Chapter 1 — Len's Birthday Present

The last bell had just rang, announcing the release of the separate high school for Jewish boys as the students began pouring out of its double doors. A small group of three walked behind the mass slowly, locked in a conversation of current events.

"Geez... I hope this war ends soon..." the tallest boy in the bunch said. He had short, straight blue hair, wore a long white jacket with deep blue cuffs, and an elongated blue scarf that billowed in the low breeze.

"Yeah... I do too... But what can we do?" said the middle-sized boy, his untidy blonde hair kept in position under his blue sailor's hat. "I wonder what happens to the people the soldiers take... As far as we know, they never come back..."

"You're right. It does leave room to wonder..."

"Don't worry, Ollie! Kaito! This war won't last forever. I just know it'll end, and then everything will go back to the way it was before! We'll all get to go to the same school as the other kids again and we won't be discriminated for being who we are anymore! The Lord will help us through this! Nothing'll happen," the smallest cheered as his blonde hair was tossed to the side due to the wind, his ponytail curling as it did.

"... That sure would be nice," the blue haired boy replied.

"You're so full of hope, Len," voiced the other as a smile spread across his face.

"The Lord will deliver us, just like he did in Egypt all those years ago. Hey, you guys wanna come over and have dinner with us? My mom's making her famous beef stew!"

"Sure!" the other two replied in unison.

That evening, as all of them were gathered around the dinner table, Len's mother stood up and gathered everyone's attention, her long blonde hair swaying and trailing against the floor. "Len, your birthday is tomorrow and I would like to know whether you want your present tonight or in the morning."

"Really?" he asked, his crystalline blue eyes shining with the hope they always seem to bear. "Oh! That's right! Oh... I don't want to be a problem by taking it tonight..."

"Len, seriously?" his blonde friend chuckled.

"What, Oliver?"

"Just take it already if you want it," the other replied.

"Oh, okay, Kaito Nii-sama. I... I'd like it tonight, Mommy?" he raised the end in a question, uncomfortable with the thought he might be acting demanding.

His mother smiled with radiance that lit not only her visage, but the room at large as she held out a medium sized, rectangular box wrapped in yellow paper and tied with a black ribbon. "Here, sweetie."

Tenderly, Len took the parcel and held it in his hands, weighing it as he normally did, feeling the corners of the box as well. Then, he looked for the seam in the paper and carefully undid the tape. Next, he pulled the ribbon loose and slid out the box, opening it with just as much care as his mother and friends looked on in anticipation. Inside, was a white sleeveless top with yellow ribbons trailing from the arms to the bottom connected to something with snaps. Perplexed and curious, he pulled out the entire piece and saw, to his delight, that it was connected to black shorts. Underneath the place they had lain in the box, were a pair of leg and arm warmers that looked slightly transparent, and with them, a pair of white shoes with yellow soles. He gasped in awe as he grinned, his expression doing the same as his mother's had.

"Len, baby, do you want to run upstairs and put them on real quick, honey?"

"Yes, Mommy. Guys, I'll be right back!"

"Take your time, now, Len. Wait, I almost forgot... I meant to give it to you tomorrow, but..." Kaito reached into the backpack he'd put on the chair and brought out a small box, only a little larger than the kind that one usually puts a small necklace in. "Here," and with that, he handed it over. "Go ahead and open it."

"Okay..." Just as he'd done before, he took great delicacy in undoing the tape and sliding off the lid. Inside on a piece of cotton, sat a black choker necklace with a base clef charm dangling from it. "Wow, Kaito... I don't know what to say... You didn't have to... Thank you!"

"Try it with that outfit."

"Hey, wait a minute! You haven't received mine, yet!" As Kaito had done, Oliver brought a slightly deep, but small box out of his bag. "There you go!"

"Thank you, Oliver..." Once he'd opened it, he laid eyes on a pair of marvelous headphones with the microphone set built in. "Oh, my... Thank you all! These gifts are wonderful! I'm going to put them all on now!"

Once Len had gone upstairs, his mother addressed his two friends. "Being that tomorrow is a Saturday, would you two do my son the favor of staying the night? I've already spoken to your mothers and they have agreed."

"Yeah," said the blue eyed boy as he fiddled with his scarf.

"Sure," the yellow eyed boy replied as he messed with the bandage covering his other eye.

"Thank you." At that moment, Len descended the staircase gracefully, as every movement of his was. The response to the outfit on him, was a round of applause as his cheeks flushed slightly. "Well, boys, why don't you run along up to Len's room, and get some shuteye eventually you three!"

"They are spending the night?"

"Yes, honey."

"Thank you, Mommy!" he cried in joy as he embraced her, laughed, and led the others upstairs.

"Len, you little sweetheart..." she said softly as she began to clean up the place. "Oh, Lord, take care of my boy when I am not around him..."

That night, while the boys slept, the alarms in the city began to blare their warnings.

"Mmmmn..." Len mumbled as he walked over to the window to see fires lighting the streets. In response, he whimpered in fear.

"Len?" said Kaito worriedly as he glanced around the room, his eyes lingering on the clock: 1:05 AM; Len's fourteenth birthday. Finally, he spotted Len and saw that Oliver was sitting upright in the bed looking at him, too. "Len, get away from that window!" At that moment, gunfire resounded and Kaito leaped up, tackling Len to the floor as the window shattered.

"Kaito... Oliver... Why...?" Len cried, tears lining his eyes.

"BOYS! GET DOWN TO THE CELLAR!" his mother screamed from downstairs.

"Kaito! Len! Come on!" yelled Oliver as he slipped into his jacket and hat.

"Right," Kaito said as he helped Len up and slid his own feet into his shoes.

"I'm scared..." Len cried as he slid his feet into his new shoes and put on the headphones he'd gotten from Oliver. He then traced the charm around his neck with his finger.

Once outside, the boys headed off as they tried to make it to the cellar and turned around, trying to get around the other way, but with no luck... They were surrounded.

"Oliver, Kaito... What do we do?" the little blonde boy whispered in fear, his voice trembling.

"Oliver, protect Len," Kaito ordered as he tried to punch the green clad soldier in front of him to clear a path, but the man was too quick and rendered the blue haired boy unconscious.

"KAITO NII-SAMA!" Len screamed as he was grabbed from behind. "Ah! Let go of me!"

"Len!" Oliver tackled a soldier, but was captured as well, watching helplessly as Kaito was picked up off the ground as the struggling Len was loaded into the back of a truck; the others tossed in behind him. As the engine roared to life, Len located his friends through the many people around him, and made his way toward them.

"Oliver," he cried as he hugged his friend, tremors coursing through his body as he shook with fear and tears.

"Len, are you okay?" responded Oliver as he hugged the little one close to him, trying to console him.

"Kaito Nii-Sama is unconscious..."

"Yes."

"Ollie, where are they taking us...?" he asked as he stared into Oliver's yellow eye with his blue ones.

Oliver paused for a moment, before answering, "I don't know, Len..."