Shimada castle. Once a grand, gorgeous building which housed only the most privileged of the Shimada clan. Ah, the fun I had enjoyed so long ago in this castle. I'm sure if I entered I could find my room, my old weapons and such. I remember when I was younger my father would tell me, and my brother Hanzo, fantastic stories of heroes and warriors. Some from our past, some from his own imagination. I always enjoyed them, but Hanzo thought me a fool for it. He was always the more serious of us two, and the most dedicated. He was a good leader for our clan, evil that it may have been, and a worthy opponent. But he never saw past himself, and his honor. Never saw what our clan did to other people, or to the world. That is why, when Overwatch saved me, I helped them dismantle my family, I killed my own people. Because they were evil and the world deserved good.
"I see you received my message…and were smart enough to decipher it. You have grown smarter, Genji." Hanzo said behind me. I held back a sigh, and remained sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating. The last time I was here, on this very balcony, I held a sword to my brother's throat and then revealed the truth.
"Have you accepted the changes to me, and our world." I asked him.
"That does not matter. You wish to speak with me. Do so." Hanzo replied, a hint of anger in his voice. As I suspected, he hasn't accepted me for what I am now. He hasn't accepted that I am alive, and instead of being filled with joy or relieved for my return he is angry.
"You never were good at seeing beyond yourself." I said, standing up and turning to face him. He hadn't changed much since last time, except this time he wasn't trying to kill me. "Do you remember the organization that brought the downfall of our clan?"
"Overwatch…the heroes." By his tone I suspected he held no love for them.
"They did save the world from our corrupt criminal organization." I said. His arm tensed and I could tell what he was thinking. He wanted to grab his arrow and finish me. He has not learned anything from last time, has he? "Hanzo, we were evil. You must accept that. Our clan had been embarked on a quest for power and riches."
"You did not come here simply to lecture me. If you have then I will leave." Hanzo said.
"I want you to join Overwatch, brother." I almost laughed at his expression. First it was shock, disbelief, then anger.
"They are the people who destroyed our clan! Killed our friends and family! Stripped us from our very home!" He yelled. "And you dare ask me to join them?"
"You say this, yet were we any better? Our clan stole, lied, cheated, and murdered others!" I yelled back, my previous amusement replaced by anger, much like his. "Killed people with families, and loved ones, and friends! If you had to destroy one corrupt family, to save several innocent ones, what choice would you make?"
"I would stay loyal to my blood!" He yelled back, one fist clenched and the other clutching his bow so tight his knuckles were white.
"You did that, and it was the wrong choice! Look at our home, Hanzo! Under constant security, open for tourists, known as the head of the criminal world!" I took a step towards him, and he tensed. When I spoke now my voice was softer, calmer. "I went down the path of good, and you went down the path of evil. But you are not evil, brother, you are capable of good. I know you are. Join Overwatch, join us, and we can make the world better."
"Us." Was all his said, notching an arrow in his bow. I stood still and we observed each other for several minutes. The truth was out. I had betrayed my family for a chance to live, and then a chance to make the world better. I believed it was the correct choice, but it still pains me. "You betrayed our family, your flesh, blood, and honor to help strangers."
"Our father always told us to do the right thing. I did so." I said, at the same time Hanzo let the arrow fly and I simply leaned to the left, letting it whiz past my ear. "He encouraged us to grow, to thrive, but also to do well for the world. He was not happy with the empire our ancestors had started, and that he had continued."
"You know nothing! You are a traitor!" Hanzo yelled, pulling another arrow and shooting to his left. It curved to meet me and I leaned backwards, avoiding it by merely an inch. "You joined them, you fought your own, and you killed them!"
"By doing say, I saved countless lives. I gave people a future which they would not have received with our clan taking control. We were criminals, Hanzo! We were evil, you must realize that!" I yelled back. He notched another arrow and fired, but three shuriken intercepted it midair.
"You are not worthy of the Shimada name, of controlling the dragons, or of setting foot in this household!" He yelled. I had never witnessed this amount of anger from my brother, not even when he tried to kill me the first time. "You have no family, no friends, and no honor!"
"That is enough, Hanzo. I did not come to fight you." I said, but even as the words left my mouth I crouched slightly and grabbed the hilt of my sword. "I still wish you would join us. Overwatch. I told you last time, the world is changing. And it will suffer great evils before any good may return, we can help defeat these evil. We can help this world."
"I would rather die than aid you in this fools quest." Hanzo spat, aiming another arrow. I sighed in annoyance, shaking my head slightly. This was going nowhere, and I didn't come back to my brother so he may kill me again. He needed to be brought down from his pedestal, to be humbled.
