⋆⁺₊Content: You're struggling to make ends meet living in the streets until a masquerade party changes your life for good.
⋆⁺₊tags: romance, historical(might be inaccurate at times), Overwatch does not exist in this timeline, slight genji x reader if you squint, looots of tension between reader and Hanzo, sfw.
⋆⁺₊Word count: 11k
⋆⁺₊a/n: hi there this is my first post here! I am trying to get back into writing so there may be errors throughout. (I also wrote this with nails on so there's that too ._.) Please be nice to me!
⋆⁺₊Inspiration taken from Aristocrat by Poppy⋆⁺₊
Running down the alleyways of Hanamura, darting between buildings and hiding behind trash cans. This was an everyday occurrence for you. Dressed in rags and dirt covering your body from living outside. You had no family, at least none that you could remember. You have been an orphan for as long as you could remember, being raised by other beggars on the streets. Life was tough, you had to learn to pickpocket spare change from tourists not paying attention or steal food from food stalls without anyone noticing to survive. Sometimes when you weren’t lucky, you didn’t know where or when your next meal would come from.
Currently, you were running away from the police. You had stolen some bread from the local bakery and they were hot on your tail. You darted behind a trash can and held your breath, hoping that they did not know you were there. You heard footsteps getting closer to the alleyway you were in. You weren’t sure if the sound of their feet or the sound of your heart was making the thundering noise.
“Tch, I think we lost her,” You heard one of the police say.
“It’s fine, we’ll see her again no doubt about it,” The other says.
You let out a small sigh of relief as you hear their footsteps get further and further away. You waited there for a few minutes just to be sure that they were fully gone from the area before coming out. You looked down at your prize and your stomach growled ferociously, almost like it was demanding you to scarf down the bread in your hands immediately. You began walking back to where your shelter was so you could rest. It was starting to get more and more towards evening.
When you finally made it back to your little tent in a dark alleyway you were exhausted and your stomach was beginning to hurt. You sat down with a huff and tore a piece of bread off and began eating it, your stomach finally happy to have something in it. You slowly munched away on the bread, eating a small can of leftover fruit that you had found thrown out in the garbage. Beggars can’t be choosers right? Once your stomach was satisfied with the amount of food you ate, you began makeshifting a way to preserve your bread so you could eat it later.
It was now fully dark outside and the nightlights of Hanamura were coming on. Hanamura had an active red light district and party life. You always wondered what it would be like to be a normal citizen and go out and gossip with other court ladies and secretly drink. You didn’t really have that luxury here. Sure, you had some friends here and there that were also struggling out on the streets, and some of the older folk out here basically lived off of sake.
With a yawn, you decided to go ahead and get comfortable and sleep the night away. Sleeping not only made sure you were as well rested as possible for you to perform your steals but also made sure you didn’t get as hungry from being awake all the time. You snuggled into your warm blanket. It was one of the best finds you had come across. It had rips here and there and the thread was coming undone in some places but it still was a warm blanket and it definitely helped when the Hanamura nights got cold throughout the year. You sighed and let sleep take over you.
When you came to it was bright and early in the morning. You could already hear the faint sounds of people chattering away in the city as they walked around going about their business. With a yawn you stretched and grabbed your leftover bread from yesterday and began eating. You went ahead and finished the bread off and got up to your feet. Based on the amount of sunlight you could see you guessed it was around ten in the morning. You brushed off your clothes trying to remove any visible dust and dirt from sleeping on the floor.
Peeking your head out of the alleyway and seeing the coast was clear, you took off towards the city in hopes of finding your next meal. It wasn’t too difficult for you to find your first target. As always, there were tourists who were oblivious to their surroundings, making it just as easy for you to grab any spare change they had in their pockets. You leaned up against a wall and started counting your change that you gathered over the past few days. You should be able to buy some food to last you for a few days with the amount you had. You walked over to the marketplace and quickly grabbed some variety of canned food and some bread. As you were waiting in line to pay for your food you could hear people gossiping.
“Hey, have you heard about the party the Shimada family is holding tonight?”
“What? I haven’t heard about this!”
“It’s supposed to be a masquerade party of sorts!”
“The ones where everyone wears a mask?”
“Yes those! They’re popular in the western world, I hear!”
“Aww, that sounds delightful. I wish I could go!”
“Yeah, too bad they don’t let commoners in.”
You finally got to the front of the line, still listening to the women behind you gossiping about the Shimadas. The Shimadas were a well known family in Hanamura. They practically owned and controlled the place. Everyone knew that you never wanted to get on Shimada's bad side. The family was full of trained gang members. From what you could remember, the leader, Sojiro, had two sons. The eldest being only a bit older than you were. You didn’t know what they looked like or anything though. The Shimada family didn’t come around the slums you lived in, why would they?
Keeping your head down as you paid for your food, you rushed out and back towards your shelter. You didn’t want to stick around for too long in case the police recognized you again. Unfortunately for you though when you got back to your shelter, standing there was a member of the Hashimoto’s.
