Rene sat at the table in his office at the hospital during his lunch break staring out the window that overlooked the courtyard garden. He sighed as he watched Mitsukuni and Reiko enjoy a picnic following their daughter Minami's six-week check-up. "It's hard to believe that they just announced they were expecting during HE and KC's double wedding last summer."

Usually he would sit outside at a table in the garden to enjoy his lunch, but today there was still a spring chill in the air that was making him feel sluggish and congested. "I can't believe I'm only turning twenty-four today."

Watching the sunlight dapple the leaves of the dwarf silver willow tree by the small koi pond, he contemplated his past. "I spent the first fourteen years in France with Mother. " His thoughts turned to Marinette and Nino, friends though he had little time to spend with them because of his mother's illness. "It was good to see them again on the trip we took for Haruhi and the twins' graduation. I wonder what they are doing now?" Rene made a mental note to check the time difference and call Sabine tomorrow morning Paris time to ask about his friends.

"Then I came to Japan, only to be isolated from Father because Grandmother hated me and everything I represented." With mixed feelings, he remembered the bargain with his grandmother. In exchange for medical treatment for his mother, he agreed to move to Japan and be known as Tamaki Suoh rather than Rene de Grantaine. "Did Mother think I abandoned her? I never got a chance to ask her since she died before I could contact her again." He bowed his head as he contemplated his mother and what he had learned of her life after he left. "I hope she would be proud of how we took down the Tonnerre family and then used their fortune to counter some of the damages they had done. The Foundation has been doing good work helping exploited girls and women get their lives back together and move forward."

That brought memories of his first year in Japan with tutors to ensure he was adequately versed in Japanese and the etiquette of the elite families before attending Ouran so as not to be an embarrassment. It was demeaning, but he was willing to do it to please his father. That led his thoughts to meeting his best friend, and now brother, Kyoya. Smiling fondly, he thought with a chuckle, "I must have really exasperated Kyoya at first. I sensed there was more to him than the mask of dutiful third son, class officer, and academically-top-of-the-class student. I know the Host Club was a trial to him at times, but I think it was just what he needed to shake off the shackles of unreasonable family expectations. Just look at him now, far exceeding anything the Otori family expected."

He sighed at the pang of betrayal that he had felt when he discovered that he had never been added to the Suoh family registry. "That was quite the devastating summer. First to find out about the genetic disorder that will potentially limit my life to thirty years, then Grand…Shizue's attempt to ship me off to France with nothing, and finally the fiasco about 'Tamaki Suoh' not legally existing."

Shaking his head to clear the melancholy, Rene thought resolutely, "I can never thank Haruhi enough for creating the Hinan family. I don't know where any of us would be without that refuge." Thoughts of Haruhi brought his reminiscing around to his real family. "I wonder what they have planned for my birthday tonight?" he mused as he finished his bento. Glancing at the time, he was startled to realize that he had an appointment starting in just fifteen minutes.

Tidying the table and putting away the bento box in his satchel, he moved to his desk and opened the file for his next appointment. "I feel bad for Ryota Seto. He was in a coma for ten months following a car accident that killed the rest of his family. During the five weeks he's been awake, the doctors have become very worried about his mental state. Just before our last session ended, he mentioned his family's expectations for his future. Now I just need to figure out whether those are unhealthy like Kyoya's father or encouraging like Haruhi's mother," Rene pondered aloud as he glanced through the patient's file.

OHSHC

Mitsukuni leaned back on his arms as he watched Reiko settle Minami into her carrier after feeding and changing her. "I'm glad Reiko brought a picnic lunch so we could spend some time together after our little girl's check-up. I can hardly believe that I am a father." He gave his wife an adoring look.

"What?" Reiko asked with a small smile. "Is there something on my face?" She swiped at her cheeks, trying to brush away any clinging bits of food left from lunch.

"Just thinking about how incredibly lucky I am to have you as my wife. And look at our beautiful daughter." He reached over and pulled Reiko into his arms.

Sighing in contentment, Reiko leaned back against Mitsukuni's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "What did the doctor have to say about Manami's appointment today?" he asked.

"She's lost a little more weight than expected, but not enough to be concerned," Reiko responded, closing her eyes and melting into her husband's warm embrace.

Shaking his head, Mitsukuni commented, "That's hard to believe, given how much she's kept you up nursing." Feeling more than hearing or seeing the yawn from his wife, he suggested, "Why don't you just take a little nap while Manami's asleep. I'll wake you in half an hour, before I have to go back to work."

"Thanks," Reiko murmured softly as she shifted to cuddle deeper into the warmth of her husband's chest. Her breathing quieted as she slipped into a peaceful slumber.

Mitsukuni looked fondly between his wife and daughter. "It's almost hard to believe that we've been married for nearly three years already." That thought brought to mind a series of 'what-ifs' in his life. He shuddered as he contemplated, "What if I hadn't had the surgery to remove the tumor? How long would I have survived with that ticking timebomb in my head? I know now that I never would have been able to have any children. There would be no Manami. As volatile as I was, would Reiko have agreed to marry me? I know Takashi would have stuck by my side, but would any of my other relationships have survived?"

