Mob was in love.

At least she felt like she was in love. She knew that you couldn't fall in love with a boy you'd just met, Frozen taught her that, but she really did feel like she was in love. Not that she knew what being in love felt like, she had never been in love before, but she had never been kissed before either. She wanted to kiss him again, that boy, but she knew that it was never going to happen. She was never going to see him again. He had gone back to his mom and dad and then they had run away from Seasoning City, maybe from Japan itself, and that was…it was for the best. He wasn't an orphan and he had parents and nobody should ever have had to be separated from their parents.

When you loved someone you let them go.

She was selfish. She wanted him to be there with her. She wanted to hold his hand and to kiss him. She wanted to…she wished that she had gotten to know him better. He was in her thoughts and dreams now and she didn't even know his favorite color. She didn't know how many brothers and sisters he had or if he was an only child and she didn't know what his powers were or if he had been born with them like she had and she didn't know what his favorite movie was or his favorite food or…or anything about him at all. He was just…she liked him a whole lot. It felt like love. She liked him a whole lot but she didn't know anything about him…

And it didn't matter because she would never see him again.

Claw was looking for him but it didn't seem like dad was putting a lot of effort into it. She remembered when mom had gone missing, how he had people looking up every tree and under every rock for her. He said that he had some people on it when she'd asked. That was weeks ago. Right after everything happened dad came back to their room and told them that they were leaving right then and there. Then a bunch of awakened came and put their stuff in boxes. Now they weren't in Seasoning City anymore. They weren't even in Japan. They were in Australia now, like Sho had wanted for his birthday, and they had petted a lot of kangaroos too.

So she was happy.

Even if it was hot out. Even if having Christmas when it was hot out had been weird. But this place had a pool so it was ok. Pools were good because then Sho could swim and nobody would look at his scars and ask about them. They were at another Claw compound, this one was in the middle of nowhere, so they didn't have to worry about other people seeing them use their powers or anything like this. Also this wasn't where they made new Awakened, too, which was good. They just trained the Awakened soldiers here. They were awakened somewhere else. Also there wasn't any kidnapping on the agenda, Mob had asked, so really this had been a great time…

Aside from the fact that she was hopelessly in love with a boy she would never see again.

And also she couldn't stop thinking about kissing. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about kissing before, because she had, but now that she knew what it was like she was thinking about it more than ever. She used to think about what it would be like to have a boy like her and hold her hand and kiss her and now that she knew what it was like she wanted it to happen again and again and again….and also once more for good measure. She had always thought, at the back of her mind at least, that no boy would ever have wanted to kiss her. She didn't know any boys besides her brother and she did not want to kiss her own little brother…well she did kiss his cuts and scrapes and bruises better but that was different. The way she loved Sho was different than the way she loved…well she should not have been using the word love because you could not love a boy that you'd just met…but you also didn't just go around kissing boys…unless you were playing catch and kiss but that game was for little kids and also Mob had always thought that it wasn't a very fun game at all…because kisses had to mean something…and that kiss had meant something….it had meant 'I'll never forget you' and it worked….and she missed him so much but how could she miss a boy that she didn't even know….

It was complicated.

"Mob, either knock that off or get out." Said Minegishi from their spot on the couch.

"Knock what off?" asked Mob. As far as she knew she hadn't been doing anything. She was sitting on the couch by where Minegishi was laying down and watching a compilation of the best anime kisses of 2014. They could compile them now because the year was pretty much over.

"Your aura. It's practically screaming at me." Said Minegishi. People were not meant to jump around between time zones as often as they did. People were not meant to live in the middle of the desert like they were now, air conditioning could only do so much. People were not meant to have to sit there and feel someone else's aura screaming against theirs when all they wanted was some peace and quiet.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that it was doing that." Said Mob. She pulled her aura in really close. Her aura had gotten big again. That happened, sometimes, when she thought about things that she shouldn't have. Things that gave her big feelings. Like kissing. She needed to stop thinking about this right now…so maybe watching a kissing compilation video wasn't the best thing to do…but she was already half way done and she needed to know what the best kiss of 2014 had been.

"Well now you do." Said Minegishi. They closed their eyes and tried to relax. Easier said than done. In addition to their normal list of complaints they also had to add their body's betrayal to it. Stupid inescapable facts of biology.

"I do. Thank you for telling me. I didn't know that my aura could scream. Well I knew that it could seem like it was screaming because Shimazaki said that mine did. Dad said that it wasn't literal, though, because the way we perceive auras depends on how we perceive the world. Dad said so. He said that because we're sighted people we see auras as colors while Shimazaki-" said Mob

"You know if you say his name enough times he's appear, right?" said Minegishi with a groan.

