Chapter 19: Another Graduation

As Yuzuru delivered the graduation address, Haruhi was lost in her own thoughts. "This is the third Ouran graduation I've attended and it's my own. It probably won't be my last since Masaya, Hibiki, and Ageha will graduate from Ouran. Then, of course, there are Yasuchika and Satoshi who will graduate next year.

"It's funny, when I started at Ouran, I expected to have just Dad here for my graduation. Instead, I have Dad, Tachibana, Mitsukuni, Takashi, Kyoya, and Rene. Fuyumi said she was going to try coaxing Ageha to come see her brothers graduate." She glanced over at Hikaru and Kaoru to see how they were doing.

Hikaru shifted in his seat as Yuzuru continued to drone on. "I really wish Mom and Dad were here to see this. I know they would be proud of us. I wonder if Fuyumi convinced Ageha to come?"

Kaoru felt Hikaru's fidgeting and reached over to link his pinky with this brother's. He looked around the crowd to see if the four from University had made it in time. His eyes widened as he saw not the six or eight people he expected to attend the graduation, but a small crowd representing the Hinan family and friends.

Kaoru nudged Hikaru and inclined his head toward their cheering section. In addition to the expected Hinansho residents, there were Shima, Atsuhiro, Kosaku with a very pregnant Hibiki, the other Shido family members, Kairi with his fiancé Momo. They also saw Reiko sitting with Mitsukuni and Chiharu with Takashi.

"Is that…?" Hikaru started to ask, pointing to six familiar faces that he couldn't quite place.

"Wow," Kaoru breathed quietly. "That's the legal group that was involved in our custody battle against Rina Tsukuda. That's Ryo Naruse and Mei Nagano from the law firm where Haruhi still interns, Judge Ryuzaki and his clerk Sae Ueno who notarized Mom, Dad, and Grandmother's affidavits, as well as Judge Hatori who presided at our hearing."

"Yeah. And there's Misaki Danno. He's the clerk from the courthouse that alerted Haruhi to Yoshio's shenanigans with Kyoya," Hikaru whispered.

Kaoru counted their crowd. "Here I was expecting six, maybe eight, to show up for us and here we have twenty-five."

"Granted the six legal professionals are probably here mostly for Haruhi, but I don't mind," Hikaru responded.

They were startled out of their quiet conversation by Yuzuru concluding his speech and starting the diploma presentation.

Before she knew it, Haruhi was executing the precise choreography of the ceremony. As she walked away from Yuzuru, she was struck with a sudden thought. "What if Yuzuru sees Rene? How will he react? Why didn't I think of this before? I don't even have time to alert him or Kyoya because I don't have my phone with me and I have to head to homeroom. I wonder if they thought of that and have a contingency plan."

Kyoya watched Haruhi with admiration as she received her diploma. "Even though she didn't have the scholarship to maintain this year, she still graduated at the top of her class...while also taking University courses and continuing her internship."

He was startled out of his musings when he realized Yuzuru was staring at him between presenting diplomas. Kyoya turned his head slightly. "Or is he looking at Rene? I didn't even think about that. We were all just so excited about watching Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru graduate that we didn't consider what might happen if Yuzuru spotted Rene."

Rene stiffened in his seat. "He's looking right at me. I didn't think he'd see me in this crowd." Subconsciously, Rene grabbed Kyoya's sleeve. "What if he corners me and they try to get rid of me again?" His breathing increased as he started to panic.

Feeling the tension in Rene's grip, Kyoya reached across with his other hand and laid it gently on Rene's that was grasping desperately at his sleeve. "What do you need? How can I help?" he whispered.

"Hide me," was Rene's desperate whimper. "Don't let them try to get rid of me again. I don't want to disappear. What if Atsuhiro hadn't been able to…" He was getting more and more agitated as he thought about what had happened the previous fall.

Ryo Naruse leaned forward and tapped Kyoya lightly on the shoulder. "Can I help?"

Rene abruptly swung his head around to see who was taking Kyoya's attention and relaxed slightly, seeing that it was the Hinan family lawyer.

