Shigeko was twelve years old now.
Suzuki had brought her home from the orphan prison ten years ago…well nine years and some months. She had been closer to two and a half, really, when he'd brought her home…but she didn't know that. She didn't know that he had only known her for less than a decade. She didn't know that he wasn't her father by blood. What she did know was that she was his daughter and he loved her more than any father had ever loved his daughter. He loved being near her. He loved the sound of her voice. He love dhow oft her hair was. He loved the way she could tell a story for hours and hours, one which went nowhere, but she could still fascinate him and keep him entranced. He loved her even when she hogged the blankets in the bed, or when she spent hours and hours locked in the bathroom washing her hair or doing her makeup, or when she slammed her bedroom door in his face and told him not to sneak around even though it was his house….he loved Shigeko….
He had done everything right.
He checked his phone again. Nothing…though he had very little signal. He was over Japan right now, coming close to Seasoning City's airport…what passed for an airport. A small series of landing strips which could accommodate his plane. His private plane. He had taken a small private plane as he usually did when he traveled, complete with all the fuel stops that he needed to make. Shigeko had taken a plane large enough to make the full trip from Berlin to Seasoning City…an expensive trip even by his standards….and if she had just waited then everyone could have gone as a group. That was the smart thing….that was what made sense. She had left on her birthday. She had texted him that she was going back to Japan and that she was taking Minegishi with her…and she had never done anything like this before…but this was her birthday and on her birthday she could do whatever she wanted…so he had no reason to worry….
And he did not need to be reassured.
"She's fine. She probably just felt like going back to Japan or something. She might have been homesick." Said Hatori. He wondered if he should do the thing that Mob did sometimes where she reached out with her aura and sort of…hugged….people…but Suzuki might not have appreciated that from Hatori. He would have wanted that from his daughter but his daughter wasn't here right now.
Hatori had no idea why.
Mob never went anywhere without them. Well she didn't just up and leave the country, anyway. She had seemed fine yesterday…so she might have just wanted to go back to Japan. She might have been homesick or something. He would have thought that she would have gone back to London to be with her brother…but she might have been enjoying her break from Sho. He knew that he was…just a little. Sho was a good kid but he could be kind of…high strung….
Like his dad.
"I know that she's fine…but I have no idea why she's behaving like this…and I do not need to be reassured. Reassure Serizawa. He needs it more than I ever will in my life." Said Suzuki. He pointed over to the corner seat where Serizawa was being rocked back and forth by Shibata like a small child. Compared to Shibata he looked almost like a small child. Suzuki was fine. He knew where his daughter was and…and he would be joining her shortly. She didn't leave him…she had just been afflicted by a sort of…wanderlust…that was all. The same thing that had afflicted him as he got older. She was fine. She might have even just felt like going back to her homeland. It could be so tiring being out in the world. The different languages and customs…the different people….sometimes it was nice to just be back in Japan…
Though she could have waited until they were scheduled to return home.
A trip to Tokyo HQ had been scheduled for the month of July and it was to extend until August at least. After that they were going to travel around Japan for a bit before flying over to China to check on some assets. After China they were going to spend Christmas in New York City because Shigeko liked to see the big Christmas tree. Then they were going to…well that didn't matter…and it was still up in the air….and also he wasn't quite sure. Tadashi was better at remembering these things but Tadashi wasn't here right now. He was in London with Sho. Suzuki…did not want to make that his permanent posting…because Tadashi belonged at his side. If something were to happen to him…not that he was fragile…Sho was fragile. He had a deathly citrus allergy….so Fukuda was always with him…but Suzuki had his own uses for Tadashi….so maybe the time had come to call them back to the group…or go and physically collect them….
Because, really, Tadashi had been gone for far too long.
"We've been flying for too long….it's been fifteen hours…and you said thirteen." Said Serizawa as he held his umbrella between both of his hands. They were so sweaty that he was sure that he was going to drop it. If he dropped it then it would roll away. If it rolled away then he would need to get up. If he got up then he might have lost control. If he lost control then the plane would fall out of the sky. If the plane fell out of the sky then he would be dead. If the plane fell out of the sky then all of his friends would be dead. If all of his friends were dead then Miss Suzuki would be very sad.
He couldn't think of anything worse than Miss Suzuki being said.