"Really?" asked Mob. How did he know if people were saying his name? Could he hear that well? For real? He could hear pudding. Sho hadn't been lying. They lived on the same compound but not the same house. He lived next door with Minegishi but one time Sho had opened a pudding cup and he just teleported right in and took it. That had been kind of mean, actually, but Sho didn't mind.

"How about we don't test it, yeah?" asked Minegishi. They reached over to the coffee table for their water. Mob passed it to them with her powers.

"Ok." Said Mob even though she did want to test it. She didn't want to see him, she didn't much care for him at all, but she did want to see if he could hear that far. Was it a part of his powers? Or was he just a blind master like Sho was always saying?

"And can we please watch something else? We've been watching people kiss for half an hour." Said Minegishi. They were maybe just a bit too testy. They couldn't help it. Mob was a nice kid but even she could be annoying at times. Not that Minegishi would send her away or anything. She'd just end up getting drowned by her little brother in that damn swimming pool which had no right to exist in the middle of the goddamned desert.

"You're right, it's been my turn for a while. Here, now you can pick." Said Mob. She'd finish the compilation later. Right now she had to stop being selfish. Maybe by selflessly letting her friend pick the show then she could cancel out how selfish she was in wanting to see him again…even wanting him to have stayed with her. Wishing that he had been an orphan so that he could have come with. Thoughts like that.

She could be so selfish sometimes.

She didn't know where all of this selfishness was coming from. She tried not to be selfish. Mom had always told her and Sho that they shouldn't be selfish. She wanted them to be sweet and gentle and good and even if she wasn't there she was still their mom and…and moms were important. You had to try and make your mom proud. She wanted her mom to be proud of her…and maybe when she came back…but that wasn't going to happen. Mob knew that mom was never coming back. She had about as much of a chance of seeing her mom again as of seeing that boy, Hanazawa Teruki, again.

If she'd asked a magic 8 ball it would have told her to ask again later.

"Give me that-holy fuck!" said Minegishi. They should not have sat up so fast. What was wrong with them? It wasn't usually this bad. Maybe the universe was punishing them for all of the terrible things that they had done. Well then the universe could go ahead and bring it on. This wasn't so bad….

Yes it was.

"Are you ok?! I'll call Fukuda, stay there!" said Mob. She got her phone out of her pocket and was about to call Fukuda when a plant reached over and knocked her phone out of her hand.

"Don't." said Minegishi through gritted teeth. This would…it would pass. It was worse than it had been in a long while but it would pass….and of course Mob wouldn't know that. Being nine and completely unware of how nature would soon decide to torment her. That was a talk that Minegishi was not in the mood to have right then and there…or at any time really. Not their kid, not their problem.

"But you've been sick all day. It's ok, Fukuda can fix just about anything. Like this one time Sho hit me in the face with a kendo sword, a shinai, and then-" said Mob

"Mob, trust me, this isn't something that he can help with." Said Minegishi

"Oh…ok. Are you tired? Because my mom got sick where she was tired all the time and she would spend all day I bed laying down…and Fukuda couldn't fix it…and I don't want that to happen to you too because you're my friend and-" said Mob

"I'm not sick. I can get up from this couch at any time, I just choose not to. Ok?" said Minegishi. Too much concern. Way too much. It was sweet, she was a sweet kid, and Minegishi knew that they should enjoy that sweetness before the world decided to smother it with a pillow like an unwanted stepchild. They would enjoy that concern and sweetness later once their insides were done becoming their outsides.

"I guess…I guess that's ok but…but you sounded like you were hurt. Also you said a bad word…and I just want to help." Said Mob. She was so selfish. Here she was sitting there thinking about boys and kissing while her friend was sitting there in terrible pain. Some friend she was.

"Do you really want to help?" asked Minegishi

"Yes. I really want to help. I'll do anything." Said Mob

"Go to my room and get me the tin of mints on top of my dresser, the clear bottle in my sock drawer, and the pill bottle that says Motrin. Don't touch anything else. Ok? No drinking anything you find in there and certainly no eating anything you find in there. Especially that plastic bag with the sugar cubes in it. Stay the hell away from the sugar cubes." Said Minegishi

"Why do you have sugar cubes? And why can't I touch them? You like your coffee black." Said Mob

"Mob, are you going to eat those sugar cubes? Because I guarantee that if you eat one of those sugar cubes you will not be ok. Also I'll be mad at you. You do not eat anything or drink anything you find in my room. You got it?" asked Minegishi. That was just what they needed, Mob almost killing herself again. Though she wouldn't die if she ate those sugar cubes, she would just end up wishing that she was dead. Yeah, no. She did not need Mob tripping out on them while they were dealing with the bottomless cruelty of nature's machinations.

