" NIGHTHAWK " genji shimada.

- nine.

KAILANI AND GENJI ARRIVED in Hanamura early the next evening. It had recently rained, causing the air around them to feel rather damp and thick. It was almost uncomfortable, though Kailani knew that the wet weather wasn't the only reason for this. She noticed the way Genji's shoulders tensed and he grew quieter than usual as soon as they stepped foot in the Japanese town. It must've been difficult for him, coming back to the town in which he grew up, the town where he was nearly murdered. Part of her was worried that all the progress Genji had made with Zenyatta would disappear into thin air when he saw the Japanese temple he once called home.

Kailani stayed close to him, her hand wrapped around his arm comfortingly as he led her towards a cheap hotel near the one she had stayed in during her very first visit to Hanamura. As she walked down the streets, Genji beside her, memories began to wash over her. The first time she was in Hanamura was also the first time she met Genji, not long before she suffered an arrow wound at the hands of a Shimada guard and was taken in by Overwatch. She couldn't help but smile; what was once a foul memory of dealing with the pain of an arrow wound and the snarky remarks of a cyborg ninja was now something she often liked to fondly think back to.

She wondered if Genji was thinking of the same thing, for she noticed him shooting quick glances in her direction every so often. When he did so, she could see the tenseness of his shoulders relax momentarily and could hear the faint whirring of his cybernetic suit as he sighed. She hoped that, amidst all of the horrible memories he associated with his hometown, at least one would be pleasant.

The hotel in which they chose to stay was nothing special; it was small and cheap, but it would make due for the short time they would spend in the city. It had a single window on the far edge of the room, overlooking the crowded city. Kailani gazed down at the street below, watching in silence as civilians pushed their way past one another, each of them on their way to live their own lives, do their own things. Her eyes drifted up to the large traditional temple that overlooked the city, the one she knew belonged to the Shimada Clan. She found it hard to believe that Genji once called that temple his home. She smiled softly to herself as she imagined a young Genji wandering around the streets years ago.

Kailani jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, wide-eyed, to see Genji watching her with a single eyebrow raised. "You seem more nostalgic than me," he commented with a soft chuckle. "What is on your mind?"

"Just thinking about you growing up here," she responded, shrugging. Her cheeks heated up in embarrassment as she spoke her thoughts aloud. She could only hope that Genji didn't find it odd. "I can imagine little Genji running around causing mischief on these streets."

Genji nodded as though agreeing. For a split second, his crimson eyes shone with a mixture of amusement and nostalgia. Then, he blinked, and it was replaced by a hint of sadness. "That was another life," he said and turned away.

Kailani pursed her lips, wondering if she said something wrong. She knew that Genji was having a hard time being back in Hanamura, especially due to the fact that he was planning on confronting the brother who almost murdered him. She thought that maybe if she lightened the mood with stories of his childhood, it would help him. Perhaps she was wrong. She stepped away from the window, approaching the man whose back was now turned to her. She wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him towards her. She rested her head on the cool metallic plating that covered his back, listening to the whirring of his cybernetics as he sucked in a surprise breath of air.

"I am proud of you," she mumbled to him. She pressed her lips to his armored shoulder momentarily. "I know it must be hard for you to come back here."

"Coming back is not the hard part," Genji admitted. He gently tugged himself out of her grip, turning to face her and pulling her towards him once more. She rested her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat and the rumbling of his voice as he spoke. "It is fighting the urge to grow angry once again."