PoVs/Protagonists/Couples:
Hanzo (character belongs to Blizzard) x Ýri (OC)
Genji (character belongs to Blizzard) x Shizuka (OC)

WARNING:
This story will be a very long one, full of dialogs, drama and violence as well as grammar mistakes because none of the authors is a native English speaker. Some parts are for mature audiences only.

And back to Hanzo. We hope you enjoy it!

(BTW: The latest chapters will get a layout update so you can better read them and the earliest ones will get a rewrite as soon as real life stops being so time consuming^^" so stay tuned to that ;) )

Chapter 28: Fear (Hanzo x Ýri)

He had never been that scared before. The hours from Tokyo back to Washington he spent listening to the news fearing to hear about Ýri being captured. He hadn't been by her side to prevent these events from happening. He wasn't there now either to protect her, because he went to Hanamura mourning a lost brother, who wasn't dead after all. I should never have left her! Hanzo cursed himself for his foolishness again and again. He cursed Genji, who came back into his life a few hours ago. He cursed Sígurd and Ýri for keeping this information from him. But the strongest emotion he felt at this moment was fear. Cold and razor-edged fear.

Don't be mad at her. She wanted to tell you so many times, but I forbade her to. Hanzo started recalling his last conversation with Sígurd, when Zenyatta's influence helped him to visit the Viking in his highly secured prison cell.

Just why, Sígurd?, Hanzo had been asking. Don't you trust me?

When your brother joined Overwatch and served Blackwatch under Gabriel Reyes' command, he was to be a deadly weapon in the first place. His purpose was to help us destroy your family's criminal empire. But he was unpredictable. I wanted to keep him from knowing your location and you from searching for him. I did it to protect you. But with recent events I had to reveal having you in my service to the remaining Overwatch members. It could be valuable information for them to find Ýri, Sígurd had explained.

You should have told me. I would never have left for Hanamura, if I had known, had been his answer.

I still don't understand Talon's reasons for these actions, but promise me to keep her save from them, the once so tall Viking had pleaded. She is alone in a vast snake pit now. She needs someone, whom she can trust.

I grew up in a snake pit myself, Sígurd, and I know how to balance my steps on countless snakes' backs. I will find her and I will protect her.

Hanzo stared down at the golden torc bracelet with the two dragon heads Sígurd gave him. An ancient heirloom of the Viking's family, which had been handed down from father to son since 1300 years ... The execution was to take place at 12 o'clock on the following day without any magisterial judgment. A fact that just proved something was very fishy with this case, but Sígurd had already accepted to die for a crime he did not commit.

This is not right … Hanzo looked up to the place, where the Shimbali shuttle had left. Genji had helped him to get back to Washington and Zenyatta's influence opened doors for Hanzo to speak to Sígurd one last time. But with that done, his brother insisted on returning to his so-called girlfriend. Strange …

Hanzo shook his head and got to his feet. He had to start his search somewhere and it might as well be Ýri's now empty quarters in the White House. Guards had been placed in the whole district, especially the government building, but Hanzo managed to sneak inside nevertheless. Sígurd's bracelet was a heavy weight on his arm the whole time.

Hanzo looked around the empty room. There must be something … I cannot lose her. I just can't. She was his purpose now and the only thing in this world he could return to. It felt even worse than the time when Hanzo thought he had killed his brother. He knew, what would follow, if he couldn't find her in time: Guilt, emptiness and a never-ending darkness would consume him once again.

He sat down in the middle of her room, which clearly had been searched. The Shimada closed his eyes to meditate and focus on clues, but his dragons proved far too uneasy. Where could she be now? Where would she go? She wouldn't dare try to get back to Norway. Her persuaders would have that way covered and she is no fool. It must be somewhere she knew, she could survive on her own. Hanzo stared into her empty room trying to put himself into her position. A girl, who grew up in some isolated village with few people, where she couldn't accidently harm someone with her unpredictable spirit. A secluded village in a fjord somewhere on the Lofoten Islands, surrounded by mountains, forests and the ocean …

»That's it … «, he whispered. She would choose to leave civilization thinking her chances better in the open wilds. …

»Northwards«, he continued considering. »Out of the United States towards Canada, where the landscapes are resembling her home … there she knows best how to survive on her own.«

Hanzo started packing up some of her personal things, which she had left in her obvious rush, along with some clothing and her favorite book. He shouldered his backpack and vanished into the night. I will find her and I will keep her safe by all the honor I have left.

