Sometimes in the hours between nine at night and five in the morning dad had done something truly unspeakable.

He had written on Sho's drawings.

Sho got up as dad left for the day…which was weird because he never left that early. That was why Sho had woken up. The door closed and dad's aura passed over him…which was weird. Usually he got up later on and then big sis got up and woke him up and then they all got dressed and had breakfast and stuff…but dad had left without him. He doesn't know why he cares. He should have liked it, dad being gone, but dad had just left him…

And Sho felt weirdly sad about that.

But then the sadness was replaced by getting very…very….VERY mad. There, all over the kitchen table, were papers…Sho's papers. His drawings. Dad had collected all of his drawings and then written all over the backs of them. He had treated them like scratch paper….and now they were ruined…and it was all dad's fault…like…he had paper! He could have sent the Awakened out for paper or just gone and got some himself!

Sho did not shout.

Sho was very proud of himself for not shouting. He kicked the fridge a bunch of times and bashed his fists against the wall and then, also, started to tear his drawings up because it had just been a lot and Sho knew, he KNEW, that it didn't make any sense. Dad had been hitting him for as long as he could remember and told him that he sucked as a son and stuff like that…so writing on the back of his drawings…and not even the fronts…it wasn't that bad.

But it felt like that.

He also knew that in tearing his drawings up he was ruining them more than dad ever had…and he knew that he had to stop….but it was…it was hard. He probably would have kept on crying and tearing his stuff up and trying not to scream if he hadn't stopped long enough to read what was on those papers. He hadn't meant to, there had just been some kanji that…that he knew. That was all. He just…recognized the kanji for someone's name…and then also the kanji for kill.

Reasons to kill Shimazaki Ryou. Reasons not to kill Shimazaki Ryou.

Sho stopped freaking out. He had been sad and then mad and now he was something between confused and freaked out. Dad was going to kill Shimazaki?! But WHY?! He was the coolest guy in the world! He could teleport and-and-and he was really strong and he could pull his barrier in so close it was like his skin and he smelled really nice and he liked to hang out and he always had an idea for something fun to do and-and-and-

And dad was not going to kill him!

Sho had no idea why dad would have wanted to kill Shimazaki. The thought of him not being around…about not having someone to hang out with all the time…about not having anyone to just…just have fun with….it was hard. It hurt. Dad…dad was such a jerk and Sho….he didn't even know what he was supposed to do….because dad was so much bigger and stronger than him and Sho had no way of beating him…and there was nothing that he could do-

He could warn Shimazaki!

There! That was a plan! Sho didn't waste any time. He didn't even put his shoes on. He just ran through the house and out the door…and the ground had a lot of tiny little rocks everywhere….but he made it next door! He had to warn Shimazaki because when dad wanted to kill someone he meant it. He meant that he wanted it to happen and then it would happen but Shimazaki would be ok! Sho would warn him and then he could teleport away…and be gone forever…but he could be safe!

This was a good plan!

Sho kicked the door opened with his powers and then just kept on running…which may have been a bad idea. He tripped over some shoes that some stupid person had left in the genkan like an idiot and ended up bumping his head on the stupid wall that someone had built there like an idiot! Who designed this house! They were an idiot!

But no time to complain about it now!

"Little Suzuki? What are you doing in here?" asked Shibata. This was not at all how he saw his morning going…now it was even better! He had been making pancakes, new recipe, and that had been something he had been looking forward to for so long…and now the kids were eating with him too! Or at least one of them. Her Little Ladyship was probably still at home since it was way too early for little people to be up but at least her brother was here!

Shibata didn't care if Sho could be a brat. He was an adorable brat.

"My-my-my dad is going to kill-kill Shimazaki! Get out of my way!" said Sho he ran past Shibata and down the hallway…this house looked just like the one he was staying in….but no time to be weirded out about it now! He had a mission! He had to warn the absolute coolest guy that Sho had ever met about how dad was planning on killing him! He ran down the hall as fast as he could. There, Sho could feel his aura behind a door. Nothing to do now but-

He was picked up before he could kick the door in.

"You don't want to go in there, Little Suzuki, trust me on this." said Shibata. He could move fast when he wanted to. He picked Little Suzuki up under his arm pits and held him away from his body. There. No need to repeat what happened at Pet Palace…and Wee World…but that kid survived…but no need to repeat history. He held Little Suzuki up as he thrashed and lashed out with his powers.

It was incredibly painful.

But he was not going to put Little Suzuki down no matter what. Shibata knew that the poor little guy was way too little to see what was on the other side of that door. He was only nine and there was no sense in filling his little head with stuff that he was too little to comprehend. Also he might have ended up traumatized, which was not a good thing at all, so Shibata kept on holding him up in the air even though he kicked REALLY hard.

