Kyoya woke up and groped for his glasses, but the bedside table where he left them was not there. Then he realized he was laying on a cot rather than in a bed. "What happened?" he pondered in confusion as he reached up and rubbed his temples. He sat up and squinted around, trying to get his bearings. Searching his memory for the events of the previous night, he dropped back onto the cot. "I think it was just last night, wasn't it? I was carried out of my room and then there was an explosion. I don't have my glasses, phone, laptop, or clothes."

Then it hit him, and he rubbed his face with his hands. "I can't contact Haruhi, and if I don't, she'll worry. She's due to leave for Hokkaido soon and there will be no way to contact her there. Worrying about me will not help her studying." He was startled by his host's voice nearby, though without his glasses all he could make out were large, grayish blobs in the low light.

"Ah, Mr. Hinan, you're finally awake. I apologize for the less than adequate hospitality you have received of late." Li Hiu bowed as he apologized. Waving someone forward, he continued, "One of my security officers was able to return to your room to retrieve your belongings. Unfortunately, some of them were damaged in the blast."

Kyoya sat up abruptly and held out his hand. "My phone, please. I need to let my fiancé know that I am alive and unharmed."

The security officer placed Kyoya's glasses in one of his hands and the phone in the other. Placing the remaining items on the cot next to Kyoya, the officer left the room . Kyoya slipped on his glasses and immediately tried to call Haruhi, but his phone was unresponsive and had a large crack across the screen.

Li Hiu patted his shoulder. "I apologize for the damage. However, even if it were in working order, there is no signal here." When Kyoya glanced at his laptop, his host continued, "There is no internet access either. I have my security chief working on re-establishing the secure phone lines to the bunker. It was not damaged in the blast, but it appears that rodents chewed through several wires."

Haruhi flipped her phone around and around in her hands, slumping on the sofa dejectedly. The past hour had done nothing to soothe her nerves. Three more calls to Kyoya's phone had resulted in three more calls straight to voicemail. "Maybe I should skip the trip to Hokkaido. Maybe I should skip the bar exam…at least until I know Kyoya is safe."

She was startled out of her racing thoughts by the ringing of her phone. Disappointment bloomed in her chest when the called ID showed Tachibana rather than Kyoya. "Hello, Tachibana."

"Have you heard from Kyoya?" he asked without preamble.

"No, all my calls go straight to voicemail," Haruhi admitted dejectedly. "I don't know what to do."

In a decisive tone, Tachibana replied, "You will head to Hokkaido as planned and study for your bar exam."

"But…"

"No buts. Since Kyoya's phone is going directly to voicemail, it was probably damaged," Tachibana explained. "You know how much he relies on it. That means he hasn't memorized phone numbers in a while. He will call as soon as he can find a phone number. So many of ours are unlisted he will probably have to call Hinansho."

Sitting up straight, Haruhi replied, "You're right. I'll go talk to Chiharu on my way to have Atsuhiro drive me to the airport. Thanks, Tachibana. I don't know what I would do without you." After a beat, she groaned, "I forgot. The retreat doesn't have any phones, cell service, or internet access."

"Not to worry," Tachibana responded with a chuckle. "My in-laws live not far from Takashi's retreat center. Just have Chiharu call me and I'll relay the message to you."

"That's a load off my mind." Haruhi took a deep breath. "Thanks. I really mean that."

Softly, he said, "I know you do. Now go take care of all the arrangements so you can go study. I know you'll do great."

OHSHC

Chiharu chuckled as she looked through the photos Estee and Fuyumi had uploaded to a cloud archive Hikaru had set up for the Hinan family to access. "This is so much better than waiting for someone on the trip to text or email pictures. Even better now that they've split into two groups. I'll be able to keep up with both as well as print out pictures to post on a bulletin board near the elevator on the third floor. That way the whole family can see them as they head in and out going about their days."

Jumping slightly at the tap on her shoulder, Chiharu looked up to see Takashi smiling at her. "Lose track of time, My Love?"

Glancing at the time on the computer screen, she blushed. "I guess I did. I was looking at the pictures from the group's time in London." She reached over to the printer and picked up the small stack she had printed. "I'll just post these on the bulletin board on the way to our apartment."

Holding out a hand, Takashi asked, "May I look at them?"

Chiharu started down the hall towards the elevator with her hands behind her back. "If you're good, I'll let you look at them on the way up."

Takashi raised an eyebrow and stalked down the hall where Chiharu braced her back against the wall next to the elevator after pressing the button.

OHSHC

Kaoru and Hikaru were in deep conversation with the venue coordinator for the New Designers Debut. They were discussing the schedule for the evening and attempting to arrange tickets. Estee and Coco decided to look around and to see if any of the models they knew were working at the show.

