Sinner and a Savior

Ch. 4 - A Mother's Intuition

"You're Toji Fushiguro," you barely managed to mumble out as the tall, dark stranger stood in front of you. 

He kept his grin as a response, hands still in his pockets as if he wasn't an intruder on private grounds. It hadn't even been a full day yet and your head was nearly on a stake. 

"Well, you need to leave. Now," you demanded, carefully putting Megumi in his crib since he had quieted down. 

"As true as that might be, I wonder who'll make me?" He leaned forward to better meet the height of your face, his eyes darted down to your body and then back to your eyes. You leaned backward slightly from his intrusion. In that same moment, you remembered how you were dressed, in your silk nightgown, and blood flushed to your cheeks. 

You had no idea what this man was capable of or why he was excommunicated in the first place, but you knew that he was dangerous. And his presence meant that you would be terminated if he was caught anywhere near Megumi. Whether that meant what you thought it did or not, you didn't want to find out.

"Listen," you nearly yelled in a whisper, this time making your presence known by leaning in toward him while he was the one to lean back, making sure to give him as much attitude as you could while remaining quiet, your heart still racing, "my job is on the line if you're here. I need this job so I can go home to my daughter. I don't want to be here and while I generally care what happens to Megumi as a baby, I care more about being with her. I'm not about to let some meat-head take that away from me."

Upon the mentioning of your daughter, Toji was taken aback for just a moment. You saw it in his eyes and then quickly flicker away. 

"So then we're on the same page," he chuckled and relaxed, rolling his eyes in the process then letting them settle on yours directly. 

"Same page?" You scoffed, looking him up and down in disbelief. "Hardly."

"Why do you think I'm here?" He answered simply, his emotions kept well in check. You stared at him as if to wait for him to continue. "I'm here to see my son."

You stood in silence, your heart softening only the slightest bit as you realized his intentions. You wanted so badly to continue banishing him, as if he'd listen, but something in your heart was telling you he ultimately meant no harm. 

"Why now?" You asked in a normal, quiet tone as you let your guard down just a smidge. 

"What do you mean?" He looked at you seriously. "I regularly do this type of thing, but he's usually still asleep when I come." 

You were shocked at his answer. You wondered if this was why the position of caretaker was vacant. What happened to the last one? 
As you wondered, you watched quietly as the bulky man silently stepped over to the crib and kneel beside it. He rested his upper torso over the top bar, letting one of his arms also rest there while his other reached into the crib to gently caress Megumi's soft, little cheeks.
It was an unexpected image. This was the man you were consistently warned about? He looks vicious, but his actions say otherwise.

"So are you going to tattle?" Toji looked over at you, still resting over the crib bar with chin resting on the top of his hands. 

You again stared in silence. "I...need to think about it. I'm not trying to end up like the last one, wherever they are. Maybe there's a better way we can do this, with less sneaking around."

"Fine by me," he said while coming to a stand. "I'll be here again next week, same time. Let me know then. Otherwise, I plan on continuing my routine whether you're here or not." He pointed at you as if to guarantee. 

You gave a single, nervous nod as you watched him back out of the room through the shoji door where he had entered. Your heart, though it had relaxed a bit when you realized he was non-violent, had finally settled. 
Just like that, your world had been turned upside down again. 

After Toji left, you tended to Megumi's needs and went back to bed. You, again, struggled to get back to sleep. 

The next day, you fell into the normal, scheduled routine that was assigned to you. In the mid-afternoon, while Megumi played in his Pack 'n Play, you and a few other attendants were working on drying the laundry. You were all outside, hanging the Zenin family's delicates on a thin wire with a clothespin. 

"So I have a few questions," you asked the attendant next to you as you continued the chore. 

"Mhm?" They responded, continuing their happy hum that they had been doing since starting the laundry. 

"What did Megumi's father do to get excommunicated?" You wondered carefully, hesitant to even ask considering it was sensitive information. 

The attendant sighed. "Well, it wasn't anything in particular. He just didn't have a cursed technique. In fact, he has quite the opposite. He has no cursed energy at all."

"Really? That was it?" You were surprised. They made this guy out to be the next Neo but it turned out he just wasn't special enough to stay in the family. 

"Well...he was just ostracized at first, kind of like a black sheep," they continued, making sure to keep their voice low. "He was still allowed on the grounds, he just wasn't given the Zenin treatment. But then he..." the attendant nearly stuttered, feeling as though they would be punished for even saying anything. You leaned your ear toward them expectantly, an expression on your face that begged them to continue. "They call him...The Sorcerer Killer," they whispered as quietly as they could.

"The Sorcerer Killer?" You repeated without any care of your volume. You were quickly hushed by the attendant, as if you were a child needing scolding. 

"Yes," they confirmed, "because he has no cursed energy that can be detected by sorcerers and his skills in martial arts, he is quite the fighter. He makes his money as an assassin, known for not questioning his clients as long as the pay's good." There it is, you thought, that was the answer you were looking for.

"I see," you nodded, feeling mostly satisfied with that description. Any more information said aloud could get you both into trouble. 

"Please don't tell me you've seen him," the attendant suddenly plead. "The first attendant hardly lasted a month...he keeps breaking in here. It's like he doesn't care if he's caught, and he certainly doesn't care what happens to people like us."

You quickly shook your head, hoping your usually awful lying was pulling through. "No, not at all. I was just curious. I am taking care of his baby after all. I figure it's important for me to know what I'm working with here." 

The attendant you were speaking with took a deep exhale and shook their head as they hung another shirt on the line. "Thank goodness, I hope he's gone for good. It's not like he cares about his son in the first place. He's the one who sold Megumi to the clan after his wife passed away."

"I'm sorry, did you just say sold?" You repeated. If that was the case, then who was the man who visited so tenderly in the middle of the night?

They nodded in response. "He's a man who enjoys his money."

You remained silent, stunned at the conflicting information you received. You thought about his appearance the night before, a threatening stature but gentle nature. But he sold his child?! You wondered what his true intentions were. You had never been in such a compromised position, the future completely unknown.
If you were to take back your suggestion to Toji, what could be done to prevent his weekly visits? Should you really...tattle?