Chapter 55: Children

* Many Years Later *

* March 22nd *

"Here you go, Glasses."

Kyoya looked over his right shoulder, reaching up to take the slightly steaming tea cup from his wife, "Thank you, Darling." He received a quick kiss to his temple before Jin walked back into the Suoh's kitchen, probably to clean up whatever mess she had made while preparing the tea.

Tamaki appeared soon after from the same doorway she disappeared behind with two cups in his hands. The blond carefully made his way to the second couch in the living room, where his own wife was waiting. Haruhi took both of the cups while he sat down beside her, passing one back and leaning into his side as he got comfortable. The shorter brunette had her hair pinned up in a small bun, held together by roughly a million and one bobby pins… the only 'up' style her still relatively short hair could be put into.

The woman sighed and took a small sip of her drink before shutting her eyes, "So, have your girls started making plans for next school year already?"

"Setsuko is the most likely out of the two, but I don't think they've really planned out anything too specific other than their clubs and extracurricular classes." Kyoya took a shallow drink out of his own cup, "Junko's still trying to decide between taking Greek or German."

Tamaki began shaking his head, "I just can't believe they're heading to high school already! It feels like they were knee high only yesterday!"

"Don't get too sentimental now, Tamaki. What are you going to do when they start heading to college?"

The blond nodded at his best friend, "You're right… at least they're here now."

"MOOOOOOM! DAAAAAAD!"

Kyoya shot Tamaki a dry look, "You were saying?"

"Hey, those weren't my kids."

Jin emerged from the kitchen, her hands rubbing a towel in between them as she looked up the staircase that lined the left wall of the living room, "Looks like they're at it again…"

As predicted, Junko and Setsuko Ootori appeared at the second floor railing, staring down into the living room with their black hair swinging wildly from their short run. They didn't look very happy.

"We need your opinion."

"Please."

Their father smirked and shook his head, turning back to the tea in his hands, "You both know we won't answer that question."

Setsuko, the twin on their right, opened her mouth to respond, but just then a boy with dirty blond hair rushed out to join them, an amused smile on his face, "Will they do it?"

"What do you think?"

Masa Suoh pouted, the expression making him look even more like his father than usual. Truthfully, the only thing that separated the two male Suoh's was the hair color, which wouldn't even be true if Masa hadn't dyed his hair. Kyoya knew that Tamaki had been somewhat saddened when his first born had decided, out of the blue, to dye his hair from a perfect blond to a browner shade, no longer matching his father's middle school photos.

But when the teenager, embarrassingly, admitted that it was because he hadn't inherited anything from his mother, Tamaki had dropped the subject quick.

"Awww," he leaned his upper body over the railing, which made Haruhi cringe a little, "Why not?"

"Because you're all idiots." A fourth voice sounded from the second floor right before a brunet appeared from behind them and started walking down the staircase. Masa began to applaud the younger boy with as much sarcasm as possible while the twins glared at their little brother.

"Shut up, Ka-ki!"

"Shut up, Zu-ki!"

The boy scoffed, shooting the twins a smirk over his shoulder before turning back to the phone in his right hand, his other lightly trailing the railing as he continued down the stairs. Kazuki walked over to the couch his father was seated on and sat down, smiling slightly when his mother pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head.

Kyoya met Jin's gaze for a split second.

He's your son, alright.

The older man rolled his eyes at the silent teasing, but didn't rebuke. He'd honestly lost count of the number of times he'd been told that his only son looked exactly like he did when he was younger, save for the brown hair and eyes. Unlike his sisters, Kazuki had decided to keep his glasses instead of switching to contacts. They were a little bigger than his father's -and not thick with age- but the way the oval shape accented his sharp features remained the same. His hair was a similar story, having a nearly identical cut as his father but with the style inverted. Not to mention how his eyes were staring the the phone in his hands with a familiar intensity.

Yes, Kyoya knew exactly who his son took after.

Back at the top of the stairs, Masa finally moved back to the right side of the railing and leaned against the wall to his left instead, "Come on, just admit it! There's no shame!"

