President Suzuki ate dinner.

Tsuchiya knew that he was human and as a human being he, of course, needed to eat…she had just…well it had been a difficult thing to remember. That he was just as human as everyone else. He ate, slept, and everything in between. She knew that now, she had been living near him long enough to have gotten some confirmation of that. He was a human being who sat down at the table with his family at the end of a long day and had dinner.

Or, in this case, evening breakfast.

"I hope everyone likes dinner. I haven't done this in a while so I might be a little bit out of practice." Said Shigeko as she, finally, sat down. She had been serving everyone. Tsuchiya would have helped but she had been too busy getting Mukai settled. She…did not want to eat right now. This was dinnertime, the same time that she had been eating dinner at for a while now, but she didn't want to sit down. Maybe because there was someone new at the table, maybe because she was having a breakfast food for dinner, or maybe just because she wanted to go back to playing with the mountain of toys in the other room. Tsuchiya didn't know and Mukai wasn't up to explaining herself.

She was barely up to using her fork.

"Not dinner. Breakfast." Said Mukai as she tried to stick her hand in her ketchup covered omelet. Her omelet said 'please don't throw anything'. Shigeko…may have forgotten that Mukai couldn't read yet…or maybe it was just force of habit. Everyone had their own personalized message. It seemed to be a Suzuki family tradition.

Mukai was a Suzuki, technically, after all.

"I'm with baby sis. This is weird. It was weird last time we had breakfast for dinner and it's weird now." Said Sho. He was not at all following the directions on his omelet. 'Please be good' was scrawled out in ketchup in Shigeko's, actually pretty good, handwriting…or maybe it was ketchup writing. Well her hand writing had improved since Tsuchiya started helping with homeschool. Actual schooling happened now even though the kids didn't like it….well it had been happening. Things had been sort of…up in the air…since President Suzuki came back from wherever he had gone.

He was back from wherever and sitting right there across the table…

"Food is food. Either eat it or starve, that's your choice." Said President Suzuki as he cut into his omelet. He seemed to be avoiding the words, Shigeko had written 'I love you, dad' right there on his omelet, maybe out of sentimentality. It wasn't because he didn't like ketchup, that was for sure. He had a whole rice bowl of ketchup in front of him.

Which was, apparently, for dipping.

"I'm not going to starve to death just because you want me to." Said Sho

"Sho! Here, you need to eat. Have some ranch with it, you like ranch." Said Shigeko as she used her powers to pour him a rice bowl of ranch dressing. Her control never ceased to amaze…and neither did her patience. There was a time to act and a time not to act….this was the time not to act. Even though there was no good reason that Shigeko had to be the one to serve her family. She hadn't even touched her food yet and it didn't look like she was going to for a while. Sho…was not the best eater. Tsuchiya had started eating with everyone next door specifically to avoid his mealtime wheedling, whining, and tantrums. It was just…better for Mukai not to see that. Tsuchiya didn't have a choice, though, President Suzuki wanted his children to have at least one meal a day with him.

All of his children.

"I want poptarts." Said Sho. The cabinet behind him opened…and then slammed shut. Mukai jumped up and almost toppled right out of her booster seat. Tsuchiya was ashamed to say that she was grateful to have something to do while…this…happened. President Suzuki…she knew him from a distance….and she'd heard stories about him second hand. She had heard how he could be towards his kids.

Or maybe just his son.

Sho had taken off the coat he always wore. His arms were visible, for once he was wearing a short sleeved shirt. She could see the round scars that run up and down both arms. An awakening machine…President Suzuki had actually put his son in one of those machines…and Sho had come out and lived to tell the tale. Tsuchiya watched Mukai's aura. She was not going to let anything happen to her daughter…even if the President had hunted people to the ends of the Earth for less…

Though it didn't look like he'd be hunting anyone down anytime soon.

