Fukuda would never have considered Suzuki to be one of the great decorators of the world.
He was very good at very few things. Math. Kendo. Useless bits of Galaxy Express trivia. Making world domination sound like a feasible idea. Decorating on the other hand, was not on that list. Fukuda was usually the one who had the decorators come around. if Suzuki'd had it his way the walls would have been plain white with only a single bulb hanging from the ceiling for light. Not bright blue with Christmas lights strung around…and paper lanterns…and little lamps that looked like cats…and there was the matter of the glitter, too…
So. Much. Glitter.
"Fukuda! You came back….why would you do that?" asked Shigeko. She had spoken first…Fukuda should have announced himself. He should have said something along the lines of 'good afternoon, I have something I need to discuss with you' or even just 'hello' or 'hi' or…or anything other than standing there in the doorway gawking at what looked like the result of a fire sale at the…the 'teenage girl décor' store…if there even was such a place.
Obviously there was.
Where else would she have gotten all of…of this. The lights. The crazy chairs…did that one look like sushi? There were also rugs on the floor…over the carpet…so many cat statues…and the art had been taken down and replaced with Frozen posters and other princesses and anime girls. Fukuda tore his eyes away and cleared his throat.
He had a mission.
"Good afternoon, Vice President Suzuki. I have something important I need to speak with you about." Said Fukuda. She didn't like it, when he used her title, but it was easier for him. Shigeko was the little girl who used to cling to his leg and beg for just one more store. Vice President Suzuki was Touichirou with an extra X-chromosome. She looked just like him, sitting there behind her desk. That same bored look on her face, that same aura of power….the company, however, was purely her.
The only person Suzuki had ever kept around, pre-Hatori, was Fukuda himself.
"Oh. You're alive." Said Minegishi. They had made themselves a little fort, it seemed, out of books. Christmas lights had been strung up inside and it looked like a nest of blankets had been made. There was nothing unusual about their company, they were pretty much Shigeko's version of him…though a lot worse. At least he, in the beginning, had always had Suzuki's best interests at heart.
Judging by the cloud of smoke that hung in the air Minegishi didn't have anyone's best interests at heart. Even their own.
"Minegishi! That's not nice!" said Shigeko. Minegishi rolled their eyes and buried their nose back in their book.
"I was stating a fact. He's still alive." Said Minegishi. Fukuda's eyes nearly narrowed. That could have just been them being smart, as usual, or it could have been something else…no. Minegishi had no reason to betray…they were very closely aligned with Shigeko and Shigeko…she had every reason to go after Suzuki. The way he'd treated her, sending her…he didn't know what to call Shimazaki, away…the way he'd treated her when she was small…the way he treated Sho now…the fact that not only had he replaced her with Mukai but he was trying to have another child, too…or maybe just the fact that his recklessness would lead Claw to ruin within a generation…
Shigeko had always been a lot smarter than she pretended to be.
"I know but it was mean and we shouldn't be mean to our friends…and other people. I made it a rule." Said Shigeko. That was an official Claw rule. Be kind to one another. She'd put it down on the books…and Suzuki had let her. Or he just hadn't noticed. Between work, the fact that this was a kendo championship year, and that Shiori woman he was seeing he was stretched pretty thin. Plus Hatori took up a lot more time and needed more care than Suzuki had ever given to any of his kids...of course he wouldn't notice…and Shigeko might have been banking on that.
Testing the waters? Or slowly but surely undermining her father?
It was best not to get on her bad side, not any worse than he was. Every single Awakened that he'd passed had been wearing blue. Blue ribbons, blue headbands, blue nail polish…some had even been wearing blue shirts. She was gathering power from the bottom up. Smart. Suzuki had always only really mattered the more powerful members of Claw…she was learning from her father's mistakes. Rebellion came from the bottom. She was smart….and she didn't like him…
Best to work on the side of caution for now.
