The Last Firstborn

by GypaetusBarbatus

Summary:

Angela did not want to be in Tokyo, rescuing Genji from his own bad decisions. She especially did not want to be working with Genji’s brother, but she was willing to, only because Genji had previously vouched for him so hard. The fact that Hanzo was so obviously concerned for his brother helped.

She wondered just how far forgiveness could go. She wondered what could inspire a man to murder his own brother.

It’s a disturbing question that, as Angela soon finds out, has an equally disturbing answer. Of course, it comes out in the most horrific way possible.

Genji had more or less healed from the immense trauma he faced. This would be a huge set back, of course, but Angela was sure he would recover. He had moved on from what happened.

Hanzo had not.

As far as Angela was concerned, the entire situation was a complete and utter mess. Her worry for Genji currently outweighed her anger, however it was still simmering in the back of her mind. What was he thinking, running off on his own like that?

Now Overwatch was in Tokyo, working with a group of vigilantes called the Yōkai to try and get him back. They had seemingly done a good job at keeping the Hashimoto at bay, but now that Talon was getting involved, they had slowly begun losing ground.

Already since getting here, Sojourn had gotten into a fight with the leader of the Hashimoto over weapons they were delivering to Talon. She and the rest of the agents on the mission had managed to retrieve most of the weapons, however it seems a few made it through the cracks. On top of that, neither the leader of the Hashimoto, Shion, nor any of the other members of the Hashimoto they had fought had given any indication as to what condition Genji was in.

Fortunately, they already knew where he was. Now, it was only a matter of finalising their plans and breaking into the Hashimoto's base of operations. Angela still had a few concerns, though. The Hashimoto had recently changed their guard schedule and had upped their security, meaning their attempt to rescue Genji was going to be more dangerous than originally anticipated.

Her most pressing concern was Genji's brother. She had recognised him back when Kiriko had first made contact with Overwatch even though no one else seemed to. She pulled Sojourn aside and told her quietly. Sojourn had frowned before then telling Angela how Genji had actually mentioned bringing Hanzo on board a couple of times since she had become the Strike Commander. Truthfully, Angela hadn't been that surprised. She knew how important his and Hanzo’s relationship was to Genji.

It was that knowledge that made her hold her tongue when she first met the man in person. Kiriko had introduced the rest of the Yokai, but she hesitated when she reached Hanzo. It was understandable why.

There had been a range of reactions when she finally said his name. Everyone knew what he had done. The newer agents, though, had only met the version of Genji who had forgiven his brother and spoke highly of him. They had been curious and slightly hesitant, but seemed to hold no ill will against Hanzo. Those who had been part of the original Overwatch, who had known Genji when he felt little other than anger and betrayal, had not reacted so positively.

Cassidy in particular had immediately kicked up a fuss, asking if the Yokai knew what he had done.

Kiriko came to Hanzo’s defence as Hanzo’s scowl deepened. His hands curled into fists, and it seemed like it was only Kiriko’s hand on the shoulder that was keeping him from jumping the table and attacking Cassidy.

Hanzo stormed off soon after, stating firmly that he was going to rescue his brother no matter what any of them said or did.

When Sojourn raised the concern of Hanzo’s emotions compromising his ability to work as part of the team, Kiriko had laughed.

“You heard him. He’s not kidding. Even if you tried to stop Hanzo from working with you, he’d just got off his own. It's a bit of a family habit, if you hadn't noticed. Anyway, he's kind of awful at working at a team no matter what. Honestly he's just not good at dealing with people in general. Don't be too offended if he seems a bit grumpy. He can’t really cope with being around too many people. He’s in an especially bad mood now considering, y'know, his brother’s been kidnapped by the same people who killed his father and tried to kill him.”

The sarcasm was biting, but it hadn’t hidden the worried frown on her face.

Angela hadn’t said anything about Hanzo because she knew how much meant to Genji, but also because she could see the worry in his eyes. He had been visibly anxious before he left, his bow clutched tight in his hand and his fingers constantly tapping against it. Part of that may have been due to the isolation Kiriko had mentioned, but Angela had seen the pain in his eyes every time Genji had been mentioned.

She could see that same pain in his eyes now. They had breached the Hashimoto's headquarters and Angela was with Fareeha and Lena currently following Hanzo to the cells he had apparently been kept in a few months ago. Kiriko was with them as well, while the other Yokai were with the rest of Overwatch to form a distraction and keep the rest of the Hashimoto away.

Hanzo turned the corner and stopped short. The lights were all off the cell block, except for one. The door was open. Everyone slowly approached. Hanzo inhaled sharply when he reached the door. Peering around him, Angela had the same reaction

On the floor, in the centre of the cell, laid Genji’s visor. There was blood on the corner.

Kiriko muttered something in Japanese that Angela didn't catch as Hanzo fell to his knees and gently picked up the visor up, his bow dropped by his side. He was just staring at it, eyes wide with a heartbreaking expression. Angela had never expected to feel pity or empathy for the man who had killed Genji, but here she was. She couldn't help herself.

She shared a look with Fareeha, her expression a mirror of hers. Surely, Genji couldn't be dead. It was a scenario she hadn't even allowed herself to think of.

Shakily, she reached for her comm. “We- we've reached the cells. Genji isn't here. His visor is, but…”

The reply came instantly. “Damn it. Shion must have known we were coming,” Sojourn cursed. “Regroup with us. We'll find him.”

Angela exhaled. Genji was alive, he had to be.

Fareeha laid a hand on her shoulder. Angela didn't look up. She didn't want to see the pitying expression that she knew would be on her face.

“He’s not dead,” Kiriko said suddenly, approaching Hanzo with a determined expression on her face. Hanzo shook his head, not lifting his eyes from the visor in his hands. “He’s not dead,” Kiriko said again, this time with more desperation in her voice.

“We’ll find him,” Lena said, her eyes stuck to where Hanzo knelt.

“We have to go back to the others,” Fareeha reminded them.

Kiriko nodded, trying to get Hanzo to stand. When he didn’t, she looked lost. She was so young, Angela thought. Too young for this life she was living.

She approached Hanzo and stood in front of him, placing one hand on his shoulder and holding the other out.

“We will help you find him, I promise.”

Hanzo looked at her hand. He blinked slowly before reaching out and taking it. Angela didn't actually offer much assistance in pulling him to his feet, but he still nodded at her in thanks. He opened his mouth then shut it again, as if he were unable to speak.

Kiriko picked his bow off of the floor and handed it to him. Once in his hand, he abruptly turned towards the entrance to the cell and began walking. The others shared uneasy looks before following.

They only made it a few steps down the hall before Sojourn’s voice came over the comms. “We need you guys here, stat! They have more numbers than we thought. We’re what looks like the main hall. It’s the wide, open area we saw on the blueprints.”

Hanzo and Kiriko didn't have comms of their own but had stopped when the others did. “What’s happening?” Kiriko asked when she saw their worried looks. “Did- did they find Genji?”

Fareeha shook her head. “No, they're under attack in the main area. Sojourn’s told us to meet up with them. We have to go now!”

They followed behind Fareeha as she took charge, leading them towards their teammates. A glance at Hanzo revealed that he had managed to tie the visor to his belt to free up his other hand so he could have an arrow at the ready.

They had just reached an entrance when Sojourn spoke again. “Wait, don’t-“

The warning came too late. They pushed the door open immediately but immediately froze when they saw what was on the other side.

Shion was in the centre of the room. Genji, face bare and downturned, was kneeling by her side with a gun pointed towards his head. Blood stained his white hoodie red. The boy in blue and grey with the large hat - Mizuki, Anglea recalled, was held in her other hand, body slumped and coated in blood but still looking at them in terror. Sojourn stood nearby, gun in hand but looking warily at the armed Hashimoto members surrounding them. The other members of Overwatch and the remaining Yokai stood unmoving, outnumbered by the Hashimoto. Orisa had been injured, and she had been forced down to her knees as a gash on her side sparked.

“Genji!”

Hanzo tried to lunge forward, heedless of the many guns aimed his way. Fareeha barely caught him, nearly getting tugged along with him.

“It’s alright, we’ll get him, just wait,” she murmured, barely loud enough for Angela to pick up.

Hanzo stopped pulling at her hold and swallowed. He had gone pale, eyes wide. His hands remained steady, holding his bow still, though his knuckles were white.

Genji was looking up at them now. It was only now that Angela realised how similar he and Hanzo looked. They had the same black hair, the same thick eyebrows, and the same wide, pain filled eyes as they stared at each other.

“It's so nice of you to finally join us!” Shion said with a giggle. Her mouth didn’t move as she spoke, instead twisting into an uncanny smile. Angela understood why Sojourn had been so disturbed by her. “After you so rudely broke into my base and all.”

“What did you do to them?” Kiriko demanded, clutching a kunai between her fingers.

“Oh, please, they’ll be fine! Well, they’re fine for now, at least. It’s just a few cuts. I always forget just how fragile flesh is… though perhaps I should know better, with Obake-kun here in my care.”

Angela could only imagine that ‘Obake-kun’ was Mizuki seeing the glare Shion aimed at him.

Kiriko’s expression crumbled into a frown. “What? How do you know Mizuki?”

“Please… please, please, Shion,” Mizuki whispered. There were tears in his eyes now.

“Ah, that's right, he didn't tell you, did he? Your dear Mizuki came into my possession after his parents died. I have been raising him as a member of the Hashimoto clan ever since.”

