I AM DONE! Omg. I AM PREPARED TO LET YOU GUYS THROW ALL THE ROTTEN EGGS YOU WANT AT ME.

SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO sorry for being so late T_T

I am currently stuck on this song by this Vietnamese composer. Awesome melodies. Her name is Thao Ngyuen Xanh, ever heard of her? :D I can't find her autobiography on wiki. If any of you know any info on her please tell me. I want her other songs too. Heh.

Chapter 6 – Precious Gift

The daisies swayed with the breeze while the tall oak tree stood firmly beside them outside the gates of Jushou Elementary School. The sky was a brilliant azure blue with white splotches of cotton clouds. But Len did not have time to enjoy the scenery as he hurried up the stone steps. It was recess time. Screams and shouts at the playground were, however, inaudible to Len. He didn't even hear Kahoko shouting his name from the swing. He briskly walked down the corridor and finally broke into a run. At the end, there was a door with a sign that read "Nurse's Office" and Len pushed it open.

Inside, Kazuki was being tended to by a nurse. His forehead, arms and torso were bandaged. Azuma was helping the nurse paste plasters on Kazuki's cheek. As soon as Len entered the room, Kazuki broke away from the medics and ran straight into Len's embrace.

"Len-nii!"

Len had received the phone call from the school just minutes ago and rushed down immediately to see if Kazuki was ok. But the injuries on Kazuki's meek body made Len's heart wrench. There were bruises on every limb and his ankles were still bleeding. Disheveled hair covered bruises and cuts on his cheeks. Pulling Kazuki closer, he hushed the crying boy. "It's okay, you're safe now. I'm here, so stop crying." Kazuki sniffed and reluctantly pulled his teary face away.

His body was still trembling from fear. As Len carried him back to the chair, Kahoko came running into the ward.

"Len-nii! What are you doing in school?" she asked cheerfully. Then she saw Kazuki and her face lost the sunny smile instantly. Before anybody could say anything, the phone rang and the nurse clicked the loudspeaker.

"Hello, this is Officer Hasumi, is the nurse-in-charge here?" the person on the other end of the line said.

"Yes, speaking," replied the head nurse. Everyone else in the room listened attentively.

"We have managed to bring in Mrs. Kiyo Hihara and Mr. Hiro Moshiro," a loud crash interrupted her.

"You useless man! You can't even keep an eye on a kid?"

It was Mrs. Hihara's voice in the background. But Kazuki could no longer recognize the voice, for it was no longer tender but unkind and furious.

"HE WAS CHAINED TO THE BED! HOW SHOULD I KNOW HE COULD ESCAPE?"

Silence fell in the room. Everyone had heard him loud and clear. All gazes averted away from Kazuki. They couldn't look at him, not after what he had gone through. Len pulled him closer. The head nurse switched off the loud speaker and picked up the phone. After a couple of 'yes' and 'understood', she hung up and turned to Len.

"They need Kazuki to go to the police station and identify the suspects." She paused. "Will you be able to do that?" She asked Len, even though everyone knew that question was directed at Kazuki.

Taking a deep breath, he puffed up his chest and gave a slow nod. I have to be brave, Kazuki thought, otherwise Len-nii will just be more worried. Kahoko stood in the doorway, eyes wide with fear and confusion when Azuma gently placed his hands on her shoulders and ushered her back to class.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeap!" replied Kazuki cheerfully. Len watched the kid do a little skip down the corridor.

"You don't have to push yourself, Kazuki."

"But I'm not!" he replied indignantly.

"Don't lie," Len knelt down and hugged the child. "It's alright if you want to cry."

Kazuki bit his lip and pushed back the tears that were welling in his eyes. I can't let Len-nii see me crying again, he thought as he remembered how painful Len's eyes were when he came into the ward and saw him full of cuts and bandages. Len waited for a little while more, when he was sure Kazuki had dried his tears, he stood up, took the boy by the hand and headed for the car.

The car ride to the station seemed like an impending doom to Kazuki. He was afraid of what his mother would do to him. He couldn't even face his own mother, knowing that she didn't love him at all. Kahoko and Azuma had returned to classes, but Len knew there was no way they could pay attention, especially after what they saw. Kahoko even broke down when she had learnt what really happened.

Pulling his car over, Len got out of the car slowly. He half expected Kazuki to sit in the car for a long time, but he was even faster than him. Fists clenched, Kazuki went to Len's side and they both walked up the stairs. Len could see him trembling, but Kazuki remained unfazed.

They entered the building and an officer showed them to the interrogation room where they sat behind the piece of mirror glass. A couple of suspects filed into the room behind the glass. All of them were wearing number tags. Kazuki's mother held the number 5 tag. Kazuki hestitated but Len put his hand on Kazuki's shoulder reassuringly.

