When Masaya returned from walking Kirimi to the Ito's apartment, he found his mother sitting on the sofa with Hibiki and Ageha. Fuyumi waved to a nearby chair. "Have a seat. I want to talk to you guys about something."

With some trepidation, he perched on the edge. "Is something wrong?" he asked seriously.

"Nothing is wrong," Fuyumi assured him. "I'm thinking of heading to Karuizawa for a few days next week and…"

"But we have school," Masaya interrupted. "We can't just take off on a whim. I have exams next week!"

Reaching over and patting his arm comfortingly, Fuyumi continued, "I think you guys are mature and responsible enough to stay here. You can ride to Ouran with Yuzuru as usual."

"Is he the one that will be babysitting us?" asked Hibiki in confusion.

"I don't need a babysitter," Masaya insisted. He stood up, crossed his arms, and glared at his mother.

"I know you don't need a babysitter. None of you do," Fuyumi stated, waiting for her son to sit down and listen. Masaya flopped back into the chair. "For meals, you can eat in the restaurant downstairs, or you can make your own here in the apartment."

Ageha and Hibiki clapped their hands and squealed excitedly. "We get to make cookies just like the housekeeper in New York showed us!"

Fuyumi smiled indulgently. "Okay, I'll make sure we have the ingredients you need to make cookies, but you have to clean up afterwards. I expect the apartment to be tidy when I get home."

"Kirimi and I were talking about studying together here for our exams," Masaya stated.

"I don't have a problem with that," Fuyumi said. "However, you will do it at the dining room table. I don't want you two in your bedroom." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow to be sure he understood her stance.

"Just as long as those two don't bother us," he grumbled, glaring at Hibiki and Ageha.

Fuyumi looked at the girls with a serious expression. "No teasing your brother while he's studying." Then she looked at her son. "If all else fails, you can study at the Ito's. Or ask Kyoya or Takashi if you could study in one of their apartments."

Brightening slightly, Masaya responded, "That could work." After a moment of silence, he said, "Have a good time in Karuizawa. Say 'hi' to Shimura and Ryoji for me."

Ruffling his hair despite his protests, Fuyumi teased, "Thank you for your permission."

While Haruhi accompanied Takashi and Chiharu to their apartment, Kyoya slipped into his own to retrieve his laptop. When he arrived at his brother's apartment, the trio were settled on sofas in the living room examining a piece of paper.

Sitting down beside his wife, Kyoya opened his laptop and waited for it to boot up. Once it was ready, he asked, "So, what is the address for your training?" Haruhi read it off as he typed it in and then entered a search for apartments in one-mile increments out from that point.

Almost immediately a list of results was returned. Kyoya grinned as he remarked, "Well, that's interesting."

"What?" Takashi and Chiharu asked in unison.

Looking at the couple over his glasses, he smirked. "Have you been hanging around HE and KC lately?"

A corner of Takashi's lips raised slightly as he commented, "No, we're just in synch after two and a half years of marriage."

"Not to mention, the three years we dated before that," Chiharu purred as she cuddled into her husband's side. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay," Haruhi interrupted, "What exactly is 'interesting'?"

Kyoya pointed to a spot on his laptop just outside the two-mile radius from the training address. "Look familiar?"

The confused look on Haruhi's face melted into a smile of comprehension. "Are there any units available there?"

Turning the laptop so Takashi and Chiharu could see, Kyoya said, "There are currently seven units available. One is a two-bedroom and the other six are three-bedroom."

Chiharu looked at Haruhi suspiciously. "What is it about this apartment complex that you should be familiar with it?" She reached over and poked her sister-in-law in the ribs, trying to provoke a response.

Jumping away slightly, Haruhi laughed as she grabbed Chiharu's hand to keep her from poking her again. "It's the one I bought Kyoya for his birthday last year."

Looking between the couple, Chiharu huffed, "Of course, you'd buy him something like that."

Takashi wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and pulled her against his chest. "What do you think…two-bedroom or three?" He nuzzled her ear to pull her attention away from Haruhi and back to him.

Shaking her head, Chiharu finally answered, "Why not a three-bedroom since there are more of those available. You can use one for a home office so you have somewhere to spread out your homework."

After considering it for a moment, Takashi agreed and Kyoya immediately pulled up the application page of the website. Displaying the diagram with the unoccupied units highlighted, Kyoya asked for their preference. After discussing the pros and cons of each, Takashi and Chiharu decided, pointing to the one they were interested in.

