Sakata Shiori knew when she was being followed….and she didn't like it.

There were several reasons as to why someone had seen fit to take time out of their very busy day to follow her…and none of them were good. They might have been coming to kill her. Maybe they were from a rival esper group. Maybe she owed them money. Maybe it was just some garden variety psycho out to find some women to chop up and add to the collection of pickled body parts on his shelves. Hell, it may have been one of those overzealous, please donate to our religion, people.

Either way she knew how to deal with them.

She had to turn around. Some telekinetic espers, rare ones, could move things without looking at them. They just had this sense of where things were in the world, with their auras and such. Shiori was not quite so talented, not outside of moving small things in her own home. She wasn't even the best at that, as the graveyard of broken coffee cups was a testament to. She had to look to see who was following her….badly….very badly…

There were some advantages to having a very dim aura…though they were all mitigated by the whole bright red jumpsuit thing.

"H-Hey!" said the…she assumed one of the Awakened, Touichirou's low level followers, as she dragged him forward across the sidewalk. She didn't want to deal with this right now. It was hot, she was hungry, and she had spent this entire weekend putting out fire after fire….fucking Jodo….and now she had to deal with this…whatever it was…Touichirou having her followed….

It was amazing how a man as powerful as he was could be so, annoyingly, amazingly, clingy.

"Start talking." Said Shiori as she held the guy in place. Aside from the scuffmarks on the toes of his shoes…bright blue and red did not go together at all….this would have looked perfectly normal. She was strong enough to have been able to actually hold the guy aloft, of course, but she was out in public. Three steps from her house counted as public, public enough that the neighbors could have seen anyway. That was the one good thing about Touichirou's whole 'hostile takeover' plan, they wouldn't have to hide anymore.

She'd be sure to mention that later when she reamed him out for having her followed.

"Um….alright. Today I saw this really cool cat. It had black fur on one side of it's face and then orange fur on the other-" said the Awakened

"What are you talking about?" asked Shiori

"Vice President Suzuki said that her brother is very upset today so everyone is only allowed to talk about good things, she even sent us a list, and cats are one of the good things. Hamsters too, he likes those, and also puppies but not the kind that bite and-" said the Awakened

"Why are you following me?" Said Shiori. If she hadn't been in public she would have tossed this guy into a tree or something. Something to knock some sense into him. She hadn't ever been this close to one of Touichirou's low level followers before but she had seen them from a distance. There had been a group of them, once, in line at the aquarium. They had been chasing each other around like children. Shiori made a mental note to never add brainwashing to the whole initiation process. It didn't seem to be doing anyone any good. She would have felt for this guy, too, this poor guy. Someone who could barely be called an esper. Someone who had given his life to an organization that turned him into an overgrown child. Someone who had to wear bright red in the summer sun. Almost.

It would have been a hell of a lot easier to pity him if he hadn't been so damned annoying.

"President Suzuki told us to." Said the Awakened. Shiori sighed.

"Yes…I figured as much. Now tell me why Toui-why did President Suzuki send you here to follow me. Try and remember. Use what little brainpower you have left." Said Shiori. The Awakened actually had to think for a moment.

"The President didn't say why. He just told a bunch of us to follow you around and tell him the minute you went into the door. The big one on the front of your house. The one with the welcome mat in front of it." Said the Awakened

"You mean the front door?" asked Shiori

"Yes! That's right. He told us to tell him, well to tell our supervisor to tell him, when you came home." Said the Awakened

"How long have you been watching me for?" asked Shiori

"My shift starts at noon." Said the Awakened. Shiori let go of him and looked around. There were more….? She…she couldn't feel them…well she could and could not. Normal people sometimes had auras, people with the potential to develop psychic powers, and….and they felt just like the Awakened. She narrowed her eyes. They may have been overgrown children….but she could see why Touichirou kept them around. It was easy to see if another esper was following you…watching you….but these idiots could blend in…

Aside from their ridiculous uniforms….

She scanned the area. She could see more of them now that she knew what to look for…and this was the only one dressed in a uniform. The others were dressed in normal clothing…like normal people. She knew that she had been feeling this for a while….but she had brushed it off as nothing. No. Apparently it wasn't nothing. Apparently there were shifts…this had been going on for long enough that there was a shift schedule.

Touichirou had some explaining to do.