Kiriko looks confused for a moment before inhaling sharply. “You- Mizuki, you-“

“You’re a member of the Hashimoto?” one of the other members of the Yokai demanded. Angela couldn't remember his name, but he was wearing a mask that looks like a brown raccoon and had a red hat on.

“H-have you been spying on us?” another asked. The omnic, this time.

“I didn't want to, I promise. She made me, I always planned on betraying her! I swear!”

“You…”

Kiriko opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, though nothing came out.

“Please. Please believe me. I-“

Shion scoffed and dropped him onto the floor where he landed in an ungraceful heap.

“As much as I love hearing you beg, Mizuki, I have better things to do right now. Stay!” she barked, kicking him in the ribs when he attempted to rise.

Kiriko flinched back as if she was the one who was hit as he collapsed back onto the floor. It seemed to be taking everything in her not to run to his side.

Angela was familiar with the sting of betrayal Kiriko was surely feeling. She wanted to reach out and comfort the girl, but the guns aimed at her stopped her.

Shion’s eyes focused back onto Hanzo as that eerie grin reappeared on her face. “I see you found the gift I left for you, Shimada. I’m going to love seeing your reaction to finding it when I watch the recording later.”

For the first time since walking into the room, Hanzo’s eyes finally shifted away from Genji. Instead, he glared at Shion with a fierce, burning hatred. He gritted his teeth as his mouth pulled back into a snarl. She giggled, utterly gleeful in the face of his anger.

“Speaking of recordings, I've got something to show you! I can't imagine that you will like it much, but I'm sure your reaction to it will be very entertaining.”

The massive panel behind Shion that Angela hadn't paid any attention to suddenly turned on. All eyes turned towards it.

On the screen Hanzo and Genji became visible. A much younger Hanzo and Genji. Both armed with swords, standing in some kind of dojo, arguing with each other in Japanese. Their voices raised into yells.

Angela gasped and covered her mouth with both hands when she realised what she was about to watch.

The sharp sound of Hanzo’s bow hitting the floor echoed through the room, causing Angela to flinch. Hanzo was muttering to himself. From what Angela could hear, it sounded like begging.

“No no no no… please, please, you cannot, you cannot…”

He switched to Japanese after that. Angela couldn't understand much, but what she could broke her heart. It was pleading, desperate in a way she would never have associated with the man who used to haunt Genji's nightmares.

She made eye contact with Genji. He looked just as horrified as his brother.

“Please do not show him this,” he begged Shion. “I will do whatever you wish, just please, do not make him watch this.”

Shion cocked her head in his direction. “Are you really concerned about your brother? What about yourself? You're not worried at all about watching him murder you in cold blood?”

“I have healed. I can take it. He cannot.”

His voice wavered, betraying him.

The situation on the screen progressed heedless of Hanzo and Genji's begging. The younger version of Hanzo drew his sword, causing the version of Hanzo standing next to her to flinch back as if he had been struck. Genji had told them all how good of a swordsman Hanzo had been, but that he had given up the sword and now used a bow instead. Angela had wondered why at the time, but she thought she understood it a bit better now, seeing Hanzo’s reaction.

The high definition of the large screen showed perfectly the terrified expression on the younger Genji's face as he backed away from his older brother. It matched the expression on both brothers’ faces now.

The younger Hanzo said something that made Hanzo and Genji both flinch back. His expression was one of heartbreak, as if he already knew the outcome of this encounter. He likely did, Angela thought, thinking back to how Genji had begrudgingly admitted that his brother was a much better swordsman than him.

Genji yelled something back, and Hanzo’s expression shifted into something terrifyingly blank. All signs of emotion were gone in an instant. All, except the tears running down his cheeks.

Then, Hanzo swung. The Hanzo standing next to her stumbled back a few steps and let out a pitiful sounding whimper as blood sprayed across the dojo. The Genji on screen tried to defend himself, but he just couldn't. His opponent was simply… better.

The recording only got worse and worse as Hanzo swung and swung and swung, again and again and again. At one point, Genji summoned his dragon, but Hanzo simply summoned his own two in response. Genji shrieked as his skin burned due to the dragon’s power.

Angela had to resist the urge to vomit. She had seen horrible, horrible things as a doctor, as a trauma surgeon, and as a field medic. She had worked in disaster zones and war zones, and still Genji's condition when he was first brought to her was one of the worst she had ever seen a patient in. It was worse seeing what had actually happened beforehand, even if she had heard about it countless times.

“Oh, Jesus…” Lena muttered as Genji’s jaw was sliced by a strike from the sword he was only half able to deflect. It hung grotesquely from his skull, half of it dangling down.

Fareeha muttered something in Arabic, though Angela was unsure if it was a curse word or a prayer. She still had a hand around Hanzo’s shoulders, though it was more to keep him upright than to hold him back.

Tears streamed steadily down Hanzo’s face. He was swaying, like he was barely able to keep himself upright. Without Fareeha’s support, Angela suspected he would simply fall over. His expression was one of pure horror, but his eyes were distant, as if he were not currently with them. He likely wasn't. She could not see Genji’s face, but she suspected it wasn't much different.

On the screen, Genji finally fell to the ground, his legs totally disconnected from his body. Angela heard multiple people gag at the wet noise it made as his torso seemed to simply slide away from his lower body. He already looked like a corpse.

The dragons disappeared, and for one moment, everything was silent. Both on the screen and in the current moment, no one made a sound, except the desperate panting coming from Hanzo next to her as he audibly struggled to take in a deep breath.

“Hanzo…”

It sent a shiver down her spine. Genji’s lower jaw was half detached from his head, but he still managed to say one barely understandable word. It was near incoherent, but it was still obvious what was being said.

“Hanzo…”

The sword fell from Hanzo’s hands. An expression of pure horror overtook the blank look on his face as reality finally seemed to hit. He was soaked head to toe in blood.

“No,” he whispered, “no, no, no…”

He fell to his knees next to the mutilated near corpse of his brother. He landed in a splash in the still expanding puddle of blood coming from Genji. His breath hicced into a sob.

“G-Genji? Genji, otouto, please, wake up, I'm sorry, please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“Hanzo…”

Hanzo’s muttering turned into Japanese as he cradled Genji in his arms, running one hand through his hair while the others wrapped around his torso. He buried his mouth against Genji’s head, eyes wide with blind terror as pained little whimpers and incoherent muttering escaped him. Genji gently rested his one remaining hand on Hanzo’s arm before he finally slumped.

It reminded Angela of a painting she hadn’t been able to stomach once meeting Genji. Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan. Her stomach twisted at how right she had been in the similarities.

“Genji? Genji, no, no, no, no… don’t go, don’t go…”

Next to her, Hanzo made a sort of gasping noise as his legs gave out. He would've fallen to the ground if it wasn't for Fareeha’s grasp on him. She slowly lowered him to the ground kneeling next to him and she made a sort of shushing noise, though her eyes never left the screen.

It was like a car crash, Angela supposed, as she shakily took a seat next to them. She just couldn't look away.

She had expected the video to end there, but it kept going as others approached. Two men she didn't recognise who were much older than Hanzo and Genji would have been entered the room. At first, they seemed unconcerned about the same in front of them.

They looked at Hanzo in disgust.

“You have done your duty, Hanzo. You have made the clan proud. Why must you sully yourself in such a way? Do you clutch the corpses of all of your enemies?”

Hanzo stared at him blankly for a long moment before he gently lowered Genji’s body to the ground and shook his head. Angela realised that these must be the eldest of the clan.

“Good. Now, get up.”

Hanzo jolted at that. “I- no, I can’t, he- Genji-“

The man slapped him. It was so sudden that Angela jumped.

“Get up, Hanzo.”

Still, Hanzo hesitated.

The other man grinned. It was sickening.

“If he wants to roll around in the traitor’s blood so much, why not let him?”

He grabbed Hanzo by the back of the head and shoved his face into the growing puddle of blood. Angela gasped. Next to her, Hanzo made a whimpering noise.

Hanzo immediately began struggling, but the man held him down for a few long moments. When he finally let Hanzo, he was gasping for breath, blood absolutely drenching his face. The blood did nothing to hide the wild and terrified look in his eyes.

The man kicked him in the side, sending him sprawling onto the dojo floor. Hanzo made no attempt to fight back despite his sword being right next to him. He just called up into a ball like this had happened before.

“Please,” he whispered, “you- you said you would stop if I- if I-“

“You have not proven yourself worthy of our respect with the way you are acting. You are acting like a child, Hanzo. Now, get up!” It was punctuated by another kick to the side.

Oh. That… changed things. It was one thing for Genji to have forgiven Hanzo, but this was another altogether. She glanced over at Hanzo in concern and noticed Fareeha doing the same. Hanzo didn’t seem to notice, eyes stuck forward.

On screen, Hanzo finally staggered to his feet, swaying unsteadily. His eyes appeared to be glazed over and unfocused. It was a look currently mirrored in real life too.

Even as he got up, Angela couldn’t help but let her eyes be drawn back to Genji. It was just such an indescribably horrific sight, seeing him like that. He looked dead. Worse than dead. She had been the one to bring him back to life, and she still thought just by looking at him that it would take nothing less than a miracle to save his life.

“They’re all distracted.”

Angela jumped at the sudden words, having forgotten she was even wearing a comm. In her periphery, she could see Fareeha and Lena do the same.

It was Sojourn’s voice, she realised a few seconds later, much longer than it should have taken her. When Angela finally tore her eyes away from the screen and looked at the Strike Commander, she could see how Sojourn was now carefully looking around without attracting too much attention.

