Dear readers, thank you very much for being patient (if you're still reading this story)! I'm really sorry for not updating for quite a long time! And thank you for readers who faved, followed, and reviewed the previous chapters!

Happy belated Easter for the ones who celebrated it! Only three days until the next chapter of Skip-Beat!

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip-Beat!

A/N: Is it just me or do FanFiction look different?

Chapter 14: Grateful ~Be Our Guest~

Kotonami Kanae dead-panned when she was greeted by a dozen of shifting candelabras at the entrance of the vacation house, while Uesugi Hiou was completely shocked next to her. Her eyes immediately caught sight of one of the hostesses.

Takarada Maria glided towards them, beautifully clad in a simple ball gown adored with roses. Her long ginger curly hair was put into a neat bun with some loose strands and a rose tucked in. "Welcome to our humble party, Kotonami-sama, Uesugi-sama," she gave them an elegant curtsy.

"Let me guess," Kanae mumbled. "The theme this year is 'Beauty and the Beast'? And those things at the entrance were President's idea?"

Maria grinned sheepishly. "No, this time it's my idea, although they are provided by Grandfather quickly after I jokingly mentioned it to him. He deemed it worthy to be done. Now why don't I lead you to one of the tables and fetch you some drinks?"

Following the little girl into the already crowded party, the ravenette easily located Lory's acquaintances, flocking almost together at one side of the great room. The flamboyant president was among them, dressed royally in a medieval king's garb, complete with a puffy crown, fluffy red cloak, and a golden sceptre – although she found the puffy short shorts over the tight pants were absolutely hilarious on the tall mustached man.

On another corner, to her amazement, a marvellously arranged rose garden was set up, with a small water fountain near it. The same as last year, unknown people – and Kanae of course did not want to know them – were standing in a wait around the fountain, plastic chalices in their hands.

"What's with the fountain?" Hiou asked Maria curiously.

"Oh, at 10 minutes interval, it will spew out the elixir of eternal life," the gingerette answered automatically.

The child actor was once again flabbergasted. "Th-the elixir of what?!"

"Don't mind it," Kanae quickly interrupted. "It's a term exclusive to them we don't have to know. And it must be grape juice or something."

Walking further in, the pair could see the stage, which was narrower than what the second LoveMe member could remember. It was set up next to a huge castle with sparkling walls and colored glass panes that formed pictures of royal couples dancing. The stage itself was bordered with corridor railing, and on it stood a polished grand piano.

They finally reached a table for 10 people near the castle, and once Kanae and Hiou were seated, a waiter put two glasses of apple cider in front of them.

"Where's Kyoko?" Kanae asked, turning her head left and right. "Is she in the kitchen?"

"Ah, no, she's done with the first batch of all the courses," Maria told her. "The last time I saw Big Sister, she was talking with a man I don't know."

The actress raised one eyebrow. "A man you don't know?"

"Uh-huh," the gingerette nodded. "Quite tall, black hair and golden eyes."

"This is a really nice party, Kyoko," Kento hummed. "You've done a great job with this. Where did you get the 'Beauty and the Beast' idea?"

Kyoko grinned sheepishly. "It's Maria-chan's idea. Last year we have 'Cinderella', I think?"

"And the drink is pretty excuisite…" He trailed off when he eyed his wine glass with one eyebrow raised in mild suspicion. The glass itself was filled with sparkling dark green soda. "What do I have in here?"

"Soda water with honey, green apple, lime, and pear," the girl answered casually. "And a bit of kahlua, since you can drink alcohol."

"And the green color?"

Kyoko smirked. "What if I tell you I put one of your green paint into that?"

Her father's eyes narrowed at her and his hands pushed the glass as far away as possible from his sight. The actress laughed seeing his reaction, "It's just melon syrup, trust me!"

"It's not a very good joke, Kyoko," Kento grumbled, taking the glass and took a sip. "And the name for this cocktail is?"

"'Fairy Dance'," Kyoko said, smiling at him.

He hummed in agreement. "What about Marina's and Seijuro-niisan's, then?"

Their head turned to the two siblings who sat beside them. Seijuro was dressed smartly with a black suit, ivory crisp shirt and indigo tie with maroon stripes, while Marina chose to come exquisitely in pale blue silk dress with ruffles along the high neckline and hipline. Seijuro's glass was filled with orange-brown opaque liquid, while Marina's was full of pink, white, and a bit of yellow.