Kyoya quickly filled out the form and closed his laptop. "You should have an email from the property manager within three business days. If not, let me know."

"Thank you for all of your help," Chiharu said. "I'm glad we don't have to worry about that since we now have such a short deadline."

"That's what family is for," Kyoya replied as he tucked his laptop under one arm while he slipped the other around his wife's waist. "It's getting late, so we should be going now."

Takashi and Chiharu followed them to the door to wish them goodnight. Right before heading down the hall to their own apartment, Haruhi turned back. "If you get bored, Chiharu, there is a quaint hotel about halfway between the apartment and the training site. We stayed there several times while we were in Los Angeles. A lot of Asian travelers stay there, so your language skills would be particularly useful."

Looking up at her husband, Chiharu smiled and murmured, "We'll keep that in mind."

After settling Minami into her crib, Reiko slipped into bed next to Mitsukuni. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close before kissing her gently. Reiko sighed as she relaxed against her husband's bare chest.

After a few moments enjoying the soothing silence, Mitsukuni asked quietly, "What did the doctor say at your appointment this morning?"

"I thought we talked about that during lunch today," Reiko murmured, brushing her lips against his collarbone to distract him.

"We talked about Minami's appointment, not yours," he insisted, drawing his head back just enough to look into her eyes.

He felt her shrug before she finally voiced her thoughts. "He expressed concern that some of my blood tests aren't showing much improvement after six weeks." When she tried to pull away, he gently pulled her closer and started rubbing soft circles on her back. "I thought I was doing well, but he thinks my master's program is too intense for me right now. He suggested taking a leave of absence for a term or two."

While contemplating how to respond, Mitsukuni hummed softly and allowed the hand that wasn't making circles on her back to wander over her hip, down her thigh, and back up across her stomach. "Maybe you don't have to take a leave of absence. Maybe you just need to bring in a few more interns to help with some of the more physical work. I know we have the agricultural students, but what about bringing in someone studying botany to help with some of the more delicate plants? Or a pharmacy student? Or some combination?"

"Those are sound suggestions. I'll contact my advisor on Monday and see what she has to say," Reiko replied. "I married a very smart man."

"And I married a gorgeous woman with brains," he murmured as he nuzzled his nose against her neck before pulling her earlobe into his mouth and tugging on it slightly.

Reiko moaned appreciatively, pushing her body flush against him as she tangled her fingers in his hair to pull him in for a passionate kiss.

As Mitsukuni responded, Reiko moved one of her hands from his hair to his back. He growled playfully as she raked her nails gently down his back and then squeezed his ass. "What should I do with you, woman?" he gasped as his body reacted to her ministrations.

Reiko stilled and tried to pull away. Confused, Mitsukuni asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

Shaking her head, she turned her face away. "That was one of the other things the doctor said. Since I still have some post-partum bleeding…"

He stopped her with a soft kiss. "Hey, it's okay. Healing after giving birth takes time. Don't rush it." He paused to gather his thoughts. "You know there are still ways I can make you feel good even without that, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"No buts. Just lay back and relax while I work some magic."

Coco rolled her eyes and Estee shook her head as they watched their husbands lean on each other to stay upright because they were laughing so hard. "The look on Rene's face was priceless," Hikaru gasped between laughs.

"Are they always like this?" Alya asked, looking at Estee and Coco.

"This is about average," Estee said dryly. "The other former Host Club members could tell you stories of times they were much worse."

"You mean like that guy in Hollywood that was making advances and pretending to be Kyoya?" Coco suggested.

"Wait, wait, you have to let us tell them that story," Kaoru insisted, nearly falling over as he pulled away from his twin's side.

Estee shoved the brothers through the door. "After we get comfortable in the living room and have tea brought in. If I know you two, it will be the first of many stories you will be telling tonight."

"Fair," Hikaru replied as he released his brother and pulled his wife into his arms. "You know us so well." He kissed her playfully on the ear.

The butler was waiting near the door to the living room. "Shall I bring tea?" he intoned.

"Yes, and some snacks too, please," Coco answered while shoving Kaoru's face away as he tried to lick her cheek. Scowling at her husband, she muttered, "Sometimes you act like such a child."

Kaoru purred as he rubbed his cheek against hers. "But you're so much fun to tease."

She shoved him in the direction of the sofas. "Go get everyone settled while I get the Hinan scrapbooks."

"Oh, if I must," he emoted with the back of his hand pressed against his forehead.

