The party had been a rousing success.

Suzuki could tell. Daughter had handled herself well, he had been told, and a good time had been had by all. He scrolled through his emails absently as he sat in bed. Nothing but good things to be said. He had been missed, but that was not a bad thing, it would have been a bad thing if he had stayed. No. He could give speech after speech after speech but staying and socializing….that was best left to Daughter. She did have the better social skills after all. She knew more about these things and she had done well. He would have to reward her in some way. Tomorrow, on their day, he would watch the ice queen movie with her. Yes. She would enjoy that. Then he would play a game with her. Then they could…well he didn't know what he would do next but he knew that it would have been something which she would have found enjoyable. That was all he ever wanted, for her to be happy, what more could he want.

From her, he meant.

He wanted the world, of course, but she could not give him the world. There were times at which he felt that she was the world. That there was a world in her aura, her smile, the warmth and softness of her physical self as he held her. There could be a world in that and he had found himself lost in it so many times. Her. The world that was Daughter. He had her but he did not have the actual world…but he would. He would take it and then he would give it to her when it came time…well he would give it to Son, obviously, but she would have her part in it. They could rest together, though, once he gave the world to Son. Then every single day could be Sunday.

It would be wonderful.

This, however, was not wonderful at all. Being away from her like this. He had left her alone last night…and that had been difficult…but he had done that under the assumption that she would have come home at some point. She hadn't. He knew where she was, he could feel her aura, so he was not worried. Not in any serious way. Not as worried as he would have been if he had woken up and she had been nowhere to be seen. No, that would not have been good at all. He knew where she was and he knew that she was safe and…and he knew that this was not their day together…

But he still worried.

He worried because she was not there where he could see her. He cared for her, he would always care for her, and…and once he allowed himself to care for her as much as he did now, once he allowed himself to love her, she had been taking over more and more of his mind. He cared so much for her…and he loved her…and she had taken up residence in his mind. She was like a plant that had rooted itself in his mind…and he needed to let her go…but he didn't want to let her go. If he let her go then…then Masami would take up that same space in his mind.

He still cared for her.

Masami was in his mind. Masami was everywhere, she haunted him, and…and he never wanted her to stop. He did and did not want her to stop haunting him, his mind, his thoughts, his everything. He cared for her so much…and he never would stop caring for her…and he just….he wanted to care for her but…but he also wanted to care for someone he could reach out and feel. Someone who was there not as a ghost but as a physical being. Someone there who could be beside him. Someone who could look up at him and smile. Someone who would hold onto him in the night and just…be. Just be there. That was what he wanted and…and he could not get that from Masami. She was gone and…and she was not forgotten…but there was nothing that he could do. She was gone and there was nothing that he could do. But Daughter was still there….

Not that he thought about Daughter in the same way that he thought of Masami.

She would always have her own place within his mind and within himself. She would always be his, his wife, for as long as he would live. Even if she had died….the thought makes him want to die…he would always be hers and she would always be his and they would always be husband and wife because…because he can't even imagine the idea of her with someone else. The idea that she would ever be with another…that's him. He's the one who stepped away from their marriage. He's the one who stepped away from…well she physically left but…but he's the one who slept with someone else. He can't imagine her ever doing the same. The same…the same would have been…unimaginable….

She will always be his wife.

He spins the wedding ring around on his finger. He spins the wedding ring around and around and around. It doesn't end. It doesn't end and his marriage had no ended….even though he hadn't set eyes on her in years…and…and he…he needs to stop thinking about her. He needs to stop thinking about her and he needs to…to think of someone else. She haunts him like a ghost and he welcomes and does not welcome her presence…

Because she is not someone who he can reach out and feel.

He will never take another wife. He will never take a lover…another lover. He doesn't need anyone ever again. He has Daughter. He had Daughter and he needs…he doesn't need anyone but he wants her to be near to him. She fills a void in his life. There is a void in his life where Masami had been but now she is…not beside him…but Daughter is, was, and ever shall be beside him. Even when she's right next door. Even when she's not there within his sights…he can still feel her aura…

He closes his laptop.

He leaves his wedding ring alone. He decides to get out of bed. He doesn't want to work that day…well he does, he always wants to work…but he knows that everyone will be useless today. He knows that anyone who had been at the party would be useless and he does not want to deal with useless people…and also he himself has had enough of people for a little bit. Too many people at once. He just needs to…to rest. That's all. Sometimes he needs rest and this is one of those times. He would have preferred to rest with Daughter but she isn't home.

She'll be home eventually.

