Shattered Traditions (Hanzo X Reader)

Instincts

* Heya guys! So, this chapter is written in third person because I feel that's the best way to detail these events.
* I highly recommend listening to the song I posted along with this chapter; It's what I was listening to when I was writing it. Enjoy!

It's not like she'd never felt loss before.

No, she was nearly an expert in the field of grief after losing her parents, grandparents, and her sister.

She knows loss is a part of life. Yet, as much as she tells herself that, it never gets easier for her.

One thing had always been constant in her life and that was Sensei's guidance, but now, it seems even that is gone.

The Hogo-sha has now lost her sensei.

As per tradition, the body was quickly cremated after death. She had arrived at the village just in time for the wake.

Knelt before the altar where his ashes had been placed, dressed in a black kimono, she is surrounded by grieving elders and cousins. She does not shed a tear, lest she disappoint her sensei by appearing weak in front of the villagers.

The herbal, ashy scent of burning incense fills the solemn room with a layer of thick arouma.

The two Shimada brothers stand by, silently observant and rather unsure as to what they should do. They barely know (Y/N) and nothing is quite as awkward as attending the funeral of someone you never knew.

Slowly but surely, villagers clear from the room and (Y/N) is left alone with the two brothers.

(Y/N) releases a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

"This is not a coincidence," her voice is low and dangerous,"my sensei was extremely healthy for his age. I would have known if something was ailing him."

"...What are you suggesting?" Hanzo responds with a raised brow.

(Y/N) stands, "I don't know yet. But I will find out." She is nearly at the end of her rope. She needs privacy and she needs it now; otherwise, she's going to break down in front of the two. "...Daiki will make arrangements for you to stay the night in the village if you wish to. Otherwise, go home. There's much I need to attend to now." She bows quickly and hurries from the room.

Her feet carry her to the lake, where she sits, staring down at her reflection. Sensei's teachings run through her mind, though one, in particular, rings in her mind:

"You must always trust your instincts, Hogo-sha. As the protector, the Western dragon's instincts are sharp. If you do not trust in your self, you cannot expect others to do so."

And right now, her instincts are telling her that someone killed her Sensei.

She should have been here to stop it, too. But she wasn't.

Is this what Ginjiro meant when he said he'd gotten exactly what he wanted? Her not being there to protect her mentor?

(Y/N)'s eyes fill with tears as a mixture of anger and grief fill her heart. She smacks at her reflection in the water out of frustration, causing droplets of water to soak into the black fabric of her kimono.

"Hey..."

(Y/N) jerks her head to the side to see Genji standing slightly behind her. She quickly looks away, attempting to conceal her tears with her (H/C) hair.