Kiyo Hihara sat in the other room irritated. I'm going to give that Hiro a piece of my mind later, she thought. She wasn't even worried about going to jail. Afterall, she was confident that Kazuki wouldn't turn in his own mother.

But she was so very wrong.

When she exited the room, the policeman waiting outside immediately placed a hand-cuff on her. She couldn't believe it. She thought the policeman had mixed up the identity. But it was no mistake for Kazuki emerged from the next room with his eyes away from her.

"Kazuki!" she called. I can't go to jail! A voice in her mind screamed.

Len pushed him along.

"KAZUKI!" Screaming, she struggled with the policeman, but that only caused more policemen to come and resist her.

"HOW CAN YOU PUT YOUR OWN MOTHER IN JAIL!" She was on the floor, her hands behind her. Desperate, she wriggled towards her son.

Len whispered to a policeman and the policeman quietly took Kazuki to the car park. Then Len turned around slowly and watched the frantic woman squirm her way towards his feet. Kiyo's eyes were wide with fear and disbelief. She couldn't accept the reality before her eyes, going to jail would ruin her future forever, God knows how many years she'll be sitting in the cell. Len bent down, his gaze meeting the frantic woman's eyes.

"If you can't even love your own son, you're not fit to be a mother."

Tears streamed down Kiyo's face. "I'm sorry! I'M SORRY KAZUKI! Please! Help me, I don't want to go to jail! I can't! I promise I'll be good to him. I pro-"

Len whammed his hand on the floor, his eyes red and furious. If looks could kill, Kiyo would be a bloody corpse by now.

"After all you did to that boy. After how you mistreated him, threaten him, abuse him." His voice became louder. "Chain him to a bed! Starve him for a week! YOU THINK IT CAN ALL BE EASILY FORGIVEN?" The woman looked at him in shock, guilt caught up with her and tears poured out of her eyes, down her cheek and onto the floor.

"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered. Len got up, the police station was dead quiet and all eyes were on them. Without looking back at her, Len angrily shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away. Shameless woman, he thought.

"Please tell Kazuki, I'm sorry…" the woman whispered, but Len was already gone.

In the carpark, the policeman was trying to console Kazuki, telling him he had done the right thing by bringing a bad person to justice. But Kazuki just kept on crying, he couldn't stop, and the policeman knew there wasn't much he could do either.

Because turning one's own mother in is a painful decision for any kid.

The whole family was in shock when they learnt of Kazuki's unfortunate incident, but on a happier note, they were glad he was back. The house was starting to miss his usual pranks and sudden outbursts of laughter. Kazuki didn't seem to be very much affected either. Maybe it was because he never really did acknowledged that woman to be his mother. Or maybe it was because he had already found a place where he belonged. This family is a precious gift to him. A gift no one could take away, and a gift they all shared.

Kazuki had to wear a cast over his arm for the next few days or so. And the children had immense fun drawing on the white cast. They even painted pictures of dinosaurs and rockets and whatnot.

"You're not gonna leave us anymore, right Kazu-ni?" Kahoko asked while drawing a picture of a prince and a princess kissing on his cast.

"Nope, I'm staying right here. I love this place," he smiled, then he saw what Kahoko was drawing and immediately screamed in horror.

Len was in the kitchen drinking coffee when he overheard their conversation. He smiled a little and flipped the newspaper. I'm really glad Kazuki is back in the family, he thought. But the next moment, he was sighing, because if one parents had already come looking for their child, it wouldn't be long before others came knocking on the day. When that happens, how can he ensure the children's safety? Len made himself a second cup of coffee when an idea struck his mind. He immediately took his coat and car keys and bolted out of the house.

He didn't return until an hour later and the children demanded to know where he had disappeared too. He was carrying a plastic bag full of boxes and the children were just dying to know what was inside. Len lifted them out of reach as he headed for his room, laughing as the children tried all ways and means to get it.

To make up for his disappearance, Len treated them all to pizza hut and ice cream for dinner. When they returned home, the sun had already set. They all gathered round the television and flipped through the channels randomly. They argued over what to watch and Len just sat there, slouched in his seat, fatigued and sleepy.

That night, when everyone had gone to bed, Kazuki lay awake on his bed, thinking about the day's events. There came a soft knock on the door and Len opened it gently, leaking in a stream of yellow light. Kazuki remained lying on his bed as Len sat down at the foot of his bed. Cautiously, Len reached into his side pocket and took out a hand phone. But it wasn't his usual black flip phone. It was a slide phone with a sunny orange cover. He handed it to Kazuki.

"Here, this way, if anything happens, you can call me." Len told him. "My number is on speed dial, you just have to press 1 and the call button then…"Fascinated, Kazuki immediately shot up and started to explore the new gadget.

"Gee, thanks Len-nii! So that was what you went out to buy," Kazuki said.