He decides to have breakfast on his own. Son isn't home either. If Son had been home then he would have just skipped the whole meal all together. Eating with Son is always tiresome, ten times as much when Daughter isn't there to control him, and he does not want to deal with that today. Thankfully he doesn't have to deal with that. Son is with Fukuda, their auras are very near to each other, and that's fine. Fukuda could deal with him for a little bit. It's good that Daughter has a break. Masami had expressed that before, that it was difficult for her to deal with the children day in and day out, and he now understands what she meant. Being with Son day in and day out is very tiring. He doesn't know how Masami did it. He doesn't know how Daughter does it.

She's very good with him.

Daughter is very good when it comes to caring for her brother. She's so like Masami in that way. If she had been home she would have been in the kitchen already. She could have been pouring their cereal, hers and Son's, while Suzuki himself ate toast and tea or a grapefruit. Daughter may have made them breakfast, she could make a very good omelet, and he wished that she had been in the kitchen making breakfast…but she wasn't, she was somewhere else, and he would have to feed himself. That was fine.

Bread and ketchup it was.

An old favorite. Bread and ketchup for breakfast. Just like when he had been young. He had been young and this had been a common meal for him. He knew that it was undignified, and not even real food, but he enjoyed it. There was no one there to judge him…not that there was anyone in this world who could…and even if someone had then he wouldn't have cared. He hadn't even cared when Masami had said something the first time she had seen him eating this. When she had come into the kitchen on their first morning as husband and wife…and she had brought her hand to her mouth and laughed…even though he had loved her smile…

'Touichirou, let me make you some real food'

That was what she had said. Then she had made him an omelet. She had made him an omelet and…and it had been the best omelet that he had ever had in his life. She had used four large eggs, a cup of tea, half an onion, half a green pepper, three strips of crispy bacon, half a cup of mushrooms, and so much butter that it had glistened…nobody could cook like Masami. Daughter could come very close but nobody could cook like her…

Daughter could come close, though.

Daughter could come close and that was good enough. Masami was gone and he needed to remember that she was gone. He had to remember that she was gone. He had to remember that he needed to remember in the mornings when he woke up that she was not on the other side of his bed, that she was not in the kitchen cooking him breakfast, and she was not anywhere in his home or in his life. She was gone and…and he had Daughter. The wound hurts now, he's been picking at it, and she is the person who gave him this wound. This wound is…

Is…

He stops picking at it. He's reminded of Son picking his scabs off. He does that, sometimes, if he injures himself and he doesn't have Fukuda tend to it. When he just lets himself be injured even though he's always in Fukuda's presence. Son would pick off his scabs while he sat at the table, his feet braced against it, his pant cuffs hiked up or his sleeves hiked up…and then he would just pick them off. He would pick them off even though it pained him. Suzuki understood. He was disgusted by the action, he had told Daughter time and time again that she had to find some way to make him stop, but he understood. There was a sort of…not pleasure but…there was something to picking at the wound. To not letting it properly scab over. The pain reminded him that the wound was real. The pain reminded him of the person who had given him that wound in the first place.

He didn't know which was worse, having Masami haunt his every waking moment or waking up one morning and not being able to remember her at all.

He didn't know what would be worse so he just picked at the wound that she had left him. It's red and sticky, like ketchup against white bread, and it will not heal. He will run out of ketchup long before he lets this wound rest…and he does. Soon his ketchup glass is empty, the loaf of bread has been finished, and he's ready to get back to the work that he can do from home. He leaves his dishes in the sink, Daughter will take care of those, and he makes his way back to his room. He'll be moving soon, they all will, and he needs to work out the logistics of that. Daughter has added another person to her entourage so there's a whole new set of logistics for him to figure out.

Thank God they're all willing to live in the same house.

That's one less thing to worry about. Where to house them. They'll be headed to England next. There's another cell of Claw he's building and another esper he needs to look into. There are things to be done in other places as well but…he can delegate that. Son's presence has not been enjoyable lately. Maybe another away mission. Something inconsequential. Something just to get him out of the way. Something which will give Daughter a break. Yes. Then they could be together more often…if that was healthy. He would have to ask Fukuda how much time he was supposed to spend with her before it became unhealthy. More logistics to worry about.

His whole life was logistics.

But that was alright. He liked it, the thinking portion, the planning of it all. Building the world could be just as fun as running it. Like that game that Daughter had showed him. They played often, played at creating the world, and it was always so much fun. He always had so much fun when he was with her. Maybe she would find enjoyment in the logistics of planning their next move. Maybe it would be better if she planned the logistics of housing and caring for her entourage. She knew them better than he did. He barely even knew them.

Well he knew that one of them could not hold his liquor.

