" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

ii | weak

yuanfen.
act two, chapter two.
"weak"

—

"OVERWATCH," THE NAME WAS spat with such venom that it sent shivers down Vixen's spine. She was currently standing amongst a group of about twenty other Assassins, each with a mask resembling an animal hiding their face from view. The Reaper stood at the front of the room, addressing them with malice and bitterness.

"It is the worst thing to ever happen to this world. They are still out there. Cowering in the shadows, hiding from their mistakes. But we must be ready. We must make them all pay for their mistakes. All must die."

"All must die," the others repeated, the chorus of voices echoing throughout the room. Vixen joined in almost instinctively. It was a phrase that had been engraved into her memory so much that the words often slipped from her lips involuntarily... just as the Reaper wanted.

"Viper," the Reaper called out, and immediately a tall figure towards the front of the crowd perked up. Vixen knew exactly who it was, and she frowned as he stepped forward to stand beside the Reaper. He was the only one of the Assassins who seemed to embrace the persona of the animal represented by the mask. He reminded her more of a snake than a human at this point; he was extremely tall and lanky, though quick and strong despite the misleading appearance, and whenever he spoke he had a sort of hiss behind his words.

"As you all know, since Falcon's regrettable death, Viper has taken his place as second-in-command. He has set an example that all of you should follow," the Reaper continued. Vixen tensed at the mention of the former second-in-command, Falcon. Viper seemed to notice this, for he turned a curious gaze onto her as she did so. Although his eyes were hidden behind the serpentine mask, she could sense the taunting look that he was giving her.

"Have something to say, Vixen?"

All eyes turned to her as soon as the words slipped from Viper's mouth, including the Reaper's. She glared towards Viper, frowning unhappily, and shook her head. The Reaper, intrigued, glanced between the two. Then, he gestured her forward with a wave of his clawed hand. Vixen knew better than to argue, immediately pushing through the crowd to stand in front of the Reaper and Viper.

"You two are still distrusting of one another," the Reaper observed cooly. No shit, Vixen thought to herself with a roll of her eyes. I watched him kill one of our own right in front of me.

"Fight it out."

Vixen, pulled from her thoughts, looked at him in surprise. "What?" Viper, on the other hand, looked eager. His stance was stoic, towering over her as if trying to intimidate her, and she heard the faintest hiss fall from behind his mask.

"You heard me," the Reaper growled almost impatiently. "Fight it out."

"What, are you scared?" Viper questioned mockingly and took a step forward to tower over Vixen.

"In your dreams, snake," she responded. She had no time to react before he lashed out towards her. She gasped as his fist collided with the side of her head, knocking her backwards and causing her vision to spin for several moments. The sound of Viper's cackling pulled her back into reality. She regained her footing and faced the man in the serpentine mask before her.

"Is that all? You're growing kinda weak."

Her words seemed to anger Viper, for he struck out again almost immediately. This time, she was ready, and she easily side-stepped the blow with a smirk. Viper threw yet another punch, though she dodged that one, too. Her eyes were narrowed as she studied his movements, searching for a point of weakness. She noticed that he kept his torso unprotected as he swung out towards her, and she knew that it would be the easiest place to land a blow. Vixen ducked beneath yet another punch before she swung her arm out towards the side of his torso. In the blink of an eye, he reached down and grabbed her fist right before it came in contact with his ribs. A mocking tssk fell from his lips as he shook his head, his grip tightening on her hand.

"You gotta be quicker than that, fox."

Vixen swung out with her other fist, colliding with his bicep and causing him to hiss in pain. The soulless black eyes of the snake-like mask that he wore over his face met her own determined gaze for a split second, and then he struck. Far too quickly for her to react. The next thing Vixen knew, her head was colliding with the hard wooden floor beneath her, and she cried out in pain. Her head spun, and the sound of a few scattered cheers coming from their audience echoed painfully through her skull. She glanced upwards to see Viper stepping back to stand beside the Reaper once more, not even bothering to help her up. Vixen groaned, falling back onto the ground and holding her head in pain.

"Well done, Viper," the Reaper complimented, though his lifeless gaze was glued to Vixen as he did so. Like usual, he showed no emotion, but she knew that he was amused. The Assassins found joy in watching one another fail. She was overly aware of the prying eyes of the others behind her, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to retire to her room and hide away until her next mission.

"Vixen." She was pulled back into realty as the Reaper's cool voice met her ears. She opened her eyes, sitting up to look at him. "Come with me."

Vixen forced herself to her feet, holding the side of her pounding head. She began to follow the Reaper, shooting Viper a glare through her mask as she passed him. A cocky laugh came from the man, and she wanted nothing more than to rip the mask off and punch the smug look off of his face.

The Reaper's footfalls were silent as he led her through the hallways of the base. Faint wisps of dark smoke billowed out from beneath his feet with every step he took, curling into the air around his sulking figure. He seemed to be almost floating over the ground, something that only added to the eeriness of the enigmatic man. He came to a stop once the pair were far away from the others; she could no longer hear the conversations that broke out as soon as they left the room echoing off the walls. Vixen was nervous; it wasn't often that the Reaper requested to speak to someone privately. When he did so, it usually didn't end well. She swallowed anxiously, subconsciously reaching up and running her fingers along the raised scars that adorned her shoulder blades.

"That should have been an easy win against Viper," the Reaper growled lowly, pulling her attention back towards him.

Vixen couldn't agree, but she was hesitant to say otherwise. "He's too quick," she pointed out sheepishly. She glanced towards the Reaper, half-expecting him to lash out at her for being so pathetic. But he didn't. He stood frozen in place, arms crossed over his chest, and tapped his finger on his forearm almost impatiently.

"You should never let your guard down against an opponent like Viper," he said to her. "If you steadied yourself and prepared for a sudden blow at any time then he wouldn't have been able to knock you off your feet."

Vixen stayed silent. It wasn't like the Reaper to give training advice. Hell, he sent Assassins out on their first missions before most of them even knew how to use a gun. He didn't care about their well-being or their survival; all he cared about was getting the mission done.

"You have been weak since Falcon's death."

His words caused Vixen's heart to plummet to her feet. She had heard his name only a handful of times since his death. After the service that was held to announce his replacement as second-in-command, no one dared to speak of him. His name was only mentioned in her own thoughts, late at night as she lay on her mattress and thought about what could've been.

"I'm sorry, sir," was all she managed to squeak out.

"It's been two years. He is dead," the Reaper reminded her. Her heart hurt as if an old wound had been painfully reopened, though all she could do was nod. "Dead is dead."

"Yes, sir."

The Reaper turned away from her. If he noticed her sudden melancholy tone and slumped posture, he ignored it. She watched as he flexed his arms out in front of him, twisting his neck back and forth and causing the bones to pop loudly. He sighed, a deep rumble in his chest that resonated throughout the silent hallway, then said: "Prepare for another mission, Vixen. Time is running out. All must die."

"All must die," she agreed.