Chapter Text
Genji woke up behind bars. His thoughts foggy and uncoordinated. Where was he?
Cairo.
At least, he had been visiting Cairo with Zenyatta. They were looking for someone. It'd been difficult to stay close to each other in the constantly moving and bustling city. Genji hadn't noticed until it was too late that they were being watched. Followed. They had ambushed him right in the street.
Zenyatta.
He could remember the omnic's face vanishing into the crowd as Genji was pinned and suffocated. His world had gone dark before he could see his fate.
Now there was no telling if he was still even in the city, though if the heat was any indication, he couldn't be out of Egypt. The room was solid stone, except for the bars that separated him from another, larger room. On a table sat his katana and his short blade, along with the golden goggles and linen wrap for his face.
Shit.
The nomadic cybernetics were much better against the heat than the standard gear granted to him by Overwatch, but the mask was too easy for anyone to remove.
He had to escape. He investigated his cell, completely bare save for a stone bench built into the wall. The bars were a bit more revealing. Despite the archaic design of the prison, the door was controlled remotely. Likely by some electronic pad nearby if this was only a dungeon and not an actual prison facility.
He couldn't see any kind of control pad from where he was stuck, and so he'd have to wait. He hadn't been given any food or water, so they'd either be brought to him, or they intended to let him die down here.
He waited patiently, using the time to meditate on the floor. He had to remain calm while still unsure of his situation. He breathed deep to let his mind empty. Focusing on the inner peace his master had tried so hard to instill in him. He could pass hours this way if he had to. He was going to escape. He was going to find his master. They were going to explore Cairo, then move on across the sea to somewhere new.
Footsteps drew him back to the cell. The guard that stepped into view was burly, but undisciplined.
Not military.
Genji didn't move, staring back at his captor, who leaned close to the bars. He was wearing light protective gear, a radio was clipped to his shoulder and a wire trailed to his ear.
Organized. Mercenary?
At least dangerous. He held a rifle close to his hip. Held it like he knew how to use it. But he was underestimating Genji, who hadn't moved from the middle of his cell. He stepped closer.
"You awake?" Genji didn't respond. "Going to cause me any trouble?" He was moving to the side of the cell, his eyes never leaving the prisoner. The control pad must have been there. "Boss wants to see you. Im opening the door. No funny business." Genji could hear him pressing the buttons, the beeping of a password being accepted.
"You really are an ugly son of a-" Genji made his move, instantly in front of the guard. His reflexes weren't fast enough, and the ninja had hold of his collar, tugging him head long into the bars with a crack. The door opened as the mercenary fell to the floor, blood trailing down his face.
"Thank you." Genji didn't have time to wonder if he was dead, instead he took his gear from the table.
Escape successful.
Now to find his master.
--
Genji was silent as he stalked through the building. It sprawled out in long hallways, and high ceilings. Once he'd left the prison wing, he found that it was well decorated. The walls were covered in intricate paintings, pedestals held ancient pottery and delicately woven tapestries framed windows cut directly into the stone walls and shrouded ornate curtains. Outside he could see a great courtyard, the sand trampled down into stone paths and gardens painstakingly attended to, and beyond it all was a great stone wall that must have surrounded this lavish palace that had imprisoned him. The design of everything was clearly taken from more eastern influences that mixed with ancient local architecture. Stone pillars supported balconies and walkways all through the labyrinthian building.
There were some modern enhancements, most of which pertained to security, but no camera was a match for Genji's shuriken. He remained unseen. His progress was halted once or twice by approaching voices, and he'd had to turn back and find a separate path repeatedly to avoid detection, but he was getting a decent idea of the building's layout.
He had found his way to one of the upper floors and he used the opportunity to look out over the wall. There was Cairo. He was still in the city. Or at least on the outskirts of it. That was one answer, now all that was left was to find his master and escape.
His persistence and skill allowed him to go unnoticed through much of the palace, though the north wing was thoroughly defended. He'd come back to it if he had to, but he wasn't comfortable causing a scene without knowing where Zenyatta was.
Genji found some answer in a large central room. He had entered it from the western wing to a second floor indoor balcony. Curtains hung over arches and across the ceiling in a gaudy display that matched the resplendent rugs under his feet. A guard across the way gave him some pause, but he was distracted. Genji realized he was on his phone.
Sad.
Beneath him, he could hear someone talking.