She was right. Shion had her hands on her hips. Her face wasn’t visible, but her pose screamed pride in the misery she was putting them all through. One of her hands was balled in Genji’s hair as she forced him to look at the screen. The other members of the Hashimoto had their faces covered by those strange demon masks, but she could tell that every single one of them was staring up at the screen as well.

Fareeha carefully shifted her rocket launcher and shifted so she could rise to her feet in an instant. Lena prepared herself as well, both of them camp not to make a noise and draw the attention of the Hashimoto. The other members of Overwatch were doing the same. Kiriko and the other Yokai seemed confused. Hanzo didn’t react at all, continuing to stare forward.

In the video, Hanzo stopped. He stared blankly at Genji’s body. “What are you going to do with him?”

His voice was oddly pitched, sounding almost… childlike, in a way. It was disturbing to hear, combined with his unbalanced swaying and blank, glazed expression.

The first man scoffed. “Feed him to the dogs, maybe. Or perhaps we could just burn him.”

That seemed to spark some life in Hanzo again. “Wh- no! No, no, you can’t do that, you can’t, he-“

The second man hit him hard across the face, then stared at the blood on his hand with disgust. “You are getting awfully bold, speaking back to us as if you are above us, Young Master.” He grabbed Hanzo by the collar and yanked him forward, forcing him to meet his eyes. “I thought by now you would have learned to obey.”

The first elder laughed. “Look at what he has done to the traitor. I think he is beginning to learn his place, even if he is talking back when he should not. We will not go easier on you just because you have finally done your duty like we have been telling you to do for months now. Will you continue to act out, or will you finally obey, and run the clan properly? It should be easier, without petty things like the traitor around to distract you.”

Hanzo tried to look back at Genji, but was yanked forward again. “Yes,” he whispered, “I will… I will obey.”

Both men turned without looking back or saying another word. Hanzo followed.

The video ended after a few more heartbreaking seconds where Genji’s body was simply left on the ground.

Shion twisted Genji around so that he was forced to stare at his brother. Angela‘s stomach dropped at the grief-stricken expression on his face. Tears flowed freely from his eyes. She hadn’t seen him this devastated since the very early days when he was still in denial of what happened.

When Shion next spoke, it seemed like everyone jumped at the sound of her voice.

“Just look at what he did to you… Is that really someone you want to forgive? And Vivi, is that really someone you want on your team?”

Hanzo gasped as suddenly everyone’s eyes settled upon him. Horrified expressions filled the room, all aimed at him, as they couldn’t believe what he had done, even after hearing it from Genji. Even Angela herself drew back from the scrutiny, and she wasn’t the one they were staring at. More than just horror, there’s fear in their eyes. Fear, and in some, hatred. Betrayal, in others. Rage and disgust were present as well.

“… Now.”

It took her a second to process the whispered command. The same seemed true for everyone else as well, as there was a moment of pause before the fighting started. It only truly began when Sojourn aimed at Shion and began firing.

The Hashimoto were quickly overwhelmed despite their superior numbers due to how distracted they had become. Angela quickly rushed over to Genji and Mizuki, saying they were currently the most injured as Fareeha and Lena began taking down as many Hashimoto members as they could. Thankfully, Sojourn had managed to distract Shion, the omnic letting out a shriek of rage as Sojourn was forced to dodge a barrage of shots.

Thankfully, most of Genji’s injuries seem quite superficial, we’re only a few cuts to the flesh he has left and minor disabling damage to the cybernetics. Angela had to swallow as the blood on him reminded her of the mostly limbless form that had been on the screen only moments ago. She barely got a chance to look at him before Cassidy ran towards them and wrapped his arms around Genji’s shaking form.

She turned her attention to Mizuki, whose injury seemed worse. He was curled up into a ball, muttering in Japanese under his breath. Angela was about to begin assessing him when Kiriko suddenly appeared out of nowhere in a small burst of blue light, making her flinch.

“Mizu…”

There were tears running down her face as well. She looked betrayed, so Angela wasn’t sure whether that was because of what she had seen Hanzo do, or whether it was caused by Mizuki‘s apparent double crossing.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” the man whispered, now in English. “I-I wanted to tell you, I really did, but… but I didn’t, I didn’t think I could, I’m so sorry, I never wanted this to happen, please!”

Kiriko hiccuped. “I… it’s, it’ll be alright, Mizu. I’m… I’m here, we can, we can get you away from her, we can…”

Angela frowned, now realising that Hanzo had been left alone, and that he certainly hadn’t followed her. She turned around, not exactly surprised to see that he hadn’t moved at all. Just like it had in the video, his expression was glazed and distant. He still stared at the screen as if the video was still playing.

Fareeha landed next to her, startling her. Her arrival made Genji look up. His eyes widened as they settled upon Hanzo.

“Hanzo!” he yelled, finally getting a reaction out of his brother. Hanzo jolted back harshly, his wide eyed stare finally shifting off of the screen. He looked completely and utterly anguished as he met Genji’s eye but made no move to get up.

Many eyes around the room shifted back to him now that the Hashimoto had been dealt with. The horror, the fear, the hatred, the rage, the disgust all returned in full force.

Genji sniffed. “H-Hanzo…”

It sounded hauntingly similar to the final calls to his brother Genji had made in the video. Hanzo must have thought so too, if the fact his already pale face grew even more white was anything to go off of.

This time, the pause in the room was filled with tension. One second passed, then another, before Hanzo bolted, his bow and quiver left abandoned on the floor.

“Hanzo!”

Genji tried to stand, presumably to chase after Hanzo, but fell when his cybernetics sparked. He would’ve collapsed if not for Cassidy catching him. Another sob shook his form.

“You- you have to get him, please,” he begged Angela. She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily as she was reminded of how he begged her and begged her and begged her to kill him when he first woke up with his new cybernetics. “Please…” he whispered again when she reopened her eyes.

“He’s probably gone somewhere high up to hide,” Kiriko said, her voice rough with grief. She seemed to be placing pieces of paper, of all things, on Mizuki’s chest. Somehow, beyond all logic, they appeared to be healing his wounds. Later, after everything had calmed down, she would have to ask how Kiriko was doing that.

“Alright. Come on, let’s go looking for him,” Fareeha said as she began walking in the direction Hanzo had run off in.

“You're coming with me?” Angela asked.

“Some of the Hashimoto escaped. It’s too dangerous for you to go out there on your own right now,” Fareeha replied, before lowering her voice to a whisper. “I’m worried about him too.”

“Please find him, I don’t want him to hurt himself, or do anything rash,” Genji pleaded, even as Cassidy rocked him back and forth and whispered things that were obviously meant to soothe him.

“We will. I promise.”

Angela wouldn’t have been able to say no to the miserable look on Genji’s face even if she had wanted to.

“T-tell him that it’s ok, and that I forgive him, and that- and that it wasn’t his fault! And, and that no one blames him for what happened.”

Angela wasn’t sure how true that last point was, but now was not the time to bring it up. She knelt down next to him and Cassidy, taking his hand that wasn’t balled up in Cassidy’s serape.

“It’ll be alright, Genji. We’ll find him and bring him back, okay?”

“Go, now, before he gets too far.”

Angela didn’t want to leave Genji like this, but she knew that he would be safe with Cassidy. She stood and went to follow Fareeha, who had been patiently waiting for her.

Fareeha stopped her when they were out of sight and earshot of the others. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I- I’m fine, Fareeha. Come on, we have to go.”

Fareeha didn’t budge. “That was horrible to watch. You’ve told me how much it affected you seeing Genji in that state when he was first brought to you. Finding Hanzo is important, but I want to make sure that you are alright as well.”

Angela smiled up at her, rising on her toes to place a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, schatz. I… to be honest, I am a little shaken up after watching that, but I will be fine. I promise I will tell you if I am not. How about you? Are you alright?”

Fareeha, amusingly, seemed surprised at her question being aimed back at her. “Er, yes, I’m fine. It… he-“ She looked away and sighed. “I don’t think that he… wanted to do that to Genji.”

Angela thought about what the elders had said to Hanzo. “No, I don’t think so either, but I think I need to unpack all of that later. Right now, let’s just focus on finding him first.”

“Let’s go. The quicker we find Hanzo the better, for his and Genji’s sake.”

The city was unusually quiet when they left the building. Genji had told her all about what Tokyo was like at night. The bright colours, the people, the energy… all of that was just gone. The city seemed like a husk of what she knew it could be like.

“The Hashimoto have really done a number on this place, huh?” Fareeha asked, looking equally unsettled by the lack of nightlife. “Or maybe this is just a particularly quiet part of the city?”

“I doubt that, somehow.” Angela looked up at the high rises and skyscrapers surrounding them. She sighed. “Where are we even meant to begin looking for Hanzo?”

“Want to take to the skies? We might have better luck looking from above. Kiriko did say that he likes to hide away in high places.”

“You aren’t worried about someone else seeing us?”

Fareeha chuckled, trying to keep the mood light despite the worried frown on her face. “I think all of Tokyo knows we’re here by now.”

“I meant the Hashimoto. The last thing we want to do is lead them to Hanzo if he is unable to defend himself. He left his bow back at the Hashimoto headquarters, so he’s currently unarmed.”

“Ah, you have a point there. Though, I’d like to think we’d be able to defend Hanzo if it came to it.”

Angela was about to agree with her when she spotted something that made her stop suddenly, catching Fareeha’s attention.

