Fukuda…was doing his best.

He really was! He was doing the best that he could when it came to Sho…he just….sometimes his best wasn't good enough! Like earlier Sho did not like it when he hung around for too long, especially when he was hanging out with his baby sister. Fukuda…well he wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to spend time with Suzuki's secret daughter either. That baby…was a baby. Sho had never acted like that. He had been a lot quieter…or at least less active…or maybe he was remembering Sho older…or something. He didn't know.

He got back to stirring the stir fry.

"Come on, don't make me eat the vegetables. I'll eat the gross stuff in the back of the fridge…or the fries under my bed…or even whatever's stuck to the bottom of my shoes….just not the vegetables!" said Sho. Fukuda sighed. He didn't let it show on his aura but he did sigh. He had been doing that a lot lately. There was just…a lot when it came to Sho…a lot of a lot…but he loved Sho. He loved Sho and he loved taking care of him.

Even if had been going on three months now.

He hadn't had Sho on his own for this long before…but he was doing his best. He was doing the very best that he could. Sho…he was older now. He was old enough that he wanted to play on his own with his sister…he wanted to go on his own adventures…and those adventures were taking him far from home these days. Not that this was home, they were nomads they had no real homes, but…well Sho's adventures had been taking him very far these days.

Far enough into town.

"Once a week Sho, for your health." Said Fukuda. He didn't turn around as he said it. He could hear Sho scraping away in his sketchbook. He seemed fine now. He hadn't been fine when he came back. He had locked himself in his room after depositing his baby sister with her mother. Fukuda…well he had waited as long as he could to start dinner…hence why they were just having chicken stir-fry for dinner. One of Shigeko's recipes…well one she had torn out of a magazine. Supposedly it was something that Sho could eat.

That was all Fukuda could do at this point, make sure that he ate something with some kind of vague nutritional value.

"Hey! I'm super healthy. I walked all the way from here to the city all on my own with baby sis." Said Sho

"I know you did….I know." Said Fukuda as he stabbed a piece of chicken…still pink in the middle. Shigeko's instructions assumed that the reader had some degree of telekinesis…which he did not. He didn't and he hadn't stir fried anything in a while. It was hot enough, hot enough for the oil and sauce to smoke, but not hot enough to cook this chicken all the way through….

This was the best that he could do.

Sho…well Sho somehow needed both less from him than he had ever needed before and also more. He didn't need Fukuda to tie his shoes for him anymore, or carry him on his back, or even play videogames with him. He was eleven now. He didn't need any of those things but he needed…Fukuda looked over at what Sho was doing. He was drawing a picture of a boy…not Shimazaki thank God. Sho needed guidance. Sho needed someone to watch him…but not in the way that he had been watched before. Sho needed…well he needed things that Fukuda wasn't even sure about. He had no idea what he was supposed to do with an eleven year old.

But he was doing his best.

"Then it's settled. I don't need to eat the vegetables." Said Sho. Fukuda shook his head.

"The bok choy, the bean sprouts, and the baby corn. Alright? You don't have to eat the water chestnuts or the carrots. Ok?" asked Fukuda. There. A compromise. He had never been good at telling Sho what to do…and at this point he wasn't going to get any better. He loved Sho too much to tell him that he needed to stop arguing and eat everything or he'd never grow up, Fukuda could only do so much for malnutrition, and while he was on the subject of what was best for Sho…well he should not have been going into the city…especially not with a baby.

The state Sho'd been in…the state Sho and his little sister had been in….

"Fine…but I want ranch with mine." Said Sho

"Sho, it already has sauce on it." Said Fukuda

"I want ranch, too, to cover up how all the flavors are touching." Said Sho

"….alright….but I want you to actually eat it. Don't just push it around on your plate." Said Fukuda. Another compromise. How was he supposed to tell Sho never to do what he had done ever again? How was he supposed to get it through Sho's head that going into the city was dangerous? That he was so obviously his father's son and that there were so many people that would have been happy to kidnap if not kill him…not to mention the baby…

The baby who looked exactly like him.