"Let's see…" the girl mumbled. "Seijuro-san's is 'Home of the Sun', and Marina-san's is 'Angel's Touch of Courage'."

Marina smiled approvingly. "An appropriate name, I see. Do pray tell what you have prepared for Tsuruga-san. It must be something special, am I wrong?"

Kyoko blushed. Before she could say anything, she was yanked backwards.

"Kyoko…" a familiar voice growled. "You were the one who invited me to this stupid party, so why is it that you're never the one who greeted me and showed me to my table?"

The chestnut-haired girl's head snapped back as soon as she recognized the voice. "Moko-saaaaan!" she squealed while quickly throwing herself on the ravenette, tackling the taller girl.

"MO! KYOKO! GET OFF ME!" Kanae yelled furiously, trying to push Kyoko off her. "People are looking at you! Aren't you embarrassed?!"

"But, we haven't met since after the 'PV'," the younger girl pouted.

Huffing, Kanae managed to get Kyoko off her and stood up. Her eyes quickly caught sight of Marina, who was smiling widely at her. "It is nice to see you well, Kotonami-san," the ghostwriter greeted her. "It has been some time, hasn't it?"

"Good evening, Akatoki-san," she replied, bowing politely. "I'm more than glad to see you here in this party. I thought I would have no talking companion aside from Hiou-kun tonight."

Marina chuckled. "Then why don't you and Uesugi-kun have a seat with us here?" she offered. "Perhaps it will be more entertaining for you two to converse with these old ones."

"How rude, Marina," Seijuro fake-grumbled. "I'm not that old."

"I second that," Kento nodded in agreement.

The younger Akatoki blatantly ignored them. "So, Kotonami-san?"

"Please pardon my intrusion, then." Kanae gestured for Hiou to come there and got herself a seat next to Marina.

"Now, Nii-san, Kento, let me introduce you to Kotonami Kanae-san," the older woman said. "She is Kyoko-san's best friend and an amazing actress on top of that. She played the older angel in 'True Reflection'. And Nii-san already knows him, but I would also like to introduce Kento to Uesugi Hiou-kun, an actor of Akatoki Agency.

"Kotonami-san, Uesugi-kun, these are my older brother, Akatoki Seijuro, and my cousin, Uehara Kento."

Kanae stared at Kento with wide eyes. "You're Kyoko's father?" she choked in disbelief.

The artist raised an eyebrow awkwardly at the girl. "Err… Yes?" he mumbled. He cringed when he saw her appraising him from head to toe.

Hmm… Now that I look at him this close, he indeed looks like Kyoko. No, he's the man version of Kyoko, except for the black hair. But then, Kyoko said she used to have black hair before she dyed it with that ridiculous chestnut brown… Although it still looks good on her… Kanae thought, a bit unwillingly at the last part. Those pairs of golden eyes are so alike they give me the creeps. Now I know where Kyoko got her oh-so-domestic looks. It's all this man's fault.

"Is there something wrong with me, Kotonami-san?" Kento asked her, his lips curved into a nervous smile. "You're looking at me pretty intently, I dare say." This girl's scary!

Kanae blinked in abrupt realization. "Ah, sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to stare at you. It's just that now that I can look at you closely, I realize that you and Kyoko are like twins. That's all."

She sweat-dropped when she saw the man blush. Seriously? They're even alike in this aspect? I swear this daughter-father pair is creeping me more than ever. This is like I'm sitting between two Kyokos!

Meanwhile, Ren and Yashiro were taken aback when they were greeted by the moving candelabras. Beside them, Kuu and Julie, who they met by chance at the gates of Lory's vacation house, looked as if they were seeing extraterrestrial beings.

"The President did it again, didn't he?" Yashiro mumbled monotonously. "I'll bet all of my riches on it."

"That won't be fair, Yashiro-san," Ren protested. "All of us know it's not fair to bet on the obvious answer."

Right when he finished his sentence, Maria was already bowing at them elegantly. She spoke with an elegant tone, "Welcome to the celebration! Thank you for coming, Ren-sama, Yashiro-sama." The little girl then looked up at them with a smile, which immediately turned into a puzzled frown when she saw the blonde couple next to them. "May I inquire your name, please, Sir and Madam?"

"What an adorable child!" Julie squealed before squatting down and scooping Maria into a bear hug. "She looks just like a doll!"

Her husband sighed. "Julie, let her go. You don't want to choke Boss' granddaughter to death, do you? Look at her; she's started to go blue on the face."