“There’s blood on the ground and wall over there,” she said, not waiting for Fareeha’s response as she quickly made her way over to the alley she had spotted.

They both froze when they entered the alley and saw what was obviously the source of the blood. On the ground lay a corpse, a member of the Hashimoto, based on the demon mask he was wearing. His neck appeared to have been snapped. A bloody sword was lying next to him. Some of the blood was obviously his, but not all of it.

The body was fresh. This was done only minutes ago.

“This has to have been Hanzo…” Angela said. “He’s injured. Some of this blood must be his.”

That meant that Hanzo was unarmed, injured, and had already been found by at least one member of the Hashimoto. They were likely more after him. And, if the state he had been in when he ran off meant anything, he was also likely trapped in some kind of flashback or something similar.

“There’s blood going up the wall there,” Fareeha said, pointing down into the dark alley. Angela had to squint before she could see it, but there was blood running vertically seemingly to the roof of the building. It was quite a substantial amount too.

Genji had told her that it was only his family that was able to do the whole wall climbing thing, so Angela had noticed that Kiriko could do it too. The blood must be Hanzo’s, and must be bleeding quite a lot.

Sojourn’s voice came over the comms again. “Any updates? Shion has been dealt with and is currently restrained. I’ve been told you too are out looking for Hanzo.” She sounded out of breath. Shion must have put up a good fight.

“We’ve found a member of the Hashimoto dead in an alley and we think it was Hanzo, but he’s likely injured. He’s only been dead a few minutes and we can see a trail of blood leading to the roof. We were just about to head up there and see if it really is him,” Fareeha replied.

“Alright, make sure to contact us when you find him, and let us know if he’s injured. Genji… Genji’s really worried about him. I’m going to hold off on telling him Hanzo’s injured, just until we have a few more details.”

“We will,” Fareeha said, before turning to Angela. “Ready to go when you are.”

Angela nodded and prepared her Valkyrie suit. Fareeha had exited the alley to give herself more room to take off. The jets on the Raptora suit started up and it was only a moment before she was in the air, Angela following close behind.

They landed on the rooftop together and quickly identified more fresh blood. There didn’t seem to be as much of it, thankfully.

Angela heard something and gestured for Fareeha to turn her flight suit off. When it was silent, she could hear panicked breathing and muffled sobs. Fareeha must’ve noticed them too, as she quickly identified where they were coming from and pointed in the direction. It had to be Hanzo.

“Hanzo?” Angela called out, not wanting to startle him when he was clearly already in distress. The noises stopped. She shared a worried look with Fareeha before going to investigate.

Hanzo was curled up in a corner, breathing hard as he stared at Angela. His eyes were still glazed. She suspected he didn’t recognise her at the moment.

She wanted to comfort him, but she also didn’t want to get too close to him at the moment, not with the way he was looking at her. He was scared, and Angela knew he was likely to lash out.

In his hands he clutched Genji’s visor. Blood from a quite large cut on his arm flowed down, covering it in red.

“We found him,” she heard Fareeha say quietly into her comm. “His injuries don’t look too bad from here, but it’s his mental state I’m worried about right now.”

“Hanzo?” Angela asked again. “Can you hear me?”

To her relief, Hanzo nodded. His eyes, though distant and unfocused, at least looked in her direction. His breath was coming in short staccato bursts as he clutched his legs to his chest. It was an undeniably defensive position.

“Can I come closer and have a look at your injuries?”

With how dark it was and how he was positioned, there was always a chance of another injury she wasn’t seeing, especially with how much blood she had seen on the way over here.

Hanzo inhaled sharply, rapidly shaking his head.

“Alright,” Angela conceded, “I’ll stay over here. Do you mind if I heal your injuries with my staff? I will not have to touch you, and it will not hurt.”

Another shake of his head. Angela hesitated but ultimately complied. The bleeding from the wound on his arm seemed to have slowed down significantly. It would be fine for now.

She sat down as near him she was willing to get, being careful not to get too close. He was watching her carefully as she moved, though his eyes flickered to Fareeha briefly.

“We’re here to help you,” Angela said. Fareeha followed her guidance and sat down near her. Hanzo relaxed ever so slightly when she did.

She wasn’t sure how Hanzo would react to her bringing up Genji when he was in this state, after what he had just been made to watch.

“Do you remember who we are?” she asked instead, trying to gauge how much Hanzo was with them right now, or if he had fully retreated into his own head.

Hanzo frowned at her hard for a moment as if trying to force himself to remember before he shook his head.

“We’re with Overwatch. My name is Dr. Angela Ziegler, and this is Captain Fareeha Amari. We've been working with the Yokai to help fight the Hashimoto. Do you remember that?”

Hanzo hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.

“Do you know where you are?”

Hanzo’s eyes darted around before he looked back at her and nodded. “Tokyo…” he whispered, voice hoarse and barely audible.

It was progress, at least, and Angela would take as much as that as she could get, no matter how slow it was.

“That’s right. We’re in Tokyo. Do you remember what we came here for?”

Hanzo frowned and shook his head again.

She exhaled, long and slow. “We came here to save Genji from the Hashimoto.”

That got a bigger reaction. Hanzo jolted back, eyes wide with shock.

“No, no, G-Genji, he… he is dead.”

“He isn’t, Hanzo, remember? He lived, and he forgave you. He’s waiting back at the Hashimoto stronghold. He wants to see you.”

Hanzo shook his head more aggressively this time, his eyes glazing over even more. “My brother is dead. I.. I killed him… with my own hands…”

“He lived. He has forgiven you. He’s worried about you, Hanzo. We just want to make sure you’re alright and take you back to him.”

“No!” Hanzo cried out, dropping the visor and burying his head in his hands. He tugged sharply on his hair as he mattered to himself in a tone too low for Angela to hear.

A pang of guilt shot through her. It seemed like she was only making things worse. She moved to shuffle closer to him, gesturing for Fareeha to stay put when she moved to follow.

“It’s alright, Hanzo. It’s going to be alright…”

He flinched when he realised how much closer she had gotten. Tears track down his face as quiet sobs wracked his frame. He looked terrified of her. It wasn’t an expression she was overly used to seeing aimed at her, at least not any time recently, but it was one she had certainly seen before on people who were so used to being hurt that they couldn’t trust a kind hand.

“He’s sent you here,” he whispered harshly, “Genji has sent you here to punish me for the sin I have committed.”

It was such a deviation from what he had previously been saying that it made her pause for a moment. There was conviction in his voice despite how much it wavered.

“He hasn’t,” Fareeha said, causing both her and Hanzo to jump. Angela had forgotten she was even there. “He’s forgiven you, remember?”

Hanzo shook his head again, this time looking confused as he did that. He still wasn’t quite with them, Angela could tell.

“He did not, he would not have, he…”

He stopped, pausing as he stared off into the distance.

“Can you look at me, Hanzo?” Angela asked. She wanted to try and keep him grounded.

Hanzo swallowed but obeyed, looking over at her again.

“The Hashimoto kidnapped Genji. You helped us break into the Hashimoto base and rescue him. We defeated the Hashimoto. He’s safe. I promise you, Hanzo, Genji is safe. He is alive and he just wants to make sure that you are okay.”

She edged closer to him, being careful not to breach into his personal space or crowd him, heeding Kiriko’s earlier words about how poorly Hanzo managed around other people. She held out one of her hands.

“Can you take my hand, Hanzo?”

Hanzo hesitated, watching her cautiously before taking her hand in one of his own. Unlike before, when he was holding his bow, his hands were now shaking. Blood slowly weeped from the cut on his arm. There was some on his hand too, that was easy enough to ignore.

Angela rubbed her thumb up and down the back of Hanzo’s hand and wrist. “That’s it. You’re safe, Hanzo. Genji is safe as well.”

Hanzo stared at her hand blankly. He shivered. She wasn’t sure if it was due to the cold or from the pain and anxiety he was surely feeling.

She wished she had something to help. She wanted to get him off of this rooftop, but this wasn’t something that she could just speed along.

Behind her, Fareeha was saying something into the comm that she couldn’t pick up.

“Yeah, it might help. I’ll ask. Hanzo, do you want to speak to Genji?”

Hanzo immediately shot up and began looking around. “Is he, is- is he here?”

“No, he’s still at the Hasimoto’s base, but you can talk to him over the comm if you want to.”

“Does… does Genji want to?”

“It was his idea.”

“Alright. I… I want to.”

“I’ll put the comm on the ground here so that we can all listen.”

Fareeha shuffled forward slightly, not getting as close to Hanzo as Angela was, and pressed a button on the comm and placed it on the ground between them. Hanzo’s eyes were fixated on it, clearer than they had been before.

“Hanzo? Anija, are you there? Can you hear me?”

There was a touch of desperation in Genji’s voice. It sounded hoarse.

“Y-yes. I’m here.”

Genji sighed with audible relief. “I am so glad to hear that, brother. I was told you were hurt, are you alright? How bad is it?”

“I’m fine, I’m…” Hanzo trembled harder, his free hand reaching out for the visor that had been abandoned on the ground. “I’m… Genji, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I-“

“Don’t!” Genji snapped, causing Hanzo to flinch back. “ I have told you that I have forgiven you. I do not want to hear your apologies.”

“Try to keep calm, Genji,” Angela advised, seeing how Hanzo had reacted. Who knew how yelling and scolding could affect him in his current mental state. How the elders of the Shimada clan had treated him was definitely not an isolated incident. Hanzo squeezed her hand tight.

