" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

vii | gratitude

yuanfen.
act four, chapter seven.
"gratitude"

_

DAHLIA WASN'T SURE HOW she felt about allowing Genji into her dorm. Not even twenty-four hours had passed since she learned that he was one of the reasons why she was taken by Talon nearly a decade prior, and the anger she felt towards the discovery had not dwindled one bit. It took all her effort not to go off on him in a fit of screaming rage. The only reason she was currently tolerating his presence was due to the fact that she was absolutely terrified of what she was about to read in the files she had been given.

    Genji seemed almost as on edge as she was. He kept his glowing gaze glued to her as she led him into the tiny living room, though he made sure to keep his distance as if he was expecting her to lash out at any given moment.

    Smart move, Dahlia thought to herself with a visible scowl. He's lucky he's covered in metal or else he'd earn himself a punch in the gut.

    She plopped down on the couch, placing the stack of files on the coffee table. She stared at them for a moment, wary to pick one up and begin reading. Genji stood to the side of the couch, his body stiff and his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Dahlia sighed, rolling her eyes at the ninja, then gestured for him to sit down. After hesitating for a moment, Genji took a seat on the couch beside her. It was odd, but she found his company oddly comforting. There was just something about presence beside her and the soft whirring of his cybernetic suit with each breath that he took that made the files in front of her seem a little less scary.

    Sucking in a deep breath, Dahlia reached down and grabbed the file on the top of the stack. She said nothing, flipping it open before she had the chance to talk herself out of it. Silence filled the room as she read. She could feel Genji's glowing gaze on her the entire time, though she refused to tear her eyes away from the file, and neither of them dared to speak.

    Nearly an hour passed when she finally reached the last file. She placed the one labeled with her father's name on the coffee table (she was grateful that she was able to read it again without the fear of being caught distracting her.) Picking up the last file, she prepared herself to read once again. So far, she had learned that she was born to a Indigenous tribe in Saskatchewan, Canada. Her mother died when Dahlia was young to a rare form of dementia, and not long after, her father moved her to an Overwatch base in Switzerland. There, she was raised alongside the daughter of Ana Amari, Fareeha.

    She felt as though she was reading the biography of some strange person, unfamiliar to her. Yet, the more she read through the files and continued to learn about her life before Talon, the more familiar certain things became. Now, it was almost as if she was rereading a story that she has heard before; she was familiar with the events and the people within the story, though it still didn't seem real.

    Dahlia was so focused on reading that she hadn't noticed Genji reaching for one of the files that she had discarded onto the coffee table. It wasn't until she felt him reach out and touch her bicep that she turned her attention to him. "Do you mind?" He questioned, gesturing down to the file he held in his hand.

    Dahlia pursed her lips. Genji probably already knew more about her than she did, she couldn't imagine why he would need to read through the documentation of her life. She then realized that, while she had been busy reading for nearly an hour, the ninja had done nothing but sit beside her in silence. She felt guilty for a moment, and, although she would never admit it out loud, she was thankful that he was willing to stay with her.

    "Knock yourself out, ninja," she said with a shrug before returning her attention to the file in her lap. Silence engulfed the room once more, and she allowed herself to drown in her swirling thoughts. All the new information that was being poured into her head was all so overwhelming. She struggled to remember everything. The chorus of voices had begun to whisper in the back of her head, attempting to push their way to the front to overtake her thoughts, though it was as if they had been trapped by the new information. They were barely audible, faint whispers that were powerless against her.

    Dahlia was pulled from her thoughts once again as Genji called her name. She looked over at him, part of her tempted to snap at him for interrupting her reading. His metallic fingers drummed over the file that he had been reading; he seemed almost nervous. "This file on your father has failed to mention the most important thing. You deserve to know."

    "What?" Dahlia asked slowly. She was hesitant to hear what Genji had to say; after all, the last time he tried to tell her about her past self didn't go so well.

    "Your father was not killed simply because he was with Overwatch," the ninja said to her. "He was a double agent. When he tried to leave Talon, they killed him to keep him quiet."

    His words echoed emptily through her mind. If only she could truly remember her father, perhaps she would feel something towards the information, but she only felt nothing. To her, her father was a stranger, a simple character in a story that was written in these files. The memories were familiar, but she couldn't remember him. It was like she never even knew him. Still, she wasn't even sure if she could believe Genji. Any information that these Overwatch agents fed her could easily be false, and she had no idea how to distinguish the truth from lies.

    "How can I believe you?"

    "You can believe what you want, Kitsune, but it is the truth," Genji responded, unbothered by her skepticism. She felt that if it was false information, he would've fought more to make sure she believed him; perhaps he truly was telling her the truth.

    She turned away from him, thinking over his words for a moment as she gathered up the files. "Is that why they took me?" She asked, not missing the way his body tensed as she mentioned her abduction. It seemed as though the topic bothered him as much as it bothered her. "Talon, I mean. Because I was his daughter?"

    "It is possible. You could have known as much as he did," Genji agreed. He stood to his feet as she did the same, offering to take the files from her. She handed them to him, already feeling a sense of relief as soon as they were out of her reach. There was something about being in the presence of so much information about herself that put her on edge. The sooner they were locked away again, the better. Genji turned towards the door, dismissing himself. Before he was able to move away, however, Dahlia reached out to grab his arm, causing him to freeze. She was surprised by the warmth being emitted through the metallic plating, and she didn't miss the way a barely-visible shiver ran up his arm. He turned his gaze to her in curiosity.

    "Thank you," she said to him with a small smile. Genji said nothing, simply nodding once as a response; he was more than thankful that she was unable to see his grin beneath his visor.

'

'

'

    Genji tucked the stack of files deep inside the cabinet in which they belonged, hopeful that they'd stay hidden there for good. It was obvious that the contents inside the files had affected Dahlia greatly, and while he knew that Dr. Ziegler had the best intentions, he wasn't sure if it was the best idea. It only left her all the more confused; though, he had to admit, she did seem a lot more grounded to reality after reading them.

    "How did she take it?" Genji was startled by the sounded voice behind her, looking over his shoulder to see Dr. Ziegler standing in the doorway of the records room. She seemed apprehensive, as if she too was worried that her idea did more harm than good.

    "As well as she could," Genji responded.

    "And you?" Angela asked, her eyes shining with humor as she gave him a pointed look.

    Genji was confused. "I was not the one learning about a life I cannot remember."

    Dr. Ziegler hummed, amused. "Yes, but you stayed long enough to know how she took it, am I right? She didn't push you away."

    Genji rolled his eyes, stepping away from the filing cabinet. He wasn't a fan of the looks that Angela was shooting him; it was as if she knew something that he didn't. "You are not right in the head, Angela," he said with a soft chuckle.

    "Maybe not, but after having you as my patient for so many years, it only makes sense."