"I will make no such promise." Said Sho

"But I at least expect you to try." Said Fukuda. That was all that he could do. He could ask Sho really hard to promise him that he'd try. He couldn't just order Sho to do things. No, not even his own father could make him doing anything that he didn't want to do….even if…well Suzuki didn't know best. Suzuki never knew best. How nobody had managed to kill him by no was a mystery in and of it's self. Fukuda knew best in this situation though.

Sho could not be seen outside of this division…and especially not with his sister.

She looked exactly like him. Her face was rounder and she did have that Korean look to her but there were only so many redheads in Japan. Plus Sho and his sister had their father's eyes. His very distinctive blue eyes. Sho…he didn't quite get it…and that was best Fukuda couldn't fully explain it to him. He couldn't just sit Sho down and tell him that nobody could ever know that Mukai was his sister….because Sho had no idea where Mukai had come from in the first place.

It was best that Fukuda keep it that way.

Without being able to tell Sho why he was upset about what he had done, why it had been such a bad idea to take his baby sister all the way into the city like that, he…well he was a loss as to how he was supposed to proceed. Answers did come to him while he finally got the chicken to turn white in the middle…or when he was plating up dinner…or even when he was squeezing out the last of the ranch dressing onto a dipping plate like Sho liked it.

He was at a loss.

"This is decent….but big sis's is better." Said Sho as he picked at his food with his powers. His sketchbook was still opened in front of him. He was working on a sketch of a boy, with his shirt on thank God, with one hand and feeding himself with his powers with the other. That boy…that must have been the boy that Sho had been telling him about before. The one that he had committed the capital offence of holding hands with. That…was a pretty good sketch anyway. Very detailed. It was amazing what Sho could do with just a pencil and a piece of paper.

How much detail he could put in.

That boy's face…that looked like Shigeko's face. Had he used his sister as a base? Was this an actual person or someone who Sho had just…invented? But then why his sister? Why…there were a lot of whys when it came to Sho…and why he did what he did. Fukuda was genuinely curious, though. Sho had managed to find someone he liked…someone his own age. Sure it could never turn into anything, and it shouldn't have turned into anything anyway since Sho was just eleven, but…still. Fukuda was curious as to wat Sho was drawing….

And Sho…well he wasn't one hundred percent about that.

"Stop looking. It's not done yet…and it's not for you, anyway. If you want me to draw you something then I'll draw it later." Said Sho. He pulled his sketchbook close to his chest. The fork he had been holding up with his powers hit the bowl and chipped it.

"You don't have to draw anything for me." Said Fukuda

"Then why are you spying on me?" asked Sho

"I wasn't spying on you. I was just curious." Said Fukuda holding his hands up in surrender. Sho…well he had always been pretty high strung. Not as bad as Suzuki, thank God, but still pretty bad. The last thing Fukuda wanted was to end this meal with a fight.

"Go be curious somewhere else." Said Sho

"Why don't you put the sketchbook down for now, how's that sound? You're in the middle of eating and I would hate for you to end up ruining that sketch. It looks liked you worked really hard on it." Said Fukuda. Maybe Sho would end up forgetting that sketchbook out here when it came time for his bath. That way Fukuda wouldn't have to go through the piles of them Sho had in his room to find what he had been drawing earlier. Fukuda…had no desire to stumble onto any of the Shimazaki sketches….Sho had a gift for detail…and he wasn't afraid to embellish. Not that there was much of a need to embellish when it came to Shimazaki but…yeah. There were certain areas of Sho's life that he had no desire to pry into.

Not unless it was absolutely necessary of course.

"I have to finish it now…before I forget what Ritsu looks like. When he's happy…I mean." Said Sho. He smiled, then, and held his sketchbook close to his chest. That would have been adorable, and objectively it was, but Fukuda…he knew that name. Ritsu was a name that had been thrown around…well it was a very common name…but….no.