“Ah. I apologise, Hanzo. I do not mean to yell, it’s… I am just worried about you. Will you come back with Angela and Fareeha?”

Hanzo just shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t understand why you want me back. How can you stand to call me brother again? How could you possibly forgive me?”

“Hanzo… I have told you time and time again that all is forgiven. That video changes nothing. In fact, seeing how horribly they were treating you has made me think you were just as much of a victim as I was.”

The incredulous look that Hanzo shot at the comm might have been funny in another circumstance. “How could you possibly say that?” he snapped. “After- after what I did to you? How could you possibly say that I was a victim as well?”

“I saw what the elders were doing to you in that video. I was blind to her when I was younger, selfish as I was, but now I have the strength of mind to look back and see the differences in how you and I were raised. You did not deserve what they were doing to you. You did not deserve for them to raise their hands against you.”

Hanzo buried his head in his arms and sobbed, seemingly unaware of the blood that was now on his face and head. Angela’s hand remained intertwined with one of his. She squeezed it to try and ground him, or at least to try and bring him some comfort.

“Hanzo?” Genji’s voice was raised once again, this time in concern. “Are you alright?”

“Do you want to stop?” Angela asked when Hanzo didn’t answer. He nodded. “Okay. We’re going to hang up now, Genji. Hopefully, we will see you soon.”

“What? You-“

Genji’s voice cut out as someone else spoke. It sounded like Sojourn, but Angela couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“… Alright. I’ll see you soon, okay Hanzo? It wasn’t your fault. I love you.”

Hanzo choked. “You-“

The line went dead before he could finish his sentence. He started the comm in disbelief as Fareeha picked it up.

Angela smiled gently at him. “See? He’s forgiven you. He wants you to come back to him. Will you come back with us?”

“I- not, not yet, I-“

He cut himself off with a sob, covering his mouth in an attempt to hold it back. Not yet wasn't ideal, but it was a step in the right direction.

“Hanzo, is it alright if I?” she reached for him with her free hand, but stopped actually touching him.

Hanzo nodded desperately. Angela wrapped her arms around him as he buried his face in her shoulder. Loud, ugly sobs spilled from his chest as he finally let them loose. One of his hands clutched tightly to her clothes, the other still held the visor, pressed against his chest. She stroked up and down his back and she tried to soothe him. It was easy to ignore the blood.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. We are all here for you, Hanzo.”

He shook his head. “No, no- I saw how they were looking at me. They hate me. They’re scared of me.”

Angela bit her lip. She had seen the looks as well, and wasn’t sure how to respond. Was he really wrong?

“I think they were just having a hard time processing what they had just seen,” Fareeha said, voice as steady and calm as always. “Genji has told everyone on base that he forgives you for what you did to him, and that he wants you back in his life.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Hanzo protested, voice small and wavering.

“You could come back to our base with us and join Overwatch,” Angela suggested carefully, as if it wasn’t some massive decision she was suggesting he make. “I know Genji wants you to join us.”

“He does?”

“Yes. I know he’s asked Sojourn about it.”

“I… I will think about it,” he replied, sounding like he was finally with them again.

“That’s all I ask.”

Hanzo slowly calmed down as she noticed that the smell of blood in the air had gotten thicker. His head still rested on her shoulder, though he no longer sobbed.

“Are you injured anywhere other than your arm?”

Hanzo nodded, pulling back and looking embarrassed. He extended one of his legs. Angela gasped as she saw the large cut over his upper thigh. His pants and the bottom of his shirt were drenched with blood, his previous position and the darkness hiding it until now.

“I am going to need to heal you, Hanzo,” Angela said, grabbing her staff. “That needs immediate attention to stop the bleeding.”

“… Fine,” Hanzo acquiesced. Angela was glad that he agreed. She didn’t know what she would do if he didn’t. Using the staff to heal him against his wishes may be the best for his health, but it would certainly have destroyed any trust he had in her. Mentally, she was kicking herself and missing this.

“Thank you. The staff accelerates the rate of healing, but cannot make up for blood loss. You may feel a tingling sensation and some dizziness, but it shouldn’t hurt.”

“How are we going to get him down?” Fareeha asked her as she healed Hanzo until the cuts stopped bleeding.

“I can climb down,” Hanzo replied.

“You cannot,” Angela protested, “you have lost too much blood.”

“I climbed up here.”

“You probably shouldn’t have done that, either.”

Hanzo huffed. “What do you suggest then?”

“I can hold you while I fly down,” Fareeha offered. “If you’re alright taking the rocket launcher, Angela.”

“I would rather not.”

“Try standing up for me?” Angela asked. “I want to test something.”

Hanzo slowly rose to his feet with the support of the wall behind him. He swayed heavily when he finally stood.

“I see your point,” he admitted, before sighing. “I suppose you can carry me down if there is no other option.”

“Do you want me to hold onto Genji’s visor?” Angela asked.

Hanzo bit his lip, looking away as he shook his head and held it tighter. Angela wasn’t about to fight him on it. Fareeha would keep him safe in the air.

Fareeha reactivated her comm. “We're going to start heading back now. Hanzo’s injuries were worse than we thought, but Angela has healed him. He has still lost a lot of blood, though.”

Hanzo was wiping the last of his tears as Fareeha approached him. “I am going to need to hold you in my arms to fly you down,” she warned him. “It will be a really short flight, though.”

“Just get it over with,” he grumbled.

Fareeha scooped him into her arms. Even from here, Angela could see how tense he was. Fareeha was quick to rise into the air. Angela soon followed with both her staff and Fareeha’s rocket launcher in hand.

They landed outside the Hashimoto’s headquarters. Angela let Hanzo lean against her. He looked completely and utterly exhausted, and she was sure that was only in part due to the blood loss.

She made them move forward, but Hanzo did not make any attempt to follow. “Ready?” she asked.

Hanzo sighed. “What choice do I have?”

“If you really don’t want to see Genji, I am sure we can work something else out for now. He will want to see you at some point, though. Probably sometime soon.”

“I will face him now. I do not deserve to be so cowardly as to run from him.”

Fareeha and Angela shared a concerned glance at that, but Angela felt like they had bigger problems at the moment. Hanzo's obvious mental health issues were not something that could be tackled all at once.

Genji noticed them as soon as they entered the room. He was covered in Kiriko’s papers. “Hanzo!” he cried, lurching forward towards them. He would have fallen if not for Cassidy catching him again. “Fuck, what happened to you?”

Just like last time, all eyes in the room settled upon Hanzo. The atmosphere was thick with tension as Hanzo froze. Angela could hear his panicked inhale as he tensed up.

For a few moments nothing happened. Hanzo completely stopped breathing as everyone just… stared at him. Even Angela began to feel uncomfortable.

“Would you all quit it?” Genji snapped at them. “Help me over there, Cole.”

Cassidy obliged, helping Genji limp his way over. He kept his expression carefully blank as he looked over at Hanzo, any thoughts he might have on the situation skilfully kept away. His stare remained heavy.

Hanzo shifted uneasily under the scrutiny.

Thankfully, Sojourn decided to speak up. “Everyone, please just let Hanzo and Genji sort themselves out. We have a lot of work to do to get back to base.”

That was what finally got people moving again. Slowly, everyone looked away and went back to what they were doing, though most couldn’t help but steal glances at the small group. Angela made sure to shoot disappointed glares at those who lingered too long, which was usually enough to send them on their way.

None of the Yokai were here, she noticed, including Mizuki and Kiriko. She assumed they were nearby. She doubted they would have gone too far without at least seeing for themselves that Hanzo was alright. Or, at least, as alright as he could be right now.

“Do you want to sit down?” she asked Hanzo, who hadn’t moved since Genji had first spoken.

It took him a long moment to reply as he stared blankly as Genji. “… Yes.”

Angela helped him sit leaning against the wall. She was glad for it; he was quite heavy, even when not putting his entire weight on her. Genji pushed out of Cassidy’s grip and limped over to sit in front of him, landing roughly on the floor with a clatter. The sudden noise made them all wince.

“What happened?” he asked again, eyes tracing the blood that was now much more easily visible in the light.

“I-I… I was attacked. By a member of the Hashimoto.”

“Were they dealt with?” There was rage in Genji’s voice, barely hidden behind the concern. His hands trembled and tensed into fists, as if he was going to go deal with perpetrator himself if Hanzo had not.

“He was.”

They lapsed into silence again. It wasn’t tense, so much as unbearably awkward. Cassidy shifted on his heels, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his belt. Fareeha stood close to her, but her eyes were carefully averted from the brothers, instead watching as the other members of Overwatch

It felt wrong for her to be watching this, but Angela wasn’t sure they should be alone right now. She was fairly sure they wouldn’t intentionally hurt one another, but unintentionally…

Hanzo wordlessly held out the visor.

“… Ah.” Genji gingerly took the corner with the least amount of blood on it. “Thank you for keeping a hold of this for me.”

More silence.

“Do you-“ Hanzo blurted, before pausing. “Do you… really want me here?”

Genji hurried to nod. “I do, brother, I promise. I have… I have missed you.”

He reached a hand out, a heavily telegraphed movement. When Hanzo made no attempt to move out of the way, Genji laid a hand on the shoulder of his uninjured arm.

“But… Now? I understand if- if after watching that video, you did not wish for me to be around. I will… I can leave, if you wish-“

“What I saw had no effect on me. I have healed from what happened. I have simply been worried about you.”

Angela had to restrain herself from sending him an incredulous look. Cassidy didn’t bother to hide it, his eyebrows raising to his hairline. Fareeha let out an amused sounding huff of laughter.

