The day after Genji and I had our mini "celebration" (aka binge-watching AoT and eating everything I owned), the promise I had made to Maya made an appearance in my thoughts as I was washing my breakfast dishes.
We were going to hang out today, go shopping, get our nails done, whatever. I was actually looking forward to it. Erick had been taking up so much of Maya's time these days, so getting to chill and be weirdos together sounded pretty enjoyable to me.
I wiped my hands on my jeans and reached into my backpack to retrieve my phone. As I unlocked it and opened up my texts, I smiled as I saw Maya's contact picture, which was a picture of her pressing her chin and her neck together in order to make a double chin.
I shot her a quick text. "Hey, we still hanging today?"
I lingered on our conversation, expecting her to respond quickly like she always did. But she didn't. I shrugged and shoved my phone back in my pocket, making my way to the living room. My mom was sitting at her computer, typing away with concentration.
I watched in amazement as her fingers flew across her keyboard with stunning speed, before peeking at her computer screen over her shoulder. I scanned it, but nothing was registering, because it was just a screen of less than interesting words.
"What are you up to?" I asked. She stopped typing and glanced up at me, with a you-should-know-what-I'm-doing kind of look.
"Boring government stuff. I wouldn't waste your time watching me."
"I'm going to hang with Maya today if she texts me back, is that okay?"
"You're almost graduating. You don't have to ask for my permission, hon, go out and be social."
I grinned and nodded before walking away from her, leaving her to type up whatever report she was working on. As I examined the rest of the living room, memories of last night flashed briefly across my head. The couch where we sat our fat asses down. The bags of chips strewn around the place (that Genji thankfully cleaned up). And also... I fell asleep.
I was shocked to find myself in bed, with the blanket drawn up to my chin. Genji had carried me up to my room without waking me up, somehow, which was oddly considerate of him.
I frowned as I noticed a grey hoodie nestled in the corner of the couch, all crumpled into a ball. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was Genji's hoodie. Hah. He forgot all about it.
I reached to the hoodie and picked it up, looking at it with weird amusement. It was a huge sweater; one that would certainly drape over me like a blanket. A strong urge came over me, and as much as I tried to resist, I couldn't help but lift it to my nose and inhale. Vanilla. That sweet smell of vanilla.
For a moment, I actually contemplated keeping it. It looked comfortable. But, alas, seeing as Genji wore the damn thing everywhere he went, he'd probably notice if it went missing.
And so, I took out my phone for a second time to ask if I could come over to return it. Looked like this: "You left your sweater as my house, loser. Can I come over to give it to you?"
Similarly to the text to Maya, I waited a few minutes, expecting a response. It never came.
I sighed heavily, throwing the sweater over my shoulders to engulf me with warmth. No one was texting back.
Ah, fuck it. Genji wouldn't mind if I showed up to return it, would he?
I slipped into some converse and did a quick check of my appearance in the mirror before setting out to Genji's house.
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Ah, the Shimada household. So glorious and luxurious. I expected some guards to be standing outside like statues, like they always were, but it was empty and quiet. I began to wonder if he wasn't home, and if I was just wasting my time.
Well, better to be sure.
I walked up the stairs and rapped on the door loudly, praying that Genji would answer rather than his intimidating brother Hanzo. I crossed my arms, standing there awkwardly, waiting for someone to open up.
I didn't hear anything other than the impatient tapping of my foot. I stared daggers into the dark wood paneled door, expecting it to open any second.
One minute.
Two minutes.
I knocked again, and decided that if no one opened up, no one was home. I hugged myself and wrapped my whole torso with the vanilla-scented sweater as I stood there.
Still nothing.
Well, at least I tried. I lingered for a few more seconds before turning on my heel and beginning my descent down the stairs. I froze mid-step when the sound of clashing steel echoed noisily across the whole territory.
I spun back around, squinting at my surroundings, from the oriental decor to the cherry blossom trees, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound, morbid curiosity taking over.
CLASH!
It came from behind the house! I took a few steps to the side of the house, wondering what was going on. As I walked closer and closer, the sound of clashing steel became more prominent, making me shudder at the harsh noise. The sound of muffled shouting accompanied the steel clashes as well.
Both were male voices, but it took me no less than half a second to recognize one of them to be Genji's. I worried that he was in some kind of trouble, and ran the rest of the way, some of the words starting to become clearer.
"-never amount to anything!" a gruff voice yelled.
"I'd rather never amount to anything than be like you!" Genji hissed back.
"Everyone is disappointed in you, Genji! Father is! Mother would be! The elders are!"
"This clan is disgusting! Like I care if they hate me!"