He had sat down with his laptop and decided to check his email again, sometimes he had that compulsion to constantly refresh it, and he had been greeted by…a long list of complaints. A lot of yelling, broken champagne glasses, someone…he didn't even want to read that last part. In a sink? Really? What in the….just…he was not dealing with that. Those were Daughter's friends and she could deal with them…and also the next party would be dry. No more free flowing champagne. Obviously some people could not be trusted. That was why he didn't drink. He was bad at it. He lost control of himself, his powers, and his mouth. He had never befouled a sink but he had lost all self-awareness a few times. University had been…something. Thank God for Fukuda. Suzuki didn't know how he would have made it through his few attempts at drinking without the man.

If you couldn't drink then you shouldn't drink.

Daughter kept company with…well the strangest of people. There had been other children at that party but apparently Daughter had spent the night with her friends. He decided to delete the email detailing her friend's many social failures. There was one that spoke of Daughter in glowing terms. Apparently she had done well to promote the glorious future and all while sipping champagne and-

What?

Daughter…what? How old was she? That was what people were asking him. Was she only ten? Of course she was only ten! She had been born ten years ago and that made her ten! Well she was closer to eleven but…she had been DRINKING?! His mirror shatters. The lights above him flicker and pop. She had been drinking. His Daughter had been drinking. She had been….she was ten!? How could she have been so irresponsible!? She could have lost control and killed everyone in that room! She could have made a fool of herself! She could have-

Exorcism of his emotion.

He is angry with Daughter. He does not want to be angry with Daughter. It's not a good feeling. He wants to strike her and the thought of striking her horrifies him so he does not. He knows that he's her father and that he's fully within his rights to strike her but…but the thought of striking her makes it feel like he's doing something wrong. Like he's striking Masami or something…and that would be wrong…so he forces his emotions down until they're nothing. He goes over the facts as he knows them. Daughter drank.

His Daughter had drank.

She's only a child but she drank and…and she's a child! She is not supposed to…calm down, Touichirou, calm down and think. This is…not something that he had ever imagined her doing. She was like him, too powerful, and constantly at war with herself to keep the powers that she had been born with under control…and she had risked her control to….he feels another spike of anger. He's been spending the past eight years teaching her control and she just threw it out the window! How could his own child be so irresponsible! He would have expected this from Son but not Daughter! She had drank and he wanted nothing more than to-

Exorcise his emotions.

The facts of the matter were simple. Daughter drank. He did not want Daughter to drink. She was a child and her control was not the best. Now he had to examine his feelings towards that and see if they made any sense. She was a child and children did not drink. He is angry at her about this. He does not want to be angry with her about this. But she is a child and she will be until she stops being one. Children….they did drink, sometimes. His parents had let him have a sip or two of champagne as a child at New Year's…and that had never ended well….but she was not him. Fukuda had drank while they were under aged many times…but the man could and had drank paint thinner and walked away unscathed. His powers were different, that was why he hadn't lost control and killed anyone…but Daughter mostly had the same power set as him…and she was still a child and while children did sometimes drink it wasn't sanctioned…

He does not want to be angry at her.

Being angry at her opens the wound. He's not picking at it like a scab, no, he's taking a butcher's knife to it. He does not ever want to be angry with her…but she had done something wrong. She had deliberately disobeyed-no, she hadn't. He had never explicitly told her that she could not ever drink…and also she knew that they were espers and had no need to respect the laws…so she had drank and…and therefore it was alright. She may have been a child but that was not a good reason…and he needs to exorcise the part of him that feels like it's a good reason to stop her from drinking…because it's not. He doesn't want to be angry at her so he won't. There. Simple.

She could have lost control.

It's like his mind is trying to make him angry. Yes, she could have lost control, and she should have known better…but she had better control than he'd ever had at her age. Her control…it was amazing. She had done something to keep her powers in check to the point of her aura hardly ever even spiked. There was a sleepy, slow, sort of quality to her aura…and to herself…and he didn't understand it at all. Not that he would question it, no, of course not. He was so glad that she had eclipsed him, younger him, in that respect. He was so proud of her…and he cared so much for her…and he was not going to be angry with her. She hadn't lost control and she had held her liquor, another way in which she eclipsed him though he doesn't know how to feel about that, so he's….not going to get angry with her.

He cannot get angry at someone he loves.

He loves her just as he loved Masami. Without the sexual component since she was only ten and also his Daughter. He loves her and he cannot get angry with her. He will hurt her if he gets angry with her and he doesn't want to hurt her…so he won't get angry. Even though he has no idea why she would drink or what she got out of it….a social thing? She socialized only with adults…and she was something of a smaller adult without any of her secondary sex characteristics…so maybe she had just been trying to blend in socially…and he could understand that. There. He understood and…

He didn't understand.

