Chapter Text
The sun had sunk below the horizon not but a few minutes ago and created an odd splash of fiery colors in a sky darkened not only by night, but storm clouds. Thunder rumbled overhead and the wind whipped against whistling trees that warned in a soft whisper of the oncoming downpour. As the first fat drops slapped against the pavement, Angela quickly slipped into a building with a glowing neon sign out front that said “Open”.
Like all businesses that opened up after dark, this one was the same. It reeked of booze and buzzed monotonously with conversation and the occasional roar of jovial laughter. Angela angled her neck to look behind her. Outside of the tinted windows she could see the storm was already under way and hinted that it would not stop for awhile.
It was one of the few days that she didn’t have work and rather than be a shut in all day waiting to work some more, she had on impulse decided to take a stroll through the city that Overwatch temporarily placed itself at to monitor the Shimada Clan’s activity. It wasn’t as if her identity was in jeopardy, even with her position as the head of medical research, her face was not one that many would know. Here, no one would recognize her as anything other than a tourist.
While she was here, she decided she might as well take a seat at the bar and enjoy a drink. Her fingers laced together as she took her seat on the wooden stool and crossed one leg over the other elegantly. The bartender, a young man with tired eyes, walked to her. “What would you like?” He inquired in accented English, noting his customer was not from Japan.
“I’ll have whatever is on tap,” Angela replied fluently in Japanese. She didn’t miss the small smile quirking at the corners of his lips. She always received a reaction like that when she spoke the language of the land.
“I never expected someone like you to speak Japanese,” a voice intruded to her right. She pushed away the platinum blonde bangs from her face to get a view of the newcomer. He was in his mid twenties at least with jet black hair and piercingly dark brown eyes. He propped himself up, elbow against the counter and hand on his cheek in the shape of a fist. His features were sharp and his skin free from blemishes.
“What caught you off guard, the skin? Or perhaps it’s the hair?” She asked curiously. “What exactly is unexpected?” Despite Angela finding him rather attractive, she seemed to handle the situation with ease. She always dominated social conversations and she wasn’t about to change that now.
The man seemed taken aback by her response, his cheeks reddening ever so slightly with embarrassment. “Well, yes.” He straightened up in the stool.
So he’s tall and muscular. She thought to herself. She raised her eyebrows, staring straight ahead and tousling her platinum blonde locks of hair. “Fair enough,” Angela shrugged as a stein was placed in front of her. Her slender fingers slipped around the handle of the stein. She was painfully aware that the newcomer was still watching her with awe. It wouldn’t be the first time a man has ogled at her and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. “What?”
The man shuffled awkwardly, bringing up one hand to run through his short black hair. “What brings you to Hanamura?” Laughter boomed like thunder from the back of the bar, and his eyes shifted temporarily in that direction. His cheeks seemed to darken and his brows angled downward at them, as if trying to shut them up.
“I’m just a tourist. I like to take in the sights,” Angela responded. She knew what was happening, but instead of calling it out, she always enjoyed seeing what amusing things men like this had to say to her.
“I know a few sights you could see, if you’d like. Best in town.” And there it was. More laughter erupted from the same corner of the room. The man clearly had friends. At this point, most women would run. The last thing she wanted was to be isolated. She would easily win whatever secret competition she was having with this young man. When it came to fighting him and his goons of friends off, well, that would be a different and much less fortunate story.
“No thank you, I’ve already got plans.” Angela answered, taking another gulp of her drink. She would play this off, make him give up and then things would be normal once more.
“Well, if you’d like to see some sights in Hanamura, I’m the guy you should talk to. My name is Genji Shimada. My family runs this city.” His name made the hairs on the back of Angela’s neck stand up and she shockingly turned to look at him. Genji had just started to stand up from his seat, but upon catching her blue wide-eyed gaze he quickly sat down again. “You’ve heard of the Shimada Clan I presume?”
“Who hasn’t?” She tried to hold back her feelings, to keep her composure, but it was a lot harder to do once she knew that she was standing in front of a Shimada son. Of course out of all the men in Hanamura, the one with the most dangerous family took interest in her.