Hanzo stared at him for a long moment. “Do you think I am an idiot?”

Genji winced. “Alright, yes, maybe I was affected by the recording, but I promise I was not lying about having healed from what happened. This may be a… small set back, but I assure you, it will not change the fact that I have forgiven you for what you were forced to do.”

“I was not-“

“Hanzo, I swear, if you try and tell me that you were not forced to kill me, I am going to hit you, you stubborn- ah...”

Another awkward pause through the room as Genji realised the implications of what he said, wincing.

“I, er, I apologise. Now is… not the time to be saying things like that.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I do not wish to make you uncomfortable. Is it… May I hug you, brother?”

Hanzo swallowed, then opened his mouth and shut it as if he were unable to get the words out. Finally he simply inclined his head and held his arms out. Genji practically launched himself at his brother, wrapping his arms tight around him. When Hanzo hissed in pain, Genji shifted them into a more comfortable position. Hanzo tucked his head into the crook of Genji’s neck. Once again, Angela was reminded of the painting, only this time with the positions in reverse.

She could feel stares and hear murmurs. She wished they could have at least a little bit of privacy.

The moment was ruined when Kiriko suddenly appeared out of nowhere once again, causing all five of them to jump. She held Hanzo’s bow and had his quiver awkwardly slung over one shoulder.

“Shit, sorry, sorry, I, um. Here.”

She thrusted the bow at Hanzo and then struggled for a moment to untangle the quiver. Hanzo took both, setting them down next to him.

“Is Mizuki alright?” Hanzo asked.

“Yeah, he’s, uh… he’s ok. Like, physically, at least. More or less. I healed the worst of his injuries and he just needs some rest, same as you. But, um, mentally… He’s not doing amazing. Apparently, his parents died when he was young, and Shion took him in to raise him as a member of the Hashimoto. She was kind of like his… horribly abusive adoptive mother. She sent him to spy on us. She’s been manipulating him, telling him he’s cursed, that will never accept him. He’s having a hard time accepting that we’re telling the truth that we forgive him for everything, and that it wasn’t his fault.”

Well. That certainly sounded familiar. Hanzo must have thought the same, as he shifted uncomfortably, no longer meeting Kiriko’s eyes.

Kiriko must have also realised the similarities between Mizuki and Hanzo’s situations that she went, also looking away.

There was another awkward moment before Genji chuckled and gestured for her to join them. Kiriko practically fell on top of them, already pulling out more of those paper slips and placing them on Hanzo. The visible cut on his arm seemed to heal just a little bit more.

“I was so worried about you,” she admitted. “You- you just ran off! I know it’s not the first time you’ve done that, and I know I'm probably asking for too much, but please, try not to do it again. We were all worried.”

“I cannot promise you that,” Hanzo murmured. His exhaustion was obvious and not only his voice but his posture as well. He was slumped completely against Genji now, eyes half shut.

“I know, but… or, wait, are you running off to join Overwatch now?”

Hanzo looked at Genji, eyebrows furrowed.

“You don’t have to actually become a member, Anija. I have already talked with Sojourn. She’s alright with you staying as long as you want or need to as long as you help out on missions.”

Hanzo looked conflicted. “Do you think you’ll need me to stay and help out here?”

Kiriko stood up and busted herself off, cringing at the blood now staining her clothes. “I don’t think so. After today, we’ve dealt with most of them. I think we’ll do fine without you here to help, but… are you sure you’ll be alright, going with Overwatch? There’s going to be a lot of people there, and I know how easily you can get overwhelmed with too many people around.”

Hanzo’s cheeks flushed red. “I think I will be fine,” he spat, looking embarrassed.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just worried that-“

“So you are coming with us?” Genji asked, interrupting Kiriko with barely contained excitement in his voice.

“I… I think it may be for the best. I want to stay with you, Genji. If you would have me, that is.”

“Of course, brother. Would the three of you mind telling Sojourn what will be happening?”

They could easily tell Sojourn through the comms, but this was an obvious dismissal. Angela nodded and grasped Cassidy by the shoulder, pulling him away just as he opened his mouth, presumably to protest. He shut it with a huff, followed after her anyway. Kiriko must have also gotten the message, as she waved them goodbye.

“I’ll head back and tell the rest of the Yokai what’s going on. Do you want us to grab your things for you, Hanzo?”

“That would be appreciated, thank you.”

Cassidy, thankfully, waited until he was out of earshot to start asking them questions.

“So. The two of you are onboard with Hanzo becoming a member of Overwatch? Even if he doesn’t end up actually becoming an agent?”

“Yes,” Fareeha replied, getting straight to the point. “I know you have your problems with him being around Genji, but it’s Genji’s choice. And Sojourn’s too, I suppose, but she already seems to be onboard, considering what Genji said.”

Cassidy sighed. “I dunno. I just don’t know how we’re supposed to trust him. They’re so few of us now, even just one person not getting along with others, not following orders, and causing drama could be the end of us. And that’s obviously not taking into account what he did to Genji. Forgiveness or not, that’s hard to move past. We all saw what he did. I think Hanzo is going to find a lot of agents are going to have problems working with him.”

He was not being unreasonable, Angela had to admit. Those were all fair points for the most part. Though…

“Not following orders? And causing drama? Like… ignoring your Strike Commander and running off Tokyo on your own and immediately getting kidnapped by a yakuza clan?”

She had been so distracted by everything that had happened she had forgotten that she was mad at Genji. He would be getting a talking to from her when they were back in Sweden.

He snorted. “Let me tell you, Genji has already gotten an earful from Viv, and I think the situation with Hanzo was the only thing saving him from having one much worse, though I’m sure that’s coming when this all settles down a little bit.”

“But seriously, Cole,” Fareeha said with a heavy frown, “you saw how he was treated in that video. That was definitely not an isolated incident. He even said that the elders had promised to stop if he killed Genji. And just look at how he was acting! He clearly wasn’t in his right mind.”

“You think he would’ve said that in his own defence then, wouldn’t you? Or Genji might’ve said something?”

“Not if he didn’t realise that he wasn’t at fault,” Fareeha replied. “Genji’s told us about how manipulative and isolating the Shimada clan was. He obviously blames himself, despite the abuse he was clearly facing.”

“I’m getting the feeling that there is a lot that Genji does not know about how his brother was treated by their family,” Angela added.

Cassidy exhaled heavily. “Look, I’m hearing you, but I’m gonna need to think about this.” He chuckled. “No matter how much I complain or argue, ultimately all I want is for Genji to be happy. If that means putting up with his brother, then so be it, but I don’t want to see this blow up in Genji’s face and undo all the progress he’s made. I know you feel the same, Ang. Him being your favourite patient, and all.”

“I do. I care deeply about Genji. Though… I’m not sure what you mean by ‘favourite patient’,” she said with a frown.

Cassidy grinned at her. “C’mon, we can all tell you’ve got a special place in your heart for our favourite cyborg ninja. I’m surprised your girlfriend here doesn’t get jealous!”

Fareeha snorted. “I knew what I was getting into when I started dating her. As long as I’m the only one who gets to kiss her, I don’t mind sharing a little bit.”

Angela went red. “You- what are you-“

“Oh, come on, it’s obvious you have your favourites. It makes sense, with all the time you spent treating his injuries,” Cassidy said.

She huffed. “Well, at the very least, I can assure you that I am not making out with anyone else, Fareeha.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Now, back to the very serious topic at hand-“

“Sorry, Angie.”

“-I know this could go badly, but I also think that Genji will never fully be able to move on if he knows that his brother is still suffering so much from what happened. Especially if it wasn’t even his fault in the first place. Hanzo deserves a chance to heal too. From what I can tell, he was just as much of a victim of the clan as Genji was. I think having him around will truly help Genji heal.”

“Maybe so, but I don’t want to see Genji sacrificing his mental health for his brother’s, even if Hanzo does end up being a victim in all of this. And, look, I can’t deny that it does look like Hanzo wasn’t as much to blame as I previously thought. You’re right, it does look like he was a victim, though I think saying that he was as much of a victim as Genji is a bit of a stretch.”

“I think you just have to trust Genji’s judgement here, Cole,” Fareeha said. “Whatever it was that he was doing with the Shambali has clearly helped him so much. I think he knows how to manage his mental health better than any of us do now.”

Cassidy laughed again. “You might just be right there, Far. Look, I’m gonna go and see if I can’t help out none, and take a smoke. See you ladies later. Call me over if you need any help.”

Usually, Angela would protest him smoking, but if there was any time to need the effects of nicotine, it was today.

“I’m glad we got through to him, at least a little bit,” Fareeha said with a sigh. “That… that video, I… I never met Genji until at least a year after what happened. He was still angry then, but I know I missed the worst of it. Maybe that’s why I’m so willing to let Hanzo join, even after seeing what he did.”

“That might be it. For me, though, I just can’t get what they said and did to him out of my mind. The horrible things they said to him, the way they… they shoved his face into Genji’s blood, how they-“

Angela cut herself off with a sniffle, much to her own surprise. She wiped her face, not expecting to feel it come away wet. She was crying.

“Come here,” Fareeha requested softly, wrapping her in a hug. “We will get through this. I know you want to help both of them, and I know you will.”

“Thank you.”

“Hey, are you alright?” Sojourn asked as she approached them, a worried look on her face. Angela stepped back from Fareeha’s embrace, though it pained her to do so.

