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It was three in the morning, although Shimazaki wouldn't know that from looking at a clock. He felt it, that sleepy night-time drag that weighed you down and made your limbs heavy. His thoughts were wrapped in cotton, and it made him feel uncomfortable, untrusting in his body's judgement. If he wanted to go anywhere, he'd have to do it on foot, not through his teleportation.
The meeting with Touichirou had run late, and as a result, he'd permitted Shimazaki to stay in his guest bedroom. It was all well and good, except Touichirou had apparently forgotten that Shimazaki was blind, only able to move around by sensing the energy given off by things, be they living or electrical.
It meant that Shimazaki was stranded in the hallway just outside Touichirou's office. The Boss had already left for his room, meaning there was nobody to guide Shimazaki along. The only route he knew was the one that went from Touichirou's office to the front door, and the one that went to the toilet. Everything else was missing from his internal map.
It didn't help that he didn't bring his cane with him. As much as he loathed it, feeling as if the world was staring at him, pitying him when he could crush them with a well timed punch, it did help for finding doorways and gauging textures. The amount of times his cane had saved him from walking into traffic, or going off the edge of the train platform, Shimazaki couldn't count. What he wouldn't give to have it there now, a reassuring shape to grip and wring his hands around when his blindness caught up to him, leaving him alone in that space.
Slowly, heel to toe, Shimazaki moved along, one hand resting on the wall. He knew the size of his shoes, how they translated into centimeters, inches, meters, and focused on counting them. He could at the very least put together a crude version of his map. Maybe he'd be able to find his bedroom before the sun came up. It wasn't like he could risk walking into Touichirou's bedroom, or his son's room. If he did, there'd be hell to pay, and Shimazaki had seen how his Boss dealt with people he was angry at.
"His house is way too big," Shimazaki mumbled as he moved along, only taking three more steps before the wall vanished, curving and signifying an open doorway. Shimazaki turned with it, getting only one step in before feeling light on his skin. It was a contrast to the coolness of the dark hallway, a soft change in temperature that was barely noticeable to most people, but stood out like the sun's warmth to Shimazaki. "Hello?"
The sound of a running sink came to a sudden stop, and Shimazaki realized absently that it had been on for a few seconds. He'd been too preoccupied with counting to realize. Something clattered near the sink, and Shimazaki spread his feet slightly, taking a somewhat defensive stance. "Is someone there?"
"I'm here." There was a voice, soft and high, that Shimazaki couldn't quite place. It lacked the authority of his Boss, so it wasn't Touichirou. That left either the Boss' son, Shou, or his wife, who Shimazaki had never had the pleasure of being introduced to. "Can you see me?"
It must have been Shou. Touichirou's wife had been briefed on the talents and the needs of her husband's associates, if only so she didn't panic when she saw one of them doing something unnatural. Shou on the other hand hadn't been introduced formally. He'd only stumbled into a meeting once, and that was to show his father a picture he'd drawn.
Shimazaki realized he'd been thinking for too long. "No," he answered. "I can't see you."
Shou gasped. "Am I invisible?"
Softly, Shimazaki laughed, trying not to alert anyone else in the house to what was going on. "No, I don't think so." There was a smile playing on his lips. Children were always interesting. They'd never treated him as useless or pitiful. In fact, they often tried to ask him to do too much, and he'd have to backpedal and cut their requests down. "I'm blind."
The sound of bare feet on tile told Shimazaki that the boy had stepped away from the sink. He listened as Shou approached, steps slow and small as he padded around something, coming to a stop just before the man. Now Shimazaki could see his aura, a soft orange that was nowhere near as bright or powerful as his father's, but with potential to meet, if not exceed it.
"What's blind?" There was something innocent in the way Shou said it that made Shimazaki not want to throttle him. He hated explaining himself, even to the Boss' kid, but this was alright. It didn't grate his nerves like usual. Shimazaki knelt down, resting his arms on his knees. There was a strange sound, and it took a moment for Shimazaki to pin it as Shou taking a drink. Suddenly the running sink made sense. "Is that why your eyes are closed?"
"Yeah," he answered, letting the smile on his lips stay there. "Blind means that I can't see things. It's like..." He paused, trying to explain it. "When you close your eyes, what do you see?"
Shou paused. "Nothing," he said. "Do you see nothing?"
Shimazaki nodded. "Yeah."
There was a bit of silence between them before Shimazaki spoke again. "Well, not really nothing."
Shou took a step closer, evident by the sound of his feet. "Really? What can you see?"
"Auras," Shimazaki answered. Shou didn't answer, and Shimazaki took it upon himself to elaborate. "You know about auras, don't you? Surely your old man must have said something about them."
No response, and then a hum of understanding. He must have been nodding, but with all the sleep clouding his focus, Shimazaki found it hard to notice small intricacies like that. "Well, I can see them. It's like..." He put a hand to his chin to think. "Can you give me your hand?"
