" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

extra | dahlia

yuanfen.
act two, extra.
"dahlia"

—

THE NOGITSUNE LAY SO still on the hospital table that if it wasn't for the soft rise and fall of her chest, Genji would've been convinced that she was dead. A heart monitor beeped softly next to the bed, monitoring her vitals, and the sound echoed loudly through his helmet. He watched as Dr. Ziegler carefully removed the bullet that had become lodged into her abdomen, flinching as strings of clumped-up blood dripped from the copper object.

    "I should have done more," he grumbled unhappily. His gaze was glued to the wound, his senses hyper-focused on the sound of her steady breathing.

    "Now, now, don't be silly," Angela scolded him softly. She glanced towards him, a knowing glint in her light eyes. "You've done enough, Genji. She's safe now because of you. A little bullet wound won't kill her."

    Despite her comforting words, Genji was not convinced. He paced back and forth nervously. If he had fingernails, he knew that he would surely be chewing on them. Instead, however, he resorted to picking at several loose strings that hung off of his hoodie. Dr. Ziegler noticed his uneasiness.

    "You are the perfect example of my capabilities, Genji," she reminded him with a small smile. "You of all people should know that she is in good hands."

    Genji nodded. He knew he couldn't argue with that. Angela was a brilliant doctor, and he trusted her with his life. "I know."

    Dr. Ziegler hummed with approval as she finished stitching up Vixen's wound. She dropped the soiled materials into the bin beside the table. Then, she looked towards the mask that covered Vixen's before glancing towards Genji. "We must remove her mask, you know."

    Genji knew it was true. If they were going to take her in, they needed to see her true identity; after all, they weren't Talon, and they weren't going to force her to wear a mask that covered her face all the time. He wasn't happy about it, for he knew that the mask must have been a sense of security for her after wearing it so long, but he didn't argue. He simply grunted a response, watching closely as Angela reached for the mask.

    The mask was removed slowly, and Genji found himself unable to look away as the Nogitsune's face was revealed to him. Her true identity was something he found himself wondering about since the moment he first met her, and now that he was finally able to see who she was beneath the fox-like mask, he found himself feeling almost nervous. Dr. Ziegler lifted the mask away from her face, and a moment later a shock gasp fell from her lips. Genji's stomach churned inside of him, and his throat suddenly felt dry; he was speechless as he looked down at her face. Her face. The face of someone he thought had been lost long ago.

    "Winston!" Dr. Zeigler suddenly called for the gorilla scientist, who had been waiting patiently outside of the medbay. "You must come see this!"

    Winston was pushing through the doors in the blink of an eye, though he froze as his eyes landed on the girl laying on the table in front of them. His mouth dropped open, his amber eyes wide with shock, and a name fell from his lips. A name that Genji hadn't heard in years, a name that he quite honestly never expected to hear again.

    "Dahlia?"