Anything was a playground if you tried hard enough.

"Come on, Mukai, obstacle course!" said Sho as he jumped from plane seat to plane seat. They weren't very bouncy, and he was kind of too big for this, but he didn't care. He had always wanted to do this for as long as he'd been riding planes. But Dad hadn't let him and neither had Fukuda or Big Sis. Well now that they were all off doing their own thing Sho could finally live his dreams.

There wasn't anyone around who could stop him.

"This is not a playground!" said Minegishi as Sho jumped over them. He accidentally knocked the book out of their hand. He didn't really care. If they had a problem then they could have just moved out of the way. It wasn't like they owned the plane, he owned the plane. Well technically Dad did but Sho came from Dad so therefore he owned everything that Dad owned.

Claw wasn't his, yet, but when…well there wasn't going to be a 'when' since he was going to take Claw down but for right now Sho owned this plane and on this plane he could do whatever he wanted!

"Yes it is, I said so." Said Sho as he jumped up and down on the seat across from them. He had to use his powers to jump since these seats weren't very bouncy…and also if he put his whole weight on the seat when he jumped then he would have broken it. He had to be careful about his head, too. He had to bend when he jumped or he'd end up hurting himself.

He wished he had done this back when he was little.

"Yes it is Mine! Here you go!" said Mukai as she tossed Minegishi's book back at them. They got hit right in the chest. Good, it served them right for being so boring and mean all the time. Sho didn't know why they didn't just take another plane. Dad owned two whole planes, they could have taken a plane all on their own and then they would have had all the peace and quiet or whatever that they'd wanted. They could have been boring all on their own. Sho didn't know why they always had to try and ruin the fun.

Maybe they hated fun.

"Mukai, stop that! It's dangerous!" said Tsuchiya. Sho rolled his eyes. He had never understood Moms, not even when he'd had one. When he'd been a little kid, Mukai sized, he used to love to try and walk along the garden wall. It had been a lot higher back then, and he'd been a lot smaller, but he hadn't been so small and it hadn't been so high that he would have died if he'd fallen off…well, maybe. Emmy had told him, once, about a guy who died because he slipped on a wet floor in his kitchen and hit his head on the counter. His whole brain turned into mince, he wasn't sure what mince, was, and then he died….

So maybe moms weren't so crazy after all.

"No it's not!" said Mukai

"So I suppose you're going to fine out on your own." said Minegishi. They rolled their eyes…Sho took back when he thought. Moms were crazy and so was Minegishi. They hated fun. They didn't even know what fun was…and Sho wouldn't be told otherwise. Shimazaki had said, before, that Minegishi was actually a really fun person to hang out with. They were good at drinking and stuff and they liked to mess with people. One time they'd put drugs, the kind that made you see stuff, in a bunch of people's food and then they thought they went crazy. Sho couldn't see Minegishi doing anything that fun. Shimazaki yes, he was fun, or at least he had been before he fell in love with Big Sis…but Sho didn't care about that stuff. He just cared about having a good time.

This was going to be a good trip. He was going to make sure of it.

"Jump! Let's jump! Obstacle course!" said Mukai as she got back to jumping. Sho followed her lead. This had to be a good trip, for the both of them. She was going home, if she even remembered her old home, and he…well it kind of felt like he was coming home too. Ritsu felt like home, like whenever they were together Sho was warm and safe and stuff. He didn't hope, he tried not to hope, too much. Last time he had been to see Ritsu he'd been gone….and….and this was going to be a good trip!

He was going to make sure….no matter what he had to do!

What he had to do was jump. He could finally jump on the plane. He could do whatever he wanted! He jumped away from Minegishi…or at least he tried to. When he tried to make his way over to the next group of seats he jumped too high and hit his head….and Fukuda wasn't around. It hurt and he went down…and then the rest of him hurt. He went down right on Mukai's Lego, little kid Lego, town. Some of them broke…but he could fix it later…as soon as his entire body stopped hurting. He nearly called Fukuda but then he remembered that Fukuda wasn't there.

He was going to have to deal with this on his own.

"Sho fell down….you ok?" asked Mukai as she tried to help him up. All she really did was pull on his coat…but he was ok. He wasn't mad…not at her…maybe at himself. His whole side hurt and his head hurt…it was a lot of hurt.

And there was no one around to fix it.

"I'm fine." Said Sho even though he kind of wasn't. His head hurt…just a little. Not as bad as the pain in his side. Why did they have to be the big kind? Mukai was three, she could use the little Legos now. She wasn't going to eat them or anything. If she'd just had the normal kind of Legos then he would have been fine and-and-and-

And he was being dumb.

The little Legos hurt like hell when you stepped on them. He knew, he'd stepped in his Legos plenty of times when he'd gotten up in the middle of the night. Falling on a pile of the little ones would have hurt and…and it didn't matter what kind of Legos were there. Sho would have gotten hurt. This wasn't Mukai's fault either. She was just a little kid and nothing was her fault, not yet or not ever. No, it was Fukuda's fault for not being there to make Sho feel better.