You trembled at the thought of what they could want with you now. In the past, you had gotten mixed in some trouble and ended up in a decent amount of debt. You were young and naive back then and without even thinking of the consequences you took help from someone in the Hashimoto clan without any way of paying your debt back. Nothing good came from getting involved with any of the main clans that were always in a power struggle over Hanamura. You could feel the tension in your shoulders as you stalked closer, the goon noting your presence quickly. “There’s our favorite thief!” He mocked.
You held your items close to your chest, your eyes narrowing in suspicion, “What do you want?”
The man shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked his way closer to you, “Come on don’t be like that, especially after how much kindness we’ve shown you.”
“There’s nothing kind about your line of work.”
The man clicked his tongue, “Listen girl, the boss is unhappy that you still haven't paid back your debts and the payments you are making are too slow. You know how unkind he can get when his patience runs out.”
You shuddered, “I’m paying it back as fast as I can, but I also have to feed myself-”
The man was quick to grab you by your hair causing a short scream to fall from your lips, “He wants you to know he’s not going to repeat himself again, he needs that money by the end of the month, got it?”
You gritted your teeth and looked up at the man, “That’s only a week away! I can’t possibly make that much money in a week!”
The man sneered, his ugly face getting closer to yours, “Figure it out. Maybe suck up your pride and sell that useless body of yours, woman.” You felt bile rise up in your mouth, threatening to spew out. The man let go of your hair and pushed you away from him as if you were a piece of trash. “That’s all I came to say, the choice is yours.”
He started to walk away but you grabbed onto his clothes, “Please, there must be another way I can repay the debt other than my body. I’ll do anything.”
Your eyes pleaded with the man and he just scoffed, “Get your filthy hands off me girl!”
“Please!” You pleaded with him one more time.
“Fine, listen closely as I will not repeat myself.”
You let go of him and looked up at him.
“There’s a masquerade party that the Shimada’s are holding tonight. If you wanna make yourself useful, sneak in and kill one of the heirs.”
Your mouth fell agape, “You can’t be serious… How could someone like me sneak into there and on top of it kill one of the Shimada heirs and get away with it?” All you could feel was dread brewing in your stomach.
The man’s face split into a horrifying grin, “I don’t care, figure it out.” He walked off leaving you in silence.
Your legs were numb beneath you in fear. You had no choice but to try to sneak into that party, they were going to kill you anyways when you didn’t have enough money by the deadline. Swallowing the lump in your throat you got up grabbing and putting your food away in your makeshift bag. You sighed as you thought about the party. You’d have to find a way to sneak in there and disguise yourself as a noble so you could even get close to the Shimadas. You wondered if you could even steal some items while you were there to sell, after all you could only imagine how expensive everything was and all the expensive food and wine they’d serve.
You started feeling your hair, feeling how oily it was getting and tangled on itself.
“I wonder if my disguise is good enough if I could even taste the food.”
The more you thought about it, the more you wanted to go. Not that you had a choice in the matter anyways. It was decided, you’d do your best to get into that party and see what it’s like to be at an aristocrat’s party and if you were lucky either find something to sell to pay back your debt or worse, be forced to kill a Shimada. You grabbed the cloth you had managed to scavenge and grabbed the small bar of soap that you had left. There was a river about 5 minutes away from your shelter that you would use to bathe and gather water for drinking from. Normally, there was nobody around that river so you didn’t really have to worry about people seeing you. Walking through the nearby treeline out of the city, you walked along a dirt path you had marked that led to the river.
You reached the river, hearing its waters flowing smoothly against the rocks. You sat your spare clothes down and began to undress. The river was slightly cold but there wasn’t much you could do other than let your body get used to it or go as fast as you could.
“I need to scrub myself really well so there’s not a speck of dirt,” You mumbled to yourself.
You dunked your head under the river in one of the deeper parts letting your hair get fully soaked. Your hair was definitely tangled in spots. You started off with your hair, parting it into smaller pieces so you could work through the knots strategically. Taking the bar of soap, you ran it over your hair trying to get a good lather on it to wash away all the dirt and grime that had likely built up on your scalp. After a good few minutes of working on your hair it was finally detangled and clean. You used the remainder of the soap on your body to try to remove any smells. Sure enough with enough scrubbing, you were able to smell probably the best you ever smelt since being on the streets. You squeezed any remaining water out of your hair and did your best to dry off your body before putting your new clothes on.
You were beginning to walk back to your base but heard the sound of voices coming your way. You were quick to hide within the treeline in case it was those same policemen who were looking for you. The voices got closer and you could easily tell they were two males not old in age.
“Hanzo, you don’t understand. I don’t want anything to do with the family business! I want to have fun and be a normal kid.”
“Stop this foolishness, Genji,” the other male was quick to cut back, “We do not get a choice in these things, this is life and you need to accept that you will always be a Shimada first and foremost.”
Your eyes widened hearing the family name. The same family name of the family of trained deadly assassins that controlled your hometown. Curiosity getting the better of you, you peeked your head over the bush you were crouched behind, hoping to steal a glance at the supposed two Shimada sons that are supposed to rule the empire their father has made. You were able to see two young men, one who seemed older and more serious with longer black hair. The other looked younger and carefree, and kept his hair short. They were definitely good looking and you could tell by their clothes that they were for sure of high status.