Well….if he was going to be selfish then, really the worst thing that he could think up was Miss Suzuki being gone. He had woken up that morning and she had been gone. That…wasn't too far out of the ordinary since it was her birthday and all and Minegishi was her best friend. They got up pretty early most days…so of course Miss Suzuki and Minegishi would have been off having all kinds of fun…and he didn't feel bad about being left behind. No. He had been alright. He had gotten up, changed into clean pajamas, brushed his teeth, brushed his air, and even went to the kitchen and ate some cereal from the box…Shibata hadn't been around to cook. Then Hatori ha gotten up and the two of them waited for Miss Suzuki to come back together…
And they waited…and waited…and waited….
Then day turned into night and President Suzuki came home with the others…and then…and then a lot of things happened at once and now he was here. He was here and Miss Suzuki…she had left him. Why? Was it because he hadn't gotten up early enough to wish her a happy birthday? Was it because he hadn't…hadn't gotten her anything…well he had gotten her something but it was stupid…a game that she might have liked…and he hadn't even been the one to get it for her! It had been a joint gift from him and Hatori…no wonder she had gone away….but he was going to see her again…or so Shibata had said. Serizawa….was trying his best here….not to explode….but it would have been a lot easier if Miss Suzuki had been there!
He needed her…he needed her an h-word of a lot more than she needed him…but that was ok….
"Google said about thirteen. Don't worry, we'll get there and then you can see Mob again." said Hatori as he sat down next to Serizawa. His aura hurt….it was a weird feeling, his aura being in pain, and he didn't really like it….but that didn't matter. Serizawa was a wreck, there was no other word for it, a complete and total wreck. Hatori….was not going to tell him that he was way too dependent on Mob. Mob was a great kid and all but she wasn't a…security blanket….or whatever Serizawa thought of her as. She was just a kid and…well…Hatori would not have been able to deal with this if he had been her age. He would have ran and hid under his bed…or in the bathroom…or somewhere small and safe.
That was what Serizawa needed right now, small and safe.
"Want me to walk him to the bathroom? I think we're going to land soon." Said Hatori
"No, Shimazaki's in there. I think he's snorting coke in there and….maybe it would be best not to bother him." said Shibata with a shake of his head. He did NOT need to deal with a coked up Shimazaki on top of all of this. He kept on rocking Serizawa back and forth like a really tall toddler. Serizawa…he had legitimate problems and Shibata was happy to help in any way…even if that meant rocking him back and forth for the past fifteen or so hours….and he wasn't at his limit. Yet. Shimazaki…would definitely push him over his limit…
He would make it his business to push Shibata over his limit…he always did…like now. God, he was like Bloody Mary…
"For your information I was not snorting coke. I was-" said Shimazaki as he teleported into a seat across from whatever the hell was happening in front of him. He…maybe should not have been teleporting. It was hard to see anything past Serizawa. His aura was just so…big…and loud…and just…it was everywhere. It was all around him…and it was shouting. It was like having someone screaming in terror right into his soul. Like if his ears went right to his soul…which made sense since his ears went right to his brain…and his brain was his souls and…and maybe his eye sockets led to his soul since the eyes were the window to the soul…or something. He didn't know. Toshi would have known…if Toshi had been there….
He was going to see Toshi soon.
He was not Serizawa. He wasn't going to sit there freaking out because Toshi had just up and left without even leaving him a note. Well it wasn't like he could have read it…but other people could have read it to him! Toshi didn't need to run away from him….run away to Seasoning City…to be with their other boyfriend…..the words hurt. The words hurt his brain and his soul…wherever that was. Toshi…and boyfriend…and…other. Toshi…that was one of their rules…right? They could only be in love with each other…that was…how it worked…right?
Right?
He turned to his side and put his feet up on the seat next to him. That was…something that he could do without Toshi being there…not that he would ever have been happy to have been away from Toshi but…but now he could do things that he normally couldn't. Like he could snort coke in the bathroom…if he had wanted to…but coke made him want to move around. Right now he needed to be still. He needed…well not to be still…but to just…stop moving….stop his brain from moving…or his soul…or just…the thoughts in his head? Toshi was gone. Toshi was gone and he was going to show up at the Seventh Division and they were going to tell him that they had a new boyfriend and they loved him and despite their new boyfriend's lack of a dick they were happy with him…and Toshi loved eating people out…that was something that they had in common….and they had other things in common too! They both liked black coffee and getting high in the woods and cuddling while soft music played and…and…and other things that he couldn't think of right now…
He didn't want to think of anything right now.
