Suzuki Touichirou was well aware of the fact that criticizing a woman's appearance was dangerous ground.

But right now he didn't care.

"What did you do to yourself?" asked Suzuki. The scene before him was a slice of domestic predictability. His three children sitting on the living room floor making their lists for Santa Claus, it seemed, though he couldn't tell what it was the Mukai was trying to write. She held a crayon, a fat one, in her hand and scribbled. Shigeko and Sho had stopped working, Shigeko to greet him and Sho to glare at him, and he knew what he should have done. He should have greeted his children like normal, maybe even thrown a Merry Christmas in there since it was nearly that day, and then gone about his business.

But that wasn't possible now.

"Great." Muttered Sho. Dad had been in the house for ten seconds and already he was pissed off about something. He had warned big sis about her hair, that he'd freak out, but she hadn't listened. Well now she could see what dad was really like…not that he wanted dad to hurt her or be mean to her. He just wanted her to know what it was like to have dad look at you like you were the gum he found on the bottom of his shoes….but not in a mean way.

"Hi, dad." Said Mob. She knew that aura, that was how dad looked when he was really upset about something. She brushed her hair behind her ears. She didn't get it. This was her hair, it grew out of her head, her head was a part of her body, and her body was her own. She could do whatever she wanted with her body.

"Caterpillars! Merry Christmas!" said Mukai. He was back! She had looked everywhere for him but now he was here!

"Merry Christmas." Said Suzuki. That was what you were supposed to say when someone wished you a merry Christmas. There. He at least knew what to say to one of his daughters. He still had no idea what to say to the other one, or his son, but Sho could wait. Shigeko was the one he needed to speak to. How could…how could she have DONE that to herself?

"Dad doesn't care about Christmas." Muttered Sho. Dad didn't care about anything fun. He hated fun. He hated anything good and fun and now Mukai would know what he was like…it would hurt her but she would know. That was what dad did, he hurt people, even little sisters.

"Merry Christmas! Santa brought me!" shouted Mukai as she ran over to Caterpillars. He was home now! He was home and…oh no, his colors were mad. He needed a bow! Then he could be Merry Christmas too!

"Santa Claus doesn't bring children, you came from me, and I was addressing your older sister anyway." Said Suzuki as Mukai ran up to him. He reached down and patted her on the head. She took his hand and pressed a bow, the sort that went on top of presents, into it.

"Merry Christmas!" said Mukai. She felt Sho's colors pulling her away. She tried to run but he was stronger.

"Come here, little sis." Said Sho as he pulled Mukai away from dad. She didn't need to see this. She liked dad a lot, he was nice to her, and she needed to know the truth about him….but later. Not when she was little and still believed in Santa and stuff. She could stop believing in dad when she was big enough to stop believing in Santa.

"Shigeko. Explain." Said Suzuki as Sho pulled Mukai away from him. He would try to puzzle out Sho's behavior later, right now he needed to deal with…this. What Shigeko had done to her self. He hadn't been gone for that long, not long enough for his daughter to completely destroy her hair. Red…she had red hair…why had she done this?! Her hair had been her most beautiful feature and now it was gone.

"Sho, take Mukai next door and…um….make cookies. Yeah, lots and lots of cookies." Said Mob

"Cookies!" said Mukai

"Shibata's not home." Said Sho

"Then…um…ask Tsuchiya to help you." Said Mob

"She doesn't know how to make cookies." Said Sho

"Sho. Please?" asked Mob. She didn't want to argue with him. She didn't want to argue with anyone. Dad was ready to argue with her, though, she could see it in his aura. He was keeping it pulled in close, very close, and he was smoothing down all the flares as they appeared. He didn't have to be like this. This was her hair. He may have made her but that didn't mean that he got to tell her what to do with her body. Minegishi had been very clear, her body was her own, and if dad had a problem with her dyeing her hair then what would he do when Shoko was born.

If Shoko was born. If.

