Perfection (Hanzo Shimada x Reader)

Chapter 18

Hanzo looked uncomfortable, and it bothered you. After all these years, you'd have thought that he'd be happy to see you again, but apparently not. You began to think of a way to lighten the mood.

"So it's really you?" Hanzo interrupted.

"Well, I'm pretty sure it's me." You answered sarcastically with a smile. "Feel free to prove me wrong." You saw a smile tug at the corners of his lips, which satisfied you.

"I see your sense of humour has remained the same." He said, his face softening a bit. "I apologise for doubting you at first. You've grown much since the last time I saw you." He explained, looking at the floor.

"Don't worry about it, it's fine. I didn't think I'd changed that much though." You laughed.

"Well, if it is of any consolation to you, you've grown into a beautiful young (woman/man)." Hanzo said, looking up to you once more. You felt a light heat grow on your face.

"Thanks, Hanzo." You replied. Then you realised that you were addressing him with his name, not using the title of 'Master' as you always had back in Shimada Castle. "Wait, you're good with me just calling you Hanzo, right? It just hit me that I wasn't calling you Master." You said frantically, worried that Hanzo might be angry with you for not addressing him properly. Your worries were subdued when you heard a familiar chuckle sound from deep within his chest.

"Do not be so scared, (Y/N). As I understand it, you are no longer working for me or my family, and therefore you do not need to be so formal. Just using my forename is perfectly fine by me." He assured you. You let out a loud sigh upon hearing this. You had become so used to calling him 'Master Hanzo' in the past that you still thought it was unacceptable to just use his normal name even 5 years after you had left Shimada Castle forever.

"Good. Well, what are you doing here anyways?" You asked.

"I received a request to watch over this group of protesters as there was word that a powerful businesswoman had hired an assassin similar to myself to kill their leader and end their rebellion. That assassin was plainly you from what I have just witnessed." Hanzo began, glaring at you slightly. "I would've stopped you from shooting that man just a few minutes ago, but alas, you caught me off guard when you threw me off of you and you were far to quick. While I am impressed with your skills, I am nonetheless disappointed that I was unable to complete my task."

"Well, I did learn from the best." You said with a smirk.

"I suppose so. This is the first time I have failed a mission." Hanzo said, exhaling audibly.

"Yeah, sorry about that." You apologised. "In my defence, I kinda need the money too. I'll give you a 50/50 share of my payment if you want." You offered.

"That is very generous of you, but I won't need it. I was not going to be payed to save that man anyway, so there would be no point." Hanzo replied.

"Well in that case, I'm gonna give you some of my pay regardless. I already have plenty of money anyways, losing half of £50,000 isn't gonna affect my life much. After all, £25,000 is still a fair bit of money." You argued.

"If you insist." Hanzo said, giving in. He knew that there wasn't much point in arguing with you. You let a smile of victory show on your face.

"Good, and I do. It's the least I can do." You said. "I intend to make up for everything I missed. Especially for failing to protect you back at Shimada Castle." You said with a determined look on your face.

"You owe me nothing." Hanzo cut in with a lowered tone of voice. "I deserve nothing, least of all your pity. I understand that you feel this way, but I cannot allow you to help me." You were confused. Deserve nothing? Why? What exactly had he done to say something like that? It just didn't make sense.

"Okay..." You started. "I'm not gonna ask. I know you like to keep things to yourself." You assured him.

"I appreciate that. I would rather not talk about it anyway." He said, once again crossing his arms and breaking eye contact with you. He was clearly a changed man; he acted differently and he just wasn't the same as he used to be. He wasn't the Hanzo you knew.

On the other hand, he also had somewhat of a makeover, and you had to say he was looking good. He no longer had long hair tied up in a very loose ponytail at the back with a centre parting; his hair was now short and tied up with a long, flowing gold ribbon in a tight ponytail that spiked slightly, though it still appeared silky smooth. He also had a style change; he still wore a kimono top, but he now wore it with one arm out, the one with the beautiful full-sleeve tattoo he always hid. This particular kimono top was a dark grey colour, almost black, with a grey and gold stormy pattern on the arm. His right hand sported a three-fingered glove; an archery glove if you remembered correctly. His wrist and lower arm was covered in a metal sleeve of sorts also, covering the seams of both his sleeve and his glove so that no part of his right arm was exposed, unlike his left. Tied around his waist was a royal blue sash with some pouches and a traditional Japanese flask held on with some rope. Around his chest was a strap that held his quiver onto  his back, filled with blue-accented arrows, and strung over his shoulder was a spectacular bow. Even after all these years, he still preferred to shoot with style, it seemed. On his legs, he wore a pair of baggy bottoms that matched his top, decorated with the well-known Japanese wave pattern. His shoes were...interesting, to say the least. They were metal, almost prosthetic looking, with a small neon blue strip on the heel. Overall, his new look was bold, and you couldn't say you disliked it.

It was now you noticed just how muscular he was. Well, it was hard not to notice since half his chest was on show for anyone to see. Damn. That was all you could say. Granted, he was muscular before, but now he was ripped. You also now noticed that his beautifully sculpted face was now framed with neatly trimmed facial hair. A thin moustache falling into a goatee that faded out into stubble as it climbed his jawline. It suited him well, and as much as you hated to say it...he was kinda hot, not that you'd ever tell him that. He was your former boss, after all. It would be a little weird.

"Are you done?" Hanzo said, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"Huh?" You muttered.

"You were staring." He said simply, a small smile appearing on his face. Well, at least he wasn't mad at you.

"Oh, sorry. I just noticed that you've had a bit of a style change since I last saw you." You explained.

"Yes. I could hardly wonder around wearing my Clan robes, so I purchased some new garments and styled them in a way that I liked. I always had to dress formally back then, so I decided to try something more casual." Hanzo replied with a proud look.

"U huh, and 'more casual' includes having your left tit out, does it?" You said teasingly, letting a wide smile form. Hanzo looked shocked for a moment, before recomposing himself.

"Pectoral, if you must put it that way, and no. That wasn't a stylistic choice, I wear it that way because it is comfortable and more practical." He said, narrowing his eyes and turning his nose up at you. You laughed at this.

"Okay, sure." You said, still laughing. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"Very well." Hanzo said with a smile. God, you were glad he was back.

(*Sorry for not uploading a new chapter last week! I thought I'd make up for it by posting two this week. I hope they're okay! On another note, thank you all so much for all the support! I really appreciate it, and I'm so happy that people are loving this story so far!*)