He had taken off his suit coat and tie. She had never seen him less than fully dressed. He was still wearing a shirt and pants, obviously, but like this…he could have looked like any other dad back after a long day at the office. He even had his phone right there next to him on the table. Somehow that part was the most domestic of all, even more so than seeing what he looked like without his 'regalia' on. Even the sight of his sock covered feet, brief as it had been, was just…wow. President Suzuki Touichirou wore white socks just like everyone else on the planet. He looked so much like just another normal dad having dinner with his kids…

But looks could be deceiving.

"Your sister made you dinner, eat it or starve….and before you say anything I do not want you to starve. You're my only son." Said President Suzuki

"So?" asked Sho

"So I don't want you to starve. So eat and stop bothering your sister." Said President Suzuki. Sho made eye contact and aural contact with his father. President Suzuki did the same right back. The room got very still. Even Mukai stopped fussing and was looking on with fascination. Shigeko, on the other hand, was a cloud of weariness. Apparently this was a normal part of dinner with the Suzuki family…

Maybe tomorrow night she and Mukai could eat next door.

President Suzuki hadn't been able to eat with his family before today. There was a lot that went into running Claw, administratively, that he had to oversee. She was a bit ashamed to admit it but she had mostly imagined that his job consisted of torturing traitors, making speeches, and scouting new espers. According to Shigeko he spent most of his day either taking meetings or behind his desk. Huh. So that was what that office they'd fought in had been for. It was more than a place to fight, it was also his second home it seemed, and she couldn't wait for him to have another stretch of long days without having dinner with his family….his kids. No wonder Sho had such a problem eating normally. Who could eat normally with the nightly staring contest that their meals seemed so often devolve into.

A staring contest which was broken by the vibration of a phone.

"Sho, please, be good. Just eat half of it and move the other half around on your plate so it looks like you ate more than you did." Whispered Shigeko as her father buried his face in his phone. Apparently it was good news if his aura was to be trusted…she did her best to move away from him. She did NOT want that level of intimacy with him. She didn't know who would have.

"Moving it around…" muttered Mukai as she began to shove her hands into her food. Tsuchiya reached over and took a napkin from the holder…which may have been the wrong thing to do. President Suzuki looked up and met her eyes. He really did have very beautiful eyes…a really clear and deep blue….but the pupils ruined it. He had them, everyone had pupils, but his were more like pinpricks than actual pupils.

She looked away.

"Does she know how to use a fork yet…or a spoon? Or even chopsticks I supposed…..though those would be more difficult." Said President Suzuki. Tsuchiya nodded. She needed…she wished that she had more time. He was speaking to her directly. He was addressing her…she had no idea what to say. He didn't seem like just a normal dad there, and she certainly couldn't see the big dork that the others insisted was in there somewhere, she could just see President Suzuki. The president of Claw. The person who'd shattered her qi guard and given her the scar on her face.

She needed to say something.

"No chopsticks!" said Mukai, fearless as ever. Well that made sense. She was too young to know what she had to be afraid of. As far as she was concerned this man, this new person, was just another friend for her. That was how Mukai saw everyone in this world. She was so friendly….she must have gotten it from her biological mother because she sure as hell didn't get it from her father.

"Oh. That's fine. Chopsticks can be difficult if you don't have the dexterity for them." Said President Suzuki

"She…she knows how to use a fork and spoon…and children's chopsticks. She just feels like playing with her food now. I'll stop her." said Tsuchiya. She was a co-parent now…maybe. President Suzuki seemed to want to be a father to Mukai now…or at least he wanted to have her at his table. She didn't know why. She wasn't going to pretend to understand what happened in his head. He was her father, anyway, and she didn't have to understand him…she just had to keep from stepping on his toes…even though she had been the one to raise Mukai for the past two years.

He'd, apparently, had better things to do with his time.