"Yes, yes, I assure you he's safe. He's locked away until he wakes" Genji peered over the railing. There was a man, tall, with dark hair, tied back into a long braid. He was going grey at the temples, but he carried himself with youth. His robes were embroidered in gold and silver against a deep red. He was obviously a man of great means. And he was the one who imprisoned him. He was the one who attacked them. Genji's fingers wrapped around the hilt of his blade.
Assassins and Kings.
"That was hardly necessary, Genji is not a threat."
Zenyatta. That was his voice. It gave Genji pause. He was here, but not within view. He could kill this man and they could be gone. The guard was putting his phone away, his gaze scanning the room he had been ignoring. Genji had to decide fast, had to act faster.
His feet were on the railing as he was seen. He was pushing off as the guard yelled, catching the attention of who must have been his employer. No matter, Genji had already closed the distance between them, his short blade made a visible arc, his aim clear for the man's throat.
Something heavy and hard lodged into his side, perfectly aimed to hit the unarmored ribs under his arm. He was winded and thrown off course, collapsing to the floor. His blade landed behind him with a useless clink, dropped. The guard upstairs was still yelling about a security breach.
"Many apologies, my pupil, but I can not allow you to attack our host," the orb that incapacitated Genji began to glow, radiating a healing energy that mended its own inflicted damage to his ribs, "Though I understand you must be quite confused."
The richly dyed silken curtains parted, and the omnic that emerged was-
Awe inspiring.
His entire visage took on a clear majesty that had not always been apparent. Zenyatta's previously smooth nonthreatening face had been replaced with all knowing red eyes, that peered through Genji like he were glass and a short hawk beak that came down to a dangerous point. The gold of his headdress and bangles caught the ambient light in regal splendor, and his long solid black limbs were otherworldly in their powerful grace. And those golden talons, tucked with ease under his loosely draped shendyt were chilling. The curtains slid over his broad shoulders, prolonging the moment before they must depart. It was enough to leave Genji speechless, though he was already trying to catch his breath.
"Truly a vision worthy of the Pharaohs of old," the man was moving past his would-be assassin to embrace Zenyatta. The guard upstairs had gone quiet.
"You're still all flattery," Genji was surprised to see his master not only lower his feet to stand, but to hug the other in obvious camaraderie. Something about watching it felt off, though his clear animosity for the stranger was a likely culprit.
"Only when I mean it, old friend," even though both had leaned back from their greeting, they still held to each other's arms, looking each other up and down.
"You look the same as ever," Zenyatta was laughing, the moment entirely his to savor. Genji realized he still hadn't stood up further than a kneeling position. He grabbed his dropped blade, sheathing it to remind them that he was still there, unfamiliar and forgotten.
It was enough, as Zenyatta released his friend to levitate, his hand made a fluid flourish in introduction. "Genji, this is my dear brother Khaldun, we have known each other for a very long time," the red eyes zeroed in on him, rapt in a way that sent a shiver up the cyborg's spine. "And this is my student, Genji Shimada."
Genji didn't say anything at first. He only looked between the two of them. Something about this Khaldun disturbed him deeply. He wanted to speak to Zenyatta privately, to demand some explanation, but he also couldn't help avoiding those eyes. He only nodded at their apparent host.
"It seems I misunderstood the situation. Deepest regrets for my actions," the apology was dry and insincere, his head cocked slightly, his tone taking on an edge. "But if I must stay in my current room, I would like to request less security."
There was a venom in Khaldun's gaze. The kind that killed men, and would kill more. It was replaced with merriment in a blink, and Zenyatta's friend was laughing off the jab. "Your new student is cheeky."
"But no less correct. I don't appreciate you putting my pupil in a cell." The atmosphere wasn't one of a failed assassination, but there was a hollowness to Genji. Everything was unfamiliar. His master's new appearance must have been throwing him a little.
"I meant no offense," Khaldun's apology was about as sincere as Genji's, "You can never be too careful these days."
No you can't.
Genji already didn't like this old friend. He didn't like this place. He couldn't put his finger on the growing discomfort. Something about he heat, or the guards, or the way Khaldun stood so close to his master.
Genji especially didn't like that.
--
Cairo was easier to enjoy from the rooftops. And more so still in the shade. It was actually quite beautiful in the setting sun. The stone buildings, some ancient, some new, all shone brilliantly against holographic displays and colored spot lights, all of which were reflected in the Nile.