"Fine….but call me if you need me." Said Sho. He wanted her to know what dad was like…but he also wanted to protect her. Dad never hit her, not anymore. You weren't ever supposed to hit women, dad had said, because it was wrong. Big sis wasn't a woman, though, she was big sis. Dad had said that she was both…even though that made no sense. But dad never made any sense…and Sho was his son, he didn't make any sense either. It didn't make any sense to want big sis to know how bad dad could be but also to want to protect her.

But he would, anyway, because that was what brothers did. They kept their sisters safe.

"I won't." said Mob. Even if dad did hit her, he hadn't in a while but that was always a possibility, she wouldn't have brought Sho into it. She could handle dad on her own…and anyway he liked her better. Or at least he usually did. Right now he was as mad at her as he had ever been at Sho…for no reason. How could one person have been so mad about something so little?

It was just her hair.

"You will." Said Sho as he picked Mukai up and carried her away. He didn't bother getting her coat on or even his shoes. He was just going next door….and anyway he didn't want to be around dad when he got like this. Mukai especially didn't need to be around dad when he got like this. It was better to be cold and barefoot than around dad when he was this pissed off.

"You forgot your…everything." Said Mob as Sho carried Mukai out the front door. She didn't know how he could have left the house like that. He didn't have his coat on and neither did Mukai. They were both still in their socks, too. Sho at least carried Mukai so her feet didn't get cold…but they really should have had shoes on…but wait, was that her telling people what to do with their bodies. People's bodies were their own, like Minegishi had said, but Mob was also the big sister and she had to look after everyone. If they walked around without shoes on then they could have stepped in something sharp or gross, and also it was gross not to wear shoes outside, and also it was cold out….so maybe it was ok to tell people what to do if it was for their own good…

Maybe. She didn't know. She'd have to ask Minegishi later.

"I'm going to ask you again, Shigeko. Explain. Right now." Said Suzuki as the door slammed. The children really should have had shoes on. He could think of very few things more disgusting that walking around outdoors without any shoes on. Shigeko would deal with them later…or he would have to? He wasn't sure. He had never really questioned her decision making abilities…not in any serious way…

But this was just too much.

The hair was the last straw. She had, in his absence, removed everyone from the forcible acquisition list, ordered everyone to party until she ordered them to stop, and now this thing with her hair. Was this her rebellious phase? But what was she even rebelling against? She had no rules, no responsibilities, and one day they would all rule the world. Well he would have been the ruler, of course, but she would have had power and the ability to do whatever she wanted. She had no reason to rebel, she had no reason to put Claw further in the red, and she had no reason to confuse everyone in asset acquisition. Honestly. She had been on a strange trajectory for a while now but this…all of this….all of this was just too much!

Too. Much.

"About my hair?" asked Mob. It was just hair…and wouldn't he have been happy that she matched him? He must have noticed how much she didn't match with the rest of the family. Didn't it make him feel bad? She didn't know, actually, it was always hard to tell with dad.

"Yes, among other things." Said Suzuki

"What other things?" asked Mob. Did he know? She held her hair down with her hands. She was…she was ok. He didn't know what she had done. If he knew then he would have asked her to do more than explain…right? This was dad. Who knew what he would do.

"What other…you know what other things. You…you overextended your power. You do not get to pull people away from their work just for-for parties! And you do not get to decide which assets get acquired and which do not." Said Suzuki. Her aura was bouncing around….good. She was nervous. She should have been nervous. She had defied him…well…not defied. Not defied like Sho defied him but she had overstepped.

"Oh. You mean about…about…we shouldn't be kidnapping people!" said Mob. That was what he meant…and he was wrong.

"We do what we have to do." Said Suzuki. This was why he had never involved Masami in any of this. Women. They were so emotional about these things. For them the ends never justified the means.