He pulled one of his bottles of liquor from the recesses of his coat and a baggy of assorted pills. He rotted around for something segmented and rectangular. This was something else that he and Toshi had in common, they both liked Xanax! Yeah…they both sometimes had to deal with shit by not dealing with it…by telling their brains or their souls to shut up…so that was what he was going to do. He was going to tell his brain and his soul to shut up…
And Serizawa needed to shut up too.
"Here, take this. It'll make you shut up…well it'll make your aura shut up." Said Shimazaki as he held out a single, solitary, bar for Serizawa. That was all he could handle…hopefully it could put him under….and hopefully the others would listen to him. Shibata had told him, before, to stay the fuck away from Serizawa and for the past fifteen hours he had been doing just that. He had been listening to music and reading and starting and deleting texts to Toshi….he had bene keeping busy…and he just….he was out of stuff to do! He hated it…being trapped her…no Toshi…and not Sho either. At least he would be able to see Sho again…
Well, no, not if in the homestretch Serizawa freaked out and killed them all.
"Don't take that, Serizawa, trust me on this. Never take anything that he gives you." Said Hatori. He reached over and pulled Serizawa's hands back. Nope. He knew Shimazaki. He knew that Shimazaki was going to try and do something stupid because he was bored….and he knew that whatever stupid idea Shimazaki had it would get them all killed. Most certainly.
"But…but I want…it to all just…stop!" said Serizawa. Miss Suzuki said that it was alright to drink things and smoke things so you felt better and kept better control over your powers. She knew about these things. She knew about everything. He didn't like drinking, it made him feel sick, and he wasn't too into smoking since it made him feel…spacey….but he trusted Miss Suzuki. She was his friend. He trusted Shimazaki too. He was also his friend….but he also trusted Hatori….
He trusted everyone and….and this was too hard!
"Suit yourselves. I'll see you all in hell…from heaven. I fully plan of sucking as much angel dick as I can so you two are on your own." said Shimazaki. He heard a shudder from Suzuki…and if Toshi had been there then they would have laughed….but Toshi wasn't there…but they would be soon. He just had to swallow all these bars and…wait. That was all.
"There is no way in hell that he's getting into heaven." Said Hatori. He leaned in and told Serizawa…and he would have expected him to at least smile. Suzuki was smiling…just a little. That aural smile he did. He hardly ever smiled openly unless it was at Mob or Fukuda. Serizawa….well he had more problems than Suzuki….well he had his own set of problems…Hatori was going to help him through this. Even if he wanted to run and hide…he had to help Serizawa through this. That was what Mob would have done and she was just a kid. He was young but he was an adult…and it sucked that the twelve year old was more of an adult than he was a lot of the time.
"I…I don't want anyone to go anywhere….I mean…not like…being stuck as a spirit but….I mean…." Said Serizawa. If he lost control then he could and would kill them all…all of his friends. He could kill everyone without even…even realizing what he had done…like when he had sent mom flying. He had sent her flying and then…and then….and as quick as it started it had been over…and…and it could happen again but worse…and he knew that mom had never forgiven him for what he had done….and he knew that he couldn't forget…or forgive himself…and…and…
Shibata was holding his left hand.
Hatori was holding his right.
"Serizawa, man, you're fine. The only place we're going is the Seventh Division, ok? We're going to the Seventh Division and it'll be great….just great." Said Hatori as he held Serizawa's hand. It felt weird, holding another guy's hand, but it worked. He'd seen Mob do this before….but Mob was twelve and pretty fucking adorable….but if it wasn't broke then he wasn't going to fix it….though he could feel Suzuki looking at him….and he knew how his brain worked…and he knew that he would end up shipped with Serizawa when all of this was done.
"Yeah, it'll be great. We'll get there and then you and Mob can hang out and I'll even make you your favorite food, or whatever else you want, just name it." Said Shibata as he held Serizawa's hand in his. He was careful not to hurt him. He wasn't squeezing his hand or anything like that, no, he was just sort of letting Serizawa's hand rest in his. He had no idea if this was helping or not but it had been fifteen hours…over fifteen hours…
"I-I don't know…" said Serizawa. He didn't want to think about food…he didn't even think that he would have been able to keep anything down. He used to go days without eating, sometimes, even though it worried mom. There had been days when the trays just got stacked up outside his door…breakfast through dinner…and mom….mom just asked him over and over what he wanted…and he hadn't wanted anything to eat…he had just wanted all of this to…to stop…but it never stopped….
