A/N: It would appear that this story seems to be writing itself and has decided that I will not end on Halloween, so on that note here is yet another chapter, and I really hope that you enjoy. 8)

Chapter 17

Working in the Hospitality sector for most of her life, Kyoko knew the ins and outs of most of the races. She knew how to make them comfortable and happy. She knew what they would like to eat or drink, and she knew the environments that they would appreciate. Knowing all of this, she and Maria took it all into consideration as they designed the different areas, place settings, food menus, and drink lists for the guests that would be attending the "Happy Grateful Party", a party that was to show those that had helped them in one way or another, that they were appreciated.

Maria created several delicious concoctions for her fellow magic users, and designed a special little sitting area that resembled a dark forest and library. There was the enchanted forest for the elves, a artificially moon-lit indoor clearing with a pond for the many types of fairies, a darkened area in one of the corners for the shades that didn't appreciate the light, an elegantly decorated sitting area for the vampires in the group, another forested area for the different types of kitsune, and so much more along with a general meeting area where there would be entertainment and dancing, so everyone could mingle.

The first to arrive had been Lory and a few of his notable friends. There were many faces in between that Kyoko and Maria instantly recognized. Kyoko spent most of her time in the kitchen and Maria was tasked with greeting the guests. Kanae arrived and was enchanted with the perfect food that had been offered along with the enticingly comfortable and thoughtful area the girls had created for her kitsune friends.

The next to arrive had been Ren and Yukihito. Yukihito was flustered by the fanfare and Ren just took it in stride. Moments later one would find Yashiro fluttering over to the moon-lit clearing to enjoy the pleasing atmosphere and company of the other fairies that he was acquainted with. It felt great to be thought of in such a way. He was so relaxed that he'd actually took his true form and enjoyed the nectar that had been painstakingly presented in tiny little white daffodils, used as cups. He was in heaven.

That evening, Lory would have three "special" guests. His first guest would make a flamboyant entrance to dazzle his little girl, at the insistence of his father. Maria had been rendered speechless. She'd never sent him an invitation. If she had, he would have had to travel by plane and she certainly didn't wish to risk something like that for her own desire to see her father. Mercifully Lory had seen through her little ruse and made arrangements for his son to attend. He would have been more than happy if the boy chose a transfer and stayed, but he was the head of the international branch of LME and was needed in the US. Well, one day Maria will conquer her phobia and go to see Kouki. He thought with a smile as he watched father and daughter catch up.

When Kyoko was younger, no more than five years-old, she was taken from her home, her loving family, and many memories were erased or hidden by a talented shape-shifter that had disguised herself as Saena. To her, Kyoko was part of a plan to quickly make money for her and her friends. Unfortunately, a car accident cut that plan short and left a little girl without a way to recover her memories quickly and without a family. She believed that when the memory of her birthday surfaced every year, she was remembering a holiday. The faces of those that loved her were distorted or completely hidden, but for a reason unknown to her, she always felt a giddy nostalgia for celebrating the Winter Solstice.

The clock struck midnight and that was the moment when everything started tumbling towards her all at once. Standing before her was Kuon with the largest, most beautiful, red rose she'd ever seen in her entire life. "Happy Birthday, Kyoko-chan." He told her with a soft smile.

She looked at him in confusion. Was it her birthday?

"It's your birthday, is it not?" He asked quietly with a smile.

She looked at him and then back at the large rose. "I don't know... I think it could be, but..." She glanced back up at him. "How would you know?"

He glanced up and saw Lory speaking to a familiar couple. "I heard President Takarada talking about it." He lied.

"Oh..." Oh, that makes sense. He did say he knew my parents... I should probably give him an answer regarding that before I leave tonight. She was now lost in her thoughts.

Kuon chuckled. "Let's try this again..." He smiled and caught her attention with the rose once again. "Happy Birthday, Kyoko-chan."

She took the large rose in her hands, with eyes wide. "Th-Thank you very much."

He smiled softly. "No need, it was no trouble."

The conversation probably would have continued had Kanae not heard her competition mention Kyoko's birthday. I thought she didn't know when her birthday was... Wait, didn't he say something about Takarada-san mentioning it? She looked sternly at Kyoko then at Ren/Kuon. She narrowed her eyes. "It's her birthday?"

Kyoko just stared in shock and Kuon absently nodded.

"Mo! Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?" She groused and quickly walked away to retrieve the gift she'd bought for her friend for the Winter Solstice. She'd spent hours searching practically every salon and department store in New Tokyo looking for it. She knew it was perfect for Kyoko when she'd seen the ad for it, an adorable makeup set fit for a princess. She'd heard Takarada-san and Ren calling her that, and most definitely thought that there was a reason behind it, but the true reason she bought it for her was how Kyoko was always trailing off into her own little world like some fairies were known to do often. Needless to say, Kyoko loved it and Kanae was at least one point ahead of the competition.

Lory approached the trio and cleared his throat. He had a special surprise for Kyoko. She'd been going back and forth on whether she wanted to meet her parents or not. He knew this from all of his sources around LME, mainly Kanae, Kuon, Maria, and Yukihito. They were the only people she held dear enough to her to discuss the problem with. Tonight, that would be remedied. Like pulling off the bandage, it was going to be quick and clean. They needed it and so did she. She'd been entirely too skittish since being informed of everything. Not only that, she had progressed enough to be introduced to her parents. Kuu's visit and his Oya Baka tendencies had helped that along quite nicely.

Shoko-san had been behaving quite strangely these past few weeks, more than she normally did. He was still feeling a little out of sorts and he'd been having the yen for foods he'd never eaten before. He was still trying to get used to the way his body was reacting to things. It had freaked him out at first, but he decided he'd had no choice in the matter and rolled with it.

Shoko had given him his nice new leather, studded neck band and some other nice jewelry to enhance his image at the beginning of all of this, so there was an upside to it all he supposed and strangely enough she had been able to distract him with his new diet and exercise routine; although, he couldn't find the courage to ask her about the strange markings he'd found in a very unusual, personal place. It was just too embarrassing to ask her about something he should remember happening.

She really hadn't scheduled anything for these past few weeks, so he was enjoying the downtime and using it to pen a few new songs. That was another thing that the new routine helped with. He hadn't felt as centered and relaxed in his entire life. He shrugged off the thoughts and went with the "if it works, don't fix it" frame of mind. Shoko obviously knew what she was doing and he wasn't going to go against her. She'd gotten just a little bit scary since that morning. She was different somehow. It seemed as though she was a lot stronger and she always had this commanding look about her that made him think twice before even asking her for something.

He'd also noticed a peculiar thing about the changes in his life. He really hadn't thought much about Kyoko lately and Mimori was around a lot more than he'd like. She clung to him more, and had even taken up the habit of stroking his hair, telling him how wonderful he was. Puzzling enough, she had worded in a disturbing way. "Sho-chan, you are such a good boy." He shrugged it off, chalking it up to just one of her fangirl eccentricities.

The first time Shoko Aki had heard it, she'd had nearly drown in her coffee. She had a hunch that Mimori knew more than what she was letting on. That girl was always full of surprises. When Sho had been a vampire, it hadn't bothered her like it would most elves. She seemed even more attached to him now that he was a human, and it made Aki wonder about the ancient legends and stories about the relationship between humans and elves, long ago. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing if she did know. It wasn't like he'd turned into one of those slobbering beasts they kept in the animal sanctuaries.