Chapter Text
To be completely frank, he had messed up big time.
Granted, at the time it had been pretty nerve-wracking, but by the time he got home, it was more funny than anything. One minute he was having a good ol’ time with a girl from the other side of the village, the next her father was shouting as he booked it out the window, shirt in his hand and hair a complete mess. It wasn’t the first time, but the look on her father’s face was enough to send him into hysterics as soon as he knew that he wouldn’t be in danger of being seriously injured.
His brother hadn’t been so amused. Or at least, he pretended not to be. Genji could see him holding back the smirk in front of their parents, but the lecture came anyway. Tarnishing their honor, throwing away his skills, et cetera, et cetera.
After a solid hour of being verbally berated, Genji found himself sitting in the garden, where Hanzo came to sit beside him. Why was he always trying to be so serious? It didn’t suit him. Honestly, he missed the days when they could just be children. But they weren’t children anymore, Hanzo kept reminding him of that.
But why couldn’t he cling to his youth for just a little longer?
Once Hanzo had to go take care of something, Genji was alone yet again, with only his thoughts and an unsatisfied hunger for a quick thrill. His parents and brother would be busy for a few hours, why not go on a little adventure? They probably didn’t want to hear from him for a while, anyway.
That was when he got hopelessly lost. He didn’t know how long he wandered, trying to find familiar landmarks or even another person to ask for directions. But his eyes lit up as he laid eyes on what appeared to be a camp. Except…. Oh man, he knew what that was.
He was going to spy on the Grey Wardens and hope he didn’t get brutally murdered for it.
This was probably the worst decision he had ever made to date, and that's saying something. But it would make for an eventful time, that was for sure. And his parents would be rid of him for a while longer, as well, so that was something.
It was simple enough to maneuver without being seen, that much he had done time and time again. But why wasn’t anything exciting going on? It was a camp, nothing more. Had he come at a bad time? Was it even worth staying?
Actually, he had walked quite a distance. Maybe if he could find an empty tent, he could just sit down for a while. In time, he did come across one, taking a seat and giving himself a moment to breathe. And before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
The weight of her sword was a familiar comfort in a land so foreign to her. Her name may appear in conversations between two bar maidens at a bustling pub but familiarity was sometimes a one way street. Still, she took their strange customs in stride, hoping that her ignorance would at least come across as slightly charming. The less could be said for some of the people she’d met. For starters they ate these slabs of meat the were sickeningly gluttonous. What desserts they had were either cloyingly sweet or a literal loaf of bread. How she longed for something properly sweet. Luckily the camp she was in wasn’t show casing any of the kingdom’s ‘fine cuisine.’ The food may be awful but it was definitely a lot more fun. Bar fights were a highlight to her day.
Unfortunately there weren’t any bars around here. No pungent smell of b.o or eye wateringly bitter drinks. Instead there were grim faces shuffling about, making fresh prints in the already worn down earth beneath them. It was pretty bleak, there were no vibrant colors or traditional festivities. Everyone looked...weary. Looked like she would have to shine as bright as possible to keep her spirits up. Good thing she was a radiant goddess. Though she wouldn’t admit it the lady who brought her here was 10 times as radiant. Her platinum blonde hair wreathed her head like a halo, the light locks shining in a forest of browns and grays. Beneath her golden tresses were two blue eyes that conveyed a source of absolute compassion that knew no bounds. She felt a bit juvenile under her gaze so made a show of puffing out her chest to prove that her age wasn’t going to hinder her. Being 19 had it’s perks and cons.
“So miss angel lady, what’s this recruiting thing going to consist of?” Hana asked suddenly. “A tournament? Eating contest? Delivering a payload? Starting a trend?”
"If there was a tournament, I don't think I'd be where I am today," Noting who she was, just a healer, a mage. Not very good with one on one fights. Hesitating before continuing on with her thoughts, "There is to be a joining ritual, all Grey Wardens must pay a heavy price to be who we are." Her voice and gaze becoming more grim and serious.
Thinking back years ago when she was Hana's age, she was terrified. Going from living a locked up life in the Circle, being one of the top healers in her age group. Then in just days, being part of an army with a grave twist. It was something she hated to see all over again. Although... Hana wasn't like her, she was a warrior. Strong and definitely no coward.
