Chapter 9: The Halloween Party

By 4:00, Kanae had let Kyoko through most of the shops on the street. Although she couldn't afford to buy anything, Kyoko was having a wonderful time, despite Kanae's occasional teasing about 'confessing her undying love to Tsuruga Ren.' As they made their way through the last shop and admired a pair of boots that Kyoko was wishing she could buy, her phone vibrated. Frowning apologetically at her friend, she pulled it out.

"Hello?"

"Mogami-san, are you available right now? It's important."

"Um…I'm out with Moko…I mean Kotonami-san."

"Excellent. I need to see both of you. Where are you?" She named the shop and the district.

"Wonderful. I'll send a car."

"But sir, we're right by…" She frowned when she heard the dial tone. Sighing, she snapped her phone closed. "LME."

"Who was that?"

"The President. He wants to see us. I fell like I've seen him a lot lately."

"Hm. I wonder what he wants now. This is our day off." Kyoko smiled at her grumbling friend.

"Well, it must be important then. Otherwise he would probably wait until Monday." Kanae shrugged, using all of her powers as an actress not to smile in excitement.


The car arrived, driven by Lory's aid, drove past LME and to the President's mansion. Although confused, Kyoko chose not to comment. 'I guess the President didn't go in to the office today. '

When they entered the mansion, they were led by Lory's aid to a large office on the first floor. "Good morning ladies. Thank you for coming." Kyoko and Kanae bowed in greeting while Kyoko tried to figure out the meaning behind that mischievous smile. "I have a Love Me task for the two of you." Kyoko fought from moaning and restrained herself from informing him that they were off that day. "I know that you are off today, Mogami-san." Kyoko's eyes widened in shock. 'He's a mind reader!' "But I think that this shouldn't take too long and it will be beneficial. Kotonami-san, please follow Sebastian. He'll show you what to do." Kanae bowed and, giving a farewell wave to Kyoko, did as she was told. As soon as she was out of the door and out of sight, she grabbed her phone, sent out a text, and ran down the hall and up the stairs to a dressing room.


In another room nearby, Ren pulled out his phone. 'Step 3 of Phase 7 complete. Please initiate Phase 9.' Yashiro, stepping into the room, held up his phone with a glove-covered hand "Phase 9? What about Steps 1-9 of Phase 8? And I thought we were still on Phase 5 anyway!" Ren chuckled. "She's just making up numbers now! And I thought we were supposed to be on Step 8 of Phase 10 by this point…she told me that everyone had to memorize all of theses." Ren turned away and hid his laughed from his irate friend. Kotonami-san had only told him about Phase 1, so he had no idea what his manager was talking about, but had a hunch that his friend was right.

"Either way Yashiro, considering the time, I believe it is safe to assume that it is time to get ready." Still grumbling, Yashiro stormed out.


"Mogami-san, would you please follow Woods-san?" Kyoko bowed.

"Of course."

In a room that was filled with cosmetics and material, Kyoko stood rooted to the floor. "This isn't another 'Dangerous Mission' is it?" She asked quietly.

"Haha. No, Kyoko. Now please take a seat." Seeing the hesitation on the girl's face, she grinned. "Trust me Kyoko. You are going to like this." Sighing, Kyoko nodded and sat down on the make up chair, closing her eyes.


Kanae pulled on her costume, cursing her previous request for the President to give everyone costumes. How was she to know that he would stick her in a (rather slutty) cat costume? She glared at herself in the mirror. "I don't look like a cat! I look like a hooker with cat ears and a tail." She snapped at herself. The shirt barely covered her stomach and was black to match the ears, tail, and (obscenely short) skirt. "He's just being mean now!" She cried, slouching against the wall, then hurriedly crossing her legs when she realized just how short the skirt was.


Yashiro pulled on his costume, cursing Kanae's request for the President to give everyone costumes. 'But how could she know that the President would make him wear a (rather tight) cat costume?' He winced as he took in his appearance. "I don't look like a cat! I look like a…(he blushed) a stripper." He whispered the word. "with cat ears and a tail." The shirt was tight and see through in the chest area, with black material to match the ears, tail, and (rather tight) pants. He dropped his head in his hands. "I'm never going to live this down."


Kanae waited outside of the room where she knew Kyoko was being prepped. When Miss Woods opened the door and let her in, she was stunned. Her friend's face was done in light make up, with eyeliner being the only thing used generously, but the dress was perfect. The low cut light blue ball gown hugged her sides and then flared out, though not so much that it would make it hard to walk in a crowd. The glass slippers on her feet and the long blonde wig completed the outfit, along with a choker to bring attention to her slim neck. "Mo." She whispered in amazement.

Kyoko turned her bright, excited eyes on Kanae. "Moko! I'm Cinder….ella…" Her voice trailed off when she took in Moko's appearance. "Um…Moko….why are you dressed like a hoo…like that?" Kanae was too busy taking in her friend's appearance to answer.