Junko gritted her teeth, shoulder-length hair flaring out as she spun towards the boy, "Se-su and I were not rushed! " Her younger-by-four-minutes sister grabbed at her upper arm, just in case she charged their cousin, " You were the rushed one! Uncle Tamaki made it a contest-"

"Ah, ah, ah~" Masa shook his finger at his restrained cousin, "You're forgetting that once Uncle Kyoya heard that my mom was pregnant with me, he went and conceived you two in the following week . The fact that you were twins and were born first by default was a fluke. If there had only been one of you, it would've been a race at the ninth trimester to see who would pop out first. You two... were rushed ."

The four adults and one teenager in the living room shared concerned glances with each other before looking back at the second floor. As tired as they were with hearing the same argument at least once a month since the trio turned eight years old, it was also somewhat amusing… if not a bit embarrassing for the two fathers. And besides, this was often the moment when their parentage was most prominent.

Whenever Masa taunted his cousins, he was showing off his father's ability to quickly irritate his friends with his hardheadedness and his mother's bravery that almost translated into stupidity. After all, considering he was knowingly annoying the Presidents of the Karate and Kendo clubs at Ouran Academy's middle school, it was almost eyebrow raising… despite how the girls wouldn't destroy him beyond repair like they very well could. On the other hand, when angered, the Ootori twins became just as scary as their parents.

"Masa, you're the 'express delivery' deal that got caught in a bad storm. Setsu-onēchan and Jun-onēchan were the 'buy-one-get-one-free' deal."

The blond at the top of the stairs began howling with laughter as the twins shouted their personalized nicknames for their younger brother again. The brunet merely smiled at them before returning his attention to his phone. Jin hid a snicker behind her hand. It was no secret that the Ootori children had inherited their parent's sharp tongue and quick wit, and they didn't pull punches around family. Besides, Kazuki didn't have to worry about his sister's wrath. They were his defenders and wouldn't dare harm a single hair of his head, meaning he could get away with his high levels of sass and sarcasm.

Not that he really needed protecting.

All of Kyoya and Jin's children had begun training at the Haninozuka dojo when they turned seven, and while Kazuki had never held the same interest in continuing the martial arts like his sisters, the boy did have a perfect jumping roundhouse kick.

"Niichan! Don't be so mean!"

The adults turned their heads to the other side of the living room, seeing a small face poking out from the doorway that lead to the Suoh's basement. As she stood there, two brown and white Shiba Inus rushed out of the opening. The female walked over to Tamaki's feet and sat down, resting her head on his knee to be pet. Her brother rushed to Jin, also taking a seat at her side, ears moving back as she scratched behind them.

The long-haired brunette smiled softly at the eleven-year-old, "You having fun downstairs with your cousins, Hana-chan?"

The little girl beamed at her mother, nodding. She was the youngest of the Ootori seven -if you counted in dog years for Taiki as well- and was clearly the 'mix' of her parents. Dark brown hair that was black in low light. Kyoya's nose. Jin's cheekbones. Even a hint of her Grandpa Ootori in her eyebrows. Too adorable to be legal, really, and just as kind as her mother.

And she was the only one of Kyoya's four children to inherit his grey eyes.

The laughter from the upstairs railing suddenly cut off with a screech, sending the two dogs into a barking frenzy. Tamaki and Kyoya were on their feet just as a door slammed shut on the second floor, Masa no longer visible from the living room. The slamming must've been his bedroom door.

It only took Junko one short snicker and the girls to exchange a low five for their mother to realize what had happened.

Stroking her dog with one calming hand and holding her hip and the towel with the other, she frowned up at her eldest children, "Setsuko…"

The girls winced, knowing full well what that tone meant. And when one of them was in trouble, usually the other was as well. The younger of the twins tugged at her over-the-shoulder braid, turning to face the living room but not meeting her mother's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mom… but he was really annoying us."

Jin raised an eyebrow, "He's like his father, so I understand, but that also means you can't use your glare on him like that. That would be like if your father and I started glaring at your Uncle at the same time."