Why had she even gotten the idea to…well social expectations…but…but why? He felt….he felt…he didn't feel any logical way at all. He felt like a part of her had slipped through his grasp. He felt…he felt like….like he had lost her but…but he had not lost her. She was right there. She was not lost. She was not lost at all. She was right there and…and she was not gone. He could feel her aura. She was there and…and she was….he felt as though a part of her had slipped away. This was the same feeling he got when he realized that he could no longer lift her without using his powers unless he wanted to throw his back out. The same feeling he got when he realized that she hadn't called him 'daddy' in years. The same feeling he got when he realized that she was tall enough that she didn't need a stepping stool to reach the bathroom sink anymore….

Like he had lost a part of her forever….

But this was…she was meant to grow up. If there was some way to slip antigrowth hormones into her food to keep her ten years old forever he would have done it but there were no such things as antigrowth hormones which were commercially available and safe for human consumption so he would not. Also….he wanted her to grow up. He looked forward to it. He often fantasied about their future together. About her as a grown woman. About how they would be able to spend every moment of every day together. About how he could wake up every morning and see her sleeping there…unless she stopped sleeping so much. Her sleep schedule would change as she got older….but that would just mean more time together. They would eat every meal together and have conversations, she was a very skilled conversationalist, and then they would also plan together. Plan the new world together. They would spend every waking moment of their lives together and it would be wonderful. He wanted to be with her as a grown woman….but to have that grown woman he would have to let go of her as a little girl…

And he didn't know if he was ready to do that.

But each year brought closer to adulthood and farther away from girlhood. When would she stop playing with dolls? Wearing costumes? Playing games? When would she stop obsessing over that ice queen movie? When would she stop keeping her hair in braids? He did so like watching her braid her hair, such intricate motions, and she had such beautiful hands. Every year brought her farther and farther away from childhood….and it felt like just yesterday he had brought her home…and now she was this person. Now she was becoming a woman…and he so wanted her to stay a little girl…

But this was what he wanted.

She would grow up and be a companion to him. She would be there for him every single day. The last thing he saw before he went to sleep and the first thing he saw when he woke up in the morning. She would be there in the kitchen making him the second most perfect omelets in the world. She would always be there with him. Her and her children. She would have children, he hoped many, and then he would be there to help her raise them. She would probably have a husband but…well he could be sent elsewhere. He couldn't imagine what man could possibly be a better companion for her than him…or why she would even need a husband in the first place. He provided for her. He kept her safe. He kept her company. She didn't need…right, right, right. The children would have to come from somewhere.

Donors, maybe?

That was a good idea. He could find the best men that Japan had to offer. Intelligent men, power espers, good looking, athletic, tall because women seemed to care about height a lot, and also whatever else she wanted. There. She wouldn't even need a husband in that case. She could just flip through some sort of catalogue…or maybe some sort of tablet thing since did like her apps….and then she could choose from the very best men in Japan to have children with. There. He had solved the problem before it even became a problem. Now she had no need for a husband. Well sexual needs…he does not like to think of that part of Daughter's life at all…so he doesn't. She can live without sex. It wasn't that hard. Not if you almost never interacted with members of the opposite sex and had plenty to keep you busy. There. Now she would never need a husband and they would always be together.

He felt better about the future.

He didn't feel good about how close the future was coming but…but he did feel better about how it would go. She would not leave him. Yes. It was mostly his fears about her leaving, not the drinking, and now that he could be reasonably assured that she would never leave him then he could stop caring about the drinking….but he did still sort of care. He sort of cared and…and maybe he should talk to her about it….because she must have had a good reason and…and if he expressed his displeasure then she would stop.

There. That was a good idea.

He didn't have to wait long for her to come back to him. No, he felt her aura getting closer…and Son's. He opened his door with his powers. It wasn't Sunday but….but maybe it would be alright to speak to her on a day outside of their day. Yes. This couldn't have been too damaging towards her. Just a few words and she could go back to being independent. Well independent and caring for Son. He was home too but that didn't matter. Maybe he would go back outside and find someone else to bother.

"Why would you ask me about the party? Nothing happened at the party!" said Son. He had better not have been antagonizing Daughter or there would be hell to pay. He had no scruples striking Son. He needed it.