A dead weight settled near Hana’s spine and her mouth went dry. The forlorn cloud that lay heavy above them drifted into her whirling head. This was the first time she was hearing about a ‘heavy price.’ The most she thought she’d have to do is say an oath and maybe draw some blood. Looking Angela over she didn’t seem to be missing any limbs or have any obvious signs of possession. She didn’t look Tranquil either, she shuddered at the thought. That was somewhat a relief and fuel to the flame. She had no clue as to what the price was, if it wasn’t physical than was it mental? The questions that piled up made her frustrated. She was being kept in the dark, again, and Hana hated that. It reminded her of when she was young and was being treated like a jade carving, precious to behold but kept under lock and key. Her chest began to grow tight after a sharp intake of air.
“Whoa hold on now, a heavy price? Why didn’t you tell me before? Do you think I can’t handle it?” Hana huffed, her cheeks puffing up. “Listen lady that’s not fair, dragging me to this shoddy camp and then hiding things from me. I’m not a child, I’m Hana Song, number one warrior extraordinaire. Now tell me what’s up or else we’re gonna have some problems.”
"I know, we all know. I don't doubt your strengths for a second. Hana, I understand how you must feel right now. If I could, I would've told you about the Joining-- but it's my word against everyone else's," Angela couldn't look at her, feeling her guilt grow larger and larger "It's not fair to you and all of the other new recruits."
She had seen too much death come from this ritual, and she was helpless as she watched brave warriors and skilled mages fall. In the Grey Wardens point of view, it made sense to keep it secret so they had more men willingly join them, but... No, there was no point in doubting them, not now in this dire time.
Hana let her expression ease up, thus releasing all of the pent up air that built up in her puffed up cheeks. She was still pretty irritated at the lack of communication but Angela seemed sincere when she explained her situation. It wasn’t ideal nor excusable but she understood the position she was in. That still didn’t drain out all of the chagrin that built up. Even though she insisted that she didn’t doubt her capabilities her ego was still a little bruised. After all of the protest she received for becoming a warrior it was hard not to get offended easily. It was admittedly a sore spot for her.
“Well I don’t care if it’s dangerous, after all I’ve never lost and don’t plan on it, I play to win,” Hana said confidently. “I just don’t like when people treat me as a child.”’ She than brought her hand up near her eye and spread her fingers out in a peace sign in a cute manner. “Don’t worry miss angel lady, just lead the way and I’ll show this ‘joining’ who’s boss!”
How Hana kept her spirits up was admirable, it was something Angela never wanted to see change from her. Seeing how positive she was made her feel a smile grow on her face, followed with a small chuckle.
"Thank you for understanding, Hana. I hope the other new recruits are just as open minded and as positive as you are about the current situation, even though it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't" Smile faltering a bit, she looked over at her tent and the noisy bustling of all the soldiers around the camp.
‘Positive about the situation’ was a bit of a stretch. Hana just had an exuberant amount of self confidence. Angela was very kind but there was an undertone of despondence whenever she spoke. The days must have taken a toll on her. Admittedly Hana was a bit bewildered at that, why would she act so beat when she was a Grey Warden? They were the elite of the elite, vigilant protectors and defenders against the chthonic darkspawn. Hana would never act so gloomy, she was Hana fucking Song and was practically a celebrity. People would gaze at her starry eyed, breath taken by her prowess with the sword.
"Ah, right-- I have some work to do. You should go seek out the other new recruits or anyone really. I have a mission for you when I'm done, so please don't leave the camp." Angela put a comforting hand on the warrior's shoulder for a brief moment, starting to hurriedly get back to her tent where the pile of paperwork was.
After buttoning her tent shut behind her, Angela turned around to an…. Uninvited guest, you could say. She could wake him up but, nah that would just be rude. Breaking into someone's tent is rude to begin with, but that wasn’t the point here. Or, she could wait while doing her work until he woke up.
Genji dreamt of angels. It began as a nightmare; Pain beyond measure, fear, a heaviness that his heart couldn’t interpret. What had left him like this? There was a figure watching him, but who was it? Either way, he was certain that he was going to die.