"Put me down! I have to warn Shimazaki!" shouted Sho as he kicked as hard as he could. Shibata just stood there and took it and didn't even look like he was in pain! That wasn't fair! Sho hadn't ever felt this little since he had been this little. Little enough for people to regularly pick him up…and he didn't like it at all!

"You should warn him when he wakes up, ok? I can't let you do near that door because you won't like what you see on the other side. Believe me." Said Shibata. He decided that the best thing to do was to carry him over to the couch and find some cartoons for him to watch. Then Shibata could make him some pancakes...or not. What was Little Suzuki allergic to again? He'd ask later. Once the little guy was calmer. Yes, all he had to do was carry him away and-

And he was holding on to the doorframe.

"Put me down! You won't win! I can keep this up long enough for my sister to get tired and when she uses her powers she's even stronger than you!" shouted Sho as he held on to the doorframe like he did when big sis tried to make him take a bath when he didn't want to. Shibata would end up getting tired just like big sis did and then he'd go somewhere else and then Sho would be free to warn Shimazaki and then everything would work out in the end.

"Little Suzuki, you have to let go. I don't want to accidentally hurt you!" said Shibata. This was not safe. He knew how strong he could be…and he knew how fragile the little people could be. It was like they had glass bones and paper skin…and he needed to get the little guy to let go but…but he could not tug too hard or he would break the house…

Or the kid. Most likely the kid.

"I can't let go! I have a mission!" shouted Sho

"But we have pancakes!" said Shibata

"This is more important than pancakes!" shouted Sho

"You need to let go! You don't know what you're doing!" said Shibata

"I know exactly what I'm doing! Not let go!" shouted Sho

"Whatever you have to do you can do after breakfast! When everyone is awake!" said Shibata

"I don't have that long!" shouted Sho

"You have enough time for pancakes!" said Shibata

"No I don't!" shouted Sho

"Yes you-"said Shibata. He could have continued that argument up for hours if he had to, he was not letting Sho get through that door no matter what, when he was cut off by the shifting in the energy around him.

"Hey, I love what you're doing out here, it looks like fun, but I'm going to need the both of you to shut the fuck up. Toshi's trying to sleep and now is not a good time to piss them off. Wait until after the seventeen at least, ok, to piss Toshi off." Said Shimazaki. He yawned and stretched and tried to come to life. This was why he loved working in Claw. Something was always happening. Like now. He had no idea what those two were doing but he wanted a turn next.

Suzuki's kid was riled up about something, which was always fun, but now he had just…stopped.

That was good for Toshi, of course, because they had trouble getting to sleep at the best of times and these were not the best of times…not that Shimazaki really minded. They could deal with Toshi being all irritable and stuff. That was normal for them.

No need to get Toshi any more upset than they had to be, though.

"Shimazaki….hi…" said Sho. He let go of the doorframe and Shibata put him down. He suddenly forgot what he was there for. He knew that Shimazaki would be there, he knew that he had something he had come to tell Shimazaki, but now he had trouble remembering…a lot of things.

He had never seen all of Shimazaki's tattoos before.

Sure he had been shown a few. They went up and down both of his arms and across his chest. He'd seen the dragon, part of it, and also the list of dates on the back of his arm…and the dog on his side…but he had never seen all of them. Like the naked lady that he had on his arm…bit weird that the tattoo guy had scribbled out her privates but not her boobs, or how someone had written chicken fried rice on his leg….and Sho wondered what that was about. He wondered what all of it was about. Shimazaki said that some of them were from his old job, some of them were things he liked, and some of them were just done by his tattoo artist friend.

When Sho grew up he was going to cover himself from head to toe in tattoos.

"Hey, what's up? What are you guys screaming out here about and how can I exacerbate the situation?" asked Shimazaki. He could see Toshi turning around in the other room. He mental a mental note to pick up some of that chocolate that they liked. They had just now gotten back on good terms with each other…not that Shimazaki had ever been on bad terms with them. They had just been mad, pretended that he didn't exist, because they thought that he was being too weird with Suzuki's kid and also they were pissed that he taught her how to smoke.

He didn't get it.

It wasn't like he had taught her how to smoke meth, which he would not be doing because he wanted to show her a good time not ruin her life, he just showed her how to smoke a cigarette. No need to play the Ryou is invisible game. It had taken a whole night's wheedling to get them to even acknowledge that he was alive and then after that hours and hours of very tedious and one sided stuff just to get things back to normal.