Without turning, Kyoya said softly, "When the ceremony finishes, could you immediately drive Rene to Hinansho?"

"Certainly. I'll take care of it." Ryo squeezed Rene's shoulder comfortingly before whispering, "Don't worry. We're all here for you."

Their attention returned to the stage just as Hikaru and Kaoru were receiving their diplomas. Kyoya looked over the students that were still waiting for their procession across the stage and presentation. "I estimate another half hour at most and the ceremony will be over. I will do my best to distract Yuzuru if needed while you get Rene out of here."

"We have a plan. Judge Hatori and Misaki Danno will lead while Mei and Sae flank Rene. Judge Ryusaki and I will bring up the rear. We'll head straight to the cars and leave immediately," Ryo explained quietly.

Rene sighed in relief. "Thank you. I really appreciate this."

"I do as well." Kyoya took a deep breath and patted Rene's hand that was still clinging to his sleeve.

Soon the ceremony was over. Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru gathered in homeroom with their classmates to wish each other the best and say their farewells before heading out for their final tour of the school as students.

As soon as Hikaru and Kaoru stepped out of the homeroom door, Ageha flung herself at them, yelling, "Congratulations!" Hikaru caught her easily and swung her around. Kaoru stepped back to avoid being hit by her flying feet.

Once Hikaru stood still, Kaoru stepped close to trap Ageha between them in a hug. She wrapped an arm around each of their necks and squeezed, squealing in their ears, "I am so proud of you two!"

Kaoru pried gently at her arm around his windpipe. "Okay, okay. Breathing is a thing, you know."

Ageha giggle and wiggled to get down out of her brothers embrace. Grabbing their hands, she demanded, "Let's get this tour done so we can head home for dinner."

Hikaru and Kaoru just shrugged and exchanged a glance that said, "What can you do? She's too cute to deny."

Haruhi laughed and followed the trio after Ageha yelled over her shoulder, "That means you too, Aunt Haruhi. Let's go."

Kyoya sighed in relief as he watched Rene being escorted safely away by the legal team. "Hopefully the plan goes smoothly."

"Kyoya, is that you?" Yuzuru called.

Turning, Kyoya smiled. "Chairman Suoh, good speech today."

"Thank you," he responded distractedly. "Was that Tamaki I saw sitting next to you today?"

"No, that was Hikaru and Kaoru's brother, Rene."

Yuzuru frowned. "Do you know why Tamaki hasn't contacted me? I've tried calling his phone but it's no longer in service. Because he's been your roommate since last fall, I was hoping you could tell me what's going on."

"Tamaki never showed up last fall," Kyoya said, watching Yuzuru's expression. "Was he party to Shizue's plans? Or did she leave him in the dark as well?"

"What?! He didn't?"

"No. And I received no message from him. Rene has been my roommate all year. When I told Hikaru and Kaoru I had to find a new roommate because Tamaki never showed up, they told me their brother was also starting at Tokyo University and needed a place to stay."

Yuzuru's expression was pure confusion. "I don't understand. He was so excited about University and being your roommate. What could have happened?"

"Could he have heard about Shizue's plan to replace him as the Suoh heir? I was surprised by the announcement at Christmas time," Kyoya stated. "Maybe he thought he wasn't wanted or needed anymore."

"No," Yuzuru whispered. "It couldn't have been like that, could it?" He looked at Kyoya with a puzzled expression on his face that hardened into determination. "If you'll excuse me, I think I need to go have a serious conversation with my mother." With that, he turned and abruptly walked away.

Tachibana, Ryoji, and the Shido family joined Kyoya, waiting for him to finish his ruminations about the conversation he had just had with Yuzuru. When he finally looked up at them, Fuyumi said, "Ageha went to take the school tour with Haruhi and the twins. They'll meet up with us at the fountain in the courtyard."

"What did Yuzuru want?" Tachibana asked.

"He wanted to know if that was Tamaki sitting next to me. He was really upset when I told him Tamaki did not show up at the apartment last fall. I got the distinct impression that he had no idea what Shizue did."

