" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

vii | curiosity

yuanfen.
act two, chapter seven.
"curiosity"

—

THE BASE WAS LIFELESS upon Vixen's return, much to her relief. It was late, and the moon was already beginning to sink in the cloudless sky. The Reaper hadn't sent out any patrols that night, for once willingly giving the Assassins a much needed night of rest, so she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her whilst she slipped inside the walls. Still, she was on edge. Part of her expected the Reaper to somehow know about her late night excursion and be waiting for her when she returned.

She knew that she was risking a lot by leaving against his will and going to attempt to kill a target that she had already insisted was dead. Not to mention she ended up not killing him once again, for some reason that she had yet to figure out herself.

Vixen slipped inside the window that she knew led to her room. She found it odd that the Reaper went out of his way to install high-security locks on every door to keep the Assassins from wandering on their own during the night, yet he didn't even think about doing the same to the windows. Sure, they had locks on them, as did any window installed in any building; though the locks were accessible from inside the dorms, giving the Assassins free access to open and close them as they pleased.

Perhaps the Reaper expected the Process to be so full-proof that he didn't have to worry about his minions sneaking out behind his back. Whatever the reason was, Vixen was thankful.

The moon that shone through the window provided very little light to the otherwise dim room. Shadows danced along the wall as Vixen approached her bed. Her body cried out for the comfort of her mattress, the peace that would surely follow her falling asleep. She collapsed onto the bed and slid beneath the blanket. She rested her head on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling in silence. She reached up to run her hands down her face, surprised to feel her fingertips come in contact with the wooden surface of her mask. In her exhaustion, she had forgotten to slip it off. She grimaced as she sat up, realizing that she had become so accustomed to wearing it that she often forgot that it was even over her face; the fox mask had truly become a part of her, and she hated that.

She moved to tear the mask away from her face, though she froze as she heard a sudden sound coming from just outside her window. A moment later, a knock on the glass caused her to jump in fright. She sprang to her feet, nervously approaching the window and gazing outside. A dim green glow illuminated off of an otherwise dark figure gazing at her through the glass. She frowned beneath her mask and opened the window to find the ninja from earlier perched just outside. His hood was pulled over his head, the lights on his suit dimmed so that they just barely created a faint glow around his body. He slipped past her before she could protest, landing on the wooden flooring soundlessly.

Vixen turned around in confusion, panic causing her throat to grow dry and her heart to pound against her chest. She kept the window open, and the cool midnight breeze caused her to shiver slightly. "You can't be here," she hissed to him, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Why?" The ninja, Genji, asked; he, too, spoke in a soft voice, and the low volume caused his accent to become even more prominent. She found his voice oddly entrancing. "I am dead, Nogitsune. You said so yourself. I can go where I please."

"I hate you," Vixen grumbled with a roll of her eyes. She noticed his body suddenly tense at hers, and she shot him a questioning glance. "Why are you here?"

Genji shook his head as though shaking away intrusive thoughts. "I did not know you work for Talon," he observed.

"Good," Vixen responded shortly. "You are not supposed to."

"They are not the good guys, you know," Genji said to her, causing her to scoff in bitter amusement. Did he really expect her to think the monsters she worked for were good guys? They made her kill people every single day; of course she knew they weren't the good guys.

"I don't need them to be," she argued with a shrug. "They keep me safe, give me food and a roof over my head. That's all I ask for, and in exchange, all must die."

Genji's shoulders heaved as a soft sigh fell from behind his mask. "No one has to die."

Vixen looked away, frowning. "You don't understand," she whispered. She reached up to rub her temples, the wounds given to her by the Process only just now beginning to scab over. She flinched as a dull ache shot through her skull, and she lowered her hand to her side once more.

"How long have you been here?" Genji asked, sounding genuinely curious. Vixen found it odd how the ninja was trying to make small talk with a girl who tried to kill him on multiple occasions, not to mention he was currently standing in her room in the middle of a Talon base surrounded by people who wished nothing but death upon him. She had no idea how he was managing to be so casual.

"Eight years," she said. Perhaps if she answered his rather intrusive questions, he would leave. The longer he stayed, the bigger the chances that he would be discovered; if the Reaper ever found out that the ninja was alive, Vixen would be dead right alongside him. The sooner she could get him to leave, the better.

"Have you been killing for eight years?"

"No." Vixen shook her head. "The Reaper arrived here shortly after me. Then came the training. Only a... few years."

"Where were you before this?" Genji asked. Vixen hadn't noticed how close he had gotten over the past few minutes. He stood right in front of her now, so close that she could hear his raspy breathing and the soft whirring of his cybernetic suit.

Vixen narrowed her eyes, forcing herself to focus on anything but the distracting sound of his breathing. "Why so many questions?"

Genji shrugged, taking a step backwards. "I am only curious. You remind me of someone."

His words struck her in an odd way. A sickening sensation welled up in her gut, causing her stomach to churn and her head to spin. She was silent for a moment, eyes wandering over the ninja standing before her. An odd sense of deja vu overwhelmed her and, for a moment, she felt a sense of familiarity too. Before she was able to ask him about it, however, she forced the feeling away with a scowl. She shook her head, her body stiffening as she moved towards the window once more.

"You can't be here, ninja. I'm going to ask you to leave now," she said cooly, not missing the way his shoulders slumped slightly at her words. "I must take off my mask and get some sleep."

Genji perked up at this. "I cannot see what's beneath?" He asked, his voice strangely hopeful.

"No." Vixen reached out to grab him, tugging him towards the window, though she immediately yanked her hand away as an odd sensation suddenly jolted up her arm. Her fingertips tingled, warmth spreading across her skin. Genji seemed to notice it too, for his shoulders tensed and she could hear him take a sharp intake of breath.

Vixen shoved the odd feeling aside with a shake of her head. She gestured towards the window, this time taking a step away from the ninja; the soft breeze blew once again, sending a cool chill in through the open window. "Please leave."

Genji hesitated for a moment, surprisingly reluctant to leave. She half-expected him to argue, though he then nodded his head and moved towards the window. He climbed through it and landed silently on the earth outside. He stopped, his gaze lingering on her, and it seemed as if he wanted to say something. But he didn't. He turned away from her without another word, disappearing into the shadows without looking back.

Vixen closed the window, though she didn't move away at first. She watched as the dim glow of Genji's suit disappeared into the darkness before she turned away. She flexed her digits as she gazed down at the hand that had grazed his arm, surprised to still feel the ghost of his touch on her fingertips. Vixen cursed beneath her breath for feeling so intrigued by the ninja, for feeling disheartened by his absence. She climbed into her bed once more, slipping beneath the blanket, and found herself gazing out her window in hopes of catching just a single glimpse of that familiar green glow.