Sinner and a Savior

Ch. 21 - A Parent's Ending

That was it, you were officially married to Toji Fushiguro -- at least on paper. Your relationship, though feelings very clear, still felt a bit up in the air. Toji had been gone for so long you wondered what your time meant to him. The words he had been saying were sweet, but you knew of the inner conflict he faced.
In any case, you had officially signed the papers and would be shortly moving into a small apartment closer to Tokyo, though you had to finish your contracted time at the Zenin's. As soon as Toji finished his last job, the two of you could figure out how to live a 'normal' life together.

You had just finished tucking in Megumi for bed, your daughter already tucked in tightly and snoozing away just across the room. Tsumiki had become someone who fell asleep the minute their head hit the pillow whereas Megumi was the opposite. His green eyes would blink at you through the dark each time you shut the bedroom door behind you.
Boxes of the kids' things were stacked all around the room, your moving day fast approaching.

You looked down toward the floor as you pulled the bedroom door shut, careful to make sure the click of the jamb was quiet.

"Hey there," a deep voice suddenly greeted you out in the hallway. Toji standing there, too close for comfort, without a care of other attendants seeing him.

Your body jumped at his sudden appearance. "Jesus," you placed a hand over your heart, "Toji..."

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, not addressing the fact that he randomly appeared without warning in front of you.

"I am, but I thought we were leaving in the morning," you noted as you looked up at him. He was close enough that you could almost feel his breath over your face. The look on his face was very serious, his presence intimidating. You could almost feel your knees buckling; it was something you'd never get used to...in the best way, of course.

"It's better to leave late, we don't need anyone to see us moving," he muttered, looking backward to see if anyone else was in the hallway. He was a bit late to care.

"But everyone already knows that I plan on moving out with Megumi," you shook your head in confusion. The remainder of the clan were made aware of your arrangements, with not much to be done they simply had to let it happen. "I just put the kids to bed, do you really want them up this late to move into a completely different environment?" You rolled your eyes, your wifely attitude already coming out for him.
He stayed quiet, his silence loud enough for you to hear the answer. "Fine," you grumbled defeatedly.

It took quite a few hours to get everything moved over to the new apartment, the sunrise nearly dawning by the time the two of you got each box into the living area.
You had set the kids up in their room so that they could get a proper amount of sleep. Toji, however, was used to the late nights, but for you this was torture.

With the boxes still packed and littered around the room, you laid flat on the living room floor like a starfish. You took in a deep breath, satisfied with your work.

"I'm going to need to leave soon," Toji muttered, coming over toward you and crouching down, his elbows resting on his knees.

"I can't believe it," you smiled quietly, opening your once closed eyes to look at him. "It feels like we're finally...free. Free from everything, everyone."

"Not yet," Toji chuckled, his scar on his lips twitching with his small smile. "But we will be."

He got down fully on his knees and leaned down to kiss you, his hands planted next to your ears as he held himself above you. The sleepy kiss had lingered just a second too long, long enough for your arms to find their way around his neck as it deepened.