No way.

"So…his name is Ritsu…" said Fukuda. He picked at his own food. He tried his best to sound only barely interested. Barely. What he wanted to do was take Sho and ask him…well a lot of questions. Like how he'd even met this boy…met up with him…today. That…that must have been what Sho had been so upset about when he came back. Not how angry his sister's mother had been with him. Had…had something else happened?

There was a lot that could have happened.

He knew that Ritsu was a name to watch. There were several people this division was actively spying on. Seasoning City made A LOT of espers. A lot of child espers. None at the level of the one who got away, he had a whole team of people searching for him and he had been last seen somewhere in Germany anyway, but…if Sho had met a child esper…and one that was being watched…well…

This could be bad….very bad.

"Yeah. He's Ritsu..um….eat your dinner. It's getting cold." said Sho. There was a sigh there, and a blush, and if this hadn't been such dire circumstances Fukuda would have taken a picture. Sho was in love…as much in love as an eleven year old could be, and it was so cute…so very cute. Adorable. Fukuda was happy that Sho had found someone he could care about…even if that sort of caring was the sort of thing that had made him come home practically in tears talking about how he belonged in a traitor hole…

"Alright, but you eat yours too." Said Fukuda

"I am…but with my powers. I just have to finish this before I forget what he looks like when he's happy." Said Sho

"He must be something special, then, I've never seen you get this worked up over someone before." Said Fukuda. That wasn't the truth. He had seen Sho get worked up like this over and over and over again….over Shimazaki. Over that…Fukuda had words about that man that he didn't dare think in Sho's presence. He had seen Sho go to pieces over that man on more than one occasion. This should have been a good thing, Sho turning to mush over a boy his own age for once….but life never went this simply. Life…never worked out well…never came together in a neat little package.

He wished that it did.

If life worked out…not even neatly. If life just…worked out…then he could have stayed here with Sho forever. He could have gotten a house in town, maybe even bought something like the house he'd grown up in, and call it a cell or something. Then he could have just…let Sho be. He could have let Sho enjoy what was left of his childhood. Just…let him be with this boy he liked. Let him be happy…and he so wished that there was some way that life could work out like that…

But that wasn't how life went.

"Yeah…he's pretty great…and stuff…just…eat your dinner already. You're always on me to eat but you're the one sitting there letting your food get all cold and…the sauce is going to get cold and turn into jelly and it'll be really gross so just…start eating!" said Sho. Fukuda took a forkful of food. He tried to look calm, like this was just another dinner, and as far as Sho knew it was. This was just another dinner that they were sharing together…and Fukuda was just being nosy….and not about to pop the happiness bubble that Sho had found himself in.

Fukuda hated having to be the one to do this.

He loved Sho, he did, and it was so nice to see him happy and accepting the way he felt. Especially since his little rant a little while ago about being a traitor just because he cheated on his sham girlfriend. Well sham fiancée. Eventual sham wife. Fukuda didn't think that it was that bad, Sho just holding hands with another boy, especially if it made him happy. Hell, if Sho had been ten years old it would have been alright for him to sleep with this other boy if he wanted to. He deserved to be happy, the girl he was with could never make him happy, so why not just find his own happiness? It was better than living a complete and total lie for the rest of his life.

Better to have at least some happiness in his life.

It looked like Sho had finally come around but…nothing ever worked out for him, did it? Sho…he sure knew how to pick 'em, didn't he? Shimazaki, first him, and now this kid. This kid who was on the watch list, most likely, if he was an esper…and if he wasn't then that was a whole other set of problems that Sho was going to have to deal with…Fukuda wished that there was more that he could do…but he was doing his best.

He wished that he could have done more, though, but he couldn't do more than his best.