'Tsuruga is going to love this…' She grinned and grabbed her friend's hand. "Come on. We get to do this part of the assignment together." Kyoko gave her a confused smile then followed her friend as she tugged her along.

They suddenly entered a very dark room, and the door slammed shut behind them. "Moko-san?" Kyoko asked uncertainly.

"Don't worry. It's fine. Come on. It's the President's mansion. What could happen?'

'Anything!' Kyoko screamed in her head, following uncertainly through what felt like a dark tunnel. She squeaked when she touched a wall and found it wet and rough, like the walls of a cave. She could hear the buzzing of insects and, suddenly, very viscous sounding dogs barking and snarling. "Moko-san?" Kanae smiled ahead of her.

"Come on. I see a door." The finally made it to the door which had a dim light shining through. Kanae pulled the door open and suddenly the two girls were on a balcony at the head of a flight of stairs. The room was dim, but Kyoko could tell that it was full of people. Surprised, she took in her surroundings. The room was one big set, with several buffet tables pushed to the side and overflowing with food. A few tables were set up and people were eating. The set walls, nearly as tall as the vaulted ceiling, were covered in Halloween scenery, with dark forests, the outline of a creepy looking castle, and a group of witches around a cauldron all being displayed. The middle of the floor was being used as a dance floor, and the President had a sound system set up on a stage in the front of the room. Suddenly, his booming voice filled the room.

"Welcome everyone to our Halloween Party!" There was cheering and Kyoko cocked her head in confusion. Kanae smiled at her. "Please welcome our guest of honor, Kyoko Mogami!" There was loud cheering and Kyoko blushed, backing away. A spotlight came from the ceiling to shine on them.

"Surprise." Kanae whispered. Stunned Kyoko looked at her. Then it clicked.

"Moko-san!" She threw her arms around her best friend and laughed, tears filling her eyes.

"Don't ruin your make-up. Mo. Come on." Stepping forward, Kanae led her down the staircase covered in a red carpet.

Whispering now, as the entire room was silent as it watched them descend, Kyoko leaned in toward Kanae. "How did you do all this?"

"Easy. I asked the your friends to help."

"My…friends?" They reached the bottom of the staircase where Yashiro (who's outfit made Kyoko blush and look away, much to his own embarrassment), Maria (In a witch costume), The President (as a ninja), and finally Ren, in a long cloak with the collar pulled up around his neck, stood at the bottom of the staircase. "Actually, everyone here helped in some way, but they," she gestured around the group, "gave up most of their weekend to put this together." She leaned in. "We have pictures of Tsuruga and Yashiro in a paint fight." The two men smiled, knowing that this was going be used against them. Kyoko stared at the ground, tears in her eyes.

"You didn't have to….I could….I mean…I can never pay you…"

"Mo! You don't have to pay us back. We did it because we wanted to make you happy. Now cheer up! Have fun." Kyoko looked up in surprise at her smiling friend and hugged her. "Ugh. Don't get used to this." Kanae grumbled as she hugged her back. Kyoko giggled and turned to the group.

"Thank you." She whispered shyly. They all smiled and hugged her, until she came to Ren. The others seemed to disappear (which they actually did…this part was planned by Kanae, the President, and Yashiro, unbeknownst to Ren.)

"Dracula, I presume?" She grinned up at him. He smiled in response, showing off some intimidating looking fangs. "You aren't going to bite me are you?" Her heart skipped as his eyes turned dark.

'Not yet.' He thought with a smirk. Seeing her embarrassed face, he stepped closer. "You look beautiful." He said softly. She was suddenly aware that they had transported to the other side of the staircase, hidden from the rest of the party. 'How does he do that?' She wondered absentmindedly. He brought his hand to her face, and then touched her hair. Frowning softly, he began to remove the pins that held the wig onto her hair. Gently, he removed the wig and threw it onto a chair. "Now, you look absolutely stunning." She wondered how red her face was, but couldn't concentrate with his face suddenly so close.

'Well, I guess now is as good a time as ever.' She slowly closed the distance between them, touching her lips with his. Embarrassment was forgotten as electricity jolted through her. Immediately he moved his lips against her, not minding her lack of experience at all. When she pulled away, her breath caught at the loving smile on his face. 'So that's what that smile means.' She returned it and let him pull her against him. "I love you." She whispered into his chest. He squeezed her tightly, kissing her hair.

"I love you too."

The two emerged from the staircase, trying to look nonchalant and failing miserably. The President kept grinning at them and Kanae was smirking at Kyoko and sending warning glares to Ren. Her last words when they were alone had been "If you hurt her I will kill you." Music began to play and Ren pulled Kyoko onto the dance floor. Kanae watched with a smile as he twirled her around. From the other side of the room, the Taisho and the Okami-san, dressed as a devil and an angel respectively, watched as well. The Okami laughed at the sullen look on her husband's face.