The scene changed, and he was lying in a forest. His eyes were barely open, and the pain had dulled due to how close he was to death. Moonlight illuminated every blade of grass and every tree, and he found himself thinking how lucky he was that this would be the last thing he saw. Then, a voice. Far away, but calling to him. He was too weak to respond, but as a hand was laid on his shoulder, he knew that everything would be okay. And though he couldn’t make out the angel’s face, he knew that she was more beautiful than he could imagine. She would save him. It would be okay.
As he drifted back into consciousness, it took Genji a moment to remember that he was not in his bed. Hold on, what-- Oh. Oh . This wasn’t good. His eyes flew open as he sat bolt upright. Of course there was someone there. Of course. Why wouldn’t there be? That would be too good of luck for him.
“...Uh….” Nice. Very intelligent. He could practically hear Hanzo mocking him. “...Hello….”
"Hello, I hope you had a nice nap." Angela teased, looking down at the stranger in her bed from the small wooden desk she sat at. Well, it wasn't much of a bed compared to the ones from the Circle or anywhere else decent in matter of fact.
"If you're here, you must be a new recruit to the Grey Wardens, right? I'm Angela. I know it gets confusing figuring out which tent is which."
While passing Angela’s tent to go meet some new recruits and maybe show them who’s boss she couldn’t help but catch snippets of conversation between a new recruit and her. Curiosity pulled her forward and had her crouch behind the tent, she deserved to know what was going on. Some might call it eavesdropping but Hana would refer to it as ‘hearing information that was rightfully hers.’ The narcissism is to real.
“Yes!” Genji flew to his feet, standing at attention with a grin on his face. Maybe he would get out of this, after all. “Yes, I thought that this was my tent, but it seems I was mistaken.” Under ordinary circumstances, he probably would have asked her to join him in the bed, but this probably wasn’t the best time. “Either way, it is a pleasure to meet you, Angela.”
His heart was pounding. Was he really lying about being a Grey Warden? This was a new low, even for him. But perhaps Hanzo would get a bit of enjoyment from the story. Years ago, he certainly would have. In fact, he would have been upset that Genji hadn’t invited him along. But that was a lifetime ago. As the years went on, his brother was getting ready to take on his birthright.. And that meant no more frivolous activities. In short, no fun allowed.
“You have my apologies, miss. I did not mean to intrude.” Now if he could just walk on out….
"It's quite alright, mistakes happen!" Huh, she never remembered Jack or Gabe recruiting anyone this late as well. If they did, they wouldn't bother telling her anyways! They're too busy with each other as it is. With how big the horde and it's threat were getting, she didn't blame them.
Giving the new recruit another look, he seemed incredibly nervous for just being in the wrong tent. "I'm assuming you've been told about the ritual-- Er not the specifics of it, no... For the time being I hope you don't leave the camp, you new recruits have a mission in a few hours and plus, it's too dangerous to go out there alone in these grim times." Well for her maybe, not for these warriors. She was only a healer with no way of properly defending for herself.
‘Don’t leave the camp’ his left asscheek. Granted, he certainly planned on sticking around for awhile, at least, but he was definitely getting out of there before nightfall.
When she was in the circle, she had an opportunity to learn offensive spells and to master them. It wasn't really her thing though, she only ever had a passion for spells that helped her teammates.
"Anyways, I hope you try to enjoy the rest of your day....?" She trailed off, forgetting that he didn't give her his name. How embarrassing, "I forgot to ask for your name, my apologies."
“My name is Genji.” Probably best to leave out the surname. The Shimadas had a bit of a bad reputation, and he wasn’t entirely sure just how far the name had spread. “It will be a pleasure working with you, Angela. And might I say that your name is quite fitting.” He smirked, daring to show his personality from beneath the now dimming panic. If he could score with a member of the Grey Wardens, even Kaoru, who tended to frown upon his various escapades, would have to be impressed.
Getting a touch more daring, Genji stepped forward, taking Angela’s hand and placing a light kiss upon it. Oh yeah, that was smooth. Girls loved that kind of thing. Guys too, if you caught them at the right moment. “May the Old Gods and the Maker have mercy on my heart.”
"Right... may the Maker watch over us all, Genji." She couldn't help but to crack a smile. What a charmer, surely he would easily entertain half of the Wardens while he was around.