"But we don't have to do that. We look like the bad guys, dad, and people think that we're the bad guys…and I can see why." Said Mob. She did what she had to do. She didn't care if dad had a problem with it. This was bigger than dad. Sometimes dad said that there was no Claw without him but that wasn't true. Claw was bigger than one person, or even two. Claw was everything good in the world…well it would be. Claw was going to bring people together, espers and normal people, and then everyone would be friends. There would be no more wars or crime, either, when Claw took over the world. No more people hating each other because of what country they were from or what language they spoke or how they prayed or anything like that because it would all be one world. The only thing that would matter was who was a normal person and who was an esper…but then it wouldn't matter because everyone would all be friends. They just had to join Claw when the day came.

If people thought that they were the bad guys then nobody would want to join them and then without members there could be no Claw and if there was no Claw then there was nothing.

"World domination takes sacrifice, I told you that before. I know that I told you that before." Said Suzuki. Rebellious phase. This was a rebellious phase. He'd had one, too, when he had been a little older than her. He had wanted to quit kendo, father had words with him, and in the end he wound up sticking with kendo until the end of high school. Shigeko was asking to do more than quit kendo, not that he would have let her do that either, she was talking about dismantling Claw.

Who WAS this girl….this woman?!

"You did but…but maybe we're sacrificing too much. We're not the bad guys, dad, so maybe we shouldn't do bad guy things. If people think that we're the bad guys then they won't want to join Claw. If people think that you're the bad guy, since you're the President and founder and stuff, then they won't want to follow you. How can there be a Claw with no new members? And don't say that we should just kidnap them. I don't like that." Said Mob. Dad's eyes were still narrow and his aura was still struggling not to flare…but he had no right to be mad at her.

"You don't understand…but that's alright. You're a woman and this is just how women are….so I will not get angry with you." Said Suzuki

"I don't think it's a boys and girls thing, dad, I think that it's a-a-a don't kidnap people thing. People think that we're the bad guys, that you're the bad guy, but you're not." Said Mob

"Of course I'm not and I don't care what people think. People will think what I tell them to think but for now I won't be telling people to think anything at all because I simple do not have the energy for that…or for this. I do not want to argue with you so we won't argue." Said Suzuki

"Good. I don't like it when we fight either, dad." Said Mob. Wow. That had been fast. She would have thought that they would have fought at least a little. She hadn't wanted that, she just figured that it would have happened.

"Good. Then we are decided. Never overextend your power again, do you hear me? Never overextend your power again and never do…that…to your hair again." said Suzuki

"….no…" said Mob softly.

"Did you just say 'no' to me?" asked Suzuki doing his best to keep his powers and emotions in check. How could…she was his daughter and she said 'no' to him?! She dared to-to-to defy him!? Who did she think that she was?! She…if she had been Sho then she would have been across the room by now. But she was not Sho. She was his Daughter, not his Son.

"Yes, I said no to you. It's my hair and my body and I'll do whatever I want with it." Said Mob. Dad may have made her but that didn't mean that he got to tell her how to look or what she could do with her body and stuff. Minegishi had said so and Mob trusted them. Dad was just getting upset over nothing. She didn't know what she would do with him now or…or when, if, when, if, when, if Shoko was born. If he was this upset over hair then what would he do when she made a whole other person?

"That is…your reasoning is sound but…I don't like it. You look terrible." Said Suzuki. She didn't exactly give him a lot of room to argue. That was her hair and it did, indeed, grow out of her head but he was still her father and if he didn't want her to have red hair then she didn't get to have it. She looked terrible and…in a way he was protecting her from herself. She wouldn't see it that way, though, she was too young and too short sighted. If he hadn't adopted her he would have questioned if she really had been his.

"Dad!" said Mob. She let go of her braids. They floated away. She didn't stop them. She couldn't. Dad thought…he thought that she looked terrible? She had known, of course, that he wouldn't have liked her hair but…but to call her terrible? That was…why would….why did dad have to be that way!?

