Sunday afternoon, Rene and Chisato were sitting on the sofa in Rene's apartment when he heard a key in the lock. "Wait just a minute," he said as he jumped up and headed to the door.

Kyoya sighed softly as he turned the doorknob to his apartment. "Despite Haruhi's 'kidnapping' on Friday night, I really enjoyed our time away this weekend." He pushed open the door and was immediately set upon by his brother and roommate while Chisato looked on from the sofa.

Rene wrapped his arms around Kyoya and declared, "You're safe! You're home! I was SOO worried!" Suddenly, he stopped, held Kyoya at arms-length by his shoulders and demanded seriously, "You and Haruhi did not run off and get married this weekend, did you?"

Shrugging Rene off, Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "Wherever would you get such an idea?" He stepped around his brother and headed for his bedroom to drop off his luggage. When Kyoya returned to the living room, he said, "It's good to see you, Chisato. I hope you are doing well."

"I am, thank you." She smiled at Kyoya and teased, "So you and Haruhi ran off for the weekend? Did you do it just to avoid the movie marathon and karaoke?"

Settling into the armchair, Kyoya replied, "The movie marathon would depend on the movies, but I avoid karaoke at all costs." He closed his eyes, leaned his head against the back of the chair, and took a deep breath. "Haruhi will be coming up in a few minutes. We ordered food from 'My Place' to be delivered here."

"Then I should head back to Hinansho." Chisato stood up and gathered the cups from the table to take to the kitchen.

Kyoya opened his eyes. "You should stay and join us. We ordered enough for all of us, including the twins and the Beringar sisters." He turned to look at Rene. "Why don't you call and invite them down for dinner?"

Half an hour later, they group sat around the living room enjoying dinner. Haruhi asked, "Chisato, how is Hibiki doing?"

Chisato paused and finished her mouthful. "She's doing okay. The bed rest has been tedious, so I've been having lunch with her twice a week. Fuyumi has lunch with her, too, when she's not off-site for business." She took a sip of tea and continued, "Last week Fuyumi was unavailable and Hibiki had some questions about pregnancy. Since I couldn't help her, I called my mom and let them talk. It really seemed to calm Hibiki's fears."

"What about Kosaku and Ren? How are they taking all this?" Rene inquired. "It has to be hard on them as well."

Chuckling, Chisato said, "Ren has been enjoying the extra attention from Fuyumi and the girls." Her brow furrowed slightly as she added, "Kosaku has been taking it hard. I can tell he feels like it's all his fault even though Hibiki keeps assuring him otherwise." She sighed, "I wish my dad was still around. He was good at things like that."

Rene patted her shoulder comfortingly and murmured, "Maybe I should head to Hinansho next weekend and talk to him?"

Chisato could only shrug in response.

Trying to lighten the mood, Estee inquired, "Are you enjoying your new job?" She poured herself another cup of tea as she waited for the answer.

A smile returning, Chisato said, "It's been interesting doing actual accounting for the Hinan Family Holdings. Most of my work at the accounting firm was auditing other peoples' work. I like the work I'm doing now much better than auditing. I will have to keep that in mind when I'm looking for a new job when I move back to Yokohama."

Rene seemed lost in thought when he held up a finger. "Have you heard from your family about whether they can come to Hinansho for December?"

"Most of the plans are in place. Just a few more details to work out," Chisato replied. "I don't know how to thank you for all your help."

"Happy to," Rene remarked before turning to Kaoru. "Tell me how your next line is doing."

"I'm so glad you asked." Kaoru grinned as he and Hikaru launched into detailed descriptions of their ideas, punctuated by comments from Estee and Coco.

OHSHC

Clutching the handle of her briefcase, Fuyumi looked like the cat who ate the canary as she entered the offices of YAM Collections. "I'm so excited to see how well the investments have done so far. I know that the Suoh and Otori board meetings are at the end of the month. The Mikoshiba meeting is the middle of next month."

"Good morning, Mrs. Shido," the secretary said brightly. "The others are waiting in the conference room."

