Practicality was important.

Sometimes you had to make practical, pragmatic, decisions. Sometimes you had to travel the slow road, especially when your enemies thought you would take the fast road. Someone was watching him, reporting on his whereabouts, so the best thing to do was be unpredictable. Leave his plans to the last moment…not efficient but it would have been difficult to be efficient with Hatori dead. Himself, too, but Hatori was much more vulnerable than he was.

Like a child.

Not one of his children, of course, his children were…well the older two were practically adults. Sho had been past the point of needing him for years now and Shigeko had, very dramatically, proved that she didn't need him either. The only one who really needed him for anything was Mukai, but she had Shigeko and her mother, so she was fine. Actually that only left Hatori. Not exactly his child, there was no chance of that, but close enough. He was young enough to be Suzuki's son, they spent all their time together, and they were comfortable enough with each other…or at least Hatori was comfortable enough with him, to use him as a pillow.

It was only a matter of practicality.

He pushed Hatori's head off of his chest and onto his shoulder. Shigeko used to do this when she had been young. She was thirteen now, it would have been strange. Stranger than this…this was alright. It was a matter of practicality. He couldn't wake Hatori up. He needed Hatori in top form for what was to come. There was data to be collected, incriminating data, data which in his hands would give him a much needed advantage. There was security, of course, he'd even heard rumors of another technopath. He needed Hatori in top form.

So, for the sake of Claw, this could be endured.

"…can't see…can't move…." Muttered Hatori. Suzuki didn't know what he was dreaming about and he didn't care. He just needed Hatori to get some sleep. His internal clock hadn't adjusted. He wasn't letting his internal clock adjust. He was such a child sometimes, staying up all night playing games. Not even good ones. It was amazing, truly amazing, that Hatori never got tired of shooting at and cursing out strangers. He could have at least played a game of skill, like Space Invaders or Asteroids, or something social like Minecraft, but he just wasted his time every single night…he was such a child sometimes. Suzuki wouldn't have tolerated this from anyone else….

But Hatori wasn't anyone else.

So he would allow this. It wasn't so bad. For the sake of practicality he would allow this….until it became impractical. Until he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He tried to reach with his hand…and Hatori slumped back down to his chest. He used his powers, careful to keep his aura from touching Hatori's. The last thing he needed was to wake him. This had better have been important.

It was.

"Hello? Shiori? Is everything alright? Did something-" said Suzuki. He tried to keep his aura calm and his breathing level. Shiori usually stuck to the loose schedule they'd created…something must have been wrong. People were after him, five had been dispatched with so far, and that was only the reports that had gotten to him. Shimazaki's went unread by him, Hatori could handle it. He didn't want anything to do with that man…even if he loved Shiori…

He'd had one job. One. Job.

"Touichirou, can you tell me something?" asked Shiori. She was talking. She was…she was alright. He felt himself relax. He hadn't even realized how tense he'd become. Hatori muttered something into his chest about fire…he didn't care. Not when Shiori needed him.

"Of course. What do you need to know?" Said Suzuki. There was a pause and a sigh. He waited. Whatever question she had he'd ask…though she didn't normally ask him questions…he had no reason to suspect her of anything. So he didn't.

"Why did I just get into a fight with a blind man?" asked Shiori. That was…not what he had expected.

"I have no idea." Said Suzuki, speaking truthfully. That didn't seem like the sort of fight that she would have gotten into, not that he liked her getting into fights, but when she did she always fought only when she had to. She knew better than most espers, she picked her battles well, so…so he trusted that she had picked this one well as well.

"Really? You have no idea? None whatsoever?" asked Shiori, her voice coming out quick and loud. He had no idea why.

"None whatsoever…and you sound upset. Why are you-" Said Suzuki

"Are you sure you have no idea why I would get into a fight with the man you sent to…what? Follow me around?" asked Shiori

"I've sent many people to follow you…wait, do you mean Shimazaki?" asked Suzuki. Of course she was. All he'd had to do was think about it.

"Yes. Shimazaki Ryou. About two meters tall, slicked back hair, slept with your daughter? Am I ringing any bells here?" asked Shiori

"You're asking me if I know what you're talking about. I do." Said Suzuki. No. He was not talking about that or thinking about that…it was Shigeko's business and hers alone. He had done what he could for her and…and that was the end of it!

"So?" asked Shiori

"So…what?" asked Suzuki

"So why did you send the man who slept with your daughter, your thirteen year old daughter, to come and follow me around?" asked Shiori

"To get him away from you and to keep you safe. It's like killing two mice with one stone." Said Suzuki

"Birds, Touichirou, the expression is 'killing two birds with one stone'. " said Shiori

"I know. I have no problem with birds." Said Suzuki

"Well you should, they love to steal from my garden…that's not the point. I told you before that I didn't want you to send people to spy on me and I certainly don't want anything to do with the man who…who…why would you even…I'm choking on my own anger, here, Touichirou." Said Shiori

"I apologize. That was not my intention. I simply thought that he would do well to keep you safe and I wanted him far away from Shigeko. I'll reassign him somewhere else…I'll deal with him." Said Suzuki

"Why not just kill him?" asked Shiori

"Because Shigeko wouldn't take it well." Said Suzuki. It was…alienating her was not something that would have been beneficial to him. Even though it would have been so easy, and so satisfying, to kill Shimazaki…he still needed Shigeko.

