" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

ii | knight in metal armor

yuanfen.
act five, chapter two.
"knight in metal armor"

_

DAHLIA HALF-EXPECTED THE Reaper to be waiting for her upon returning to her dorm. She had unlocked the door with a shaky finger, hesitantly opening it and stepping inside. She flicked on the lights immediately, gazing around the empty room with wide eyes. Each and every shadow that danced along the walls caused her to jump in fright. She was uneasy, to say that least. She mumbled a quiet goodbye to Genji, part of her dreading being left alone for the night, and went to close the door on him. He stuck his foot out, catching the door before it was able to latch. She opened it again to give him a confused look.

"Are you going to invite me in?" Genji asked her.

Dahlia blinked. "What?"

"Sojourn said you should not be alone," he pointed out nonchalantly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants.

Dahlia sighed, realizing that he had a point. She didn't want to be left alone, but she also didn't want to have to spend the night with Genji in her dorm. She was torn, and a small part of her was tempted to take her likely death over his company. Her heartbeat sped up as she thought about him spending the night, and she was unsure of why she felt rather nervous. "Can we not and say we did?"

"Nope," Genji responded, shaking his head. "Sorry, Kitsune. Looks like you are stuck with me for a while longer."

Dahlia groaned in exasperation, though she stepped aside to allow him to enter her dorm. "Why you? Why does it always have to be you?" She grumbled. She closed the door behind him, sliding the lock shut. She could only hope that a simple deadbolt would be enough to keep the Reaper or any Assassins out.

Dahlia followed Genji into the living area, rubbing her hands together nervously. "It will not be so bad," he assured her with a glance in her direction. "I will be your knight in metal armor."

"If you say one more stupid joke like that, I'm kicking you out," Dahlia warned, cursing herself as the ghost of a smile twitched upwards on her lips.

"Sorry," Genji said with a quiet laugh. He then grew serious, turning to look at her. The green glow of his suit illuminated the area around him brightly, and she found it hard to look away from him. "You truly mustn't worry, Kitsune. I will not let anything happen to you."

His words held deeper meaning behind them, as though he was making a promise to himself as well as her. She wondered if he was thinking about their trip to Italy all those years ago, the night that she was taken by Talon, and she suddenly felt guilty. Perhaps he truly did regret his actions; if that were true, she could only imagine the guilt that had been eating away at him for all those years.

"Thank you, Genji," she said to him, hoping that he was able to pick up on the sincerity behind her words.

The pair sat in silence for a moment, both of them unsure of what to do or what to say next. Dahlia was only able to focus on the sound of her heartbeat steadily increasing in her ears. There was just something about Genji's presence that set her off; not in a bad way, but rather in a way that only left her filled with confusing sensations that she was unable to explain. She took a moment to look at him, her eyes lingering on his broad shoulders and the sweatpants that seemed to hug his thin waist almost perfectly. The lights of his suit emitted a glowing silhouette around him, as if the universe was screaming at her to notice him.

A moment later, she was pulled back into reality as a hand waved in front of her vision. She hadn't noticed that Genji had taken a few steps towards her, and the sudden closeness only caused her head to spin. "Sorry," she mumbled with an awkward clear of her throat. Genji seemed as though he wanted to say something, though she didn't give him the chance to. "You can, uh... take the couch." She gestured towards the couch that ran along the length of the wall. A blanket was folded over the back, and several pillows were bundled against the cushions.

"I do not sleep as you do," Genji reminded her softly. She groaned, reaching up to cover her face as she was once again reminded of his cybernetic enhancements. Although it was obvious that a good portion of his body was made out of metal, while the rest was covered in even more metallic armor, she found herself forgetting quite often. "But thank you anyway, Kitsune."

Dahlia nodded, swallowing nervously. Her throat suddenly felt dry as if she hadn't had water in weeks. She wanted a drink, yet she also knew that anything she consumed would somehow only leave her sick to her stomach. The amount of sensations swirling through her body was overwhelmingly confusing. What has gotten into me? She thought to herself with a visible frown. Suddenly longing for the comfort of her bed and the quiet of her room, she stepped away from Genji. She went to head towards her bedroom, though she froze as she felt a hand wrap around her wrist. She looked back towards him, only for him to reach up and cup her cheek in his hand. She expected herself to flinch away from his touch, though the coolness of his metallic palm against her clammy skin was oddly comforting, and she didn't want him to pull away.

"I will be right out here if you need me," he told her quietly. His thumb ran along her skin, causing her eyes to flutter shut for a moment. She could hear the soft whirring of his cybernetic suit with each breath he took. She opened her eyes to look at him once more, and she once again began to wonder what he looked like beneath his mask. She knew there was a man hidden beneath all the metallic armor, but who was it? She felt the sudden urge to rip it all off just to catch a glimpse.

Shaking her head to clear her mind of all the distracting thoughts, Dahlia reluctantly pulled away from him. She quietly excused herself, tearing her gaze away from him and darting into her bedroom. She slammed the door shut behind her, taking a moment to rest her back against the wooden surface. The shadows that lingered in the corners of her room suddenly no longer bothered her; she was more focused on the overwhelming thoughts that swirled through her mind. She had to get rid of them. She quickly made her way over to the tiny ensuite bathroom, flicking on the light. She took a moment to stare at her reflection in the mirror before she reached down and turned on the sink. She splashed water on her face in a desperate attempt to clear her mind, the coolness of the liquid doing little to nothing to wash away the ghost of his touch on her skin.

Dahlia had let her guard down, allowing her mind to wander to places that would be otherwise forbidden, and she cursed herself for it. Genji's presence, his comforting voice and his soft touch, had managed to completely overwhelm her in just a few moments. Now, she found herself no longer worrying about the Reaper coming to her in the night, for she trusted Genji when he said that he would not let anything happen to her, but instead wondering how in the world she was going to clear her mind of the overwhelming thoughts of the ninja before she allowed herself to sleep.

Exiting the bathroom, Dahlia collapsed onto her bed. She buried her face into her pillow in an attempt to hide the groan of frustration that fell from her lips. Little did she know, Genji was able to hear it perfectly from the living area.