" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

vi | hesitation

yuanfen.
act two, chapter six.
"hesitation"

—

AFTER SPENDING THREE DAYS investigating the old omnium, Genji and his team came to the conclusion that it was completely abandoned, and they had been given a false lead. The rest of his team had already moved on, finding better things to do with their time, though he found himself returning to the dilapidated building. He sat on the rooftop, legs hanging off the edge, and watched the sun dip below the treetops that surrounded him. He was waiting patiently, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl in the fox mask again.

After his second encounter with the Nogitsune (as he so called her), Genji told his team about his two near-death experiences. They were frightened to discover that someone was hunting him; Lena insisted that he stay hidden until they were sure he was safe, whilst Reinhardt suggested chasing the Assassin back to her base of operations and putting an end to the threat before anyone else got hurt. Though Genji assured them that he was fine. The girl in the fox mask, although obviously experienced in killing, was rather sloppy. He had no trouble defending himself from her and, if he was being honest, he wanted to have another encounter with her.

He was intrigued by her, to say the least. There was something about her that was strangely familiar- her voice, her taunting words, her stature. It was as though he had seen it all before. He was unable to make sense of the familiarity he felt, though it only made him all the more eager to see her again. She wanted to kill him, and oddly enough he wanted her to attempt to do so again, as well.

Soon enough, nearly an hour after the sun dipped below the horizon and cast the omnium into darkness, she came. He heard her before he saw her, for her footfalls were heavy as she landed on the rooftop behind him. He smiled slightly beneath his mask, thankful that his face was hidden from view, and called to her without turning around.

"Trying it for the third night, Nogitsune?"

"Shut up, ninja," she muttered bitterly. He turned around to look at her; sure enough, she wore the fox-like mask over her face, and her fingers danced over her holstered gun. "I said you were dead to save my own ass. This is for my own personal fulfillment."

Genji shrugged, unbothered, and pulled himself to his feet. He faced her with his hands shoved into the pockets of his sweatpants, waiting for her to make a move. She seemed annoyed by his relaxed state, and she now gripped her gun tightly. She paused for a moment, head tilting to the side in confusion.

"Why were you just waiting here? Do you have a death wish or something?"

"No," Genji responded simply. "You intrigue me."

"That's weird," the Nogitsune retorted.

Genji was silent for a moment, eyes studying the mysterious girl that stood before him. Part of him wanted to rip the mask off of her face to catch a glimpse of who was hidden behind it, but he knew better than to do so. He wore a mask over his own face for the sole reason of hiding the hideous scars that covered his skin; it gave him a sense of security, knowing that those he helped would never feel afraid of his true appearance. It would've been wrong of him to take away the Nogitsune's sense of security, as well.

What am I doing, thinking about the well-being of someone that is trying to kill me? He thought to himself.

"What is your name?" Genji eventually questioned. He hoped that she would tell him; perhaps then the odd sense of familiarity would vanish and he could move on.

"Vixen," the Nogitsune responded.

"No. Your real name."

She shrugged, looking down. "Don't have one."