Chapter Text
There were three things in life that Hanzo is absolutely sure of.
First, was that his brother was the most important thing in his life. Had been since their father led him into the room where his mother was resting and holding a little bundle. When Sojiro lifted the two year old to sit beside his mother and she placed the bundle on his lap. As soon as the little wrinkly baby stared up at him, Hanzo swore to protect him for as long as he lived.
The second was that you couldn't trust anyone. He learned this on his seventh birthday. He was to fetch his mother for the celebration, however when he opened the door to his parents bedroom, his mother was on the ground, motionless, with the maid that looked after Hanzo and Genji when their parents couldn't standing above her holding a dagger. She was always smiling but when she turned to look at Hanzo, all he could see was hatred. Guards rushed into the room as soon as he screamed. He never saw that maid again and as they were lowering his mother into the ground with Genji crying on his arm and Sojiro no where to be found, Hanzo vowed to never trust anyone ever again.
The third was that once you lost someone you were never the same. This was shown when Hanzo's father lost his wife. He never smiled or spent time with his children after her death. Hanzo overheard him and the kind cook talking one night as he was heading to bed.
"They look too much like her, Lin. Especially Hanzo, his eyes are an exact replica of hers." He had said.
When Hanzo peeked in he saw his Father sitting at the counter surrounded by empty bottles. He never walked that route after that night.
Another time Hanzo realized this was when his own father died. Overdose, the elders told them. Hanzo kew his father was in a bad place, but he'd never leave Hanzo and Genji by themselves. Right? His father may have been distant since their mother's death but he still loved them. He made sure they knew that. This was the first clue that the elders wee not what seemed to be.
When Sojiro died it meant that Hanzo was the new Head of the family. However at only 14, Hanzo hadn't been trained to run the family, and so begun the rigorous training the elders put hi through. As he was constantly training, Genji was having the most fun he could.
"A nuisance." the elders told Hanzo, "A threat to the family."
And Hanzo , blinded by his desire to please the elders, believed them.
By the time he was 18, Hanzo went back on his word and started to resent Genji, to the point where he did something he could never take back.