"Where's Rene? Did Yuzuru take him away?" Seiji demanded.

Kyoya chuckled. "No, Yuzuru never got close to him. You might say the legal team took Rene into protective custody."

"So that explains where they all went," Ryoji commented.

"So, where are the others?" Kyoya asked.

Fuyumi giggled and clapped her hands like a little kid. "Takashi, Chiharu, and Reiko are taking Kosaku and Hibiki to the hospital. Just before the ceremony ended, Hibiki's water broke."

"Well, that's quite a development. Why didn't Mitsukuni go with them since Reiko did?"

"There wasn't enough room in the car. Hibiki was really scared so she wanted both Chiharu and Reiko to go with her, especially with Reiko's first aid training," Seiji clarified.

"So where are the others?"

"Atsuhiro took Mitsukuni, Kairi, Momo, and Shima back to Hinansho. Mitsukuni figured he could be most helpful by getting the Itos' hospital bag to security so they could take it to the hospital. Kairi and Shima wanted to check on dinner and preparations for the graduation party tonight," Tachibana answered. "They took the smaller vehicle so I can drive everyone else home whenever we're all ready."

"Then let's go wait for the graduates by the fountain," Fuyumi said, heading off in that direction.

OHSHC

Yuzuru stormed through the front doors of the first Suoh mansion and headed straight for his mother's office. He ignored her secretary when she shouted that Shizue was in a meeting and slammed the door open. "What did you do?!" he demanded loudly.

Shizue looked at him coldly. "I am in a meeting."

"I don't care. I want answers."

Sighing, she growled, "Very well. Akito, if you will excuse us?" Then she waved her heir out of the office without waiting for a reply.

"What did you do with Tamaki?" Yuzuru planted his fists on Shizue's desk as he glared down at her.

She remained seated and glared at him. "Whatever are you talking about? He's at University, rooming with Kyoya…"

"Lies!" Yuzuru shouted, interrupting her. "I just spoke to Kyoya. Tamaki never arrived at the apartment. Kyoya had to get a different roommate. So, I'll ask you again. What. Did. You. Do. With. Tamaki?"

"Fine." She waved a hand dismissively. "He wanted to see his mother, so I had my chauffeur take him to the airport."

"That does not explain why he didn't contact Kyoya…or me. I had just assumed he broke his phone again when I got the no-longer-in-service message."

"Why don't you call your mistress…his mother, and ask her?" Shizue suggested disinterestedly.

"Because she's dead," he bit out. "I received a call from a Paris lawyer last fall who informed me that Anne-Sophie died in February of last year, about the same time the Hitachiins were killed in London. She was looking for Tamaki to give him a legacy from his mother."

"I don't know what you…"

The doors banged open and two Tokyo police detectives strode in. "What do you want?" Shizue demanded.

"On behalf of the estate of the late Anne-Sophie de Grantaine, we are here to inquire about the suspicious disappearance of Tamaki Suoh," stated the older-looking of the two.

Shizue stood up and folded her arms across her chest. "What do you mean 'suspicious disappearance'? He was taken to the Tokyo airport last fall to fly to Paris to see his mother."

"Be that as it may, some very suspicious activity surrounding the whereabouts of Tamaki Suoh has come to light. The airport has no record of him flying to Paris or even being at the airport last fall."

The younger detective tapped the older man's shoulder and handed him a note. The older turned, looked over the note, and nodded. "A police inspector from Paris with connections to our supervisor contacted our office in hopes of locating Tamaki Suoh. The inspector's sister is the lawyer for the de Grantaine estate, trying to locate Tamaki Suoh to deliver a legacy. She found him in the educational database in August, but when she checked again in November, he was no longer listed—in fact, there was no trace of him. That sounds very suspicious to me."

"So what, there was a computer glitch," Shizue dismissed.

"Then produce Tamaki Suoh and we can clear all this up," the older detective stated flatly.

"I haven't laid eyes on him in almost a year." Shizue sat down in a huff.

The two detectives looked at Yuzuru.