He tensed as his spiraling thoughts started to overwhelm him. Though she was asleep, Reiko sensed her husband's distress and snuggled deeper into his embrace, unconsciously offering comfort.

Sighing, Mitsukuni looked lovingly at his wife. Shaking his head at his fruitless thoughts, he considered, "There is no sense in upsetting myself and her with this useless catastrophizing. I'm just glad Haruhi created the Hinan family, and the future is brighter for all of us because of it."

OHSHC

Estee hid a smile as she exchanged a glance with her sister. The ladies watched their husbands pace nervously around the VIP lounge at the airport. Leaning over, Coco whispered teasingly, "I wonder if they will be this nervous when they eventually become fathers?"

The twins' heads whipped around in shock. Kaoru gasped, "Is there something you need to tell us?" His expression was hopeful as he grabbed Coco's hands.

Shaking her head, she replied softly, "No, neither of us is expecting. I was just being silly." Understanding his disappointment, she reached for him and stroked his cheek. "Besides, we have a lot of things to do before we're ready to become parents." When he tried to pull away, she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his chest.

Before they could continue their conversation, the door opened, and a group of four laughing young people entered. "Hey, guys, we finally made it. The headwinds really slowed us down," Marinette called, dropping her bags and waving wildly at the quartet waiting for them.

"We'll talk later," Coco whispered to Kaoru before stepping away to greet their newly arrived friends.

Seeing that his twin was still distracted, Hikaru announced, "Let's get your luggage loaded into the transport for the Hitachiin estate. We have all afternoon to catch up before heading to Hinansho for Rene's birthday party."

OHSHC

Takashi stared at the packet his supervisor had just handed him. "June. Our move to America will be sooner than anticipated. I've been expecting January at the earliest." As he thought back over the time he had been at Deloitte Japan, he realized that he was the only one left from the group of twenty-four that he started with.

"I guess it takes a certain mindset to enjoy this work. Too many people become accountants expecting lots of money and prestige, when it's really a lot of dedicated hard work. The logic problem manner of the work has to be appealing or it could drive you crazy," he pondered as he reviewed his calendar. Noting the concurring-partner review would be issued on his last open audit within the next couple of days, he submitted a request to take Thursday and Friday off the following week.

Taking a deep breath, he started making notes of the things he and Chiharu still needed to discuss about their move to America. "At least the packet provided the training location, so we know where to start searching for an apartment. If all else fails, we can stay in a hotel for a few weeks."

There was a tap on the top of his cubicle wall that drew his attention. Looking up at one of his fellow audit leads, he asked, "How can I help you, Arata?"

Leaning an elbow on the top of the wall, he replied, "I started an audit this morning and something just doesn't seem right. Would you come to my desk and take a look? Tell me if I'm imagining things?" He hesitated a moment. "If you're not busy, of course."

"I have nothing pressing at the moment, so I can be a second set of eyes." Takashi locked his computer and then stood up to follow his colleague.

OHSHC

Kyoya stalked back to his office from the conference room where he had just finished spending three hours mediating a dispute between two rival minor yakuza clans. "Just how did taking down the Sendo Syndicate translate to my becoming the de facto parent to such a group of unruly children?"

As he passed his secretary's desk, he growled, "Junichi, I do not want to be disturbed for the next hour."

"But sir…" the secretary tried to catch his attention.

"Reschedule whatever you have to, but I am not to be disturbed." Slamming the door as he ignored the young man, Kyoya leaned back against it. Reaching up, he ran his hands through his hair before taking off his glasses and wiping a hand down his face.

He was startled when two small hands started massaging his shoulders before slipping down to his chest. He put his glasses back on and looked down to see his wife smiling up at him sympathetically. Without a word, she grabbed his tie and led him gently over to the sofa. Pushing him down onto the soft surface, she straddled his lap, removed his tie, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt before massaging his shoulders again.

Moaning in relief as the tension drained out of him, he removed his glasses and closed his eyes to relish Haruhi's touch. "You certainly know how to make my day better," he mused as he blindly tried to place his glasses on the table next to the sofa.

Taking the item from his hand, Haruhi placed it gently by the lamp before running her hands up and down his arms while kissing him teasingly. "I aim to please," she purred before nipping his earlobe.

"Don't start anything you don't intend to finish," he growled seductively as he kissed her collarbone and settled his hands on her hips.

"I heard you tell Junichi not to disturb you for an hour. I'd say that should give us enough time," Haruhi whispered as she unbuttoned his shirt and pulled the tails out of the waistband of his pants. "We won't have much time tonight, since it's Rene's birthday and there are all those special guests coming."

Haruhi whined a little in disappointment as Kyoya got up and stood her on her feet. Kissing the tip of her nose, he murmured seductively, "Just let me lock the office door. I want to make sure that we are not disturbed." She bit her bottom lip in anticipation as he strode to the door and deadbolted it.

Outside, Junichi blushed as he realized that Kyoya had no problem with finding Haruhi in his office. "I guess I'll just put my headphones on and work on typing correspondence."

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