"Drama queen," Coco muttered under her breath as she ran her finger along the bookshelf edge until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out two identical books, she joined the others. She handed one copy to Alya and laid the other on the coffee table for anyone to grab if they wanted to look through it.

The group spent the next hour listening to Hikaru and Kaoru regale them with tales of the Host Club, as well as exploits of the Hinan family. Alya held up hands and said, "Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me that Haruhi was kidnapped?"

"Oh yeah," Hikaru confirmed. "More than once actually. The first time was orchestrated by her university roommate. She and Kyoya almost missed our university graduation because she was kidnapped during their trip to China."

"No," Kaoru corrected him. "It was Kyoya that got kidnapped that time. Haruhi was the one who rescued him by using one of our gender-bender bodysuits to escape from her hotel room where the corrupt police were guarding her."

Alya scowled in disbelief. "You two have to be pulling my leg."

"Please don't give them any ideas," Estee pleaded as she watched her husband and his twin smirk at each other.

Before they could continue the stories, Marinette's phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and said, "It's my head seamstress. I have to take this." Pacing off to the side of the living room, she became increasingly agitated. She finally hung up and dropped onto the sofa next to Adrien, clenching her hand tightly around her phone.

"Anything we can help with?" Kaoru inquired tentatively.

"Not unless you happen to have about five hundred yards of that special fabric you told me about," she grumbled.

"I thought you ordered that much last week, right after I told you about it." Kaoru looked at her in confusion.

"I did," she replied. "It was scheduled to arrive at my Milan sewing studio at noon today. That call was my head seamstress. She waited two hours, thinking heavy traffic delayed the delivery. When it still didn't arrive, she called the fabric distributor. They insisted that the order was cancelled yesterday."

Adrien rubbed her back soothingly. "Why don't you call them and see if you can get it straightened out? Maybe there was a miscommunication, and they can still deliver the fabric."

Taking a deep breath, Marinette gave him a shaky smile. "You're right. I guess I'm feeling suspicious because of all the lawsuits we've had to file lately." She returned to the other side of the room and placed the call.

"While we're waiting for Marinette to talk to the fabric distributor, I'm going to call Oscar and have him check our stores, just in case," Kaoru stated as he stood and headed for the opposite side of the room from Marinette.

Oscar answered the call on the first ring. "Hey, Boss. I wasn't expecting you to call. I hope your flight isn't going to be delayed."

"No," Kaoru assured him. "I have a friend with a problem. Do we have any of that special durable fabric on hand?"

"Funny you should mention that," Oscar replied with mirth in his voice. "My contact called me this morning, offering a lot of five hundred yards that a customer cancelled at the last minute. He gave me a ten percent discount for taking all of it."

Looking across the room at Marinette and her stormy expression, Kaoru got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Then he motioned for Adrien to join him. Covering the phone, Kaoru asked Adrien, "What is the address of Marinette's Milan studio? My agent says we have what she needs."

Adrien slipped his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his contacts. After a few finger flicks, he finally showed Kaoru the requested address.

Relaying the address to Oscar, Kaoru asked him to have the fabric taken there as soon as possible. He waited as Oscar called out orders to the warehouse employees without covering the phone to muffle his shouts.

"Done," Oscar said. "Is that all you needed?"

Kaoru paused for a moment. "I have a strange feeling about this. I want you to gather all the information you have about the contact that sold the fabric. Every invoice, memo, call log, anything else you can think of."

"Sure thing, Boss. I'll have it ready for you when you get to the office on Monday," Oscar assured him.

"Thanks. Until Monday," Kaoru murmured as he ended the call.

As he slipped his phone into his pocket, Marinette stalked up to him like she was trying to keep herself from strangling someone.

"I cannot believe it!" Marinette growled. "Even after signing the new contract with the verification clauses, they cancelled the order on the basis of a simple phone call that did not include the security phrases and they didn't send the confirmation email."

"Were they able to deliver the fabric anyway?" Adrien asked as he caught her flailing fists to avoid getting hit.

"No, they already sold it. And, get this, they are charging us the thirty percent fee for cancelling last minute. I could just…" Her sentence cut off when she couldn't come up with an appropriate punishment.

Kaoru draped an arm over her shoulder. "The fabric should be in your studio within the hour."

"How?" She looked at him in suspicion.

"I suspect that my head Milan stylist bought your fabric, unbeknownst to him," Kaoru said soothingly. "I hope you're up for rooting out some corruption when we get to Milan."

Kaoru shuddered slightly and was reminded of Kyoya by the smirk on Marinette's face as she declared, "Oh, I'm looking forward to it."