If he had been anyone else she would have given him a piece of her mind…but he wasn't anyone else. He was President Suzuki and if he wanted to he could have done…well….anything. Supposedly he was the most powerful man in the world. She had no chance against him, none at all, not when she'd originally fought him and certainly not now. Especially now that she had Mukai to think about. She didn't think that he would harm her…but then again thinking about him putting his own son in an awakening machine was unthinkable too. She didn't know him well enough to get a read on him…and she didn't know if she even wanted to spend enough time with him to get to know him that well.

And she didn't even know if she wanted Mukai to get to know him that well either…father or not father.

"I'll stop her, dad. Mukai, come on, use your fork. See? It's your special fork, the one with the airplane on it." Said Shigeko. She used her powers to stab a piece of omelet onto the end of the fork. Mukai slapped it away. There hadn't been enough time to warn Shigeko.

"Stop it! I'm a big girl now!" said Mukai as she batted the fork away. She did not like being fed. Tsuchiya caught the flying fork and set it down on the table. If they had been home then she would have taken Mukai out of the room and let her calm down. That wasn't an option now. She didn't know how President Suzuki would have reacted to her taking Mukai and walking away without being dismissed. He was really into people following his many, MANY, arbitrary rules.

"See? She's a big kid now and so am I. If neither of us wants to eat-" said Sho

"Please just eat a little." Said Shigeko

"She doesn't want to either." Said Sho

"Don't want this." said Mukai. She pushed her plate away. It slid away from her and across the table…right towards Suzuki. He put his phone back on the table…face down. He made an effort to put it on the table face down. That was…none of her concern. Mukai was her concern and right now she was being…well she was not acting the right way. Bratty was a word that came to mind…but she should not have been thinking about her daughter in that way.

"Mukai, if you take ten bites-" said Shigeko

"If she doesn't like it then make her something else." Said President Suzuki. Shigeko nodded…and Sho sputtered. He pointed and sputtered and turned an alarming shade of red, the same as his aura. President Suzuki didn't seem to care. He just pushed Sho's glass of water closer to him.

"Drink something and stop carrying on like that. You're setting a bad example for your younger sister. You're older than her and your job is to set a good example for her. Live by Shigeko's example." Said President Suzuki. Any other child that had been complimented like that would have beamed but Shigeko simply tucked her head downwards.

"Sho's fine, dad, he's going to take ten bites and then he can be done." Said Shigeko. She pushed Sho's plate closer to him. He sighed and shoveled in a big forkful of food…and then began to cough. Shigeko only slumped down further and patted her brother on the back.

"Sho…come on. I know that you're not choking so don't pretend. One day you might actually choke and then I might not believe you." Said Shigeko as she patted Sho on the back. A small hand hit Tsuchiya on the back…and a very small voice began to cough.

"Mukai, don't play now. This is dinnertime." Said Tsuchiya. She could at least say that much. Sho was still carrying on…and Shigeko was still trying to comfort him. She still hadn't touched her food. She had been too busy taking care of everyone else…maybe it would have been best if Tsuchiya ate with them more often. Shigeko needed some kind of help with all of…this. She'd made dinner, she'd set the table, she'd served everyone, and now she was tending to her little brother while he carried on like a…well like a brat. The whole time their father just stared…he didn't even look concerned…actually he didn't look like anything at all.

"Sho. Stop it. You're bothering your sister." Said President Suzuki. There was something in his voice, something that made her want to pull Mukai close and never let her go. The others, the kids, they didn't seem to notice or care. Sho just stuck out his tongue and Shigeko…well she just looked tired.

"I'm fine, dad." Said Shigeko

"I meant Mukai." Said President Suzuki. He pointed to Mukai…who had started up with the fake choking again. She was fine, Tsuchiya knew that she was fine, but President Suzuki….well she had no idea what was happening in his head. She had no idea what he was thinking or feeling…if he was even feeling anything at all. The edge that had been to his voice was gone. Now his voice was as flat as Shigeko's. His eyes, though, told a story. She didn't know what story they told but she didn't want to read it.