"Yeah, you're the first to know. So keep it a secret and don't tell the others ok?" Len put a finger to his mouth which made Kazuki giggle. Len watched him toy with it, his right hand supporting himself on the springy mattress and the left ruffling through Kazuki's fluffy green hair.

After the incident with Kiyo, Len truly didn't know what to expect from the other children's parents. Anything could happen. The parents could be heavily indebted, or they may be abusive, or mentally unsound, or are involved in illegal trading, or… the list was just too long. As least this time, if they had the hand phones by their side, he would feel much safer.

The next morning, the children were pleasantly surprised with the hand phones Len handed out to them. Shouko's phone was a simple model with a sweet pink cover. Keichi loved his phone because he claimed that the exterior looked just like honey. Smooth, golden and glossy. Kazuki had already pasted a couple of Transformer stickers on his orange slide phone. Kahoko's phone was the new Ice Cream model. It was a flip phone just like Len's, except hers was white while Len's is black. Len specially chose a phone with a more manly colour for Azuma in the hopes that Azuma will change some of his habits. It was a slide phone, with a bottom base colour of chocolate brown and silver for the screen border. The phone was then topped off with a gold lining along the sides. It was classy, sleek and not in the least girly. Len took pride in his choice. But all the children were envious of Ryoutaro because his phone was a touch screen! In fact, it was the new i-phone 4!

"Unfair…" Kazuki scowled.

"Len-nii's biased…" added Kahoko.

"If you can prove your worth, I'll buy you the new i-pad."

"YOU'RE ON!" the children chimed.

At the same time, someone knocked on the door. It was Hamai Misa. Len's mother came for a visit again and this time she gave her son a list of recommended teachers for the children. Hamai would be taking charge of Ryoutaro and she made Len promise to teach Kahoko so as to save costs. Flute specialist Shino Hetalia, half Japanese, half Italian. 3 times cello concours winner Chen TingYu from China and 30-years of clarinet teaching experience, Adalgisa Reginheraht, German.

"Mother… They're all foreigners."

"I know dear, it's called foreign talent."

Arranging the lessons time was a lot easier than Len expected since all Hamai needed to do was pull a couple of strings. Even the fees were discounted.

"Isn't your concert tonight?" Hamai asked her son.

"Yeah, it is."

"Why aren't you practicing?" Hamai asked with a curious tone.

"I already did, and you can't expect me to practice 24/7 right?" Len gave a little laugh.

My dear Len, these children really have changed you. In the past, you used to hog your violin at every second possible, but now you're so relaxed, you've learnt to let and enjoy life. You're catching up with the little joys in life that you've missed. You're opening up, Len. And I happy for you.

The night has finally arrived. The concert Len had spent so much time preparing for would finally be taking place tonight, 8pm, at the National Concert Theatre. By 11 in the morning, Len was already in full attire. He was dressed in the usual black tuxedo, a swallow-tail coat and a red bowtie to top it off. He was busy putting rosin on his bow when Kahoko barged into him room, complaining that Keichii had tied her ribbon into a granny knot. Azuma poked in to see what the fuss was about and burst out laughing when he saw the crooked ribbon on Kahoko's head.

After a great deal of hassle, the Tsukimori family had arrived at the theatre, Len had to report early so Megumi was in charge of taking care of the children. When the time finally arrived, the children eagerly took their seats in the hall. A few moments later, the lights dimmed and a single spotlight beamed at a corner where a man was standing.

"Presenting the National Japanese Orchestra," the emcee announced. "And our guest, concert master, Tsukimori Len." The audience erupted as the violin prodigy walked onto stage. He face was cold and serious. Then somewhere among the crowd came a loud whistle and a frenzy of claps. Kazuki was whistling with his fingers and the rest clapped enthusiastically. Ryoutaro was having a hard time with the stares. Len found them immediately and gave a stern glare which seemed to say, Sit-down-you-noisy-kiddies! At last, the clapping died down and the clarinet sounded the A for tuning.

Vivaldi's "Spring" bloomed into theatre as the orchestra began. It was warm, bright and golden. Outside, the blizzard brewed on, but inside, it was the peak of spring. The children listened and let their hearts change with the music. Megumi sat quietly at the edge, and was impressed that none of the children were sleeping at all. Soon the orchestra moved on to the second song, Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D. It was gentle and moving the beginning, then it became more turbulent and wild. Like an unsteady person switching through moods without warning.

When the orchestra finished playing, Len's entourage of adoring fans came flooding to the stage, armed with flowers, boxes of chocolates and cards. Somewhere among the crowd, a young kid stood on his chair and whistled, cheering as if he were watching a football match. Len wanted to give Kazuki another annoyed glare again, but something stopped him. Usually, after all performances, he would feel annoyed that he hadn't done better. But today, he felt happy. He felt that he had given his best shot and his audience loved it. He gave a little smile and bowed just for them, and then he too exit to the backstage.