"I'll make you something good. We'll have a nice dinner…or lunch…breakfast? Whatever meal this is. All of us. You, me, Hatori, President Suzuki, Mob, Minegishi, and….Shimazaki too if he doesn't have anything else going on." Said Shibata
"Don't forget about Sho." said Shimazaki as he tossed a tiny bottle of what had tasted like the world's shittiest whiskey at Hatori's head. It made contact. Even Toshi would have thought…well no, Toshi wouldn't have been impressed, but Sho would have been. Yeah…he just had to focus on the fact that he would see his two favorite people in the world again really soon….
But he wouldn't be able to hear them if he ended up going deaf.
He didn't hear auras in the same way that he heard sounds, with his ears, but he did feel like he was about to go deaf. Between Serizawa's aura's constant screaming and the…shriek? Like a startled one…that Suzuki just did….Shimazaki knew that by the time that this plane ride was over he was going to end up losing one of his remaining senses….and that would have sucked…never being able to hear Toshi's voice ever again.
If Suzuki deafened him then he was going to blind Suzuki and then everyone would be even…and Toshi would end up thinking that the whole thing was pretty fucking hilarious.
"What?" asked Suzuki. He must have been going deaf, that was the only explanation. He knew that his vision was starting to go…he could no longer ignore the fact that he had to squint to see his phone screen…so maybe his hearing was starting to go too. Or maybe it was just hard to hear anything over the roar of the engine and the way that Serizawa was carrying on. That would have made sense…a hell of a lot more sense than what Shimazaki had just said, anyway.
"Sho. Don't forget to add him to our time displaced meal plans. Not Fukuda, though, he can eat out of the trash when we're done or something." Said Shimazaki. He knew what Suzuki was freaking out over The fact that he would have to interact with his only son again. Oh, horror of unspeakable horrors, he was going to have to talk to his son and exist in the same space as him. Someone call a priest!
"What are you talking about?" asked Suzuki. He debated cleaning out his ears right then and there…and he decided not to. Sho did that…and he had done that when he'd been Sho's age….but he was a grown man now and grown men did not do that.
"Shimazaki's just being….Shimazaki. He knows that we can't fly all the way to London for Sho…I mean we could…but that's another fifteen hours in the air." Said Hatori. No. He was not going to let Shimazaki give Suzuki bad ideas like that. They were not turning this plane around and picking up Sho. Sure he liked Sho…when he was calm….but he didn't like him enough to spend over a day in a tony airplane with Serizawa about to explode at any minute. They were in the home stretch, last level, and h was going to win…or at least not use up his only life because Shimazaki had to be stupid.
"Please! No more flying!" said Serizawa. He did drop his umbrella that time. It had been resting between his legs but now it fell to the floor. He let it fall. He took his hands from his friends and covered his eyes. He tried to keep calm, he tried to keep his breathing level, he tried to focus…but he couldn't…not when…not when they were going to have to turn around…or keep going since the world was round…and…and…and he just didn't want to have to be on this plane for another second!
"Yeah…..no. I like Sho but…I don't think that Serizawa can handle any more time on this plane." Said Shibata. He did miss Sho….but if Sho wanted to come back to them then he would have come back by now. Shibata…he knew that the President was under a lot of stress since he ran Claw…and also he knew that the President had at least one personality disorder….and those things weren't his fault….but Sho was maybe better off with Fukuda…the thought makes him feel unpleasant….than he was around his father and all the people who cared about him.
"What in the hell are you guys talking about? Sho's not in London, he's in Seasoning City and has been for months. Toshi's new fuck buddy said so." Said Shimazaki as he opened up another tiny bottle from his coat. Tiny wine this time, tasted like apple wine…and he had no idea what everyone was so shocked about. He could feel their shock…and they knew him. They knew that his coat held everything that he would ever need…and they knew that he liked to drink…so what was up with this? If anyone else had wanted some then they should have gotten to the liquor cart before he raided it.
"….what did you just say?" asked Suzuki. Yes. He was going deaf. He was going to have to have Tadashi take a look at him because…because it sounded like Shimazaki had just told him that his son was in Japan…in Seasoning City…in the Seventh Division….but his Son…was not there. There was no way in hell that Sho…would have gone…to that Division….
Tadashi would never have done this to him.
