Chapter 1

"Hanzo? Are you here?"

Hanzo opened his eyes at the sound of Winston's unmistakable booming voice through the thin, rice-paper walls of Hanamura. For a fleeting moment he regretted allowing his fellow heroes to stay here for their upcoming mission briefing, as the area was sacred to him. However, he knew it was for the best; with the recent Omnic uprising in the west, Hanamura was a safe place for them to regroup.

"Yes Winston," He said, suppressing his sigh. He knew his voice would carry across the temple's floor easily. There was no need to shout.

When there came no reply, Hanzo got to his feet from where he'd been kneeling on the floor meditating and slid his bedroom door open. Well, what had been converted into bedrooms thanks to the entire Overwatch team staying in the building. He crossed the floor soundlessly, his bare feet gliding smoothly over the wood boards. He could hear Winston's voice in the main temple area, as well as a female voice he didn't recognize. His eyebrows furrowed. What was Winston doing bringing strangers into this place?

"Ah, there you are," Winston greeted him with a signature toothy grin. Hanzo gave him a curt nod and inclined his head, trying to see whoever Winston was blocking with his enormous frame. The gorilla caught on and put his hand up. "Relax. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

"I am relaxed," Hanzo answered, though he could already feel himself growing tense.

"This," Winston turned his body to reveal the woman standing just behind him. "Is Harley Turner."

Hanzo studied her quickly. Her head was a shock of orange hair that messily fell into her bright blue eyes and was chopped asymmetrically around her shoulders. She looked to be around 's age, though it was hard to tell just at a glance. All her clothing – a long-sleeved shirt that exposed her midriff, a pleated skirt and knee-high boots – was black, but underneath it she wore a fishnet body suit that was a pale grey. Her plump pink lips were curled up in a smile. Hanzo cocked an eyebrow at Winston.

"Why is she here?" He was not about to waste time with pleasantries when they had a mission to prepare for and they were stepping on his sacred ground. Winston shot him a disapproving look, which he ignored. The girl's smile faded a little.

"She is a new Overwatch initiate," Winston said, his tone reflecting his annoyance. "She was just flown over from Ireland – it was a mess getting her here. She's had a rough time and could use a little relaxation before the briefing tomorrow. I was hoping, since this is basically your home, that you would take some time to show her around the gardens and temples."

Hanzo fought the urge to turn on his heel and simply walk away. He couldn't believe Winston was asking him to do such a thing. Still, he would be diplomatic about his refusal.

"I doubt I am the best choice for this," He gave Winston a purposeful look. "Perhaps Mercy…"

"She's busy."

"Or Mei…"

"Busy with Mercy."

"Lucio then…"

"Gaming with Dva."

Hanzo sighed. "My brother is also familiar…"

"You've got to be kidding," Winston reached over and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, switching to a very quiet voice. "Don't be rude. Now, please, show her around."

"Very well," Hanzo said, struggling to keep his tone even. He watched Winston turn back to Harley, give her a long hug, and then walk outside, leaving the two of them alone. Hanzo was still for a moment, centering himself. He was incredulous that he had been stuck with what was effectively babysitting, but he didn't want to cause trouble with someone he would have to work with in the future.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," He said, bowing slightly without taking his eyes off of her. With his evening now occupied, the pleasantries were more justifiable. This action seemed to put her at ease, and she stuck her hand out in kind.

"Harley Turner!"

Hanzo eyed her outstretched hand for a long moment before taking it for a quick shake. Her pale skin was soft but he typically distrusted touching anybody if it wasn't in a fight.

"Hanzo Shimada," He responded, though it was likely she'd been told everyone's names before her arrival. It seemed suspicious to him that Overwatch would choose to bring in a new initiate at this point in time, so he would be careful about what information he personally doled out, but the Shimada name was well-known far and wide. He was no secret.

"This temple is beautiful," She said, spinning on the spot, eyes looking in all directions before coming to rest on the painting of the two dragons just above the shrine. "Oh my god…"

"That painting is very old," He glanced up at it and his chest felt tight. He looked away almost instantly, turning his back on both it and Harley. He couldn't see her reaction, but she must have sensed his discomfort because she immediately changed the subject.

"Do you think we could go outside? Those blossoms look lovely in the moonlight."

"After you."

Hanzo didn't feel the need to put his sandals on. The grass would be cool on his feet. As he followed Harley out of the temple he checked his surroundings as always. He wondered if Winston had brought any more surprise visitors and felt irritated again; there were preparations to make and he was strolling through the garden like everything was peaceful.

"What are these trees called?" She asked, spinning to face him.

"Sakura."

"I wish we had them in Ireland," She lifted her thin fingers up to a particularly large blossom. Hanzo felt himself jerk forward to stop her, thinking she was going to pick the bloom from its branch, but she simply stroked the petals and withdrew. He steadied himself and pretended to examine the tree, even though he could see her looking at him sideways.

"You are from Ireland, but you do not have an Irish accent," He paused. "Nor do you have an Irish-sounding name." He didn't exactly pose a question, but he found it suspect. Part of him didn't want to be so distrustful, but he'd learned his lesson the hard way too many times.

"You've never heard me talk to my mom and dad," She spoke cheerily. If she noticed him being prickly she made no show of it. "When I started training to become a part of Overwatch I decided to change my name, and began forcefully suppressing my accent. I thought it would make me… I don't know, more secret. It would make my roots harder to trace. But now I meet you, and Tracer, and Mei, and you all seem so proud of your heritage… it makes me wish, sometimes, that I hadn't tried so hard to erase mine."

"Clearly you don't know much about my history if you think I am proud of my heritage."

Harley looked at him with big eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Never mind," Hanzo gestured towards a bridge a little ways ahead of them. "There is another, more ornate temple that way, if you are interested."

"Yes please!" Harley smiled again.

Hanzo tried to keep his mind clear. The easiest way to go about this would be to simply complete the task at hand and not dwell on the wasted time. Frustration and annoyance would get him nowhere; he had to keep reminding himself of that. Genji had shown him a lot about moving past things he could not change, but it was still a struggle to fight his fiery nature.

Harley was quiet – perhaps awestricken – when they entered the temple. It was decorated in gold and jade and held many beautiful, priceless pieces of art. Vases lined the walls and the shrine area was completely encrusted with gems from all over the world. Hanzo watched her wander, lingering by an ornamental statue of a samurai his father had stolen from some rich man he had been hired to kill. In his distraction he barely noticed when one of Harley' large platform boots caught on a loose floorboard and she began to lose her balance. She flailed, trying to straighten herself, but she was past the tipping point and headed directly for a tall vase that had once belonged to the imperial family. With lightning speed Hanzo dashed towards her and grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her away from the vase and back into a standing position.

"You are an Overwatch initiate?" He spat, unable to control the venom in his words. "You are a clumsy child. I am sending you back to Winston – my duties do not include babysitting."

He released the tight grip on her wrist. She stammered for a moment and then flew towards the door, hovering a few inches above the floor. So that was one of her abilities. When she reached the entrance she briefly stopped, still hovering, and turned back to him.

"I'm sorry," Her voice was quiet. "I was distracted. It won't happen again." With those words, she disappeared from the temple. Hanzo took several deep breaths to calm his spirit. He had just been telling himself not to allow that fire within him to burn so brightly, but her incompetence set him off like a gunshot. He wondered what Winston would have to say about their interaction… He wondered what Harley would tell him.

It's not my concern, he told himself, starting back for the large temple where all the bedrooms had been set up. He imagined that by this time, most of the other heroes would be making their way to bed, and hoped no one else would disturb him.