Shattered Traditions (Hanzo X Reader)

The Autumn of Fire

North and South.

East and West.

Each of these pairs are polar opposites. Yet, how different are the two, really? If personified, could the two ever get along?

For (Y/N) and her sister, the answer was always yes. They were vastly different, but a certain harmony kept the two close -or rather, perhaps, a certain shared goal. The girls were the dragons of the East and West winds personified. At least, that is what they were always told by all those in their village.

(Y/N) and her sister were raised by their grandparents in a remote village. For them, what some considered "old-fashioned" was simply the way of life. They were told the same ancient stories over and over until they could recite them in their sleep.

The dragon of the East wind, Azuma no ryū, the Hīrā, the healer, was responsible for treating all ailments in the village. While, the dragon of the West wind, Nishi no ryū, the Hogo-sha, the guardian, was charged with protecting the village. The dragon blood runs in their family. It always has. As if by magic, or perhaps more of fate, each generation of the family has been presented with two heirs, sometimes siblings, sometimes cousins. The eldest heir, even if by minutes or moments, became the Hogo-sha of the family and the youngest, the Hīrā. It was tradition, and tradition is a strict way of life.

However, there are some things that even fate cannot account for. (Y/N) remembered it well: the day both her heart and her family's tradition shattered. It was years ago now, yet the pain was still fresh upon her soul. It was the day the village lost its Hīrā and the day (Y/N) lost her precious sister.

Since then, she has been charged with tasks meant to be undertaken by two. And with her grandparents passing away a few years after her sister, her entire village depends upon her. For both her sister and grandparent's sake, she would never let them down.

Perched upon a large rock nearest to a pond, (Y/N) meditated, as she did every day. She used to be absolutely terrible at meditation, unable to shut down her young mind from all the excitement, but now it is her only solace from her many responsibilities. She relishes the earthy scent of Autumn and the crisp breeze upon her face, which occasionally sent stray leaves rushing around her. For a moment, all is calm within and around her. But it was never destined to stay that way. Winter would soon be upon the village, which always brought more illness, and, ultimately, more work.

"(Y/N)-san!" She is pulled from her thoughts by the frantic voice of her young cousin, Daiki, approaching.

(Y/N) sighs and opens her eyes, inwardly resentful that her small peace had been ended, but the resentment quickly falls away when she turns to see the panic on her cousin's face.

"What has happened", her mature voice calmly resounds, betraying the worry growing within her. She was always taught to be the calm in any storm. After all, if their guardian panicked, the whole village would too.

"Th-there are outsiders at the gate!" He quickly explains as they hurry towards the source of the commotion.

(Y/N)'s brow furrows a bit with suspicion. The village was mostly self-sufficient, but often right before winter and the end of summer, they allowed outsider merchants to enter and trade their surplus wares. However, this is not a scheduled visit. Which means these outsiders are likely not traders and a possible threat. It's not just that, however. Something deep within her, an instinct, tells her that something is wrong.

"Daiki-kun," (Y/N) suddenly halted her steps, which Daiki mimics once addressed.

"Y-yes?" He looks at her, suddenly. Daiki is struck by the fire in his older cousin's eyes. It was rare to see any emotion in (Y/N) other than her trained, calm expression.

"I am going to stop by my room for a moment. There is something I need in order to welcome our visitors. I will meet you at the gate." With that, (Y/N) turns on her heels and hurries to her room. Once there, she quickly straps her weapons of choice upon her back: two, thin wakizashi. The hilt of each is golden and wrapped with a deep purple cloth. These once belonged to the village's previous Hogo-sha.

The crowd around the village gate parts immediately for its Hogo-sha as she approaches calmly.

Daiki had been trying to calm everyone as the outsiders stood surprisingly patient and silent outside the gate.

"I will take it from here. Please escort everyone safely inside. Arigato, Daiki-kun." She thanks him as she walks past him and towards the outsiders. 

There are three of them, all men, all with a serious demeanor and armed. A black, expensive-looking car is parked behind them.

"What business have you here?" She asks, wasting no time for pleasantries.

"We're here to speak with the dragons of the East and West winds", one responds. Apparently, this stranger does not have time for formality either.

(Y/N) stares at them a moment, attempting to judge their character. They all wear modern attire: black suits, to be precise. Each suit has the gold emblem of two dragons near the lapel. She recognized it immediately: the mark of the Shimada clan. Their family bore the blood of the North and South dragons. However, the family had long ago opted to ignore their traditional roots and use their power for self-gain. She knew her grandparents had dealings with the Shimada in the past. It seems it is now her turn.

The Shimada clan had the idea to unite all four dragons long ago, but the East and West dragons would never be so easily corrupted.

"I believe many generations have made it clear that we want nothing to do with your clan's greed." (Y/N) finally responds after a bit of silent thought. "Leave us in peace."

The strangers smirked a bit. Their arrogance set ablaze anger within (Y/N); yet, she remained stoic.

"Yeah, we're not asking anymore. You come with us or your little village falls off the map. Boss' orders."

The Hogo-sha readies her hands to draw her blades. "Your boss is a fool, then, to only send the three of you."

This time, the strangers laugh. One seems to give a signal to someone in the distance behind her. "Thing is, he's not."

(Y/N)'s eyes widen and she turns just in time to see one of the bigger buildings in the village go up in flames. She needs no further provocation. She'd allow her blades to distribute her anger. But first, she needs to focus her attention on those potentially in the building.

*I've had this story on my mind for a while so I thought I'd finally write it out. I'm not quite where I'll go with it yet, but I have some ideas. I'm going to attempt to update at least once a week.
*This is my first fanfiction in a long time so any constructive criticism/feedback is more than welcome.
*Also, I'm going to be using Japanese terms throughout out this and, while I am learning, I am nowhere near fluent, so if you see any translation errors, please let me know! That goes for any English grammar/spelling mistakes as well.
*Thanks for reading! I really hope you enjoyed!