Fukuda could clearly remember the last videogame he had ever played.

It had been when the kids were small. They'd had a Wii, not this Wii but the one without the tablet attachment, and the kids had tried to show him how to play Mario Party. He had been Luigi, Sho had been Mario, and Shigeko had been the Princess. Surprise of all surprises. He remembered that Sho had won. He remembered that Sho had won at each and every minigame and he had won the board. Masami had been sitting on the couch. Tired. She had said that she had been tired. Really she had just been depressed.

She would have been worse than depressed now.

"I don't know what their deal is…damn it. Like why the hell they would it up all night playing that god damn game without me. Like, I live in the house too…damn it." Said Sho. He was upset today. He had been upset all day. Sho had gone straight to his office that day because apparently his sister and dad had sat up all night playing some video game without him.

Apparently not Space Invaders.

Fukuda would have understood if it had been Space Invaders. Suzuki had been obsessed with that game when they had been kids. He would spend upwards of six hours, from open to close, in the arcade playing that ancient Space Invaders cabinet. If Suzuki hadn't used his powers to cheat the machine he would have ended up pouring millions upon millions of yen into that machine. He had expressed, before, that Space Invaders was the apex of human invention and that he wished that he had a child to share it with.

That had last happened over twenty years ago.

They hadn't even had girlfriends let alone wives that they were ready to settle down with. They were eighteen years old, done with high school, and ready to go off to university and live their adult lives. That was the year that Suzuki had started talking about having a family, probably because he had lost his, and for a while Fukuda thought that maybe there was something inside of him that was….good. That had been the year when it had dawned on him that Suzuki had been serious…and also how dangerous he really was…

That was the year that they had stopped being friends.

Now they were something else. There was a clear hierarchy and that was the only reason why Fukuda didn't take him and shake him and ask him what he hoped to accomplish by upsetting his Son this much. Sho…he was bothered by this. He had been bothered enough to kick a hole in Fukuda's office wall, he didn't care about the wall, and Fukuda…he didn't know what to do about this. Sho had been left out and there was nothing that Fukuda could do to make his father and sister include him.

But he could be there for Sho.

"Sho, don't curse. What would your mother say if she could hear you talking like that?" asked Fukuda

"She would probably have made me sit on my bed for a time out and think about what I've done…but she's gone. She's gone and so it doesn't matter what I say." Said Sho. Fukuda took a moment to think. Sho was upset. He was upset and he didn't know what he was saying. He cared what Masami thought of him, he still cared about his mother, he was just upset and expressing it in the only way that he knew how. The anger and destruction were old but the cursing was new…and Fukuda knew exactly where that had come from. Kids should not have been keeping company with adults the way Sho and Shigeko did…but there was nothing that Fukuda could do about that. For Shigeko, anyway, that ship had sailed. Sho on the other hand…there was hope for him.

"Sho, what if your dad heard you cursing like that? You know how he feels about cursing and you know what his temper is like. I know you want your dad's attention but cursing up a storm is not the way to get it." Said Fukuda. Sho kicked the wall again before throwing himself down onto the floor. Fukuda knew not to bother him yet. When he drew his knees up to his chest. That would be the time to get near.

"….I don't care about dad's attention. I just don't think that it's fair that I got kicked out of our game. That was OUR game that me and big sis had made together…well me and big sis and Hatori." Said Sho. He was sitting up now and he was facing the wall. Fukuda didn't give a damn if he put a thousand holes in the walls. He cared about how Sho felt and also…also that new bit of information.

He knew that name.

That was the name of that esper Shigeko was trying to collect. The one that Fukuda had seen her trailing after. He had done some digging. Useful. Shigeko did know how to pick some useful and powerful espers. He could apparently control technology. Anything with an electrical system. If he had been born a hundred years ago he would have been useless but now he had the potential to be the most powerful esper in all of Claw…baring Suzuki and Shigeko, of course. She was a smart girl, Shigeko, smart enough not to waste a guy like that in tech support. Smart enough to surround herself with the most powerful espers that she could find.

But not smart enough not to alienate her younger brother.

"So Hatori is friends with your sister now?" asked Fukuda. He tried to keep his interest low. Sho wasn't his father or his sister. He picked up on things. Even when he was this upset…which was, actually, not as upset as he could have been. He hadn't taken a swing at anyone that day. That was a good sign.