You realized it was getting later in the day and that you should return to your base to think of a way to get in the party but the two men hadn’t left yet. You were biting your lip trying to think of a way out of here without gaining too much attention from the men. You decided it would be best to stand up slowly and pretend you were walking and merely passing by.
You slowly stood up and began walking in a way that made it seem like you were confident you were doing nothing wrong. You walked past the two males and gave a simple bow before continuing on like you didn’t see them. For a split second though, you made direct eye contact with the oldest of the two. You were quick to turn your head downward and continue walking by though. They were silent as they watched you walk by. You had walked further in the distance and you could hear them whispering to each other, perhaps about you.
You sighed as you let your body relax and headed back to the base you had made for yourself. As you waited for it to become evening, you went over your plan in your head. Security at the party would be decently high, but you were also hoping you could take advantage of the bustle of people and find a way in otherwise. You had heard stories of the many rooms that the Shimada palace held in their land. You were sure you could find your way into one of them and find a disguise that would work. Just sitting here thinking about the rich food and drinks you were potentially going to be able to eat was enough to make your stomach rumble in protest. You quickly took out another can of food and shoved it down, knowing you’d need as much energy as possible for tonight in case anything went wrong.
Evening came slower than you had hoped for, but it did give you more time to scout around the Shimada clan and listen to more rumors and gossip from the city ladies. As night time had begun to settle in and the lanterns in the town were lit, it was time to execute your plan. From your earlier scouting disguised as simple admiring and looking around, you were able to map out a route to take. The Shimada palace was huge which meant there were a lot of guards, but also a decent amount of ways to get around.
On the North end of the Shimada palace you had noticed a very inconspicuous and deserted water grate. Your clothes would get wet, but the water looked relatively clean so there was no issue with a smell following you. You were just able to sneak through the bars and into the inside. There was only the sound of flowing water but nothing else.
With a little bit of wandering around you were able to map out the area a bit better and find a small maintenance room that was unoccupied and seemingly no longer in use, but still connected to the main house. You sighed softly, what you were doing was definitely stupid and came with deadly consequences if you got caught, but life out in the streets was not much better in your mind. You slowly peeked through the sliding door of the maintenance room and saw no one nearby. You began to quickly leave the room and start heading down the winding hallways.
You peeked gently into each room trying to find your disguise, but to no avail. You were beginning to panic slightly at the thought of getting caught here, but it seems your luck was not out yet. You had eventually stumbled onto a room that seemed to be used for storage full of western style dresses for the masquerade theme that the Shimada’s were throwing, masks included.
You gently slipped into the room, looking through the dresses quickly and finding one that would best fit your shape. You did your best to tie the corset tightly to your chest without any help and found some hair pins that you could use to put your hair up in a fancier hairstyle that matched the dress better. Slipping on the small heeled shoes that seemed to match the dress, you wondered if these dresses were all going to waste. If you were able to sneak out of this alive maybe you could keep this dress and find a way to sell it in the red light district for a hefty sum that you could live off of. The fabric was obviously made of the finest material that money could buy. Lifting up your skirt you grabbed the dagger that you managed to sneak in with you. You strapped it to your thigh and let the dress hide the shape of it.
You slipped your gloves on and with one final glance over decided the disguise was as best as it would get. You placed the mask on your face, securing it. You could hear the nearby voices of partygoers so you knew with the correct timing you should be able to sneak onto the floor with no attention. Taking the gorgeous crimson and gold fan that matched your dress, you were careful to use it to cover your lower face, much like other high society women did when speaking amongst themselves.
You safely walked into the room with all the other high society members around with as much confidence as you could muster. You would fake it as much as you had to. You were quick to find the food and wine and various liquor drinks that you had dreamed about. Sampling items slowly to not look suspicious. Everything was better than you could have ever imagined food tasting. It was almost hard not to shove as much food as you could into your face at the sight of excess. Music fluttered throughout the venue as you stood off to the side observing people’s behavior and committing it to memory as best as you could to later mimic.
Before long you were approached by a male who was dressed very much for the night. You could only begin to tell how rich he must have been by the details put into his outfit. With close observation even with the mask on his face you felt yourself tense at the realization of who it possibly was. It was the youngest Shimada sibling.
“Excuse me my lady, I couldn’t help but notice you standing over here by yourself. Would you care for a dance in my company?”
His smile was nothing short of charming. You could tell he carried himself with a known confidence. You could feel your body subtly tense at the idea of him noticing who you were, but any apprehension and anxiety on your part would cost you in the face of a Shimada.
You still had your fan covering your lower face but smiled with your eyes, “It would be my pleasure.”
You put your hand out the same way you had seen many of the other ladies do tonight, gently placing it within his outstretched palm. He was gentle in his touch as he gently guided you over towards the dance floor. You stored your fan away in the sleeve of your dress as you did your best to mimic the moves you had watched all night. You had never danced before, but you did your best to follow the young Shimada’s lead. His hand found your waist as you rested one of your hands in his and the other on his shoulder as you began dancing in a waltz. Even though you had watched others dance, it was hard to mimic a dance you have never done before. Before long you were stepping all over the poor man’s toes.
You gave a guilty smile, “I’m sorry, I’ve never been quite talented in the dancing department. Even my instructor says so.”
