A/N: Not mine.

"How is young Miss Oizumi doing?" Mr. Irie asked at dinner. "I am looking forward to working with her after the doctors set me free."

"Oh, Onii-chan," Mrs. Irie exclaimed, "why do you not bring her over some time? I am sure that apartment can get lonely at night."

"I know she is very busy, revising projections as we acquire more data," Naoki replied. "I will check with her next week."

While his mother muttered about feet-dragging bachelors, he turned to Yuuki. "Would you like to come in for a half-day on Saturday? Kocho suggested that I get your input, since the company is going to be yours in a few years."

"Nao!" Mr. Irie fussed. "Are you trying to push me out already?"

"Not a bit, Father."

"Onii-chan," Naoki jumped, "why are you looking through those old photo albums?"

"Not to admire myself in dresses, Ma." He huffed at her. "You had a real kink back then."

"I just wanted a girl so much," she sighed. "But you haven't answered my question."

"Curiosity." He decided to act ignorant and pointed to one picture. "Tell me about this family with us."

"Ah," her hand moved to her chest, "that would be the Aiharas. Back when you were three, almost four, we invited them to travel with us to Thailand. Papa had a business trip, and he extended it for a week so we could have a vacation. You probably don't remember her, but this girl," she indicated a toddler with a messy face, "was little Kotoko. She was older than you by a few months."

"Ma, you're using the past tense."

Mrs. Irie sniffed. "During that trip, she just…disappeared. We searched and searched, but she never showed up. I believe the police closed the case; they thought she must have waded into the sea and was swept away."

"I see," he mused. "Are her parents still alive?"

Now tears were rolling down the matron's face. "Poor Etsuko–her mother–wasted away. They moved to where her family lived to make a new start, but she died not long after. Ai-kun gave up then. He dedicated himself to her and little Kotoko's gravestone, and was found there after a sudden blizzard. They were in Hokkaido, you see."

"I do see," he breathed. He had a feeling that the father intended to be caught in the storm in order for the pain to go away.

"Oh, let us not dwell on such sad things." Mrs. Irie took the album from him. "Dear little Kotoko. How she did love butterflies."

"Ojiisan!"

Mr. Oizumi closed his eyes at the shrillness. "Yes, Sahoko?"

"You have got to get Kocho back in line."

"Granddaughter, you seem to be under a misapprehension. Your cousin felt unwelcome in this household and has left it. With my blessing, I might add." I wonder if I could take a break from the histrionics as well? he mused.

"But she has my Naoki!" she wailed, waving an article in the Weekly Toyo Keizai.

"Ah, yes," he snatched it from her hand, "she is in charge of Pandai's streamlining and reorganization. Mmm. This expert seems to think she is a business wunderkind."

Sahoko stamped one ladylike foot (in an unladylike manner). "She is not a wonder woman! She is a sneaky, backstabbing bit–"

"Language!"

"I agree, daughter." Oizumi Chiyoko entered the room, having followed the sounds of contretemps. "However, there is no need to lower yourself to that girl's level."

"'That girl', eh?" The patriarch straightened his spine. "I believe that I misjudged young Kocho greatly. Despite being raised far from our home, she is more of an Oizumi than either of you." He ignored their squawking protest and continued. "She has my brains and business acumen. It is too bad that I thought to force her into a traditional role. What a swath through the world of finance we could have forged."

"Father, have you not let the pendulum swing too far in your evaluation of her?"

"No," he glared, "if anything, she has opened my eyes to the…uselessness of you two. Bah! All either of you is good for is to marry to benefit the family."

"That's what I'm talking about," raged Sahoko, "she took away my Naoki!"

"No papers were signed, and a more personal 'merger' was never part of the contract." Oizumi spoke sternly, "So he was never yours. Whether he will be Kocho's in the future…who can tell? If it comes to pass, I will welcome him to the family."

"But what about me?!"