Tamaki shuddered from his spot on the floor, Miwa's furry face cupped in his hands, and glanced up at his sister-in-law, "Please don't give me that mental image."

Even so, it was true. Setsuko might be the calmer of the two girls, but she had crafted the perfect glare. A somewhat unholy combination of her father's ruthlessness and her mother's fury. She's actually caused Masa to faint the first time she'd tried in on him. Kyoya and Jin had been somewhat impressed, but they never said so out loud.

The sound of heavy footsteps on stairs alerted the others of the last children to join the conversation. Hana quickly left the doorway she had been standing in front of and went over to her father and brother, leaving room for her cousins to lean out of the basement staircase.

"What happened?"

"We heard screaming!"

Aiko, the youngest, ran all the way out into the living room while Kaede remained at the doorway, the two of them looking around in concern and interest. Headsets were dangling around their necks, having been interrupted from whatever online game they'd been playing downstairs before their older siblings decided to create an argument.

Of course, when he spotted his younger children, Tamaki smiled and sat back on the couch, tossing an arm over Haruhi's shoulders, "Well, whichever one of us rushed, I still collected the whole set."

"Oh, not this again!"

Ignoring his best friend, Tamaki started his usual headcount by pointing up the staircase.

"Boy."

To his wife, "Nonbinary."

To Aiko, "Girl."

And finally to Kaede with a big smile, "Gender-fluid! Full house!"

Kaede, who was wearing a purple gem on her necklace, looked away like she was embarrassed, but she was still smiling as she asked, "Then what are you, Dad?"

"An embarrassment."

Hana giggled at the look on her uncle's face before leaning against her father, looping her arms around his right arm and nuzzling his shoulder, "You're gonna keep convincing Niichan to say mean things."

"Not necessarily." Kyoya smiled at his youngest, heart swelling a little as she cuddled up to him, "I've been best friend's with your uncle since before I even met your mother. I'm allowed a few quips here and there."

"I disagree." Haruhi laughed and kissed her husband's cheek, making him relax his pout.

"Hey, Ka-ki?"

"Who are you texting?"

While the adults had been distracted, the twins had made their way down the staircase and were now trying to peer at their brother's phone from over his shoulder. The brunet jerked the device away, clearly fighting a small blush.

"Gina. And she just asked if her family could come over."

Tamaki grinned, "Of course! Tell her the other half of their family is invited, too." His wife and sister-in-law nodded in agreement, but Kyoya's expression was a little wary. The Suoh's exchanged a glance of amusement as Jin wrapped her arms loosely around her husband's shoulders, their children and pets running up the stairs to alert Masa of their friends coming over, ready to drag him out of his bedroom if necessary.

" I don't understand why you're so worried. "

" Because I'm not. "

" Sure. " He couldn't see her face, but from being together for almost 26 years he knew that his wife was smiling softly, " I think it's sweet. "

" Sweet or no, I'm already related to Tamaki and semi-related to both Mitsukuni and Takashi. I am not particularly interested in collecting the whole set. "

Jin giggled in his ear, " What happened to wanting to create strong business ties with big names? " Her husband scoffed. " Besides, it's only a little crush. They're still young. "

" So were we. "

She kissed his cheek, " Should I invite the rest of the Host Club pack? "

" I do believe that's up to your sister. "

Smiling, but not releasing her husband, Jin looked up at Haruhi who held up a hand, "Already done."

* Time Skip *

Ding dong!

"I'll get it!" Aiko hopped off her stool and ran out of the doorway leading from the kitchen to the front door, following the sound of barking dogs rushing to help greet the newcomers.

Her mother and aunt watched her from the sink, where they'd been washing the dishes as the younger brunette had complained about how Kaede had clearly cheated in the game they'd been playing. Behind them, from the second doorway to the kitchen that lead to the living room, the women heard the conversation cut off. They exchanged a glance.

Think it's too late to lock up your fine china?