Not a bad night, though.

And now a great morning. This kid was never dull. Almost made Shimazaki want to have one of his own. Almost. If there was some way to skip the baby stage…and also convince Toshi to give up the whole 'no babies for me ever' thing…and also find someone who would watch the kid when it got boring or loud or gross…and also someone to support it emotionally and financially…then he would have been all over that.

Maybe just stick to borrowing the boss' kid for now. All the fun of a kid but none of the mess.

"Um…uh…here!" said Sho. He picked the piece of paper he had brought with him off the ground and held it up in front of Shimazaki….like an idiot…

"That sounded like a piece of paper. I'm going to assume that something is written on it?" said Shimazaki

"Um…it says-" said Sho. Right. He was so dumb. Shimazaki couldn't read! Well, he could, but only little bumps on a page. That was called brail. Shimazaki couldn't read kanji because he was blind and Sho knew that he was blind and he had been so dumb to forget something as important as the fact that Shimazaki was blind and-

The piece of paper was taken from his hands.

"Oh shit….you gotta see this." said Shibata as he read the piece of paper that little Suzuki had run in there all upset about. Wow. The little guy had been telling the truth. Suzuki was planning on killing Shimazaki…though if this piece of paper was to be believed then he had a very good reason…if this paper was true…which it couldn't have been. Shimazaki had sworn that he had just been messing with her not…MESSING with her….

Because that would have been very wrong.

"I would if I could." Said Shimazaki. He yawned again. It was early in the morning, he could feel it, and he either needed something exciting to happen or he needed to go back to bed. One of the two. He hoped that he hadn't gotten out of bed for nothing, he and Toshi had found a very good sleep position, and he wanted to either do something or get back to the warmth and softness that was Minegishi Toshiki.

"It says-" said Sho. He was interrupted again, this time by a door hitting him across the back. He stumbled forward and Shimazaki caught him without even looking…because he couldn't look…and also he was strong enough to pick Sho up and move him out of the way…and for some reason he didn't even mind…

"What the hell are you idiots doing out here? It's not even six in the morning and we all have jobs to get to. The same job. So take whatever this is somewhere else." Said Minegishi. No. None of this. Not now. They were not dealing with Suzuki's kid this early in the day, or at all, and they were certainly not dealing with whatever the idiot brigade had cooked up between them.

They spotted a piece of paper.

Those idiots had better not have been planning to dig up Minegishi's garden to play treasure hunt again. Especially if Shibata was the one in charge of the treasure. The real treasure is inside the hearts and minds of all…what a load of….Minegishi took the paper out of Shibata's hands and skimmed it…and then read it closely….

If they'd had eyebrows they would have been raised.

"Well it looks like Suzuki's debating whether or not he should kill you. Huh. Care to explain this?" asked Minegishi

"That's what I've been trying to-" said Sho

"Really, Ryou, care to explain this? What the hell did I just read? Are you seriously…I don't believe you. I just don't believe you. How could you just-I can't even stand the sight of you right now." Said Minegishi. That was Suzuki's handwriting. Microscopic, blocky, and like he kept a thesaurus next to him while he wrote just to look smart. Minegishi flipped the paper around. Huh. That was a really nice picture of a cat…but it was not enough to relieve them of the rage that they were feeling.

"Listen, there's something I have to tell all of you. I'm blind. I know that this has come at a shock to all of you-" said Shimazaki. He could see Minegishi getting ready to hit him over the head. He decided to let it happen. Either it happened now or it happened later. Better to get it out of the way now.

Huh. Suzuki's kid stepped in front of him. His compassion would one day be his undoing.

"Stop it! Shimazaki is going to die if we don't help him! You can beat people up later but first we have to think up a plan and-" said Sho. No wonder dad was always mad at people. They could be so dumb sometimes! Obviously they had to protect Shimazaki. They were all his friends and when your friend was in trouble you helped them. It was obvious. They just had to think up a plan…or something…and Sho needed to stop staring at all of his tattoos…get your head in the game! This is life or death!

"Is it true? Shimazaki? What Suzuki thinks?" asked Shibata. Whether or not he would help would be what decided if Shibata would help. There were somethings that he just could not condone and that was one of them. It was one thing to just joke around with Her Little Ladyship but quite another thing entirely to actually want to…to have…

He wondered if Suzuki would fire him if he killed Shimazaki. That is if any of this was even true.

"That ketchup is a food group? Probably not but, hey, I don't know anything about nutrition." Said Shimazaki. He wondered when the people around him, his closest workmates and friends, as close to friends as he could have, would remember that he was totally blind. Not half blind, not legally blind, but born without eyes in his skull blind. He was tempted to open his eyes just to freak everyone out. Well everyone but Toshi, they were used to him, but it would still be worth a laugh or two. Might even cheer Toshi up.