Genji took it in. It was breathtaking to see the future collide with the ancient past in a conflicting patchwork that tested the human ability to defy entropy. He observed it from high above the crowds, which was becoming less hurried business and blue collar workers and shifting quickly into an active night life. The darkness that fell on the city could only do so partially. In the distance, Genji could see Giza's lights illuminating the void with all the passion of the capital. Cities never sleep. Something he took advantage of, as he couldn't either.
Khaldun had quickly dismissed him. Sending him off with what looked for all the world like a mercenary, but was introduced as captain of the guard, while he 'caught up' with Zenyatta. He'd been shown his room, which was little better than the cell he had already escaped, and given the most unenthusiastic tour of all the places he was allowed to travel in the palace. There weren't many, and he'd seen most of it anyway. The North wing wasn't mentioned. Part way through, Genji had the thought the captain already had from the beginning.
I'm literally a ninja, you can't keep me in or out of anywhere.
Once he knew this, he cut the tour short. His guide didn't have any complaints, curtly mentioning that he had to check on one of his men's recovery anyway. Genji noted that everywhere he had been shown was largely empty, save for the guard. And there wasn't a hint of his master. Of course, Zenyatta was with him.
The thought put a block of ice in the back Genji's head. It made him feel lopsided, awkward and restless, and the world was suddenly half a step off. The feeling had chased him from the palace and brought him to this high roof in the middle of the city. All the ambient activity had a calming effect, at least giving his mind something to focus on beyond the last twenty four hours.
Genji pulled the golden goggles from his eyes and untied the white linen from his face. It was still a feeling he was getting used to, wearing these much cooler garments. It made him think of Zenyatta, his gold and silver hands now dark, moving with authority and extravagance. The bangles around his arms and legs, shiny and regal. Those claws and beak. Those knowing red eyes. They were so different from the Zenyatta he knew. Everything about him looked more domineering, intimidating, imposing.
'Truly a vision worthy of the Pharaohs of old'
Khaldun's flattery brought a scowl to Genji's face.
No Pharaoh is worth a single glimpse of my master.
The lopsided feeling returned. He might as well head back if it were going to follow him up here. At least he'd have some chance of seeing his master there. Zenyatta would know what to say. He need only speak to him alone.
Genji rewrapped and secured the linen about his face and replaced the goggles, adjusting their light and contrast so that he could clearly see the dark shadows as much as the city lights. He nimbly hopped over the edge of the building, catching the ledge so he could push off towards the next. Hidden above their heads, he passed the people silently in a blur of gold and pale blue, until he touched down in the crowded streets themselves.
He didn't feel so out of place here. Omnic and human passed one another without notice, many of whom were dressed more absurd than himself. He didn't need shadows to disappear into this crowd.
Still someone grabbed his arm.
"Have you heard? The Old God returns!" Genji recoiled from the woman. She looked modestly dressed in long clean drapery, a flier in her outstretched hand. "The world will tremble before his might! Prostrate yourself before him and beg for mercy!" Genji took the flier and nodded. He didn't have much patience for proselytizing, but he would not be rude.
"Thank you, excuse me." The woman seemed pleased enough that he took the paper, turning to offer another stranger on the street her message. Genji took a glance at it, where a crude replication of the god Ra stared back at him. Ah yes. God of the sun. Head of a hawk.
He couldn't read the Arabic text, but the picture reminded him of Zenyatta. He carefully folded and tucked it away into the folds of his clothes before continuing back. Maybe his master would find it a little funny.
--
Genji could feel eyes on him at all times in the palace. The occasional guard would keep watching him long after he passed, and he suspected hidden cameras were recording his every move. Granted, he had attempted to kill their employer, and almost killed one of their friends.
Still, he wandered the grounds as he was allowed, making notes of exit and entry points. Where he was in the open, where he was cornered. He surveyed it as a battle ground. He couldn't convince himself it wasn't.
He hoped to see Zenyatta around any corner. Behind any door. But he was continually disappointed. The omnic was nowhere to be found. Neither was Khaldun. Good riddance and fuck him, but knowing that the two were probably still together had the cyborg muttering grievances and curses under his breath.
"Does he speak through you?" Genji stopped, his hand going to his short blade. It was one of the guards speaking to him. He looked young, wide eyed and optimistic in contrast to his stocky build. Must have just been a kid trying to make a buck.
"What?" Genji didn't release his blade immediately, standing ramrod stiff.
