"So," Hanzo spoke, his deep tone slicing through the midnight air as he took a long sip from his tea. "You claim to have used a bow before?"

The clock ticked in the background, providing the only ambience to an otherwise completely silent room. It was just you and the archer, no one else was present at such an hour in the morning. You couldn't sleep because of an irregular sleeping pattern you had gained from your vigilante work, whilst Hanzo was...

Hanzo.

An ever elusive mystery.

"I held an experimental bow which used hardlight arrows, so it created its own arrow whenever the string was pulled back. But it just... never really suited my tastes. I needed something that was faster than that, despite how cool it was to use." You explained as you took a sip of your own tea, the older man having taken the liberty of preparing some for you as well. It was evident he enjoyed these late night talks as much as you did, though if Kiriko were to ask him, he'd just say it was a matter of convenience.

The archer scoffed at your remark, shaking his head in clear disappointment. "And so you choose to run around with a gun. So uncivilised."

You rolled your eyes, sighing as you adjusted yourself in your seat.

"Is my kunai not enough to satisfy your cultural weaponry? And besides, I haven't had my gun replaced since I got here. Winston has insisted on... modifying the new model." You said as your gaze fell onto your reflection in the cup, images of that day danced gently in your mind. It was by pure coincidence that Overwatch just so happened to be at the same place that you were.

A lucky coincidence that led to your life being preserved.

"Firearms make killing too easy. With a bow, I have to account for a lot more than just my aim. A series of questions I must answer before I make the decision to take a life." Hanzo uttered in a tone weighted with regret. You nodded silently, understanding where he was coming from. Over time, you have learned more about the Shimada brothers and their history. From their upbringing, to their training and introduction to Kiriko, to their ultimate downfall and fight that would change the both of them forever.

"I... yeah, that makes sense." You sighed as your eyes never left your reflection. You closed your eyes for a few moments, realising the conversation had adopted a deeper tone than probably either of you had intended. Once you opened them you found a different reflection in the liquid, it was you, but...

Different.

A younger version of yourself, your hair partially dyed in your own blood, one of your eyes shining an electric blue as the other remained your natural colour. It was you. A version of you that's lost to the world, a child dead and buried, a life left behind due to a war that was forced onto your doorstep. There was no one to save him. No military, no defence force, no police, no rogue vigilantes.

No Overwatch.

No heroes.

The ones you had looked up to your whole life, the ones who filled your head with dreams, the ones who's stories shone light into your life. They saved people, their names beacons of hope and safety, their legacy lingering in the hearts of those they preserved.

But there was no one.

No American hero whose mask shone red through the darkness, no teleporting uplifted spirit, no shield to protect you, no primal rage to fend off the oncoming storm.

There was nothing. They were shut down and betrayed.

And now you were left to suffer.

For no one was coming to save you.

A bloodied tear rolled down the reflection's face, the both of you staring at one another unblinkingly as the tear hit the tea as the liquid violently rippled, shattering the reflection. Your ears began to ring, but your eyes didn't waver on the cup, as if you were still trying to focus on the version of you that was lost. You heard a noise, deep and questioning vocals as you slowly fell deeper into your dissociated state. The sound of operation machinery buzzed in your ears, his hiss of anaesthetic gas stuck in the back of your mind, the weight difference in your body when you awoke on that table. You remembered all of it, every change they made to you, minute or major.

You remembered the difference.

You felt the change.

"Y/N!" A rumbling voice called out to you, snapping you out of your trance as you looked to where the calling came. Hanzo sat upright, his tea now placed on the mat on the coffee table, two narrowed eyes looking towards you in a matter of concern. "I have seen that look before, recognised in my own reflections. You are becoming lost in your past actions"

Once again, the warrior proved himself to be the most mature and wise of the trio he was usually found in. You wanted to avert the conversation, but deep down, you knew there was no chance of that happening. He was too familiar with such a subject, perhaps his words were worth listening to.