Yuzuru shrugged. "I haven't seen Tamaki since Sunday brunch the day before he was moving into his University apartment with Kyoya Otori last August. I spoke with Kyoya today at the graduation ceremony at Ouran. I am the headmaster there and three of his friends were graduating. He told me Tamaki never showed up and he had to find a new roommate."

"Here," Shizue flipped a piece of paper toward the detectives. "This is the name of my chauffeur that drove him to the airport and the security guard stationed at the VIP lounge where Tamaki was waiting for the plane to board. I leave the rest to you."

"Thank you for your cooperation. Please remain available for further questions," the older detective said tartly. "We will see ourselves out."

OHSHC

Rene was waiting inside the front door of Hinansho when the rest of the graduation party arrived from Ouran. He grabbed Kyoya and Haruhi as soon as they stepped through the door.

"Did Yuzuru find out about me? Are they coming to take me away?" He was practically hyperventilating in his anxiety.

Haruhi pulled him into her arms and whispered soft shushing noises. Kyoya wrapped his arms around both of them. "Don't worry. When he asked about Tamaki, I said he didn't show up last fall. My roommate for the year was Hikaru and Kaoru's brother, Rene. I suggested that Tamaki might have heard about being replaced as the Suoh heir. Then he excused himself, saying he had to speak to his mother."

"Breathe," Haruhi whispered, rubbing Rene's back. "Just breathe. They can't touch you. You are Rene Hinan now. It's legal and binding."

Rene buried his face in Haruhi's neck and tried to slow his breathing. He took several deep breaths, and said quietly, "Could I just have a minute? To collect myself?"

Kyoya kissed Haruhi's temple and ruffled Rene's hair. "I'll head into the dining room with the others and leave okaa-san here to take care of you. How's that?"

Peaking over Haruhi's shoulder, Rene smiled softly. "Thanks, otou-san."

A few minutes later, Haruhi and Rene joined the others in the dining room. Rene went to congratulate the twins and Haruhi was surrounded by the legal group.

Rene threw his arms around Hikaru and Kaoru's shoulders and declared, "Look at you two, all grown up and graduated."

"Thanks, Tono," they replied as they rubbed against him like a pair of Siamese cats. "We really appreciate you being there for us. It was hard not having Mom and Dad here, but we're so glad our new family showed up in numbers."

"I'm glad we could be there for you," Rene said before he released them.

Kyoya walked up to the trio. "Feeling better, Rene?"

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a glance. "What was wrong with Rene?"

Rene took a deep breath. "I didn't think about the fact that Yuzuru would be there and would recognize me." He started to draw in upon himself.

"Hey, none of that," Hikaru said, poking Rene in the ribs.

Kaoru continued, "Obviously he didn't get you, so what's the problem?"

Rene's head popped up. "You're right. Kyoya made arrangements for the legal group to bring me back to Hinansho." He turned and looked at Kyoya. "Otou-san, you took care of me."

Kyoya shook his head and smiled. "Of course. We're family. We take care of each other."

Meanwhile, Haruhi was surrounded by Ryoji and the legal group. Ryoji wrapped her in a tight hug and said, "Kotoko would be so proud of you. I know I'm proud of you."

"Dad," Haruhi whispered airily. "Can I breathe, please?"

"Sorry, I just got so excited." Ryoji blushed, loosening his grip.

Ryo chuckled. "You are amazing, Haruhi. Top of your class while working an internship and taking online college courses."

Judge Hatori agreed. "You will be a force to be reckoned with in the not-so-distant future, if what you've accomplished in the past year and a half is any indication."

"Hear, hear," Judge Ryusaki agreed. Mei, Misaki, and Sae added their affirmations.

"Come on, everyone," Kairi called. "I set things up buffet-style so we can mingle around and talk while still eating dinner. Remember, we still have a graduation party later tonight that we need to get ready for."

Mitsukuni was watching the door as he put a few things on his plate. "I hope Reiko, Takashi, and Chiharu get here soon. I'd hate for them to miss the party."

Rene stepped up to get some food as well. "Where are they? I was swept away by the legal team so fast I didn't even notice they were missing until you said something."