Shimazaki held out a hand, and Shou took it. His fingers were soft, small, a contrast to the callouses forming on Shimazaki's own. It was obvious that Shou was a child, unexperienced with the hardships of the world. Carefully, he turned Shou's hand over, placing his fingers in the boy's palm. "I'll trace the parts of you I can see, okay? It might tickle a little."
"I'm not ticklish," Shou answered confidently, far too alert for three in the morning. Shimazaki made a note to tuck the kid into bed once his explanation of how his sight worked was done.
True to his word, Shou didn't pull away or laugh as Shimazaki traced his fingers up along Shou's arm. He highlighted thin lines, concepts of Shou's muscles and body as opposed to his entirety. "When I'm tired, I can't see very well," Shimazaki said as he moved from Shou's shoulder to his neck, removing his hand momentarily to touch Shou on the nose.
The boy did laugh at that, but in a restrained, quiet way. Like he'd been told to be quiet a few too many times. It wasn't the time of day keeping him quiet. Shimazaki let his hand drop, letting go of Shou and standing upright. "I think it's time for you to get to bed."
"Mm." Shou sipped his drink again. "Can you tuck me in?"
Shimazaki opened his eyes a little, the question catching him off-guard. Black, empty holes gazed out from behind half-lidden eyes, and Shou gasped softly. "That's cool."
He shouldn't have been surprised considering the stuff Shou had most likely seen Touichirou do, but it was still a mild shock to not have someone panic at the pitch blackness of his eyes. "Sure," he agreed. "But can you show me the spare bedroom first?"
"Because you can't see it?" Shou asked. Shimazaki nodded. A hand grasped his, soft and delicate, and he recognized it as Shou's. "It's this way."
Shou led the way in silence, and Shimazaki took slow strides, both to keep pace with the boy's small legs, but also to calculate the distance he'd need to travel in order to navigate on his own.
"This is your room," Shou said after turning down a hallway. Shimazaki reached a hand out, touching the door. "It has a picture on it." He grabbed Shimazaki's hand, moving it to touch what felt like an embroidered picture of a duck. "Mama loves ducks."
"Cute," Shimazaki said. He'd seen the vague shape of ducks, and he'd been able to touch them once or twice. They had soft feathers, and he'd wanted to bury his face in it. "Do you like ducks?"
"A duck bit me," Shou answered, frown obvious in his tone. "But I want to be friends with the ducks."
"A wise decision," Shimazaki commented, a soft laugh following. Shou gave his hand a squeeze, leading the man back down the hall. It wasn't far, just a left turn and a few steps before Shou stopped. "Are we here?"
"Mm." Shou took Shimazaki's hand, and put it on the door gently.
The first thing he touched was a piece of paper. It felt like crayons, given the oily texture it left on his fingers as he ran across it. There were three figures, and he could only assume it was a family portrait. "Is this your family?"
"Mm." He hummed again, moving Shimazaki's hand. "Me. Mama. Papa." With each name, he moved Shimazaki's hand, putting it on a different part of the paper. It was cute, and as he let his fingers drift to other parts of the door. There were posters and ribbons and other trinkets all stuck to the door, little things that gave an insight to who Shou was.
Shimazaki trailed his hand down to the doorknob, turning it. It swung open slowly, and Shou pushed it open the rest of the way, grip loose on Shimazaki's hand as he led him in. "This is my room."
"I'm not going to trip, am I?" Shimazaki asked. He could see Shou's aura, and roughly where his limbs were, but the rest of the space was nothing. He didn't know the dimensions of the space.
"No. My room is clean." Shou continued leading Shimazaki to his bed. He let go of his hand, the sound of something touching wood being a signal he'd set his cup down. There was the rustle of sheets as Shou got onto the bed climbing under the blankets and curling up. "Can you tell me a story?"
Shimazaki blindly touched the bed, finding an empty space where he could sit. The mattress sunk under his weight, and he reached a hand out to rest it upon Shou, finding his hip under the covers. Shou was on his side, legs tucked in close, blanket pulled tight. "You want a story."
"Yeah," Shou answered, no room for debate. Shimazaki sighed.
He had many stories. He'd traveled all over Japan, heard tales from everyone, but a great majority of them were meant to invoke fear in those who heard it. They were not tales for a child, one so young and soft. The years ahead of him would be tough, if he were to be inducted into Claw as his father wanted. Now was the time for tender thoughts, not nightmares.
"I don't know any stories," Shimazaki answered.
"You could read one of mine," Shou replied, yawning. He paused, thinking, and Shimazaki couldn't stop himself smiling again. "Oh."
"Yeah kiddo, that's not gonna happen." Leaning back on the bed with his arms to support him, Shimazaki tilted his gaze to the ceiling, unseeing. He opened his eyes, relaxing. It took effort to keep them closed all the time. He only did so in order for people to not panic at the sight of him. "What else helps you sleep?"