“So you came to Hanamura even though you were fully aware about us? And I thought you were smart.” This time there was no laughter, only a sly smirk curling on Genji’s lips.
“I don’t like to invoke fear in myself when I shouldn’t. It’s not as if I do anything to alert the Shimada Clan.” Angela explained herself with ease, holding back every instinct that screamed run. If she ran, she would likely get jumped. She had to think of a plan and think of one quickly. Luckily for her, Angela was definitely smarter than her opponent.
Genji paused for a moment, not having expected such a quick answer from the blonde. “My offer still stands.”
“Well, Mr. Shimada, I hope you actually meant to show me landmarks and tourist sites and not the alternative perceivable meaning. I’d say yes to the first, but the second,” she eyed him up and down for a moment. “I have higher standards than that.”
Genji’s cheeks burned, and Angela couldn’t help but smirk as she took another gulp of her beverage. The laughter in the back of the room from Genji’s friends had become deafening, filling the bar with its elating reprise. “Y-Yes! I’ll show you around.”
Desperate, isn’t he? Angela thought to herself. She reached into her purse, pulling out a pen and a notepad. She scrawled on it quickly before tearing the paper from its notepad and passing it over to Genji. Overwatch has been trying to siphon any and all information about the illicit activities of the Shimada Clan, but if she snuck info out of Genji, the benefits to Overwatch’s investigation would be astronomical! “Text me the details and I’ll see you there,” she said. “I’ve got to get back to my hotel.” Again, she reached into her purse, pulling out some cash and sliding it toward the bartender.
All the while, Genji quietly watched, holding the piece of paper in his hand as if it were a treasure. Not but a few moments later, she was gone, golden ponytail swishing behind her as she walked out the door of the bar. He cocked his head over at his friends in the back, raising the piece of paper in his hand like a flag. “And you didn’t think I could do it!” He shouted at them. Again, his eyes floated to the paper. In perfect handwriting, he read her name again. Angela. It fit her. Her name was one letter off from the English word “Angel”. That’s the only word he could use to describe a woman that fine.
He slipped the paper into his pocket, trying not to show just how careful he was being with it in front of his friends. Victoriously, he returned to the group and was greeted with pats on the backs and hoots of congratulations. “I’m actually shocked; she was practically bending you over!”
“Some women are like that, Yusei,” Genji answered, toothy grin still beaming. The light would not die from his eyes tonight. A foreigner was considered a treat, most people did not come to Hanamura alone, and those who did were most certainly not single, beautiful women. “You just have to take it.”
“Eh, they’re like that now, but later on when it really matters they’ll squirm and lay down like bitches. It’s just in their nature.” Yusei raised his shoulders in a shrug, before tensing up as he was swatted by another member of the group, long dark hair falling into his face before he pushed it away.
“And this is why you have the hardest time picking up girls, Yusei!” Genji teased, elbowing him in the ribs. Laughter broke out among the group, overpowering the sound of thunder outside. He hoped that Angela had gotten to her hotel safely and that he had not rushed her decision to leave.
Throughout the rest of the night, he listened to his friends laugh at each other as they too tried to pick up women who passed into the bar. Some were successful, leaving the pack for a night of fun. Genji’s fingers wandered to his pocket frequently. Once again the digits drummed against the slip of notepad paper. He couldn’t help but feel that he was the only one who truly got lucky that night.
“Angela, I don’t know what you’re thinking but it’s insane.” Gabriel Reyes ran his fingers through his short-cropped sable hair, the stress of the situation getting to him. “You could be killed. You could expose Overwatch and our plans here. It’s just too risky.”