Tadashi would never have betrayed him like this…he had no idea why he felt so betrayed…yes he did! Because he had been lied to! Tadashi had told him that he would be looking after Sho while he stayed in London to be with his little girlfriend. That was what Tadashi had said and…and if Sho had been done with his girlfriend then…then Tadashi would have returned to him…they always returned to one another…because they worked well together and….
And they did not lie to one another….they had never lied to one another…so the only explanation was that Suzuki was going deaf…or losing his mind…or…or something like that….
"A fuck buddy is a buddy who you're friends with for the express purposes of fucking. That's why Toshi wanted to go back to Japan…and for no other reason. They just wanted to fuck someone else and I can handle that….don't any of you tell me that I can't handle that because I can!" said Shimazaki. He knew what he was doing! He was perfectly capable of being Toshi's boyfriend and he was not clingy and needy and nobody, not even Suzuki Touichirou, was going to imply that he was needy and clingy and that he fully expected to step off this plane and have Toshi tell him that they were through and that they'd found….someone else….someone who they loved and….and….
And fuck Suzuki up his ass, down his throat, and then another dick in ass for good measure for even daring to think that shit about him!
"I don't….what?" asked Suzuki. That was…not at all what he had been asking about and just….what? How did that even….what? He…he didn't want to…he did….just….what?
"They're in a polyamorous relationship-" said Hatori. Suzuki didn't always get things…things like this. He was really old, almost fifty, polyamory and all of that hadn't been invented yet.
"I thought that it was an open relationship." Said Shibata. Well that was none of his business. Shimazaki and Minegishi were Shimazaki and Minegishi and…well they didn't need to make their relationship a topic of conversation. Sure it was a nice distraction from the impending explosion….but really he did not want to talk about this. Especially not with President Suzuki…or even Serizawa….he honestly didn't know which was worse.
"I thought that they were in love." Said Serizawa. Poor Shimazaki….no wonder he acted the way he did…his partner was with someone else. Here he was freaking out because Miss Suzuki was gone….but at least he would be able to see her again. Shimazaki…Minegishi had left him for another person…and…and he knew how much Shimazaki loved them….poor Shimazaki….
"Everyone but Hatori is right. Toshi and I are in an open relationship and we're in love. We can fuck other people but we can't fall in love with anyone else…Toshi knows that. That's one of our rules and Toshi-" said Shimazaki
"No, not about that. I don't care about his relationship. Do you mean to tell me that my son and my…and Tadashi…and Fukuda…have been in Japan this whole time?" asked Suzuki. He…wanted to murder everyone on that plane…and then he wanted to kill himself…and he had to keep this under control…because he needed these people and he needed to…to keep on living…even though…Tadashi had…had lied to him. There was a pain in his chest. There was a pain settling down into his chest and he had no idea…what it was…it felt like when Masami had left. Tadashi had lied to him and…and taken his Son from him…he didn't care about Sho…but he should have. That was what should have upset him about this but…but all he could think about…the only thing running through his mind was…the fact that Tadashi had betrayed him…
His chest hurt…maybe the shock of it had given him a heart attack…he had to hold on to control…and not his chest…and he wanted to hold on to Tadashi…with both hands…so he could never go again….
"Yeah….didn't you guys know?" asked Shimazaki. Huh. Well Toshi hadn't known but Toshi really didn't like Sho…for perfectly valid reasons. How hadn't the others known? Didn't they talk to people? Sho ran off to the Seventh Division to hang out with Suzuki's bastard daughter. That was common knowledge…right?
Obviously not.
"No." said Shibata with a shake of his head. Sho had gone….where? Fukuda had done…what? That was…shady as hell. He….was not the sort of person to go throwing these sorts of accusations around but…taking a kid to another country and not telling anyone, especially his dad, where he had taken him…that was some incredibly shady shit and if he hadn't been on a plane with a two human time bombs he would have done….something….
"Miss Suzuki didn't mention anything about that." Said Serizawa. She had been sad, actually, that her brother had been gone for so long…but she had never mentioned Japan. He felt…lighter…though. The fact that she had left so that she could go TO her brother and not AWAY from him…that felt…it felt good. Very good.
"Nobody told me anything. As far as I knew, Suzuki, your son was in London….really! I would never keep secrets from you and-" said Hatori. He stood up and held up his hands in the universal gesture of 'I surrender don't obliterate me'….or at least that was what he thought that it meant. He would have thought so…
But then his back hit the roof of the plane.
