Whether Fukuda wanted to admit it or not Sho was Touichirou's son.

"And don't come back!" shouted Sho as he gave one last kick to the man on the ground in front of him. He picked himself up and scurried away. Fukuda gave him the once over with his powers. Three broken ribs and a cracked collar bone, it felt like. All Sho's doing. Part of him wanted to say that it couldn't have happened to a worse person, they were dealing with people stealers after all, but another part of him wanted to take Sho away from all of this, dig a hole, and hide him in it for the rest of his life.

Or at least until he grew out of…of this.

"Sho, you didn't have to do all of that." Said Fukuda, putting his hand on Sho's shoulder. Sho shrugged it off.

"Did too. Now he's going to go running back to his boss and then we can see where they're hiding and then we can save Shiori…and the other people they stole, but mostly Shiori." Said Sho. He nodded at Shimazaki who took his cue and teleported away. It was a good plan, Fukuda could admit, but one that…that Sho shouldn't have been a part of. He was just a little boy and didn't need to be spending his days beating people up and trying to save a woman who, obviously, didn't want to be saved.

He doubted that Shiori had gotten kidnapped by human traffickers of all things.

"See? Shimazaki's going to follow him and then we'll know where she is, or where they took her, or…or something. I know what I'm doing, Fukuda." Said Sho

"I'm not saying that you don't know what you're doing. I just meant that we could…that we could use this time more wisely. You know, delegate some of this work to other people. There's nothing wrong with delegating. Your Dad doesn't even do his own dirty work." Said Fukuda. Sho rolled his eyes.

"I don't give a fuck what Dad does or doesn't do." Said Sho, rolling his eyes.

"Your sister, then. Do you think that she does all of her dirty work? Do you think that people would look at her the same way if she-" said Fukuda

"Big Sis doesn't do any dirty work, unless you count doing the laundry and washing dishes and stuff, but I don't think that you were." Said Sho. Fukuda decided that the best course of action right now was to let this train of thought get derailed before they got into another one of their fights. It was late, he was tired, and Sho should have been in bed hours ago. They could discuss the many different sides to Shigeko later.

"Well if she did, then, do you think that she would do it herself or do you think that she would ask Shimazaki or Shibata or, um, Serizawa to do it for her?" asked Fukuda

"Shimazaki, yeah, but Shibata hates shit like this and Serizawa is afraid to go to the kitchen and get a glass of water without Big Sis there to keep him safe or whatever. He's like Mukai sometimes." Said Sho

"Sho…what about Mukai? Would you want her to do things like this to people?" asked Fukuda

"Mukai's three and a half and she barely has any powers, how could she? Besides, girls don't do this kind of thing. They're more about hugging and being friends and forgiveness. Dad says that women have soft hearts…not that I think he's smart or anything, but you seem to still care what he thinks. I don't. He can choke on a dick for all I care." Said Sho

"Sho-" said Fukuda

"What, language?" asked Sho

"No. Let's just…let's go back to the sage house and regroup. We can rest and get some sleep there." Said Fukuda

"I'm not tired." Said Sho

"Then close your eyes and pretend." Said Fukuda. Sho scoffed but turned and got to walking…at least that part had been easy. It had always been hard getting him to go to bed…he missed when that had been the greatest of his concerns. Back when Sho had been little and bedtimes, balanced meals, and too many cans of soda had been their biggest problems. If he could have gone back then he would have, but he couldn't.

He could only move forwards.

Forwards, at this point, being back to the safehouse. A nondescript house in a nondescript neighborhood used for nondescript Claw purposes. Usually it just housed various field agents, but they had all been moved elsewhere. Touichirou had his own idea of where Shiori had gone to and he seemed to need everyone's help but Fukuda's. It was his own fault, really, when it came to Touichirou he had overplayed his hand and now he needed to figure out his next move…if he could even make one. It was like the deck was done, the only cards were the ones in his hands, and he was holding two fives and one of those commemorative trading cards you got out of packs of gum. Unless the deck someone got reshuffled he was done when it came to Touichirou…

But at least he still had Sho.

Sho who walked taller now than he ever had before. He came up to Fukuda's collarbone now…the last time he had truly measured Sho he just came up to his sternum. Another growth spurt, and a spurt of confidence too, though Fukuda wished it had come from other circumstances. He was a boy of so many skills and talents, he didn't need to act like he was in the middle of some schlocky yakuza movie. He didn't have to handle any of this himself, and he shouldn't have. He just…he just wanted his mother, that was all…

Or the closest substitute he had to one.

Not counting Shigeko, of course, but she had become very self centered as she'd entered her teens. After all, why else would she have pursued a relationship with a man she knew that her little brother had feelings for? She had only been thinking of her own gratification, obviously, and now Sho…well at least Sho knew that it was over. Mostly. He swore that he didn't have feelings for Shimazaki but this…his actions spoke louder than words…though at least Shimazaki had made it clear which Suzuki he preferred. Good for Sho…that was very good for Sho. That was just about the only good thing for Sho that had come out of this.

Not that any of this was good for Sho.