"Shifts? Why?" asked Shiori trying her best to channel the annoyance she felt. If she had been anyone else she would have been shaking in fear. You did NOT want to be a person of interest to Claw. Especially when you turned down one of their 'offers'. She wasn't anyone, though, she was Touichirou's girlfriend…not that he had ever discussed that with her. No, he had just gone and declared them to be in a committed and monogamous relationship just because they went on a couple of dates and had sex a few times…something else that she was going to have to discuss with him…

And this time she meant it.

"I don't know, this is my first assignment. The President just sent us here to watch your house and make sure nobody hurts you….and we did a good job! We've been keeping your Amazon packages safe, throwing out your junk mail, and replacing the Thai food menus on your door with the place that you like. The one that leaves their menu on the door is Thai but you like Chinese better…but the place that puts enough prawns in a Galaxy-" said the Awakened

"So, what, the President of Claw had you follow me….he had you take time out of what is probably a very busy schedule….to clear out my junk mail? And guard my packages? And…put menus to places I like on my door?" asked Shiori. Well that was…actually pretty sweet….why did he have to be like this? Just when she got pissed enough to…not end things but…confront him he went and did something like this. Something that, if he had been anyone else, would have been just plain weird…but he didn't know any better so it was just so…sweet….

But still annoying. She had to hold onto that annoyance.

"Also we're supposed to pick the beetles off of your plants." Said the Awakened.

"You're…doing this by hand?" asked Shiori

"Yes." said the Awakened like all of this was normal. So…when she was away…there were people in her garden picking the beetles off of her plants. This…was….less sweet. She…was doing her best to appreciate this…but…going over her garden wall was the one step too far.

"Get out of here, stay away from my house, and stay out of my garden." Said Shiori. She shoved him to the ground with her powers before she turned around and finally got out of the heat. She needed a minute to think…to collect herself. The girlfriend thing had been a lot but she'd gotten used to that since maybe the time had come for a label on….whatever this was. The whole having her followed thing…that was too much. That was something that she would have to talk to him about soon-

Or now.

The minute she closed the door behind her, the minute the lock clicked shut, her phone began to vibrate in her bag. She found herself wishing, for the first time ever, that it was a telemarketer or a scam artist….or even some relative asking about where she disappeared off to. Well it wasn't…it was exactly who she thought it was.

She answered it.

"Touichirou, listen, we have to-" said Shiori

"Do you like Tetsuro?" asked Touichirou. Shiori pulled the phone away and checked who it was. Well she knew who it was but…maybe it was someone with a very similar voice….asking after someone named Tetsuro….

Nope. Same old Touichirou.

"Who?" asked Shiori

"As a name? Do you like it?" asked Touichirou

"Yeah, it's alright….anyway, I have to talk to you about-" said Shiori

"What about Maetel?" asked Suzuki

"Who?" asked Shiori. That name…she knew that name from somewhere….but where?

"She's the daughter of La Andromeda Promethium II and the younger sister to Emeraldas. Her home planet is La Metal which is-" said Touichirou

"The last stop on the Galaxy Express. Yes, I'm familiar and we can talk about Galaxy Express three nine after we talk about the fact that you had me followed." Said Shiori

"I…apologize for interrupting you again. I've been doing a lot of that and I am deeply sorry but I just have so many things to ask you and I just now figured out where to start." Said Touichirou

"Where to…what?" asked Shiori

"Where to start. I decided to start with names because the naming of our child is going to be the longest series of discussions that we're going to have in our marriage. Well at least that's how it went with my last wife. I like Tetsuro and Maetel as names but I am open to any suggestions that you may have…but not Shoko or Shigeo or Kai because I already have children name Sho, Shigeko, and Mukai. I don't want to create some kind of confusion within the children. I was also thinking that two children would be good to start with, twins of you can manage it, and then-" said Touichirou

"I was curious to see when you'd stop on your own…but you just kept on going." said Shiori. She leaned against the wall. She wondered if there had been any changes in the Earth's gravity. Touichirou would have known. Maybe he would have even been able to explain that. It didn't seem like he was going to explain what…all of that had been. That….she didn't even know what. Words. That had been a series of words.

Words that she knew the meanings of.

Marriage. Married. He had…said that he wanted…well she had known. She had known that he was a bit of a serial monogamist. There were people like that, she used to be one of those people, people who just had to be in a relationship. She knew that he had deep feelings for her…and he should have been happy that he was saying something now instead of declaring her to be his wife or something….

If this was even the sort of thing a person could be grateful about.