You at the very least knew that many of the high society members were taught etiquette and dance from a certain age, easily masking your inexperience.
The boy let out a hearty laugh at your comment, “No worries my lady. While my feet may be bruised by the end of the night, I promise I have my own shortcomings as well.”
His comment about his feet made your face flush with embarrassment. You had come to find out the youngest Shimada sibling seemed to be quite a carefree and kind spirit. Almost naive. He was not as bound to rules as you had imagined one of the potential heirs to be. If you had to use your dagger tonight you knew unfortunately he would probably be the easiest target for you. You and him had danced for a while longer, making small talk in between, but a hand had eventually been placed on your dance partner’s shoulder. You both came to a stop and looked over only to see what you could easily tell was the eldest Shimada Sibling, Hanzo.
You were quick to step away from Genji’s grasp, not wishing to interfere between brothers, plus you could just tell by his presence that Hanzo was much more calculating and careful than Genji was. He gave you a look of utter distrust, but you just curtseyed and excused yourself from the two. You would find some new food to eat and wine to drink and a new corner to call home for the night.
Another hour or so had passed, and you realized the party was still at full boom. You couldn’t believe how long these high society parties lasted for. Bored of being a wallflower, you began to wander around where you saw other people talking. You managed to wander off to a little outside garden area with a fountain, but no one was around, not even any guards. It allowed you to let your guard down a little and let your back relax from its proper posture that you had been holding onto all night. You stared into the sparkling fountain with its beautifully blue water, the garden area feeling very serene and the air was just barely warm enough to be comfortable.
“What are you doing out here?” You heard a voice call from behind.
Your body jumped in surprise as you were quick to correct your posture and get back into character. When you turned around, it was no other than Hanzo Shimada. One of the people you most likely had to avoid tonight to not get caught.
You kept your gaze down and bowed, “I’m sorry, I seem to have wandered off from everyone else. This area was just so serene I couldn’t help but to admire it.”
His arms were crossed and he had a frown on his face, almost like he was dissecting every word that you had said. “I see, you should not be in this area, it is forbidden. Allow me to guide you back to the party.”
You nodded, “I offer my humblest apologies if I have disrespected you.”
He said nothing as he waited for you to catch up to his side and he walked side by side with you following him down the same winding hallways you had taken earlier. When he had taken you back to the bustling party you moved quickly to distance yourself from him.
“Thank you for guiding me back here, I hope you enjoy the rest of your time tonight,” You bowed formally.
His eyes never left you, you could feel him staring daggers into your back, almost like he was trying to unravel you himself. You found yourself somehow in the presence of Genji Shimada again, “I’m sorry our dance got interrupted earlier, would you like to continue, my lady?”
You smiled politely knowing you were in no spot to decline a Shimada in their own home, “Of course, my lord.”
He gave a big grin, taking your hand into his again as you began dancing to the music again. Genji was playful every time you still continued to step on his toes or almost stumbled. From across the room you could still feel eyes on you though. While dancing you tried to locate who was watching you with such intensity. Before long, you found Hanzo lounging against a wall staring at both you and Genji. You could feel the anxiety in your body. But within a second you had lost sight of him as you were spun to look the other way by Genji.
“Was there something at the table that caught your fancy, my lady?” Genji asked softly.
It seems he mistook your stare over his shoulder at Hanzo for the buffet table. “Oh no, I’m quite okay, thank you though,” You smiled at him gently.
“I’m feeling quite thirsty myself so I’ll be back and I’ll bring you some wine. Do you want something in particular, my lady?”
“You can grab me whatever you think I’ll like best.”
He nodded and was gone quickly. You quickly looked around again trying to see if you could find Hanzo but to no avail. As you tried to go catch up with Genji, you felt a firm hand on your shoulder. Freezing, you turn around only to see the very man you were looking around for earlier, Hanzo.
“Mind if I have a dance with you while you wait on my brother?”
You made sure to not make eye contact with Hanzo, but gave a small smile, “I was not aware you two were brothers.”
He gave a small look of confusion before the presence of masks on everyone’s faces including yours and his clicked. “That’s right, I forget you can’t as easily tell who your dance partner is this way.”
The way he phrased his sentence almost sent a chill down your spine. You could feel the way he was slowly trying to peel at the layers you had put on tonight to disguise yourself. He stretched his hand out for you to place your own into.
Steeling your nerves, you put your hand into his. His grip on you was not quite like his brother’s. While Genji had been gentle, almost treating you like glass, Hanzo’s grip was firm and calculated. You could feel the heat of his hands on the skin of your waist radiating through your dress’s material. It was a feeling you were not used to. You were careful to avoid Hanzo’s calculating eyes even when dancing.
You found yourself looking down more often towards your feet, trying to be careful about your moves. “Is something wrong my lady?” Hanzo asked as he leaned closer to you, his voice barely above a whisper.
“No my lord, I was just trying to focus on making sure I don’t bruise your feet with my subpar dancing like I have your brother’s,” You quipped.
He let out a breath through his nose, almost akin to a laugh at your words, “No need to worry about that, I’ll be sure to lead you well.” His grip got firmer on your waist almost like a vice making sure you could not run from him.