“Well it’s already done, Gabe, I came to you about this because I need your support. It can work. No one recognizes me here and I have this under control. If a Shimada doesn’t recognize my face then who else would? Take the risk and the Shimada Clan could be destroyed a year earlier than planned.” Angela folded her arms over her chest, gazing at Gabriel from the doorway of his office. His fingers massaged his temples. He was definitely considering it. All it took was just one more push…
“Do you have faith in me, Gabe? That’s all I’m asking for right now. I need you to believe me because you and I both know that Jack won’t.” He grunted, the only sign of confirmation that she’d probably get. After all, the Blackwatch agent always did have a soft spot for the brilliant doctor. She successfully hid her joy. Angela always hated the militaristic approach of Overwatch. If she were able to help Overwatch peacefully dismantle the Shimada Clan that would be a personal victory for her.
She turned to go, unwilling to burden Gabriel further. “Wait.” He called, and she turned her head in his direction. He reached into his desk pulling out a pistol and passing it over to her. “My one request is that you carry this with you.” Angela opened her mouth to argue, but he held up his other hand to silence her. “I know you aren’t a fan of guns, but I can’t stand the thought of you going out there without protection. Your words are powerful Angela, but the Shimada Clan would kill you before you could even begin to talk your way out of it.” Gabriel was always very realistic. He knew the serious danger that the pale blonde haired doctor was getting into. Yet he wouldn’t stop her.
Angela closed her mouth, bowing her head in resignation, taking the gun. “It won’t be necessary, Gabriel. You’ll see that soon enough. Thank you for your concern.” She smiled and turned away, holding the gun in her hands. She’d had training in firing weapons before, albeit she did her best to avoid using them. Though she knew in order to win the war, she couldn’t fight every battle.
Her quarters were as she had left them. She shut the front door behind her, pausing at the door before her fingertips slipped down the smooth wood and to the lock on the doorknob. It twisted with a click, barring her off from the others. At last she would get some time to herself. Despite her ability to socialize and socialize very well, Angela prized time alone. She removed her shoes, letting out a relieved sigh as her bare feet sank into the plush carpet. The gun was still in her hand, and she held it with a few fingers as if repulsed by its existence. She slid into her room, putting the pistol on her nightstand beside her purse before collapsing against her bed in a heap.
As she reached up and loosened the band that tied her hair up, a buzzing came from within her purse. She huffed, sitting up and teasing her hair with the tips of her fingers before snatching her phone out of the denim and leather bag. The screen lit up as her finger pressed against the home button at the center. One new notification, just a single text sent an hour ago. She tapped the icon at the bottom of the screen and quickly began to read.
“Meet me at the front of the bar tomorrow at noon and I’ll show you the best places in all of Hanamura. - Genji”
Angela saved the number. She knew well enough not to text back, at least not from her current location. The last thing she needed was the Shimada Clan to come knocking on Overwatch’s door.
With the plan now fully in motion, there would be no backing out. All Angela could do now was get ready for bed and be fully rested for whatever Genji Shimada had planned tomorrow. As she laid down under the soft covers of her bed sheets, she squinted to see better in the darkness. All she could hear now was the ticking of the clock and the soft whirring of the air conditioning. When her eyes adjusted, the silhouette of the pistol became clear. She prayed that she wouldn’t have to use it. Its very existence unnerved her, and in response she rolled over and away from the firearm.
---
Genji stood outside the bar, leaning against the wall with one foot propped up against it. His eyes were locked firmly on his phone. He had sent another message to her, letting her know that he was here over half an hour ago. She had read the message, or at least the first one he had sent. Her lack of response did set him on edge, and he had the poor sense to show the emotion on his face. When his phone vibrated, it completely turned his mood around.
“On my way.”
Those three words were all it took to make him glow with pride. She was actually coming. It wasn’t as if he were some nervous virgin who had no idea how to talk to women. No, it was that Angela had proven herself to be more than just the average easy girl who threw herself at him because of his power. In fact, he was under the impression that Angela wasn’t a fan. That didn’t bother him entirely. Genji had never had a challenge before. It both excited and worried him.
A pale hand waved in front of his face, tearing him out of his thoughts and putting him back into the present. “I waved at you before but you were too busy looking at your phone.”
He quickly shoved his phone into his pocket, straightening himself up and staring her down. She wore a white camisole, denim capris, and sandals. It was a very simple and modest outfit. Genji didn’t quite understand how she could make something so casual look so good. “Sorry about that, I just got your message. I didn’t realize you’d be here that quickly. You look great.”