“I’m sorry, today has just been… a lot. Hanzo has agreed to stay with Overwatch, though I don’t think he intends to fully join us as an agent. I’m not sure he’s up to making that decision now. He will at the very least need IV fluids for the blood loss, and he’s also exhausted, which is very understandable after today’s events. He’s practically falling asleep on Genji.”

“Actually, I think he has fallen asleep,” Fareeha added, squinting over at Hanzo and Genji’s figures still seated against the wall. Hanzo looked limp in Genji’s hold now, and it seemed that Genji was running his hand through Hanzo’s hair. Neither appeared to be talking.

“That’s fine, we can work out the details later. I want us out of here as soon as possible so we can inform the police of what’s taken place. Honestly, I’m surprised they’re not here already, but maybe they stay out of this yakuza stuff.”

“I think Genji has told me they usually do,” Angela said.

“That would be why, then. Unfortunately, it’s been a bit of a hassle. Orisa was damaged in the fight and it took both Zarya and D.Va using her mech to get her on the ship. Efi, Brigitte, and Torbjörn will need to take a look at her when we get back. No one else was majorly injured beyond a few scrapes, luckily, but it took us a bit to track down and restrain as many of the Hashimoto as possible. That’s not even mentioning my fight with Shion…”

Sojourn sighed, looking exhausted. Oh, Genji was in for a mouthful for getting them into this mess when he was in a bit of a better state, Angela could tell.

“At least we got a new recruit out of it?” Fareeha suggested.

“Sure, and we only completely retraumatised him in the process. He’s not even really a recruit, by the sound of it, though another sniper to help out on missions will be a huge help.”

“My mother is going to complain that you are replacing her. Hearing her reaction to him being an archer is going to be hilarious.”

Sojourn smirked. “Well, she can share the slot. She can undoubtedly shoot a lot further with a sniper rifle than he can with a bow, but he can climb walls and summon spirit dragons, so I think they both have their trade offs.”

“Have you told anyone on base what happened today?” Angela asked.

“Not yet. I don’t know… I’m not sure what parts to tell them just yet. Hanzo and Genji probably don’t want everyone gossiping about what they saw, but I don’t think I can really stop them.”

Angela knew she was right. There was no way this would be kept a secret. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if word had already spread back to base, not with the way everyone had been stealing glances and whispering among themselves the entire time.

“I think this whole thing has just been… a big shock to them. A lot of them probably haven’t seen violence like that before,” Sojourn said. “I’ll tell everyone to make sure they’re staying respectful and to give them some space. Hanzo doesn’t seem to do too well around people, so we’ll have to make sure to give him some time to adjust.”

“Kiriko mentioned just before that he gets pretty overwhelmed when there’s too many people around, and there’s a lot more people in Overwatch than there are in the Yokai. I’m worried how he’ll manage,” Angela said.

“Well just have to be there to help him. I’ll go talk to them, then we’ll go about getting them to the ship. I know Genji’s not walking around by himself, but is Hanzo?”

“He’s a bit unsteady on his feet. The blood loss combined with the exhaustion, I’d imagine. Kiriko’s grabbing his things from his room now.”

“Alright. I don’t want to barrage him with too much information right now, but I do want to go over the basics before he’s stuck on a ship with a bunch of strangers. Hopefully Kiriko’s back with his stuff by the time we’re done, then we’ll figure out how to get the two of them to the ship.”

“I don’t mind helping Hanzo over this time. You looked like you were struggling, Angela,” Fareeha said with a snicker.

“He’s quite top heavy,” Angela replied. “I mean, look at the size of his arms. I imagine you have to be quite muscular to pull back a bow that size.”

“Well, as long as you aren’t looking too closely…”

Angela scoffed. “Keep speaking like this and I might start thinking that I’ve been neglecting you.”

“You might have been,” Fareeha replied, throwing an arm over her shoulders and pressing against her side. “Are you going to make it up to me?”

Angela went bright red and elbowed her in the side, pushing her away. “Fareeha!” she hissed, “now is not the time!”

Sojourn out her head in her hands and groaned, but the smile on her face was still visible. “Please don’t flirt when you’re on missions. Or at least don’t do it when I can hear you.”

“Oh, but how can I resist?”

Angela turned on her heel and began swiftly walking back to the two brothers. Behind her, Fareeha and Sojourn laughed and began to follow.

Genji looked up at her when she got close and grinned. “You look flustered.”

“Don’t you start.”

Hanzo must have only been dozing, as he sat up a bit straighter and yawned. “Are we leaving?”

“Vivian wants to have a word with you first. We’ll get you two to the ship after that and leave when Kiriko arrives with your belongings. I will also need to start an IV on you to replace some of the fluids you have lost.”

Hanzo frowned. “Vivian?”

“That would be me,” Sojourn said as she approached. “Before we go, I just wanted to ask you a few questions. Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable when we get back to Sweden?”

“Hmm… are there private rooms?”

“Most people are sharing, but… actually, are there any free rooms?” Sojourn asked.

“I don’t think so, no,” Angela replied.

“There is an attic,” Fareeha said, “but it’s a bit cluttered at the moment, and there’s not currently a bed in there. I’m sure we can get a mattress moved up there though, if that works.”

“Does it have any windows?”

“It does have one, yeah.”

“That will work then. I have been staying in a loft in a sub-station until now, so I doubt it will be a downgrade.”

Sojourn nodded. “Alright, glad we got that sorted. Anything else?”

“I think that is it. I will let you know if I think of anything else.”

“Perfect. Now, there are some basic rules, but nothing out of the ordinary. No going into other people’s rooms without permission, no using weapons inside other than the training room, no starting fights, no running off on solo missions after I told you not to…”

Genji looked to the side, avoiding the glare Sojourn aimed his way.

“Sorry to say, but after living with him for the last few months, I can tell you for a fact that Hanzo’s not any better.”

Kiriko was approaching with a large duffle bag. That must be Hanzo’s, but was that it?

Sojourn groaned. “Really?”

Kiriko shrugged. “It runs in the family.”

“In my defence,” Genji started, not stopping when Sojourn glared at him again, “you said that Overwatch would get involved if it was proven that was Talon involved. And I was right, Talon was involved.”

“I explicitly told you not to go to Tokyo, Genji. We also didn’t know Talon was involved until we got here. We also didn’t have as good a plan as I would like, since our main source of information on the Hashimoto got himself kidnapped.”

“… Well. It all worked out in the end, didn’t it?”

“I’m going to find some way to make you regret disobeying direct orders, Genji.”

“Considering that disobeying direct orders brought my brother back to me, that is going to be hard.”

“I’m sure I’ll figure something out. You’re not going to be this difficult, right, Hanzo?”

“I make no promises.”

“He will,” Kiriko insisted. “You’ll tell him not to do something and he’ll literally look you directly in the eyes and do it anyway.”

“I do not.”

“You do! And now they’ll be able to work together to cause problems, which means they’ll get into even more trouble.”

“I thought you loved trouble, Kiriko?”

“Not your kind, Genji.”

Sojourn sighed loudly, titling her head back and pinching the bridge of her nose. “You two aren’t going to make me regret this, are you?”

Genji snickered. “You are just going to have to wait and see.”

“I do not cause trouble,” Hanzo grumbled.

“Didn’t you get kidnapped by the Hashimoto because you tried to fight them by yourself only a few months ago?”

“That was different.”

“I would never suggest otherwise.”

Kiriko muttered something under her breath about Hanzo being delusional, ignoring the glare he sent her way.

Angela smiled. It was nice to see them getting along, especially after today. She felt more hope that them being together once more would help them both move on and heal from the immense trauma they had both faced in their childhood and young adulthood.

Kiriko dropped the duffel bag next to Hanzo and got down on her knees, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you. I hope this all goes well for the both of you. I know you hate returning my texts, but please at least try to message back, okay?”

“I will try. I will miss you as well, Kiriko… Thank you for everything.”

She released him and moved onto Genji. “The same goes for you. It’s been so long, I wish we had more time to talk. Hang on, let me give you my number. Hopefully you’re better at responding to texts than Hanzo is.”

As Genji and Kiriko exchanged numbers, Fareeha frowned at the bag. “Is that really all you have?”

Hanzo shrugged. “I pack light. I do not need much.”

“We will have to get you some more stuff, Anija.”

“I will survive without it.”

“It is about more than just surviving, Hanzo.”

Kiriko stood up, trying and failing to hide the tears in her eyes. “I take it you guys are leaving now?”

“Yeah, we need to get going. Thank you for working with us, Kiriko.”

“No problem. Let us know if you guys are planning on coming back to Japan so we can help out. And you too, try to visit sometimes, okay?”

“We will see what we can do,” Genji replied.

“Hanzo, is it alright if Fareeha helps you back to the ship, while I take Genji?” Sojourn asked.

“Uhh…” Genji started, “Can we swap?”

“You’re lucky I’m suggesting I help you walk back and not just drag you by the ankle.”

“Wow, is that really the kind of thing the Strike Commander should be saying to one of the members of her team?”

“Do you really want to push me anymore that you already have, Genji?”

“I’m just saying, you are not making us look very good to Hanzo.”

Fareeha snorted. “You need to quit digging, Genji. Are you alright if I help you up, Hanzo?”

“I suppose so,” he said with a sigh, bracing himself to rise to his feet.

He swayed slightly as he stood, legs shaking as they supported his weight with difficulty even with Fareeha helping him stay upright.

Sojourn held out a hand to Genji, who, despite his complaints, did end up taking it. He helped dramatically when she pulled him to his feet, causing her to roll her eyes.