It would be a lie if I say I wasn't a bit glad that I would be the one to teach him this lesson.
"This is your last chance, brother. I do not wish to fight you!" I warned.
"I would not enjoy fighting myself either." Was his response as he let the arrow fly, curving upwards and falling towards me. I rolled backwards and shot three shuriken, which he deflected with his bow. I fired three more and ran towards him. He notched an arrow and vaulted over me, spinning around and firing. I ran to a wall and jumped onto it, kicking off and over the arrow, landing behind him and slashing. To my surprise the sword met his bow. He growled and pushed me back, dashing towards me with a kick, which I easily blocked.
"You may have defeated me years ago, Hanzo, but not again. This is pointless!" I said. His foot was still against my arm and in a split second he notched and arrow and fired it at me. I was distracted, trying to reason with him, and it hit me in the shoulder and sent me a few steps back, electrocuting me.
"You believe that, with this monstrous metallic body of yours, I am weaker. That you are invincible?" Hanzo asked, notching another arrow and taking aim at my head as I fell to the ground. "I am not stupid, and I will not fall."
"You are a fool, brother." I croaked, getting on one knee. "You let anger cloud your mind, you let it blind you from what is truly important." I yanked the arrow off my shoulder and, as he fired, used it to deflect his arrow. He seemed surprised and in this moment I rolled to my feet and hit him square in the chest with my palms, sending him flying backwards. He fell and rolled a few times before regaining his footing and charging me. His bow fell down and I jumped back, only to return and have our weapons clash in a shower of sparks. He pulled back and swung his bow, but I kicked him away. With a battle cry he charged once again and, through brute force, managed to send me down the stairs into the building. "This…is not going as I planned." I murmured, getting up and grabbing my head. I turned to see Hanzo notching one of his last arrows. It hit the floor and split into dozens of projectiles, all bouncing around the wall, roof and floor around me. I quickly jumped back and deflected them with a speed that only my robotic body could handle. Once I looked up again Hanzo was already here, and he hit me with enough strength to crack the wall. He jumped, going to land on me with a deadly blow, but I rolled to the side and avoided him.
"You believe you may return, admit your betrayal to our blood, and expect me to understand? Expect me to accept this?" Hanzo asked. "You are no brother of mine."
"Do you remember… the story of the dragons?" I asked quietly. "Our story."
"Once again, you treat the world as the fantasies our father once told us." Hanzo chided, notching his last arrow and aiming it towards me.
"It is not!" I replied, admittedly angry. "It is of us, Hanzo! Do not pretend otherwise."
"And what does it matter? A story made from the rumors of our past. Nothing more, and nothing less."
"It is more than just a simple story. It is a lesson! Why have you always been so blind to that?" I asked. I sheathed my sword and cleared my throat. He didn't shoot me, so I took that as a good sign and continued.
"For years, the bereft dragon's grief threw the world into discord, and he knew only bitterness and sorrow. One day a stranger called up to the dragon and asked; "Oh dragon lord! Why are you so distraught?" The dragon told him; "Seeking power I have killed my brother but without him I am lost." The stranger replied; "You have inflicted wounds upon yourself. But now you must heal. Walk the Earth on two feet as I do, find value in humility, then you feel peace."
"Do you not realize it, brother?" I asked, talking a step towards him. "You are still injured, never healed from the grief you have lived with for so long. You have been lost, distraught and alone. Now you must heal, Hanzo. You are no longer alone, and you have no need to fight me. Find value in humility, heal your deep wounds, and finally find peace. And you need not do this alone, brother. We may do this together as we once did so long ago."
His arrow lowered, and for the first time in my life I could clearly see just how much sorrow and pain he held behind his eyes. How alone he must have been, being chased by assassin's, knowing he had lost everything. And now I was glad to avoid the fight, to try and reach out to him. I had done plenty of good to the world, but helping my brother was by far the most important quest I would ever have.
"Prove to me…prove to me you have changed. You are no longer the lazy man who slept around and played games. No longer the man who's joy was found in stories. Meet me here on the day of your death and bring proof of your responsibility. Perhaps then, I will consider your honor restored and join Overwatch."
And still, he does not relent. Still the stubborn man I knew years ago. I thought, but I didn't voice this. After a few moments he turned and left, and I let him go.
Prove that I am a responsible man, one with honor and goals. A strong warrior. I felt as if I had proven enough, but if one last show of strength and honor was needed, then I would give it to him without complaint.
And I knew the perfect way to do so.
And here is the new chapter! I quite enjoyed it, and I hope you all enjoy it even more. As always, don't forget to fav, follow and review down below because your opinion is the most valued thing. See you next time, heroes!