“Really? You just got it? I had sent it awhile ago. It must be my provider.” She glanced down at herself before cocking an eyebrow at Genji. “Not my greatest outfit, I just threw this on, honestly. Thank you, though.” Her smile made him smile in return as he glanced down at her.
He beckoned her to follow him, and together they walked the streets of Hanamura. As Angela gazed about, she realized with pleasant surprise, or relief, that no one seemed to be following them. Granted, those who would would not make it so obvious. However, Genji was leading her through a popular area of the city.
The silence had begun to get a little too much for the Japanese man, and he piped up to break the ice. “So, where are you from, Angela? The United States?” His question invoked laughter from her.
Angela couldn’t hide her amusement, snickering at his guess. “No, no, not there. I’ve been there before but I’m definitely not from there. Ich bin Schweizer.” She answered, and Genji gazed at her in dumb confusion. He clearly didn’t speak German. “I was born in Switzerland. That was my mother tongue.” Genji bowed his head, seeming to understand now that she had explained it to him in his own mother tongue.
“You seem to know many languages, how many do you speak?” It was normal for most people in Japan to be bilingual, but trilingual was odd. And Angela certainly was not Japanese. The crowds seemed to part for them, stepping out of the way of a Shimada son and whoever this girl was.
“Just German, English, and Japanese.” It was a lie, but Genji didn’t know that. Angela couldn’t give Genji any clues as to what her job might be. Someone who spoke many languages was someone who worked with many people from different areas. She wouldn’t let him get suspicious. Luckily for herself, she was an incredibly good liar. That or Genji was incredibly gullible.
The two came to a point where the crowd dispersed aside from the occasional loiterer. “Where are we going?” Angela asked. She had to speed walk in order to catch up to the taller Japanese man, whose strides were much longer than her own.
“We’re going to one of the best places. I promised the best spots in Hanamura, and I always provide. It’d be a shame if I disappointed you.” He tossed his head back to glance over his shoulder, giving Angela a half grin. She seemed almost bored with the way she stared back at him blankly.
They came to a more populated area, but it was clear that these were much more… Undesirable types. Beggars littered the street, gazing longingly at the gambling booths that were scattered about the square. The unmistakable stench of tobacco filled the air and burned Angela’s lungs. Before the two, flashing neon lights blinked like a beacon. He lead her inside the building before giving her a chance to read anything but the “Open 24 Hours” sign.
The hum of electronics buzzed from all directions. Any noise from the zapping sound of pixilated characters fighting to the chiming of gambling machines; it was a symphony of digital chaos. “You took me to an Arcade and Casino?”
“Yes, but we’re only here for one part.” His eyes gleamed mischievously. A man with money and power had not much else to gain aside from more money and power. While others starved and suffered from the effects of war and terror, those at the head of it all had nothing better to do than throw their money at machines programmed to steal. Angela could feel anger rise within her. It was a wakeup call, Genji was no different than the rest.
It shocked her when he waved her over not to a gambling machine but to one of the arcade ones. She read the side, furrowing her brows in confusion. “Galaga?” She looked to him searchingly.
He tossed that half grin at her again as he slipped a token into the machine. “What were you expecting? Slot machines? No, I prefer a game of skill, not chance.” He readied himself, hunching over the shorter machine to look at the screen. Angela shifted to get a better view. The pixels counted down, three, two, one. And the game began.
Genji’s long fingers glided over the controls, twisted and moving the joystick that controlled the position of the spaceship around. Meanwhile, his other hand pressed the red firing button with a speed not even the game could likely handle. Angela watched with mild interest, she’d never been one for arcade games, but her colleagues were very much into them. She’d always casually hang by, waiting for the entertainment of those who had short fuses to blow up at their game.
This man was different, though. His eyes darted around the screen, as if he memorized each and every move he needed to make in the game. His shots rarely missed and he remained unscathed even as the number up top approached thirty thousand. Angela pursed her lips, she knew enough about video games to know when someone was pretty good. She could only imagine the amount of time Genji had spent there.