"Hibiki went into labor, so they took her and Kosaku to the hospital." Feeling too unsettled to sit down at a table to eat, Mitsukuni stood next to one of the taller tables. Rene joined him and they ate in silence.

Fifteen minutes later, the missing trio appeared in the doorway. Reiko was smiling sweetly as she immediately walked up to Mitsukuni and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss before he whispered, "I missed you."

"Come on. It hasn't been that long." Reiko nuzzled his ear and giggled, making him smile softly.

Takashi and Chiharu entered the room much more slowly. Takashi was carrying her and his face was buried in her neck. She was murmuring soft reassurances to him.

Chiharu had a perplexed expression on her face as she looked around the room. Then her eyes lighted on Fuyumi and Seiji sitting at a table in the back corner, eating dinner and keeping an eye on their children who were at another table with Ageha, Hikaru, and Kaoru.

Pointing to the table in the back, Chiharu gently coaxed Takashi to head in that direction. He settled into a chair, keeping her on his lap and trying to curl even further into her embrace.

Fuyumi smiled softly at the couple. Addressing Chiharu, she asked, "How did things go at the hospital?"

"Kosaku, Hibiki, and their new son, Ren, are fine."

"She had the baby that quickly?"

"Ren was more than ready. It was all Reiko and I could do to get him to wait until we reached the hospital. He seemed determined to be born in the back seat of Takashi's car," Chiharu said, a hint of humor in her voice.

Takashi shuddered and Chiharu kissed the top of his head and whispered, "It's okay. Really it is."

"Is there a problem?" Seiji asked, pointing his chin at Takashi.

Rubbing soothing circles on Takashi's back, Chiharu said, "As I'm sure you know, since you have two children, labor is painful. Takashi is very tenderhearted and seeing Hibiki in pain was very hard on him. It was also hard to see how it affected Kosaku. He was practically in tears and looked so lost, not knowing how to help Hibiki."

Fuyumi smiled nostalgically. "Oh yes. I remember the pain—excruciating and seemingly never ending. But it paled in comparison to the joy of holding the baby after its birth. Looking at the perfect little person that you'd been nurturing for nine months, the pain is more than worth it."

Seiji patted Takashi on the shoulder. "There is nothing worse than seeing the woman you love in pain and all you can do is hold her hand and be there for her. I'm sure every fiber of Kosaku's being wanted to take the pain away from her and carry it himself, but it doesn't work that way."

Fuyumi leaned over and kissed Seiji's cheek. "I appreciate that you were there during the births of both our children."

Seiji looked fondly at Fuyumi. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Chiharu slipped her finger under Takashi's chin to coax him to look at her. "See, Kosaku and Hibiki will be fine. Remember their smiles when they held little Ren and looked into each other's eyes?"

Takashi nodded and drew a deep breath. "Thanks. Nothing in health class or first aid training can prepare you for the heart-rending reality of a woman in labor."

Chuckling, Seiji added, "And the same woman will not act the same each time she's in labor. Every birth is unique."

Haruhi approached the table with two plates of food. "I figured you would be hungry after all the excitement today," she said, setting one in front of Takashi and the other in front of an empty chair next to him.

Reluctantly, he uncurled from Chiharu and allowed her to move to the chair to eat some dinner. She repositioned her chair so she could rest her left hand on Takashi's thigh. Then she started eating.

After a few minutes, Fuyumi couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. "How did things go? Were there any problems during the drive?"

Chiharu looked at Takashi and smiled. "Everything was fine on the drive. Takashi calmly prompted Kosaku to call the security office to bring the hospital bag so we didn't have to stop and pick it up. I called the hospital to let them know we were on the way with a woman in active labor. Reiko focused on keeping Hibiki calm and monitoring the contractions."

Tilting her head toward Takashi, Fuyumi asked, "Was he okay to drive, as upset as he was?"

Laughing softly and leaning into his side, Chiharu replied, "It was probably his kendo training that kept him focused on the important details in the moment. He was an absolute rock-until we got here and parked in the garage. Once the crisis was past, then it all sort of caught up with him." She reached up and stroked her fingers along his jawline, assuring him that she was proud of him.

