" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

ii | another sleepless night

yuanfen.
act four, chapter two.
"another sleepless night"

_

ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT FOLLOWED the events of that day. Despite the odd reassurance Dahlia felt after hearing Genji's promise, she still couldn't bring herself to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was a knife in her hand and an unsuspecting agent standing before her. Perhaps Genji was right- perhaps she wasn't too far gone- but until she was certain that she could control the voices in her head, she wasn't going to risk taking another innocent being's life.

She laid in bed for several hours, hoping that she would be able to at least rest her mind and relax, though that too was proven to be difficult. Her thoughts ran rampant, constantly moving between the confusing memories that were trying to push their way to the surface and the hateful things shot in her direction by the recruits earlier that day. She knew that, if only she was able to remember the life she had before being an Assassin, she would have been able to defend herself against the bullies. But now, for all she knew, everything they said about her was true.

It wasn't long before Dahlia gave up on trying to rest. She pulled herself out from underneath the comfort of her blankets, gasping quietly as her bare feet came in contact with the cool wooden floor. The clock on her bedside table read a little after one o'clock; the soft ticking that came with each second that passed was the only thing keeping the room from delving into complete silence. The photograph that Dr. Ziegler had given to her when she first woke up sat on the table beside the clock. Dahlia glanced down at it, her eyes scanning over the unfamiliar faces that seemed to stare right back at her. Her gaze lingered on the man in the photograph. The man that was supposedly her father.

Dahlia couldn't help but feel curious towards him. He looked like her- the same dark hair and golden brown skin- so she knew that he must have been her father. She couldn't remember a thing about him though. Memories swarmed in the deepest corner of her mind, telling her that there was some sense of familiarity, but she was unable to grasp onto any of them long enough to remember.

Where was he now? He was obviously an Overwatch agent, judging by the blue uniform he wore that was identical to Ana Amari's, yet the Reaper never once mentioned him. Perhaps it was out of fear that mentioning his name would cause the memories he tried so hard to banish from Dahlia's mind to resurface.

Dahlia was unsure of the true reason why no one had bothered to mention her father, though the more she thought about it, the more her suspicions grew. If he was alive, surely the Overwatch agents would want to tell him that his daughter had been found; if he was dead, then why haven't they told her? Surely she had a right to know, even if she was unable to remember him.

Dahlia turned away from the photograph as a dull ache shot through her skull. It seemed that every time she tried to learn more about her life before she was taken by Talon, whatever spell was entangled in her mind would do everything it could to stop her. It only made her all the more curious though. What was it about her former life that made the Reaper so desperate to hide it?

Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind. She was currently standing in an Overwatch base; surely they had information on her father stored away somewhere. If the Overwatch agents were so reluctant to tell her about her past, then she knew that she would just have to figure it out herself. She quickly slipped on a pair of shoes and pulled a hoodie over her head, then took off in the direction of the headquarters.

The base was lifeless as she scurried across the courtyard. She knew that everyone would be fast asleep. Wake-up was in less than 5 hours, and everyone but her would be trying to get a good night's sleep. The headquarters building loomed over her as she approached it, a dark silhouette against the cloudless night sky. Dahlia pulled open the large door, quickly stepping inside and shutting it behind her. She paused for a moment, listening out for any sign of movement. Then, she took off down one of the hallways. Her feet seemed to move on their own, almost as if she knew exactly where she was going.

"Miss Blackrock?" Dahlia's heart plummeted to her feet, and she froze as a feminine robotic voice met her ears. It belonged to Athena, the AI that watched over the entirety of the base. "May I ask where you are going at this late hour?"

Dahlia didn't respond right away. The name that Athena had called her, Miss Blackrock, echoed through her mind. The name sounded oddly familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before, but she was unable to pinpoint where. Perhaps it was yet another foreign memory attempting to push its way to the front of her mind.

"I'm just stretching my legs, Athena," she finally said to the AI. It wasn't exactly a lie. With her thoughts running rampant and the fear of the voices taking over once again keeping her awake, she felt restless.

"May I remind you that it's past curfew-" Athena started to say as Dahlia continued on her way.

"I won't stay out long, I promise."

Minutes later, Dahlia found herself standing in front of one of the many doors that lined the hallway on the third floor. It was locked, with a scanner flashing red beside the handle. She groaned in frustration, reaching out to jiggle the handle as if doing so would make it magically unlock. She had no idea why she expected the Overwatch agents to have their files somewhere easily accessible; of course they would be sealed away from prying eyes such as hers. She was about to give up and head back to her dorm when the sound of someone clearing their throat sounded from behind her. She jumped in fright and whipped around to face whoever had joined her, praying that whoever it was wouldn't cause any trouble.

It was Genji. The lights of his cybernetic suit were dimmed, and the dark hoodie that he wore was pulled over his head. Dahlia was slightly relieved, although she couldn't understand how the ninja just so happened to be in the same place she was so often. "Has following me become a sort of hobby of yours, ninja?" She accused, only half joking.

"Has getting into unnecessary trouble become a hobby of yours, Nogitsune?" Genji retorted dryly.

Dahlia shrugged, glancing towards the locked door once more. "I'm only curious."

"Yes, and behind that door are legally sealed confidential files. They are not for curious eyes."

"Well I can't exactly get in, can I?" She grumbled with a scowl. "You don't have to worry about me seeing all the secrets you keep hidden from the world."

"You truly believe that we are the bad guys?" Genji took a step towards her. He seemed almost hurt.

"I don't know what I believe," Dahlia said, looking away. She had been conditioned to think that Overwatch were the villains for nearly a decade; surely there was some truth behind it. No one was perfect, and she knew very well that the members of Overwatch were far from saints. Perhaps they weren't necessarily good, but were they better than Talon?

She wanted them to be.

"If Sojourn finds you here, it would not be good." Genji's voice pulled her from her thoughts. He stood right in front of her now, and she was surprised by the sudden tightness in her throat due to his closeness. "She already does not trust you."

"You're good at keeping secrets, aren't you?" Dahlia said with a cheeky grin. He seemed surprised by this, his shoulders tensing for a split second as a soft whir came from deep within his cybernetic suit. He said nothing as he moved past her. She watched as he placed his thumb over the scanner; the red light ran up and down his digit, then turned green. A moment later, the sound of the door unlocking echoed through the hallway. Genji swung the door open, stepping inside and glancing at her over his shoulder.

"Come on, then. You wanted to get in, did you not?"

Dahlia stared after him, blinking in surprise. Then, as he disappeared into the darkness of the room, she followed.