Seemingly oblivious to the drama of Fuyumi and Kaoru as they moved to the other side of the room, Rene gushed with compliments over Kairi's croquembrouche. "Marinette, you have to try it and tell me how it compares to your parents'," he insisted. Before she could reply, there was a knock at the door and Yuzuru ushered in Rene's colleagues from the clinic at the hospital.

As Rene rushed away to greet the newcomers, Kairi addressed Marinette, "So your parents?"

"Own one of the best bakeries in Paris," she replied with a smile.

"Come in! Come in!" Rene emoted as he waved his co-workers over. "Say 'Hi' to Chisato while you're here." He led them over to where Chisato and Fudo were watching the Parisians chat with Kairi, their backs turned to the heated discussion between some of Rene's siblings.

Chisato brightened as she greeted the clinic staff. "It's so good to see you all. I should have known you would be here for Rene's birthday."

"You're looking well," Dr. Hashiba remarked as Chisato greeted them. "How have you been doing?"

"I have good days and bad days, but mostly good days lately," she responded, leaning into Fudo's side. "This is my husband, Fudo."

The group continued to catch up as Rene surreptitiously watched Fuyumi and Kaoru out of the corner of his eye. Before he could head over to find out what was happening, there was another knock at the door.

"Come in," Yuzuru called as he opened the door for the Ito family. "We've been wondering when you would get here." Ren bolted toward Hibiki and Ageha while Ayame wiggled to get out of her father's arms so she could follow him.

"Don't worry," Kirimi said before following them. "I'll keep an eye on them."

"They'll be fine with the girls," Mrs. Ito replied. "You go spend some time with Masaya. Kosaku and I will be nearby talking to Chisato and Fudo."

"Why is our leaving on Sunday a problem?" Kaoru replied, trying to keep a nervous quiver out of his voice as he faced his angry sister's questioning.

Scowling, Fuyumi clarified, "You lot said it would be August or September before you headed off to Milan and Hollywood. Why are you leaving so soon?" The group that gathered in that corner of the room quieted to hear his response.

Holding up his hands defensively, Kaoru said, "Well, the thing is, some opportunities came up during our contacting Marinette and Nino about Rene's surprise party." Coco, Hikaru, and Estee stepped up behind him to offer their support.

Takashi had been silent throughout the party, sitting off to one side with Chiharu curled close to his side. Whispering an apology to his wife, he stood up and moved to stand beside Kaoru. "Fuyumi, I can see that you're upset, but you have to understand that we don't always have control of the opportunities that present themselves." He looked down at his wife who was holding his hand and stroking his arm in support.

Taking a deep breath, Takashi continued, "For instance, I just got a letter today at work about the forensic accounting training course."

"Has it been postponed?" Haruhi asked calmly, trying to dispel some of the building tension.

Shaking his head, Takashi answered, "Quite the opposite. I thought it would probably be next year before we moved to America, but the letter informed me that I will be starting the training in June, just two months from now." He turned his attention back to the tense standoff between Fuyumi and the twins.

After clasping Kaoru's shoulder in support, Takashi walked over to Fuyumi and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Running the back of his finger down her cheek like stroking a nervous cat to calm it, he said softly, "It's understandable that unexpected change is disconcerting. You know that better than any of us, especially with all you've gone through in the past three years."

Fuyumi looked up at her brother with tears gathering in the corners of her eyes and turned into his chest for comfort. She whispered, "Thank you for intervening. I don't know what came over me."

After composing herself and wiping her eyes on the handkerchief Takashi handed her, Fuyumi approached the twins and their wives. "I'm sorry I reacted that way. Can you forgive me?" The quartet drew Fuyumi off to a corner so they could wrap her in a group hug and talk privately.

As Takashi and Chiharu were headed back to the sofa where they had been sitting, they were intercepted by Haruhi and Kyoya. "I hear you will be needing accommodations in America sooner rather than later," Kyoya remarked. "Do you know where your training will be taking place?"

"Los Angeles, California," Takashi replied. "I have the paperwork in my briefcase with more detailed information. We were going to talk to you after the party."

"Then we shall accompany you to your apartment afterwards," Kyoya offered. "For now, let's return to the festivities." He offered his arm to Haruhi. "Let's go sample Kairi's masterpiece." She smiled at him and nodded.

Takashi offered his arm to Chiharu, which she ignored in favor of pulling his head down for a kiss. "See, everything will work out fine," she whispered before allowing him to stand up and lead her to join the group around the croquembrouche.

Rene relaxed as the tension among his siblings dissipated. Waving his arms, he called out, "Come on everyone, let's enjoy Kairi's magnificent dessert!" As almost everyone gathered around to accept portions of the pastry tower, Rene noticed that Fuyumi remained in the corner alone, staring at the floor.

While the others were distracted, Rene walked over and asked softly, "You okay?"

Hunching her shoulders, Fuyumi took a deep breath and responded, "I…I don't know." She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "What is wrong with me these days?" she sighed quietly.

Rene pulled her into a hug and just rubbed her back in gentle circles. He looked over to see that several people were watching them, most noticeably Haruhi, Kyoya, and Yuzuru. He rested his chin on Fuyumi's head, wondering what she needed and how to get that for her.

Yuzuru appeared at Rene's side. "Why don't you get back to your guests? I'll take care of Fuyumi."

"Is that okay with you?" Rene asked her softly.

