Chapter Text
Prologue
Warm city lights twinkled around Hanzo; food stalls were closing up, the last of their mouthwatering scents wafting through the air. Streetlights sparked on one by one as evening settled slowly over Hanamura. As he stood fiddling with the sleeves of his dark blue yukata, Hanzo glanced up to see Genji, asleep on their mother’s back like a monkey. A stuffed dragon was safely tucked inside his brother’s shirt, purple fuzzy head poking from the collar as he rode piggyback. Genji shifted slightly, yawning as he was adjusted so his mother could more easily hold him. Their father stood a few steps away finishing a conversation with a friend, his soft words blending with the white noise of the city. With a final nod, he turned towards his family, smiling at each of them in turn. Hanzo reached up for his hand, marveling at how well his own fingers fit in his father’s warm, strong grasp. The family turned towards home, Hanzo stifling each yawn that arose. It had been a long day of walking around the city for food and visits to family friends, culminating in a play they had all gone to see for Children’s Day. In spite of barely stopping for hours, Hanzo was proud that he was the one still awake.
In the soft night air, koinobori fluttered above the family, the four of them slowly marching up the hill towards the castle – their home. With the soft night hovering around them, Hanzo felt that this was the right time to ask the question that had been on his mind for a while.
“Father?”
“Hmm?”
“Where are the stars?”
His father looked down at him. “What do you mean?”
“My books tell me there are supposed to be tiny white stars at night in the sky, but I can’t see them.” He glanced up toward the moon hovering in the west, then back towards his father.
“Ah,” Sojiro murmured, turning also to look at the darkening sky. “The stars are indeed far above us as your books tell you. They have always been there and always will. However, there is so much light in our city down here, so much brightness right in our faces, that we cannot see the smaller light of the stars. They are very far away you know, and these lights – ” he pointed to a buzzing orange streetlight overhead – “are much closer and brighter.”
“Oh,” Hanzo said, squinting at the sky. He frowned and fell silent, thinking that the stars should be brave and show themselves against the competition, not run away from the other bright lights down here. Maybe one day, I can fly higher than the city - maybe in an airplane? Or on a dragon? And then I can see them, he thought, as he shuffled next to his father. It wasn’t long before the family arrived at the gates of their home and Hanzo could no longer hold back his shuddering yawns. Still gripping his father’s hand as he stumbled towards his bedroom, he thought of the empty black sky he saw every night, and how some little lights up there would be nice to see, if at least for some decoration. He climbed into bed next to Genji, imagining of the two of them flying above the city to point out stars to each other. Maybe one day.