Fukuda was used to coming home to an empty house.
He lived alone. He had always made it a point to live alone. Even after he had started traveling with Suzuki again. There was no way he could share space with him again. Not after what had happened with Masami. He couldn't just live in a house with Suzuki and those kids and that aura of grief, and it had been grief, following her departure from her family. The kids had been grieving. Suzuki had just regarded the entire thing as…well at the time it seemed as though he had regarded the entire thing as an inconvenience. Now looking back Fukuda wasn't so sure…
He didn't like being unsure.
Not when it came to Suzuki…but now all of this…it felt like their entire relationship was uncertainty. Suzuki had cast him aside, told him he could leave, just….just like that. It wasn't as though they had been joined at the hip for all time or anything like that, there had been a period of a few years after Sho had been born that they had pretty much gone their separate ways. They had nearly become strangers to each other…but then they came back together. Suzuki needed him. Suzuki needed someone to keep him balanced, to save him from himself, to save the world from himself…but he had cast Fukuda aside.
He had left Fukuda to come home to an empty house.
"Hello? Anybody home?" asked Fukuda as he set his bag down. He was home…not that he had one, a permanent one. His home was wherever Sho happened to make his home and Sho was living in Tokyo so that was where home was right now. This house. Space was at a premium right now, all of Claw seemed to be converging on Japan, so Fukuda knew that he should have been grateful to have even been able to live alone. To be able to come home to an empty house.
But it was too empty.
There was a layer of dust on everything. Fukuda could even see it in the air, dancing in the beams of light peaking in through the venetian blinds. He could smell it, too. He pulled his sweater up over his nose and sneezed. He hadn't expected anyone to come in and clean for him…but he hadn't thought that quite so much dust would have settled around. it was amazing to think that anything had managed to settle with Sho around. He came over at least thrice a day to care for, clean up after, and play with his hamsters. He was like a little living tornado that kid…or rather teenager. He was nearly thirteen years old now.
Fukuda had nearly missed his birthday.
Fukuda had, though, missed a lot of things it seemed. It was quiet, too quiet. He opened the blinds in the living room…there. That was why it was so quiet. Sho's entire hamster habitat was gone. All of it. The miles and miles of tunnels, the little houses, the squeaky hamster wheels, the hay that covered the floor…it was all gone….well that made sense, with Suzuki gone Sho could finally bring his pets home…but he hadn't had to.
Those were their hamsters, not just Sho's.
Those hamsters had been a project for the both of them. A bit like their rebellion idea but with less life and death stakes. Now they were gone….Fukuda called the cat. He clicked his tongue and called her…but he was met with only silence. He checked behind the couch…he went to the kitchen…he practically ran to his room. Nothing. No cat. Meow-Meow was gone too…of course Sho had brought her home. Sho loved cats, all animals really, and with Suzuki gone then of course he had brought the cat home…
That hadn't been his cat.
That cat was firmly Fukuda's. Sho mostly focused on his hamsters and Mukai had done the important work of giving the cat a permanent name but Fukuda had done the day to day…well he had been gone for a number of days now. Weeks, actually, and of course…of course Sho had done the right thing. He was probably lonely now. He had probably been lonely for some time now. With the way his life was going these days Fukuda didn't blame him. Being all alone in the world. No mother, no father, his older sister fully immersed in this insanity…his younger sister being only a toddler…of course Sho had gotten lonely.
Fukuda couldn't believe how selfish he'd been.
But he could fix this! He could make this better. He had only just gotten home, and it had been a long flight, and that refueling stop had turned into quite the shitshow, but he was needed. He had left Sho all alone for so long…he hadn't been thinking. Not right. He had only been thinking of himself. Sho needed him. He may have been getting older but he was still a kid and he had so much going on…more than any other kid in the world.
Sho needed Fukuda.
