thank you, Pathetic Rainbow, for all the corrections you've done. ^ ^

"Ah!" exclaimed a woman with golden locks, as she helped the child that tripped to stand up before he would contact with the concrete floor below. "Careful now, honey."

"Um, s-sorry, Mummy," apologized the child with vermillion hair and golden orbs. She blushed, tightening her grip on her mother's hand. The things she did—couldn't she stop embarrassing herself and her mother further by being extremely clumsy? Unfortunately not.

"It's okay, Hikari." Nami Amou-Ousaki smiled, patting her child's head gently with her free hand. Nami didn't mind that Hikari was clumsy; although she deeply worries about her getting into danger. There was a huge possibility that innocent, little Hikari here would be tangled in some sort of accident. Nami shivered at the thought, brushing it off. She certainly wouldn't think of that.

Kneeling down in front of the girl, Nami brushed Hikari's dress clean. Even though she didn't trip, Nami wanted to make sure that she still looked neat. She caressed Hikari's face fondly, smiling at her blushing face, and raising a mocking eyebrow at her partner that says, "Well? Are you just gonna stand there like an idiot or what?"

"No," replied the male as if answering his wife's sarcastic question. He held his arms wide, knelt down on one knee, and waited for the cute angel to approach him. When Hikari hugged him, he stood up, carrying the child and asked if she was alright.

"I'm fine, Daddy," said Hikari with a shy smile. She hid her face by burying it at the crook of his neck, and wrapping her little arms around it.

"I'm glad," said Shinobu Ousaki, running his fingers through her hair as if combing them. He walked beside his wife who rolled her eyes at the display.

Sometimes they both wondered how they got along too well.

.

.

.

"How did I get myself into this?" Len said his thoughts out loud, immediately regretting when he let his guard down as he was splashed by a huge wave of water. He was now very wet from head to toe.

Len glared at the child in the bathtub, twisting and squeezing the water out of his white, long-sleeved t-shirt. "All right, that's enough." He stood up from his kneeling position beside the tub and got a thick towel from the rack near the sink. He stretched it out as he approached the "little demon" swimming and playing in the water. "You should get out now before you get sick."

"I don't want to," protested Ren with a smug smile on his face. He was having so much fun with his temporary daddy that he wanted to mess around with him more. Ren never knew that having him around would make things...enjoyable—not that he didn't have fun with his mother. It's just that the feeling was totally different. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but he could say that having Len around made him feel complete. He now had a mummy and a daddy—the family's all here.

"Come now, Ren." Len sighed, attempting to calm himself down before he loses his cool. The child was troublesome, he had to admit. He was totally proven wrong in thinking that this child was obedient and well-behaved, when in reality, he was the exact opposite. Or maybe he was just like that when he's alone with him.

The little child stayed put and did what he was told to do when Kahoko was around. He'd listen attentively to her instructions, often offering her his help in cleaning the house—one thing Len wasn't used to. Ren was the silent yet cheerful type; he sketches—or doodles, in Len's most humble opinion—imaginary characters, saying that they were his guardian angels. Len would raise his eyebrows, nonetheless shrug and say, "They were good," monotonously.

Although Ren would mysteriously vanish into thin air from time to time—every afternoon, to be precise. This, of course, set Len panicking inside, knowing he was in trouble if something bad happened to the child. Kahoko and his mother would murder him without a doubt. But, to his relief, the ruby-haired child would appear like magic an hour and a half later. When he'd asked where he'd been, Ren would flash him an innocent smile and say, "That's a secret!" with a wink and run upstairs to his room. Whatever it was he did, Len didn't have the slightest clue.

With him being occupied with his thoughts, Ren frowned and thought that he'd snap out of it with another splash of water. He grinned like a chesire cat and did what he had planned.

Len, as if he was not wet enough, was once again drenched in water. He raised his hand and wiped his face, growling lowly and mumbling something about "kids being only nothing but trouble." Len shook his head like a dog drying itself and cursed under his breath the moment he realized the towel was wet.