"Honey, you're just mad that he didn't ask you about this first." Sighing, the cook stared at the ground, trying not to think about the incident a few minutes earlier.

Ren had pulled him aside when no one was around, the vampire leading the devil to the corner. "Sir, I need to speak with you."

"Hmm."

"You consider Kyoko your daughter, correct?" The man nodded soundlessly. "I love your daughter. And I have every intention to make her mine. But I wanted to secure your blessing first." The older man looked into the eyes of the sincere young man and nodded, his glare lessening slightly. The vampire had bowed and excused himself.

Standing by his wife, the Taisho watched the girl he considered a daughter twirl around the dance floor with the man who loved her. "You know, I'm really going to miss her." The Okami said with misty eyes, touching her husband's arm. The Taisho grunted in agreement, putting an arm around his wife.


Yashiro stood beside the President, watching the show. As the dance finished, Kyoko found herself dancing with everyone, first being passed between three playful werewolves, the shortest of which she called Hikaru, Kajima, and several of the cast and crew of both Dark Moon and Box R. Even Ogata-san took a break from dancing with Asami-san to dance with the smiling actress. "President, I have a question."

"Yes."

"Why are Kotonami-san and I a matching pair?"

"Because you like each other. All the couples tonight are matching pairs." Yashiro stared in confusion first at Kyoko, then at Ren.

"Cinderella…and Dracula!"

The President chuckled. "I think they suit each other. Matching pairs don't always look like they go together in life, Yashiro." The men turned their attention to the cat actress drinking from a glass of what looked like blood. "But I figured you could use all the help you could get."

Once the dancing was over, the President took the stage. "Kyoko!" He called. The girl stepped from Ren's arms and looked at him. "Please come to the stage." Kyoko smiled and made her way up to him. "As you all know, this party was arranged for Kyoko Mogami. Now, Kyoko, I have one more surprise for you." The girl cocked her head in confusion, then gasped as a tall blonde vampire joined her on the stage.

"Father!" She screamed and jumped into his arms, letting the tears fall down her face. The man smiled and squeezed her gently, rocking her back and forth. "I missed you." She whispered.

"I missed you too. Did you really think I would miss your surprise Halloween Party?" She laughed at the silliness of the statement and hugged him tighter.

Off stage, Ren smiled warily. The fact that there were only two vampires in the room had not escaped him. Kyoko and Kuu joined him on the floor. "Father, you remember Tsuruga-Ren?"

"Yes. The President tells me that you are now dating my daughter." Kuu grinned and shook his hand firmly. Kyoko turned bright red and stared at the floor.

"It's nice to see you again, Hizuri-san." Ren smiled tightly, wrapping an arm around Kyoko.

"Nonsense! You're dating my daughter and we're both dressed as vampires. We must be family!" Kuu laughed and Ren clenched his teeth.

'Subtle, Dad. Subtle.'


Kyoko thought this must be a dream. Ren, her father, and all of her friends in the same room, talking, dancing, eating, and just having a good time, all happy to see her, and all wanting to see her smile. She spent the whole night laughing or crying, dancing or being held. The food was fantastic, though most of it was Halloween themed. Kyoko laughed at the expression on Ren's face when he picked up an eyeball. As many times as he could, her father would steal her away from him and twirl her around the dance floor, making her laugh and wish the dream would never end.

On the other hand, Ren was constantly reminding himself that this was real. As soon as she finished dancing or talking with someone, he was there, desperate to hold her or touch her in some way. 'She's mine. I've got her. She's mine and she loves me and that's all I need.' He laughed when he saw her twirl around the room with other men, the delight on her face warming his heart, but he was always anxious to have her in his arms again. 'Yes. You can dance with her. This is a special occasion. But don't get any ideas.'

Later that evening, as the party was wrapping up, Kyoko found Kanae talking to Yashiro. "Moko-san!" She hugged her friend again quickly and stepped back before she could complain. Yashiro wandered off to change. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome. I'm glad you had fun."

"Moko-san, can I ask you something? Who picked out the costumes?"

"Um, Woods-san made them all, and the President handed them out." She hesitated. "I chose yours thought."

"Why Cinderella?" She asked.

Kanae smiled gently and took her hands. Gesturing to the middle of the floor where all her friends stood, with Ren and Kuu chatting in the middle of the group, Kanae looked into Kyoko's eyes. "Mo Kyoko. Look at your story. It couldn't have been anyone else."

A/N: Whew. That was a long chapter…but it was fun to write. Please forgive (and point out) gramatical or spelling errors :) Hope you enjoyed it! Probably just one more chapter to wrap things up. Thank you for reading.