So Fukuda went to Sho. He was near, Fukuda could sense him, right there just as the edge of his perceptions. Probably home…where else could he have gone? He didn't have anyone to hang out with, nowhere really to go, and Shigeko was probably too busy to even give him the time of day. With Shimazaki gone, not that Fukuda had ever been in favor of that friendship, Sho had nobody who he could spend time with…talk to…
Well now he did.
The walk to Sho's house was short, very short….but it also felt very long. He had no idea what he was walking into. Sho was going to be angry, that was a given, but he had no idea how angry. Sho was like a volcano, constantly erupting, and without warning…or maybe he was more like an earthquake. Or maybe just a bottle of vinegar mixed with baking soda. He erupted when he got angry and it didn't matter who he was angry at or what was in his path…kind of like Suzuki in that way. Fukuda braced himself as he walked. He was going to get it.
He deserved it.
He had left Sho. He deserved to be yelled at, probably hit, though the yelling was worse. He could heal easily from pretty much everything. Words though, words hurt, and Sho was too young to know what his words could mean. He was just a little boy, not even a teenager yet. Fukuda stopped at the door. He was as braced as he was going to be. He knew that there was going to be a torrent of anger, and a fair bit of cursing coming his way.
He could take it.
"Sho? Are you home?" asked Fukuda as he opened the door. Sho really needed to start locking the front door, especially with everything that had been going on. Shibata was near too, Fukuda could sense him, but it only took one second. That was all. It only took one second, it would have only taken one second, for Sho's life to be over.
Maybe the bullet would curve left next time…and maybe Sho would be in it's path.
No. Not the thought to have. Sho was going to be fine. Fukuda was never going to let anything happen to him. He opened the door all the way and stepped through. Sho was home, he just hadn't heard Fukuda coming in. Between the TV and the sound of Mukai laughing, or maybe shrieking, it was understandable that Sho hadn't heard him. He wasn't being ignored. The thought was completely absurd.
Sho didn't ignore people when he was angry with them, no, quite the opposite.
"Sho?" asked Fukuda as he entered the living room. Sho was there, as was Mukai, and probably several miles worth of duct tape. The patterned kind that the kids used to use in their art projects. There were so many different kinds and most of them had found their way around Mukai…along with what looked to be every pillow in the house.
What had he missed?
"Fuckuda's here, Sho! Look! Over there!" said Mukai. She tried to pull her hand away from Sho. He grabbed it and went back to taping what looked like a towel around her arm. His aura spiked, like a porcupine, before going back to it's normal resting self. Not a flare, which was good, but not friendly either…
And his back was still turned.
"Fukuda. Come on, say Fu-Ku-Da." Said Sho slowly. Mukai stomped her foot and huffed.
"He's over there, Sho, over there." Said Mukai
"I don't mind. She's a toddler, I don't expect her to be articulate." Said Fukuda with a smile. One that Sho couldn't see. His back was still to Fukuda. He pulled off another line of tape and tore it off. Mukai offered up her other arm…clearly this was a game they'd played before. New games had been invented without him…Mukai was speaking better, too. She was more articulate…and taller. Sho was taller too. It wasn't easy to tell from this angle but, yes, Sho had definitely grown…
It had been far too long.
"She should know who people are." Said Sho
"Ok, I deserved that." Said Fukuda
"Deserved what?" asked Sho
"Going to the park!" shouted Mukai. Sho stood up and turned. At least now Fukuda was in his line of sight. He didn't seem angry. Mostly tired…was he hiding it? But Sho never hid it. He was never disingenuous with his feelings. When he felt something, anything, he made sure that you knew. Not like Shigeko. Trying to get a peak at those cards was nearly impossible…Fukuda had left Sho alone with her for some weeks now…had he picked up on some of her habits?
There was a full ashtray on the coffee table…
"I told you, we can't go to the park yet. Not until I make sure that you're safe." Said Sho
"Is she going to the park or into battle?" asked Fukuda with a laugh. Sho shrugged.
"She keeps on letting go of the swing when I push her." said Sho
"I do." Said Mukai as she pulled at the tape on her arms.
"Well at least she's honest." Said Fukuda, again trying to smile. Sho didn't return it.