"See? I am eating. You should eat too." Said Fukuda

"When I'm done." Said Sho

"If you eat now then I'll let you have a poptart with your bath." Said Fukuda

"…I'll have a poptart tomorrow." Said Sho. Well then…this was serious…but of course these things were always serious when it came to Sho. He was Suzuki's son after all. He had the same sort of…please for the love of God love me back…that Suzuki had. Not as bad, at least Fukuda assumed that Sho was doing anything too Suzuki like…like following someone around to learn their schedule or sending them insanely specific and extravagant gifts. He did have it bad, though, bad enough to turn down poptarts of all things…

Fukuda hated this part of being a parent…something of a parent.

He didn't have any kids. Sho was the closest thing that he would ever have to a son. He ran a hand through his hair, it was starting to get long again. Sho's too. That was something that he could take care of. Something that he could do for Sho. He wished that everything about Sho could be as simple as telling him when he needed a haircut…or not to sketch and eat at the same time….or just…anything. He wished that things could have been simple…like they had been before….but that wasn't how it went with kids. Things never got easier with kids. Things only got harder and harder and harder until they grew up, left the nest, and you just prayed to whatever God was listening that they remembered how to fly.

That you taught them to fly.

"I've never seen your hair so long before." Said Sho as he looked up from his sketch. He dropped his fork on the table that time. He still wasn't so good at splitting his focus. Neither was Fukuda.

"I've never let it get this long before." Said Fukuda. He hadn't been taking care of himself lately. Too much to do when it came to Sho. Getting him up in the morning, putting him to sleep at night, running his baths, doing his laundry, cleaning up after him, and putting the Awakened back together so he could justify why he and Sho had been here for the past three months. It was a lot…

But that was how it went with kids.

"Why not? It looks cool." Said Sho

"It's anything but cool. When it gets too long it just turns into one big tangle." Said Fukuda

"It can't be as bad as mine." Said Sho

"Your hair doesn't really tangle. It grows in spikes, not curls. Trust me, curls are much worse to deal with." Said Fukuda. He remembered when Sho had been small, three or four, and he had gotten the idea to hide all the brushes in the house because he had been sick and tired of getting his hair yanked on every day. Fukuda knew where he was coming from. It would have been easier just to cut his hair short…but neither he nor Masami had wanted that.

Sho had always been his own person like that.

"It tangles. I hate how it tangles. I hate being mixed. People who are all the way Japanese have it easy." Said Sho, his eyes went down to the sketch in his lap. Fukuda…knew where he was coming from. He knew full well where he was coming from. He had said the same thing when he had been Sho's age…and he had been

"I know how it is, being different. There are a lot of things about it that people who are totally Japanese don't understand." Said Fukuda. He was, genuinely, sympathetic…but also he had information to fish for. Suzuki…was easier in a lot of ways when it came to figuring out…well whatever he needed to figure out. Normally whatever he was worried about, or consumed with, but occasionally things about other people. With Suzuki as long as you had a logical reason to ask the question Suzuki would most likely answer…or tell you to fuck off.

Sho was more likely to tell you to fuck off than to answer you…unless you asked in the right way.

"Yeah, they don't get it…even big sis doesn't get it sometimes and she's just as half as I am. She doesn't look like it though. She's lucky like that…she's always lucky." Said Sho

"Your sister…has her own problems in life…but I agree. She doesn't look mixed at all. What about your new friend? Is he mixed too?" asked Fukuda. Shigeko…that was a landmine that he was going to avoid at all costs. He knew that Sho missed his sister. He knew that eventually, Sho was either going to start asking when they would get back with the others or Shigeko would call Sho and tell him to come back. That was…not something that he wanted to deal with right now.

One thing at a time, Tadashi, one thing at a time.

He had to focus on figuring out this kid. The one that Sho was so taken with. If this kid was an esper then….well if Fukuda had been more like Suzuki he would have just…well not collected him for Sho but…no. He would never be that much like Suzuki. He was still chasing after that kid that got away, amongst other people, and kidnapping children was where Fukuda drew the line. This was not the place for children. Even orphans…well they at least didn't have parents. Fukuda was not going to do that….be a part of that…not ever.