"Don't eat or drink anything in your room. Got it." Said Mob. She got up and did what Minegishi asked. They didn't have to keep bringing up what had happened back last fall. She knew not to do that ever again. Minegishi said that there was a chance that she would have never woken up again. That was scary. It had been the best sleep that Mob had ever had so she believed completely and totally that there was a chance that she never would have woken up.

She was not going to eat or drink anything that she found in Minegishi's room.

Even if those sugar cubes did look inviting. She wondered what was so bad about sugar cubes. Maybe because it was refined sugar. Minegishi said that refined sugar was a poison. Also it gave you diabetes and that was what had ended up killing Shimazaki's childhood dog. So she would stay away from the sugar cubes and also the bottle that she found in Minegishi's sock drawer…even if drinking from it would make her stop thinking about things.

"Bring me that black marker on top of my dresser, too!" called Minegishi. Mob stopped staring at Minegishi's private stuff that she was not allowed to eat, drink, or go through. She grabbed what she was told to grab and then ran back to the living room. She handed everything to Minegishi and they sat up slowly. Mob helped with her powers. She wished that they would have let her call Fukuda. Maybe it was something that he could fix. She hated seeing other people in pain and also she would have to call Fukuda later anyway because Sho's sunscreen had probably ended up coming off in the pool.

"What? You want some?" asked Minegishi before they took a swig of something that Mob was way too young to drink. They knew that look. Mob wanted them to share. Whatever. Better to share now than to have Mob end up giving herself psoriasis or alcohol poisoning because she had decided to be a little sticky fingered sneak thief.

"Yes please." Said Mob. Minegishi passed her the bottle. She managed to take one sip before it was taken away from her. Minegishi immediately put the cap back on and the marked the level with a black magic marker. They did that now so that Mob couldn't borrow any more for her milk.

"Don't look at me like that. You get what you get and you don't get upset." Said Minegishi as they popped open the pill bottle and shook a few out into their hand.

"Ok. That's all there is, there isn't anymore." Said Mob. She knew not to ask for more or Minegishi would get mad at her. Even after folding a thousand paper cranes they were still mad at her for that one time last fall even though they knew that she was sorry. She had been selfish, then, and she needed to stop being so selfish all the time.

"Exactly. Now quit standing over me. Sit back down already, I'm not going to die." Said Minegishi. Mob sat down immediately and scooted back to her spot in front of the couch. They sat in blissful silence for a few moments.

"Why did you say 'die'?" asked Mob

"What?" asked Minegishi

"You said that you weren't going to die." Said Mob

"And?" asked Minegishi

"Well you saying that you aren't going to die makes me think about you dying…and now I'm worried about you dying." Said Mob

"Will you calm down, Mob? Trust me on this, nobody ever died because of this. Nobody in the history of ever has died because of this." said Minegishi. That kid was too high strung. Though they couldn't blame her being Suzuki's spawn and all. Plus she had that brother of hers to deal with. Poor kid.

"Are you telling the truth or are you just saying things to make me feel better?" asked Mob. Sometimes people did that, they told you things to make you feel better, which was sort of like lying but not really. Even if Minegishi had been lying to her she had no right to say anything. She was a liar too. She had lied to dad, half lied to him, about having nothing to do with what happened at the Seventh Division. There was no way that she could have told dad the truth. Even if he had made a mistake in thinking that the boy had been an orphan she still could not reveal her part in what happened. Technically she had betrayed her dad. Also, technically, she had double betrayed him by lying. Also she would have had to talk about the kissing parts, too, and she did not ever want to talk to her dad about that. Her mom, maybe, but not her dad. She was so grateful that the security cameras had stopped working when the base went to emergency power. The last thing she wanted was her first kiss to have been recorded for the whole world to see.

Even if it would have won that year's best kiss award.

"Whichever helps you sleep easier at night." Said Minegishi. They settled themselves back down on the couch. They felt better already. They were never complaining about this assignment again. At least being Mob's best friend they got to rest when they needed it. They did not envy Shimazaki having to follow Suzuki around all day. Even taking a plane ride with the man was too much. How Mob and her brother hadn't made themselves orphans yet was a mystery.

"…you're going to be ok." Said Mob. That was the answer that would help her sleep easier at night. She did not want to lose her friend. Was that selfish too? Not wanting Minegishi to die just because she didn't want to lose her only friend who was not her little brother? She should have wanted Minegishi to live only because then they would have been dead. It should have had nothing to do with whether or not they were friends.

"There. Now watch TV and let me rest. I'll be back to normal in a few days so don't worry about it." Said Minegishi. Time for some of that trash TV that they never would have watched under normal circumstances. They just needed to turn their brain off for a little bit, that was all.