"Estee? Coco? Is that you?" a masculine voice called.

The sisters turned around, threw their arms around the young man, and shouted in unison, "Adrien! It's so good to see you."

Blushing at the enthusiastic greeting, Adrien asked, "What are you two doing here? I thought you were living in Japan now."

Coco bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly. "We're in Paris for a week to see friends and check out the New Designers Debut before heading to Milan next week. Kaoru and Hikaru are trying to get tickets for the show tonight. I'm one of their models as well as doing the marketing. Estee is their photographer…"

"I cannot believe it!" A feminine voice growled as she stalked toward Adrien, waving her hands in the air in frustration. "Both models and my photographer just cancelled. I booked them eighteen months in advance, and they give me less than four hours notice that they can't make it."

Adrien intercepted Marinette, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. He looked in her eyes and said softly, "Breathe. We'll figure this out."

Marinette cocked an eyebrow, stepped back, and crossed her arms. "The show starts in four hours. How will we find replacements with all the fashion events in Paris tonight?" she ranted, tapping her toe impatiently.

Hikaru stepped up behind Estee and whispered in her ear, "No-go on the tickets. They're all sold out and there's a waiting list." He looked around at the group and asked, "What's going on?"

Kaoru slipped his arm around Coco's waist and greeted the Parisians. "Adrien. Marinette. It's good to see you again."

Adrien returned the greeting, but Marinette was too preoccupied to notice the new arrivals. She started to pace back and forth. "I can't ask Alya and Nino. They're in Berlin for that night club opening. Juleka and Luka are on tour in America with Jagged." She stopped pacing, grabbed one elbow and tapped her chin with the index finger of her other hand. "Adrien, if you would be willing to be my male model, then I'd just have to find a female model and a photographer."

"You know I'm more than willing to help," Adrien responded, hiding a smile as he watched Marinette's nose scrunch in concentration.

Coco whispered to Kaoru, "Can we help her out?"

Smiling, he replied, "I was just about to suggest it." Kaoru removed his arm from Coco's waist and stepped closer to Marinette.

Marinette looked up in surprise, as if she didn't realize there were other people standing around her. "Can I help you?" she asked distractedly.

Kaoru smiled. "More to the point, I think we can help you."

"And you are?" Her expression shifted from confusion to concentration. "Wait, I know we've met before." Marinette thought for a moment before she snapped her fingers. "That's right. You're Estee and Coco's friend."

Bowing respectfully, Kaoru said, "I am Kaoru Hinan of Hitachiin Fashions. We met three years ago." He motioned for Hikaru, Coco, and Estee to join him. "This is my brother, Hikaru. Of course, you know Coco and Estee."

The designer's face lit up as she remembered the fun they had had with Rene's friends. The twins explained that Estee was the photographer and Coco was a model for Hitachiin Fashions. The Beringar sisters insisted that they wanted to help. Adrien stood back and watched as the group hashed out the details for the employment contracts.

"I insist on paying scale plus a bonus for the last-minute arrangements. That goes for you too, Adrien," Marinette said adamantly. "I refuse to act like Gabriel or Audrey, exploiting my workers."

Adrien leaned in and pretended to whisper conspiratorially, "Don't worry about her not being able to afford it. This may be her debut show, but she's already quite successful. Not to mention the penalties the agency will be paying for breaching the contract."

Kaoru and Hikaru exchanged a glance. "That sounds intriguing. We'll have to take you out to lunch tomorrow to hear more about that," they purred in unison. "For now, we'll let you get to your preparations for tonight."

"Will you be coming to the show?" Marinette asked.

Hikaru placed a hand over his heart and looked crestfallen. "Alas, we were unable to procure tickets."

Marinette reached into her pocket and pulled out two tickets, handing them to the twins. "I have tickets right here that my parents don't need because they are catering the event tonight. It's good to know they won't go to waste."

OHSHC

It had been a day and a half—maybe two days since the bombing as Kyoya lay dozing on the cot with his hands behind his head. He was startled to wakefulness when he heard a door close and Mr. Li Hiu ask for a report. Kyoya sat up and observed the discussion closely.

"The secure line has been repaired and the network is re-booting," the security officer recited, standing stiffly at attention.

"Have the authorities determined the cause of the explosion?" Li Hiu demanded. "Was it targeting my compound or was it coincidental?"

Pulling a notebook from his chest pocket, the security officer flipped a few pages. "The evidence linked the bombing to Jang Dae-Hee and he purposely targeted the compound. He actually left a letter at the bombing site claiming it was retaliation for not doing business with him."

Li Hiu frowned, rubbing his chin in thought. "Is the safehouse ready?" He stared at the floor, looking pensive.