Even for Sho.

"No, I think that Ritsu is all the way Japanese. His hair is spiky but not like mine. I think it stands up on it's own though, I think. I mean he didn't smell like hair stuff…not that I did anything with him!" said Sho

"I know, I know. I know you would never do that to your girlfriend…and you're eleven anyway. I never accused you of anything." Said Fukuda

"Good…because I didn't do anything. I mean we just went to the park…that's all. We took baby sis to the park because she had too much energy…and he likes the park too." Said Sho

"What else does he like? Is he an artist too?" asked Fukuda. He'd start with artist and make his way to esper. That was the way to do it. Sho was always kind of cagey over this…well Fukuda didn't blame him. Sho had never been the master of self-denial and self-control…and he was getting older now. Fukuda…well he knew that when it came down to it telling Sho not to do what he wanted to do was like telling the sun not to rise…and he wanted Sho to be happy…but he was still so young. He was young and even holding hands was too much for him to handle…not that Sho would listen to him about that or anything else…so he would stick to one thing at a time.

First he was going to figure if Sho's new friend…or possible boyfriend…was an esper and then he would work from there.

"He likes school…and stuff. I don't really know him that well…but I don't think that he draws. It would be so cool if he did, though! Like we could draw together and stuff. Like we could have races and contests or-or-or I could draw him and he could draw me. I've never been friends with anyone who could draw before. Shimazaki can kind of draw…like shapes and stuff. He can do circles and squares and he can draw a house…but like a little kid or something. Not like I can draw. I bet Ritsu would be able to draw better than Shimazaki because he can see…not to be an asshole or anything like that." Said Sho

"No, no, you aren't being a…that. You're stating a fact. There's nothing wrong with that." Said Fukuda. Sho had just made a direct comparison between this Ritsu kid and Shimazaki…and Shimazaki had not been the winner. It could have been nothing, Shimazaki couldn't draw and nothing was ever going to change that, or Sho could have finally been getting over that at least three year long crush/infatuation he'd had for Shimazaki….

Fukuda really did not want to send Sho back to square one…and if he had a choice then he wouldn't…but he so seldom had a choice when it came to these sorts of things.

"Well I was being kind of an asshole. Shimazaki can't help that he can't see…and if he'd been here he would have kicked my ass for saying that. Not for real because we're friends and stuff. Friends only pretend to kick each other's asses. Ritsu and I don't fight, though, we never had the chance. I mean I don't know if we will since…well I don't know how long we'll be here for…and anyway I shouldn't hang out with him….so that's why I have to finish this drawing. I don't want to forget what he looks like…and don't tell me to take a picture! If I do then big sis could find it when she uses my phone or Hatori could find it…he goes through people's stuff for fun….and just…nobody can know that Ritsu and I are friends, ok?! Enough people are looking for him as it is." Said Sho. He had gotten himself all worked up now. His face was red, he was clutching his sketchbook for dear life, and his aura was flaring like the sun. Fukuda on, the other hand, did his best to look as calm as ever…even though he had no reason to be calm…

So that was the same Ritsu that this Division was watching.

This was…something. Fukuda had only heard about this drama in passing. Apparently this kid was working with some fraud and he either knew about Claw or he was just some kid with an over active imagination. They were watching but not acting. They knew not to act until they actually saw him do something, kidnapping children was hard work and there was no need to do that unless they had confirmation that the kid was an esper, and so far they hadn't seen anything other than a faint aura off of him…which could have been something or nothing. A lot of people here had faint auras, there was something in the air or the water or the earth's magnetic field in Seasoning City that was responsible for all of these espers that kept coming out of this city, and there was no need to kidnap a kid just because of that.

At least not one his age.

