" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

viii | real

yuanfen.
act five, chapter eight.
"real"

_

THE MEDBAY FELT ODDLY quiet without Dr. Ziegler to keep Dahlia company. The doctor had been away for several days, accompanying a strike team that was sent to scout out omniums across the country and leaving Dahlia to take care of any patients on base by herself. Many others went on the mission, including McCree, Lena, and Winston, leaving less people on base and, thankfully, less opportunities for injuries. The worst case that she had to deal with was no more than a stomach bug that one of the recruits came down with (although she was convinced that it was really just nerves due to the recruit's final assessment the following day.) Dahlia was thankful that there were no serious injuries or illnesses; with Dr. Ziegler being gone, she was worried that she would completely forget all of her training as soon as a patient stepped through the doors.

Hana also stayed behind on the base. Her reluctance to join in on combat after spending several years defending the entire country of Korea made her eager to spend more of her time in the workshop with Brigitte, oftentimes tweaking with her meka and keeping the other young engineer company. When she wasn't hidden away in the workshop, however, Hana spent much of her time in the medbay with Dahlia. The pair had grown quite close since the day they first met, and Dahlia enjoyed the Korean girl's company. Their time together was often spent making jokes or trying to build abstract figures out of the ample supply of tongue depressors that Dr. Ziegler kept hidden in the cabinets.

Dahlia looked up from the piece of paper that she had been doodling on as she heard the doors to the medbay slide open. She expected to see Hana, for it was growing close to the time that the girl usually paid Dahlia a visit, though she was surprised to find Genji entering the medbay instead. He was the last person she expected to see- both due to the fact that she had yet to speak to him since their conversation the morning after Dahlia's date with McCree, as well as because she hadn't seen him in days and was beginning to think he'd joined the others on the week-long mission.

"Hey," she greeted him hesitantly. Genji seemed upset the last time they spoke, and she was unsure where they currently stood with one another. Was it okay to act friendly, or were kind words pushing her luck? "I haven't seen you around. I thought you might've gone with the others."

"Sojourn put me in charge of training the recruits while McCree and Lena are away," Genji responded shortly. His tone was casual, lacking the usual warmness that his accented voice usually held when he talked to her. "I have come for my physical."

Dahlia was confused for a moment, though she then remembered Dr. Ziegler telling her that because of Genji's enhancements, he was required to come into the medbay once a week to ensure that everything was working properly. She suddenly grew nervous, pursing her lips. "I'm not sure how to properly do it," she fretted.

"I will walk you through it, Dahlia," Genji said to her. His words were slightly softer now, which only made her more confused. Was he still upset with her or not? "Angela will be upset if I miss another."

Dahlia sighed, then nodded. She stood from her seat, following closely behind Genji as he led her across the room towards a rather intimidating machine. She had yet to see anyone actually use it; she wondered if it was specifically designed for Genji's unique requirements. The ninja stopped in front of the machine, pulling his hoodie over his head and revealing the cybernetic plating that covered the rest of his body. Dahlia's breath hitched in her throat at the sight, once again reminded of both her dream and the day she took his blood. She struggled to keep the distracting thoughts towards the ninja shoved in the deepest corner of her mind. Genji took a seat at the machine, the whirring of his cybernetic suit echoing through the deafeningly silent room. He motioned towards a large tube that hung down behind him.