"Oh my, I'm sorry," the American muttered sheepishly, abruptly releasing Maria from her hug and leaving the girl a bit disheveled and wide-eyed. "She's Lory's granddaughter? They don't resemble each other!"

"Boss' granddaughter or not, I absolutely don't want you to be arrested for decapitating a little girl in our daughter's party," Kuu muttered. "Speaking of which, where's she?"

Maria cleared her throat to shake herself out of her stupor, and then turned to Ren. "Ren-sama," she began skeptically. "Do you know these guests?"

The dark-haired man only chuckled. "I suppose you're too young to recognize them, but may be you've heard the name Hizuri Kuu?"

"I guess I heard Grandfather mentioned the name several times when he was on Skype, talking to someone when scheming on how to get you and Big Sister together," she answered innocently. "So are you saying that this uncle is the 'Kuu' Grandfather always talked to?"

Ren scowled at the Hollywood actor, who looked back at him with a confused look. So my own father, who sees my girlfriend as his own daughter, actually helped that love-obsessed old man to get us together, huh? I don't know whether I should be grateful to them or just plain pissed off at him for meddling in.

"Ren-sama?"

Maria's call shook him off his inward grumble. He blinked his eyes several times before shifting his gaze back at the gingerette. "Ah, yeah, I guess President always talks to him. Hizuri Kuu is a good friend of his and used to be a talent of LME, after all."

The girl looked at the tall, blonde couple again. "I'm sorry for being rude," she bowed apologetically – at this moment, Julie squealed again in giddiness. "You must be guests of Big Sister. Welcome! Please let me lead you to your table for the night. The show will begin shortly."

All four of the guests exchanged unknowing glances. "Show?"

Mori Kogoro was glad that he was able to go to KYOKO's 'Grateful Party'.

Although a bit taken aback with Saena's angry tone when he had asked her about meeting KYOKO during the hearing, he was glad that at least the woman had been pleased to receive the information he had managed to gather. She even had insinuated for him to give her more details of this party.

And there he was, sitting at a table located in the middle of the room next to a wide, velvet-carpeted pathway. Even if he had found the candelabras plain weird; and he had to sit next to Kisaki Eri, his wife, who had spent the entire time criticizing his manners, Mori had so far enjoyed the party, especially the exquisite drinks.

The things he was not patient about, at the moment, were the food to be brought out to the tables and Edogawa Conan, a bespectacled elementary boy living at his home, laughing at him being chewed out by Eri. His hands already itched to hit the boy's head like usual, but he immediately stopped himself when Ran, his only daughter, glared at him.

Meeting Hattori Heiji, the son of the Osaka Police Department's chief – and one of the three most annoying young detectives in his life – had not helped his case. Apparently, Hattori Heizo and Akatoki Seijuro had been schoolmates during their younger days, and KYOKO had sent the Hattori household an invitation in behalf of her uncle.

So far, the actress had not come and given them a welcome. Not that Mori expected her to.

He decided to scan the entire room out of boredom, and was caught in surprise when he spotted the infamous Hizuri Kuu and his blonde wife giving KYOKO, who was dressed in pale green, long mermaid-cut silk gown with touches of thin gold chains, a familial embrace. Beside the three, Tsuruga Ren and a bespectacled man Mori did not recognized were looking at them with smiles.

Hizuri Kuu is here? He yelled inwardly. So this KYOKO is that famous?! I thought she's just a newbie!

Mori was more surprised when the room suddenly got dark. To his relief, he was not the only one who was startled.

"What's with the lights off, Kyoko?" Julie asked her pseudo-daughter with curiosity as they sat down around a table near the one occupied by the Akatokis, Kento, Kanae, and Hiou.

Ren raised one of his eyebrows when his girlfriend grinned with mischief apparent in her ochre eyes. "You see," she sang, "I managed to ask some of my friends to put on a show for us, which is about to begin in three… two… one…"

A spotlight suddenly blared on, shining over three men who were standing on the stage with instruments. Ren quickly recognized them as the Ishibashis – Hikaru, Shinichi, and Yuusei – from Kimagure Rock, where Kyoko played the chicken Bo.

The shortest of the men, Hikaru, grabbed the standing microphone and began with a quite solemn voice while trying to imitate a French accent, albeit failing hilariously, making his voice snotty. "Ma chere Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents – your dinner!"

Ren could not help but laugh when he heard a lot of the guests cheering loudly for the upcoming dinner more than Hikaru reciting the famous speech taken from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' in a rather funny manner. The Ishibashis, however, decided to ignore that.