"She wants to be his girlfriend. She's in love with him and stuff." Said Sho. Fukuda, to his credit, kept his face and aura calm. What in the….why? Just…why? Another one? At least this one was only nine years older than her as opposed to twenty. But still. That was a grown man. What, did she just not like boys her own age? Fukuda wished that Masami had been there to address whatever this was. The fact that Shigeko was attracted to grown men. That wasn't normal, right?

"Did she say that she was in love with him?" asked Fukuda

"No. She never said the word 'love' but she acts like she likes him. She does that thing that girls do when they like someone. She smiles and giggles whenever she talks about him and she talks about him all the time. I don't care. It's weird that she likes someone but I don't mind him. He's not Shimazaki and that's what matters. I didn't mind when it was just me and big sis and Hatori in the Minecraft world. He was the one who was teaching up how to play anyway. It's just…now dad's there and now it's a big sis and dad thing. I would rather play with her boyfriend than our dad." Said Sho

"Sho…did she say that he was her boyfriend?" asked Fukuda. He had no idea what he was supposed to do about this. He had no idea what he could do about this. Nineteen and ten was closer than twenty nine and ten…but still not ok. How did she think that…that an age gap like that was ok? What about boys her own age? She went off into the world sometimes. There were boys out there and…and she could have met one….and….and he wished that he knew what Masami would have done in this situation. She would have known what to do. She always knew just what to do when it came to her son and daughter.

That was not his daughter.

She was not his daughter and he did not get a say in who she had feelings for. Fine. Let her get someone else beat up. She had seen what had happened before and she was choosing to do this again. Fine. She was not his child and he…he had no power over her. She could and would do whatever she wanted. She had grown up watching her father after all. Suzuki had always strode through the world thinking that he could do whatever he wanted just because he was the most powerful man alive and all of that shit. Well that was fine, then.

At least Sho knew better.

Sho was not his son. He knew that Sho was not his son and there was no way in hell that Sho could have been his son. He wished…there were a lot of things in life that he wished for. Wishes did not come true. Sho was not his son…but he was the closest that Fukuda had. Fukuda was not his father but he was the closest thing that Sho had, too. So he had to be there for Sho.

Somebody had to be.

"No, but she wants him to be. I can tell. I don't mind…not really. I mean it's weird that she likes a guy but…but he's ok. I'm not mad about that. He's really a nice guy. He likes videogames and he's just as boring as she is…so I don't mind him. I just don't know why she had to bring dad into it…and why she didn't tell me that she was bringing dad into it." Said Sho

"Sho…I'm sure that they weren't trying to hurt you. They probably just…they weren't even thinking about you. You know how your dad is. Your dad doesn't think about anyone other than himself…and your sister can take after him in so many ways-" said Fukuda

"No. Big sis isn't like that. I mean she's like him, they're both super boring, but she's always thinking about me. She's always thinking about me so she can boss me around but she thinks about me…and I think that I'm upset because….because she didn't think about me. She didn't even tell me that dad was in our game with us. I thought that she and Hatori had built that base, not her and dad, and then…I mean she could have told me. I don't know. I don't want to be mad. I hate being mad. I do….I do bad things when I'm mad." Said Sho. Fukuda got up from his desk and went over to Sho. He had drawn his knees up to his chest. Now it was safe enough to get down to his level.

"Sho, it's ok. It's just a game and…and you know how your dad can be. He probably just hadn't even thought of you and then your sister…well she always goes along with what he wants. She's always been a daddy's girl like that but…but that's ok. So they have this thing together. It doesn't matter. You have a lot of things to yourself-" said Fukuda

"I don't like…..I mean I do like the things that I have to myself but…but I want to…I don't want to be left out like that. I've been trying so hard to be…to be better and…and then I got mad again. I was so mad this morning that I wanted to…to hit her and…and I didn't, that's what matters. I'm a good person because I didn't hit her….but it's hard to be a good person when…when she does stuff like that." Said Sho. Fukuda rubbed his back. He rubbed Sho's back and he had no idea what he could do besides be there for him. He was happy that Sho had been able to not hit his sister, he was getting older and growing out of that violent phase, but he wasn't happy about how Sho was beating himself up over this.

