12. Safehouse

Dick drove the car quietly for a long time. The Meta Killer stared at the side window while the girls talked in hushed whispers at the back. The silence was too awkward and Batman's training starts to kick in. 

'So, Bruce told us he hired someone to protect Babs. We didn't exactly expect someone like you', says Dick as he tries to act ignorant.

'You can drop the act. I know who all of you are. I know you were watching me back in Metropolis', responds the mercenary. 

Kara tries to talk but the Meta Killer quickly cuts her off. 'Yes, even you, Supergirl'. 

'Wha- Since when?'

'The coffee shop. Acting was pretty good, by the way. Unless that's who you really are then I just feel sorry for your friends'. 

'Rude!', stammers Kara. 

The Meta Killers gives a slight chuckle, and looking at the mirror, Dick sees Kara try to hide a smile. Okay, I guess that happened, thinks Dick. 

'So, why didn't you stop us?'

'And then what? Start another fight? Too much of a hassle. I'd rather listen to a certain chattering blonde rather than have to fight her'.

Dick sees Kara turn red. I guess Babs did too since she suddenly nudges her. Things are getting too weird for his taste. Batman and Catwoman was already weird enough. Now this? Luckily for him, they finally reached the safehouse. 

---

The car exits the road and leads to a cabin in the middle of the forest. Toji exits the car and scans the surroundings. It's already midday which means they're pretty far from the city. He can see a few things out of place. Something shiny glittering in the forest, cameras, traps and a few odd things he doesn't exactly know about. They were hidden well enough. But if what he's learned about the League of Assassins were true enough, then none of it would really matter. 

Three others meet up with them, two boys and a girl. He notices them tense up when they see him but he doesn't much care. In his current state, he should be able to deal with them even with the inexperienced Supergirl joining the fight. 'Hello sir' says the younger boy. 'Mr. Wayne said you'll be our bodyguard?'

'Don't bother', interrupts Kara. 'He knows who we are'.

The three's eyes go wide. 'How?'

Everyone looks at the mercenary with curiosity. 'The smell', answers Toji after a long pause. 

They all say a unison of 'ohhh' before Kara asks another question. 'What do I smell like?' All the other kids just look at her while she smiles at Toji. 

'Like the breeze in a thunderstorm', he lies. In all honesty, both the heroes and the villains he's met so far smell like blood. After he realized that, just looking at their height and hair color was enough to figure out which is which.

'Hmm. What does that smell like?' 

Toji just shrugs. Answering her will only make her want to pester him more. He's here to work, not play around with the blonde. The mercenary goes inside the cabin while Kara pouts behind him. Eventually all of them join him in the living room. 

Looking around, Toji remembers fighting all them, except for two, the blonde slender one and the one that looks the youngest. However, them being here is enough proof that they can defend themselves. After all, he doubts that the Gotham Knight would just throw a bunch of children to the slaughter. 

'Alright, sit rep', says Grayson, leading the discussion. 

The first to talk was the one Toji remembers using a bow, Red Arrow he remembers. 'Everything's set', he says. 'We've got the whole place covered. The cabin is pretty secure. Walls are made of titanium. Bulletproof glass. It's a safehouse through and through. Cameras and sensors are also planted everywhere. If anything sets foot in this forest, we'll know'.

'And if they fly', asks Kara playfully.

'We've got countermeasures for that too. I doubt we'd even need this guy at all', says Red Arrow while pointing at Toji with a sneer. The mercenary simply looks at them, bored. Kara, on the other hand, glares. 

The rest of the afternoon, Toji watched in the sidelines while the heroes prepare for the coming fight. Grayson orders the group and the rest of them follow without hesitation. Red Arrow continues to goad him but the mercenary does not but yawn which irritated the man more and more. Eventually, after a whole afternoon of not getting any real reaction, Red Arrow walks up to Toji and grabs him by the collar. 'You think you're better than us, huh?' he yells. 

Toji doesn't react. He looks at the man, examining the best ways to break him if he decides to fall through with his threat. However, Kara comes to his rescue. She grabs Red Arrow's wrist and squeezes, forcing the frustrated hero to let go. 

'You're taking the murderer's side, now?', he spats with rage. 

'No. I'm stopping you from getting yourself hurt', she responds. 

Red Arrow glares at her. 'You think just because you've got superpowers, I won't take you on?'

Red Arrow reaches for his bow but is immediately stopped by Grayson. 'That's enough, Roy. We fought him and we lost. Get over it', says their leader. 'Kara, take Toji outside', he orders the blonde. 

'Yeah. Get out of here, you damn freaks', Red Arrow shouts at them but neither turns. Kara holds Toji by the arm and takes him outside.

---

Kara carries Toji and they both sit on the cabin's roof. She can hear a lot of yelling inside, mainly Babs screaming at Roy to stop being an ass. She also hears the girl threatening the asshole how she'll make him regret it if he ever talks to Kara like that again. She smiles after hearing that then zones all the noise out, instead focusing on Toji. 

'You could have fought back, you know', she tells him. 'You don't have to take all that crap'.

'It doesn't matter. I'm here to protect you and your friend. It's what I was paid to do', he responds flatly. 

The two sit quietly, looking at the night sky. 'Do you enjoy it? Being a mercenary?' she suddenly asks.

Toji stares for a while before finally answering. 'I don't know. It's the only thing I've ever really known. It's what my family raised me to do. Now that they're gone, it's the only thing I can do'.

'What was it like? Your family?' 

Toji shrugs. 'I came from the Zenin Clan. Safe to say they're the worst sort of family a kid could ever have'.

Even saying that would have been a massive understatement. They were monsters. It wasn't just because of their supernatural abilities. They were practically gods among men. And because Toji had nothing special to him, he was treated like a useless outcast. However, he still had my family's blood so they couldn't just cast him out like the trash they treated him to be. Instead, they beat him again and again until he learned how to fight back. And then they began ordering him around like a dog, sending the boy to destroy everything that got in the clan's way. Toji was sent on missions that the rest of the family weren't willing to take. But the boy kept coming back which just angers them more. 

And then Toji sighs. He looks at the distance as he remembers his past. 'But I escaped them and someone else found me. Someone who showed me what I could become'.

That's when he met her. The one who became his guiding light. Toji's wife. He doesn't even remember her name anymore. The first person to treat him more than just a scrap heap. She gave him his humanity back and Toji loved her for it. He would have given her everything if she wanted me to. Instead, she wanted a family. 

'But in the end, I still lost everything that mattered. My humanity died with the one person who saw me as I was. Now I'm all that remains'. 

Kara looks at the man's eyes with tenderness as if seeing the pain buried deep within them. She wraps her arms around him and gives him a hug. Toji simply looks at her before leaning his head on her shoulder. They stay there for a while, just keeping each other company. 

'You know, if you want to, we can help you find your humanity again', she eventually says. 'I can't guarantee if it's the same thing you had, but I can at least say it'll be better than having none at all'. 

Toji looks at her and smiles. A real genuine smile. 

But then, the both of them tense up, sensing the movement in the distance. Suddenly, they hear an alarm coming from inside the cabin. They all group up and ready themselves for the coming assault.

---

A.N.

Yep. A little heart to heart before the battle. 

Thanks for you all who continue to read my work. I read your comments and understand that Toji is way more powerful in the anime compared to my story. And in time, he will. The main problem was getting a remorseless Toji to be endearing enough that he doesn't turn into a villain while also giving the Bat family a chance. 

Anyways, thank you all again for your continued support. Feel free to add a review and comment on things that you believe can be improved on (but please be nice. Don't break this poor boy's heart).

Cheers!!!