"Stay right where you are." He tried to sound casual, but he couldn't help but let bitterness drip from every syllable. He went out of the huge, tiled bathroom and began his search for a towel or two.

He wouldn't change his clothes, even if it sounded as a good idea, knowing that Ren would make it rain... again.

Len wondered how Kahoko was able to raise a kid like him.

.

.

.

Len was outnumbered—or so he thought.

Everybody was looking at him expectantly, especially Misa and Ren. Kahoko was staring at him sympathetically, sorry etched her face.

Len gulped, gaze switching from one person to another. He glanced at Kahoko longer than the others, silently asking for help—which was barely recognizable. Kahoko thought he was glaring at her because she was useless and he had to set things right; which was totally false. She sank in her chair further, hiding her embarrassment; the message "I'm terribly sorry for being useless, then!" surrounding her.

When he got no help from the oblivious redhead, Len inwardly sighed and said, "I'm sorry, but no."

"No?" repeated Ren and Misa, eyes widening in shock.

"No?" said Kahoko, sitting up straight in alarm.

"Yes," answered Len.

"Yes?" the three asked in confusion.

"No," said Len firmly. He had a bad feeling about this, as though he was about to crack if they asked a one-word question again.

"No?" He's starting to get really pissed off by now.

"Yes."

"Yes?" That triggered all the cool Len had left in him.

"Yes, I mean "no," so please stop this nonsense," said Len exasperatedly. He glowered lowly, enough to be heard only by himself.

"..." They remained silent like children getting caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar.

Misa asked, "Why?" but Len wasn't sure his reason was strong enough.

He glanced at the boy who had requested for him to be his temporary daddy, and felt a slight guilt when he saw his expression.

Ren looked hurt, extremely hurt, and it was all his fault.

.

.

.

Returning to the bathroom with a towel in hand, Len knelt down in front of Ren to dry him off. With a couple of protests and destruction inside, they finally had a truce—a temporary truce, in Ren's case.

The war has just began, Ren thought smugly. It'll take a while before there's peace between two sides.

As they enter the child's bedroom, Ren told Len to change his clothes first before putting on his. Len said 'no' sharply, and put a fresh pair of clothes on Ren, who rolled his eyes at the thought.

It'll take a while, he repeated to himself. Daddy's too stubborn.

He'll let Len have his way. For now, at least.

.

.

.

"Misa-san, what is it that you want to give me?" asked Kahoko, attempting to change the subject.

For the past few minutes, all eyes were glued to Ren and his sulking expression. They thought he was going to burst out crying with the way his eyes were shining like jewels. But he didn't. Ren smiled assuringly and said "It's okay, it's my fault anyway." It averted everybody's attention from him. Although it was hard not to comfort a child who's down, it took quite a while before the adults made a conversation.

"Oh, that." Misa smiled, reaching through her purse. She took out a small, rectangular box wrapped in a red wrapper, and a golden bow tied around it. She handed the box over to Kahoko, which the redhead accepted reluctantly. "I hope you'd like it," said Misa as she watched Kahoko open the present.

Lifting the lid off the box, Kahoko gasped when she saw the content. It was a necklace with a sapphire pendant and a golden chain. The pendant glimmered as the light hit it, but that wasn't the reason why Kahoko gasped. It was when you pointed it towards the light that the jewel changes its colour. It was originally blue but when it had contact with any form of light, it turns purple.

Trying to recover from the enchantment, Kahoko asked, "What...Why?"

"It's a present I've been meaning to give you all these time," said Misa fondly, her gaze softening like she was in bliss. "This is our anniversary; the day I started tutoring you with the piano."

"Piano?" This caught Len's interest. He knew a redhead that could play the piano very well, but the name escaped his mind.

