Fireflies danced around the night sky like twinkling stars. Surrounded by an enormous tree covered in lanterns that glowed a gentle gold color. A woman stood, dressed in a long blue tunic dress lined with fur. Her long blond hair draped down her back in a loose braid. She turned and smiled, the happiness behind it reaching her blue eyes.

‘Hanzo, I have something to confess.’ Her voice was soft and loving, yet shy. Her hand reached out to take the one he seemingly offered. ‘I love you. I want you to stay here with me. You have a home here if you accept it.’

He tried to respond, but nothing came out. Her words echoed constantly as he wanted to say something, anything. His whole body yearned to just reach out as the darkness enveloped all.

Hanzo sat up from his futon, holding his head in one hand. His chest felt tight for a moment before it passed. Once he could get up, Hanzo made his way to the bathroom. He glanced up at the mirror. What met his gaze was him in white hair and strange yellow markings under gray eyes. Hanzo blinked hard, the reflection returning to normal. What the hell did he see? He didn’t need this before a job. Especially his first one for Overwatch. With a breath, Hanzo pushed aside it and changed into his usual attire. Then went out to the main room. Spread over the table was a light breakfast for two.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.“ Akari asked. Aware of the meaning of his expression on his face. “I can get more migraine medicine for you.“

Hanzo groaned as he sat down. He managed a nod as Akari added the mixture into the teapot, pouring a cup of tea and moving it to Hanzo.

“Thank you.“ Hanzo said, sipping the tea. The warmth soothed his headache. He hated feeling this weak, and for what? All because of a dream he had been having since he was fifteen. It had never affected him like this until five years ago.

“Was it the dream?” Akari sat across the table.

“The correct question should be, which one?“

Akari frowned. “Either worries me when you are like this.“

He let out a breath. Hanzo felt the tug in his chest again just thinking about it. But he didn’t want to speak of it, but he could hide nothing from her. “It was the woman again.“

Akari’s frown softened, but she was still worried. That dream still haunted him.

“She looks like her.“ Hanzo said. “The Lindholm girl.“

Worry gave way to a strange curiosity. “What do you mean?“

“Different hair and eyes but….“ Hanzo started, but shook his head. “I shouldn’t get distracted. It’s for another time.“

Since he wanted the subject changed, Akari slid over a tablet in front of Hanzo. “This is what I’ve gotten on Soldier 76. He’s made quite the reputation for himself around here. Most of the gangs call him the Demon. Considering he took out several small groups single-handedly.“ She started as Hanzo read over the data. “I tend to not bother him since he stays out of my business if I do.“

“That will never stop you from keeping tabs on him.“

“I can not deny that I do.“ Akari said, sipped long at her tea. “Though. I have to be careful because he has taken out some of my people. Mostly in crossfires. The last known location I received was some abandoned ruins just south of town. Four hours away through the forest. On foot, at least. There is a path marked on the map details. As for the other person of interest.”

“She’s been dead for the last seven years. According to everything I’ve learned. Though Winston, in hope, believes that she could be alive. I can’t really see it being true, but it’s not my job to question it.“

He acted like he barely knew of her, but Akari remembered a time when Amari was a subject of admiration for Hanzo. Her skills as a sniper inspired Hanzo to improve when he was a child, even if the reasons weren’t fully innocent. Considering he was trained to kill barely after he could walk, If it had been twenty years ago, this would have been an entirely new encounter.

“This should be enough to go on. I’ll take this first day to scout the area.“ Hanzo said, giving back the tablet.

Akari nodded. “Understood. I’ll get you some more supplies. Tohru will be your guide to the forest's edge when you’re ready.“

——-

“Shimada-sama.“

Hanzo turned his head to see a Japanese man bowing to him. Dressed in simple street clothes. He had seen this Tohru before, even ran a few jobs with the man. “No need to be so formal. I’m not the prince anymore.“

“I still feel I owe you respect. Since you not only saved my life, but you are also family to Hisano-sama.“ Tohru said, standing up straight. Leading Hanzo out of the restaurant.

“I’m just a man reclaiming my honor, nothing more.“ Hanzo replied.

The conversation ended there. He followed Tohru down the alleyway to the main street. Remains of the festival scattered about. Though both men ignored it to go by the small crowds starting their work. The trip went smoothly as they reached the edge of the town. Once they were in the clear, Tohru spoke up.

“The path is just down by those broken branches. Follow the notches for several miles. Stay on the path because there are some not so friendly creatures in those trees. Mostly snakes, spiders and insects. Worst case, a wildcat. Though you’ve probably faced more deadly things.“ Tohru allowed himself a small grin.

Hanzo raised his eyebrow. Despite the warning, he had indeed faced worse.

“If you need to contact me, Hisano-sama provided a device. It will be radio silence on my end until contacted. Enjoy the hunt, Dragon.“

With that, Hanzo nodded and traversed the path laid out. Leaving Tohru to fade off from view. The heat of the day started setting in, and he hated it. But Hanzo was thankful for the long covering protection from the bugs. After several grueling hours, Hanzo saw the ruins. The path led up to a cliff side that had a view of the surrounding valley.

Hanzo made his perch up on the cliff. It was the perfect view of the ruins. He grabbed his binoculars, surveying for any signs of life. Nothing seemed too out of place. Besides some high-powered light fixtures. But there were no archaeology visits here in the works. So someone was here.

As he put away the binoculars, something metal pressed into the back of his skull. Hanzo froze for a moment but tried to reach for his bow closer. He had been foolish to keep it on his back.

“If you want to keep your pretty head. I wouldn’t make a sudden move, son.“ The voice was male, gruff and low. His threat in his tone dripped with truth. Though the accent wasn’t Hispanic. It was American. “Get up.“

Hanzo slowly got up from kneeling. Pissed off at himself for getting caught like this. Hanzo took a breath before making his move. In quick succession, Hanzo turned, ducking under the gun to slap it out of the man’s hand. Where it clattered to the ground. Surprise caught his opponent for a moment, but not for long. Though it was long enough for Hanzo to see who he was fighting. The bright 76 logo on the man’s jacket showed this was the primary target of the mission, Soldier 76. This old man met Hanzo blow by blow with ease. Except, Soldier’s hits had more strength behind each one. So Hanzo had to use agility to avoid being hit. Hanzo got the advantage by knocking over his opponent. Just as his hand went to grab the gun, Hanzo hitched. Reaching up, he felt a dart in his neck. His eyelids felt heavy. So much that his vision became blurred and knees hit the ground. The last thing he saw was the butt of a gun heading for his face with a wet crack.