"What the fuck!" screamed Hatori. That hurt and…and they were going…down! They were going down and…and he lost his glasses…he couldn't see! He couldn't see…he could see colors….and…and…red! Purple! There was red and purple and…and he reached out. He could feel the plane…he could feel the electronics in it…the pathways it took and….and he just…he didn't know what to do! He couldn't think! He just…he just….he was going to die…at twenty one…
….but at least he would get to see mom and dad again….he closed his eyes….he couldn't see anyway….
"We're all going to die!" said Shimazaki as he hit the top of the plane. This was…he couldn't see….he couldn't see! He couldn't see and he could hear…it was so loud…voices were screaming and auras were screaming and…and he was screaming. He reached over…and he felt something hard…and he kept on reaching…but he didn't….Toshi wasn't there! Toshi wasn't there and he was going to be alone and…and he took back what he thought! Toshi could love whoever they wanted to love just so long that they kept on loving him…no! Just so long as they let him love them! If he made it out of this then he was going to tell them every day a hundred times a day just what they meant to him…everything….they meant everything to him…
"Toshi!" shouted Shimazaki. His voice mixed with all the screaming around him. He was not ok with this! There was so much he hadn't done yet! He hadn't ever…ever….he didn't know! All he could think about was Toshi and how he was going to leave them and…and how they had left him and…and no matter how much he felt around and reached they would never be there and…and he needed Toshi…he needed them and….and they were the love of his life…
He didn't have to be the love of theirs but they were the love of his…and he wasn't ready to leave them. Not yet.
"Mom!" shouted Serizawa. He didn't want to go! He wanted….he wanted to go back to his room…and he wanted his mom! He wanted his mom and….and he was sorry that he'd left! He was sorry that he'd left his mom and his house and…and he wanted to go home and…no. His last thought was not going to be a selfish one….Miss Suzuki wasn't going to like that…he was never going to see her again! He closed his eyes…his head hurt…he reached out….he knew that she wasn't there but he still reached out….
He didn't know what he expected, she wasn't there, but he still reached out.
"We're going to be ok!" shouted Shibata. He was going to be fine…he was practically invulnerable….but the others weren't. He opened his eyes and grabbed Serizawa and Hatori. He pulled them close. If he landed on his back then he could save them…and he would be fine…and even if he wasn't then…well at least he had managed to save someone else…
Shimazaki was on his own, though…not that it mattered. Shibata had no idea how long he had been falling for but it must not have been very long since the plane straightened itself out without any problem.
"…I…apologize for that." Said Suzuki as he straightened the plane out. He took his emotion, all of it, and he stuffed it deep inside of himself. Deep down, so deep and so down, the deepest and the downest that he could stuff them. He needed to control himself. Tadashi had…betrayed him…those were the facts as they were…and he hated…a part of him hated Tadashi for that…but another part of him…another part of him…wanted this to be…a misunderstanding or….or maybe Tadashi just hadn't been thinking or….
He didn't care. He couldn't care. He had to control himself.
He hadn't left his seat…but the others had. They fell to the floor…Hatori had lost his glasses. He reached over with his powers and pushed them back onto his face. There. He couldn't see without his glasses…and now he could see. That was….important. Hatori being able to see. He wanted…he wanted Hatori to be able to see and…and Hatori could be so annoying but…but he was there and…and Suzuki…
He had this growing need to be beside him.
He pulled Hatori over with his powers and sat him down on the free seat to his left. He didn't touch Hatori…even though he wanted to. He wanted…he wanted to straighten Hatori's glasses out…and his sweater…and he wanted to hold him close as well. He wanted to pull Hatori close and just…he needed to have someone close. Suzuki…he wanted his Daughter back…and he wanted his…he wanted Tadashi back….and he wanted…he wanted…
He wanted to get a hold of himself before he killed everyone on that plane…including Hatori….
"I…really didn't think that we were going to get through that." Said Hatori as Suzuki held him in a death grip. Not by hand, no, it was his aura that was clinging to him. That…made sense…well it would have made more sense if he hadn't been the one to almost kill them all! That had been….it was a miracle that Serizawa hadn't blown a hole in the plane. He could see some of Serizawa's aura hanging around…and then Suzuki's too….and Suzuki's was eating Serizawa's it looked like…but that was just…well he had just hit his head after all.
Auras didn't eat other auras…he was just concussed…or something.