He was only nine.

He put too much on himself. He was nine, well nine and a half, and he was putting so much on himself. He wasn't a bad person just because he had almost fought with his sister. The reason was, to an adult, ridiculous. These were just videogames to an adult but to a nine year old boy…it was a lot. The whole thing was a lot for someone his age. Fukuda…he didn't even know what to do. He didn't want to make Sho think anything that wasn't true about his family but…but he also didn't want Sho to know…to know too much at his age.

To know how little he meant to his father.

Sho knew that his sister was the favorite. He also knew that his dad must have cared about him. Not in that same way that Masami had cared for him but he must have thought that Suzuki cared for him at least somewhat. That was why he continued to seek out his father's attention. He wanted to be a part of that and he was angry that he had been pushed out of that…and also he was nine and videogames were serious business to a nine year old…and this whole thing was just a lot. A lot for a nine year old.

But Fukuda was there for him.

"You're a good person, Sho. You not hitting your sister doesn't make you a good person. You just are a good person. I'm proud of you for not hitting your sister but…but that wouldn't make you a bad person. You're a good person, Sho, and I am so sorry that your dad and sister can't see that." Said Fukuda

"No, big sis…she says that about me a lot. She says that about me a lot and I think that might be why I'm so upset…and why I said so many bad words. It's better if I say bad words, though, instead of hitting someone." Said Sho. Fukuda was torn. On the one hand he didn't want to encourage Sho to curse but on the other hand Sho needed to stop hitting people before he ended up killing someone. He was a violent little boy and violent little boys grew up to be violent men…and his father was already a very violent man…

"I would…I would prefer it if you didn't curse or hit anyone. Your mother wouldn't have wanted that." Said Fukuda. Masami would have been so angry if she had seen how poorly Fukuda had done by Sho. He was such an angry little boy…well he had always been an angry little boy but…but he was getting angrier and angrier the older he got…and Masami would not have allowed this to happen.

"So? Who cares? She's gone and she's never coming back." Said Sho. Fukuda…he kept on rubbing Sho's back. He was nine and he didn't know what he was saying. That was all. He was upset and the first thing a person lost control of when they were upset was their mouth. He had never cursed like this before but…but he was getting older. It was October now. In two short months he'd be a ten year old. He was getting older and…and it was going to take more than a nice talk to cheer him up.

"She's gone but she's still your mom. She's your mom and she wouldn't have wanted to see you like this." said Fukuda

"Well then that's good for her, then, because I haven't seen her in years." Said Sho. Fukuda bit his tongue. Sho was nine and he was about to turn ten and he was getting to that age when he would start pushing boundaries. He didn't need Fukuda to get angry with him. He needed Fukuda to be there for him. He needed someone to be there for him.

"Sho….come on. Why are you even so upset? You said it yourself that the game was boring. I bet that you know a thousand games that are more entertaining than whatever this game is." Said Fukuda. He was going to drop the subject of Masami. He was just going to end up getting emotional and Sho did not need that right now. He was being open, he had been very open lately, and Fukuda was going to keep it that way. He was getting older and…and he needed to get out of this violent phase.

Though it would be a bit difficult considering who his father and sister were.

Shigeko was alienating her brother in favor of her father. Why? She had always been daddy's little girl even back when she had been a little girl. She was still a little girl, of course, but not that little girl that she had been. She wasn't half as clever as she thought she was, though, considering the fact that Sho was the one who was going to inherit the Earth if Suzuki's daft little plan ever came to fruition. She should not have been alienating her brother…or doing any of the other things that she did…but Fukuda was not her father and it was not his place to tell her how to live her life.

He was there for Sho.

Somebody had to be there for Sho and it, obviously, wasn't going to be his own father. That was fine. Fukuda was doing a better job than Suzuki ever could. For all of his talk when they had been younger about how he was going to teach his Son all there was to know he had shaped up to be a pretty piss poor excuse for a father. Suzuki would never have gotten down on Sho's level and helped him talk through his feelings. He would never have even cared what those feelings were. Masami…she would have been there for Sho…but she wasn't there. Like Sho had said…his mother wasn't there anymore….

But Fukuda was.