"…but if I call Fukuda then he can come over and make you feel better now." Said Mob

"I already told you it wasn't that kind of thing. Learn to listen." Said Minegishi

"Sorry. I'm just worried about you. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't hang out with you." Said Mob

"Go swimming with your little brother?" asked Minegishi. Splashing could be heard outside. How had that kid not grown gills yet?

"I guess…but Sho splashes a lot and also there's this game where he holds me underwater…and it's not that fun." Said Mob

"Game? Since when is attempted murder a game?" asked Minegishi

"It's not attempted murder! I get a turn to hold him under too….I just don't hold him under for real because I don't want him to get hurt…" said Mob. Even though that was kind of selfish of her. She should have played the way that Sho wanted her to play because that was what big sisters were supposed to do. They were supposed to play with their little brothers even if those little brothers acted like jerks sometimes.

"OK, but how does this count as a game in the first place? Last time I checked games were supposed to, you know, be fun." Said Minegishi

"It is fun…for Sho. That's what matters, if Sho has fun." Said Mob

"So it's a selfish sort of game, then. Thank God I'm an only child." Said Minegishi. They wondered if Suzuki ever planned on doing something about his son's violent streak. Probably not. Knowing Suzuki he probably saw his son's violent impulses as a good thing. This was why Minegishi had no plans of ever reproducing.

"Sho isn't selfish…I'm the selfish one." said Mob

"You?" laughed Minegishi

"Yes, me…and please don't laugh at me. Friends shouldn't laugh at each other." Said Mob. At least she got the feeling that friends were not supposed to laugh at one another. Most of her knowledge of friendship came from TV since until she was eight, eight and a half really, she had been without any friends besides her little brother and the friendship that you had with your little brother was different from any other kinds of friendship. Your little brother was the only person allowed to be mean to you. Mob didn't know if the meanness went both ways but she was not planning on being mean to Sho any time soon.

"I wasn't laughing at you, Mob, just the idea that you could ever be selfish. I've known you for about a year now and I have never seen you do a single selfish thing. You put up with a lot, you know, a lot more than I ever would have. A lot than anyone as powerful as you ever would have." Said Minegishi

"I can be very selfish sometimes. Like when I don't let Sho use me for target practice or hold me under water or drink my strawberry milk. I can be selfish sometimes like that." Said Mob. She could also be selfish by undermining her dad's work but she was not going to talk about that.

"That's not being selfish, that's not being a doormat. Don't be a doormat Mob, nobody likes a doormat. Not even the doormat themselves." Said Minegishi. They omitted the fact that Mob could be something of a doormat herself. It made no sense. If anything she should have been a bigger brat than her little brother considering how powerful she was.

"I…I don't think that I'm that. I just want to be nice. To be sweet. My mom…she always said that I had to be sweet…but don't tell my dad that I was talking about my mom! Please! He'll get so mad at me! We aren't supposed to talk about her because she's a traitor and-" said Mob

"Calm down, calm down. I won't say a word to your dad. I'm not that kind of person, I can keep a secret." Said Minegishi. They wondered about the mysterious Missus Suzuki. Apparently she had run away from home. They couldn't imagine why.

"You can?" asked Mob. She had a secret now and she wanted…she wanted to tell it. She didn't know why she wanted to tell it, the minute she told it she knew that it would stop being a secret, but she wanted to say it. To say it out loud so that it would be true…even though she knew that it was already true. It was a thing that had happened and she wanted to talk about it…not the betraying part but the kissing part….

But she knew that she should have kept it to herself.

"Of course I can. Secrets only stay secrets if people don't going around blabbing to anyone who'll listen." Said Minegishi with as best a shrug as they could do while laying down.

"You're right. I shouldn't tell secrets. Let's watch TV, what's on?" asked Mob. She was not going to say anything. She knew that she could trust Minegishi but she also knew that a secret wasn't a secret if she went around talking about it.

"Something that I think you'll like. Plenty of love and drama and the like." Said Minegishi. Well that was a hell of a way to change the subject. They wondered what Mob could have been keeping a secret. She was nine. What, had she gone back to surreptitiously day drinking again? Probably not since she seemed to be at her normal level of alertness. Now Minegishi was curious. Mob was keeping something a secret…even from them…but what? Minegishi had a theory but it was insane. There was the shit show that had been the Seventh Division…and Mob had been outside…but that didn't mean that she had anything to do with what happened. No, she wouldn't have worked against her father like that. At least that was what Minegishi chose to believe. Mob wouldn't have done anything like that because she was loyal to her father and she knew what he did to traitors…well she must have had some idea…right? She must have known, at least, that it wasn't anything good.

Mob had nothing to do with what happened and thinking that she did was crazy talk.