The music changed into another waltz but the intensity of the instruments were very different from what had been played before. It had started off soft but after a while you could hear a pick up in the intensity of the instruments. With each step Hanzo glided the two of you across the dancefloor with ease, his grip on your waist never wavering. The music started to settle down only to jump back up in intensity causing you to almost trip over your own feet, but Hanzo never let you fall.
“Are you from around here?” He asked, tearing your attention away from your feet.
“I do believe this is a masquerade party we’re at so it is improper to ask such probing questions, but to satisfy your curiosity, I am,” You teased gently.
He let out a small hum in acknowledgement. The music sped up a little, forcing you to hold onto Hanzo tighter to ensure you would not fall. “Do you know about the composer of this very music we are listening to right now?”
“I’m afraid I don’t, I’m also not very musically talented.” You tried to play off.
It was taking every ounce of concentration to dance at the pace of the music with Hanzo and answer his questions without losing any nerve in your answers.
“I see, it’s by a famous composer from the western world. He has long passed away, but his music is still held in high regard today.”
“I see, what is the piece called?”
“It’s called Waltz of the Flowers.”
Hanzo spun you around full circle. With each spin you watched how the skirt of your dress billowed out beautifully to match the moves of your dance steps.
“Excuse my abruptness in asking my lady, but have you seen any little mice?”
“Mice?” You asked again to make sure you heard him right.
“Yes, it’s seemingly inevitable with these huge parties to not have at least one sneak in.”
The music sped up and so did your heart rate.
“I’m afraid I have not seen any mice, my lord,” you swallowed before continuing, “I think they would be far too small and fast to catch.”
He let out a small chuckle, “You’d be surprised how easy it can be to corner a mouse that is inexperienced.”
Your heart was beating so loud you could hear it in your ears.You could feel the cold metal of your dagger searing into your thigh at his words. His grip on you did not relent though as he continued to spin you to the music. It did not take great wit to know Hanzo was implying that there was someone at the party that did not belong. You would do your best to win at his game though, despite having no education that didn’t mean you weren’t trained in survival and quick thinking.
“I see, well I find mice to be quite cute sometimes.”
“Is that so? I suppose they may look so, but in nature they are pests.”
You were quick to reply, “I suppose some might see it that way, but it is instinctual to all animals to fight for their own survival.”
His grip tightened on your waist ever so slightly, making your body tense up. “That is true, but survival can make even the smartest of animals do something that will end in their timely death.”
Hanzo continued to lead you around the dance floor, your legs working to keep up with his swift movements. Your lungs felt as if they were on fire and that you were drowning in him.
The music crescendoed and Hanzo was quick to dip you for the final move of your dance. You let a small gasp out at the movement, meeting eyes with Hanzo for longer than you had ever intended to. You could feel the way his dark brown eyes burned into your skin as if he was trying to engrave your very being into his memory. Your head was spinning, you weren’t sure if it was the wine or the dancing or the conversation or everything.
He brought you back up to standing height, “Thank you for the lovely conversation and dance my lady. I’m glad to see you did not step on my feet with my lead.”
You could feel your face flushed and you somehow felt like you were out of breath, “Thank you my lord for leading me with such grace.”
You were quickly approached by the younger Shimada, two wine glasses in hand, “Your dancing was marvelous out there, you almost had a crowd going.”
You smiled shyly, “Thank you my lord.”
He handed you the wine glass. You took it gently, swirling it around. You felt light headed, but you took a small sip anyway. “Thank you for the wine as well.”
“My pleasure, my lady. I suppose my brother here is a better lead than I am for you to not step on his feet at all,” He grinned sheepishly.
You smiled gently, “You are still not a bad lead, I was just a bad partner. I’ll apologize for your swollen feet tomorrow.”
Genji let out another hearty laugh, something you had come to notice was his normal laugh.
“I apologize my lord, but can I have you hold my drink? I wish to freshen up.” You were trying to calm your mind and body.
“No worries, my lady. I shall be here when you return.”
You smiled graciously at him. Hanzo still standing near you and Genji, listening to your every word carefully. You looked at him again.
“I thank you again my lord for the dance,” You leaned closer, your voice just a whisper as you stared into his eyes, “If I happen to see any mice while I am gone, I shall inform you. I just hope you’ll be kind enough to spare them in front of me.”
His dark calculating eyes were almost unreadable.
“The pleasure was all mine, my lady.”
You turned on your heel, making way for the bathroom that you knew you had seen earlier. You were quick to shut the door behind you when you got there. You could feel your knees shaking as you took in a deep gasp of air. You leaned against the marble sink, one hand on your racing heart. You needed to compose yourself and fast. You knew deep in your heart you could not point your dagger at either one of them, so you needed to get out of here and hope that your dress and accessories would be more than enough.
As far as you knew, Hanzo was almost certain of your presence as the outsider, so you would need to make a quick exit without drawing attention again. After another minute or so, you composed yourself and exited the bathroom. You almost felt sorry for the kind and trusting Genji who was still likely out there on the ballroom floor holding your drink in hand, and leaving him without even a simple goodbye, but it was not something you could risk. If Hanzo was as certain as you believed he was, then your life was at stake here if you didn’t make a move quickly.