"I told you why already. Because that was our thing and then dad just came in….well big sis let him come in…and now it's dad and big sis' thing and they never even asked me to play with them or even…or even told me that dad was playing with us…in OUR world. I had to find out this morning and…and maybe I wouldn't be so upset if they had just told me…but I didn't hit anyone. That's what matters." Said Sho

"Sho, I'm proud of you for not hitting anyone and I'm proud of you for talking through what you're feeling. You're really growing up and I like the person that you're growing up to be." Said Fukuda. He omitted the fact that he liked how Sho was growing up to be nothing at all like his father. Suzuki had never been able to articulate his feelings. He always made Fukuda play guessing games until he came upon what it was that had Suzuki all twisted up. Sho was nothing like his father. Good.

He was just like his mother.

Masami had always been very in tune with how she was feeling and what she wanted…and that was what he loved about her. She had always been so straightforward with him and…and just…there. She had needed him and she had made herself clear about that. She had just been so…so…he doesn't want to think about Masami. He can't think about Masami. If he starts to think about Masami then he's going to start getting emotional and Sho doesn't need that right now. Sho needs someone to be there for him, he doesn't need to be there for someone. He was only nine. He was not going to put his burdens on a nine year old.

"Thanks." Said Sho. He wiped his nose. Fukuda wanted to tell him that his sleeve was not a tissue…but he had just put two holes in the wall and cursed like a certain grown man who Fukuda was becoming less and less fond of by the moment. Sho wiping his nose on his shirt was of no consequence in the grand scheme of things.

He was, at least, getting better.

Well he was feeling better now but Fukuda knew how these thing went. He was better in the moment but that moment would pass. He would go right back home to his family and then he would be excluded and alienated once again. Fukuda…he did not want to go round and round and round like this. He had always hated the merry-go-round. It was a pointless ride. He had always preferred the giant drop….and somehow his life had become one big giant drop. Roller-coaster. Something big and uncontrollable.

Better than going round and round.

He rubbed Sho's back and thought. He needed to be there for Sho. He wished that could have just picked Sho up and carried him off. Started new lives with new names. Not even with Masami. Just picked him up and given him the life that she was supposed to have given him, the life that she could have given him if she hadn't been forced to leave him behind, a life full of love and caring. Positive attention and friendships. The normal things that a nine year old should have had. He should have been getting settled into the fourth grade by now. He should have been worried about getting good grades and making friends. Not about how his father and sister were alienating him. He should have been just…worried about being nine. New schooler years, new classrooms, playing sports, playing games, making friends, finding a little girlfriend…or more likely boyfriend not that he would have dug too deeply into that part of Sho's life if he had been the one caring for him. Fukuda would have accepted whoever Sho wound up brining home…and it wouldn't have been a former yakuza member with an impulse control disorder and several substance abuse issues. No, Sho wouldn't have even begun to get close to such a person….Sho would have been friends with people his own age…and he would have had a normal life.

The life that Masami would have given him.

"Sho…how about you show me this game? It's been a few years but I think that I'll be able to get back into videogames. But it's not one of those motion controls, is it? I was never good at those." Said Fukuda

"It's on the computer….do you really want to make a world with me?" asked Sho

"Yeah, I want to see what all the hype is about. That is if you want to show me." Said Fukuda. Sho got quiet for a moment. Fukuda wished that he had the power to read minds. He had no idea what was thumping around in that head of his. Fukuda wants nothing more than to be there for him. To be there for the kid who had no one. If that meant learning to play a game which, honestly, he would probably be terrible at, then so be it. He didn't care if he fell behind on his work.

What was Suzuki going to do? Fire him?

"Ok…I can install it and then we can make a world…but just for you and me, right? Not big sis or dad or anyone else?" asked Sho. Fukuda patted him on the head. His hair sprung right back up as he patted. Suzuki's hair used to do that and it would drive him crazy when Fukuda had done that. Sho liked it. He was so different from his father.

Good.

"Yup. Just you and me." Said Fukuda. Sho smiled. His aura smiled and his face smiled and Fukuda…he felt good. He felt very good. He had been there for Sho when he had needed it and that…that was all that he could do. Be there for Sho…keep his promise to Masami…no matter what. He would always be there for Sho…no matter how he needed him.

Even if it meant playing videogames for the first time in years.