"You're right, I do like this." said Mob. Even if it wasn't animated it was still interesting. It was about a bunch of people and they could be kind of mean to each other but also a bunch of them liked each other too. She liked shows and stuff where people liked each other. She liked it when people were happy and also she liked it when people held hands and kissed because then she could think about someone wanting to hold her hand and kiss her and-

And now she was back to where she had started from in the first place.

She tried to keep her aura small. She needed to stop thinking about this. It would never happen again, there was no chance that she would ever see him again, and even if she did she knew that it would not be a good thing. Dad wanted to kidnap him and make him a part of Claw. That was not a good thing because he would have been separated from his parents then. It would have been selfish to imagine running into him and then him joining Claw and then being her boyfriend and then they held hands and kissed a bunch. No, that was not the thing to imagine at all because it would never happen again. Nobody would ever want to kiss her again but that was ok because at least now she knew what it was like.

"I knew you would. It's way more entertaining than watching people kiss for hours and hours. I have no idea what you get out of that anyway. Watching people kiss is like watching people eat. What's in it for you?" asked Minegishi. It was also G rated pornography but Minegishi wasn't going to get into that. They had better things to do than hang around watching fictional characters kiss. It was right up there with porn in terms of boredom. What people got out of watching other people get it on they would never know. Now books were a whole different story. Nothing could ever compete with the medium of print…not that they were going to tell Mob about the existence of paint by numbers shoujo manga and trashy romance novels. Let her find out about those in a couple years on her own.

"It's not boring. It's nice to see people in love and being happy." Said Mob

"And also you can imagine that you're the one doing the kissing." Said Minegishi. They figured that was it. They were young once too though it had been books for them. Between the ages of eight and fourteen they had been deep in the seven circles of shoujo hell. Then they made it to high school and discovered boys love and the manga that they kept at the very back of the shop. Also the joy that could be found with living, breathing, people that existed in life and not as a series of clichés on a page.

"What? I-I don't know what you're talking about!" said Mob. Her hair flew up. She reached up with her hands and held her braids down. Her cat ears headband slid down over her eyes. She let go of her braids to push it back up but then her hair went right back to floating in the air. Why did her powers have to betray her like this!?

"Sure you don't." said Minegishi. Nailed it. They should have taken a picture. They could have embarrassed her with this when she was older. Adorable. Truly adorable. Minegishi wondered if they should tell her that all of those feelings that she had were about to get a hell of a lot worse. Nah, let her actual parent warn her about the oncoming storm.

"I-I don't. I mean I don't think about…I mean not that often. No boy would ever want to kiss me anyway so there's no point in thinking about it." Said Mob. Someone had wanted to kiss her but she would never see him again so that was the same as nobody wanting to kiss her ever again. She didn't know any other esper boys anyway and dad even said that espers her age were rare. Besides, there were lots of other girls out there to kiss. Not esper girls, dad said that girl espers were super rare, but other prettier girls. She wasn't pretty, she knew that she wasn't pretty, and she knew that there was no point at all in being upset about that. It wasn't like she could change how plain she was. Well there was makeup but she was only nine and also mom hadn't taught her about putting on makeup.

"What are you on about? Of course someone's going to want to kiss you. You're Suzuki Shigeko." Said Minegishi. She didn't get it? Her father was the most powerful man on Earth. He was going to take over the world and when that happened the guys would line up like dominos. Even without her father taking over the world it wasn't like guys her age were all that picky. Was she female and willing? If the answer was yes and yes then she could have had her pick of the guys.

"What's my full name got to do with boys wanting to kiss me?" asked Mob

"Really? You don't get it? Your father is a ridiculously powerful man. Guys are going to line up for a shot with you. Some girls too, probably, if you're into that." Said Minegishi

"Um…I don't think that I am. I've never liked a girl before and even if I did dad says that I'm only allowed to like other espers and dad says that esper girls are super rare." Said Mob

"And you're just going to let him run your life like that?" asked Minegishi

"Yes?" said Mob. What else would she do? She had to do what her dad said, he was her dad, and she was a good Daughter and she did what she was told. That meant that she did what she was told when she was told to do it.

"You'll change your tune when you get older." Said Minegishi

"I will? But I want to be a good Daughter and I want dad to like me so I do what he says…even if he tells me who I am and am not allowed to be in love with…but it doesn't matter, anyway, because I don't even know anyone I can fall in love with." Said Mob. She was still holding her hair down, now, even though her powers had calmed down. Minegishi reached over and bopped her on the head.

"How can someone your age be this doom and gloom? I mean I'm not some hopeless, love conquers all, romantic but you are way too young to just give up like this. That's for when you're in your forties at least." Said Minegishi. What was with this kid? And how had she spawned from Suzuki? Adopted. She had to have been adopted. There was no other explanation for it.