"I heard your whispers, has he sent you?" The world was going off kilter again, but in a different way than before. He didn't understand the question, or how it related to his grumbling.
"I don't- Has who sent me?"
They were interrupted before Genji could get an answer. At the sound of quick footsteps, the guard stood back into his position, mouth shut, eyes forward.
"Shimada," it was his tour guide, the captain, "Your master has requested you." Genji spared a glance and a passing thought to the odd exchange that only just took place, before nodding. It nagged at him as he followed the captain, but he wouldn't pass up the chance to see Zenyatta.
He was led to the north wing, the dimly lit halls were somehow more indulgent than the rest of the place, with intricate carvings set into the stone and silken lace draped over tables covered with statuettes of one god or another. The captain didn't give him time to examine any of it, continuing up stone steps that were open and exposed toward the courtyard. The elegant curtains and stone pillars that shrouded them cast strange shadows in the night. Halfway up the stairs, they met Khaldun walking back down. He regarded Genji briefly, not unlike one would regard an insect in the pantry, before he was speaking to the captain.
"Two, armed. At all times downstairs." He received a salute, dismissed Genji with nothing short of pure contempt (the feeling was mutual) before he continued down the steps. Something was definitely off, and it wasn't just the host's palpable distaste for him. Armed guards for Zenyatta was like locking away an animal. Usually it wasn't for their own benefit. His desire to speak to his master was growing by the second.
Thankfully, at the top of the steps the mercenary held open the door and motioned for him to head inside. Alone.
Finally.
The room was the very definition of extravagance. High ceilings were decorated with the same carvings of the halls accompanied by gold leafing. Sheer curtains draped over archways that lead to unseen rooms of the living quarters. The floor was covered in resplendent rugs and cushions piled into comfortable seating. A tray of bread and wine was laying on a low table in the middle of the floor, partially consumed. Genji thought of their host, here, enjoying Zenyatta's company.
There's that shift again
Speaking of, the omnic wasn't here.
Genji crossed the large room, thinking how poorly it suited his master, to one of the curtains, which moved in a slight breeze. Pulling it back, he found who he was looking for. He was levitating on the balcony, engrossed in the view of the illuminated city, his meditation orbs moving quickly behind his head in thought.
Genji wasn't sure what to say now. He tried to imagine the day he must have had, how it would have been vastly different to his own. Was he not entirely adjusted to his new form?
He didn't speak as he stepped out onto the open night air. His sights were on the curve of Zenyatta's back, the delicate fabric and smooth shoulders, but he faced out towards the city as he took his place at his master's side. After all, even if they looked different, they were still teacher and student. Nothing had changed.
Zenyatta turned his head slightly, acknowledging him. His orbs slowed their pensive motion, instead encircling them both. He didn't speak, only looking Genji up and down.
"So, God of the sun?" Genji teased, and Zenyatta laughed. The world fell back into step and Genji felt less off balance at the sound of it.
"It's much better suited to this climate," black slender fingers tapped the golden ankh on his chest, where Genji could hear the unmistakable sound of moving liquid. Coolant, flowing continually throughout his system. "Khaldun insisted on it." Genji's brow furrowed, and he changed the subject.
"You 'requested' me?" There was a quick click, and Genji realized Zenyatta had made the sound with his beak.
"Not at all, I said I wished to go see you," the meditation orbs had moved back around his neck, their arcs wider than usual to surround the headdress. "I had hoped to go into the city." He was looking out again, his tone distant and dreamy.
Genji spent a moment looking out in silence, trying to see what about it had captured his master's attention. It was certainly beautiful from here, but he suspected his master's thoughts lied with the people in it.
"Master," he hated to tear him away from whatever enraptured him, but he had been waiting all day to speak to his master, "I'm concerned about," he tried to keep the animosity out of his voice, "your friend." He wasn't remotely successful.
Zenyatta didn't speak at first, weighing what had been said and what hadn't. He waved his hand in dismissal to the city, as if saying goodnight, before he pulled back the curtain to the large sitting room.
"Then we should discuss your concerns."
--
Genji pulled off his goggles and head coverings, trying to relax in their uncharacteristic luxury. Thankfully, he didn't feel the constant eyes on him here. Zenyatta hardly seemed to notice any of it one way or another, his mind elsewhere. Genji couldn't help but feel like the roles were reversed. His master distracted and absent.
