Hauru hadn't moved since Genji had last visited her.
"Hauru, breakfast." he said, she turned to look up at the plate he held in his hands.
"Okay, just slip it into that compartment." Hauru replied, he had wanted to give it to her himself but if this is what she wanted so be it.
He moved to a small compartment in the side of the wall where food could be transported. He opened the metal hatch and slid the plate with four large, raw steaks stacked on top of eachother. Hauru stood up as soon as he closed the hatch and she took the plate from the small ledge hanging off the edge of the side of the wall. She then went back to her spot and sat down and placed the plate next to her.
"Are you going to eat?" Genji asked, a little worried for her.
"Yeah, I'll eat it later." Hauru replied softly, she gave a small, soft smile but it was fake, Genji could tell.
"Hauru." he said, his tone was stern and low, she met his gaze.
"Eat." he ordered lowly, Hauru sighed and rolled her eyes before picking up a steak. She looked at Genji as she ripped off a chunk of meat. Genji had to look away before he hurled. How can she do that?
"There, done...you can look now." Hauru said, he looked back to see her whipping blood off her face and on the back of her hand. She had eaten only one steak.
"Eat the rest." Genji commanded, Hauru sighed and gave him her 'do I have to?' look. Before picking up her other steak and sinking her teeth into it. Again Genji had to look away. When he heard the smack of Hauru licking the blood off her fingers he looked back.
"Now eat the rest." he said.
"You know you don't have to watch me eat right?" Hauru shot back, her tone of voice was flat and sarcastic.
"I need to make sure you eat or else Angela would kill us both…"
"Don't worry I'll eat all my meat…" she said.
"Promise?" Hauru raised her right hand and gave him a nod while rolling her eyes.
"I promise…" she said with a smirk, Genji gave her a small smile under his visor and turned on his heel and walked out. Hauru watched him while scooping up another piece of meat and taking a bite of it. When the door closed and she was left alone, she sighed and placed the half eaten steak on the plate beside her. She leaned her head up against the glass of the window and studied the ceiling. Thinking and wondering of what would happen next.
Genji closed the door and sighed heavily. He was worried about her. She was trying to cover up that she was fine and that she just needed to 'think'. He had played that card before, making excuses to isolate himself from the rest of the world. Yeah, fine she said. Genji slowly walked down the hall and to the lounge. There he saw Tracer and Zenyatta in deep conversation, for once Tracer had a grim look on her face until she saw Genji approaching.
"Good morning Genji." she chirped cheerfully and Genji nodded to her in greeting.
"How is Hauru?" Zenyatta asked, Genji sighed and looked down at the ground for a few seconds before meeting his master's gaze.
"She is still…'thinking'..." he replied, Tracer and Zenyatta fell silent for a few seconds.
"Well maybe we should pay her a visit, lift her spirits." Tracer suggested, Genji shook his head.
"I do not think she wants to see anyone right now...I have been where she is right now and I believe it is best for her to be left alone for a while." Genji replied, Tracer's happy expression turned blank and sad before she nodded. She glanced at Zenyatta for a moment and her expression got darker before lighting up again when she faced Genji.
"Well, I told Winston that I would challenge him to another peanut butter competition. See ya!" and with that she zipped away in a blue flash.
"That was...abrupt…" Genji said, Zenyatta was silent beside him which made Genji look back at him. The omnic was studying the ground underneath him, his hovering form floating a few feet above it. The orbs around his neck weren't glowing or even moving really.
"Master?" Genji asked, Zenyatta looked up at his student.
"She blames herself...for what happened at Kings Row…" he said softly, Genji was silent, when the death of Mondatta had reached them, Zenyatta spent three days meditating by himself.
"Let us speak of another matter, tell me, how do you think we can help our little friend in there." The omnic gestured to the hall to where Genji had come from. Genji shrugged in reply.
"I do not know, I know how adjusting to a new body is like but-"
"But her situation is different…" Zenyatta finished, his orbs had begun moving again. Two bobbing up and down in the air in unison. Zenyatta was thinking, his orbs said so. Genji waited patiently for his master to say something.
"Where is the good doctor?" he finally asked, Genji blinked twice under his faceplate in confusion.
"Uh...I think in her lab...why, what are you going to do?" he asked, Zenyatta started to move forward and he touched his student's shoulder before he passed him.
"Trust me on this one." Zenyatta said before drifting away in the air and down the hall toward Angela's lab.
Hauru's ears flicked at the sound of the confinement room door opening. She looked up to see Zenyatta shutting the door gently behind him. He turned to her once it clicked shut, her eyes widened. She jumped up on her feet as he started to move toward her slowly. As he did she took a few steps back, her tail tucked between her legs, her ears flat against her head. She didn't dare look at his face. Zenyatta stopped when she had back away a few steps. There was a heavy silence in the air before he spoke.