"Thank you." Fuyumi heard the murmur of voices as she walked down the hall.

Yu smiled as Fuyumi entered the conference room. "The woman of the hour has arrived," he teased.

Mr. Kanagawa stood and gestured for her to take the seat at the head of the table. "This experiment has been quite enlightening and entertaining." He handed information packets to Fuyumi, Yu, Aki, and Matsu. "As you can see among the four of you, you are nearing fifty percent ownership in all three companies."

Fuyumi reached into her briefcase and pulled out reports for Masaya, Hibiki, Ageha, and her other investment accounts. "Let's see where we stand when you add these."

Pulling up a spreadsheet on his laptop, Mr. Kanagawa added the numbers from the reports together. Gleefully he reported, "That brings the total blocks as seventy-three percent of Otori, seventy-five percent of Suoh, and eighty-nine percent of Mikoshiba."

Yu, Aki, and Matsu cheered. Fuyumi smiled smugly. "The board meetings are coming up soon. Will we have enough time to register a proxy for the blocks?"

Mr. Kanagawa looked thoughtful. "If you would allow, I want to be the proxy agent for these blocks."

"Are you sure?" Fuyumi asked. "One board meeting is a lot of work, much less three."

Yu added, "Would you be able to handle all of them?"

"I understand the commitment needed," Mr. Kanagawa assured them. "I have to admit that I enjoy the power of walking into a boardroom and informing the assembled board that I represent the majority shareholders who are not impressed with the state of the company. It can be so satisfying to watch them pale and grovel when an accounting is demanded."

"Too bad we can't record it," Aki said. "I'd love to see the show."

"Whatever the case, it's going to be quite a shakeup," Matsu noted. "Do we have more than one forensic accountant that can help evaluate the state of affairs with each of the companies?"

Fuyumi drew a list out of her briefcase. "Ms. Watanabe provided this list of firms that she approves of and recommends."

Mr. Kanagawa picked up the list and read it over. "Yes, this will make things even easier since I can have all three companies evaluated at the same time rather than waiting for them to be examined by a single firm."

"Let the games begin," Aki called out.

"Hear, hear," Yu and Matsu responded.

Fuyumi and Mr. Kanagawa exchanged a glance. "This is going to be fun," they said in unison before they started laughing.

OHSHC

Takashi walked through the front door of Hinansho with his suit coat draped over one arm and his briefcase clasped in his other hand. "What a day," he thought tiredly. "I can't believe Honma just quit and walked out on the job today, complaining the work was boring and not what he signed up for." He shook his head as he reached up to loosen his tie, noticing Chiharu talking to the on-duty front desk clerk.

When Chiharu saw him, she smiled softly and crossed the lobby to meet him. Relieving him of his case, she slipped her arm through his. "Perfect timing. You get changed into something comfortable while I get dinner on the table."

Sighing tiredly, he replied, "Sounds good." He followed willingly as she led him to the elevator and pushed the button. Once they were alone inside the elevator, she set down his briefcase and pulled his head down so she could kiss him passionately.

Takashi dropped his suit coat on top of his case and picked Chiharu up to get a better angle for their kissing. The ride was short and all-too-soon the door opened. Hearing little girls giggling, the couple parted, embarrassed at being caught in such a public display.

They looked to see Fuyumi waiting for the elevator with Hibiki and Ageha. The girls hid their mouths behind their hands as they tried to suppress their laughter.

Blushing lightly, the couple picked up the dropped items and exited to allow the other to get in. Fuyumi whispered, "You two are entitled. You are getting married at the end of next month. I can understand…" Anything further she was going to say was cut off as the elevator doors closed.

Chiharu took Takashi hand, drawing him down the hallway to his apartment door. Handing him his briefcase, she whispered, "Don't take too long changing. I'm going to put dinner on the table." She reached up to caress his cheek before trailing her fingers down his neck, chest, and abs before giving him a teasing smile and heading to her own apartment.