After what seemed like a long time for the children, the orchestra members were finally officially released, Len quickly bolted for the car park where he had told the children to wait. Sure enough, they were there waiting eagerly for him. He put down his violin case and presents and crouched down, arms open as the children ran towards him. Throwing themselves at him, Len was knocked off his feet. They laughed and giggled as they clambered over the star of the night.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!"

"Teach me to play like that! Ok?"

"I wished you had more solo parts…"

Sitting up, Len sighed and brushed the creases off his coat. His broad grin was still plastered over his face. "Ok, ok! I promise." Len smiled. "But I need energy to fulfil all my promises, so why don't we head home to rest? We can grab ice cream along the way."

The children clapped in agreement. They got off Len and helped to take his things. Len got back on his feet, retrieved his violin case from the ground, and the whole family walked into the night.

When they were a few feet away from the car, Len took out his car key and unlocked the car through censor. The children raced to the car, leaving Len lagging behind with Ryoutaro. Just as he neared the car, Ryoutaro pulled his arm. Len turned around, only to find Ryoutaro looking away, his grip still on Len's arm.

"What's wrong?" he queried.

"I… I've got something to tell you…" Ryoutaro said uneasily.

His gaze fell to the ground, and a shade of pink creeped up his cheek. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Then he plucked up his courage and looked Len straight into the eye.

"I have a girlfriend," he finally confessed.

Thus began the start of Len's biggest problems.

This marks the end of chap 6! :D Thanks for reading… and I promise that I will keep to my deadline the next time T_T I hope I got Keichii's sister's name right. Haha.

Oh, this is the link you guys can listen to for Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D : .com/watch?v=zXe1Biqw3h4

Until we meet again! HAPPY 2011!

EXTRA : A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TSUKIMORI (3)

It was intoxicating. The way the sweet liquid rolled over his tongue and flowed down his throat. The tin can was a cold touch on his lips and the fizz filled his nostrils. Kazuki was addicted to Coca-cola. After a few more gulps, he reluctantly removed the can from his mouth, gave a satisfied sigh and let out a contented belch.

"BUUUUUUUUUUURRRRPP!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"OMIGAWD!"

"KAZUKI!"

"YOU FRIGGIN' GROSS!"

Kazuki snorted and continued drinking. Ever since he first drank it from the vending machine 30 minutes ago, he had fallen in love with it. However, he didn't seem to fancy Pepsi or Sprite, only Coke. This addiction of his had earned him a disturbing side effect.

"You burp like a giant frog…" criticized Keichi.

"Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!" Kahoko pouted.

The children kept their distance from Kazuki. Everyone was disturbed by his new habit. They couldn't eat without feeling the urge to throw up, watch television without being interrupted or do homework in peace. Kazuki let out another string of belches.

"Stop it or I'm telling Len-nii," Ryoutaro said strictly.

"Len-nii doesn't know?" asked Kazuki.

"Yea, he was practicing upstairs when we went out to grab the drinks," Ryoutaro said.

"Len-nii~ doesn't~ know~" Kazuki hummed cheekily.

"Oh no you don't…" Ryoutaro didn't like where this was heading.

"Hey, I dare you to burp extremely loud while Len-nii's playing," Azuma dared.

"Azuma! Don't encourage him!"

But it was too late, Kazuki had grabbed a fresh new can and was creeping up the stairs, the rest of the children in close pursuit.

"Oy! Stop it! He's gonna be mad!" Ryoutaro hissed, creeping after them.

As they neared Len's room, they could hear the sounds of his violin. Kazuki cautiously opened the can and started to gulp its contents. After he had drunk about half of the can, the children readied themselves by placing their hands over their ears. But Kazuki did not stop there, he continued to drink.

"Oh my God! He's going for the whole can!" Kahoko whispered excitedly.

Len could hear the children mumbling through the ajar door. But he decided to ignore them. What are they up to now?

Finally, Kazuki finished the can.

"It's coming!"

He removed the cold tin can from his lips.

"Brace yourselves!"

And let out a satisfied sigh.

"God bless Len-nii's soul…" Ryoutaro muttered.

The children braced themselves for the belch of the century.

But no one expected,

The belch

To evolve into…

… a fart.

"!"

Like an explosion, it drowned the children's laughter. Outside, the birds stopped chirping and pedestrians stopped in their tracks. Howling with laughter, they failed to see Len open his door. Greatly annoyed, his eyelid twitched as he scowled at the trouble-makers.

"I AM DISGUSTED!"

They couldn't stop laughing.

This bonus was quite… disturbing. Hahahaha. I hope that none of you are reading this in a public place… otherwise I'm very sorry for the stares you're receiving. Heh heh.