Could it be...?, he looked at Kahoko fully, trying to recognize every feature. Her eyes... hair colour... His thoughts trailed off as Kahoko spoke, "B-but you s-shouldn't have. Really..."

"I insist, Kahoko-san." Misa smiled, waving her hands to tell the redhead to keep it. "I want you to have it."

"B-b-but...!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop saying that word," tsked Misa, shaking her head as an amused smile graced her lips.

"Misa-san..."

"Um, Obaa-san?" Ren, who had been silent, spoke up. He drew everybody's attention back to him, causing him to fidget in his seat. He blushed lightly. "Does Onii-chan know Mummy?"

Misa stole a glance at Len's direction and said, "Hmm-hmm. Yes, they both do. Len and Kahoko-san know each other from childhood. I believe they were classmates, also, when they studied Music in High School and in University in Vienna."

Len's eyes widened. I knew it, he thought. His eyes never leaving the young pianist in front of him. Now he was sure, definitely sure, that this woman sitting at the opposite side of the table was his—

"But I don't think Tsukimori-kun remembers me," said Kahoko shyly. "I had to go back to Japan because of some... 'circumstances' in the half of the first term in University."

"You mean giving birth to Ren-kun?" asked Misa, leaning on the table with her hands intertwined and chin resting on them. When Kahoko nodded, she continued, "You could've had done it in Vienna, but I assume you have your reasons."

"Yes." Kahoko's voice was getting thiner and smaller with each passing second. But the main reason was that I didn't want him to know about Ren; about his existence. He would want to have Ren and might take him away from me. I don't think I can—

"Kahoko-san?" Misa began to worry over Kahoko's silence. The girl's silence always gave her bad feelings; she didn't know what the girl was thinking even after the years they've spent together.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I spaced out a little." Kahoko gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head. She attempted to calm her racing heart by taking in deep breaths. Finally, when she was done, she said, "But we can't blame Tsukimori-kun for forgetting me. It's been almost six years since the last time I saw him." She turned her gaze to the man in front of her, golden orbs shining breathtakingly under the chandelier's light. "Right, Tsukimori-kun?"

"...Ah," was all he could mutter. There were too many things inside his head at the same time—so many.

"Then, you're already twenty-six years old," said Misa, nodding to herself.

"Twenty-five, to be precise. But yes, I'm turning twenty-six this coming February." Noticing the time on her wristwatch, Kahoko stood up gently from her seat. "Anyway, it's getting rather late, Misa-san. I have to go now. Ren still have classes tomorrow."

"I see," mumbled Misa as she and Ren stood up; Len followed seconds later. "Be careful, okay?" she said before an idea appeared in her mind. "Oh! Can't you just stay here for tonight? Your house is a couple of blocks away, and I'm sure both of you are tired."

"No, it's okay, Misa-san," said Kahoko, shaking her head as she declined the offer. "We'll be home in no time."

Misa seemed to hesitate, but one look on the redhead's face told her not to worry. Still...

"Thank you very much for the necklace, Misa-san. I love it." She smiled. "We'll see you around. Good bye and good night, Misa-san, Tsukimori-kun." She turned to leave, Ren immediately beside her, holding each other's hands.

As they started walking, they were stopped midway to the front door. Tsukimori Len stood a few steps behind them.

Kahoko glanced over her shoulder and so did her son. They waited until finally, Len spoke: "I'll walk you home; it's much safer this way." He paused, pursing his lips. He let out a sigh, looking straight in Kahoko's eyes, then to Ren. "About your request..." he hesitated, biting his lower lip. Len eventually found some courage inside him, and continued, "I'll... I accept."

i hope this makes up for my extremely late update. i'm truly sorry about that. we all know how school occupies our time, don't we? :-)

i may update this story really slowly; depending whether my hands are full or not.

also, you might've noticed that the other kids weren't in this chapter. well, i couldn't find a place to squeeze them all in 'cause, hey, we need len, kahoko, misa and ren to tell the story, don't we? :-)

i hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and please do review!