"I didn't mean…you yourself are generally not terrible to look at. Your hair, however, is. It's an unnatural shade of red, for one thing, and for another you had beautiful hair before. I have no idea why you would want to do this to yourself. When I was your age I wanted nothing more than black hair like everyone else." Said Suzuki

"Mom said the same thing. When I was little, I mean, she said that she wanted to look just like everyone else…but I want to, too. I want to look like everyone else in my family. You have red hair and Sho has red hair and Mukai has red hair, well mom didn't but she's gone now, and I've always been the only one with black hair." Said Mob

"Because you're Japanese." Said Suzuki. He hadn't been thinking. If he had been thinking he would have come up with something else, or just shut his mouth entirely. The house shook with the force of his regret. He knew that there was nothing he could do, once words had been said they'd been said and there was nothing that could be done, but he just acted anyway. A loss of control.

"You're Japanese too but you have red hair." Said Mob

"I…do….but this is not something that I want to discuss right now. I dislike the color of your hair and I am telling you to change it back. End of discussion." Said Suzuki. He started the long trek to his room. He was tired, very tried, and she was being very tiring right now. He was close to losing control, he could feel it,

"No, this isn't the end of the discussion and you can't just walk away like that. I'm not changing my hair back. I can do whatever I want with my-" said Shigeko as dad started to walk away from her. How could he do that?! They were talking!? He didn't just get to walk away from her like that! She reached out with her powers and held onto him.

He stopped walking.

"You cannot do whatever you want! You are still my child and you are therefore still beholden to me and I tell you what you can and cannot do!" said Suzuki as he broke free of her telekinetic hold. She was getting stronger, that actually took some effort. Not good. She was getting older and…well that made sense actually. She was getting to that age where everything became a power struggle. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. If she had been Sho then he could have knocked some sense into her. But she wasn't Sho, she was Shigeko, and he couldn't correct her like that…but when how was he supposed to correct her? Ignore her for days at a time? No, that was cruel and he was many things but he was not cruel. He was Suzuki Touichirou and he…he knew what to do. He had been, from the age of thirteen, completely certain about every facet of his life.

Had being the operative word.

At some point he had become unsure of himself….and that was what had brought him here. To this point in time. To the point in which his Daughter thought that it would have been best to shout at him, to declare her independence, to defy him. To the point at which he had no idea what to do about this defiance. The point at which he was unsure about her…himself…her relation to him, his relation to her...to everyone. This was bigger than him and Shigeko. This was just the tip of it all. He had no idea how to relate to anyone…or himself…and if he had no idea of himself then Claw was…well she had said it herself.

Without him there could be no Claw.

She had told him something that he had been well aware of. He was the President and founder of Claw. Without him there could be no Claw…and if he couldn't get himself sorted out, if he couldn't manage himself, then how could he manage the organization that he'd created himself…or the household he had created? No wonder Shigeko had overstepped as greatly as she had. He hadn't been there to stop her….he hadn't known that he'd even had to be there. Without him there would be no Claw…if he was uncertain then there would be no Claw…

So he just had to return to certainty again.

"No! It's my hair, dad, mine! I'm not a little kid anymore and-and just because you made me doesn't mean that you get to tell me what I can and can't do!" said Mob. She tried to grab dad again but he just pushed her away again.

"I'm not going to argue with you anymore, Shigeko. You're being tiresome. I'm going to my room now. Merry Christmas." Said Suzuki. He was certain that being polite was best right now. She was being rebellious and irrational. He had no idea what he was supposed to do with her now so he decided to deal with it later. He was tired and she was tiring. He didn't have time or energy to deal with this. He didn't even know what to do…but he would, later, once he had time to become more certain. Time to himself to become more certain of himself. Time to remember….to figure out…what it was that he was supposed to do.

He had no idea what he was supposed to do with this…with Shigeko, all of it, but what he did know was that criticizing a woman's appearance is, was, and always would be dangerous ground.