As Yuusei and Shinichi were ready with their instruments together with the orchestra hired by Kyoko and Maria, Hikaru began again.

"Be our guest! Be our guest!
Put our service to the test
Tie your napkin 'round your neck, Cherie, and we'll provide the rest
Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeuvres
Why, we only live to serve
Try the grey stuff, it's delicious
Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!

They can sing, they can dance
After all, Miss, this is France, and a dinner here is never second best
Go on, unfold your menu
Take a glance and then you'll be our guest
Oui, our guest
Be our guest!"

Mori could not understand why Ran was squealing and cheering giddily over the performance. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing special about it.

The next moment his attention was back to the stage – because Ran was squealing again – a half dozen of female singers dressed in simple dresses were already standing behind Hikaru, singing along him in unison.

"Beef ragout, cheese soufflé
Pie and pudding 'en flambe'
We'll prepare and serve with flair a culinary cabaret!"

The doors leading to the kitchen suddenly burst open and kitchen hands holding dishes of appetizer flooded the hall, each of them walking towards the stage and along the velvet pathway before spreading out towards a table. Meanwhile, the singers were still singing.

"You're alone and you're scared, but the banquet's all prepared
No one's gloomy or complaining while the flatware's entertaining
We tell jokes! I do tricks with my fellow candlesticks."

Hikaru was grabbed out of the blue by the candelabras which had left their post at the entrance, and was thrown around, eliciting the laughter of the guests, while Yuusei, Shinichi, and the female singers paid no attention to the poor Ishibashi.

"And it's all in perfect taste that you can bet
Come on and lift your glass"

All the guests stood up from their seats and raised their glasses for a toast, prompting Mori to do so as well.

"You've won your own free pass to be our guest
If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest
Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!"

Hikaru finally managed to get back onto the stage and reclaim his microphone, huffing and puffing. Ren started to wonder what the damned moving candelabras had done to the poor soul, as he looked so disheveled.

"Get your worries off your chest
Let us say for your entrée we've an array; may we suggest
Try the bread! Try the soup!
When the croutons loop de loop
It's a treat for any dinner
Don't believe me? Ask the china!

Singing pork! Dancing veal! What an entertaining meal!
How could anyone be gloomy and depressed?
We'll make you shout 'encore!' and send us out for more
So, be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!"

More dancers dressed in colorful cabaret dancers got into the hall on the velvet pathway. Ren nudged Kyoko softly and gained her attention. "Let me guess; President's idea?" he asked.

She only laughed. "You got it."

Mori almost drooled when one of the cabaret dancers blinked repeatedly in an arousing manner. But he quickly reign himself in control when he sensed Eri, Ran, and Conan staring at him disapprovingly with narrowed eyes.

Bridge Rock, the singers, and the orchestra were still going on.

"Be our guest! Be our guest! Our command is your request
It's been years since we've had anybody here and we're obsessed
With your meal, with your ease
Yes, indeed, we aim to please
While the candlelight's still glowing
Let us help you, we'll keep going
Course by course, one by one
'Til you shout, 'Enough! I'm done!'
Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest
Tonight you'll prop your feet up
But for now, let's eat up
Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!
Please, be our guest!"

And the show was ended with colorful smokes coming from the stage, and when the lights were back on, all the performers were gone. Instead, Takarada Maria was standing alone on the stage.

"Once again, welcome, guests!" she said happily, her eyes scanning the entire hall. "I'm very pleased to have you all here in this year's 'Grateful Party'. I, and also in behalf of my Big Sister, who I see is busy entertaining some of our special guests," she winked at the direction of KYOKO, Mori noticed, "give our best gratitude. Thank you very much for coming!"

The guests cheered. Maria continued, "And we also want to thank Bridge Rock and LME Philharmonic Orchestra for such a fabulous performance to begin our dinner! Although I must say, the candelabras were being naughty, weren't they?" What she said was followed by loud laughter.

"Now, let's say another thank you for the kitchen staffs that have supported Big Sister in preparing the feast," the gingerette said, "and let's dig in!"

Sometime later, Mori was finally face to face with KYOKO when she walked towards their table with two other women he recognized as Akatoki Marina and Hizuri Kuu's wife.

"I'm so sorry for not greeting you earlier when you first come, Kisaki-san," the girl greeted with a bow. Looking at her closely, Mori now had to admit that the young actress, whom he had at first found plain, was actually a natural beauty, more so with the help of minimalistic, smartly-applied make-up.