Takashi was so distracted by Chiharu's ministrations and thoughts of some time alone with his fiancée, he fumbled with his keys before opening his door. "Just six more weeks and we'll be married. Just six more weeks," he thought, shaking his head to dispel fantasies of their upcoming wedding night.

Dropping his keys into the bowl and setting his briefcase on its shelf, Takashi hung his suit coat on the attached rack and looked in the mirror. "I think I'll get cleaned up a little before heading to Chiharu's. It shouldn't take me long to shave and wash up."

Chiharu opened her door at his knock and whistled low. "Wow, don't you clean up nice for just a little informal dinner?"

"Think so?" he murmured as he kicked the door closed behind him and picked her up for a kiss that left them both breathless.

When Takashi finally set Chiharu back on her feet, she shook her head to clear it. Patting his chest lightly, she muttered, "Um, dinner…yeah, that's a thing."

Takashi just smiled as she led his to the table where sashimi dinner was waiting for them. "Smells good," he commented after they sat down.

The next few minutes were quiet as they savored the mix of textures and flavors in the meal. Chiharu asked offhandedly, "So, how was your day?"

Food halfway to his mouth, Takashi stopped. Setting the bit of food back on his plate, he contemplated the tips of his chopsticks.

Noticing his shoulders tense, Chiharu put down her own chopsticks, and stood up to walk around the table. Massaging his shoulders gently, she asked, "Did something happen at work today?"

Placing his chopsticks neatly on the edge of his plate, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and leaned back into her ministrations. Sighing softly, Takashi finally said, "Honma quit and walked off the job today. That's the sixth one from the group of twenty-four that I went through orientation with that is no longer with the firm."

Chiharu moved from massaging his shoulders to working on the knots in his back as he fell silent. While she waited for him to gather further thoughts, she started caressing his arms and reaching over his shoulders to run gentle fingers down his chest.

He caught her hands and placed a kiss on each one. "It's not their leaving that bothers me, it's their comments about the work."

Kissing his ear and trailing her fingers across his shoulders before she returned to her seat on the other side of the table, she asked, "Who left and what were their comments?"

"Honma, Kagaya, Tsuna, and Kawabata all said the work was boring and claim they should be audit managers rather than associates." Takashi's expression clouded. "It's beyond me how they think they can start at the top without putting in the time and effort to learn the process." He picked up his chopsticks again.

"What about the other two, you said there were six?" Chiharu prompted.

After taking a drink of tea, Takashi replied, "Those four were men from upper middle class families. The other two were women and they were actually fired for stalking two of the partners." He shook his head in consternation. "Both Tanabe and Amamura insisted that the men had fallen deeply in love with them, so they were going to get married and never have to work again."

Chiharu snorted as she tried to suppress a laugh. "Sounds like all of them spent too much time watching American movies and television dramas. The ones I've seen show someone getting something because of 'who they are' or 'who they know.' In the real world, people have to work for and earn the things they want."

Reaching across the table, Takashi took Chiharu's hand and rubbed the back of it lightly with his thumb. "You're right. The American entitlement mentality has become very pervasive. Thank you for your insight." Smiling softly, he added, "I don't know what I'd do without you." He continued to hold her hand for a moment before he asked, "Would you like to go for a walk in the garden after dinner?"

As he released her hand, she said huskily, "I'd love to."

OHSHC

Following Mr. Kanagawa's attendance at the Suoh Board meeting, he felt jubilant as he set up the conference call with Fuyumi, Yu, Aki, and Matsu. He couldn't wait to describe the Suoh Board's reaction to the investment group's demands.

As soon as Matsu joined the call, Fuyumi asked excitedly, "How did it go?"

The four investors could hear the humor in his voice as he reported, "Shizue demanded to know who I represented. I took great pleasure in informing her that I was not authorized to provide that information. Three of the older men on the Board looked like they were about to have heart attacks when I announced the forensic audit. I thought I would have to call for an ambulance."

When he paused to chuckle, Yu asked, "No ambulances were needed, were there?"

"Oh, no. However the security guard I had posted outside the Boardroom door was," Mr. Kanagawa said. "When I informed them about the call of all loans not vetted through the proper process, Mr. Hayase bolted for the door."