"Is it that easy to tell?" You asked, chuckling a little in defeat as you set your cup down. Hanzo, on the other hand, showed no amusement in return. His unwavering gaze turned into a closed eyes, heavy hearted sigh.

"It is the look of a man who regrets something with his heart and soul. It has consumed you for some time, the look you had in your eyes told me that much." The archer concluded, his posture unmoving as he awaited your response. You were a little stunned to say the least, having your entire thought process put on display from just a simple glance was both impressive and a little concerning given the context.

"There's a lot I regret, living this life brings nothing but regret and second guesses." You sighed as you slumped down in your seat. "Forever asking if I made the right decision."

"And did you?" He asked, the question creating a new aura of silence as you pondered upon it for a short while. Honestly, you had been asking yourself the same question since the day it happened. Was it worth it? Were you truly making the impact that the world made out that you were? Was the sacrifice you made truly the right one?

You sighed.

"I don't know."

He hummed in thought, nodding as he looked down at his own reflection in his cup. Whenever you two would have these late night conversations, it would typically go down a path that brought both of your experiences into it, but rarely did they ever focus on one person or the other.

"Speak your mind to me, Y/N. What plagues your thoughts this late into the night?" He inquired as his eyes returned to you, his demeanour shifting to something you weren't used to from him. Beneath that rough exterior lied compassion, perhaps an understanding from his own suffering.

Something the archer saw in his past self.

You looked back down at your feet, wondering if it was alright to tell someone your thoughts. They were actions you felt unsure of, but even if you did regret them, it's far too late to dwell on it now. Knowing that, is it even worth bringing those feelings up?

You looked back up, meeting his curious gaze again. A small sigh escaped your lips before you inhaled deeply.

"I miss the person I used to be. The person before..." A small spark flickered off of your hand, a beautiful trail of blue lightning spreading into the air before dissipating into nothingness. "This."

Hanzo watched in silence, his ears attuned to the sound of your voice as he waited for you to continue.

"My augments were... rushed. An attack on my home prevented them from finishing their work, the first time I used them permanently changed my body forever. My internals are disfigured, my skin forever scarred, my heart beat irregular as it now matches the whirring of the machine inside me. I'm bound to use a weaker side of my power because of it." You finished as your eyes returned to your cup, as if you were unconsciously searching for the reflection of the old you again. But to your disappointment, all that remained was you.

"The augments in your body. They... bring you pain?" Hanzo questioned, a nod from you answering his question as he prepared to speak again. "If I may be so bold as to ask. Why you haven't gone back for some sort of surgery to get them fixed?"

"I've tried," you replied as you looked back to the archer. "I tried to get them fixed, to have everything function as normal but... it's simply not possible. It's all very technical, and I'm not very well informed as to what each component does. But there's a device in my chest, a very crude design that acts as a generator. It sends out the lightning through the connected augments in my body, it allows me to do what I do. The problem lies in its placement."

Hanzo raised an eyebrow.

"In its placement?" His deep voice rung through the room as you nodded once again.

"Hanzo, the human body isn't meant to be able to withstand such voltage flowing through it. The metal augments act as conduits for my power so that I don't implode from the surge of lightning all taking place in one spot, the augments aim to spread it out and focus it to separate areas of my body, but unlike Sojourn for example, parts of my body weren't replaced in order to compensate for the power. Instead, I kept a more fleshy form, which... isn't exactly suitable for the amount of electricity I can output." You explained as you took a sip from your tea, Hanzo humming in response. It was clear that this sort of technology was a bit beyond him, but it was even more clear that he was doing his best to understand your problem.

"If this is truly a detriment to you, can you not have the generator removed?" He asked, raising his eyebrow further as his question hung in the air.

"I can't..." you replied with a heavy heart. "It's fused with my heart. It acts as a backup just in case my heart stops beating because of the voltage. Though... that hasn't happened yet."