Beside him, Eri smiled at the chestnut-haired girl. "That's alright," the lawyer said. "You were occupied, we could understand that. Thank you for inviting me and letting me bring my family. Let me introduce you to my daughter, Ran, my husband, Mori Kogoro, and Conan, who currently lives with them."

"I'm so happy to meet you, KYOKO!" Ran squealed happily. "I'm a fan of yours! Your performance in 'Dark Moon', although really scary, was so endearing!"

Aren't you afraid of scary things like ghost? Mori scowled at his daughter in his mind. KYOKO's Mio was so scary it was like a ghost! You shook in fright seeing Mio, and you still dare say that you were enraptured by her?

KYOKO smiled. "I'm happy that you like my act," she replied the ecstatic ravenette. "Not many people like Mio, character wise. But it's still great to know that my Mio at least left an impression on viewers. Now I'm glad."

Next to KYOKO, Marina only stared at Mori with displeasure, making him twitch uncomfortably. "What is it?" he snapped. "Can't you stop staring at me like that?"

"Oh, my apologies," Marina said with a sarcastic tone. "It is just that I did not expect a lowly private investigator to be here, and I certainly do not like the way you eye my niece here. Tell me, Mori-san; is it a hobby of yours to crash parties?"

His fist quickly hit the table in anger. He shouted, attracting attention of other guests, "I'm not crashing! Now you tell me, Akatoki, why is it that every time we meet, you always provoke me?"

"Is it not just your imagination?" the ghostwriter rolled her eyes. "Although, in the deepest part of my heart, it is true that I am willing to give you a punch right on your disgustingly mustached face for making Eri-chan suffer."

"I guess they know each other and their relationship is bad?" Julie whispered to her daughter questioningly.

The girl only shrugged. "I guess?"

When they looked at Marina again, she and Mori were already squabbling.

Nearing midnight, Lory – still in his kingly attire – got up onto the stage and gained the attention of the guests.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he began with his infamous baritone voice. "As the grandfather of one of our lovely hostesses," he winked at Maria, who was frowning at him, "I'd like to thank you for being here to celebrate something with me for a moment."

The murmur among the guests grew in sound volume.

"But first! Let me bring you to a world…" he trailed down only to whisper dramatically into the microphone in his grasp, "where magic exists."

Ren and Kuu rolled their eyes. "Here we go again…"

Lory snapped his fingers and the stage was once again full of smoke. Ren had to wonder why the smoke detectors had not blared with that much smoke. When the smoke had disappeared, Takarada Kouki and Kento were already on the stage with Lory, standing next to a gigantic two-tiered cake shaped like a castle on the top, and full of roses and butterflies on the bottom. A chocolate block carved intricately into a 'Happy Birthday' was placed between the two layers.

"I'd like to call our two hostesses up here, please," the flamboyant man said, gesturing to Maria and Kyoko, who was back to sitting between Ren and Kuu.

Sheepishly, the two approached the stage. Ren, Marina, Seijuro, Kuu, and Julie were following Kyoko closely with smiles all over their faces. When Kanae realized what was happening, she was already too late as Lory was already speaking again.

"Before today ends, I'd like my dearest granddaughter to make a wish and blow the candle on the bottom layer of the cake."

The guests instinctively sang 'Happy Birthday' as Maria, on the verge of tears, hugged Lory, then Kouki, before blowing her candles, holding hands with her father. Claps were heard loudly afterwards, and among them, the only grandfather clock in the hall chimed majestically, signaling the arrival of the new day.

Ren quickly bent down and pressed his lips softly on Kyoko's, who quickly but shyly reciprocated. When they broke the kiss, he kissed her once more on the forehead before offering her this year's Queen Rosa. "Happy birthday, my love."

Part 1 of 'Grateful Party' arc is done! I had so much fun planning and typing this arc that I have to split it into two chapters. Now the number of chapters before the epilogue increases -" I am so not good with planning.

phantomofthewind, I hope you're satisfied of my way of bringing Heiji into this story. HE WILL BE THE LAST CHARACTER FROM 'DETECTIVE CONAN' I added in, okay?

Additional Disclaimer:
- I of course do not own Kisaki Eri, Mori Kogoro and Ran, Edogawa Conan, and Hattori Heiji. Aoyama Gosho does.
- And I absolutely do not own 'Be Our Guest'. It's copyrighted to Alan Menken and Walt Disney Pictures.
- 'Beauty and the Beast' is already a famous fairytale with many versions I do not know who to give courtesy to for this.

Please review :) Thank you!