"I saw that memo, Miss Suzuki, I think it's a good way to promote-" said Fukuda
"Hi Fukuda! I mean hello! I mean…I should have said something when you came in but then you looked like you had something to say and I didn't want to interrupt you so…so hi! How was your trip? Did you have fun in Seoul? I mean I don't know for sure if you were there, that's just what I heard…." Said Serizawa. Not unusual company for Shigeko to keep. Annoying company, yes, and more than a little strange but apparently Shigeko had a thing for needy men several decades older than herself.
Both of the nerdy and yakuza variety.
"Want one?" asked the man beside her….Joseph. Fukuda knew him, knew of him. Suzuki had mentioned a Joseph in her life now…another man far too old to be sitting there, on that blue leather couch, chain smoking and watching…Fukuda craned his neck a bit…hockey injury compilations. A streak of protectives passed through Fukuda's body. She was only thirteen…he smashed that feeling down. This was still Shigeko. Even if she kept company with a man who, had he not been a foreigner, Fukuda would have taken for someone as deep in the yakuza as Shimazaki, then that was her business.
She may have been young but she was not a child anymore…and she hadn't been for some time now.
"No thank you. What I really need is to speak with Vice President Suzuki. Alone." Said Fukuda
"Oh! Oh no! I did the thing where I talked too much again. That just happens sometimes. I never know if I've said too much but then I get worried that I didn't say enough and-" said Serizawa. Shigeko put her hand over his…and kept it there. Fukuda had been away for too long. He used to be used to this…he didn't really want to get used to it…but he had to. Shigeko didn't need any protection. Actually even insinuating that she did would have just pissed her off.
She thought she was an adult now, fine, he was going to treat her like one.
"It's ok, Serizawa, you can talk as much as you need to." Said Shigeko
"It's not like it's annoying or anything." Said Minegishi, turning the page of their book. Shigeko, of course, wouldn't get the sarcasm…and neither did Serizawa. He just nodded and let Shigeko keep on holding his hand like that. From the couch Joseph looked like he was trying not to laugh…so he was trying to stay on Shigeko's good side. It made sense, she was the most powerful person in the room, and also just…the way she was…
Not. His. Business.
"See? Minegishi agrees." Said Shigeko
"I didn't…sure Mob, that's exactly what I meant." Said Minegishi. They were smiling a little now…Shigeko was just as clueless as ever. So was Serizawa. Joseph was still sitting there trying to contain his laughter…Fukuda needed to get on with this. He knew Shigeko, how she was with her friends, and he knew what kind of smoke was hanging in the air.
He didn't have all day, well he did, but this was not where he wanted to spend his time.
"Miss Suzuki? Can we have a word, please?" asked Fukuda
"Sure…um…if it's important…but if not then you can just text me or…um…I guess you can write a letter. Or an email. Or you could just send a messenger. That would work, too." Said Shigeko
"I'd really rather speak to you about this in person." Said Fukuda. Shigeko's aura pulled in close. She reached over and took a drink from what looked like a glass of milk. Knowing her it could have been anything. She took a long drink…a very long drink.
She was thinking.
"It's very important, you know that I wouldn't bring this to you in person if it hadn't been. You're a very busy woman, as we both know." said Fukuda. She liked to be flattered. She wanted people to think that she was older than she was. He had to get back on her good side…or at least not an enemy. Someone against her and whatever it was that she had planned.
"She's thirteen." Said Minegishi
"And a half! I mean…um…if you were born in May and it's…it's November now then…then it's been six months…" said Serizawa
"Way to count, Serizawa." Said Minegishi. There wase enough sarcasm there that Shigeko seemed to notice. Her eyes darted to Minegishi. Her face actually fell…not good. He needed her in a good mood, or at least a neutral mood.