God knew they needed it.

"Shimazaki, we're being serious. Is it true that you…um….are fond of? Yeah, that's a good way to put it. That you're fond of Suzuki's daughter? The ten year old?" asked Shibata. He cast a worried glance down at the kid beside him. Poor little guy was way too young to know about this sort of thing.

"She's an ok kid-" said Shimazaki. What in the hell were they on about? He wasn't actually interested in the kid. What did he have to do? Get it tattooed across his back….actually, that would have been a good one. Must be thirteen years or older…but his back was already full…but he could always just get it done over the other dragon…but everyone said that the dragon was so cool…but that was a really good idea.

Dick tattoo maybe?

No. Too much pain for something that he would never even be able to see…but then again he would know that it was there…and also it sent a very clear message to the world. He was not into ten year olds. God, he wasn't a creep.

"For the love of….are you attracted to Mob? You know, our boss' ten year old Daughter? The one you're constantly hitting on?" asked Minegishi. Shibata was an idiot, Shimazaki was an idiot, and they were the biggest idiot of all. They hadn't even been to ignore that stupid piece of shit for one entire day…and now Suzuki was taking the time to debate with himself about whether or not he was going to kill Shimazaki…based on something that was just…just a line that Minegishi never thought that he would have crossed.

Not at this point, anyway.

They held no illusions as to what he was. The sort of person he was. The fact that his flirting would be a hell of a lot innocent in three or four years. Of course by then Mob would have been old enough to know what he was after and smart enough to tell him to fuck off…or she wouldn't and Minegishi would have been pissed at him for starting that up with her…but that was supposed to be years down the line. This was not…this, if it was true, was not ok. She was ten. She still played with dolls. Sure she was a powerful ten year old, and a budding alcoholic, and a former smoker, but she was still just a kid and she did not need to be dealing with…with any of this!

It wasn't even six in the morning….could this day get any worse?

"Of course not-" said Shimazaki. God. You hit on one kid a few dozen times just to mess with her and you can never live it down!

"Suzuki thinks that you do….and he's gunning for you. That's what this piece of paper says. He said that…um…well he wrote that…um…we need food. I'm going to go and make food. We need food to…live. Come on, Sho. Let's get you fed." said Shibata. He was bad at this. He was really bad at this. Shimazaki was about to say that he wasn't…and Shibata really wanted to believe him…but he also…he didn't know. He wanted to make breakfast….so that was what he was going to do.

Let Minegishi handle this. They were his…girlfriend? Boyfriend? Partner. They were his partner. Shibata was just his coworker/friend/roommate/drinking buddy.

"I'm not hungry…." Said Sho. He didn't feel hungry. He didn't feel anything…well like he had been kicked in the stomach. He didn't know what it was that he was even feeling. Well he wanted to beat Shimazaki up, because that was what you did when someone was trying to go out with your sister…and also he felt…hurt. Because Shimazaki was trying to go out with his sister…with Shigeko…and that was just…

He had thought that Shimazaki was so cool…

He had thought that they were friends…but he went and liked Shigeko better….and at all. Because adults were not supposed to feel that way about kids and kids were not supposed to feel that way about adults. It had been bad enough when Sho had thought, figured, that Shimazaki felt that way about Minegishi. At least they were an adult…but big sis only thought that she was an adult…and Sho was just a kid and…

And he needed to beat Shimazaki up even though he was fun and cool and stuff. He was a little brother. It was his job.

"Yeah, whatever, leave this to me as always….moron." muttered Minegishi. They stared Shimazaki down with their eyes and their aura. They felt…not good. They were disappointed in him and in themselves and also worried for him, Suzuki would make good on whatever conclusion he came to, and also they were worried for Mob and…

And this was way too much to be dealing with at this hour.

"Toshi, you know me. Too young. Way too young. Besides, if I had she would have told you. She tells you everything. She tells you everything and you tell me everything so, really, I know everything all the time. I was just messing with her, and you know what I mean, and then Suzuki saw and I guess he's taking it the wrong way. He's not going to kill me. Beat me to within an inch of my life, maybe, but he's not going to kill me. Ok?" said Shimazaki. He reached over for Toshi's hand…and they pulled it away. Great. Back to the 'ignore Ryou' game.