Hanzo had followed Ýri's trail for four whole days before he finally had the feeling of catching up to her. It was past eight and terribly dark. Thick drops of rain were swamping the streets and gathering in large pools that reflected the street lights. The tiny village seemed empty and Hanzo wasn't surprised, that the citizens preferred to stay inside, when he found the first corpse. It was a Talon agent, no doubt. Hanzo bend down to examine it. The body had been ripped open by the claws of some big animal. A bear …

Hanzo got back to his feet looking around. Not far from him was another dead agent with exactly the same markings. He followed the trail of blood, his heart beating loudly. He heard the roar of a bear echoing through the starless night, or was it just his imagination playing tricks on him? Nevertheless he started running, barely able to hold back the dragons, who urged him to rush forward. He noticed the stream of a river close by, and cold shivers crept down his spine as he recognized his latest nightmare's scenery. An agitated caw made him stop.

»Huginn!« He spotted the large raven on a roof top. »Where is your master?!«

The bird stared down at him, cunningly clicking its beak before it spread its wings taking off. »Wait for me, you wicked bird!«

Hanzo started running again, following the bird through empty streets until it led him to some kind of market place. There he saw her, striking down another one of her pursuers. »ÝRI!«

She looked up, surprised and overjoyed all the same. »Hanzo! What are you doing here?!«

»Keeping my promise of course!« He wanted to get closer to her, but froze in his movement at the sight of glowing steel behind her. »Ýri, watch out!«

Her own facial expression grew into horror and she pointed at something. »Behind you!«

Hanzo did not even have the time to draw his bow. Both his attackers were too close already. He pierced the first one's throat with one of his arrows. The second he struck down with his bow. He turned around to Ýri and his blood ran cold in his veins.

»NO!«

He hit her attacker's head with a well-aimed shot. Nevertheless, he was too late again. In the weak glow of one street light, he saw the red stream leaving from a spot at her right hip. As if it wasn't enough yet, of course Talon had positioned a sniper on a nearby roof. Hanzo recognized the laser pointer at the middle of Ýri's forehead.

»No, no, no! Run!« To his immense relief, Ýri did not question his command this time, running towards a shutoff, before climbing over it and throwing herself into the river beneath.

»Hanzo! Don't be a poor sport!«, Widowmaker shouted in a very pissed tone.

»I told you to leave her alone!«, he roared in his fury. »And what did you do to her father?! I guess that was a well-planned conspiracy you pinned on him!«

»You have become very annoying, dragon.« Without any warning, she released another shot, but the projectile never reached him. Instead a messy bunch of black feathers fell out of the air right to his feet.

»YOU GODDAMN WHORE!«

It was rare that Hanzo couldn't control his rage, but the Talon assassin had gone too far. Both dragons broke free starting to rampage all over the market place. But Hanzo did not care. He did not care at all, whom his rage consumed as long as it wasn't Ýri. Carefully he picked up her pet raven, gently laying him into one of his pockets and keeping an securing hand on it.

»Thank you, Huginn. You have done well, but now rest. I will find your master again.« His heart was heavy. Now he had lost his only friend a second time. He could just follow the river stream and hope to find her alive.

The next hour topped this already terrible day. He felt like a ghost and could do nothing but trust in his dragons' instincts to find her. His heart jumped from incredible relief, when he indeed saw her sitting on a river bank, where she was patching up her wounds. »Ýri!« He ran up to her, pulling her into his arms. She was alive, she was fine, she was back with him. »Thank goodness, you are alright!«

Her fingers clawed into the fabric of his jacket and she started to tremble uncontrollably. »Everything was just so fast! They were all over the place already, when it happened! I wasn't able to help him! I just ran away like a coward, when I should have stayed with my father and his men. I should have been fighting and dying by their sides … «

»It is not your fault«, Hanzo whispered keeping an even tighter hold on her. »There was nothing you could have done to prevent that and your father knows it. He has already accepted his fate.«

»Have you seen him?«, she looked up still sobbing.

»Yes«, Hanzo replied gravely. »And he will die in peace knowing you are save with me.«

»I didn't want to drag you into this, Hanzo. You shouldn't have come back.« She had stopped crying and her head was now lying on his shoulder, exhausted.

»That's what friends are for, is it not?«, he whispered, with a weak smile. »I came back to protect you and to keep you safe. I would never have left in the first place, if your father and you had told me about Genji.«

»Oh, Hanzo, I know«, she admitted, obviously guilty. »But dad forbade me to. We wanted to protect you from a possible revenge act.«

»It wouldn't have changed a thing though. The only difference would have been, that I fled the town together with you«, Hanzo said with his fingers gently stroking through her messy hair. »Now come on. We need to find something safe for the night. You need to rest.«

An abandoned shed near the forest was all they could find, but it was still a roof over their heads shielding them from the rain. First Hanzo helped Ýri to patch up her pet raven. Despite the bird's poor state, Hanzo couldn't spot a single tear on the young woman's face. With a blank expression she looked after Huginn keeping her mouth shut.

»Let me see to your wounds now«, Hanzo asked silently. »You got stabbed and who knows what else they did to you.«

»I can see to it myself«, she firmly replied.