You thought about your plan of exit. If you could go through the very garden that you had been in earlier, you might be able to sneak out with your dress no problem and sell it. You would have to leave behind your rags but they truly were nothing more than rags, maybe they would mistake them as such.
You were quiet as you walked down the winding hallways that you had gone through earlier towards the garden. It was just as quiet as when you had last been in it.You took a quick glance around the garden making sure it was empty. You stepped off the stairs that lead back up to the house and onto the grass. The grass had a small dew on it and it licked against your ankles softly with each step that you took.
As you got closer and closer towards where you would escape from you heard a familiar voice you were sincerely hoping you wouldn’t hear. “And where do you think you’re going, my lady?” Hanzo’s voice rang in your ears.
You almost thought your heart had stopped beating in your chest. Your eyes and his met, but he made no move to close the space between you and him. Your mind was racing as your eyes raked over your surroundings looking for the nearest and easiest escape. You knew Hanzo could read your every move at this point but it didn’t stop your mind from trying to outsmart him.
“Your eyes, they’re very familiar for some reason,” he said.
You did not respond. Your breathing was shallow and you could tell your body was in fight or flight response. He took a step down from the stairs towards the grass and your body lit with motion. You were quick to make a run for your exit, but Hanzo was gaining on you. His presence alone was enough to make you feel like his prey. You felt your breath come up in small hiccups.
Your dress and heels were slowing you down considerably. You were quick to fling your heels off and throw them Hanzo’s way to slow him down, but to no avail. He was just as agile if not more than you, dodging them with no difficulty. You could feel the grass beneath your feet, it was the softest grass that you had ever felt. But your feet were not on the grass for long. It seemed it was finally time for your luck to run out. The wetness of the grass beneath your feet served only to slip you up. You came crashing down into the very fountain that you had admired earlier, clothes soaking up every drop of water on you.
In a daze from your graceful fall, Hanzo had finally caught up to you, grabbing your hand and flinging your body back towards him. He was quick to pin you to the ground, using his weight against your own. His hands holding your wrists above your head and his own legs making sure yours were held down. It didn’t stop you from thrashing in his grip though, your legs trying to find leverage in the slippery grass beneath you to kick him off. He managed to overpower you through and through, switching your wrists into one hand.
He let out a sigh, as if he was not exhausted at all by the small chase. “Now, little mouse, why don’t we talk about why you’re here, hmm?”
Your breath was caught in your throat, it was painful to swallow and take in a breath. His hands reached to pull your dress’s skirt up revealing the dagger on your thigh, causing your face to flush. He was quick to take it from you and cut away at the strings holding your mask in place. You closed your eyes tightly as the mask fell away leaving your face exposed for him to look at. The hand with the small dagger in it moved to rest it under your jawline forcing you to look up at him. You could feel the droplets of water running off your face down your chin and onto the blade. The feeling of the cold steel of the dagger made your eyes come undone from their scrunched up appearance. Hanzo’s eyes were as cold and calculating as ever, not revealing a single emotion to you as they scanned over your face, almost like he was committing every little detail on you to memory.
Under his gaze and grasps, you felt like the very mouse he described to you. Prey that was caught by its natural predator.
“We met earlier today, that’s why you looked familiar,” He said.
You still said nothing from beneath him, your chest still heaving trying to fill your lungs with as much air as you could. “Now, do you wish to explain to me what your plan was tonight?” He pressed the blade closer to your throat as a threat for you to talk.
Your eyes were glassy with tears and your throat stung in panic as you looked down at the blade on your throat, “I-I just,” you started.
Hanzo began to fill in your sentence, “Are you an assassin sent here to kill me or my brother from our enemies?”
His sentence brought you back to the situation you were in and you tried to regain even an ounce of composure that you had had tonight. Your legs came to life again and started wiggling beneath the weight of him on top of you, but again to no avail. Hanzo was stronger than you by a longshot and you were nothing more than a poor kid who managed to sneak in from the gutter.
You were quick to beg, “Please spare me. I never wanted to harm anyone! I was told I could do it instead of paying my debt but I could never kill someone.”
Hanzo hummed at your answer, you could feel the same feeling you had earlier. The feeling of his eyes devouring you and analyzing your every move, chipping away at the walls you had put up. “If you weren’t planning on killing one of us then what was your motive?”
You swallowed thickly, “I snuck in just to experience what a high class party would be like and then sell some things I stole to pay back my debts.”
His eyebrow raised at your words almost in confusion, “You risked your life to sneak into a masquerade party hosted by the Shimada clan just for that?”
His words made you flush with embarrassment, like he was poking fun at your reason. “Go ahead and laugh if you wish to, I wouldn’t expect you to understand my reasoning.”
He sighed, “If I let go of you will you promise to not run? I won’t do anything to harm you, I will hear you out.”
You stared into his eyes carefully, “What makes you think you can trust me to not run or hurt you?”
He let out a snort of a laugh, “Sorry mouse but I can tell you aren’t skilled enough to be a trained assassin, your throwing of your heels was a cute attempt to deter me though.”
You felt your cheeks turn red as you rolled your eyes, “Go ahead and get off of me then, Lord Hanzo.”
