Sinner and a Savior

Ch. 2 - A Mother's Mission

You weren't born with any abilities, but your father was, now, a former sorcerer. The career choice nearly led to his death many times and put a strain on your family's relationship, but now it was going to lead you into your new life where you could properly care for your daughter.

Your mother had sent you the information for the caregiver position. It was just as she had said it was. The child, who you learned was named Megumi and carried their mother's surname of Fushiguro, was potentially born with the Ten Shadows technique, one of the most valuable techniques within the Zenin clan. The baby's mother did, in fact, die in childbirth and with his father excommunicated from the clan from his record of violence he was restricted from seeing his child. Because of all of this mess, the Zenin family needed a designated caregiver. And that caregiver would be handsomely compensated for doing so.

The only downside to the position was that it was for a live-in caregiver. Despite the fact that you'd have to leave Tsumiki behind, you figured that with the compensation from the gig, you could save up enough to establish yourself and prepare for the legal fees that came with obtaining full custody. You were at least grateful that your husband wasn't an overly violent man, that the situation you had faced was one-off, you knew Tsumiki would be safe for the time being. It was all for her benefit, you had to remind yourself. You would get your justice.

You spent the rest of your week packing a few bags of most of your things. Masaru primarily gave you the silent treatment while you prepared. You figured his mind was elsewhere anyways, your absence something beneficial for him. It hurt to think about, but you tried your best to convince yourself that you couldn't care less.

When the day for you to leave finally came, you shared a heartfelt, tear-filled goodbye with Tsumiki. She was all giggles and smiles in her father's arms, she had no idea what was going on. You kept her smile in your mind as you departed for the train station with your two overly-stuffed suitcases.

When you arrived at the Zenin estate, located on the other side of Tokyo's countryside, your bags were taken by two attendants while a third led you toward the main hall. Your heart began to pound with nerves, already knowing the type of man Naobito could be.

The attendant leading you to the main hall opened the large screen door. There in front of you sat Naobito Zenin, the head of the clan, on a zabuton with his brother you knew as Ougi and a third, bulky and hairy looking man standing on either side of him. You immediately bowed once you were presented in front of them, trying your best to put on a respectful façade.

"Welcome," Naobito's aged voice cracked out almost sinisterly. "You must be the one here for the caregiver position," he maintained serious eye contact. It almost made you want to dart out from the room, but, instead, you gently nodded. "Very well," he took in a deep breath with a small, crooked smile. "I am Naobito Zenin, current head of this clan," he introduced, "and this is my brother Ougi and my nephew Jinichi," he motioned to each of the men respectively. You gave another light bow to each as they stood with a sense of big-headed pride. "Let's begin the interview, shall we?"

The questions began like rapid fire. They kept you on your toes, but you managed to sweep each one. You had to hide your own sense of pride in parenting knowledge. They also asked you about your past and associations within the jujutsu community. Those made you more nervous than the questions regarding job duties, even with nothing to hide! You'd be lying if you said you weren't sweating thanks to Naobito's short-temperament and heavy skepticism. He obviously wanted someone completely neutral with very little attachment to any of the major clans. The less you knew, the better.

Naobito suddenly paused as the primary questions came to a close. He looked up at you seriously for a moment and then back down at the pages in his lap. "And you have a child of your own, do you not?" He held the pages of your information far from his face, attempting to read through a poor set of reader glasses as if he couldn't afford better ones.