Checking his watch, the security officer replied, "Yes. The transport will be here in ten minutes. A meal will be waiting, and the communications center will be available."

A shark-like grin spread across Li Hiu's face. "Good. I want you to extend an 'invitation' to Jang Dae-Hee to meet with me this evening." He quirked an eyebrow to be sure his security officer understood that the man was to be brought to the safehouse that evening, willingly or not.

Suppressing a smile, security nodded in acknowledgement.

Finally, the businessman turned to Kyoya. "I apologize profusely for the inconvenience this has caused you. Jang Dae-Hee has displayed the worst manners by dragging you into this matter. If you do not mind, I would like you to attend the meeting this evening so you can express your own displeasure with his behavior."

Kyoya stood and bowed respectfully. "I appreciate the opportunity."

The security team gathered all the belongings and escorted the two businessmen to the transport.

Fifteen minutes later, they were seated at the dining table at the safehouse enjoying a hearty meal. Li Hiu set down his utensils. "My security chief informed me that he left the phone number for Hinansho next to the secure phone in the communications center. He will escort you there after dinner so you can contact your family to let them know you are safe."

"My most gracious thanks," Kyoya responded, bowing his head in response.

Shima was covering the front desk while Chiharu was upstairs hanging up pictures from the twins trip to Paris and more pictures from Fuyumi and the kids in London. When the phone rang, Shima answered it automatically, "Hinansho, how may I help you?"

"Shima, this is Kyoya," he responded.

"Kyoya! It's so good to hear your voice. We've been so worried about you." Shima laid her hand on her heart, breathing a sigh of relief.

Taking a deep breath, he assured her, "I am unharmed, but my phone was damaged and there were no secure lines available until today. Did Haruhi go to Hokkaido as planned?"

"Yes, she did. But we have a plan to get the news to her," Shima informed him. "Tachibana's in-laws live near the retreat. As soon as I call him, he will head over and let her know you're fine." She wiped away a tear of relief as she relaxed from the days of worry.

Softly, Kyoya said, "I have to go. I have a meeting that starts in a few minutes. Please let Haruhi know I'm thinking about her."

"Of course. You take care of yourself. We look forward to seeing you next week." After Kyoya ended the call, Shima bowed her head and sighed in relief.

Taking a moment to compose herself, Shima dialed Tachibana's number. While she was waiting for the call to connect, Chiharu returned. Smiling brightly, Shima said to Tachibana and Chiharu, "Kyoya just called and he's fine."

Tachibana hung up the phone after Shima's call. He dropped into a chair and held his head in his hands. "Kyoya's okay. His phone was damaged, but he's fine. I'll head over to tell Haruhi in a few minutes."

"Good news, I hope?" his wife asked, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Yes," Tachibana sighed. "Kyoya is fine." He paused before adding, "I need to go tell Haruhi. I know she's been worried."

Giving him a kiss on the cheek, Tachibana's wife told him, "Hurry back. Dinner will be in an hour."

Standing up, Tachibana drew her into his arms and kissed her. "I'll be quick," he called as he walked out the door.

Jang Dae-Hee leaned back in the chair in Li Hiu's office, smirking at the other two men. "I warned you that you would do business with me or else."

Folding his hands on his desk, Li Hiu remarked, "It was dishonorable of you to drag Mr. Hinan into this situation."

Waving a hand dismissively, Jang Dae-Hee replied, "I figured you would take me more seriously if I struck while you had a guest." Suddenly, the guest's name registered and Jang Dae-hee paled. "Wait, did you say Mr. Hinan?"

Kyoya sat forward from his place in the shadowed corner. "That is correct—Mr. Hinan." He scowled slightly as he continued, "I do not appreciate how much you made my fiancée worry."

Jang Dae-Hee paled and held up his hands defensively. "I…I'm sorry."

Standing from his chair behind his desk, Li Hiu stalked toward the cowering man. "I told you before that I do not operate in South Korea. I have a gentleman's agreement with Chairman Kang." He perched on the edge of his desk. "I will be informing Chairman Kang of your actions and let him deal with you."

"Better him than me," Kyoya growled, standing and crossing his arms. "And if I ever find you trying to make deals in Japan, I will make you very sorry."

Li Hiu gestured at his security officer who stepped forward. "Please escort Jang Dae-Hee out. Our business is concluded."

Haruhi sat at the desk in her room at the retreat surrounded by books, briefs, notepads, and writing utensils. She concentrated on reviewing the information for the bar exam to distract her from the lack of news from her fiancé after the report of the bombing. A knock on her door startled her from her contemplation of the case study she was reading.