“It looks like I’m going to be here for awhile,” Angela commented with a quirked eyebrow, giving the Japanese man a sidelong glance.
He stared at the screen, a toothy grin on his features. “Want to give it a go?” He prompted, glancing over his shoulder at her. “I’ll help you.”
Angela only seemed to blink in surprise. She’d hardly touched games before, proving only to want to be an observer rather than a player. Yet the genuine and excited gleam in Genji’s eyes made her relent. “Okay, I’ll give it a try. Don’t expect anything amazing from me, though.” She took his place as he moved out of the way, standing perhaps a little too close for Angela’s comfort. Angela shouldered her purse and pushed pale locks of silky hair out of her face. Her hands hovered over the controls tentatively and she pensively eyed the pixilated screen. She was very aware of the dark, chocolate gaze that bore into her. It examined her every pensive move.
The rough sensation of calloused hands brushed over hers, gently gliding them to each control. His hand wrapped around hers, closing it around the joystick. “This is how you move,” he mumbled close to her ear. His other hand guided two fingers to the red button. “This is how you attack.” How could such perfect, unscarred hands feel so rough?
It was all in good nature, but Angela seemed to freeze with him in such close proximity. She could feel the warmth of his breath heating the skin of her neck and ear. It took a lot in her to focus, blue eyes training on the screen and pretending not to notice how close he was to her. She knew from the second that she met Genji that he had only seen her as a conquest. Yet the young doctor would not be conquered. As long as she could help it, she would refrain.
“Angie?” Genji’s voice in her ear pulled her out of her thoughts. “Are you alright? You seem a bit stiff.” She glanced over her shoulder, noting how close his face was. The nickname he gave her passed right over her head. It was probably a lot easier for him to say. He didn’t seem to show any intent to move. His laughter was melodic, filled with pure amusement. “You’re not scared to play a little arcade game are you? I told you I’d help.” If Genji hadn’t realized that it was how close he stood that set Angela on edge than it was best that it stayed that way. She didn’t want him to take what he wanted, yet she didn’t want to push him away and make him shut down. “We’re starting. Look at the screen.”
Quietly, she obeyed. At first it was easy. The waves were quickly destroyed with their combined efforts. As the enemies grew in larger number, she could feel Genji push her hand in the right direction from time to time to avoid losing a life. It was inevitable that she would get a game over, but each time Genji would help her back. Soon enough, she was independent of him. Her skinny fingers took a different direction. Where Genji focused on prediction and prowess, Angela was gentle and evasive. When Angela reached a score of twenty thousand, that’s when she threw her hands down. The eight bit ship exploded and game over flashed at the center of the screen.
“Still didn’t get top ten.” Genji puffed out his lower lip in a pout.
Angela stared at him as if he had three heads. “I’m not going to try and beat one hundred seventy five thousand points. I barely reached twenty thousand. I can’t imagine how long you were sitting here. It’s foolish!”
“Well first off, I didn’t sit. I stood. Secondly, never say never.” Genji’s deep brown eyes scanned over her searchingly. “Are you hungry?”
“Not exactly, but I could always go for something light if you are.” She fluffed up the ends of her pale hair, noting how he watched. He lifted his hand, as if aching to run his fingers through the glowing, silky blonde locks. Instead, he raised it to his dark black hair, mussing it and giving himself the bed head look.
“I know a pretty decent place we can eat.” He inclined his head in the direction of the building’s exit, leading the way through the sea of people. Angela had hardly realized just how many people had come in since their arrival. They must have been in here for a few hours. As the two left the building, her stomach sank just like the sun was sinking below the horizon.
“How long were we in there?” She gasped the words out, as if all the air was sucked from her lungs. How could she not have noticed the time flying away from her?
“They say time flies when you’re having fun. I’m a pretty fun coach, huh?” He grinned at her, and she returned it with a weak smile. It’s true that she did enjoy herself. It wasn’t as if she was given many days off. She was always up to her nose with work. It seemed as if having some time off to enjoy life beyond research was more like a chore, a necessity to prevent herself from imploding. Yet for the first time, Angela found herself enjoying life without a book in her hand or at the computer compiling research.