The pair of you fell silent for a few extremely long seconds.

"...Oh" Hanzo said, clearly unsure of how to continue his questions. You huffed out your nose in amusement to his response, a bittersweet smile creeping onto your face.

"Yeah... oh."

The two of you fell silent again, neither one of you breaking it. It was a problem with no solution, a situation where you just didn't win. Your smile dropped.

"I hate the fights where I have no other option but to resort to my purple lightning. My skin cracks, my muscles contort, my blood rushes out of my body. The pain is indescribable, being changed from the inside in a different way every single time... it's horrible. I get so angry because of it, because someone pushed me to such lengths that my own augments, my own body pushes me to be in inescapable agony... and sometimes I'll end up killing them out of either self preservation, or rage."

You set your cup back down, looking back at Hanzo.

"I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. This... I hate it... I hate it with every fibre of my being. I miss the life I could have had if it weren't stolen from me."

Your eyes fell down to your cup again, meeting your reflection. No matter how hard you searched, no matter how hard you concentrated, you couldn't see the boy who used to be there. He was gone, lost to time, forgotten by history aside from a select few who keep him in memory. All that was left was someone who tried to play hero. Someone who's now left behind to deal with the crushing consequences that followed such a tragic decision.

A sudden hand on your shoulder made you jump, tearing you from your thoughts as you spilt your tea all across the table. Your eyes landed on the hand, following the toned arm which would eventually lead to a sympathetic look from the archer.

"I was tasked with killing my brother... the heads of the clan demanded his death, they saw my brother as a weight on my future. And I foolishly followed. We fought, our training showing, but what showed more was who paid attention and who was easily distracted. But the thing that'll forever remain seared in my mind was the fear in his eyes when we crossed blades. I was confident in my purpose, thinking as if their word was the most important thing to be given to me. But... I could never begin to explain the way I felt afterwards. It was if I had taken my sword and cut something out of me, to lose a limb that was never there. I thought Genji to have been slaughtered by my own hand." Hanzo trailed off as he closed his eyes, breathing in deeply as if finding the strength to continue his story. You waited quietly, not daring to interrupt him whilst he was sharing something this deep with you.

"I swore: never to wield a blade again. I abandoned my home, those who I'd known for life, the goals that had been set up for me. All I had left was my regret, grief, and the hatred I had towards myself. There was no honour in the life I had lived, and so I sought to redeem myself." He opened his eyes again as his gaze returned onto you. "Even after Genji returned into my life, I still felt the pain as if it had never left. I had put him into that mechanical body through the foolish actions I made years ago, and that pain, that regret, that shame... will never go away."

He removed his hand from your shoulder as you processed his story slowly in silence, Hanzo grabbed a cloth from a cabinet as he began to clean up the tea you had spilt earlier. He placed the cup back on its holder, his eyes falling back to you as he returned to his seat.

"But what's done is done, and cannot be undone. His words to me told me that we had both come to terms with what had happened that day, and that we had learned to live with the pain and suffering. He found it within himself to see past his anger, and found compassion. What I'm saying, Y/N, is that your past is something that'll forever sting you, hurt you in ways that nothing else will ever be able to. But in time, it will grow easier to deal with, and one day, you'll be able to accept your reality as Genji did with his. You will... make peace with yourself, as he would say. It is okay to feel remorse for yourself. But you mustn't let it hold you in one place forever. The best you can do is build a path on which you can walk with confidence."

Your eyes closed as you lowered your head, clasping your hands together as your fingers intertwined. It wasn't the truth you wanted to hear, maybe because it was one you had already known for a long time, or maybe it was because you weren't ready to accept it. Either way, his words held more weight than you were expecting them to.

"I... yeah, you're right. I just get caught up in my own thoughts sometimes." You admitted as you opened your eyes, looking back at the archer.