“You knew who I was already?”
“I mean it’s not hard to tell through the masks, plus there’s very few and far in between of good looking assassin brothers.”
The smirk on his face seemed to only grow at your praise, but he was a man of his word and was quick to roll off of you. You sighed as you sat up, hugging your knees to your chest. Your beautiful dress that had made you feel like royalty was sopping wet and clung to your skin. Your hair was not much better either, strands going in different directions and hair falling out of the pins and clips you had used to make it look nice earlier. The air that was warm earlier was now slightly chilling with your soaked clothes.
Hanzo stood up and offered you his hand to help you up, but you just stared at him. He sighed, “Why are you looking at me like I’m going to harm you? If I wanted to, I would have done it after our dance.”
You stared into his eyes longer trying to read him yourself but eventually gave him your hand. He pulled you up with little effort and led you back towards the stairs, but you halted. “Where are you taking me?”
“Do you wish to stay in wet clothes for the rest of the day?”
“I don’t need your charity, I’m fine.”
“Is it charity to be a decent human being?”
You rolled your eyes, but continued to follow him. He led you down another hallway that you had yet to explore on your own earlier and into a small guest room of sorts.
“What now?” You asked him.
“I want to hear more about this debt and why you snuck in tonight so I can make a clear judgement.”
“Well, there’s not much to say, other than I’m poor.”
Hanzo’s eyes stared into your own urging you to continue. “I live on the streets, I fight every day for my own survival, I eat food that others throw away to continue living.”
“And that’s why you snuck in today?”
“I heard about the party through gossip and the people I owe money to and the idea of so much excess food and drinks made me wonder if I could have a taste of the same lifestyle and maybe even have enough money to be free.”
He asked a similar question as he had earlier, “And you risked your life just to drink and taste food of the rich?”
Your eyebrows furrowed in response, “I don’t expect a rich person to understand my motives, but to me there is no difference if I die out on the streets at the Hashimoto’s hands where no one will find me, or if I die in here.”
He sighed, “I didn't mean to anger you with my response. You’re right I do not know what it is like to live in a world where my basic needs are not met.” Your eyes watched him carefully as he spoke.
Before he could continue there was a knock at the door. You looked at Hanzo silently asking what to do. He grabbed your hand and hid you behind the changing screen.
Hanzo opened the door, and you peeked through a small crack between the changing screen in the wall just to see Genji.
“What do you want, Genji?” Hanzo asked.
“What are you doing here brother? The party is just about to end.”
“I wanted some alone time.” Hanzo answered gruffly.
Genji sighed, “Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find that pretty lady from tonight again.”
Your cheeks flushed under his compliment.
“I wonder if she went home for the night?” Genji asked sadly, “I was going to ask her if she’d like to see me again at the end of tonight.”
“You can’t ask for another’s identity at a masquerade party, Genji.” Hanzo answered.
“But brother, she was very pretty, surely you agree?”
You stared through the crack as you listened. You could feel Hanzo’s eyes meet yours if even for a split second, before his eyes returned back to his brother’s. Hanzo let out nothing more than a grunt which you couldn’t tell if he was agreeing with Genji or disagreeing.
“Well, even if you don’t think so,” Genji started. It seems even he took Hanzo’s response as a disagreement, which made you glare at Hanzo’s back. “I was hoping I would meet her again and get to know her and maybe court her,” Genji continued.
“How foolish,” Hanzo said.
Genji sighed, “It’s okay brother, I hope one day you can find a woman who can put up with your attitude.”
You let out a small snicker under your breath at Genji’s comment.
“What was that sound?” Genji asked, peeking around Hanzo to look into the room.
Hanzo moved to put his body in the doorway more, “Probably nothing more but an annoying mouse.”
Genji didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he seemed to let it go for Hanzo’s sake. “Well, I’m going to return to the party and see if I can find my pretty lady, enjoy your time alone.”
Hanzo said nothing as Genji took off back down the hallway and shut the door behind him. You peeked your head out from behind the screen, “Your poor brother seems to really worry about your love life.”
Hanzo huffed, “He should be more worried about his studies and training than such insolent things.”
You walked up to Hanzo, placing a hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay Lord Hanzo, hopefully you’ll find a woman who will put up with you, like Genji said.” You started laughing at the end of your sentence.
Hanzo glared at you which only made you laugh more. “I had no idea Lord Genji thought so highly of me even after I destroyed his feet with my dancing.”
Hanzo rolled his eyes, “He finds the oddest things beautiful.”
“I might be odd, but someone as handsome as Lord Genji finds me attractive. Too bad I’m not an aristocrat of any kind.” You shrugged.
“And yet Genji’s so called pretty lady is here standing in a room with me,” Hanzo challenged.
You flushed, “I didn’t have a choice, you were too calculating for your own good.”
“I just outsmarted you at every turn, something my brother didn’t even think to suspect.” Hanzo got closer and closer to you.
You gulped, “Now now, I didn’t mean to insult you, Lord Hanzo.”