"Get this shit sorted out, get yourself sorted out, and leave Mob alone. Once all of that's done with then I'll talk to you. Now leave me the hell alone. I'm going back to sleep for the next…until whenever I feel like getting up." Said Minegishi. They'd talk to Mob later. Shimazaki was right, Mob wouldn't keep something like that from them…but still. There was the matter of her not entirely rational father thinking that one of his underlings had dared to lay a hand on his scared virgin of a Daughter. His ten year old sacred virgin of a Daughter.

They were too tired to worry. They'd worry later. Sleep now. This wasn't their problem anyway. That moron had dug his own grave.

"Night Toshi…or morning. I'll save you some breakfast." Said Shimazaki. Great. He had to fight the boss again…which would have been exciting under normal circumstance but he got the feeling that Suzuki was going to try his best to injure him in some serious way if not just beat him half to death. Great.

And he hadn't even done anything wrong!

Obviously ten was too young. Obviously he would wait until it wasn't creepy anymore. Obviously he just liked messing with her. But then again it may have only been obvious to him since so many people had taken the time out of their busy lives to tell him what a creepy he was. Also Suzuki hated him now…which was not something that he was looking forward to addressing.

Whatever. That was life.

He would have teleported away but he felt himself being stared at. Suzuki's son was staring at him…and also there was a lot of barely suppressed rage there. Well now that made sense. The kid was nine and nine year olds weren't that bright. Of course he would believe something that dumb. He was a kid and kids could be so dumb.

So who in the hell would want to fuck one?

"I can tell when I'm being stared at, you know." Said Shimazaki

"I know." Said Sho. He wanted to…he didn't know what it was that he even wanted. To beat him up. To beat everyone up. To eat pancakes. To go back to bed. To ask Shimazaki why the naked lady on his arm had her privates scribbled out but not her boobs…and why he even had so many tattoos in the first place…and why he would ever like Shigeko in the first place.

Everyone liked her better.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. She was just so…he didn't even know. He didn't know why everyone liked her. He didn't know what was so great about her. She was so boring. She wasn't fun enough for him. She didn't like to build forts and pull pranks and play hide and seek and go to the park and pet dogs or climb trees or…or anything. She wasn't as fun or as cool as him and…and it just was not at all fair! What was so great about her?! What did he have to go and-and-and ruin everything they had together for? Just because of her?! Why did everyone like Shigeko so much better than him!?

He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. It was hard.

"If you want to ask me about my tattoos then ask away. I don't entirely know what they all are, though, I just kind of let my one friend go a little crazy." Said Shimazaki

"It's not about that…but I do want to know about the dragon and why you have chicken fried rice written on your leg and also why you have a naked lady on your arm…and also I want to know…um…" said Sho. He was nervous and he didn't know why. He should have been all fired up. A guy might have liked his sister! He was supposed to beat up everyone, every single guy, who wanted to go out with his sister. That was just what you were supposed to do when you were a little brother.

"Come on, I'm starting to get bored here." Said Shimazaki. He didn't like the kid like this. All quiet. He would have taken the kid trying to kill him above…this. What was he being so nervous about? Come on. This was his favorite kid. He didn't need to have to find a new favorite kid.

"Do you like my sister? Because if you do then I have to beat you up…and I won't go easy on you." Said Sho. He didn't want to beat Shimazaki up. He was such a cool guy…and he was fun…and he had so many cool tattoos…and Sho didn't know what to do. He did and didn't want to beat up his friend…his friend who might have liked his sister…and that made him feel all mad and…and also hurt a little bit…

"I would never have expected you too. Also, no, your sister is way too young for me. I'll still fight you if you want me to but I swear on my life, wait I need something of value, on your life. Yes, I swear on your life that I am not at all into your big sister. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a rusty needle in my empty eye socket. Hell, stab me in both of them." Said Shimazaki. The kid was all mad and he wished that the kid would just take a swing at him. Being bored was, well, boring.

"Ok…ok I guess. I believe you…but yeah, my dad might not….so maybe you should run away. I'm going to…to go. Not run away but…but eat some pancakes. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do now." Said Sho. He didn't know how he felt. Mad, still, even though he believed Shimazaki. She was way too boring for him. He wouldn't have liked her. No guys liked her. The only guy who would ever like her would be, probably, the most boring guy in the whole world. Then Sho would beat him up like a good little brother had to. He was a good little brother like that.

And he was a good friend.

He had warned Shimazaki about dad and now…now he was going to have breakfast and…and that was what he was going to do. Because it was morning and that was what he was going to do. Eat breakfast and…and not feel weird. Feel mad about…about the thought of Shimazaki liking Shigeko…because that was how a little brother was supposed to feel when a guy liked his big sister…

That was why he felt like this…weirder than he had ever felt in his entire life.