"I have a great many things to discuss with you." Said Touichirou

"Yeah, same. How about we start with the fact that you had me followed and then we can get back to…whatever the hell that was." Said Shiori

"I had you followed because I wanted to call you and I know how you don't like to be called in the middle of your day." Said Touichirou

"Uh-huh…alright…and you're having my house watched because…?" asked Shiori

"I love you." Said Touichirou. Shiori sighed and kicked a pair of shoes to the other side of the genkan. It wasn't far. It was close…everything was close. The walls…she needed to breathe. Touichirou had never said it to her….never come out and said it and…and there had been so much emotion in his voice. Compared to how he usually spoke he might as well have been reciting the poetry of the Gods or whatever. She….she was expected to say it back now…wasn't she?

"Touichirou…." Said Shiori. She couldn't say it back. This was not the sort of thing that you could say lightly. This was one of those things that when you put it out there you couldn't take it back. This was a…this was more than a sentence. This was love and love….love changed everything…and she didn't want this to change. She had been happy with what they had…and she would have liked more than this…more than what they had now…but not…she just….

This was all happening too fast.

"Yes?" asked Touichirou

"Why do you have to be….to be like this? To just…why do you have to drop this kind of….you can't just come out and say I love you like that." Said Shiori

"Oh…my daughter prefers it to I care for you…but I prefer I care for you. I feel as though that statement is easier to understand. Love is…not as precise as care…though I feel both for you." Said Touichirou

"Yeah…I care for you is better." Said Shiori

"Alright then. I care for you, Shiori, immensely." Said Touichirou

"Yeah…yeah! That's….something I've been meaning to talk to you about. Touichirou…you can't just declare me to be your girlfriend. You have to talk to me about this. There are two of us in this relationship and you can't just assume that we're both ready to take that step just because you are." Said Shiori

"So….I should have asked you to be my girlfriend? I'm….confused. I thought that you were. You said that you cared for me, that you enjoyed spending time with me, and…also you sought out my company. I was actually told before that it's unattractive to ask." Said Touichirou

"By who? Who in their right mind would say that?" asked Shiori

"I…am not sure of her mental state at the time or now but she was someone who I was seeing before you…and before my previous wife as well." Said Touichirou

"Well…it would have been nice if you had said something to be first." Said Shiori

"Right. I'll do that again in the future." Said Touichirou

"And also-" said Shiori

"Will you be my wife?" asked Touichirou. He might have said more but there was static…in her head. She couldn't hear a thing…she needed….the lights above her flickered. Her TV turned it's self on. Something heavy…a few heavy things…fell to the ground. Something shattered. Something besides her mind.

"Wh-what?" asked Shiori as she found her voice…and her control over her telekinesis. She hadn't even been holding her phone….it had begun to float out of her hand. She caught it….and she caught her breath. That was…it wasn't like she hadn't been proposed to before. It wasn't like she had to say yes…or no….or…or she didn't even know what she was supposed to say here! She knew what he wanted her to say, it was the same thing that every man wanted to hear. She was supposed to say yes and then…and then everything would just fall into place, now wouldn't it? She'd quit her job, sell her house, and then become whatever his idea of a wife was. Anything that she had built for herself would be gone. Everything would be….it would all be over. Everything would be….she wouldn't be herself…she would be his and…and she just….it was too hot in here? Hadn't the air conditioner been on a minute ago? And why was there so much light coming in? She could feel it coming in through the windows…it cut right through her…she was like a fish that existed deep down below where the last of the sunlight could be seen….she had always imagined that the light would have been painful for them….this was….too much…too much light and heat and…and this was just….

This was all just too much.

"Will you marry me, become my wife, and have my children?" asked Touichirou. Well that was…something. Shiori knew that she should have been grateful that he didn't show up one day with his three kids in tow telling her that she was his wife now and these were her children. She should have been grateful…it was ridiculous that she was even thinking that she had anything to be grateful for here…she….she could almost laugh at the absurdity of this all….

"Are you seriously asking me to marry you…over the phone?" asked Shiori. She covered her mouth. She almost laughed. This was….this was crazy. Was he drunk? He never drank but…but if he had been drunk then it would have made so much sense…she could almost laugh….