Shou kicked his legs a little, snuggling into the bed. He didn't knock Shimazaki's hand away though. "A song?"
Shimazaki snickered. "A song, huh? What, like a lullaby?"
The blankets rustled again. "It doesn't have to be."
He sighed. "Alright. Let me think."
And he did, trying to pluck words from the swirling mass in his head. Being given choice was just as bad as limitations. Still, Shou waited patiently, his steady breathing acting as a metronome. Shimazaki found himself matching it, voice rising in his throat as he tried to sing.
"Oh please try to rest those peepers, you're jealous of easy sleepers. Try not to think too hard, you might break something." His voice was even and soft as he turned his gaze to Shou, watching as his aura pulsed and dimmed with his slowing breaths. He was exhausted, weary, and the soft tune from Shimazaki's mouth had been the nail in the coffin, putting him on the cusp of sleep. "Sometimes my biggest fear is a dressing room between two mirrors, watching myself disappear forever and ever..."
There was one large breath, an outward sigh, and that was the sign that Shou had taken the road to dreamland. It was hard to focus on the specifics due to the drowsiness clouding his own thoughts, but there was extreme ease in Shou's aura, something that hadn't been there when they'd been talking in the kitchen.
"Poor kid," he sighed, getting to his feet. The mattress groaned as he rose, taking a few steps to gently touch Shou's hair. The kid relaxed at the touch, somehow sinking even deeper into his bed. "You've had it rough, haven't you?"
Something in Shou's aura twisted and changed as Shimazaki drew back his hand. It shifted, reaching towards him, trying to tangle with his own crimson aura.
"Yeah. Alright." In response, Shimazaki extended his aura, pushing it into Shou's own, letting it twist within the soft orange mess. It drew back, satisfied, and Shimazaki clambered onto the edge of Shou's bed, squeezing himself in at the foot of it. "I'll stay for a little bit, okay?"
Touichirou rose with the sun, out of bed before he could even consider missing the warmth from the sheets. His steps were quiet, calculated as he moved towards the guest bedroom, intent on speaking with Shimazaki. He'd weighed up some pros and cons to their latest plan while trying to sleep, and there'd been some things he'd missed in his meeting.
"Shima-" He paused, hand about to knock on the guest bedroom door. He couldn't sense the man's presence there. Instead, there was a concentration of energy further down the hallway, in Shou's room.
Quietly, but with haste, Touichirou moved towards his son's room. He hadn't sensed his son awakening, for that would have been enough of a psychic flare to wake him, which meant that either someone had snuck into the house while he'd been asleep, or that Shimazaki was there. Either way, it was something he had to inspect.
Touichirou gripped the door handle carefully, pulling it towards him as he turned it, so it wouldn't make any noise. He'd made sure all the doors in the house didn't creak, as to not disturb him, and to give himself the upper hand in all situations.
Slowly, he opened it, immediately letting his aura flood the room. It was an intimidation tactic, showcasing his power to any intruders, but also a method to detect who was there.
There was no foreign powers in the room, just Shou curled up in his bed, and-
Shimazaki?
The door opened more as Touichirou slipped in, approaching Shou's bed with large strides. Sure enough, curled up with one arm under his head, and one protectively draped over Shou, was his right hand man Shimazaki. Shou was clinging to him, buried protectively in his chest, undisturbed by the presence of his father's aura, heavy and strong. Shimazaki had merely ignored it, so used to its proximity and intensity that it'd gone unnoticed.
For a moment, Touichirou stared at them both, gaze narrowed, arms at his sides. It was unprofessional for Shimazaki to be interacting with Shou, especially seeing as the boy was not a formal member of Claw yet, and still existed outside of Shimazaki's responsibilities.
But Shou looked content. Soft and vulnerable and happier than he'd been in some time. He hadn't meant to spend so much time away from his family, but between his work managing the several companies that served as a front for Claw, and his wife tending to her own work, it'd left Shou alone.
The tension drained out of him, shoulders slumping. In the night, the blanket had been kicked down to Shou's waist, leaving him vulnerable in the morning chill. Touichirou grabbed it, gently pulling it up over the boy and tucking him in. "Sleep well, Shou."
A gentle mumble came from the boy as he rolled onto his back, one hand in Shimazaki's shirt, the other gripping the blanket. Touichirou reached out, hesitating before touching Shou's skin, nervous to wake him. As Shou's breathing evened out, Touichirou gently brushed some hair out of his face, pulling back after a moment, afraid to wake him.
He retreated to the door, grabbing hold of the doorknob and opening it slightly. "Be good to him, Shimazaki," he said, voice making the phrase an order. There was no response. Touichirou spared a final glance, slipping out of the bedroom and letting the door click shut.
Shimazaki wriggled a little closer to the boy.
"Yes Boss," he mumbled under his breath.