"Is everything alright?" He asked, Zenyatta dismissed the question with a fluid wave of his hand. He was speaking more in gestures it seemed, each one unquestionable and sure. Combined with the royal attire, rigid posture, and avian face, Genji couldn't help but feel he really was being granted an audience with some God.
"Tell me what troubles you, my pupil." And there was Zenyatta, very much a simple soul within an omnic shell. Genji's teacher, master and friend.
"Something's not right," the ninja could feel it in his gut. It went beyond the initial ambush and his prison cell. Something in the air wasn't right. He tried to find the words to explain it. "We were attacked, I was left in a cell and this-?" He motioned at the great room. Zenyatta was nodding, his fingers drumming slowly on his knee. "I have a very bad feeling about this." His master let the silence settle between them before he replied.
"Your discomfort here is understandable." He was looking around the room, obviously not entirely comfortable with the arrangements either. "But I have been speaking with Khaldun," the way Zenyatta said his name brought back that off balance feeling, "he is a cautious man, with many secrets. Many of which even I do not know." He sounded faraway again, "He has allowed you to freely come and go, and regrets his initial haste to violence."
"He's left armed mercenaries at your door." Genji challenged. The news was enough to make his master pause, but he shook his head.
"I know that he is difficult to understand, but I trust him."
"I don't." It came out as a hiss, louder than Genji had intended.
Zenyatta didn't say anything, his gaze bearing down on his student. His fingers were still as he considered him. His eyes were...scary. An instinctual and baser fear of the hawk as a predator staring down its prey. Genji's heart started to race. He could hear it in his ears when his master lowered his feet to stand. It was deafening as he closed the space between them, the golden beak inches from his face and red eyes focused entirely upon him, making him feel incredibly small.
"He doesn't trust you, either." It was a level admission, "Should I believe you before him?" The question capsized everything and burned a solid hole through Genji's mind. He knew this feeling. This displacement that had flirted with him throughout the day. He was fiercely jealous, and it showed through the tightening of his fists, hardening of eyes, and clench of his jaw. Zenyatta knew. Of course he knew. He knew Genji down to the core.
"He is my dear friend and you are my beloved student," Zenyatta's hand touched his student's side where he had previously bruised the ribs, thoughtfully running his fingers down the tan synthetics to the stiff fabric. His touch was a blessing, reassuring that any jealousy was unfounded. "What would you have me do?"
Genji could only close his eyes, unable to look into his any longer. He couldn't ask him to choose, and, besides the initial ambush, his concerns were so far unfounded by hard evidence. All of it was a matter of conjecture and personal pride. And a gut feeling. Something about this place had him constantly on edge, and now he was uncertain of everything except Zenyatta's delicate fingers against his side.
"I'm sorry." Genji was tired, the day had been long, and his room was far away in this labyrinthian palace.
"Don't be," Zenyatta stepped back, his feet leaving the floor once again, "I've had my own doubts today." Genji opened his eyes to see his master looking at the religious flier he had been handed in the streets. His hands instinctually went to where he'd kept it in the folds of his clothing. Empty.
"A woman in the city was handing them out," he explained. Zenyatta was reading it carefully. He chuckled, handing it back.
"Did you see something you liked?" He was kidding, teasing his student in that familiar way. It was a warm reminder. Genji's jealousy was feeling less necessary the more he was around. His laugh was quiet and only a little awkward as he put the paper away.
"Sleep, Genji. The morning will be here before we know it." He wasn't looking at his student, instead his attention was back out to the balcony. Genji couldn't help but feel like he was holding on to something difficult. Something that weighed heavily on him. He wanted to ask, to see if there might be some way to bring relief to his troubled mind, as the omnic had done for him so many times before.
"Master-"
"It can't be helped," Zenyatta saved him the trouble. "You need not worry for me."
"I was only going to insist that you rest as well," Genji lied, but it was a kind lie. One his master must have appreciated, because after a moment of silence, he turned away from the balcony to sit on one of the many soft cushions. If Genji could do nothing else, he could do as he always had. And so he tossed a pillow into his master's lap so he could lay across his legs, making himself comfortable.
Zenyatta placed a hand on his student's head, petting him absently, his mind still elsewhere. Genji didn't press it, instead asking something that had been on his mind.
"How did you meet Khaldun?" The name was a coal on his tongue, but he pushed past it.
"He helped me to reach Nepal." Zenyatta's answer held many more questions, but Genji didn't ask any of them. He closed his eyes and drifted off to the sound of continually flowing coolant and the ambient white noise of an internal fan.