"Yeah, I guess so…" said Sho. He let go of Mukai's hand. She immediately ran over to the hamster habitat. She wobbled a bit, the pillows taped to her had her off balance. He saw Sho's aura reach out, ready to catch her if she fell. She didn't fall, though, and Sho…he seemed relieved…
Of course he did. He was her big brother.
"You moved the hamsters." Said Fukuda
"Big Sis let me." said Sho. Fukuda didn't think that Shigeko should have gotten a say in this…but he held his tongue. He had to. Sho loved his sister no matter what. The last thing Fukuda wanted was to get into it with him over hamsters of all things.
"That was…nice…of her. You can move them back if you want. I know that you're going to need some help taking care of them, it looks like you got some more." Said Fukuda
"Some of them had babies." Said Sho
"Oh…you mixed the males and females again." Said Fukuda. That was…Sho's choice. Not a smart one but Fukuda didn't want to fight right now…even though most of the room had been taken over by the hamster habitat already…these things didn't live for very long, though, did they? It was alright…as long as Sho was happy then it was alright.
"It was mean to keep them separated." Said Sho
"That's…one way to look at it. It's not that bad, more for us to do. Is that cat around here too? You know, maybe we could get another one-" said Fukuda
"Big Sis says no more new pets…and anyway you can't bring a new cat into a house with an old cat. They won't get along." Said Sho
"Your sister shouldn't treat you like that." Said Fukuda
"I don't mind, I'm pretty busy already. All the hamsters and the cat and the fish and stuff." Said Sho, motioning to the large fish tank against the wall. It was full of goldfish…not much of a pet if you asked Fukuda. You couldn't really do anything with them. Sho had never really been a fish person…though Fukuda had been away for a while…
"I can help you with-" said Fukuda
"I don't need any help!" said Sho. There. That was the Sho he knew. Fukuda took a step back…that was the Sho he knew. Anger…justified anger. Fukuda had to remind himself.
"Sho doesn't need any help! I don't need any help! And I don't need any pillows!" shouted Mukai as she pulled at the pillow taped to her stomach. Sho's face softened and his aura calmed down.
"Mukai…come on, yes you do. Alright? Let's go to the park." Said Sho. He held out his hand. Mukai immediately ran over and grabbed it. He walked past Fukuda. Just right past…Fukuda followed him.
"Sho, wait. I know that you're mad at me-" said Fukuda as he followed Sho out of the living room and down the hall.
"I'm not mad at you." said Sho, picking up speed.
"You are, and that's alright. I know that I shouldn't have left you and I know that I should have called…I just…it wasn't safe." Said Fukuda. He gave Sho a knowing look. Sho stopped in his tracks. Mukai tugged on his hand, trying to bring him to the genkan. She was even trying to use her powers…it was kind of cute.
Mukai, not Sho.
"Mukai…go find my jacket." Said Sho, letting go of Mukai's hand. She gave him a perplexed look and tugged on his coat.
"You're wearing it right now." said Mukai
"Then go and find….find something for us to play with. Go find the frisbee or the ball or something." Said Sho
"I'm going to get the guns!" said Mukai before she ran off, her footsteps echoing down the hall. Sho used to run like that, when he'd been that age.
"I didn't know you still liked to play with guns." Said Fukuda
"I don't, she does. I don't really play with stuff…but that's not important! What happened? I thought you went to Korea to hang out with those guys-" said Sho
"I was. I mean I was in Seoul but it was to…they're on our side, definitely." Said Fukuda
"No more just thinking about it?" asked Sho
"No, no more just thinking about it." Said Fukuda
"How'd you get them to listen to us? They kept on saying-" said Sho
"There might be a mole somewhere in the upper echelons." Said Fukuda quickly. There was no way he was getting into all of this with Sho. There was no way…Sho did not need to know about all of that. That Fukuda had been cast aside…and certainly not the how and why of it. There was no way he was going to ever tell Sho about any of that. He would tell Sho about Masami, of course, when he was old enough to hear about it…but what had passed between him and Suzuki…
Fukuda was taking it to his grave and then beyond.
