Perfection (Hanzo Shimada x Reader)

Chapter 3

You had enjoyed your first day at Shimada Castle and were looking forward to working there and living there for a while. You had learned a lot about the Shimada's in the short time you had spent there. Sojiro had explained to you that the orange, white and black colours everyone wore were indeed the colours of the family, specifically their 'Clan'. He had also told you of his family's fame and wealth, hence he required a new bodyguard for his sons as they needed someone to protect them. True, they were more than capable of protecting themselves, but Sojiro thought it best to take precautions anyway.

You had also learned more about the sons, Hanzo and Genji. As you had predicted, Hanzo was indeed the elder son, being 19. Genji was three years younger than his brother, making him 16. This surprised you, as you had expected him to be older. You had already gained Genji's friendship, which you were thankful for; being friends with one of the boys would make it much easier to live here.

After a long and relaxing night, you awoke at 08:43 AM the next morning(*Way too early for me but lets just roll with it.*) feeling very refreshed. You got up, brushed your teeth and went to get dressed. You opened the wardrobe to find several garments hung up besides your own clothes, which baffled you slightly since you didn't remember them being there when you sorted your clothes out last night. You just shrugged this off though, and took one of the garments out. It turned out to be a top and trousers in the signature colours of the Shimada Clan. You thought it might impress Sojiro and the boys if you wore it on your first day, so you excitedly tried them on. They fit like a glove; how did they figure out what size to give you? Oh well. You looked at yourself in the mirror and smiled; the outfit looked great on you. With that, you grabbed a pair of shoes and styled your hair before leaving for breakfast.

You didn't actually know what time breakfast was served, but apparently you had picked a good time as you saw Genji walking into the dining hall.

"Hey Gen-Master Genji!" You called. You had been told by Sojiro to address the boys as 'Master' as well, and you had almost forgotten to do so. Thank god no one else was around.

"Oh, good morning (Y/N)! Did you sleep well?" Genji asked, walking over to you.

"Yeah, thanks. By the way, what time is breakfast served? I forgot to ask your dad yesterday." You said.

"9:00, so in a few minutes. I was just going to the dining hall to eat now actually." Genji replied, showing off that classic grin of his that you had seen non-stop since you had arrived.

"Brilliant. Thanks!" You said, bowing at your superior, and then making your way into the hall with him. Hanzo was already sat at the table. He was clearly very organised and uptight with his schedule then. You greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning Master Hanzo." You said with a bow as Genji walked past you and sat at the table opposite his brother.

"Good morning. Do you know where you will be seated?" Hanzo replied, raising one of his bushy eyebrows.

"Uh, no actually." You said, looking at the floor to break his stern gaze. Hanzo was actually kind of intimidating, and this was the first time he had spoken to you.

"Well, you will not be sat at this table. You will be assigned a seat on that table when my father arrives. Oh, and well done for dressing in your staff attire." Hanzo clarified, gesturing towards the table on the far left of the hall. You promptly thanked him and stood against the wall waiting for Sojiro to arrive. Thankfully, you didn't have to wait long.

"Ohayō watashi no musuko-tachi." He said to the boys upon walking through the door, to which he was greeted by his sons with 'Ohayō chichi'. Sojiro then turned to you. "Good morning (Y/N), I trust you slept well?" You nodded. "Good. You will be seated over there at the end of the table. Breakfast will be served shortly." He said, giving you a quick smile to ease your spirits as he sat at the top of the main table in the middle of his two sons.

You swiftly strode over to your designated seat and waited patiently for your food as the rest of the estate's staff entered the hall and sat down. You felt a little bit uncomfortable being at the very end of the table as everyone could see you, but some of the other staff members soon began a conversation with you and you adjusted very quickly.

Breakfast wasn't as bad as you had thought it was going to be, but you were informed that you would have your first training session with the boys at 10:30, so you went to prepare yourself. You arrived at the Dojo fifteen minutes early so that you could warm up, to find that Hanzo was already there. He clearly had the same idea, as he was stretching and practising some techniques. You stood by the wall and watched him, hoping he wouldn't notice you since it might be a little awkward if he saw you stood there staring at him for no reason.

"I know you are there. Are you not going to say hello or begin warming up?" He said suddenly, making you jump.

"Uh...sorry, Master Hanzo. Yeah, I'll start warming up." You said hurriedly, moving away from the wall and facing away to hide the redness on your face in embarrassment. Of course he had to notice you...

The two of you continued to warm up in your separate ways until the instructor turned up. He told you not to worry, and that he would work on the basics of sword-fighting today so you could get the gist. Then you noticed that Genji still hadn't showed up.

"Pardon me for asking sir, but isn't Master Genji supposed to be joining us?" You inquired. The instructor opened his mouth to speak when Hanzo cut him off.

"Yes, but he is usually late. He would rather mess around and play games than attend his training lessons, so we will continue without him. It is his own fault for missing part of the lesson if he arrives late, and we are hardly learning anything new anyways." He said, not even looking at you. You decided it was best not to say anything more, and nodded at the instructor to signal that he should continue.

Halfway through the lesson, you were working on your grip on the sword and your stance. Since you were a beginner, Hanzo had recommended that you use a Wakazashi to learn the basics as it was a shorter and lighter sword that only required one hand to wield it, giving you less chance of hurting yourself. Hanzo however, was practising with a Katana, a much larger two-handed sword since he was well trained in swordsmanship. You were watching him as he sliced through the air, trying to mimic his posture. It didn't work very well though as he kept scolding you for not having a good stance, and he would grow more and more agitated the more you messed up. It was as if he wanted you to be perfect just like that. Genji had finally showed up by this point and was trying not to laugh at his brother's ever-increasing annoyance.

By the end of the session, you were tired, but you had finally satisfied Hanzo to some extent. He was happy with your stance now, but still was critiquing the way you held the Wakazashi, not that you cared all that much at this point. You gladly took your leave, bowing to the instructor and thanking him for his time before going to your room to relax for a bit before lunch. It was about twelve-ish so you would get some food in about an hour.

You weren't sure what to think of the elder Shimada brother at this point; he was very strict and obviously strives for perfection. He doesn't seem to be very laid back at all, nothing like Genji. Heck, even his father was more laid back than him, and he had an entire clan to run, not to mention two sons to look after. Hopefully Hanzo would lighten up as you got to know him better. Maybe he was just trying to set an example, perhaps even trying to impress you with his skills. You had heard from some of the other staff that he was to be the next leader of the clan after all, so he would have to be strict and organised. No doubt you would find out in due time.