Chapter 4

Hanzo awoke with the sunrise but lay in bed for much longer than he normally did. He couldn't stop reflecting on the events of the previous night. The image of Harley's face, blue eyes brimmed with tears, was burned into his mind, and had distracted him the rest of the night. He could barely remember the rest of his patrol after he'd left the temple, and that was a problem. Nothing normally distracted him like that.

He shifted under his blanket, suddenly feeling too warm. Steady your mind, ground yourself, he thought to himself, glancing around his room to remind himself just where he was, who he was, and why he was here. His bow rested by the foot of his mattress on the floor, with his quiver carefully leaned up against the wall next to it. The one-armed kimono he always wore was neatly folded on the small table in the opposite corner of the tiny room, and his armored boots stood next to it. All these things symbolized his mission: the one here and now, and the one he held himself accountable to every day since he renounced his birthright and the Shimada Empire. Finally, he looked down at his dragon tattoo and a feeling of serenity washed over him. After a few long and deep breaths, he felt much calmer, and didn't feel the heat in his cheeks anymore.

There was a quiet knock on the wood paneling to the side of the sliding rice paper door. Embarrassed that he hadn't been up with the sun as usual, he leapt out of bed and hurried to the door in his bare feet, not even considering that he was shirtless and was only wearing a light pair of pants, nor that his hair hadn't been tied back yet and hung loosely around his face.

"Oh!" Harley's shocked face greeted him as he pushed the door open. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"No," Hanzo became very aware of his loose hair and turned away from the doorway to find the tie he used to keep it up. As he picked the tie up off the table and quickly pulled his hair back, he could feel Harley's eyes on him. He glanced over his shoulder at her to let her know he was aware, and locked eyes with her. His mind was flooded with the memory of her quiet sobs and quivering lip from the night before, and he felt a pang in his chest. Stop it, find your centre.

"Was there… something you needed?" He finally asked when she didn't say anything, turning back to face her. Without much discretion her eyes flickered down to his bare chest, then over to his shoulder and arm that was tattooed, and then back to his face.

"Yes, I'm sorry," She apologized again, shaking her mop of orange hair. "Winston told me I'm training with you today."

"Did he…"

Her expression became uneasy. "Yeah, he said you were the best person to train me to fight at long distances. I mean, he muttered something about someone named Amelie, but I didn't quite catch it. Anyway, he told me you usually get up at the crack of dawn and that it would be better if we could get some work done before everyone else is awake."

Hanzo held back the sigh that threatened to leave his throat and merely nodded. He could tell Harley wasn't exactly pleased about this news either. Still, if she was going to be trained to use her abilities at a distance, he was the best person at the camp to do so, and he'd rather she be trained properly then not at all even if it meant things would be a little uncomfortable between them. He told himself he wouldn't explode at her again… well, unless she did something extremely foolish.

Without speaking he grabbed his kimono and slipped into it in one graceful motion, then stepped into his boots and fixed his mechanical glove onto his hand. He could feel her eyes following every step and he gathered his bow and arrows. Why is she watching me so carefully? He wondered, but tried to push the thought from his mind. If they were to train together, it was likely he would finally learn what was going on behind her abilities, and why they had upset her so much the night before. In spite of the armor now on his feet, he still moved silently across the floor and gestured for Harley to follow him outside. They left from the back of the temple so as not to disturb anyone else.

They fell into pace side by side as they crossed the courtyard. Hanzo was aware that Harley kept looking at him sideways, then at the ground, then up at him, then back down. Finally, she spoke.

"I wanted to apologize again for…"

"There is no need," Hanzo lifted his hand to signal her to stop talking. "It is forgiven."

"Oh… well that's good," The hint of a smile played on her lips. "Thank you."

Hanzo bit down on his tongue as he contemplated his next words. He knew that Winston and Mercy would likely not approve of his continued hostility towards her, and if they were going to work together, he supposed he should make amends until there was more credence to his suspicions. After all, it was the honorable thing to do.

"I…" Hanzo hesitated, internally scolding himself for doing so. "I'm sorry as well."

"What?" Harley actually stopped walking, looking at him in shock.

"The way I behaved was not appropriate," He explained without stopping, forcing her to jog a few steps to catch up. "It was a simple mistake and nothing more. I can be very… volatile, here in Hanamura. There is a great deal of comfort, but there is also a great deal of pain, when I stay within these walls."

"Oh no, really, it was my fault," She came up beside him again. "And I know all about feeling that kind of pain, believe me."