"I sense fear in your heart." he said, Hauru let out a soft whine.
"You shouldn't be here." she replied, taking a few more steps back. Zenyatta didn't move.
"I have spoken to Mercy and Winston...and I believe I can help you…" the omnic monk said, Hauru looked up at him, her brow furrowed, fear in her eyes.
"No one can help me…" she murmured as she brought her arms up and hugged herself.
"If you stay in here, no. Come." Zenyatta said, before drifting to the door and opening it. He held the door open for her to pass through. Hauru took a few more steps back, shaking her head in protest.
"If you bring yourself to the darkness, you will stay in the darkness…" Zenyatta said, Hauru slowly lifted her ears from her head and her tail lowered slightly. She slowly started to move toward the open door that Zenyatta held open. She slipped through it silently before stopping and waiting for Zenyatta to close the door. He closed the door softly, making a soft clicking sound with it. He then began to float down the hall before stopping and turning to see if Hauru was coming or not.
"Are you coming?" he asked, Hauru hesitated for a moment before walking over to him cautiously. She didn't trust herself with anything at that point but she was afraid if she resisted and made a argument about out of it. The beast inside her might be awakened again. When she got near him he started to float forward and she followed him a few paces behind.
"Where are we going?" Hauru asked as they passed the lounge, she caught the scents of Genji, Mei and Winston which was making her nervous. So she didn't look at them and pretended she didn't know they were there.
"Outside." Zenyatta replied, Hauru was now confused now.
"Wait, what? Outside? Why?" she asked when they reached a large sliding door at the far end of the facility.
The door opened instantly, letting a gust of a gentle breeze in. Tall green grass waved in the breeze, making a green ocean in front of them. Hauru followed Zenyatta out and felt the grass brush against her legs through the black sweat pants she wore. The wind brushed her hair to the side, letting the auburn hair on her scalp flow like the flames of a campfire. They walked up the small hill overlooking the beach and sea before stopping. Zenyatta then lowered himself in the grass slightly but not touching the ground.
"Please, sit." he said, motioning with his hand for her to sit next to him. Hauru sat down five feet away from him.
"What is the point of this?" she asked, Zenyatta turned his head away from her to face the sunset.
"Trust me on this Hauru, if you learn to trust others, you will learn to trust yourself. Now sit with your legs crossed." Hauru hesitated for a moment, processing the words the monk spoke before rearranging her sitting position.
"Put your hands on your knees…" he said, Hauru did what she was asked of.
"Now...close your eyes."
"Okay...this...why am I doing this? How is this going to help me?" Hauru asked, two of Zenyatta's orbs bounced in the air before the monk turned his head to her.
"Let me ask you this, who are you?" Zenyatta asked, Hauru scoffed and opened her mouth to give a reply but no words came to her. She gave it more thought and realized she didn't have an answer. She looked at the ground, away from the omnic.
"Close your eyes…" Zenyatta murmured and Hauru slowly obeyed.
"Now take a deep breath…" Hauru inhaled and let the sweet salty air of the sea and grass fill her lungs before exhaling.
"Think of a place you find peaceful, let your mind drift to that place." Hauru followed his instructions.
She took another deep breath and pictured herself in a valley surrounded by towering mountains. Pine trees lined the valley, their dark green, lushes needles swayed in the gentle breeze. Tall grass tickled her ankles and legs while the gentle breeze blew. Above her a bright blue sky dotted with puffy, white clouds over looked her surroundings. The gurgling of a clear stream running through the valley made her ears twitch and her tail wag. The image in her head was so clear, so real, she could almost taste it. She felt herself smile at the sight of the wilderness she had longed for for so long. She had dreamed of this place for years.
"Can you see the place clearly?" Hauru nodded her head, not wanting to leave the place.
"Good, now in your mind, think of yourself as a wolf…" Hauru was hesitant to do that but she did what he asked and pictured herself as the giant wolf she had become. In her vision she sat among the grass as it flapped in the wind along with her red and grey fur.
"There you are…" Zenyatta murmured, Hauru was kinda confused about the comment.
"You may open your eyes now…" Hauru slowly and gradually opened her eyes to see that nothing really changed, beside the fact she was...taller? Hauru blinked and looked down at the ground to see two large paws placed on the ground in front of her.
She lifted her paws and studied them carefully. What surprised her the most was the fact she was there. She wasn't falling back into the darkness, she hadn't even felt the sensation she had felt before. She had control. She looked down at Zenyatta who was staring up at her, if he had a face he would be smiling. She could feel that.
"Feel better?" he asked, Hauru gave a soft whimper and nodded her head. They sat there for a long moment, listening to the soothing sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Feeling the wind brush through Hauru's fur was comforting to her.