From whom? Chiasa? Mari? Or their fathers?

All of them?

They laughed as the front door opened. Instantly a surge of various greetings and other chatter entered the household, along with the sound of eight different footsteps stepping inside, where they echoed around the foyer. Unable to not smile, Jin and Haruhi drained the dirty water and dried their hands. There were still a few dishes left, but Tamaki and Kyoya could take care of them after dinner. It was their turn. Perhaps Hikaru and Kaoru would help? After all, they'd probably stay for dinner...

"Aunt Jin!" A fourteen year old girl raced into the kitchen from the same doorway Aiko had exited only a few seconds ago, quickly wrapping her arms around her 'aunt'.

Smiling, the woman hugged back, stroking the red hair of Hikaru's only child, "Hello, Chiasa!"

A chorus of 'Aunt Jin' and 'Aunt Haruhi' sounded from the doorway again as Kaoru's children ran in next. Gina and Mitsuo hugged Haruhi while Mari latched herself around Jin's right leg. The sisters gave each other another glance.

Have you noticed the troublemakers always hug me first?

Of course.

You're laughing at me.

Yes.

Jin stuck her tongue out before looking back down at the four Hitachiins. Chiasa was smiling sweetly, like her mother could, her expression not matching her devious plans that usually ended with glue and chicken feathers stuck on at least one member of their group. Of course, Mari, the youngest of them all, was far worse.

"Gina?"

The blond perked up, releasing her aunt, "Hi, Kazuki!" She headed to the living room, quickly hugging Jin as she passed by before following Jin's only son out of the kitchen. Jin smiled as she left. She liked Gina. Of course, she liked the whole second generation of the Host Club, but Gina had a soft spot in Jin's heart, partially because of the blond's growing attachment to her son...

And besides, Gina had a good head on her shoulders. While she might be the same age as her troublemaker cousin, she was much calmer. She would often fine-tune Chiasa and Mari's pranks so no one could be hurt, but rarely participated in the execution. She was the cushion and caretaker of the Hitachiin quad, much like Junko, Setsuko, and Masa were for the Suoh and Ootori group.

The remaining girls let go of Jin, hugging their other aunt briefly before running after their cousin/older sister. Mitsuo was the last to leave, giving Jin an equally long and sincere hug after letting go of Haruhi. It was always the strangest sense of Deja Vu whenever Jin saw the only Hitachiin boy. He was almost an exact copy of his father and uncle, down to his preferred clothing style. Even now, with his fashionable long sleeve shirt and scarf that he never seemed to take off during the winter season, Jin almost expected to see another boy just like him walking into the kitchen, calling out for his twin.

That thought vanished, of course, when the boy's father and uncle walked into the room with their wives and two dogs still sniffing around their legs and ankles.

"You know, I'm starting to think our kids like you more than they like us!"

Mitsuo smiled teasingly at his uncle before releasing Jin and running after the sound of his siblings and friends. Jin watched him go, not even reacting to the following dual thumps falling onto her shoulders. Her dog whined at seeing his owner 'attacked', but other than that simply followed the Hitachiin children into the living room with Miwa at his side.

" Oh, Aunt Jin! Aunt Jin! How we've missed you so! "

" Aunt Jin! Our parents are so boring! We know you'll never grow old! "

" Oh, Aunt Jin~ "

Haruhi giggled along with Akane and Maaya as the tall brunette attempted to remove the redheads from her person. Jin was laughing as well, and her wriggling was halfhearted, seeing as how Hikaru and Kaoru did this basically every time they saw each other.

A sudden chorus from the living room captured their attention.

"Uncle Kyoya! Uncle Tamaki!"

Instantly, the older twins released their captive and ran out of the kitchen, joining in on the cheers. Their wives and 'sisters' shook their heads before following. The scene they walked in on belonged on the internet. Hikaru and Kaoru had reached the other 'Dads' in the house before their children could get close, squeezing the other men tightly even as they struggled. The eleven children were laughing and dancing around the four of them with glee, trying to avoid stepping on the dogs as they ran around in confusion. Even Kazuki was taking multiple photos with his phone, Gina draping herself over his shoulder to watch before she fell back because she was laughing so hard.