"Minegishi, be nice, like Joseph. He never says mean things." Said Shigeko
"Never saw the point." Said Joseph
"Oh for the love of-" said Minegishi
"Fukuda! If you have to say something then…then you can say it now…um…ok?" asked Shigeko. Fukuda looked around. Not happening. Serizawa was above suspicion, of course, and Minegishi…well who could ever tell with them….and he didn't know Joseph at all…if there was a mole in the room then he wasn't going to tell them that he was onto them, that Suzuki was onto them. If there was a mole then, well it might have been Shigeko, and…and he couldn't fight her. There was no way in hell to get Sho to turn on his sister…
He might not have had to.
He wanted out mainly to get away from Suzuki. He had reached the limit of their friendship a long time ago, last Christmas had just been the final nail in the coffin. He couldn't take it anymore and he needed to get out from under Suzuki….but Shigeko….it would probably be business as usual under her. With more sex, drugs, wine, women…or rather men, Shigeko being who she was. Of course he couldn't forget about all the baby blue and glitter. She was just Suzuki with an X-Chromosome and much more insidious methods of control…ones that he could always live with…
But Sho wanted out.
Sho deserved so much better than what this could be. He deserved a normal life. He deserved a life where he didn't have to fear for his life, a life where he could just…just be a normal kid. He hadn't been a normal kid for long that it was starting to show…he needed to be normal. He needed to be happy. He needed his mother back…that last part was beyond Fukuda's abilities…but he could end this. He could make life better for Sho.
He could keep his promise to Masami.
"It's about your father, and he'd rather I keep it between us." Said Fukuda
"That's…ok, I guess. If it's one of Dad's secrets…ok. You guys can go for a little bit, I have to talk to Fukuda." Said Shigeko. She gave Serizawa's hand one more squeeze before he got up. She passed him his umbrella with her powers. He hunched his shoulders down, clutched it to his chest, and practically ran out the door. The other two followed him.
The office was a lot bigger now.
"What happened to Dad?" asked Shigeko as her office door closed. She wasted no time. Neither did Fukuda. He sat down on the chair in front of her, a giant piece of sushi. He wobbled a bit as he lost his balance. Ok, it was a giant, inflatable piece of sushi…he could deal with this.
He had no choice but to deal with this.
"As you know your father nearly got shot-" said Fukuda
"They missed him and only hit Hatori, I saw the pictures…thanks, um, for fixing up Hatori. He's fragile and…um…please don't make that into anything weird!" said Shigeko
"Wouldn't dream of it." Said Fukuda quickly. He knew what she'd meant. He had been way too vocal in the past about her, his opinion of her. Specifically how fast she was and the obvious father issues she had…it had been stupid. He had just been looking for some kind of sympathy…but of course he'd been looking in the wrong places. Her friends may have been adults but they were also fully on her side.
He had to look like he was fully on her side, too, now that she was…this.
"But you kind of did, before. I mean you said a bunch of stuff and…and I don't want you to say stuff like that anymore, ok? It's…I don't want anyone to talk about…about stuff like that…and me…ever!" said Miss Suzuki
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again." Said Fukuda
"Do you mean it?" asked Shigeko
"Yes. I hadn't realized that it had bothered you so much." Said Fukuda. He knew fully well that he had…but she didn't need to know that she knew.
"But…it seemed like you did." Said Shigeko
"I really didn't and I'm sorry…now about your father-" said Fukuda, getting back to the subject. Shigeko just needed to know that he was sorry, that's all, she didn't need to start poking holes in his story…he almost missed Suzuki. For all of his faults he had never, once, doubted Fukuda. No, Fukuda had once been the person that he trusted the most in the entire world…and now what was he?
Cast aside.
"Is Dad ok? Did he get blown up again? Or shot at? Or-" said Shigeko
"As far as I know he's fine…but I don't know how long that's going to last for." Said Fukuda
"What do you mean? Is he sick? I told him that he had to eat more from the other food groups, there are other foods in the world besides eggs and ketchup…wait….he didn't have another heart attack, did he? Because I'm not even doing anything and-" said Shigeko. Fukuda put both hands up and let his aura show. Maybe this hadn't been the best time to have this conversation with her. Maybe he should have waited until she was sober…he would have been waiting all day in that case…
Damage control time.