Taking back her hand from his, she turned back to the pile of papers on her desk with a sigh, "There are other new recruits, you should talk to them, get to know them, y'know- There's a new recruit who's as new as you are by the name of Hana, go seek her out if you wish, I think you two would get along well." Angela gestured towards the tent's entrance. She shouldn't be distracted from her work.
Man. Shot down. “Aww, have some mercy on me.” Another smirk, but he decided not to push it. He wasn’t that awful. Doing a brief warrior’s salute, he left her to do whatever it was that she had to do, allowing himself to let out a long exhale as he exited the tent.
That was a close one. He adjusted his headband slightly, wondering silently if he should even bother trying to sneak around. If there were new recruits wandering around, no one would question an unfamiliar face.
Hana watched Genji go with a critical eye. Fluffy green hair that reminded her of meadow grass was ensnared with a black headband that was made out of black ribbon. He was shorter than most men she saw, especially Reinhardt. Hana was pretty sure Reinhardt could crush him under his foot. Not that he would, he was a lovable giant with an exuberant amount of hospitality. He was cute but she was taking a break from guys and leaning more toward girls for now. Such is the wonder of sexuality. Her curiosity still peeked a bit, he looked sort out of place. The way he moved was like a fluttering bird.
He wandered for quite a while, eventually finding a man who looked like he could crush him under his boot without even noticing. He nearly hit it off, too, but he got called away to do something. Seemed everyone was busy around here.
Still leaning against the tree, Genji crossed his arms. There was nothing exciting going on. How could there be nothing worth mentioning at a damn Grey Wardens’ camp?
Hopping up from her place of hiding Hana managed to track the ninja down, which was surprisingly time consuming. He had green hair for crying out loud, he should stick out like a sore thumb. She found him leaning against a tree looking rather bored.
“Hey a little birdy told me that there was a fellow new recruit. My name’s Hana Song, warrior extraordinaire and sword aficionado,” she introduced herself. Also leaning against the tree she took out her huge sword and started pruning it a bit. “So what do you think the mission is? And the joining ritual? All I got for the ritual is that it’s dangerous.”
Ah, it seemed the tides were turning! Oh, wait, no, she looked pretty young. That could be creepy. “Nice to meet you, Hana.” He saluted her a bit in greeting. “I have no idea what will happen. Hopefully it will be as dangerous as they say. Otherwise it will not be nearly as fun. I am hoping for a challenge.”
He unsheathed his katana, only half showing off. “You seem confident in your abilities. I take it that you have credentials to support your claims.”
He shouldn’t have been getting so friendly. He had to get out of there soon, he couldn’t risk having someone want to hang around him. But… maybe he could hold onto it for just a little longer.
“My name is Genji, by the way. Now Hana, that is a name I have always appreciated. Where I am from, it means ‘Flower’. But looking at you, I doubt you are so delicate.”
He seemed almost as self assured as herself...almost. He had a nice smile though, bright and toothy. Hana couldn’t help but whistle at his katana, damn was that a fine piece of sword. Not as fine as her blade though. In comparison his sword was a needle compared to her behemoth of a sword. It looked cool though and more suited for the agile type. Man what a charmer, she felt a blush dust her cheeks, the painted whiskers on her face twitched as she formed a grin. Hana could tell they were going to get along nicely, well as long as he didn’t hinder her in battle but she had a feeling there was more to him than meets the eye. Though only time could tell what he was really like in the thick of battle.
“Well Genji you sure have a taste in swords and names. Two beginnings? Sounds almost poetic.” Hana commented. To make a show of herself she hoisted up her large sword with ease and with one hand. “If I had to be a flower I’d be a venus flytrap, if those are even considered flowers. But let’s compare swords. I wanna see what your little kitchen knife feels like.”
Oh, she did not. Genji raised a brow, twirling the katana in the air for a moment before handing it to her. “Sometimes, the strongest weapons are not necessarily the largest. What some may lack in blunt force can be substituted with agility.”
As though to reinforce his statement, he pulled three shuriken out of seemingly nowhere, and before one could even blink, they were in a perfectly straight line embedded in a tree a solid thirty feet away from them. “Never underestimate.”