Everyone could hear the smirk in Fuyumi's voice when she stated, "So the rumors are probably correct that he was using his position on the Board to grant loans outside of the normal process in exchange for 'favors' from his…liaisons."

"He certainly gave that impression," Mr. Kanagawa replied.

Aki spoke up. "So we just have to sit back and let the forensic accountants uncover the depths of the holes they've dug themselves into?"

"At least for Suoh," Fuyumi confirmed. "Now, let's talk strategy for the Otori Board meeting next week."

OHSHC

Life at Hinansho, the second farm, and University settled into a smooth rhythm as November flowed into December. Anticipation grew as winter break approached with visiting family and friends, Christmas, and the wedding.

Chisato's family arrived from Yokohama two weeks before Christmas. She couldn't wait to introduce her mother to Hibiki in person. The pair had regular phone conversations and were anxious to meet face-to-face.

As Kosaku and Chisato finished up work for the day, he said, "I don't know how to thank you and your family for all you've done for Hibiki. Being on restricted activity has been very hard for her."

Smiling, Chisato replied, "It's been great getting to know her. My mother has always welcomed everyone. Before my father's death, his co-workers came over frequently-at her insistence."

Filing the last folder and locking the cabinet, Kosaku sighed tiredly. "I need to stop by the childcare center and pick up Ren. That boy is quite a handful at times with all his energy." After a moment, he chuckled, "I wish there was some way to siphon some off and bottle it for when Hibiki and I are trying to keep up with him."

"I'm sure every parent has felt that way at some time or other," Chisato commented. "I remember my mother saying something similar when my brothers were that young." Looking around the office, she said, "Everything is put away, so the workday is done. We'll see you in half an hour for dinner, right?"

"Right," Kosaku confirmed. "Hibiki is looking forward to seeing someplace other than our apartment, even if it's only for an hour or so."

Twenty minutes later, Chisato heard an odd banging on Fuyumi's door across the hall. When she opened her door to peek out, she saw Ren beaming up at Ageha. Kosaku called from down the hall where he was assisting Hibiki, "No, Ren. We're having dinner at Chisato's tonight, not Fuyumi's."

Ageha squatted down to Ren's level and said, "Hey, buddy, you're a day early. We're having dinner together tomorrow night."

When he stuck his bottom lip out and looked like he was about to cry, Chisato scooped him up and tickled his belly. "Come on, Ren. You get to meet my family and have dinner with us tonight."

"See you tomorrow, Ren," Ageha called as she closed the door.

Still carrying the little boy, Chisato followed Kosaku and Hibiki into her apartment where her family was waiting to meet the Ito family. Chisato's brothers surrounded her and clamored to play with Ren. He began bouncing in her arms, so she had to put him down before he fell.

The group spent the next two hours enjoying dinner, conversation, and playtime. Kosaku rose regretfully. "I wish we could stay longer, but Ren is asleep on his feet.

Hibiki covered as yawn as she murmured, "Thank you for the wonderful evening. I enjoyed myself immensely, but I am really feeling the need for my bed."

Mrs. Ogarashi walked them to the door and hugged Hibiki gently. "This was a lot of fun. I'm so glad Chisato introduced us. We'll have to do this again before we return to Yokohama."

"Definitely," Kosaku agreed as he picked Ren up and took Hibiki's elbow.

OHSHC

In anticipation of Takashi and Chiharu's wedding, Mitsukuni and Reiko decided to stay at their apartment in Hinansho for the month of December. Most of Reiko's plants had entered their dormant phase, so they needed little attention.

Mitsukuni settled on the sofa and pulled Reiko into his lap, nuzzling her neck ardently. "I'm glad we're here now. It's an easy commute to work for me and I'll be on-site for the Hinan Family quarterly business meeting the week before the wedding."

Reiko kissed his ear and whispered, "Chiharu needs me more than my plants do right now, so it works out well for both of us." She ran her fingers up his chest and down his arm.