Kids…when a kid went missing people noticed. If an adult didn't come home for a few days…or ever….then that was that. Unless you had reason to suspect foul play then what could the police do? Adults were free to travel and leave home if they wanted to. Kids…if a kid didn't come home from school then the whole city was on red alert….and nobody wanted to deal with that unless it was the real deal. Even Suzuki had enough sense not to rush into it with kids, which was why they hadn't found that kid that got away yet, not that Fukuda wanted that to happen. In a perfect world only adult would present as espers and Claw would be made up of all volunteers….

But this was not a perfect world. Not by a longshot.

"People are looking for him? Why? What'd he do, rob a bank?" asked Fukuda. He laughed there, and he thought that it had been a pretty convincing laugh, though it didn't seem like it had been enough for Sho.

"No he….don't tell anyone but….he's an esper and people are stalking him and he knows that they're stalking him and…and you'd better keep this to yourself! Even if you have to make a pragmatic choice like you did the last time you told my secrets just….let dad beat you up or something!" said Sho

"I won't. Alright? I…can keep this to myself. I'm…happy for you. I mean you have a new friend…who you like a lot…and he's an esper too. That's great." Said Fukuda. He put a hand over Sho's…who was having none of that. He pulled his hand away and drew his knees up to his chest. Now his sketchbook was completely protected….but from what Fukuda didn't know.

"This isn't good. I just…I like him! I like him a lot and…and I know that I shouldn't like him and…and I know that I should just…leave him alone but….but I can't! I can't and I just…just let me draw, ok?!" said Sho

"Alright, alright….you can draw…but if you need to talk about this then you can talk to me. I promise you that I won't tell your dad…or anyone else…about this kid. I never agreed with your dad on the subject of…recruiting kids…and I'll keep my mouth shut about this. OK? I'll be here if you want to talk about anything….anything at all. I know how hard this is for you. I mean you came in so upset, earlier, and I asked you about-" said Fukuda

"I wasn't upset about Ritsu…we had a good time. I was upset about…something stupid." Said Sho. He kicked his chair when he said that. He kicked his chair hard again and again. He was upset…not angry…just upset. Bothered by something….bothered by everything.

"Don't be that way. If it's something that you care about then it's not stupid…I would never call it stupid." Said Fukuda

"But I was…I was stupid. I mean I just…I freaked out and left baby sis alone and she fell and threw up just because I thought I saw…" said Sho

"You saw…?" asked Fukuda

"My mom." Said Sho

"Wh-what?" asked Fukuda. That time….that time he couldn't keep his aura calm. Masami….Masami was…here? No. She was in Sapporo. That was the last place she had been and…and she couldn't have been here. She knew that there was a base here, he had told her that there was a base here, and she just…she couldn't have been here. She just…

She couldn't have been close to him.

She couldn't have been right out there in the city. He…he had no idea what he was supposed to do if she was. He had Sho with him…and if she was here then they could have ran…somewhere. Somewhere Suzuki never went. Osaka maybe…or the whole of Korea. He could have taken Sho and Masami and ran and just…started their lives together and…and that was all dependent on her being there in the city and…

And he was getting ahead of himself.

"I saw a lady who looked like my mom at the park…and I tried to talk to her but she left…and I probably freaked her out. She wasn't my mom. I know my mom and…and she wasn't my mom. She couldn't have been my mom…her hair was the wrong color anyway." Said Sho

"Wh-what color was her hair?" asked Fukuda. He was calmer, now, well he had made himself calm down. Sho…he could have just…seen another woman. He had just said, on his own, that he had been wrong. Sho…he might have just been seeing Masami…in other people. Fukuda…after she had left he had seen her in every single woman. Her smile, her eyes, just…her. Sho was younger and…and if Fukuda wasn't over her then, of course, it would have been asinine to expect Sho to be over her too.

This was probably nothing.