"I don't think that I'm all doom and gloom. I don't know anyone who I could fall in love with. I mean…" said Mob. She didn't know anyone else she could fall in love with. She was in love. Even if nobody had ever told her what it was like to be in love she knew that she, Suzuki Shigeko, was in love with Hanazawa Teruki. Even if she only knew his name, that he lived in Seasoning City with his mom and dad, and that he was afraid of being kidnapped she still loved him. She didn't much like this feeling, she decided, because of how much it hurt knowing that she would never see him again. She also loved this feeling because remembered what it had been like to kiss him and hold his hand made her feel like she was full of coffee and pop rocks.

"You mean?" asked Minegishi. Well this was certainly more interesting than trash TV. There were developments in the kid's life that they were not aware of. The Suzuki family, the inner workings of it, were fascinating. Mainly just Suzuki's idiosyncrasies. If it weren't for Mob they wouldn't have known that Suzuki slept fully dressed, put half a bottle of ketchup on almost everything, and was disturbed by the idea of hyper intelligent rats. There was no bedrock of Suzuki family weirdness, just more fertile soil.

"Um….if I tell you a secret do you promise not to tell anyone? Not even my dad?" asked Mob. She really, really, REALLY wanted to tell someone and Minegishi would be a good secret keeper. That was what best friends were for, keeping secrets. Besides, Mob didn't have to tell the WHOLE truth about what happened. She didn't have to name any names or talk about any traitorous actions that she may or may not have engaged in. No, just the part that had been on her mind since the moment it happened.

"I actively avoid speaking to your father." Said Minegishi

"Why? He can be very nice sometimes." Said Mob

"Because he can also be pretty damn terrifying too, sometimes." Said Minegishi. They were not above admitting, even to a kid, that they were afraid of Suzuki Touichirou. He was a weirdo, he could be funny sometimes in his idiosyncrasies, but he was also the most powerful man alive and he knew it. He was not above hurting people to punish them or just because he'd had a bad day. Mob was his Daughter, she should have known that, though Minegishi knew firsthand how when you were that age everything seemed normal because you simply did not know anything else.

"That's true….but can you keep a secret from him even when he's being scary?" asked Mob

"Of course I can." Said Minegishi. Hopefully Mob was not about to go and tell them something that Suzuki would want to torture them over. That would be…not good. They had spent the past few years staying on Suzuki's good side. They did not want to join any of the traitors that they had personally put in the ground.

"Ok….um….one time I kissed a boy and I think that I might be in love with him now but it doesn't matter because I barely even know him and also I'll never see him again and please done tell my dad!" said Mob. She said it really fast, all in one breathe, because if she paused then she would have had to stop halfway through. She felt…better…after having had told someone. Not that it had been a bad secret, she just felt better having had told someone about it. Someone who she trusted and who she knew would keep this whole thing a secret.

"That's what you're swearing me to secrecy over?" asked Minegishi. Well then. That sure was…something. Good for Mob. Getting out there and all. Yeah, good for her. Also thankfully this was not the sort of thing that they imagined Suzuki would try and torture out of them…maybe. They couldn't be sure with that guy. Yeah, they could see him going on a manhunt for the boy who dared to touch his precious daughter.

"Yes. Please don't tell anyone about this for as long as you live and also if you don't pass on and linger on as a spirit please don't tell anyone what I just told you." Said Mob in her most serious voice. This could not leave this room. She could hear Sho outside and for a moment she thinks that he heard…but he hadn't. He was still enjoying swimming and also not having to worry about who saw his scars. That was good. She didn't want her little brother to know about this. He was not a good secret keeper and also she didn't want him to know that she had kissed someone. This was not the thing to be telling little brothers at all.

"Hey, my lips are sealed. The truth about your little boyfriend stays right here in this room." Said Minegishi. It was kind of cute, really, the thought of Mob and some other kid. Good for her.

"I…I don't think that he's my boyfriend. I mean I'm never going to see him again…and that makes me kind of sad." Said Mob

"Why? If it's one of those just for fun things then the worst thing that you could possibly do is catch feelings." Said Minegishi before they could censor themselves. Mob was nine. Right. She had no idea that those just for fun things even existed. She was still young enough to believe in true love and fairytale romance.

"Just for fun?" asked Mob. Kissing had been fun but you couldn't just call it something like 'just for fun' like it was a game or something. Kissing meant something. It was a way for people to show that they loved and cared for one another. Mom had said that. She said that when people grew up they found the person that they loved most in the whole world and then they kissed and got married and also did that super gross thing that adults did so that they could get a baby. All of that stuff was big and important and, of course, was not 'just for fun'.