"I was just asking if you had fun, that's all. I didn't mean anything by it." Said Daughter

"Well stop being so nosy and stuff! I'm going to our room. Don't bother me!" said Son

"Wait…can I ask you something? Just…I know that this is a weird question but can I ask you…" Daughter's voice became inaudible then. He sat up and craned his neck towards the door as if that would allow him to hear better. It didn't. He got a good view of the children, though, and they looked disheveled. That was….abnormal. Daughter was usually fastidious about her appearance and Son…she wrestled Son into something approximating proper attire. Now they were in their clothes from the party and their hair was all over the place…well they had slept away from home…even though he didn't know why since they had perfectly good beds here…but Fukuda had dragged him to enough sleepovers to know that there was, supposedly, something fun about sleeping on your friend's bedroom floor.

He didn't understand it.

And he didn't understand what the children were saying, either. He wished that he did based on how red Daughter's face was and the look of pure disgust on Son's face. That was a big emotion. He could read those on people's faces with some degree of reliability. Smaller emotions were more difficult and they had been Masami's area of expertise. Daughter had taken after Masami in that regard. She had always been so good at socializing.

"What?! No way! That's gross! I can't believe he did that. Your boyfriend is so weird." Said Son. He may have said some words after that. Suzuki didn't know. His mind had stopped working after the word 'boyfriend'. Romantic male companion. Daughter….she had found a romantic male companion? A future husband? Already? No. He was not ready for this at all. Nope. He needed…he needed to find this man and make him disappear. He needed to find this man and chain him to the wall so he could never leave Daughter. He needed to find this man and implant a bomb in his chest that would detonate if he ever left a two meter radius of Daughter. He needed to find this man and make him dig his own grave and then put him in the grave and then fill in the grave with concrete so he couldn't escape. He needed-

He needed to calm down before he broke something.

A boyfriend. When? How? Why? Well the why was obvious, she was female so she wanted to be with a male, and she was getting older…and he'd had those same feelings at her age…but still! When had this happened? Recently if he was just hearing about this. Very recently. At the party? There had been boy her own age there….and now he knows what to do. Find whichever boy that was, add him to her entourage, and tell him that if he ever had thoughts of leaving Daughter or being unfaithful to her then he will never grow up because he will be dead. There. Simple.

He could fix this.

"Daughter, come in here please. There are some things that I want to discuss with you." Said Suzuki. He was going to stay calm. They were both going to stay calm. This was a time to stay calm….and that was what he was going to do.

"Hi dad…what's up? It's not Sunday…and also your mirror is broken." Said Daughter as she entered the room. Even as disheveled as she was there was still a beauty to her. She looked lovely in blue. She looked better in yellow though.

"I am aware of the day and I am aware of my mirror being broken. That is not why I called you in here. I have two things which I would like to address in this conversation. The first of which being the fact that you drank champagne at the party last night." Said Suzuki. Her reaction was instantaneous. Her eyes went wide and her aura pulled in close….and that was a fear reaction….but why was she afraid of him?

"Dad! I-I'm sorry! Please don't be mad at me!" said Daughter. Of course. She was afraid of being punished…but why? He so rarely pushed her. He loved her, he would not hurt her, and she knew that. Right? Maybe he should tell her just to be sure.

"Daughter, I won't punish you. I love you. I simply wanted to confirm that you had been drinking and then…and then I wanted to tell you not to make it a habit and also to warn you not to drink to excess. Now that I have said that we can move onto the next order of business. Your boyfriend." Said Suzuki. He sat up and decided to treat this like any other meeting. He so wished that he had been behind his desk but sitting on the edge of his bed would have to do. Her fear dissipated. Now she was quite a bit calmer.

"Boyfriend? Dad…..I don't have a boyfriend." Said Daughter. He felt a flare of anger at the fact that she would lie to him…but maybe she just…did not define her relationship in that way? Or perhaps it was too soon? Or perhaps it was one of those strictly physical things….that his Daughter should not have been having at her age….

Because she was only ten years old.

"Your brother just said that you did." Said Suzuki

"Oh. Um….he means this boy I used to like…he's an esper so don't be mad! I just used to like him but then he said that he liked one of my friends…and also he drank too much and said some stuff and did some gross stuff and I don't like him like that anymore….so he's not and never was my boyfriend. Just a boy I…liked." said Daughter. She had romantic feelings for the opposite sex. That was something good….but also not….because she would leave him…but he had solved that problem already…

So he didn't have to worry.

"Very well. You are dismissed." Said Suzuki. Daughter left the room quickly. He was sad to see her go but it was for the best. Sunday was their day and this was not a Sunday so they could not be together….but that was alright. Once she grew up then every single day of their lives could be a Sunday…and it would be wonderful. They could do whatever they wanted, whatever she wanted, whatever made her happy, and he could see her happy and then it would just be so…wonderful. They could ever have parties if she wanted to. She did so love parties…even if she drank at them…and aside from that the party had been a rousing success.

In ways he hadn't even imagined.