"As far as I know he's in the same physical condition he's always been." Said Fukuda
"Oh, ok, that's good. I got really scared for a minute but…but if Dad's fine then what are you worried about?" asked Shigeko
"I have reason to believe that there's a mole somewhere in the upper echelons, and that they're feeding information about your father's whereabouts to the enemy…and we can both agree, right, that they shouldn't be doing that." Said Fukuda. He watched her…she had never been a very expressive person. Her aura told it's own story. It felt almost like…worry? But for what? For herself or for Suzuki?
For herself.
"But…why would someone from Claw do that to Dad? He's kind of mean but he's Dad…it doesn't make any sense." Said Shigeko
"My thoughts exactly. But it's got to be true. There's no other explanation for such coordinated and precise attacks." Said Fukuda. He watched her as closely as he'd ever watched anyone in his life. If she had been Suzuki then he would have been watching for more yellow in her aura, a quirk of her eyebrows, a glance to the left…but nothing. Just blankness. One hell of a poker face…quite the accomplishment considered how…whatever…she was right now. Whatever it was that had made her pupils so big…so big that her eyes were nearly black. If he really focused his aura on her then he could feel it going through her veins…the affect that it had on her body…
None of his business.
She didn't want his help and if he was to act on his own and get that crap out of her bloodstream she would have been anything but happy with him. This was the life that she chose to lead. She chose to be this person and…and he was going to have to make his peace with that. Accept it. He thought that he had…but he'd clearly been away for much too long.
He'd be sticking around from now on.
"It might be those people who follow Dad around and talk about him on the internet. They talk about where they think he's going to be and what they think he's up to…do you think that it might be them?" asked Shigeko
"I have no idea who it might be, I just thought that I should bring this to your attention. A mole in the organization could bring the whole thing down and we wouldn't want that, would we?" asked Fukuda. He leaned in close and watched her. Her aura immediately brightened and widened…was she onto him? Or was it the shock of someone getting close to the truth? Or maybe she had nothing at all to do with this…not likely.
"Of course not!" said Shigeko. That seemed genuine…so she wanted to keep Claw exactly the way it was. So it might have been her…he wasn't going to let her know that he was onto her…but he was going to look for someone to blame…someone to turn her attention to….
"Then I'll let you do with that information what you will…nice talking to you…and I love what you've done with the office." Said Fukuda. He tried to get up from the chair…it took some time to find his balance. Shigeko took another drink from her glass…he resisted the urge to take it from her. He just got up, and he left. What else could he do? She didn't know what he was onto her…but he could only play dumb for so long. He had to figure out what he was going to do with this information…blackmail her?
Out of the question.
Unless he had a death wish, which of course he didn't. He wasn't going to blackmail her but he was going to use this to his advantage…remove someone he didn't like, maybe? Or maybe he could just bring this back to Suzuki and let father and daughter destroy each other…that was the path that they were heading down. Even with Shigeko acting on her own, little upstart that she was, the two of them had been on a collision course for a while. Suzuki had treated her like an equal for so long, like a partner instead of a child, that of course she was getting to the point where she was starting to wonder why she was taking orders in the first place….that she was starting to think that she could do it better…
Maybe she could.
Maybe she was going to rule the world with peace, love, and glitter. Maybe she was going to turn Claw into a kinder, gentler, organization…or maybe it was just going to be business as usual. She was so much like him…but so different, too. So different that she was damn near unpredictable…but Fukuda would do his best. He would do it for Sho. He had to keep his promise and Sho needed him….he wasn't even thirteen and he was already caught in the middle of this mess…he needed Fukuda and Fukuda was going to be there for him.
No matter what.
Fukuda wasn't one of the great parents of the world, far from it, but he was doing his best.