OHSHC

Chisato had two days off while Kosaku was ensconced with the Hinan family for their quarterly business meeting. Since Fuyumi was an agent as well as part of the family, she was there as well. Chisato's two youngest brothers begged to spend some time playing with Ren, so Chisato and her mother accompanied them to the Ito's apartment to chat with Hibiki.

Half an hour after the Ogarashi's arrived, Hibiki was sitting in a comfortable chair while Chisato and her mother relaxed on the sofa. They were sipping tea, watching the boys play, and chatting. Suddenly, Hibiki gasped and wrapped her arms around her belly, dropping her teacup on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Ogarashi asked, concern wrinkling her brow as she reached toward Hibiki across the small table holding the tea service.

Panting, Hibiki replied, "I'm not sure. There was suddenly a sharp pain. It was like…" She gasped again and then whimpered, biting her lip.

Mrs. Ogarashi stood up, moved around the table, and knelt by Hibiki's side. Placing a gentle hand on Hibiki's bulging belly, she said, "It appears that you are in labor."

Panicked, Hibiki cried, "I can't be! I'm not due until next month! It's too early!"

Stroking Hibiki's hair, Mrs. Ogarashi assured her, "It will be okay. Let's get you to the hospital so the doctor can check to be sure everything is fine." She turned to Chisato. "Please call an ambulance."

Chisato was already on the phone. She covered it and replied, "I'm calling security for the medical transport. It's faster." She returned to her conversation with Hotta. He assured her that Aijima and Kenji were on the way to the Ito apartment with the stretcher and Atsuhiro was headed to the transport, to be in place when they brought Hibiki out.

"I need Kosaku," Hibiki whimpered through the pain.

Mrs. Ogarashi looked to Chisato again. "I'll go get him from the meeting as soon as I call Reiko and Chiharu to come watch the boys."

Chisato was still on the phone with Reiko when there was a knock on the door. She opened it for Aijima and Kenji who rolled the stretcher in. Kenji went directly to Hibiki and started checking her vital signs in preparation for transport.

"I'll stay here with the boys and wait for Reiko and Chiharu," Chisato's mother assured her. "You go get Kosaku." She looked from her daughter to the young woman trying to muffle her cries so her son would not be alarmed.

Running down the corridor, Chisato made it to the small dining room within minutes. Not bothering to knock, she thrust the door open and called, "Kosako, it's Hibiki. It looks like she's in labor."

With barely a glance of apology around the table, he bolted out the door. Chisato was about to follow him when Haruhi asked, "Would you remain and take notes for Kosaku?

Plagued by indecision for just a moment, Chisato took the seat Kosaku had hastily abandoned. "I shall do my best."

Kosaku reached the corridor for his apartment just as Hibiki was being wheeled out. Mrs. Ogarashi stood in the doorway, torn between going with the young woman and staying with the boys. Just as Kosaku reached the doorway, Reiko and Chiharu came around the corner.

"You two go with her," Reiko ordered. "We'll take care of the boys."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kosaku walked quickly after the stretcher with his precious wife. Mrs. Ogarashi trailed along, worriedly watching both of them.

Once they were in the medical transport, Kosaku asked Kenji, "Isn't it too early? Could this be a false alarm?"

Placing a calming hand on his shoulder, Kenji replied, "It's best to let a doctor make that call, especially with the complications she was having. Just relax. She needs you calm so she can stay calm."

Holding Hibiki's hand and stroking it gently, Kosaku saw the pain etched on her features. "I wish I could take the pain for her," he thought as he placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

Hibiki gasped in pain and then they all heard a dripping sound. Kenji pulled a strip of paper from his medical kit and swabbed it through the liquid. Examining the result, he said solemnly, "Your water just broke. This is not false labor, it's the real thing."

"How long until we reach the hospital?" Kosaku asked tensely.

Kenji was about to answer when Atsuhiro called out, "Hold on tight. We'll be there in three."

"But we're at least ten minutes away!" Kenji protested.

"Not with me driving," Atsuhiro retorted.

10