" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

i | distraction

yuanfen.
act six, chapter one.
"distraction"

_

"I'D BE CAREFUL WHO you grow close to. You do remember Falcon, don't you?"

    She hated to admit that the words of the snake bothered her as much as they did. They echoed through her mind every day since her encounter with him. She wished that she could believe that they were just words, but she knew Viper. She knew about his undying loyalty to the Reaper and the cause the Assassins fought for. She knew that he would not rest until the Mission was completed.

    Which meant that until the Reaper and his Assassins were caught, Dahlia and the rest of the Overwatch agents weren't safe.

    Of course, this fact was obvious from the moment former agents began dropping dead. They were being hunted, and although they now knew by who, they still had no way of stopping it. Dahlia's encounter with Viper only added to the ever growing feeling of dread that had burrowed its way into her gut. Every movement in the shadows, each creak of the building around her, put her on edge. She knew they were watching. The Overwatch agents were nothing but prey at the mercy of an invisible predator.

    Dahlia looked up from her work as a sudden gasp broke the silence of the medbay. The noise caused her gut to twist inside her, and she prepared herself to face yet another Assassin attack. Though it was only Dr. Ziegler, seated in her office, busying herself with what appeared to be a half-completed crossword puzzle. Dahlia relaxed slightly, eyes lingering on the doctor for a moment longer before she returned to her work.

    She knew that Viper's warning wasn't aimed towards Dr. Ziegler- or even the majority of the agents on base. The Reaper was oddly meticulous when it came to choosing which targets were to die; if all went according to his plan, all would die in their own time. But Viper made sure to mention Falcon. He made sure to mention someone that she had grown to care for, who lost his life because of her. She knew Viper cared little to none about the other agents around her. All he wanted was to hurt her, and he knew exactly how to do so. His warning was meant for a very certain being: the ninja whom Dahlia had been originally ordered to kill. The one that took her away from the Reaper and offered her a new life. The one that everyone but Dahlia herself saw that she began to care for.

    Dahlia was unsure how long it had been since she last spoke to Genji. The days were beginning to run together due to the fact that she kept herself so busy with her work in the medbay. She knew that the ninja had been confused at first, for there were plenty of times where he tried to grab her attention only for her to act as though he was invisible. After a few days, however, he backed off. She didn't miss the way he would watch her whenever they would pass one another in the halls (it was obvious that he wanted to try to talk to her) but Genji wasn't one to push anything on her. He gave her space, and she was thankful for this. Viper was right. Anyone that grew close to her would only be putting their own safety at risk. Romance just wasn't for people like her.

    Romance. Dahlia was taken aback as the word swam through her head. Whatever relationship she had with Genji was far from romance, so why did her mind immediately conjure such a thought? Her chest grew tight towards the thought of a possible romance with the ninja; she wasn't quite sure if it was a good feeling or a bad one.

    Dahlia looked up from her work once again as the sliding glass doors opening caught her attention. Her eyes landed on the presence that joined her in the medbay, and immediately she felt her throat grow dry and her chest tighten anxiously. Genji paused as he took notice of her, his posture straightening ever so slightly. It seemed as though he wanted to say something, but before he was able to do so, Dahlia sprang to her feet. She quickly reached down and grabbed the first thing she could find on her cluttered desk: a crumpled piece of paper that contained several absentminded doodles that she had been filling up throughout the day.