"Neither did I." said Shibata as he caught his breath. He felt….weak…like he had the flu or something. That had been…a lot. Way too much. That had been way too much and he just…he could see his aura. It was dim…or maybe that was just because there was so much of Serizawa's aura in the air…and the President's too….and it looked almost like….but that was impossible…
"I'm sorry….I'm sorry!" cried Serizawa. He reached for his umbrella….but he couldn't find it. He was on his knees on the ground now…and someone was holding him. Shibata. He wanted…he wanted someone else…he wanted Miss Suzuki…but she wasn't there….and he wanted his mom….but she wasn't there either! He was alone and kind of dizzy and…and he just…he buried his head in Shibata's chest and….and he cried…
At least he hadn't exploded.
"I sincerely apologize to all of you." Said Suzuki as he absorbed the lingering energy from everyone. He…did not like doing this….not after he had been so…unstable. He was unstable and…and he needed to be more stable and…and he needed to get to Shigeko. He could feel her…and see her…and he used his powers to keep the plane aloft and on it's way to the airport. No landings. Nothing. A wave of energy washed over him…his energy…no…
Shigeko?
"What was that?" asked Shimazaki as he climbed to his feet. He felt around with both hands until he got to the wall of the plane. This was just…he hated it when this happened. His powers were being a bitch. He couldn't see and…and he was not going to piss himself…even though he had no idea what anything was and…and he just…he felt something. He felt around until he got to a wall. He felt around until his hands found glass. There…he could feel….something! Which was better than nothing….
He could still see. He wasn't sighted….but he wasn't blind either….he just….needed a minute…
"The President lost control." Said Shibata. He didn't know what was with Shimazaki…and he wanted…part of him wanted to help. Part of him wanted to go over there and lead him to where he needed to go…it was hard to remember, sometimes, that he was blind…but he knew Shimazaki. He knew Shimazaki and he knew that Shimazaki could find his way around just fine. He knew that Shimazaki was just fine…
Serizawa on the other hand….
"No, I mean that." Said Shimazaki as he banged on the glass with the palm of his hand. There. He felt it. There was like…someone blowing in his face….like a birthday blower? Well that was how it had started off. Like a birthday blower in his face…eyes…ears? Soul? Something that had been soft and annoying…but now…a kazoo? Now he could hear…well it didn't have the same sound as a kazoo but the same sort of…feel? As a kazoo?
As soon as he settled on 'kazoo' for this sound and feeling it turned into something closer to an amplifier with a microphone right in front of it….feedback…it sounded like feedback. He threw himself back and covered his ears. Too much….this was all too much…and he had no idea….he just…what even WAS that!?
"What…what the fuck is that…?!" asked Hatori. The….light? It was a light….like…being under a really bright lightbulb….or a bunch of them….like when mom and dad took him to the lamp store and he'd stood under all the hanging lamps…it felt like that but…too much. Like being…he didn't know…like being in an easy bake oven? He pulled closer to Suzuki…Suzuki put an arm around him.
"I asked you first!" said Shimazaki. He fell down…and felt his way back until he found somewhere to sit. That was…what the fuck was that?! And why did it feel like…like it was getting worse? And LOUDER?! How could it have possibly been….been louder….louder than anything that he had ever heard in his life?!
"Well I don't know any more than you do!" said Hatori
"Let's all just calm down-" said Shibata as he held Serizawa close. No. He was not going to look. He was not going to do anything but hold Serizawa close and keep him safe…and keep everyone else safe from him. That was enough to send him into another explosion….that was enough to…to make Shibata feel like he was going to explode. Out of his shirt, not like how Serizawa had exploded. He could feel his muscles getting ready to react…because he was scared? He felt…adrenaline? No…something else….something to do with the light….
"It feels like….Miss Suzuki…" said Serizawa. He….felt so….good. Like she was there….like she was right next to him….and…and he…he knew that everything was going to be ok…now that he could feel her there….even if she wasn't….
"Shigeko…" said Suzuki. That…he could see out the window with his eyes…or maybe his aura. White….and then pink…and blue. Shigeko had…she had lost control. He knew what it meant when she lost control…and he had lost control…and he could not afford to lose control again. He didn't have time to worry about Tadashi…about Fukuda…and his betrayal. He didn't have time to worry about the fact that Sho had been…well that Sho had been lying to him for months….honestly Sho didn't matter right now…and neither did Fukuda…the only thing that mattered was Shigeko.
I'm coming.