"Black, like everyone else's." Said Sho. That information meant nothing. Masami had dyed her hair after she had left…and it would have made sense for her to keep up with it….but maybe he had just…seen another woman. Fukuda…he wanted Sho to be wrong. They did not need this kind of pain in their lives…both of the kids. Shigeko….would not take this well…and Suzuki…well the less said about how he would reach the better. Masami being back…would have caused so many problems…but on the other hand…Masami would have been back.

Sho would have had his mother back…and Fukuda would have had the love of his life back.

"That's…not your mom. I remember your mom had brown hair…light brown hair…" said Fukuda. It was better that Sho doubt himself…and it was better that Fukuda doubt Sho. Masami being back…that would have been…too much. He had no idea how he would even confirm this. What was he supposed to do? Start digging around to see if people were still looking for her? Go door to door asking about her? Rent ad space? There was nothing that he could do….

Not even his best.

"Yeah, that's what I was so pissed off about. I know that she's not my mom." Said Sho. He kicked the table when he said that and…and Sho was there. Sho was there and he was making himself known, like a spirit who was being called out to, and Fukuda…he needed to focus on the person who was there. He had to focus on Sho who was there and he just…he had to do his best by Sho…and that meant focusing on the person who was there….

And not the person who had gone.

"You're right….you're right. That wasn't your mom and…and try not to leave your sister alone like that. She's…she's only two." Said Fukuda. He got off the Masami thing. Nothing good could come of that. Nothing good WOULD come of that. Sho was already upset enough as it was…and Sho was who he was supposed to focus on.

"Yeah, I know that I fucked up….don't remind me…and don't say 'langue' either….that just pisses me off." Said Sho

"I…won't. So…um…what's Shimazaki up to these days?" asked Fukuda. Talking about Shimazaki…he would much rather have stuffed his mouth full of chili powder...but he had to get Sho off of this Masami thing…and what better way than to get back to….well to Shimazaki?

"I don't know…I haven't seen him in months." Said Sho quietly. Fukuda…he could hear the pain in his voice. He didn't want Sho to feel that kind of pain…but there was nothing that he could do. There was a man eating tiger behind every single door…and he had to figure out the door with the least angry tiger behind it…and that was this door. The one with Shimazaki behind it.

Sho…enjoyed talking about Shimazaki…so this…would at least make him feel better. That was what mattered the most, making Sho happy.

"Well maybe you could call him. I mean he is your friend...your best friend, right?" asked Fukuda. He wanted to bite his tongue. This was…what was best for Sho. Better he worry about the man he was in love with than the mother who'd left him…for very good reasons but…but this was just…not good for Sho.

"Yeah he's my best friend…but I've never called him before. What if he thinks that I'm weird…or something?" asked Sho. There was so much vulnerability there…and it was about the wrong person. Sho…he should have been talking that way about…this Ritsu boy he liked…not Shimazaki. Fukuda, in a perfect world, would have been walking Sho through his first crush. His first relationship. His first…well whatever it was that he had coming to him…that was…just….what Fukuda should have been working through with Sho…not….this.

All of this.

"Sho, this is Shimazaki Ryou we're talking about. He won't care. Why don't you go take your dinner to your room and call him and finish that drawing, too? I have to…get the kitchen cleaned up." Said Fukuda. Sho, thankfully, listened. That was….good. Well it wasn't good, actually, because now he was off to talk to the man who…well who he should not have been talking to but this…was better than staying on the subject of Masami…

Or Sho's new little esper friend.

This was….a lot. This was a lot for anyone to deal with, let alone Sho, but….well Fukuda wasn't going to let Sho deal with this. He would deal with this. He would do…something. Even though he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Look into this Masami thing, maybe? No…Sho was wrong and…and he had…he had so much to say to her and….and Sho had a lot of things to say to her and…and he just….one thing at a time. He had one to focus on one thing at a time…as best as he could.

That was all that he could do, really, just….the best that he could do. Even though he got the feeling that his best wasn't good enough.