"Do you?" Hanzo's words came out a little sharper than he meant them to, but at the same time she was speaking about something he wasn't sure she understood. Unless she too had murdered a sibling and then found out he had changed into something not quite human… No matter how he loved his brother, and no matter how Genji had forgiven him, he was certain there would forever be an everlasting ache in his heart whenever he looked upon his brother's robotic body.

"Well… I mean… It's just…" Harley was stammering. He placed a hand on her shoulder, determined not to let his feelings rule him.

"Never mind," He gestured at a high wall – the outermost wall that protected Hanamura from the back – that had a wide ledge running its length for effective patrolling. "Let us focus on training now. Can you climb?"

Harley smirked knowingly. "I don't need to."

Before Hanzo could ask what she meant, Harley let her arms hang down by her sides and slowly lifted from the ground. He'd seen her hover the first night they met, but this looked like she was riding an invisible elevator all the way to the top of the wall. He hurried to climb the wall, scaling it fast enough that he was able to meet her on the ledge. He examined her outfit once more: she had no booster pack, no mechanical armor… nothing at all that would indicate she could fly. She must have noticed his bewildered stare because she smiled.

"You have your powers, I have mine."

"Indeed…" Hanzo pulled his bow over his head from where it had been slung across his back but didn't nock an arrow right away. He couldn't contain his curiosity. "May I ask what exactly provides you with these abilities?"

Harley's smile faded. "It's… complicated."

Before he could press any further, Hanzo noticed a bit of movement from the temples. People were beginning to wake up and get on with their day, and they were losing valuable training time. He decided to put a pin in the topic and would bring it up again later, even though the mystery was agonizing. The ability to fly without any equipment was a game changer, never mind the other powers she possessed due to the magnetic fields.

"No matter then," He raised his bow. "I do not need to understand where your abilities came from to train you to use them effectively. Let me show you something. Look over there."

He took a quick moment to focus his concentration, then gazed out across the property of Hanamura before snatching one of his sonic arrows from the quiver and firing it between two of the temples. A sonic pulse created vibrations in the air; they were visible to his eye, though he was uncertain if Harley could see the disruption. What she could surely see were the outlines of their many teammates through the walls. The bodies gave off a warm, almost infra-red glow, making them easy to spot and track. Harley gasped at the sight.

"When fighting at a distance, it is very important you know where your enemies are. Always fight beside someone who can see them if you cannot," Hanzo looked down at her from the corner of his eye. "Do you know how your powers work at long ranges?"

"Honestly no," Harley answered, finally tearing her eyes away from the red outlines. "I haven't had much practice outside of a lab… that's sort of why I'm here, I guess."

"A lab?"

"I was an engineer before beginning the Overwatch initiate program," She explained, her voice more quiet than usual. "I was a bit of a workaholic. I could spend a few days straight in the lab and barely notice. When I first started the program my powers were… unruly. They didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt accidentally so everything was tested in very safe, closed labs. When I finally got a good handle on everything they sent me here."

"I see…" Hanzo made a mental note of everything she'd said. Maybe the small bits of information he collected would help him piece together why he felt so uncertain about her. In fact, maybe it was best Winston was making them train together. He could keep an eye on her. "Well, since we don't want to blind any of our teammates, can you tell me what other powers you possess?"

Harley smiled a toothy grin. "I can make the ground shake!"

"Perhaps that should wait," Hanzo thought about all the delicate and fragile items inside the temples they stood above. "What else?"

"I can manipulate the magnetic field around someone so they float for a few seconds?"

"Perfect. Show me."

Harley seemed to be focusing on the outline of the figure that was distinctly Jack, who was walking through the main area of the largest temple. Hanzo watched as he stopped moving suddenly, and then, when Harley raised her hand up, his feet swung out from under him and he floated about two feet off the ground for a few moments. When she lowered her hand, he fell gently – but not gracefully – onto the floor. Even though the wooden walls, Jack's cursing was clear.

"Oops," Harley covered her mouth, obviously hiding a smile.

"Maybe that was not the best test…" Hanzo said, though even he had to admit it was a little bit funny. He hoped Jack didn't peer outside and notice them though; he wouldn't even really know how to address that one. "Although, it does seem you have fairly good control of your abilities. Perhaps we can figure out a way to test your other abilities on… someone else."

"He's not going to be mad at me, is he?"

Hanzo opened his mouth to reply, but the words caught in his throat. There was something about the way Harley was biting down on her lower lip, struggling to keep from giggling, and wringing her wrists that made her seem so approachable. Her lightheartedness was surprising, but there was something almost infectious about it. She nervously pushed her hair behind both ears, looking up at Hanzo with her bright blue eyes.

Finally Hanzo found his words. "He might be… if he finds out it was you."