What a show off. She rolled her eyes but the sound of the shurikens piercing through the air and the sight of them lined up in the dark sent a shiver up her spine. Ok so she wasn’t going to fuck around with him, unless of course he fucked with her. Yeah he was pretty skilled but she could still beat his ass. They didn’t call her the dragon flower for nothing. The katana was incredibly light compared to hers. It was an odd feeling, having such a small sword in her grasp. It was very well balanced and the edge was sharp. While admiring it she handed Genji’s hers.
“Alright I admit you’re good but I could totally beat you in a fight,” Hana said. To prove her point she brandished his sword and made several swiping motions.
“My, a little diva.” He smirked as he looked over her weapon. It was impressive, he would give her that. “My brother would envy this. Though I prefer not to admit it, he is more skilled with the sword than I am.”
Hana pointed a finger at him accusingly. “Never admit someone is more skilled than you, even if he’s your brother. That’s a one way street to crippling self doubt. Better to be confident in your abilities than mope about how you aren’t as good as someone else.” She would never understand how people would compare themselves to others in a negative light. Hana knew she was the best swordswomen around so why try to hide it? People would often chide her on how overconfidence would kill her someday but so far it was working out for her, she hasn’t even been that badly injured.
Genji smiled, her confidence was almost overwhelming. If being a Grey Warden didn’t out she would make an excellent life coach. Though just handling her sword was proof enough that she would be a great asset to the Grey Wardens. How could she fight with something so heavy? How could she retreat for a moment if she needed to fall back? He didn’t bother to think about it.
As if she could tell what he was thinking or trying not to think of Hana smirked. “If you’re wondering how I retreat I don’t. Retreating is basically admitting defeat and Hana Song never loses.”
“We shall see, Hana.” Big talk for such a small girl. Well as the saying goes appearances can be deceiving. Genji didn’t doubt she was a capable warrior, though he also had some talents of his own.
Leaning her sword against the tree, his movements were quick as he bolted to his shuriken, ripped one out of the bark, threw it upwards, and managed to get into position before the flower that had been cut off of the tree fell.
During his performance Hana’s heart skipped a beat. Genji moved so quickly he almost disappeared. Eyes wide and slightly agape she watched him fly through the air and cut off a single flower from the tree.
Once it landed in his hand, he made his way back over to Hana, putting it in her hair with hands that seemed too gentle to belong to the man who could potentially do so much damage. “But for right now, I believe we should enjoy the quiet.”
She was so slack in awe she wordlessly handed him back his sword.The gentle caress from his hand when he delicately put the flower in her hair reminded Hana of her mother. If her cheeks weren’t red before they certainly were now. She could feel them practically sizzling.
The wave of nostalgia that hit her left the poor girl a stammering mess. “W-well two can play at that game!”’
Once she grabbed her sword she used her powerful legs to push herself off the ground. In a wide sweeping arc she chopped off a large branch from the tree and landed right where it fell. In a smug manner Hana put her hands on her hips.
“Looks like I nice branch to make a nest in, especially for a sparrow like you,” she quipped. Unconsciously she brushed her fingers against the flower in a fond manner. Despite her fervent denials she did like flowers, it just depended on the circumstances. She always sort of resented her name, it sounded weak and fragile. Back when her mother was still alive she’d tell her differently, saying that flowers could be so much more than just flowers. They could be poisons, medicine, and so many other things. There looks may be deceiving but they had a plethora of other uses besides just looking pretty.
Genji laughed a bit, nodding at the branch. “Sparrow. I like that.” He re-sheathed his sword and grabbed his shuriken from the tree. “Perhaps I should change my last name to that. It would be a nice contrast to the first.”
Oh man, hopefully she wouldn’t ask about that. He shouldn’t have mentioned the last name thing.
“You would like my brother.” Change the subject. “He is very much like you. Stubborn regarding his ability, but well deserving of it.” Lately his brother and him have been butting heads a lot more than usual. Genji didn’t get why he had such a stick up his ass, he was going to be the clan’s head for maker’s sake. Meanwhile he was the second child, an inconvenience to the clan as some members would whisper under their breath or what Hanzo would yell at him when he was especially mad. Sometimes his brother really pissed him off and other times...he scared him. Though at the end of the day Genji knew his brother was just stressed, he would never hurt him, they were brothers and siblings would never do any sort of permanent harm to each other. That much Genji was certain of.