" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

vi | a favor

yuanfen.
act four, chapter one.
"a favor"

_

GENJI FELT STRANGELY RESTLESS. With the recruits currently taking their lunch break, he had nothing to do, and he was having a hard time finding a way to keep himself busy. After his conversation with Dr. Ziegler earlier that morning, he knew that he couldn't allow his thoughts to run rampant, or else he truly would take her advice and seek Dahlia out to talk to her. He knew better than to do that, however; Dahlia seemed livid whenever she learned the truth, and her behavior was completely rational. Genji knew that the last person she wanted to see right now was him.

    And yet, despite this, while he was wandering the halls aimlessly in an attempt to settle his restlessness, he found himself passing the medbay more times than what could be considered necessary. Angela told him that she was taking Dahlia on as her assistant, and he was able to catch glimpses of the Kitsune through the sliding glass doors whenever he passed by.

    Even if she wanted nothing to do with him, Genji was still adamant on keeping the promise he made to himself. He was going to keep an eye on her from a distance. With her mind being held together by only a few loose threads, he feared that the discovery of the truth behind her abduction would only make it far more likely for the Reaper to be able to take over.

    On Genji's third lap around the building (which was earning him several confused looks whenever he began to pass people over and over again) his pace faltered as he once again passed the medbay. He stole a glance inside, hoping that Dahlia wouldn't notice him, though he was surprised to find the desk that she was previously sitting at empty. He guessed that maybe Dr. Ziegler sent her out on some errands around the base; part of him hoped to run into her, while the other dreaded seeing her in the halls. He shrugged off her absence, then continued on his way.

    It wasn't until he neared the records room when he slowed down once again. He noticed movement inside the room through the crack in the door, and he immediately moved to look inside. He expected to find Dahlia slinking in the shadows, perhaps continuing her investigation from the night before (although he couldn't imagine her stupidly deciding to do so in the middle of the day.) As he peered inside, he was met by a figure with their back to him, dressed in a white lab coat with blonde hair pulled into a ponytail.

    "You are not the person I was expecting to see snooping through old files, Angela."

    Dr. Ziegler perked up at the sound of his voice, her shoulders tense as if he startled her. Then, she laughed lightly and turned to look at him. "Dahlia always was drawn to this room. Her curiosity often got the better of her," she said.

    Genji knew that she meant no harm by her words, yet they still felt like a punch in the gut. He frowned beneath his visor, once again reminded that it was her curiosity and his selfishness that caused her to get captured by Talon in the first place.

    "Have you spoken to her?" There it was. The question that he knew was coming. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Hm, that's a shame."

    "What are you doing with those?" Genji questioned, changing the subject. The files that Dr. Ziegler held in her hand were labeled with Dahlia's last name; there weren't many, but it seemed like she had collected them all.

    "I believe that if Dahlia is reminded of her life before Talon, it may help her," Angela explained to him.

    "Are you sure you will not just be unnecessarily reminding her of past trauma?" Genji countered with yet another frown. Judging by the way she reacted when he told her the truth behind her abduction, he was unsure of how she would react when she learned more about her life before Talon. He wasn't sure if it was a risk willing to take. He was about to question Angela on it when suddenly a robotic voice spoke over the intercom above their heads.

    "Dr. Ziegler, I wish to inform you that a patient is waiting for your care in the medbay. Diagnosis: dislocated shoulder. Would you like me to call Miss Blackrock in?"

    "That won't be necessary, Athena. I will head over right away," Dr. Ziegler said to the AI. She seemed oddly pleased to learn that she had an injured patient waiting for her. She then turned towards Genji, and he suddenly realized why. "Genji, since you're here, would you mind bringing these files to Dahlia? I gave her the day off so that she'd have time to read over them."

    Genji was tempted to refuse. He wondered if there truly was someone with a dislocated shoulder waiting for treatment, for he knew that this was all part of Angela's plan to get him to talk to Dahlia. Though as much as he didn't want to admit it, he did want to speak to her, and perhaps the files would give him an excuse to do so. He eventually nodded, reaching for the stack of files and taking them from Angela's arms.

    "I knew you'd be eager," she commended with a sly smile.

    Once again, Genji rolled his eyes. "I am simply doing you a favor," he insisted, but even he knew that it wasn't entirely true. Dr. Ziegler gave him one last knowing look before she excused herself, sliding past him and heading off in the direction of the medbay. Genji glanced down at the files he held in his hands, sucking in a deep breath that caused his cybernetic suit to whir loudly before he, too, left the records room.

    He knew that lunch would be ending soon, meaning that the recruits would return to the training facility expecting to continue their training throughout the afternoon. McCree was sure to give Genji a piece of his mind if he was left to deal with the newcomers on his own, though the ninja made no rush to drop the files off. After all, if for some odd reason Dahlia miraculously decided to put aside her feeling of betrayal and ask for his company, he knew that he would not be able to object.

    Minutes later, Genji found himself standing in front of Dahlia's dorm. Her name was now engraved on the plague that was screwed into the wall above the scanner, and he stared blankly at the meticulous letters as he struggled to convince himself to knock on the door. He let out a long sigh, shifting his weight back and forth before raising his hand to knock three times on the surface. Due to his enhanced hearing, he was able to hear the soft curses that fell from Dahlia's mouth from within the dorm, followed by a shuffling sound as she rushed to answer. Then, the door swung open, and she stood in its place.

    Immediately, her expression dropped into one of clear annoyance, and a frown pulled downwards on her lips. "You just can't take a hint, can you, ninja?"

    It was the reaction that Genji had expected, so he was unbothered by her foul attitude. If anything, he felt the slightest bit of disappointment. Perhaps he truly was hoping that she would've forgiven and forgotten. "Dr. Ziegler asked me to bring these to you," he said to her, handing her the stack of files he held.

    "Oh," she said, lips tight. She took the files from him, and he didn't miss the way her body tensed as her fingers brushed over his own. "Thanks, I guess."

    Genji said nothing else. If she wanted to continue their conversation, he would let her, though he wasn't going to force anything. He simply shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, the metallic sleeve that covered his organic arm suddenly feeling uncomfortably tight. Dahlia backed into her dorm and began to close the door. Just before it latched shut, however, she paused. She opened it once more, peering out at him awkwardly.

    "Do you want to come in?"

    Her question surprised Genji, though he perked up nonetheless. "I thought you hated me, Kitsune," he said with a hint of humor.

    Dahlia didn't answer right away. Her gaze was glued to the files; she held them away from her, seeming almost wary of their contents. "This is all overwhelming," she admitted with a frown. "I don't want to be alone. I hate that it has to be you, but you're the only one here so..."

    She looked up at him expectantly, and the look in her eyes made it impossible for him to object. Without saying anything, he nodded and followed her into her dorm.