He turned to smile at her, then took her hand and pressed a kiss into her palm.

Mitsukuni and Reiko approached the table with their arms around each other. Mitsukuni gave Takashi an enthusiastic thumbs-up and he responded with a tentative lopsided smile.

Shima stood up and announced, "Remember, you have just two hours from now to get ready for the graduation party tonight."

OHSHC

"I'm glad we decided on a casual graduation party, rather than an elaborate formal," Haruhi said off-handedly as she sipped a glass of punch.

Ageha preened. "It was my idea. Hikaru got to design the costumes for Halloween and Kaoru did the formal wear for Christmas. It was only fair that casual wear got its turn."

Hikaru and Kaoru hoisted their sister up between them. "She did a wonderful job on the dress designs with Kaoru," Hikaru praised.

Ageha protested, "But they wouldn't have turned out half as well if it weren't for Hikaru's water-marbled silks."

"His color choices were just gorgeous," Kaoru agreed.

"And that concludes this meeting of the Hitachiin design team mutual admiration society," Kyoya teased.

Reiko smiled, holding her skirt out to admire the flowing colors. "You have to admit they did a wonderful job. Who would have thought the purples and black I requested for my dress would turn out so well. I know Mitsukuni was a little worried that it would look dark and depressing." She dropped her hold on the skirt and twirled lightly from side to side. "And it almost feels like floating when I move."

"I know what you mean," Chiharu added. "I feel like an autumn leaf dancing on the wind."

"The russet and gold pattern looks very good on you," Rene stated. "Don't you think so, Takashi?"

Takashi could only nod in response as he admired the stunning beauty of his significant other.

"Okay, put me down," Ageha ordered. "I want to go hang out with Hibiki. See you all later."

Haruhi turned to the twins. "Will Ageha be coming on the graduation trip with us?"

Kaoru shook his head. "Our grief counselor doesn't think she's quite ready to go back to London yet."

Hikaru added, "It's not just that she's younger. She was there when it happened. She lived through the chaos. Ageha probably isn't ready to deal with all those memories just yet."

"Does the counselor have any reservations about the two of you going to London?" Kyoya asked.

"She actually encouraged us to make this trip," Hikaru said with a shrug.

Kaoru continued, "It could provide the closure we need." He wrapped his arms around his twin and they laid their foreheads together.

Rene motioned the others forward and they wrapped the twins in a group hug, until Hikaru pulled back and announced, "Okay. Thank you. That's enough for now."

Ryoji walked up to the group and said, "You three graduates should be over there for the receiving line. People have been looking for you so they can express their congratulations."

"Yes, Dad." Haruhi laughed as she grabbed the twins' hands and headed to the entrance doors where a small crowd of people was waiting for them.

Most of those waiting were Hinansho staff. They wanted a chance to wish the trio their best before performing their duties.

Satoshi and Yasuchika entered the ballroom and headed straight to Haruhi. Satoshi picked her up and spun her around, shouting, "Haruhi-sempai."

Yasuchika growled, "Put her down and act your age."

"You're no fun," Satoshi complained and then he smirked when Haruhi pulled Yasuchika into a hug.

"Do your parents know you're here?" Haruhi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes…" Satoshi replied with a slightly guilty grin on his face.

Yasuchika interrupted. "Before our parents left on a business trip, they granted permission for us to attend your graduation party."

Haruhi laughed. "You didn't provide any details, like it being a joint graduation party with Hikaru and Kaoru or that it was being held at Hinansho, did you?"

The cousins exchanged a glance. Satoshi shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Little details like that didn't seem important."

"Little details, he says." Haruhi shook her head. "You didn't want to give them a hint of a reason to say 'no' to your request."

She ruffled Satoshi's hair and he scowled at her. "I'll bet you two would like to see your brothers, wouldn't you?"

"They're here?" Satoshi's expression lit up in interest.

Pointing to the far corner of the ballroom, Haruhi replied, "They are right over there. I bet they will be thrilled to see you."