Yeah, Fukuda's fault, not his.

Fukuda had said back when Sho had been little that he would always be there and stuff but he had gone off with Dad and…and Sho knew why he was there. He had gone with Dad because they had to keep up appearances. The last thing that they needed was Dad getting suspicious…Fukuda wouldn't have left him unless it had been important. This was just one of those pragmatic choices…one of those super sucky pragmatic choices…they really fucking sucked but you had to make them sometimes. They sucked more than landing on a bunch of baby Legos.

More, even, than getting up after falling on a bunch of baby Legos.

"Are you sure?" asked Mukai as Sho tried to sit up right. His side hurt. His ribs weren't broken, though, he'd broken his ribs enough time to know what that felt like. He was going to be fine. He just needed a minute to calm down…and a minute where he wasn't being pulled on.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Said Sho as he pulled his jacket free from Mukai's hands. She didn't go away, though. No, she just started tugging on his sleeves….what was with her? She knew that they'd play again in a minute. Sho needed a minute and…and what he needed mattered to. Even though everyone tried to pretend that it didn't matter, that he didn't matter, he did. He was a person the same as everyone else and he mattered!

"Really?" asked Mukai. She was trying to push his sleeve up, now, and she was pressing her fingers onto the top of his wrist. He pulled his hand away. Sho was fine and Mukai didn't need to check his pulse…and how did she know how to do that in the first place?

"Yeah, really, so stop asking." Said Sho as he pulled his sleeve down. He didn't want to look at his arm. He didn't want to…he didn't want to be like this. He could feel it coming on, sometimes he just got so mad…but he couldn't be mad. Not at Mukai. He loved her. He loved her the most out of anyone else in their family…anyone who was younger than him. He had held her when she'd been a baby and cried every time he had to leave her. She was his sister and he loved her and…and he'd already been an asshole to one sister, he couldn't act like that again.

He had to be a better big brother than he'd been a little brother.

"Really-really?" asked Mukai. Being a better big brother was…hard. Especially when your little sister asked you a million questions…no, when she asked you the same question a million times. Had he done this when he'd been her age? Had he been like this? So tiresome….wait…no! She was not…she was not that word! He wasn't….he wasn't going to call her that…

He wasn't Dad.

Dad had always called him tiresome. Just for…for being a kid! For wanting to talk to him and play with him and…and Sho didn't know…he didn't know why he had thought something so mean about Mukai! Something must have been wrong with him and…and he had to calm down. He wasn't Dad. He couldn't just….just….

He couldn't get mad…but he was getting mad…and he couldn't help it!

"I'm sure! I mean…sorry!" said Sho. Mukai ran away from him. She didn't even wait to hear him say how sorry he was, how he would never yell at her again, and how sometimes he just got like that without even thinking. The same thing that he had been telling her since she had been a baby. Maybe she knew already…and maybe she didn't care. Maybe that was why she ran away like that…he knew that he would have run away if someone he loved had yelled at him like that…

He hadn't.

He'd been yelled at for his entire life and he never once thought about running away no matter how badly Dad had yelled at him or how many times he got hit. Dad had just been….Dad. He had loved Dad and, back then, he had thought that if he was just…better. If he got his powers, if he got stronger, if he lived his life the way Dad had planned it out for him then things would get better. They never did, of course, and it had taken Sho this long to figure out that….that he didn't have to take that from Dad or from anyone!

He was actually kind of proud of Mukai…kind of very proud of her.

"Sho's mean!" said Mukai as she dove onto her mom. Sho stood up…his whole side was aching. He had to set this right. The last thing he needed was for Mukai to wind up like him. No, he didn't wish this on anyone. He stood up and held his side with one hand. They weren't broken, just bruised. He could still stand at least.

"Fuck!" said Sho. Standing was fine but trying to walk was another story entirely. He had to hold onto the seat for support, it was that bad…maybe they were cracked, but not broken. No, he was breathing just fine. Dad had broken his ribs enough times that Sho knew what it felt like. He just…he had to take another step…he had to keep going….

It hurt like hell but he had to keep going.

"Serves you right." Said Minegishi from behind their book. That fucking…what did they even…who did they think that they were! It did not serve him right! This was….not a thing that served him any way at all! He could see his aura…fine! He could be as mad at them as he wanted to be! He was a person with feelings and….and this was how he was feeling!

He slapped the book out of Minegishi's hands.

With his powers, of course, not by hand. He didn't think he could reach that far with his hands…and if he had done it by hand then he would have done worse than slap their book. He would have slapped them. He had been wanting to slap them since the day he'd met them…and now nobody was around to stop him. No Dad, no Fukuda, no Big Sis. He could do whatever he wanted to do!

And what he wanted to do was slap the look off of their face.

