a short amount of time. I have some experience in this type of conversion since I was in the advisory branch of the firm, rather than the audit branch."

"I appreciate your willingness to help out. Why don't we fill out your personnel paperwork and get everything started?" Kosaku stood up and walked over to a file cabinet. Ruffling through the files for a few minutes, he announced, "Found it!"

Returning to the table, he handed her a thin packet of papers. "Just fill these out. They are our standard employment forms. Because the position is temporary, you will be paid on an hourly basis, rather than salaried."

While Chisato filled out the paperwork, Kosaku created the official offer letter and printed three copies. "I'll be right back," he said. "I just need to talk to Fuyumi for a minute."

Chisato looked up, nodded, then returned to the forms. Kosaku was back within minutes and handed her the three copies of the letter with Fuyumi's signature as Registered Agent. "Please sign each of them. I'll leave one with you, one goes to payroll, and one into your personnel file."

She accepted the documents, glancing through the top one, Chisato's hand was poised to sign when the pay figure finally clicked. "Wait. There must be a typo on this."

Kosaku held out his hand and she passed one to him. "No, that is the correct amount," he assured her as he passed it back. "It also includes an apartment here at Hinansho. The Hinans insist upon being generous to their employees."

Chisato raised an eyebrow, signed the letters, and finished filling out the paperwork. Sliding it across the desk, she said, "Done."

"Great." Kosaku placed them in a folder and tossed it on his desk. "So, when do you want to start?"

"Why not now? I'm already here and my day is wide open."

Kosaku spent the next hour helping her set up a workstation, start a timesheet, and determine which tasks she would start with. They agreed that, with her experience, she would learn the most quickly by analyzing accounts to split the activity into the new divisions.

They were both engrossed in their work until just before lunch when they heard running footsteps in the hall. A young woman appeared in the door of the office, panting to catch her breath. After several frantic breaths, she was able to cry, "Mr. Ito, Hibiki collapsed. Please come quickly."

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