She shook her head, clearing the thought from her mind. As the day had gone on, it became increasingly difficult to think of Genji as heir to a dangerous, illegal Clan of assassins. This man was more like a boy. It’s as if he were a prince, living in the lap of luxury and frequently meeting with his people. He has a special kind of naivety, one of ignorance and blind charity.
They stood there on the concrete steps, and Genji held out his arm to her.”The streets around here get pretty dangerous when the sun sets. I wouldn’t want to see you hurt.” Genji explained. He didn’t even look down at her, just warily eyed the empty streets. It was as if he could see things that Angela could not, even though she strained her eyes in the growing darkness. She linked her arm with his and let him guide her through the creeping night.
There was a terrible sense of paranoia that only seemed to worsen as it got even darker. Angela noted the irony in the situation. The very type of person she was frightened by stood by her as a guardian, protecting her from those who truly intended to do her harm. At this point, Angela felt as if she could trust the Shimada son. After all, it wasn’t Genji’s fault that he was born into a family that committed illegal acts and thrived off of contraband. It really seemed like he was just a regular guy. Perhaps he was put on a pedestal, but he seemed to use it for good purposes.
Genji held her tight to his side, his features outlined by silvery moonlight. He guided her through the most dangerous part of town, glaring at the shadows as if there were monsters waiting there. Perhaps there were, but as long as Angela remained safe, he would be successful.
Soon enough, the sight of glowing street lamps lit up the stone paths. They were beacons of hope. In that moment, the street lights were as safe as Genji’s protective arm. Their glow felt as warm as sunlight on Angela’s skin as she passed under them. She smiled, letting out a relieved sigh.
They parted from one another. The heat left both of them, the embrace of a winter night chilling them to their bones. Though beautiful blossoms and leaves sprouted on the trees, the weather was in that awkward phase of being sweater weather at night and in the morning and sweltering during the day. Angela’s teeth chattered and her arms wrapped around her torso. The spaghetti strapped camisole proved to be a bit of a mistake. Goosebumps rose up on her skin.
“You look cold,” he commented, watching her shiver underneath a lamp’s yellow aura. She seemed to glow beneath that light, her pale skin reflecting it. To him, she appeared like even more of an angel than the prior night when he first laid eyes on her. “Come here.”
The tone indicated that what he said was less of a question and more like a command. Yet it was soft at the same time, a gentleness he probably never used in combination with a tone unless he was trying to pull at someone’s heart strings. In that moment, he played Angela’s like a harp. She walked over to him and he wrapped his arm around her. His warmth was like a furnace, instantly warming her from the tips of her fingers to the tips of her toes.
Together they walked through the streets. Genji led her along, guiding her with subtle movements. Occasionally, he’d look down at her. He felt something in the pit of his stomach that he hadn’t quite felt before. This feeling seemed different, a mix between true joy and something that felt like falling a very long way. To the Shimada son, it made him rather uncomfortable. This foreign feeling worried him. Yet as he saw her look up and flash a perfect smile at him with eyes the color of a Caribbean sea, those worries seemed to melt away.
They had dinner at a small local restaurant that smelled of salty broths and seafood. With each moment that passed, she came to know more about the rather goofy Genji. It dawned on her that he didn’t talk much about his life at home. It bothered her, but she knew she couldn’t produce results in a single night. That’d be unrealistic. Yet why did she feel relieved that she would get to see him again?
As they stepped out onto the street again, the chill of the night filled their bones. He had offered to walk her to her hotel, but she politely declined. It dawned on her that she may need to stay at a real hotel to keep this up, but for now, she would walk to her private quarters alone. As they bid one another farewell, Genji gently pulled her into a friendly embrace.
“I’ll see you again?” He stared down at her, eyebrows curving upward hopefully.
“Yes, you will Genji.”
They parted and went off in different directions unaware of the tragic path that they began to walk.