Pushing away from his chest, Fuyumi sniffled quietly. "You go ahead and enjoy your birthday party. I want to talk to Yuzuru for a few minutes."

Giving her a small squeeze before releasing her, Rene teased, "Don't take too long or there won't be any dessert left."

"I'm sure Kairi will save me some," she replied, trying to lighten the mood. Fuyumi watched him walk away before turning to Yuzuru. "You don't mind if we talk for a little bit, do you?"

"I don't mind at all," he said, gesturing to a nearby small sofa. "Why don't we get comfortable?"

They settled at opposite ends. Fuyumi rested her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling. Without looking at him, she asked, "Do you ever regret asking me to help at Ouran?"

Yuzuru turned to look at her in surprise. "Never. I think it is one of the best decisions I ever made. You have been doing a marvelous job learning everything, even working toward your education degree through challenge tests and online courses." He paused. "Have I done something to make you…"

Fuyumi's head popped up. "No, nothing of the sort." Closing her eyes to gather her thoughts, she continued, "I just feel…I don't know how or what I feel. I can't figure out what's wrong with me."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally Yuzuru murmured tentatively, "May I make a suggestion?"

Looking at him questioningly, Fuyumi paused before nodding.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you should take a few days and go to Kariuzawa and talk to Shimura." He pressed on, "You have a lot going on in your life. Your son will be in his final year of middle school, your daughter will be starting middle school, not to mention the third anniversary of your husband's death is coming up. I think you need to take a few days for yourself."

"I can't just run off," she protested. "I have responsibilities, especially Masaya, Hibiki, and Ageha."

Gesturing around the room, he stated, "You have plenty of family who can watch out for them for a few days. I'm sure they would be happy to help. Giving the kids a taste of independence may be a good thing for them too." He took her hands in his and looked her in the eye. "Just think about it, okay?"

Fuyumi looked over to where Ageha and Hibiki were playing with the Ito children and Masaya was talking to Kirimi with his arm wrapped around her waist. "Maybe I do need to take some time. They are growing up and soon they won't need me," she mused.

Yuzuru stood up and pulled Fuyumi to her feet. "They will always need you, though not as extensively. That's a problem for another time. Right now let's get some of the croquembrouche. It's been years since I've had a good one."

"What do you think that was all about?" Hikaru asked his twin as they sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the sofa between their wives.

Kaoru shrugged and took another bite of a pastry puff. Coco set her plate on the table near the sofa before slipping her arm through her husband's. "I certainly hope she doesn't have designs on your affections," she pouted, snuggling into Kaoru's side.

Estee rolled her eyes at her sister's outlandish suggestion. "It probably has more to do with the fact that it's been nearly three years since Seiji's death," she posited thoughtfully.

The other three turned to look at her. Tentatively, Kaoru murmured, "You may be right. The third year was rough on us too as I remember because that was when it really sunk in that Mom and Dad weren't coming back."

The group sat in silence contemplating the possible source of Fuyumi's hostility.

Ritsu shook his head. "I thought all of the Host Club drama would have been left behind in high school," he commented to Tetsuya.

Swallowing the bite of pastry in his mouth, Tetsuya replied, "Come on. You know that this is nowhere near the drama the Hinan family can generate. You were there for Haruhi's rescue in Kobe, the Sendo assaults at the shrine, and the Sendo final takedown."

"You're right," Ritsu allowed. "But those were all external sources…all Sendo for that matter." He shook his head in bewilderment. "In high school, all the drama was internal to the Host Club. That little scene earlier was definitely internal to the Hinan family."

"And what family doesn't have some drama now and then, hm?" Tetsuya replied with a smirk. "I've heard rumors about drama between you and your dad about a certain shopkeeper's daughter."

Ritsu blushed and scowled at his friend. "The fellas have loose lips," he pouted.

Slapping his friend's shoulder affectionately, Tetsuya said, "You mean the world to them, of course they're invested in your life…especially your love life."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Throwing his head back in exasperation, Ritsu muttered, "It started out so simple. Just chatting when I had to pick up something at the drug store. Then I helped her get rid of that weasel that refused to take 'No' for an answer. Next thing I know, we're regularly doing stuff together—and enjoying it."

"I'm happy for you," Tetsuya said, genuinely pleased for his best friend.

Soon after Kairi left with the empty dessert platter, the party started to break up. Fudo informed Rene that he and Chisato had to head back to Yokohama at a decent hour because he had work the next day. Rene's colleagues followed soon after, calling that they would see him at the clinic the next day.

Then the twins and their wives left to take the Paris contingent back to the Hitachiin estate. Tetsuya decided to head into town and spend a few days with Ritsu.

Ayame started fussing and Ren could barely keep his eyes open, so the Itos decided to head back to their apartment. Masaya offered to walk Kirimi back so she could stay a little longer. After a brief, silent conversation between Kosaku and his wife, they agreed.

Ayame's fussing set off Minami, so Mitsukuni and Reiko decided to call it a night, still feeling some sleep deprivation from having a newborn.

An hour later, the rest of the family decided to give Rene and Yuzuru some peace. Masaya offered Kirimi his arm to walk her back to the Itos' apartment. Fuyumi shooed Hibiki and Ageha out the door, admonishing them for teasing the young couple. Kyoya and Haruhi accompanied Takashi and Chiharu to their apartment to discuss housing locations in Los Angeles.

As the last guest left, Yuzuru asked, "So, did you have a good birthday?"

Grinning, Rene replied, "It was great!"

6