" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

vi | sickness

yuanfen.
act one, chapter six.
"sickness"

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ALTHOUGH TEMPTED TO PURPOSEFULLY disobey Jack Morrison's orders to piss him off even more, Dahlia knew better than to directly challenge the Commander. Even after sleeping off the initial shock and sadness that came with the discovery of her father's betrayal, she was still livid with Morrison. She was tired of being treated like a child, being shoved aside even when she could be of use. He didn't even bother telling Ana the truth about the man whom she had been so close to, and Dahlia wondered if it was because he simply didn't believe what she told him.

    When Winston heard about Dahlia's punishment, he had, quite childishly, said "I told you so." Dahlia wanted to be angry with him, though the laugh that fell from her mentor's mouth as he held his belly and doubled over made it impossible for her to do so. She knew that Winston enjoyed her company more than anyone on base (apart from maybe Lena) and he was one of the kindest beings she knew. She couldn't bring herself to be angry at him.

    Well, that's what she told herself that morning.

    Now that Winston had completely left her alone in the lab, claiming that he had some important business to do elsewhere (although she knew well enough that he and Lena were going to watch the recruits train and play a game that they, very unoriginally, called "guess the recruit's future division.") Dahlia was bitter. She was lonely, with no one to talk to but herself and Athena. She found out rather quickly that Athena was not the best conversationalist. Her responses were short and her sense of humor was about as dry as a desert.

    After an hour of attempting conversation with the AI, Dahlia resorted to sitting in silence. It wasn't ideal, especially due to the fact that her mind was currently running rampant with thoughts of her father and his newly-discovered betrayal. She had lost count of how many times she had to stop what she was doing and wipe away the tears that formed in her eyes before they managed to slip down her cheeks. She was grieving for her father once again, but this time she was mourning the death of the man that she thought he was.

    Dahlia threw the last empty jar of peanut butter in the large trash bag that she was carrying around, grumbling underneath her breath. She made a mental note to scold Winston for being such a slob when she saw him again. She didn't mind his animalistic tendencies- after all, he was still just a monkey- but the least he could do was clean up after himself. She tossed the trash bag near the door to the lab before moving on to a pile of dirty flasks.

Dahlia turned around as the sound of the door sliding open met her ear, ready to complain to her mentor for one: leaving her alone while he got to do the fun stuff and two: making her clean up his mess. What surprised her, however, was that it wasn't Winston that entered the lab, but rather Genji. She felt her body tense as his glowing gaze met her own, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What are you doing here?"

Genji crossed the room quickly, stopping in front of her. She took a step back in surprise, her backside hitting the counter behind her. Her eyes were wide as he kept closing the distance between them, and she felt her throat tighten nervously. He stopped only inches away from her; the glowing green lights that were scattered across his cybernetic armor reflected off of her white lab coat.

"You owe me a favor," he reminded her, his voice low. "You said you would do anything for me."

"Y-yes," Dahlia squeaked out, mentally slapping herself for sounding so pathetic. She couldn't help but notice the way his hands gripped the edge of the counter on either side of her. "What did you have in mind?"

Genji pulled away from her, and she immediately relaxed. "You are coming with me."

"What?" Dahlia blinked in confusion. "No. Haven't you heard? I'm on house arrest- er, lab arrest, I guess. I can't leave my station unless it's to go back to my dorm."

Genji, who had already begun to move towards the door, turned to look at her once more. "You are sick," he said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Dahlia snapped with a frown. "That's rude."

Genji looked towards the ceiling for a moment, and she could imagine him rolling his eyes beneath his mask. Then, he lowered his voice even more, so quiet that she had to strain to hear him, and she realized that he was trying not to be picked up by Athena. "You... are sick," he repeated slowly.

    Realization washing over her, Dahlia nodded in understanding. She searched around her, grinning upon noticing a bunsen burner left on a table across the room. She rushed over to it, Genji following behind her curiously. She turned on the device, finger dancing over the flame to test the heat being emitted from it. While it was heating up, Dahlia grabbed a trash can and pulled it over to her. She stuck a finger down her throat until she felt bile rise from her stomach. She emptied the contents of her stomach into the trash with a grimace.

    Why am I doing all of this for Genji Shimada? This is gross, is it even worth it? She thought to herself as she moved her head over the flame of the bunsen burner. Immediately, she felt herself break out into a sweat, and after only a few moments, the heat of the flame was beginning to grow uncomfortable on her skin.

    "What are you doing?" Genji questioned, looking at her as if she grew a second head.

    "Athena measures body temperatures," Dahlia explained as she pulled away from the bunsen burner. She wiped away a bead of sweat that collected on her forehead. "Anyone that checks my data will see that I was running a fever." She used her fingers to make air quotes as she said this. Then, she turned off the bunsen burner, pushing it away from her and standing from her seat. "Athena, I'm feeling sick. Will you check my temperature?"

    It was silent for a moment, but then Athena's voice echoed through the room as she said: "You have a slight fever of thirty-seven and a half degrees celsius, Miss Blackrock. Dr. Ziegler's recommendations for a fever and nausea are: retiring to one's dorm, taking a cool bath, and enjoying a nice bowl of soup. She also recommends stopping by the medbay if the symptoms persist."

    "I'm just going to go rest in my dorm," Dahlia said to the AI with a glance in Genji's direction. The cyborg was waiting near the door once more, arms crossed over his chest impatiently. She began to quickly gather her things, for she wanted to leave before Winston came back. "Thanks, Athena!"

    Dahlia followed Genji out of the lab and down the hallway, waiting for him to explain what he wanted her to do for him. She looked around her nervously; she half-expected Commander Morrison to pop out from around the corner and scold her for abandoning her work, perhaps even terminate her internship altogether. Thankfully, Genji's pace was brisk as he led her down the hallway. Before she knew it, they were out in the courtyard. He led her towards the dormitories, and as they neared them she began to grow nervous. She had no idea what he wanted from her, and the longer he stayed silent the more her thoughts began to run astray. Genji finally stopped once he dipped behind the dormitory building; Dahlia did the same, leaning her shoulder against the brick wall as she looked at him expectantly.

    "So what's this favor?" She questioned him. She attempted to hide the shakiness of her voice, though she failed miserably.

    "You are coming with me to Hanamura," Genji responded, looking around him as if searching for something. "I have arranged for a Blackwatch pilot to fly us there."

    "Why?" Dahlia's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Everyone knew of the traditional Japanese city where Genji grew up, as well as the events that transpired there that led to his recruitment into Blackwatch. She couldn't imagine why he would want to return.

    "Upon my recruitment, Overwatch promised to take down my family's empire in exchange for my help," Genji explained. "They have yet to do so."

    "I've come to learn that Overwatch isn't exactly keen on keeping their promises," Dahlia grumbled with a roll of her eyes, once again thinking back to the countless times Jack Morrison promised to arrest the men who killed her father. Genji grunted a response, then gestured for her to follow him. She did so, and the pair began to make their way across the courtyard. "When are we leaving?"

    "Right now."