"Thanks, Haruhi-sempai," the cousins chorused as they hurried off in the direction of their brothers.

"Well, I see how we rate," Hikaru huffed teasingly.

"I'm sure they'll get back around to you before the night is over," Haruhi insisted playfully. "Remember, they haven't seen or talked to their brothers in a year. Yasuchika is going to be shocked at how much Mitsukuni has grown. I think Mitsukuni may even be the taller of the two now."

More well-wishers arrived from town, the clinic, and the hospital. Then Haruhi got a surprise. "Ritsu, I wasn't expecting to see you tonight." She pulled him into a hug and his ears turned as red as his hair.

Tetsuya smirked at the young yakuza heir as he accepted his own hug from Haruhi. "I thought you'd be at your own graduation party."

"Hey, BossaNova," the twins chorused as they stepped up on either side of him and draped their arms over his shoulders. "Just couldn't stay away, hmmm?"

Laughing, Tetsuya explained, "There's been some…rumblings of trouble among the yakuza syndicates because several Sendo lieutenants were arrested for blackmail and extortion. With all the finger-pointing and accusations, Ritsu's father thought it best to do something unpredictable for his graduation celebration."

Worming away from the twins, Ritsu said, "Word on the street is that the Sendo think the other syndicates are trying to take their territory. Since there was no party for me tonight, I asked Pops permission to attend the graduation party of my friends at Hinansho."

Haruhi smiled. "You're welcome here. If you want to say 'hi' to the others, they're over there." She gestured in the same direction she had sent Yasuchika and Satoshi earlier.

"You go ahead, Ritsu. I want to talk to Haruhi for a moment," Tetsuya said. After the yakuza heir headed for the other Hosts, he continued, "My father refuses to admit that the problems are of his own making. That's why I left. That's why so many people formerly living in the Sendo territory have left. I'm glad Ritsu took me in. I hope the others have found better places as well."

"I'm sure they have," Haruhi assured Tetsuya. "I know for a fact some of them have—here at Hinansho. Good to know that the Sendo Syndicate doesn't suspect that the Hinan family was the real culprit behind the arrests. I'll pass along the information about the yakuza unrest to Nishi Goro so he can keep an eye on the situation."

Haruhi and the twins spent the next two hours receiving congratulations and talking about their future plans. Haruhi was delighted that her father had made arrangements for Atsuhiro to bring some of their old neighbors from the apartment complex. Misuzu, Mei, and Arai made an appearance as well.

Hikaru and Kaoru were incredibly happy that all of the household staff from the Hitachiin estate as well as the personnel from Hitachiin Fashions had made time to come congratulate them on their graduation.

By the time the party ended, everyone was exhausted. The Host Club, with Reiko and Chiharu, decided to spend the night together in Haruhi's old apartment.

"I'm really glad we can all spend the night here together in a cuddle pile before we head off on our trip tomorrow," Hikaru admitted, dragging pillows and blankets out of the closet.

Kaoru added, "I know I have been dealing with some overwhelming feelings of dread as the trip has approached."

"There is that hovering cloud of uncertainty surrounding our objectives for this trip. What will we find in London? Is my mom still alive in Paris?" Rene said dejectedly as he wrapped himself in a blanket and leaned against Kyoya and Haruhi's knees.

Haruhi added, "I'm glad Reiko and Chiharu are joining us tonight. I'm sure they've wondered in the past about our cuddle piles with me being the only female."

"I'll admit I have been interested in seeing how this 'cuddle pile' concept works," Reiko said arranging pillows and blankets next to Mitsukuni.

"That's enough talking," Haruhi's dad announced as he came in to check on them. "You have a busy day tomorrow so get some rest."

Before turning off the light for them, Ryoji said loudly, "Remember, you need to get your packing done tomorrow afternoon. Atsuhiro will be driving you to the airport at six because your plane is scheduled to leave at seven."

There were several mumbled replies of "Thanks Dad," "Okay," and "Whatever, I'm sleeping here" as everyone drifted off to sleep.

14