"Yes. This was the fastest way to get into contact with you." Said Touichirou

"Touichirou….are you drunk right now? Because that's the only…why would….when did any of this look like a good idea?!" asked Shiori

"I'm not drunk. Apparently the alcohol in my office has been replaced with tea. I suspect my daughter had something to do with this…though I have yet to ascertain why." Said Touichirou

"So…so this is something that came to you when you were stone cold sober?" asked Shiori

"Yes, this came to me just today….though I have cared for you for some time now and I've wanted us to have children for some time. I know what you said before but I can be whoever you need me to be. I can be whatever you want me to be, whatever sort of person you want to spend your life with and reproduce with. You are perfection to me and…and I want to be the same to you." Said Touichirou

"Touichirou….I don't know what to say….I mean…it's been a year and you want us to…to get married…and what is this 'having kids' thing you're on about? You have three kids, one of which you tried to abandon. You only came here because she got foisted back onto you and-and-and that does not inspire confidence!" said Shiori

"Alright…so you're bothered by the fact that I have other children. Well Shigeko would be glad to take care of Mukai in addition to Sho….though I would like to spend some time with her…but if you're uncomfortable with the idea of being near another woman's children then I can understand that. Animals in the wild eat the young of other animals and then-" said Touichirou

"I know, we watched the same documentary…but we're not lions! Also you'd be the one eating the cubs but that's not important. Touichirou, this isn't about me raising another woman's children…well it is. I already told you that I didn't want to be a stepmother…and especially not to your children. Your youngest child is two and I have no idea how to take care of a two year old. You have two older ones that are going to be teenagers before you even know it…and your daughter, your oldest daughter, already runs the show! Your son, from what you told me, is a terror and a half-" said Shiori

"You don't know the half of it." Said Touichirou. He sounded so…defeated…there. Defeated and tired….well he must have been tired. It must have been truly exhausting being Suzuki Touichirou….and not just because he ran the largest cult in the world.

"I don't…and I don't want to. Touichirou…I like you a lot. I think that you're sweet, but…it's been a year. It's way too early to even think about…anything that you're proposing…and I don't even know why you're proposing to me. You're Suzuki Touichirou. If you want to have more kids then….I don't know….take an ad out for a surrogate?" said Shiori

"I want to have children with you, specifically, and I could never sleep with another woman even if you ordered me to." Said Touichirou

"Well it's not like I could ever order you to do anything." Said Shiori

"You could…and I would prefer it. Just tell me what I need to do…what you need me to be…and I will become that man. I will do anything and be anything if it means that I get to see out the rest of my life with you." Said Touichirou

"That's…intense….you're being way too intense right now." Said Shiori

"Why do women keep on telling me that? I mean in the past they've told me that. I haven't spoken to any women besides you lately…in a romantic capacity. I have a daughter, you know that, and-" said Touichirou

"Your oldest daughter is twelve. She's not a woman even though she acts like it…and you treat her like it. You treat your kids like adults and…and that worries me….I just…this is a lot to dump on me right now, alright? I don't even know if I want kids and…and it hasn't even been that long…and…this is all very sudden, ok?" said Shiori. She felt like Touichirou was skipping over a lot. Maybe if he'd gone bit by bit…maybe if this hadn't been so sudden….maybe then this would have made more sense…or even any sense.

"I'm aware. I only came to this conclusion today." Said Touichirou

"What conclusion? And be as specific as possible. I feel like you've been omitting A LOT." Said Shiori

"I haven't meant to…though I will admit that maybe I should have started from the beginning. Today I came to the conclusion that I need to have another son because I've ruined the one I have." Said Touichirou

"He's only eleven. How can he possibly be ruined? What, did he kill a man or something?" asked Shiori

"I don't know, I don't watch him every second of every day. He has it in him, though, he tried to take a hit out on me today. I deserve it. I committed adultery which, in turn, made adultery seem like an acceptable practice to him and now he's cheated on his girlfriend, well his fiancé, and-" said Touichirou

"Wait….that's what this is all about? Your son, what, held hands with another little girl and now you have to marry me to show him that monogamy and marriage are a thing? You didn't stop and think that maybe this was overkill? Your son is eleven years old. You do know that playground marriages aren't legally binding, right? If he wants to hold hands or whatever with some other little girl then he can deal with the consequences of his actions on his own." said Shiori

"Another little boy." Said Touichirou

"What about another little boy?" asked Shiori

"My son spent the night with another little boy…well I assume that the boy was his own age. Shigeko seems to be drawn to partners at least a decade older than her…but I don't like to think about that." Said Touichirou

"That's….Touichirou, you should be thinking about that! A decade older…why is your daughter grown men?! Why are you letting her date grown men?! Why are you letting these grown men LIVE after being interested in your daughter?!" said Shiori

"I…don't want to upset her…and she can more than defend herself from an unwanted suitor…and even if she couldn't she knows that I would never let anyone harm her. She's…the age that she is right now…and with that come the same emotions and desires as all women have….and it's not as though I can tell her not to have these sorts of feelings towards men." Said Touichirou

"That's….progressive…." said Shiori. Obviously he didn't know how to do things in half measures. It was refreshing to hear a father, or any man really, understand that women had the same sexual desires as men and that there was no shame in it…but on the other hand that didn't mean that he had to let his twelve year old act on those desires with grown men. Touichirou…he didn't seem to know how to correct without overcorrecting…and that was…a lot to take in right now.