"That's for when you're older. Just…how to explain this…ok. You know his kissing is fun? Well sometimes people kiss and…and we'll just stick with that for now. Sometimes people kiss other people just because they feel like it." Said Minegishi. There. That was nice and age appropriate and G rated. That was pretty good for someone fighting to stay away and also in a ridiculous amount of pain.

"Because they're boyfriend and girlfriend." Said Mob. That was the good thing about having a boyfriend, she imagined anyway it wasn't like she'd ever had a boyfriend, you could kiss him whenever you wanted to. Well when he let you kiss him. Otherwise you were just playing catch and kiss and that was not a very good game to play at all.

"No, they're just two people who felt like kissing. So they kiss. That's all there is, there isn't anymore." said Minegishi. Please, Mob, accept this answer because there is no way that you're getting the talk today. Let your father deal with that in his own weird, and probably off putting, way.

"But…that doesn't make sense. I mean kissing feels good but then how do people just…do it? Without being boyfriend and girlfriend or even in love? It such a big thing…I mean unless they're playing catch and kiss but boys don't like that game." Said Mob

"Catch and kiss? The kids still play that?" asked Minegishi. They had never been a fan even as a child. The boys hadn't liked it and the girls were always way too aggressive. Seemed like a lot of trouble to go through for a mediocre kiss. Also sexual assault was wrong.

"Yes. Well I've never played that before because it seemed kind of mean and I wasn't playing it when Ha-when the boy I kissed…when he kissed me. He just sort of…did it…and it felt nice but then he had to go and now I'll never see him again. I don't think that it was just for fun…and I didn't know how people could just kiss for fun…because isn't it a big thing? I mean I think that it's a big thing, my mom said so. She said that when people grow up they find someone who they love more than anyone else and they kiss that person and marry them, too." Said Mob

"Well that's something, too. Some people just aren't made for the whole 'just for fun thing'….and I get the feeling that you're one of them. Sometimes people kiss because they love each other and sometimes they just feel like kissing. Ok? Can this be the end of it?" asked Minegishi. Kids today. Back in their day they sat on their hands on opposite corners of the room until they were married…or the made out behind the gym but that was for late elementary school/middle school.

"Ok…" said Mob. This was…this just raised even more questions. So adults just went around kissing each other because they felt like it? But then why did they get married and have kids and stuff? Why would you do that if you could just go around kissing people whenever you both felt like it? Was this what it was to be an adult? To have the freedom to just kiss random people? Was that…what that what had happened to her? She wasn't' his girlfriend but…but it had meant something. He had said that he would never forget her…and then he had kissed her…and then her heart started going 'doki doki' like the sticker and it hadn't stopped once…so it did mean something…so did that mean that…she had no idea what anything meant anymore. She wished that there was someone who could have just told her how everything worked…

Minegishi knew how things worked.

Had they done that before? Just kissed someone for the sake of kissing them? Did they still do that? How did they even decide who to kiss? What was the criteria? Was it like finding espers for Claw, anyone would do? Or was it like picking people for the upper echelons? What was the vetting process? How did two people even decide to kiss without it being awkward? Had Minegishi kissed a whole bunch of people before? Or just a few? And had it been awkward?

How did anything work!?

"I hear you trailing off over there. What's on your mind?" asked Minegishi. Maybe they were just some kind of masochist. Or maybe they had just shot their judgement to hell mixing things that were not meant to be mixed. Or maybe they just had a soft spot for Mob. Or maybe their whole head was just one big soft spot.

"Um…did you ever kiss anyone before?" asked Mob quietly. That was way too personal of a question to ask. She regretted asking it as soon as she said anything. She wished that she could have taken it back but she could not turn back time. She knew, she and Sho had tried to run backwards and do that. They had just ended up falling down.

"I'm twenty five, of course I have." Said Minegishi with a dismissive wave of their hand. Sleep was coming, a deep and sound sleep. They'd have to pick this conversation up at a later date.

"Really? Who? Was it a boy or a girl? Were you in love? Was it-" asked Mob. Now she had a million and one questions and she knew that she shouldn't have asked but maybe it was ok because the first question was and she just had to know!

"I've lost count, boys and girls, some of those people I had feelings for and some of them were just for fun. I'm not seeing anyone romantically right now and I have no plans of seeing anyone romantically. Does that answer your questions?" asked Minegishi

"Um…some of them. Are you sleepy? Because you're acting like you're sleepy." Said Mob. She knew what was in that mint tin, those were sleeping pills that put you into the best sleep of your life but they also made you super hungry. She'd get some snacks for Minegishi when they woke up. They were such a good friend keeping her secrets and talking to her about all of this private stuff.