I reached the corner of the house, and leaned over slightly to peek, hoping that my presence hadn't been made apparent to them.
My eyes widened. They were glued on Genji, standing in a combat-type stance, gleaming silver shurikens in between his fingers. A sword was strapped to his back as well, but he seemed to favor the shurikens over his sword. His face was dripping with sweat, and he looked absolutely burned out. They looked as if they'd been fighting for hours.
I watched as he struggled to catch his breath, and eyed his opponent, Hanzo, who had a bow in his hands and a sword on his back as well. What was this? Some kind of spar? This was the training Genji had mentioned before, surely.
Genji ran at Hanzo, hurling his shurikens at him with surprising speed and strength, but Hanzo sidestepped them easily. They whizzed through the air before landing in the bark of a tree with a loud "thunk." Hanzo knocked an arrow in his bow, which made an uncomfortable stretching noise as he pulled on it, and launched an arrow towards Genji.
Genji whipped out his sword and deflected the arrow, but Hanzo cut the arrow in half with his own sword as it came for him. Genji didn't seem to have expected this, because his reaction time was off as Hanzo ran at him and hit him hard in the face with his bow.
Genji was thrown off balance, blood flying from his face, and he fell down to one knee, panting, desperately trying to recuperate quickly.
This didn't happen. Hanzo had hit him too hard with his bow, it seemed.
I gasped, not knowing how to react, and took a hesitant step forward, trying to decide on whether I should intervene or not.
Genji's face was dripping with blood as he stared down at the ground, too stunned to make a move. Hanzo didn't seem to care, and stood over him cockily, his body casting a shadow over the defenseless Genji.
"You're a terrible fighter, brother. No matter how much you train," he spat with venom. "The clan is ashamed to have ever culminated a pathetic existence such as yourself. So go, party all you want, get wasted all your life, but just know that you. Are. Nothing."
Genji said nothing.
Hanzo passed him without another word, and disappeared behind the other corner of the house. He didn't spare his brother a last glance of some kind of sympathy.
I gripped the edge of the house, returning my eyes to Genji, who was still slumped over on one knee, clinging to his sword like it was his lifeline. I wanted to call out to him, but something told me not to.
Genji sniffled a little, taking a sleeve and attempting to wipe the blood from his face, which only succeeded in smearing it even more. He took in a shaky breath, mentally steadying himself.
He slipped his sword back into it's sheath and stood up weakly, trying to compose his bedraggled physical state.
That's when his eyes met mine.
I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling nervous and out of place.
Tears were falling from his reddened eyes, which mingled with the blood on his face. He was a mess, it was so clear to see. So vulnerable and hurt.
I opened my mouth to speak, to explain myself, but his expression changed so quickly. His wide eyes narrowed in anger, and his mouth formed a scowl upon seeing me. Most of all, he just seemed so embarrassed that I had witnessed everything that went on between him and his brother.
"What. Are. You. Doing here," he growled at me, clenching his fist, tears still falling from his eyes uncontrollably. I could almost see him shaking with rage.
I blinked, my eyebrows creasing with both sympathy and uncertainty. I touched the sweater that was still draped around me. "You... left your sweater at my house..."
"And so you just show up without asking first?!" he yelled, his voice cracking with emotion. I cringed at the harsh tone of voice.
"Genji... I'm sorry... I didn't know that-"
"You shouldn't even be here, (y/n)! Give me my goddamn sweater and then leave!" he ordered angrily.
"Are... are you okay-"
"GET OUT! DON'T COME BACK!"
"Let me help you!"
He shook his head, looking like he wanted nothing more than for me to get struck by lightning or something.
"I don't want you here. Ever. Get the hell out!"
It was clear he didn't want any consolation. Or if he did, he was making it really fucking difficult. I dropped his sweater onto the ground, backing up, with my hands raised in defeat. I turned around and ran away from the back of the house, wanting to distance myself and give him the space he wanted.
My heart raced and new thoughts sprung about my mind, about Genji and Hanzo and the whole Shimada clan. Things were not at all what they seemed to be.
I admitted to myself that even if Genji had been so angry with me, all I wanted to do was wipe the tears from his face and get him to open up to me. But that seemed impossible, seeing as he seemed ready to tear my head off.
Genji's words kept echoing in my head like a broken record machine, hurting me again and again as I reimagined the rage/induced tone of voice directed at me.
Once I reached the front of the Shimada household, I began breathing heavily, in shock, staring down at my hands warily in denial of reality. He yelled at me. Loudly. And the hate in those brown eyes... the spiteful way he told me to never come back...
Did he really mean that?
What the hell just happened?