»O-okay … « Hanzo did not want to press her. So he handed her his backpack. »I have brought some medical supplies with me. There are also some dry clothes from your room and a blanket. Rest a little. I will go and secure the area.«

He left the shed starting to set up some improvised traps around the house. As he returned, Ýri seemed to be sleeping, curled up in the blanket. Hanzo sat down next to her, his ears focused on their surroundings and his eyes watching over her. What should their next step be? Cities and public transport was off limits for them. Far too risky. Bringing her home to Norway could also prove dangerous and he could hardly hide with her in Japan … Into the wild is it then … We don't have any other options … Maybe we find an isolated ranch or a mountain cabin to stay for a while … Slowly he drifted off to sleep himself.

The sun had barely risen, when Hanzo shot up alarmed by his own traps. He looked at the spot, where Ýri had been sleeping, but it was empty.

»You wicked little-« He stormed out the door just to find her struggling with one of his setups. »You would make a terrible assassin, you know that?«

He knelt next to her and helped her to get free. »What were you even thinking? Stealing yourself away like that? Forget it. I would have found you again.« When he did not receive an answer he looked up at her. »Ýri … «

Her beautiful face was pale and her emerald eyes filled with tears. »He is dead, Hanzo … He is dead now, I can feel it … «

»I am sorry, Ýri. I am so sorry.« He pulled her into his arms trying to shield her from the rain. »Now the Valkyries have summoned him home, where he will drink from curved horns and be reunited with his wife and eldest son … «

»Nonsense«, Ýri weakly replied. »But thank you though.«

So Sígurd, the dragon slayer, died and now a dragon was guarding his most precious treasure … That irony … Hanzo got to his feet and pulled Ýri up with him. He put her hood on her, shouldered their backpack and took her hand leading her away …

»Where are we going?«, she asked.

»Somewhere safe«, he answered.

»And where is that supposed to be? My father got executed, my elder brother murdered, my mother died in childbirth, when our operation base in Oslo got overrun by Talon. My uncle, little brother and grandma are certainly being watched and every other family member was killed during the attack in Oslo too.«

She sounded so hopeless and Hanzo's blood run cold at the thought, that he might have killed on of her relatives, when he had been in Norway with Talon … Another thing he had to find redemption for …

»It might not be much, but you will always have me by your side«, Hanzo spoke shyly. »As long as you want me to.«

»I hope you have a lot of time to spare then.« A weak and teary smile appeared on her face. »This is more than enough, Hanzo, thank you.«

The following days were very dull. Basically they were just walking and walking, camping in the wild before continuing to walk. They did not meet a single soul, but Hanzo was glad about that. When they didn't meet someone, there wasn't a possible threat for his charge. He was still worried about Ýri. She barely talked and since they had to bury Huginn she remained silent. She was growing weaker day by day and got more easily exhausted. Hanzo also noticed their medical supplies were running out, especially the painkillers.

Hanzo watched her over the campfire's flames. Her cheeks were a burning red, but otherwise she was deathly pale. Maybe the light was just playing tricks on him …

»You will stay here and rest a little. I will see, if I am able to hunt us something to eat.« She did not even nod and Hanzo sighed heavily. What am I just going to do with you?

It took him about one hour until he returned with a skinny rabbit and some wild fowl.

»I know, you are no big fan of eating animals, especially when you saw their ›whole‹ form before, but you have to regain your strength … « Again he did not receive an answer. Hanzo just saw her lying on the ground.

»Hey, are you sleeping already?«

He placed down his prey and walked up to her. She did not look like someone, who laid down to rest. It rather seemed like she dropped to the ground. »Ýri!« He carefully felt her head just to find it burning hot.

»Goddammit, what is wrong with you?!«

Cold fear was slamming its claws into his heart. He turned her around to check for a possible cause for her sudden fever and it did not take him long to find one. »Gods, why haven't I realized before?!«

Hanzo cursed himself that moment. He should have paid more attention! The clothes on her right side were soaked with fresh and also dried blood at the high of her hip. He pulled out a sharp knife to cut his way through the fabric just to see her stabbing wound from the day he found her again. It should have started healing already, but instead the wound was heavily infected.

»You stupid little- … why haven't you told me?!«, he shouted at her, but she did not react at all. He could try and cut off the infected flesh and burn the wound out, but she also needed medical treatment at once!

»Don't give up now, Ýri«, he whispered. Hanzo could not remember when he ever felt so helpless and despaired. He quickly extinguished the campfire, leaving their backpack and carefully picking Ýri up. Hanzo released both his dragons. One to light the night for them and the other to find something, anything that could help them. He tightened his hold on Ýri.

»You won't give up on me now, do you hear me?! I forbid you to!«

[Next chapter at 15th July.]