"I am dead tired, Mob, and I'm starving. I'm also in pain but there's nothing that you can do about that. You know what I need right now? Food and rest…but the food first." Said Minegishi. It had been difficult to keep their eyes opened for some time now. They just needed to rest their head, that was all. Just for a little bit…

"What kind of snacks do you want? I can send the Awakened out for anything but it might take some time because we're in the middle of nowhere." Said Mob. She felt something poking at the edges of her perception. Oh. Shimazaki. Well that was good, he could teleport anywhere, but then again she did not want to ask him for any favors…but that was a selfish way to think considering the fact that her friend was starving. That was some good medicine. It was for people who couldn't sleep and also didn't have good appetites, which would explain why Minegishi was so skinny and also kind of mean-ish sometimes.

"Whatever is in the house…preferably chocolate." Said Minegishi. They could feel something poking at the corners of their perception. Oh, him. If he bothered them they swore to God-

"I have chocolate left over from Christmas, you can have it all. Do you want the kind with nuts or the kind with caramel in it or-" said Mob. They would have listed off all the chocolate that she had, the list was long, but she was interrupted by someone appearing right behind her. She turned so fast that she bumped into the coffee table.

"Toshi likes plain dark chocolate, don't you Toshi?" asked Shimazaki as he tossed a chocolate bar down onto Minegishi's chest. He could have come sooner but the timing wasn't right. What was the use of teleporting if you couldn't use it to time your entrances perfectly?

"Minegishi doesn't like to be called Toshi. They told you that." Said Mob. It was so mean to call someone by their given name after they had asked you not to. So very mean. Mob didn't understand why they always chose to live together. Maybe because Shimazaki was blind and needed help sometimes. Minegishi was such a nice person to help him out even though he could be sort of mean sometimes.

"Minegishi is too hungry to care what Minegishi is called." Said Minegishi. The sat up and attempted to rip the paper off what was most likely the best chocolate bar in the entire world. They needed food to live. This wasn't a natural hunger, and chocolate wasn't a real food, but that didn't matter. They needed food to live goddamn it!

"Toshi, you're gone. You are so gone right now." Laughed Shimazaki

"Like you should be." Said Minegishi. They knew that they shouldn't have spoken with their mouth full, bad example to be setting for the kid and all of that, but they were so hungry. So incredibly hungry….

"So you're kicking me out of my own house?" asked Shimazaki. He leaned over and let his fingers brush some of their hair away from their forehead. He was rewarded with a small smile and a slight shove.

"This is my house…well my dad's house…because he runs Claw….but if Minegishi wants you gone then you should go." Said Mob. It was very rude, too, to hang around somewhere when someone told you that they wanted you to go away. She didn't understand him one bit. Was he clueless or was he just trying to be a jerk?

"Do you really want me gone, Toshi?" asked Shimazaki. He reached over to play with their hair again when his wrist was grabbed. He was pulled downwards and his last coherent thought was 'in front of the kid?'

"Now I want you gone." Said Minegishi. They hadn't been thinking, not really, and honestly it was that conversation that they had been having with Mob that had put the idea in their head. Thanks to the magic of modern chemistry the thought had managed to bypass the little person inside of their head that kept them from making stupid choices.

They'd feel bad about this tomorrow.

"What?" asked Mob. Her eyes were wide and her aura was big. She was…not sure what she'd seen. Minegishi had just pulled Shimazaki down and kissed him…like it was nothing. Like they did it all the time. But…but why? Why would they have wanted to kiss him? Why would anyone had ever wanted to kiss him? He was so…mean. Mean, nice sometimes, but mostly mean. She felt…disappointed…in Minegishi. They could have kissed anyone else in the whole wide world. She wondered why they had even wanted to kiss Shimazaki…and she wanted to ask…but if she asked then she would have been rude and she did not want to be rude to her friend…so she said nothing at all…

"I feel so used." Said Shimazaki even though he felt nothing of the sort. Xanned out Minegishi was the best Minegishi. Well stoned Minegishi was the best Minegishi but they hadn't done that together in a while.

"Well then go feel used somewhere else. I'm tired and I'm sure that our fearless leader is looking for you. Someone needs to save him from, you know, the constant never ending assassination attempts." Said Minegishi. They laid back down and closed their eyes. Sleep….wonderful sleep.

"Yeah, it'd be a shame if someone killed him on my watch. See you Toshi." Said Shimazaki

"They don't like to be called-" said Mob. She would have said more but she didn't have any words left. They kissed. Again. This time Minegishi was the one being kissed. That was….what? What? Were they boyfriend and…friend? Or were they just kissing for fun? She wanted to ask, she really wanted to ask, but Minegishi was asleep and she knew not to wake them. That would have been rude.

So she gathered some chocolate for when Minegishi woke up.

She'd ask them, later, if they were in love too.