Chapter Text
He hasn't seen snow in a long time. Wherever he was with his Blackwatch teammates, there was never any snow. Just scorching heat, sifting through his armor and into his body. Or rather, what was left of it. Then again, maybe it wasn't that hot, and the pain was in reality just phantom pain. He couldn't distinguish the kinds of pain he felt anymore. It was just one big bulk of misery. He was just one big bulk of misery.
The snowflakes fall softly on his armor, creating little dark spots around. Genji looks up and tries to remember the last time he saw snow but fails to do so. Surely, it must have been before his death. That's why its memory is blurred. Just as almost everything else that happened before his death. Sure, he remembers who and where he was back in those days. He remembers his parents, his brother, his training. His room. His favorite restaurant. His favorite spot in the Shimada clan's gardens. But everything else is... wrapped in a huge fog. There were so many things he'd liked, so many things he'd wanted to see, but all of them died with him on that day.
"Ah. Why am I thinking about this again? Nothing’s there," he says to himself and walks further up the mountain. He isn't even entirely sure where he is. A few weeks ago, he just fled, and ran, and ran, and ran, until he completely lost track of time and space. Since his guts were metal tubes now, he had no problem with missing out on so many meals. But now, with the air getting colder and thinner, he feels his strength slowly but surely give out. Hopefully, I'll find a village soon, he thinks and just as he finishes thinking that sentence, he starts to make out something resembling houses in the distance. Either fata morganas are possible in mountain regions, or he's just gotten extremely lucky. In any case, he walks further to investigate, even though his legs feel leaden. Something else, like some kind of outer force, is pulling him forwards to the small village ahead.
—
As soon as he finally arrived in the settlement, he sat down in a gap between two houses, feeling his legs finally give out. He doesn't know for how long he's been sitting there, but no one took notice of him so far.
That is, until a floating omnic makes its way over to him.
"Greetings, my friend. Are you okay?" He asks.
Genji feels too weak to talk. He even feels too weak to move his head upwards to face the omnic. So, instead, he just grumbles in response.
"Can I help you? I see great tumolt in your soul."
Genji's heart beats faster at that, though he's not sure why. Maybe because someone is offering him help? That hasn't happened in years. Still, he shakes his head. What burdens him is not something that can be fixed with a warm meal and a fluffy blanket. So, no thanks.
"Are you sure? I do not want anything to happen to you."
A small orb lands beside his head and starts glowing in a light-yellow color. His head moves up to look at the omnic.
"What... the hell?" He says out loud.
"This will give you some strength for the time being," the omnic explains.
"I do not need any of your strength," Genji claims in an annoyed tone.
"You certainly do look like you need it, though. Please, let me help you."
"As if I'd want help from someone like you!" Genji reaches for his sword but is stopped by his missing energy. The weakness in his body surpasses every of his thoughts and emotions and he can do nothing but to succumb to it.
"What do you have to offer and what do I have to pay for it?" He asks. It's a phrase he's memorized by now from all of the times his missions required him to gather information.
"I offer you shelter and peace in body and mind and you have to pay nothing for it," the omnic answers, going down on his knees to watch him more closely.
How strange. No fight? Not even some bargaining? If somebody offers something, they have to want something. That's how the world works, Genji thinks.
Just trust him, a small voice in the back of his head says, one that's getting louder and louder while the others have slowly quieted down. The orb still hangs beside his head. He touches it and feels warmth, but not the hurting kind of warmth. It's a nice, familiar warmth. One he doesn't want to let go of.
"May I ask for your name?"
"I'm Genji," he tells him without hesitation, the small voice in head finally winning. "And you are...?"
"My name is Tekharta Zenyatta. I am glad we got to meet each other." He stands up again and the glowing orb sends out a small pulse of warmth which goes right through his armor and into his heart. His body still feels drained, but at least his legs don’t feel like they’re dying anymore.
"Me too," he answers and stands up as well, treading after the omnic and deeper into the mountains.
He's going to see a lot more snow from now on.