This whole thing was a lot to take in right now.

She sat down. She hadn't made it out of the genkan. She didn't have the energy to her herself even over the genkan step. She knew that this wasn't right, sitting where all of these truly filthy shoes were, but she just…had to sit down. This was…so much to process…and she knew that there would be more. There was always more with Touichirou…

Even if she didn't have the energy to deal with it there was always more.

"I don't really so how it's progressive to state a biological fact. My daughter is a heterosexual woman and she's going to do the same things that all heterosexual women do regardless of my thoughts on the subject….just like my son is bisexual and he's most likely going to stay this way and do the things that bisexual people do….which is what heterosexual people do but with men and women. I…have no issue with that fact…no real one….I mean I can't. I won't be hypocritical. I can't stand hypocrisy." Said Touichirou

"I….don't follow…." Said Shiori

"I'm less angry about the bisexuality and more angry about the adultery….but I'm angry with myself. I mean…my marriage had been over for some time but he didn't see it that way and now he's hurt the love of his life…I've never met this girl before but I know that she doesn't deserve to be treated like this…and that's why I need to have another child. I've ruined this one." said Touichirou

"See? This is why I'm not a hundred percent about having kids with you. I'd tell you to listen to yourself for five minutes but I know that won't help. You're talking about having a do-over kid because…what? He…well he shouldn't be having sleepovers without telling you…and he's obviously too young to know that he's bisexual-" said Shiori

"I'd rather he find out at this point in his life than when he's my age. It's…a shock…discovering this about myself at forty five. If I had known at the age of eleven then I could have had more time to get used to this. I don't think that it would have made my life any better but-" said Touichirou

"Wait…what? You're…bi…now?" asked Shiori. That was….alright then. That was something. That was…another layer of…him and…and she just…she had no idea what she was supposed to do with about this.

"Yes. I found out this morning." Said Touichirou

"Do I…even want to know how you came to this conclusion?" asked Shiori. They had never sat down and gone into intimate detail about their sexualities but…well it would have been nice if there had been some warning. She laid down. Her feet hit the door, her spine was bent at an odd angle, and her head was resting on a pair of tennis shoes she should have thrown away last summer. Her cat came over to see what the problem was…and to lay down on her….and now she was covered in cat hair….

She didn't have the energy, mental or physical, to push it off.

"I can't read your mind….but I'll tell you. I simply thought about my life and how this could have happened to my son and I realized that sexuality is probably as genetic as everything else is and then I came to the conclusion that my parents were incorrect in telling me that I am heterosexual and that I have been attracted to…someone who I have known for many years…probably for as long as I've known him. You don't have to worry about him, though, because I would never cheat on you. I care for you." Said Touichirou

"Touichirou…I care for you too…but right now I'm tired. Please don't have me followed anymore and tell your people to stay out of my garden. They can protect my Amazon packages, throw away my junk mail, and vet the takeout menus that get left on my door but they need to stay out of my space." Said Shiori

"Alright. I can do that. Is there anything else that you need me to do?" asked Touichirou

"I need you to…to give me some space…sorry." said Shiori

"I'm in Tokyo. Is that not far enough?" asked Touichirou

"I meant….you're bi now, right? And there's some guy you've been into for a while?" asked Shiori

"…yes…but what does that have to do with-" said Touichirou

"How about you take some space and just…explore that. I don't consider it to be cheating and, before you say anything, that doesn't mean that I'm going to be messing around with other women. I got all of that out of my system already….and I won't be with other men, either. How about you just…go and explore that aspect of yourself and then…and then we can talk about taking the next steps in our relationship." Said Shiori

"You…are asking me to cheat on you?" asked Touichirou

"No, it's not cheating if you're not with another woman….alright? Now why don't you go and do that…and get your house in order, too. It sounds like you have….a lot of things to talk to you kids about." Said Shiori. She mostly just wanted to get off the phone…and off of the ground. She mostly just needed time…and if Touichirou had to take that time to do…whatever he planned on doing…then she had no problem with it. She didn't care what he did so long as he didn't call her about it...so long as he didn't dump anything else onto her…anything else heavy and….and sudden.

She didn't even care, anymore, if he had her followed.