But he didn't, of course, since Mukai was watching. Everyone was watching. He had never been on a place ride that had been this quiet before. Even the engine sounded quieter. Minegishi wasn't saying anything, they were just staring down at their book like they were expecting it to explode or something. Their whole aura was showing…huh. It was bright green…and it hurt…a lot. Where their aura touched his it was like the time he fell out of the tree and laned in the thorn bushes…but worse. They were breathing really heavy now…and they were shaking…

Whatever. Sho could take them.

"Minegishi, he's just a kid!" said Shibata. The whole plane rocked as Shibata stood up. The seatbelt light went on. Sho got the feeling that maybe….now that his anger was going away he could see that he may have messed up. The plane was going to tip over, Shibata was walking way too fast, and he was way too big to move on planes…that was why he never got up during plane rides….and if the plane went down then Sho was going to end up in the ocean….

And he hated water.

"Shibata. Stay." Said Minegishi. Shibata immediately stopped moving even though he could take Minegishi. They were little, and skinny, and they only had plant control powers. There weren't any plants on this plane…any that were out. They had brought some potted plants and put them in the baggage hold…but Shibata could still have taken them!

If he hadn't been so afraid of them.

"Minegishi, he didn't mean anything by-" said Tsuchiya. She was scared of Minegishi too, Sho could hear it in her voice. What was she so scared of, though? She could have taken Minegishi without even trying. She was super strong, she could move super fast, and also she could open a pickle jar all on her own with one try. Minegishi was just this little skinny person who could control plants…and look scary when they needed to.

"Don't make excuses for him." said Minegishi before they stood up. Sho took a step back. They took a step forward…they weren't that much taller than him…but right now he felt like he was standing next to Shibata. Like he was Shimazaki after he ruined Shibata's waffle maker….Shimazaki would have protected him…but he didn't need any protection! He was Sho! He was going to take Claw down almost singlehandedly! He didn't need anyone's protection, especially not some coward who was too afraid to stand up to Dad!

Suzuki Sho wasn't afraid of anyone.

"Minegishi, I think he learned his lesson." Said Shibata, his hands raised like he was surrendering…even though he wasn't even a part of this fight!

"Yeah, come on, he's really scared." Said Tsuchiya. She was the one who sounded scared. Sho was fine….really!

"Sho's scared, Mama, over there!" said Mukai

"I-I'm not afraid of you!" said Sho. Minegishi was practically standing on his toes, now. Why were they so tall!? They were….or maybe he was just small. Maybe he was just too short and…and….no! He wasn't afraid of them and…and if they wanted to fight him in an airplane while they were millions of miles above the ocean then-then fine! He was pretty sure he remembered how to swim!

"You should be." Said Minegishi

"I-I-I'm not!" said Sho

"Like I said, you should be. What you did was a clear act of aggression and if you had been anyone else then you would have been dead right now. Not even Ryou could get away with that and I actually enjoy his company. You need to learn how to pick a fight. Mob isn't here to protect. Fukuda isn't here to heal you. Your Dad isn't here to neglect you. It's just you and me right now and I know for a fact that I've been in more fights than you have. Actual fights. I have fought more powerful espers than you on more uneven terms than this. I have done things to people that you can't even imagine and if I were to describe them to you then you wouldn't be able to function anymore as a human being. Out of respect for Mob I'm going to walk away from this….but next time you won't be so lucky. Next time I will fight you, I will hurt you, and I won't show restraint just because you're a child. I don't care about that. If you ever threaten me again we will have a problem. Is this in any way unclear to you?" asked Minegishi. Their voice was deep and their eyes were closed and…and everyone was looking at him….they were all staring….with their eyes and their auras…..

Sho stepped back.

"You're not worth it anyway! Even my Dad says to never hit girls!" said Sho. Minegishi pulled their hand back like they were going to slap him…fine! They could try their best but he could put up a barrier! He could pick them up and throw them! He could blow a hole in the plane if he wanted to and send them flying out into the ocean! He could-

Flinch.

"That's what I thought." Said Minegishi. They let their hand drop to their side. Then they turned around and walked away just like-like-like that! What in the hell was the matter with them?! Why couldn't they…they should have stayed and fought and-and-and Sho…they were NOT worth his time. He…he looked around….the Lego town was still messed up….

Mukai was still kind of sad.

"Mukai….Baby Sis…come here. Come on, let's…let's play…let's play baby Legos." Said Sho. He went back to the Legos and sat down. It was slow, and he groaned, but he didn't need help. Shibata reached over and tried to help him. Sho slapped his hand away with his powers. He didn't need anyone's help….he wasn't a baby…Mukai was the baby….she was the little sister and he was the big brother. She couldn't see him like this.

Nobody could see him like this….but especially not her.

"Sho! No, I'm not a baby!" shouted Mukai. She jumped off of her mom and ran to him. The plane rocked, again, as Shibata made room for her and went back to his seat. Things were…they were much better now. Normal. Tsuchiya and Shibata were sitting together and Minegishi was reading….like the bitch bastard they were….and….and things were normal. The plane…it wasn't a battlefield so they weren't going to fight. This was…it was a playground…so that was what he was going to do!

He was going to play with his little sister. There wasn't anyone in the world who could stop him.