In Hindsight... (McHanzo) | Bodyguard AU | ✔️

Chapter Sixteen

Heads-Up: There's bit of Japanese in this chapter. Translations will be provided at the bottom chronologically. Enjoy!

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The fly back to the Blackwatch base was dull and dreary. Fittingly, it was raining when they arrived. The cowboy stayed on the helicopter and watched as they escorted Hanzo out and into the facility. The ravenet looked back and locked eyes with him. Mccree found himself mouthing the words, "I'm sorry."

The archer just shook his head and looked away.

Jesse got off the helicopter, lost in his own thoughts. He didn't remember going inside, and he didn't remember Reyes coming up to talk to him. He snapped out of it when he was in the commander's office, getting chewed out for ignoring direct orders.

"I'm sorry, can I jus'... Have a moment?"

His commander answered almost immediately. "If it's to treat that wound of yours, then yes." He glanced at the injured arm with masked concern. "You're probably worn out as well..."

"No, I mean... A moment with Hanzo."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, curious. "Sure..." He walked towards his office door and held it open. "But you should get your arm checked out afterwards. He's in the break room with his brother now."

The southerner felt a weight in the pit of his stomach as he walked out. "Oh no..." he thought as he walked out.

He heard the shouting before he even reached the room. His worry kept growing the closer he got to the door. He decided to wait and listen before walking into a warzone. To his surprise, they were speaking in Japanese.

"Shinda hazuda! Jibun no ken de omae o koroshita!"

"Demo watashi wa sō janai. Shinu mae ni watashi wa kyūjo sa reta."

"Anata wa ima watashi ga shirubekida to omotta? Sore de, watashi ni uso o tsuita futari no hito ga imasu."

Taking a deep breath, the brunet pushed the door open. Two heads turned to face him, and two identical pairs of brown eyes looked at him in surprise. The silence was unnerving to him.

Genji was the first to speak. "Jesse! Thank God you're here! Please, tell him I'm no longer upset with him. I know it wasn't what he wanted."

The gunslinger turned to the older Shimada and felt a pain in his chest as he backed away. Hanzo's lip was curled in disgust. "Why should I listen to anything he says?"

The Japanese was back. "Kare wa anata no yōna ndakara! Kare wa iwa reta koto o yatte ita!"

"Kare wa aisuruhito o korosu yō motome rarete imasendeshita!"

"Soredemo!"

"Look," McCree said loudly, causing both of them to fall silent. "I jus' came to apologize. To both of ya."

The ninja, tilted his head, confused. "Me? For what?"

"Not tellin' you I was findin' yer brother," he said carefully. "You shoulda known beforehand. But boss thought it'd get too... Personal..." He tried not to look at the other Shimada as he spoke. He started thinking back to the day Reyes assigned him this mission, and how he had only agreed to save his and Genji's skin. In the back of his mind, he started loathing his commander a bit.

"I understand, you were just following orders." The cyborg glanced at his brother, his eyes hiding a subliminal message. The other just looked away.

Jesse couldn't take his guilt any longer. "Han, I didn't want this t' happen. Hell, I honestly forgot about about the mission for a lil' while. Over time, things got..." He glanced over at the younger Shimada, choosing his next words carefully. "Personal, between us. It made me not want to do my job, but..." He trailed off, seeing Hanzo's expression.

"Funny, isn't it..." The Asian snickered, a cruel smile on his face. "When you were supposedly with the Arakaki, you told me we could run away from our responsibilities..." He took a step forward, watching the color drain from the cowboy's face. "What gives, darling?"

At this point, Genji had put two and two together. "Jesse... Are you two..."

He ignored the question. "Han, they have advanced technology. If they could find you once in Route Sixty-Six, they could find us again."

The ravenet paused for a moment, then said, "Fear is weakness, McCree. It's what got me captured, and it's what's preventing you from leaving."

"But do you know what's strength?" The ninja jumped in, his voice filled with passion. "Guilt and forgiveness. It's what made you leave the clan. It's why Jesse's here. It's what I've learned and realized after many years of hatred towards you. It what Jesse is begging from you now. Guilt shows you're learning from your mistakes and what your true morals are, while forgiveness shows you can see past other people's mistakes. It's something we've all experienced and delivered." He took a step towards his brother. "And it's what you need to give into now."

"Watashi wa kare o yurushitai!" Hanzo shouted in Japanese. "Hontō yo. Watashi wa chōdo iyasu jikan ga hitsuyōdesu. Tashika ni sore o rikai suru koto ga dekimasu."

The two siblings stared at each other, with looks of sympathy and empathy on their faces. Finally, Genji murmured, "I understand..." He grabbed the brunet's good arm and pulled him out of the room. Before the southerner could protest, he whispered, "I'll explain it all in time."

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Translations:

1 (Hanzo): "You're supposed to be dead! I killed you with my own blade!"

2 (Genji): "But I am not. I was rescued before death could take me."

3 (Hanzo): "And you thought I should know now? That makes two people who've lied to me, then."

4 (Genji): "Because he's like you! He was doing what he was told!"

5 (Hanzo): "He wasn't asked to murder a loved one!"

6 (Genji): "Still!"

7 (Hanzo): "I want to forgive him!" "I really do. I just need some time to heal. Surely you can understand that."