"So, what in the hell does that have to do with anything? And why are you whispering?" asked Shiori

"Hatori's sleeping." Said Suzuki

"What? Did he have a nightmare or something?" asked Shiori

"No, he was just awake all night." Said Suzuki

"And you're just letting him…where even are you? Still in Russia?" asked Shiori

"For the time being, I don't think that we've crossed the border yet." Said Suzuki

"And you're just letting him sleep…you really have a soft spot for your kids, Touichirou, you know that?" asked Shiori

"I am…aware." Said Suzuki

"Though sometimes it's more like a blind spot." Said Shiori with a sigh….one that even he could tell came from exasperation and not sleep deprivation.

"What do you mean?" asked Suzuki

"I mean that when it comes to your kids you never think things through! It's just…it's very frustrating, ok? Incredibly frustrating. More frustrating than I know how to express at three in the morning." Said Shiori

"That…that was not my intention and I apologize." Said Suzuki

"Touichirou…I'm sorry that I snapped at you but I'm not sorry that I'm angry with you. Stop. Having. Me. Followed." Said Shiori

"But then how will I protect you?" asked Suzuki

"I can protect myself, Touichirou. I managed to keep myself alive for forty one years. I think I can manage." Said Shiori

"You didn't keep yourself alive for forty one years, your parents had a hand in it until you were at least past adolescence." Said Suzuki

"Touichirou…I love you, ok? Just stop having me followed and please, for the love of God, have that man killed. Forget what your daughter is going to say or whatever and just do what needs to be done." Said Shiori

"I…love you as well." Said Suzuki. Shiori hung up first, which of course made perfect sense. She had told him that it was three in the morning in her time zone. She needed her sleep. Sleep deprivation would dampen her reaction time and control and then…and then without protection…with him…something horrible could happen to her.

He was going to kill Shimazaki Ryou.

He would have thought that he could have trusted that man not to compromise his position. He teleported, he never should have been spotted let alone…Suzuki had to kill him. He had to…he couldn't. Shigeko would have been upset with him. She would have felt alienated and…and he couldn't alienate her but…but he did have a blind spot when it came to her. All of his children…and blind spots were dangerous. Blind spots left him opened, vulnerable, and he couldn't afford to be vulnerable…

But he couldn't afford to lose Shigeko, either.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, careful not to wake Hatori. Hatori was very unpleasant when he was sleep deprived, which was always these days. Suzuki would never understand the children. How difficult was it to get enough sleep? To take care of yourself? To not waste your time with someone who would never even come close to being worthy of you?

Children were so tiresome.

He clicked his phone on. He couldn't kill Shimazaki Ryou, even if he wanted to, not without losing Shigeko. He did have a blind spot when it came to her…an emotional one…so he wasn't going to look at this from an emotional place. He was going to look at this from a place of practicality and pragmatism. Shigeko was a powerful esper in her own right, she was completely loyal to him, and her vices were numerous but manageable. He needed her on his side, he didn't want to think of what would have happened if she became his enemy, if he had to face her….

He didn't know if he had it in him.

But he did have this in him. He could always reassign…that couldn't have been right. It said that he had already been reassigned…to Tokyo HQ. That could not have been…Shigeko gave the order. Shigeko had gone above his head to…to what, exactly? What had she been thinking? What had she been…he knew what she had been thinking…and he did not want to think about that right now…or at any point in the future.

Alright then.

Suzuki kept calm, as calm as he could. So Shigeko had gone above his head. She had used the power she had been given to retrieve her…whatever Shimazaki was to her now. He had told her to drop it! He had told her that she could have done better! Had she even given any thought at all to her health, her reputation, any aspect at all of her wellbeing? It wasn't as thought it was difficult to care for yourself. That was what it was to be an adult and she was, or at least she wanted to be an adult now….

He was coming at this from a place of emotion.

He pushed Hatori off of his shoulders with his telekinesis. Slowly, carefully, so not to wake him. He didn't need two children to deal with right now….though he wished that Shigeko's problems were as simple to deal with as Hatori's…Shigeko used to be so simple to deal with. Easy. She used to be so much more…more like him. Like Masami. Like the two of them, more so than even their blood child. Nurture above nature, maybe. When she had been small the worst thing that he'd had to put up with was her whining, over her mother, and then later on…well later on she became much more capable. The whining stopped, any discussion of Masami had stopped, and she proved herself to be worthy to be his child…and her company had been so enjoyable.

But then everything changed.

Then she discovered cosmetics and stopped wearing costumes as clothing and stopped playing with dolls and…and then she had made her own companions and pulled away from him…and now here they were. Maybe Shigeko was just difficult…though Sho was too, though he had been difficult since birth. He didn't have high hopes for the person Mukai would become, either. He had been the same way when he had been around that age, worse actually, he had actually killed his father. Physically.