Angela sighed. “Why do I have the feeling that I am going to be seeing both of you in the infirmary far more than I should?”

“Oh, you’re definitely going to,” Kiriko replied, voice shaking slightly as she sniffled. She seemed to be putting off actually leaving. “Hanzo’s terrible at jumping head first into danger and getting hurt. Is Genji the same way?”

“I am not!” Hanzo protested.

“Oh, absolutely,” Angela said.

“Hey!” Genji whined.

Kiriko chuckled. “Alright… see you guys later.”

She clapped her hands and suddenly disappeared. Angela realised she never got the chance to ask her about that or about the healing papers. Hopefully, one of Hanzo or Genji would know.

“I’ll go on ahead to the ship and get everything set up,” Angela said, waving goodbye. Fareeha awkwardly blew a kiss at her with the hand that was holding her rocket launcher. She rolled her eyes, but knew the reddening of her cheeks was visible.

Cassidy was leaning against the wall near the ship, cigar in hand. “All good?”

“Yes, I think so. Now, just to talk to the others.”

He blew out a plume of smoke, chuckling as he did so. “You say that like it’s gonna be a walk in the park. Getting em all to listen’ll be as easy as talking Hanzo out of whatever state he was in on that rooftop, I’d imagine. And from what I heard, that was no easy feat.”

“Were you there when Genji and Hanzo talked?”

“Yep. They were using Viv’s comm to do it, and it was also set up so we could all hear, so I overheard the whole thing. That… that took a lot of the anger out of me, I think. Hearing Hanzo like that. Genji was real devastated too. You’re gonna have a real struggle with the two of them, I’m telling you.”

Angela sighed. That, she already knew. “Trust me, I’m well aware.”

She stepped on the ship. Conversations paused as everyone stared. Belatedly, Angela realised she was covered in blood. She didn’t know how long she had until the others got here, so she decided to get this over with quickly.

“Hanzo will be coming back with us to Sweden. He’s not officially joining the team as a member, but will be helping out on missions. Sojourn has asked that you all give him space as he settles in. I understand that what you saw today was likely very upsetting. If any of you need help processing today’s events, please do not hesitate to come talk to me. I am not formally trained in mental health but I will do my best to help you.”

As she spoke, she began setting up what she would need for an IV. For a moment, she wondered whether it would be better to set it up in the cockpit. While she would rather monitor Hanzo, she understood that it would likely be quite stressful for him to be in a confined space with the rest of the team for multiple hours on end, especially so soon after the events of today. Lena was already set up in the pilot’s seat, but Fareeha could also fly the ship, and Hanzo didn’t seem opposed to-

“I’m sorry? Are we supposed to just… accept what we saw? And just move on?” Hana asked, throwing her arms out. Her expression was incredulous.

“Like I said, if you find yourself experiencing distress due to today’s events, then you can-“

“No, I mean- you saw what he did to Genji! Like, I know he attacked Genji and that’s what made him a cyborg, but I didn’t know it was so… Violent. I guess Genji just made it out to be… not that big of a deal, I guess?”

“Yeah, that was intense… and now we’re supposed to be on a team with him?” Anran added.

Angela tried to keep from scowling. She had predicted this would happen, but had been hopeful that everyone would be a little bit more accepting. “I don’t think you understand what exactly led to this happening. I will admit, I do not fully understand the situation either, but from talking to Hanzo and Genji, I think it is quite obvious that Hanzo was not performing the attack completely under his own free will. That, and Genji has already said multiple times that he has forgiven his brother and wishes for him to be a part of his life again.”

Hana was still frowning, but it eased slightly. “I guess so… but, I dunno, I’m still not fully onboard.”

“This feels like a decision that should come after team meeting,” Zarya added. “Though, I understand. It is not the same context, but one can do terrible things if they feel it is the only choice.”

“I really don’t get it. Surely just leaving the clan would have been a better choice? Didn’t he literally do that anyway?” Lucio asked, his knee bouncing rapidly.

“Genji used to say the same thing,” Lena said, now leaning against the door to the cockpit, looking deep in thought. “Now, though, he’s been saying there were other factors at play. That video was, excuse the language, absolutely fucking horrifying, but I think it filled in some gaps for him.”

“If Sojourn has agreed to allow Hanzo Shimada to stay with Overwatch, then he will be under my protection,” Orisa stated plainly, before tilting her head to the side as her eyes narrowed. “Though, perhaps I should keep a closer eye on him…”

“I think if Genji wants to give Hanzo a second chance, then we should too!” Mei said. “Genji’s forgiven him, and I think we should respect that.”

“It’s just…” Anran began. “I could never do that to my brother. There’s nothing that could make me do that to him,” she admitted.

“You ain’t never been part of the Yakuza,” Cassidy said as he stepped onboard, cigar flicked to the side. “You’ve never heard the fucked up shit Genji said his family’s done, and he admitted to me earlier that now he thinks he don’t know the half of it. You don’t think you could do that because you’ve never been groomed into being the heir to the biggest Yakuza clan in the God damn country. Now, they’re almost here, so I recommend we put this conversation on pause, cause I don’t think anyone’s gonna enjoy what happens if Hanzo actually hears what y’all are saying about him. I know for a fact Genji ain’t gonna be happy.”

Angela blinked. It seemed like Cassidy’s viewpoint on the situation had completely changed since she had last talked to him only a few minutes ago. She knew how good he was at reading people. What had changed his mind? Had her conversation really changed the way that he was approaching this?

“You don’t think you could ever do that to Wuyang because you’ve never been groomed and manipulated into being the heir of the most powerful Yakuza clan in the country. Just look at how his family was treating him in that one short video! If his entire life was like that then… yeah, maybe I can see how he was convinced that killing his brother was the only option,” Baptiste admitted. He was looking down, not meeting any of their eyes. His voice almost sounded pained.

Anran crossed her arms and scowled, glaring off into the corner. That was probably harsher than it needed to be, but knowing Baptiste’s past… it was possible the situation hit closer to home than almost anyone on the team knew.

“Even so… is that really someone we want on the team?” Lúcio said, sounding frustrated.

“Lotta people here have done terrible things that they regret, I thought you knew that. Now hush, they’re here.”

The silence was painfully awkward as the four slowly made their way onto the ship. Hanzo once again tensed up as everyone looked at him.

“Do you want to sit in the cockpit?” Angela offered.

Hanzo looked relieved. “If that is alright.”

“I will be staying with him,” Genji immediately added.

“That’s fine.” Thankfully, this ship was large, and had extra seating in the cockpit. She looked at Fareeha and gestured subtly to the pilot’s seat.

“How about I fly?” Fareeha offered, thankfully on the same page as her.

Lena looked between the group before shrugging. “Sure, don’t see why not,” she said before taking a seat next to Brigitte, who was now trying very hard to pretend she wasn’t staring at Hanzo and failing quite badly.

Fareeha took her seat in the front while Genji and Hanzo were seated against the side of the cockpit, next to each other.

“Let me know if you guys need anything, alright?” Sojourn said, before leaving the cockpit and shutting the door behind her.

Hanzo didn’t say a word as she cannulated him. If anything, it looked like the pinch from the IV was the only thing keeping him awake. She attached the saline solution and let him rest. She would have preferred a blood transfusion, but all of their measly supplies had been destroyed when they were chased out of Gibraltar.

“Here.” She handed him some wipes. It would be ideal for him to get changed out of his blood soaked clothes, but this would do for now. He took them and made no effort to clean himself, staring blankly at them.

“Thank you, Angela,” Genji murmured as he took the wipes from his brother’s hand and began wiping the two of them down as best he could.

Angela sat in the front seat next to Fareeha, finally feeling just how exhausted she was as she buckled herself in. Fareeha took her hand and squeezed it tight before turning on the intercom.

“Everyone buckled in and ready? Great. Off we go.”

The faint hum of the ship grew louder as it began to take off. Glancing towards the brother, she saw how Hanzo had fully slumped against Genji as Genji tried to wipe off as much of the blood as he could. Angela wished she could lean against Fareeha’s shoulder like, but she would have to wait at least until the autopilot was able to be turned on.

Outside, the sun had begun to rise over Tokyo. Hopefully their actions here today had helped the city, even if their plan was rushed and last minute to save a captured teammate. They may have even gotten a new recruit out of it, if Hanzo ended up joining them.

Angela wasn’t sure if it was worth the suffering they had all seen today. That video shouldn’t have existed. What happened between Hanzo and Genji was something they deserved to move on from, not something that should be used to hurt them even more than it already has. .

Years ago, she had wondered how someone could possibly do that to their own brother. She now had her answer. She had helped Genji years ago, and was more than willing to do it again. Fixing their relationship with one another would be hard, but she would be there with them every step of the way.

Notes:

Named after “The Last Firstborn” by Celldweller. It’s long as hell and definitely won’t be everyone’s taste but if it wasn’t released 13+ years too early you could probably convince me it was based off of Hanzo and Genji.

The painting that is referenced in this fic and that this series is named after is “Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan” made in approx 1883-1885. It’s my favourite painting. I won’t lie, Hanzo and Genji are the reason why. There is some amazing fanart out there with Hanzo and Genji based on this painting.

If there are any weird grammatical errors and such, I used dictation/text to speech for like 70-80% of this and it liked to pull some bullshit sometimes.

I haven’t written fanfic in ages and forgot how much I like to ramble. About 5k I was thinking it would be 6-7k long. At no point when writing this was I expecting 15k+ words lmao…

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan