Chapter Text
The breeze that blew through Nepal would usually have been a bother to the young Shimada, though now that Talon had taken him in and rebuilt him it warranted hardly a second thought. He had been sent to kill the young monk that was currently perched outside, deep in thought quite evidently. There was however something about the way he moved, his body swaying gently and his arms behind his back as if nothing in the world could hurt him, that left him intrigued and deep down he found himself tempted to befriend the man just to make the kill take longer.
Of course, Talon would control him if that appeared to be the case, after all he was just a robot to them. It pained him when they took over, all he could see was the red that filled his vision after they’d had their way. His brother had been, they never had that control over him and allowed him free roam until recently when an explosion had left him in a similar state to Genji. The thought saddened him, whilst he may resent his brother it was still a tragedy.
As the man got up to return inside, Genji allowed himself a second to gather his thoughts before silently appearing behind him, his katana between his hands and ready to strike without a second thought.
“Kill me.” Came the robotic voice, echoing slightly and causing him to lower his guard. “It shall not get you anywhere, it shall merely prolong the war we have been fighting.”
He was unsure how he’d been noticed, not a single noise had left his body as he moved. Reminding himself that the man was a robot, he grimaced beneath his mask. Backing up, he tried to get away but not before the familiar tint of red filled his vision. If he could open his mouth, he would’ve screamed, but alas his jaw was firmly clamped closed, his suit not once stopping as it swung towards the omnic and a sickening crack rang out before he was freed.
Tossing the sword down he ran, further and further until he was certain he was safe, away from what he’d done. He was never evil by choice; he had never intended to come down this path. Most hadn’t, Talon had just decided they were easy prey and continued to control them and change who they were until they came to terms with it themselves. Not once had he wanted to kill unless it was for the greater good, he was certain that had times been different they may have ended up on the other side of the war.
He wasn’t wrong, when the time came most of Talon managed to escape relatively unscathed to Overwatch – himself included. The few that did remain were the most ruthless, his brother included in the mix though he had no doubt in his mind that brainwashing had contributed to that fact. A man named as Reaper and a woman by the name of Widowmaker were the only other notable ones, the rest were just people who had gone off the rails instead of sadistic killing machines. Overwatch presented a very different situation, no mind control, only the freedom he had wanted when he killed the Omnic monk ten years prior.
He had begun to despise the body he now resided in since the incident, the impact of what he’d done destroying him. Nobody was able to sympathise; most had simply become numb over time leaving him to stew constantly as the chaos continued. He only continued to live in fear of being controlled yet again, the thought constantly in the back of his mind even in the midst of battle. However, the day he walked into the base with nothing more than what was on his person, he felt the hatred melt away. It felt like home, even if it was slightly empty and messy he felt welcomed.
One of the first to welcome him was a young lady called Fareeha, though she preferred to go by Pharah due to it being her name on the field. She was attractive, he could hardly deny himself a second look at the woman though it wasn’t like he hadn’t already allowed himself to recall her face more than once. And whilst he’d love to ask her to stay for a minute just so he could hear her voice again, he knew it would prove futile.
Over the next few weeks, the last few of his comrades arrived in the base and though he found what shred of humanity remained in him fixated on Fareeha, he did allow himself time to befriend others. Now that they were free from the toxicity that was Talon, it was almost foreign. From McCree sitting outside with a guitar in hands playing quiet tune, the sadistic grin that had usually sat on his face replaced by a soft one as he took in the sights, to Bastion out in the forest with the birds finding peace it was nice. However, there was still one person missing.
The last to arrive was an omnic, somewhere from up in Nepal. It left Genji somewhat disheartened, he wondered if the person would know it was him who had killed their leader and whether they would take revenge into their own hand, yet as they floated through the door with but a wave of their hand he knew. He’d never killed him, merely come close. However, years in Talon had caused him to never back away from his problems and as he gave a warm greeting to the man he hung on for a second in anticipation.
“I forgive you for what you did,” The familiar voice rang out quietly, though it almost felt as if he were yelling. “You regret it, something someone truly evil would never do.”
The words left him frozen, unable to move as the world continued alongside him. He knew the Shambali were always ones to forgive, but he never expected himself to be one to get forgiveness. In his eyes, he was nothing more than a murderer, yet in theirs it appeared he was something more. It was admirable, even after he had attempted to murder their leader they still had room in their hearts to forgive him.
As he stood there, paralysed more by the revelation than by fear, he managed to tear his legs away and catch up with the man. Reaching out an arm, and quickly grabbing his forearm he let out a sigh.
“Thank you. For forgiving me for what I have done.”
The omnic turned to him, and cocked his head. Placing a hand gently on the man forearm, he let out a hum.
“I feel there is more for you than this, you have proven that by leaving behind Talon. Do not thank me for forgiving you, instead prove to me that it was worth it.”
“I shall, thank you once again.”
With that, he bowed his head and excused himself, though even as a semi-omnic he could still feel his touch on him. Shaking his head, he disappeared out of the base yet again. Maybe if he were willing, he could ask him to help him come to terms with who he was. It was a thought that burned in the back of his mind throughout the rest of the evening, even as he powered down for the night.
The next few days were uneventful; it was mostly just the team waiting around until their first briefing. Though he felt satisfied, even mustering the courage to have a brief conversation with a few of them, he still felt a void in his heart. Hanzo should have been there with him, even after he had tried to kill him he knew that. They went through everything together until he was manipulated, Talon was the closest they had gotten since then and even then they’d had to take action after the pair had gotten into a scuffle. It was nothing like what they’d once had, and it had in all honesty destroyed him just like everything else.
It was just his luck when their first mission was announced, a direct attack on Talon and one of their bases barely an hour away.