"You're young, Y/N. I think you forget that a little too often. It's... ironic in a sense. Kiriko tells me that you remind her of a younger version of myself. I think I'm beginning to see it. The weight of the world on our shoulders, the expectations and hopes of many, a great deal of responsibilities, power that can only be imagined by others. You're doing well." He complimented you, the corner of his lips bending upwards into a rare Hanzo smile. You couldn't help but return it, praise from the wizened archer was extremely rare in itself, but a smile was something else entirely.

"I... try my best." You replied with a small hand of pride in your heart. Even if you didn't want it, the words from the dragon spirited warrior were aiding in lifting your mood.

"And your best is more than enough. Even from my home in Japan, I had heard of your name and victories. The Wanderer, a shadow in the night. It is a name that spreads hope, a name that inflicts fear onto those who dare to oppose it. In another time, the Shimada clan would have sent you a personal invitation to join their ranks." Hanzo refilled both his cup and yours with some more tea, a laugh escaped you as you couldn't help but smile at the idea.

"You think I would have been cool enough to join your super secret samurai clan?" You joked as you took a long sip from the freshly poured tea.

"We were not Samurai, but yes, you would have been..." He sighed, "...cool enough."

Your smile remained as you placed the cup back on its mat, unable to feel anything but amused from hearing him describe you as cool. It was silly, but... it felt uplifting to hear it from someone as stern and serious as he. Just as you were about to reply, he stood up, looking down at you.

"But enough about that. I have one final question for you."

The air suddenly felt heavy once again as your smile dropped, a sense of unease weighing your shoulders down as you nodded at him, wanting him to carry on. The archer folded his arms, his eyes scanning over you for something quickly before looking back at you.

"Why did you get these augments put into your body? Forgive me for assuming, but given your ability to travel the world and fight for seemingly your views and your own beliefs, you don't belong to any country's military program or anything of the sort. If you did, well, one can only assume you disobeyed orders and went rogue given how you're wanted in so many areas of the world."

Silence was the only prevalent factor in the room once again as you bit your tongue from immediately talking. The truth wasn't anything shameful, but it was something that you very rarely shared with others.

"I... did what was necessary. To protect my family and my town. No one was coming to help us, gangs ran everyone through on the daily, the government and those who were supposed to protect us turned a blind eye, and omnic attacks seemed at an all time high. We had nothing, no one, no saviour, no hope. And so one day I took everything I owned, everything that could pay up for the idea I had. I went into the underground market beneath our part of the city and paid to get this put into my body. I knew how to fight, I knew how to survive, I felt like it was my job to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves, I knew I could protect people if I just had the right equipment to do so."

You paused as you looked down at your hand, lifting it slightly as blue sparks shimmered to life, sparking brighter as the lightning connected to form a shape. A blue cube that rotated slowly, an object that you were all too familiar with.

It was a replica of the generator in your body.

Hanzo watched on in silence, allowing you to continue your story without being interrupted.

"And so I put myself through the worst, found myself people who also wanted to be free of fear, had them operate on me, and 43 hours later I had myself the means to bring about the vengeance we needed. I fell into a resistance against these gangs and corrupt members that made our lives so terrible, and we ended everything" You concluded, looking up at the archer. "It's not as dramatic as you may have hoped for, but that's the short version."

Hanzo hummed and nodded twice, looking down at his own hands as if he was reminiscing in an old memory. The sharp look in his eyes diluting to something softer, a familiar look you often saw in your own reflection.

Regret.

"Vengeance is short lived, isn't it?" He rhetorically asked, a sigh following as he looked back to you. "We think it's a lot more rewarding, some think it to be closure. But much like revenge, it's short lived, cold, unwelcoming, and often leaves us in a worse place compared to where we once were."

His words hung in your mind as you silently nodded, agreeing with the bowman as you realised that he was a lot wiser than what you first thought. There wasn't a reply you could give to such a statement, everything he said was true, even if a part of you didn't want to admit