He shouldn't have even known about this safe house let alone used it for it's intended purpose. He should have been at home, one of his actual homes, with his little sister…even being with Shigeko would have been better than this. She never would have let him do things like this. She wasn't here, though, she had pretty much told him that he was on his own when it came to this. Fukuda was torn between being happy that she had shown her true colors, sad for Sho having had to see those colors, happy that she at least could have seen the truth of what was happening with Shiori, or sad that she had lost that part of herself. The one that trusted people…that thought the best of people…that wanted to save someone…

He didn't know what to feel when it came to this situation, so he stuck with what he knew.

"Sho." said Fukuda

"What now?" asked Sho

"Sho, face your shoes the right way when you come inside." Said Fukuda as he closed the door behind them. Sho rolled his eyes again, some kind of instinct all teenagers developed, and used his powers to face his shoes the right way…Fukuda didn't have the peace he was looking for…of course he didn't. Of course it wouldn't be as simple as reorienting a pair of shoes.

"Better?" asked Sho

"Yes, much, now come on. Let's get your teeth brushed and let's get you changed and then let's get you in bed." Said Fukuda

"I'm not Mukai, don't talk to me like I am. I know how to get myself to bed, and I won't be changing. Shimazaki's going to be back soon and then we have to strike before they have time to work on their defense." Said Sho

"Sho, your Dad is on a war path. Everyone's defenses are up. Come on, let's get some sleep and then we can figure something out. Something that we can delegate." said Fukuda

"What is that, your favorite word or something?" asked Sho

"No…it's just…sometimes it's best to work from the background. When you do these things personally then you put yourself in danger-" said Fukuda

"That's what you're for." Said Sho snottily, in that way that only a teenager could speak. He was so sure that nothing could touch him, that he was practically immortal. That same thinking that every teenage boy's mind took and ran with. Fukuda hadn't been any different when he'd been thirteen, though he'd at least earned it. He could live through most anything, and he could heal most anything…most.

There was no cure for death.

"There are some things that I can't cure, you know that." Said Fukuda

"Like what?" asked Sho

"Death, for one thing. If something happens, if I can't get to you in time, then…then I don't even want to think about what could happen. You're fighting against dangerous people, Sho, you know that. They aren't going to show restraint just because you're a child." Said Fukuda

"I'm not a child…" said Sho, crossing his arms and looking down at his shoes. They flew through the air and hit the wall behind them. Fukuda sighed. This wasn't going to go well…he felt like a grouchy old man, going on and on about kids these days…or maybe just this kid. Fukuda hadn't been much different when he'd been a kid, and neither had Touichirou. In fact Touichirou had been a lot worse than he ever had. All of those grand, daredevil, plans that had almost killed them both had come from Touichirou after all…

Some things never changed.

"Fine. Young adult…young person. You're very young but that doesn't mean that the people we're working against are going to show restraint just because of your age-" said Fukuda

"I never said that they would! And anyway, I'm not a girl, I can take it. Shiori is a girl…grownup adult girl…woman! She isn't a guy and if these are the kinds of people who are going to fuck with me and I'm just a kid...young…person…whatever! If they're going to fuck with me then they're going to fuck with her, too, and…and I don't want bad shit to happen to her, ok?!" asked Sho. Fukuda put both of his hands up in a gesture of surrender. Sho's aura, thankfully, went back to where it should have been.

"And I don't want anything to happen to you, ok? So please, please, can we just send for someone, I bet Ootsuki and Higashio would be happy to-" said Fukuda

"If you want to invite your friends then invite them, but they won't get here in time to help, and we're not waiting on them either. Ok? You can do whatever you want, I'm going to lay down and try to get some rest before Shimazaki comes back. Goodnight." Said Sho as he stepped out of the genkan. He didn't turn around, didn't look back once, and he didn't have a reason to. The conversation was clearly over, Sho had ended it. He knew that he was the one with the power to end it…

Like father, like son.

Touichirou loved to do this, to walk away in the middle of a conversation to end it. To make all kinds of declarations without a single thought to the feelings and thoughts of those around him. He didn't have to think of anyone other than himself, did he? He was Touichirou Suzuki. He was the most powerful man in the world. He was the cause of all of this insanity, the beginning of it, the center of it. If he hadn't gotten that insane idea in his head that he was going to rule the world then one of this would have happened. Then Sho wouldn't even have been here…or if he had been here then he would have been a much different person than he was now.

He wouldn't have taken after his father, that was for sure.

He wouldn't have even had Touichirou as a father…maybe. Fukuda had never considered himself to be a very spiritual person. He didn't know if there was some truth to reincarnation, that everyone who was alive now had lived before, or if it was all just done at random. He hoped, though, that if none of this had ever happened then Sho could have been more like Masami, that she would have been able to keep him, and he would have been less like Touichirou. This path he was on…it wasn't a good one.

Not as bad as the one Shigeko was on, of course, but still bad.

Shigeko…well, at least Sho wasn't drinking and smoking and sleeping with men three times his age. No, he was just beating people up and acting like a hardened yakuza member…he could still go back, though. This was just…Shigeko had turned into this person so gradually….but this was…if he could just interrupt this…this transformation…then there could have been some hope of saving Sho yet. But there was no way for him to stop this, Sho was just like Touichirou, he wasn't going to listen to Fukuda…Sho didn't listen to anyone…

Most anyone.