Suzuki's own children were just killing him emotionally.

He dialed Shigeko's phone number. It rang twice…and twice he debated hanging up. They had come to an agreement, she wouldn't voice her opinion on his choice of partners and he would say nothing about hers, but this…he was coming from a place of practicality, not emotion. In acting against him she had helped to erode Claw's power structure, made it look like there was a power struggle between the two of them, and pretty much told the entirety of Claw that she had actually let Shimazaki Ryou of all people-

…reputation was important. That was all.

"Dad?" asked Shigeko. The phone had stopped ringing. Just two rings…he knew what he was going to say. He didn't need more time. He simply felt like he did…for some reason. A reason which did not matter. The only thing that mattered was fixing this. Right now.

"How dare you." said Suzuki. That was the first, and only, thing that he could come up with. How dare she. How dare she defy him…how dare…he was calm. He was not going to lose control. He was not going to wake Hatori up…and also kill him accidentally. That would have been unwanted, too.

"What?" asked Shigeko with a yawn…right, it was very late in Tokyo. She meant him no disrespect…or maybe she did. He didn't know her at all anymore, did he?

"You went above my head." Said Suzuki

"I don't know what you're talking about." Said Shigeko

"Yes, you do." Said Suzuki. She was not going to make him say it. There was no way he was going to…it wasn't a practical use of his time, that was it, to go over everything that had…occurred.

"Dad, it's three o'clock in the morning here, I'm too tired to remember what I did…can we fight later?" Said Shigeko. Fight later? Fight…they weren't fighting. They weren't quarreling in any way. They were discussing, that was all, they were just having a discussion and she could not just walk away in the middle of it.

"No, we're going to talk about this right now." said Suzuki. There was silence, and then speech…not to him, no. She was talking to a boy…Sho, of course. Who else would it have been? He…did not want to think about the answer to that question. That was Sho, her brother, and he was relieved. He would leave it at that.

"….Dad….about me…keep sleeping…I don't know how Mukai got in here…only one…hang on." Said Shigeko

"Shigeko?" asked Suzuki

"Dad, you made me wake Sho up." said Shigeko

"I don't care about Sho. I care about you. Now I want you to explain to me, right now, what was going through your mind when you went above my head to recall Shimazaki back to Tokyo. I told you that he was going to be reassigned. You know why and yet you took it upon yourself to-" said Suzuki

"He got hurt and he needed to see Fukuda and…and I don't want him in a place where he can get hurt. I don't want my friends to get hurt because of you." said Shigeko

"Because of me? You're the one who…we don't need to get into specifics about what happened, but it was your fault. You are the one who gave no thought to your…to anything! Your health, your reputation, any aspect of your wellbeing-" said Suzuki

"Dad! No! I'm not talking about-about that with you!" said Shigeko

"If you don't need me to correct you then maybe you shouldn't make false claims. What happened is your fault, I merely acted according to what was best for you." said Suzuki

"I know that it was all my fault…but I can fix it. I can try and make everything go back to normal and…and I can get my friends back. You can't stop me, well you can, but-but you can't…ok? And I want Hatori back-" said Shigeko.

"That is not going to be happening." Said Suzuki. He put an arm around Hatori…and he let him go. There was no need to be protective. He was fine. He wasn't going to be going anywhere. The matter was not up for debate. Shigeko was not going to go above his head again. She was not…he kept calm. He had no choice but to be calm.

"But Dad, he's my friend-" said Shigeko

"He's staying with me, Shigeko, and this is the last that we're going to speak of this. I can see that you aren't thinking clearly and I should have accounted for the lateness of the hour in Tokyo. That was my miscalculation. We'll speak again when you're more well rested and able to make intelligent decisions. Goodbye." Said Suzuki before he hung up on her. He knew that it was rude to hang up on people, he knew that Shigeko was probably upset, but if it was a choice between upsetting Shigeko and continuing to argue…he would always choose upsetting her.

Better her than him.

He cared for her deeply…but he had no idea what sort of person she thought she was becoming. He'd had such high hopes for her…for them. Their life…but that wasn't going to happen. Not when she acted like this. Not when she completely betrayed…not betrayed, no, too much. Defied. She defied him. If she had been anyone else he would have…he calmed down. He had to calm down before he woke Hatori.

Too late.

"What's happen-happening? Where are we?" yawned Hatori as he stirred from his spot leaning against Suzuki's chest. Suzuki pushed his head back down.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep. Right now." said Suzuki

"Are we there yet?" said Hatori

"Right. Now." said Suzuki. Hatori, thankfully, listened. At least one of the children listened to him…Shigeko used to listen to him…now she did whatever she wanted. She acted on her own without thought…but it could have been worse. She could have been Sho…the last thing he needed was another Sho. Shigeko may have turned into…the person she was now…but at least she was useful. Yes. If he looked at this from a practicality standpoint then…then everything was…not 'fine' but…but at least she wasn't useless to him. At least she wasn't Sho.

Yes, everything was alright, just so long as Suzuki looked at this from a place of practicality.