"She's just faking it." Said Tsuchiya quickly.

"I'm aware. She's imitating Sho…Sho, stop it. You aren't choking." Said President Suzuki. The edge was back to his voice….but Sho still didn't care. Why didn't he care? His father had put him through…everything. Sho should have been smarter. He didn't even seem the littlest bit scared…and neither was Shigeko. She just shook her head.

Poor kid…poor kids….

Shigeko hadn't touched her food. She was holding Sho's hand and muttering at him to stop it already. Tsuchiya had never seen him this…well he was acting more like a two year old than Mukai. Actually his behavior had been getting better. Well it looked like any progress that she had made with Sho was going to be undone. If she had been stronger, and braver, she would have told President Suzuki to open a book and figure out how to actually raise his kids. She would have asked him what he intended to do with Mukai, too, what he planned on doing as she got older. What he planned on being to her. If he planned on doing such a stellar job with her as he had with his other kids.

She wasn't that brave, though, and she wasn't nearly strong enough either.

"I am too choking! I'm choking on….on….on a bone!" said Sho. He banged on the table for emphasis. His glass of water tipped over. Shigeko managed to catch it…but that didn't seem to matter. His aura slammed against Tsuchiya's. Mukai even shouted and covered her face. That was…well now the table was shaking. Suzuki had slammed his hand against it…and it was still shaking. The room was shaking. Maybe even the entire house….

"There are no bones in eggs! You are not choking!" said President Suzuki. He slammed his hand against the table again. That didn't end this, no, if anything he had just poured gasoline onto this fire. Sho slammed both of his hands down on the table. Tsuchiya covered Mukai's ears in an effort to keep Mukai from hearing what was sure to be a truly terrifying amount of profanity.

But it never came.

"Dad! Don't yell at the table!" said Shigeko as she covered Sho's mouth with her hand. She glared at her father. He instantly calmed down. His hands went back in his lap and he looked down at the table.

"I…apologize, Shigeko." said President Suzuki quietly. That was….not what she had expected. He was acting like a little boy and not, well, President Suzuki. Shigeko took this all as normal…and so did Sho. This was…something…that she would think more about later. Much later.

"No yelling at the table!" shouting Mukai

"I apologize, Mukai, for shouting…now, what do you want to eat for dinner?" asked President Suzuki. He was looking at Mukai now. Mukai looked back at him. Tsuchiya watched whatever it was that passed between the two of them. They had the same eyes, the same aura, the same…there were so many things were the same between the two of them. She had always known that Mukai resembled her father….but it was different to see it right there with her own two eyes.

"Waffles….cake….churros! Pancakes! Please and thank you!" said Mukai after a moment. Before Tsuchiya could even think President Suzuki was nodding….actually nodding!

"She doesn't have to-" said Tsuchiya. No, no way. Mukai was not going to have that much sugar this late at night…or EVER! Sugar did not agree with her stomach or with…well…anything else!

"Shigeko?" asked President Suzuki. He looked over to Shigeko. She had a fork in her hand…and she put it down.

"I don't know how to make churros." Said Shigeko

"Call Shibata then." Said President Suzuki with a wave of his hand. Well then that was it. Apparently that was….a thing which was happening.

"Why does she get to pick her own dinner!?" asked Sho. He tried to climb to his feet but Shigeko stopped him. She put her hand over his and shook her head. Well then…that was that it seemed.

"Because she's only two years old…now either eat your dinner or leave." Said President Suzuki

"Five bites. How about that?" asked Shigeko. Apparently that was enough to get Sho to eat. He actually listened to her…thank God. Now Shigeko could eat…but not Mukai. Her food was taken away….oh. So the cake and waffle and churro thing was happening. That was…not good. She didn't want to encourage this behavior…but she had to take into account what the President wanted for Mukai…for his daughter…

This was his house, his table, and his dinner. She had no choice but to go along with whatever he wanted.