"Kaoru! Let go! Do you want me to drop this on your head?" Kyoya had his left arm up in the air, having just barely managed to keep it out of the death grip, a puzzle box in his hand. Tamaki was holding a board game in his arms, but he hadn't pulled it away fast enough, so it was now uncomfortably squished between his and Hikaru's bodies. Instantly, Jin and Haruhi knew where their husbands had been when the Hitachiin's arrived.

In the Suoh house, they kept all of their games in their basement, including video games, board games, puzzles, 'artistic' toys, and various others. Many of them had entertained the Suoh children, their cousins, and their friends since they could understand basic rules and objectives. As they grew older, though, the games for smaller children slowly began migrating to the top shelves to make room for the more age-appropriate entertainment.

However, even though the youngest Suoh was turning twelve in exactly a month, there were still four other children in their group of fourteen who were younger and were still entertained by 100 piece puzzles. It was clear that the Dads had decided to fetch a few games before the small children who couldn't reach them could even ask.

Jin smiled a little wider and walked over, easily taking the boxes from her husband and brother-in-law and elbowing the redheads, "Alright you two, you've had your fun. Let your kids have a turn."

They whined but did as they were told, letting their four kids hug Kyoya and Tamaki in their place, Mari using the couch to leap onto Tamaki's back like the crazy child she was. Of course, Hikaru and Kaoru themselves were bombarded with hugs from the Ootori and Suoh clan, so the complaints died off quickly.

Ruffling Kazuki's hair, despite his complaints, Hikaru smiled at his friend, "So, when are the others getting here?"

Ding dong!

"Now, I guess." Jin passed off the games to Kaede before hurrying to the front door, Taiki at her heels while Miwa continued to try knocking Tamaki over with the rest of the Hitachiins.

The Suoh's front door, if you were walking up to it from outside, was on the left side of the house. The foyer's style was actually very similar to the one in the Ootori's home, as they were, technically, in the same neighborhood. Both families were always silently grateful for the open space every time their friends gathered, considering the large groups that tended to arrive within minutes of each other. And should all four families show up at the same time? Jin shook her head, trying to remove the unpleasant memories of being sandwiched between a mass of bodies and her closet doors last Christmas Eve.

She pulled open the door and was immediately hugged around the waist.

"Aunt Jin!"

The brunette smiled as her dog launched himself out the door to greet the people still in the driveway, "Sadao!"

Honey's youngest son beamed up at her, giving Jin's early memories a small tickle. That same exact smile had greeted her to the dojo every day when she was younger, except this one wasn't immediately quailed by thoughts of not being 'manly' or worry of being spotted by his father. Instead, it continued to be wide and sincere. Sadao Haninozuka definitely had his father's bubbly personality and giant smile, his second most prominent features being his mother's dark hair and eyes.

Jin's view of the ten-year-old was suddenly blocked by two more arms hugging her around her chest, the announcement of 'Aunt Jin' proclaiming the arrival of Sadao's older brother, Yuudai, and second cousin, Nobuo.

"Nobuo! Thank god you're here!"

At the sound of his best friend calling his name, Mori's only child squeezed and released his 'Aunt' before disappeared into the house after Kaede. His parents were making their way up the porch, followed by Honey and Reiko, when Yuudai let go of her and went inside. Sadao instantly released Jin and ran after his darkly-dressed older brother, his favorite stuffed giraffe clutched in his arms, Taiki following after him.

Jin's next hug was with Mori, "Your son is getting so tall! I bet he'll pass you soon enough."

The ravenet shrugged, but was smiling all the same. They all knew it was a source of pride for the Morinozuka that only child took after him, despite the brown eyes of his mother and the fact he spoke aloud much more often. Hisayo smiled at her husband before hugging her friend, barely getting a moment before Honey was launching himself at the brunette and she had to step out of the way.