The only person he really listened to, anymore, was his sister…Shigeko. He didn't know why, for the entirety of his life Sho had done nothing but complain about how bossy she was, and this was the time where he could finally get out from under her…here they were. She still jumped and he still asked how high….he grumbled about it but he still asked. Shigeko could have done so much with this power she had over him. As far as anyone knew Hatori still wasn't going to inherit and Shiori wasn't exactly in any position to be birthing the next Suzuki heir…there was so much she could have done with her power over Sho…

Maybe it was about time she did something good with it.

It wasn't the best idea, or even a very good one, but lately none of his 'very good ideas' had done well at all. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. He hoped, for a moment, that Touichirou had sent him some kind of message, even if to tell him off, but there was nothing. Just the usual Claw spam. The birthday list, upcoming holidays, various Claw teams and clubs he could join…apparently there was a jello salad society….he didn't want to know. He closed all of that Claw spam and went to his contacts. There she was, Shigeko, as she used to be. One of the few good pictures he had of her. Just her in one of those costumes she used to wear, before the makeup and all of that, back when she had still been herself….

Those times were done now.

He dialed her number and waited. It rang one, twice, and thrice before it got picked up. Not by Shigeko, though, as she was probably asleep at this time…at least one of these kids had sense. He could heard the very distinctive stuttering of Serizawa…Fukuda decided to ignore how quickly he'd picked her phone up…and where he knew she charged her phone. What she did in her personal life wasn't any of her concern, and neither was who she chose to do those sorts of things with.

He had Sho to worry about. Shigeko's affairs were her own business.

"H-Hello?" asked Serizawa. Fukuda sighed and reminded himself that Shigeko's life was her own and her affairs were her own. At least it was just Serizawa. If anything he felt worse for Serizawa than he did for Shigeko, his existence was a sad one after all…he felt better about this whole thing. Shigeko was the one takin advantage in this situation.

"Hello, yes, is Shigeko there? It's important." Said Fukuda, getting right to the point. Just because he felt bad for Serizawa that didn't mean that he wanted to deal with all of that stuttering and gasping. It was late and he needed to get some sleep before Sho dragged him into the next part of this fruitless rescue mission.

"What's happening? Are you alright? I mean I know that you heal but there have got to be limits and…and I don't know you that well but…but I want to help…not that I know if I can help but I can try! I mean we're friends…even if we weren't I wouldn't not help you…I mean-" said Serizawa

"Can you please just put Shigeko on? I really need to speak to her. It's a matter of the upmost importance." Said Fukuda. There was more stuttering. Wonderful.

"She-she's sleeping…I mean she was sleeping, I might have woken her up when I got up. I just didn't want her to wake up. She's been kind of sad lately because she and Sho had a fight and also Mukai is upset that she left and she wants to go to Disney World, too, but it's really cold out and also Miss Suzuki can't leave, but she wants to and-" said Serizawa

"Can you wake her up? it's important, about Sho." said Fukuda, cutting him off. If he hadn't then Serizawa would have gone on for hours and hours, and Fukuda didn't have hours and hours. Even if he had he wouldn't have wanted to sit there and listen to all of this. He only had so much patience inside of himself that he could call on.

"I…I don't think that I should…um…is he ok? If he's hurt then I can wake her but if he's just mad at her then…then he can be mad at her in the morning! I mean-I mean…that was mean but…but Miss Suzuki is really tired. I told you why…um…Minegishi also called and said that they were going to spend more time with their boyfriend and Miss Suzuki is worried that they're never going to come back, and also that she's selfish for wanting them to stay with her, and also…also I don't think she should feel bad because-because she's Miss Suzuki and-" said Serizawa

"Can you just tell her that if she doesn't get over here and do something then Sho's going to get himself killed?" asked Fukuda. There was a gasp, like someone had sucked all of the oxygen out of whatever room Serizawa was in right now.

"Do you…do you mean that Sho's in danger? That kind of danger?" asked Serizawa

"Of course that's what I mean. Sho's in danger and Shigeko is the only one who can pull him out of this so come on and wake her up already." Said Fukuda. There was more stuttering and gasping. He had no idea how Shigeko could have stood being in that man's presence for even five minutes let alone…whatever it was that she did with him.

"I-I-I'll tell her!" said Serizawa before the line went dead. Well then…success? He didn't know. Serizawa was just as likely to wake her up as he was to run and hide somewhere...Fukuda decided to use what little optimism he had left inside of him.

Something in his life should have been going well.

Something other than…than this. At some point he'd made a massive mess of his life, probably when he'd met Touichirou, but he could at least make sure that Sho didn't end up like him…like either of his father figures. Fukuda himself or Touichirou, his actual father. Sho had been very worrying lately, this yakuza phase of his wasn't going anywhere good, and even without the trappings of the yakuza this violence…this need to dominate…this was too much like Touichirou for his tastes…but of course he was like his father.

Whether Fukuda liked it or not Touichirou was Sho's father….but he could at least save Sho from ending up like him.