Sighing, Haruhi pushed the materials aside and answered the door. One of the monks-in-training motioned for her to follow him. A cold spike of fear ran down her spine. "It has to be about Kyoya. There's no other reason to interrupt me here at the retreat."

Her escort opened the door to the main lobby and then withdrew. The first thing Haruhi saw through the open door was Tachibana. Her first thought was, "Oh no. I've lost Kyoya."

Tachibana looked up when he heard the door open. Seeing the worried look on her face, he said simply, "Kyoya's fine. His phone, however, didn't make it."

Relief flooded Haruhi as she flung her arms around Tachibana's waist and buried her face in his chest. Tachibana pulled her close with one arm and stroked her hair gently with his other hand as he whispered, "I know how you feel."

The pair stood there for several minutes giving and receiving comfort as they processed their feelings of relief. Finally, Haruhi drew back and looked up at Tachibana. "Thank you for bringing the news. It will be much easier to concentrate without the cloud of uncertainty hanging over me."

Tachibana withdrew his arms as he looked at her fondly. "I'm just glad it was good news I had to bring. You get back to your studying. I'll see you at Hinansho in two weeks."

Smiling softly, she replied, "I'll see you then. Now, I have a bar exam to study for." Haruhi gave Tachibana a small wave as she headed back to her room. Settling at her desk, she thought, "I don't know what we would do without him."

OHSHC

Chiharu tacked up the last of the photos from the twins at their show in Milan next to the ones of the kids at Disney World. "It's fun following the two groups on their trips vicariously through the pictures they upload. However, I'm running out of room and they're barely halfway through. I think I'll call the security office and ask them to have maintenance put up more corkboards along the walls up here."

Her musings were interrupted when Rene stepped off the elevator and looked at the newest additions to the board. "Wow! Look at that. The twins took Marinette and Adrien with them to Milan. I really should go back to Paris and visit my friends sometime soon."

"Well, you're a working man now. You'll have to plan your vacation time to do that," Chiharu teased.

Rene looked at her and nodded. "You're right. I'll also have to contact them to see what fits their schedules, too."

"Would you like to join Takashi and me for dinner tonight?" Chiharu asked.

Grinning, Rene replied, "Sorry, I can't. I have dinner plans with Shima and Yuzuru." He shook his head in consternation. "It still feels strange to call my dad by his first name, but it avoids the issue that he's also my brother. That's just too weird for me to think about at times."

"Well, you guys have fun," Chiharu said as she headed to her and Takashi's apartment to make dinner.

"You, too," Rene called after her. "But not too much," he added teasingly.

OHSHC

Haruhi sighed as she put down her pencil and massaged her hand gently. "The first section of the bar exam is now done," she thought as she glanced over her answers one last time. "I can't wait to get to Okinawa and set things up for my weekend with Kyoya. He should be flying in tomorrow night."

After flipping through the pages to be sure they were in order, Haruhi straightened her test, gathered her writing utensils, and headed to the proctor's desk to hand in her exam.

The proctor nodded in acknowledgement as Haruhi placed her completed exam on the desk and slipped out quietly. About half of the future lawyers sitting for this section of the bar exam were still frantically writing so she wanted to disturb them as little as possible.

Haruhi settled into the driver seat of her car and heaved a sigh of relief. "One down, one to go," she said aloud as she started the engine and headed for Hinansho to pick up her weekend bag before going to the airport.

OHSHC

Chiharu looked up and down the hallway, satisfied with the new corkboards maintenance had hung all along the walls of the third floor. "Maybe when Estee and Coco return from their trip, we can decorate a board near each door to signify the occupant. That will be especially fun for Kyoya and Haruhi's with their wedding approaching."

Humming happily, she pinned up the new photos from Florida. Fuyumi's group had gone to a medieval theme restaurant and everyone was dressed in appropriate costumes. "They look like a queen with her princesses and their faithful knights with their squire. I'm glad Yu, Aki, and Matsu decided to go with them. It's been a good experience for Masaya."

Moving down the hall to the next board, Chiharu sorted through the photos from the twins' fashion show in New York. "Estee is getting quite talented with that remote set-up Hikaru created. It's funny seeing her on the catwalk with the others and know that she's also the one taking the pictures."

Chiharu started as she heard a voice behind her. "They really look like they're having a good time, don't they?" Rene commented.

Aiming a playful swat at him, she replied, "Don't scare me like that." She was about to say more when her phone chimed with a text. She pulled it out and read the message from Haruhi.

***Going to stay for the week. Don't tell anyone where we are.***

"Problem?" Rene asked, curious at the smile on Chiharu's face.

Shaking her head and slipping her phone back into her pocket, she replied, "Nope. Just an update on something I've been keeping track of. Enjoy looking at the pictures. I have to go start dinner. Takashi will be home soon."

10