"Jin! Are we the last ones? Do you have snacks? Do you mind if we stay for dinner?"

Grinning, the brunette began leading her friends indoors, "Actually, there's a few tea sandwiches in the kitchen. I was going to bring them out once everyone got settled. Haru said you're all invited to dinner, though she had a feeling you'd invite yourselves even if she didn't. Want some tea?"

"I can make it," Reiko smiled at her friend, still not one for much hugging outside of her immediate family, "I know where your sister and husband keep their things. You've probably made tea for everyone else so far, let me handle it."

Jin's shoulders smoothed out, "Thank you, Reiko."

The ravenette nodded back and disappeared into the kitchen, her husband following. Mori and his wife went into the living room and Jin followed the two of them, quickly taking a headcount of everyone she could see.

The other adults were in the living room on various cushions and seats, Tamaki and Haruhi now seated next to Kyoya, though there was still a little room left for her beside her husband. In the open space between the couches, the back wall, and the entertainment center were Sadao, Mari, Hana, and Aiko. They were currently sitting at one of the coffee tables they'd moved from in front of the couches, arguing over what game they should play first, Miwa contently curled up by Aiko's feet. As Jin settled down beside her husband, she watched as Kaede, now sporting a bright green charm on his necklace, lead Nobuo, Chiasa, and Yuudai down from the second floor as they shouted quips about beating each other at Kaede's new video game.

The brunette watched as her nephew disappeared through the doorway leading downstairs, and couldn't help but wonder when he'd realized that he didn't need the necklace to help the younger kids gender him correctly. After spending their whole lives together, it was getting to the point where they could just tell . Of course, they did have very inquisitive parents… so perhaps that helped.

The door to the basement shut behind Yuudai, and Jin was surprised when Sadao didn't immediately abandon his game to follow after his big brother. But considering a puzzle had just been opened in front of him, perhaps it wasn't that big of a shock.

"Alright, that's eight down. Where are the other six?"

Kyoya hummed, looping an arm around his wife's waist as the Haninozuka's came out of the kitchen, "Upstairs. Masa's bedroom, I'm sure of it, but that's only because he broke Tamaki down about having a television in his bedroom. Taiki followed them up there. Kazuki, Mitsuo, and Gina will probably head downstairs in a few minutes, and the other three will either follow or start another argument."

"Great."

For a moment, the twelve adults sat in silence with their fresh cups tea as their children played with each other. It wasn't often that they got peace of any kind, no matter how big or small the area they were in. Because as much as their children were each other's family and best friends, they were also young...

...and the Host Club second generation.

* Ten minutes later *

" Yuudai, are you attempting to curse my controls? What do you mean 'what are you talking about'? I can see your Occult curses book behind your back! Cheater!"

" Quit taking selfies on my phone! You're using up all my storage space! "

"Hey! Stop that!"

Hana was running around the table, scooping up puzzle pieces from the floor as Mari and Sadao continued pelting each other with them. Aiko was holding onto Miwa's collar, holding her back from sniffing at the pieces on the floor, "You're gonna lose the pieces!"

"Uncle Kaoru! Uncle Honey! Make them stop!"

" Just pause it! I have to use the bathroom! "

" Empty bladders are for the weak! "

A shout echoed down from the vents leading upstairs, " For the last time, we can't be in two clubs at the same time! "

" Do you have any idea how crazy that would make our schedules? "

" But the Host Club is basically our namesake! How can you turn away from that? "

The adults glanced at each other and, as one, began to sip their drinks. From all around the house, the complaints began degrading from actual sentences into:

"Moooom!"

" Daaaad! "

"Uncle Hikaru!"

"Daddy!"

" Aunt Haruhi? "

" Dad! "

"Aunt Hisayo!"

"Faaatheeer!"

" Mommy! "

" Uncle Kyoyaaa! "

" Mom! Dad! "

"Moooooooooooom!"

Jin sighed as Masa began shouting into the vents that her eldest daughters were going to kill him, "Ah… chaos. Just like the good ol' days."

"Indeed."