Sho didn't need to know, anyway. The mole was a far more pressing matter. He knew that Sho had nothing to do with it, he knew to leave those sorts of things to Fukuda, though Shigeko…she had plenty of motive. She wasn't a stupid person, she was a lot of things but stupid was on that list. She knew what she was doing. Claw was being split in half from within. She was smart enough to know that Claw would never be able to function if she and Suzuki were always at odds with one another.
If Suzuki had been gone, removed, then…well it wouldn't need to be split down the middle anymore now would it?
"No, it's a squirrel…and I didn't do it! One of the Awakened caught it and then there was this thing with a box-" said Sho
"What? No, not that. I just meant that there's someone who's been, and I don't know who, but they've been giving information to the other side. A few other sides-" said Fukuda
"You mean a traitor?" asked Sho. Fukuda paused for a moment. How to explain this? A traitor to Claw but not to Sho. Someone who was working on their side…sort of. Maybe Shigeko, he didn't know yet. He would have to finesse the situation. Of course he couldn't just march into Suzuki's office and ask her point blank if she was the mole…would she have denied it? She had always been so brazen…
Brazen, not stupid.
"I mean…someone who is not acting in Claw's best interests. Someone who we should look out for. Just because they want your Dad…out of the picture…that doesn't mean that they'll be on your side too." Said Fukuda
"But they're trying to take Dad down and we're trying to take-" said Sho
"The enemy of your enemy isn't always your friend. Your father has pissed off a lot of people over the years. The yakuza, triads, politicians, business people, a few different governments….we can't rule out any of those groups. You need to be on your guard. We don't know if this person is a friend or not. If they're acting alone or not. We don't know anything." Said Fukuda
"Then we should find out!" said Sho
"Sho-" said Fukuda
"We should find out who they are and-and if they're on our side then we should work with them. I don't care who they are, I just want…I just want them to be the ones to take Dad down. Ok?" asked Sho
"Wait, do you mean-" asked Fukuda. No. Sho was not going to be the one who had to do…what might have had to be done. Suzuki was reckless, he'd always been, and the possibility of his death had been something that Fukuda had gotten comfortable with years ago…he had never thought that it would have been by his hand…but it wasn't going to be. Taking Claw down didn't mean that Fukuda had to be the one to kill him, or that anyone even had to die. There had to have been at least a dozen groups out there waiting to kill or capture Suzuki.
There was no need for him or Sho to get their hands dirty.
"I have to go now, ok? I have to take Mukai to the park." Said Sho. He started walking away. Fukuda stepped in front of him,
"I can take you-" said Fukuda. He didn't want Sho out in the world, not like this, and not with what the world had become. He was a target. Mukai was a target. He couldn't let Sho just walk out there into mortal danger.
Sho didn't give him a choice.
Fukuda felt something tugging around his shoulders. His feet left the ground. Sho…he was getting so strong. He was due for another growth spurt, both physically and with his powers. He was taller now. He was nearly thirteen. He was nearly a teenager….
He put Fukuda back down.
"I can get there on my own." Said Sho. Fukuda didn't press the issue. He knew Sho. He knew when Sho'd had enough, and this was one of those times. Fukuda let Sho call for Mukai, he let Sho put her shoes on, and he let Sho walk out the door with her. There was nothing that he could do. Sho didn't want to hear it and…and he was strong enough to pick Fukuda up. That was an accomplishment, being able to pick up something as heavy as a human being with his powers, and part of Fukuda was proud of him.
The rest was…scared.
Uneasy. Suzuki had been very…he had never had a problem with picking Fukuda up if he felt the situation warranted it…but Sho was nothing like his father. He was like Masami. He was, fundamentally, a good person. A good person who had been pulled into things that no child should have been pulled into. Fukuda loved and would love Sho no matter what.
Even if Sho left him, here, in an empty house.