"Yes, Father, what about my Sahoko's future?" Chiyoko bowed. "Is not she also your beloved granddaughter?"

He expressed a deep breath. "I will see to Sahoko, have no fear."

Her mother forced Sahoko into a bow of obeisance. "You are a wise and benevolent head of the house. Come, dear, let us leave your grandfather to plan."

"Plan?" he hissed once they had left. Leaning his head against the tall back of his chair, he thought, I wonder if any of my overseas contacts have sons of a marriageable age. If so, it certainly would be a lot quieter around here.

Kocho returned from speaking with one of the catering staff to find Naoki waiting for her. "The Pandai holiday party has always been a top Tokyo event during the season," he said. "I'm glad that you found the funds to sponsor it this year."

She smiled at him. "The past few months were more profitable than expected, so there was no stress on the budget."

"Probably because the country assumed success when they saw an Oizumi at the helm."

"Alongside an Irie," she shook a finger at him, "do not forget that!"

"Thank you for including Mother in the planning. This has always been a particular favorite of hers." Indeed, he had marveled at how much Kocho had kept her temper with the matron, who had insisted that she come for dinner at least once a week. "Although this year it seems to have a slightly different feel."

She smiled serenely as she eyed the buffet tables. "With all the indulgence that people partake of at this time, lighter yet still tasty fare will be appreciated by their digestive systems."

"Indeed. I recall both my parents' sluggish behavior for two days following last year's."

"Well, once I convinced Mrs. Irie that it was more important to set the fashion than follow it, she jumped into the changes with alacrity."

"Even the decor seems to have a lighter–shall I say?–tropical flair?" he teased. "Traditional pine boughs wrapped in ropes of strung cranberries wound around dramatic edibles."

"And with decorations which can be eaten after the event makes it even more economical." Kocho winked. "Just to warn you, expect fresh fruit trays in all of the employee break rooms for the next few days."

"I'm not sure they will last even that long." Naoki laughed before turning serious. "When are you leaving for your trip?"

"Tomorrow night," she scowled, "a red-eye to Hawaii."

He bowed slightly. "I wish you and your fathers a happy holiday."

"And the same to the Irie family."

"Are you not going to visit your family in town? Or are things still tense with that situation?"

"Grandfather is fine with what I am doing. But even if I were to stay, they are not in Tokyo. Didn't you see the society page this morning?"

"I leave that to Mother," he rolled his eyes, "for even if I read what passes for news in that section, she would insist on rehashing it at the table."

"Then since she has obviously not yet done that, permit me to enlighten you. Grandfather, Auntie, and Cousin Sahoko were at an embassy ball in Bali. Sahoko was escorted by the diplomat's son."

"He is looking into political, not economic, power now?"

She waved a hand. "It all gets mixed up in the end, but actually he is looking into his home becoming a little quieter if he can find my cousin a husband who lives far away."

"Now if he had shown that sort of deviousness when dealing with us, we might right now be a part of the Hokuei-sha empire."

"Daughter," Oizumi Chiyoko, paused her paintbrush, "what did you think of young Matsushita?"

Narrowing her eyes at a delicate shadow she was trying to darken, Sahoko replied, "He was pleasant. And," she straightened, "he can play the violin."

"Having a mutual interest such as music is important in a relationship."

"Mama!" She turned. "Why are you so insistent on finding me a husband? What is the rush?"

She dropped her eyes and stirred the ochre mixture. "Your grandfather has been to the astrologer, and all signs point to this next year being a good one for you to settle down."

"Hmph! It would have been had I managed to catch Irie's eye. No one can measure up to him, and I don't just mean his height. His air of sophistication, his good looks… Oh, Granddad should have sent my interfering cousin home. Better yet, never even to invite her here. It's not as if she offers anything of use to the family. Why, just look at her uncultured…"

Chiyoko tuned out her daughter's complaints. She began to better understand her father's insistence on a calm, quiet house.