You started backing up away from him slowly. He was slow as he kept backing you up. You could feel sweat building up on the back of your neck, but also a flutter in your stomach as Hanzo closed in on you. You felt totally helpless underneath his gaze. The back of your knees hit the edge of the large bed in the middle of the room. It was much softer than the old, ripped, and stained futon cushion you had back in your base. Hanzo got so close, you leaned too far back, your back hitting the sheets.
“You’re not very good at escaping, little mouse.” Hanzo said as he stood over you.
You huffed as you tried to sit up, “Well, I just keep tripping.”
“You keep getting yourself cornered with your inexperience.” He said, one of his knees coming up onto the bed, sitting itself in between your own legs. Your eyes trailed down from his face to his body that was towering over your form. You were still in your wet dress but with the way he looked at you, you were already feeling warmed up.
You flushed as his body weight again was closing in on you. “For being from the streets you sure are comfortable with teasing and poking at one of the very men who own the city.”
The back of your head hit the sheets. “I’m sorry, I meant no disrespect, Lord Hanzo.”
He hummed, closing in on you. He was so close to you, you could feel the heat radiating off of his body. He leaned in close to your ear, to the point you could feel his breath on your ear. You could only imagine you were a mess. You could feel your heart beating out of your chest at the close proximity, your breathing shaky and shallow underneath Hanzo.
“Why are you trembling beneath me, mouse? Shouldn’t you be out there dancing with Genji?”
You swallowed heavily, “I could ask you the same thing, Lord Hanzo,” He stared into your eyes. “For finding this little mouse odd, you sure seem to like being on top of me,” You challenged.
Despite your challenge, your heart was still racing and your mind was in overdrive, unsure of what to do in such a situation. Hanzo was just as attractive as his brother Genji and you can’t say he didn’t make your heart flutter even just a little. While Genji’s admiration for you was cute, Hanzo was an unrelenting force of tension. A cord being pulled tight, just always on the verge of snapping when he was around you.
He chuckled at your challenge, “Well, maybe I agree with your earlier statement and I find just a particular little mouse to be cute.” One of his hands had come up and started playing teasingly with one of your stray strands of hair.
Your breath hitched in your throat at his words, face still feeling heated. Hanzo’s eyes were lidded as he stared down at you, his eyes raking over your face, and landing on your slightly parted lips. You and him made no move to close the distance between the two of you, just staring into each other’s eyes. Then he suddenly moved closer, his lips so close to your own. You could just feel the ghost of each other’s breath on your lips.
“Not going to push me away?” His voice was just barely a whisper.
The cord was being pulled tighter and tighter, “No,” you whispered back.
The cord snapped.
His lips met yours. Just as you had earlier, the two of you were dancing with each other again. Despite the tension between the two of you all night, the kiss was not rough or rushed. Hanzo had still shown great care for you, his lips moving against yours mercifully. His hand found its way to the back of your neck, cradling your head closer to him, deepening the kiss slightly. Your hands had made their way to grip the jacket of Hanzo’s clothing. Your grip was like an anchor to make sure you did not lose yourself in him.
A small noise from you was all it took for Hanzo to pull away from your lips and observe you. Your lips were parted, your chest was heaving up and down, your hair a mess beneath you, your hands still holding onto him tightly. Your own eyes were shining as you stared at him. “Lord Hanzo,” You said gently.
“I apologize if I was too brash with you, my lady.” He replied.
He pulled himself off of you, your body following him and coming to a sitting position. He kneeled before you, taking your hand and placing a simple kiss on your knuckles, while staring into your eyes. His actions sent another pleasurable shiver down your spine, your cheeks still heated from the earlier actions. He was quick to stand up and clear his throat, “You should be able to find something suitable in one of those drawers.” He pointed.
You nodded and grabbed the first thing you saw that would work. The clothes were more traditional and basic compared to what you were wearing currently. You held the clothes in hand and Hanzo and you stared at each other before you cleared your throat, “Are you going to leave or are you expecting me to change in front of you?”
He quickly turned his back to you. “My apologies, you can change with my back to you or if you still don’t feel comfortable you can go behind the changing screen.”
You nodded even though he couldn’t see you and began to pull the gloves off your hands and pull the pins out of your hair, letting it fall over your back. You reached behind you trying to find the clasps and strings of your corset to loosen it from your chest but to no avail. You turned around seeing Hanzo still had his back to you as promised with his arms crossed over his chest.
You swallowed thickly, “Lord Hanzo, could you undo my corset for me? I can’t reach it.” He slowly turned to face you and closed the distance between you two again. You turned back to face forward so he could work.
“I’m going to move your hair to the side,” Hanzo said gently and you let out a hum of acknowledgement. His fingers were gentle as he gathered your hair and moved it over your shoulder to expose the strings of your corset to him. You could feel the ghost of his fingertips over your cool skin. They were warm in contrast it sent a shiver down your spine. His fingers moved down to your corset deftly undoing the strings and clasps. The movement of his fingers was almost tantalizingly slow; you could feel your heart beating in your ears. His movements paused but he did not say a word to you.
You looked over your shoulder at him, “Are you finished?” Your voice came out at just barely above a whisper.
His eyes met yours and it felt like time had stopped for a moment as the two of you looked at one another. His gaze was heated and you felt like you were melting under it, especially when you could still feel the pressure of his fingers on your mid back. You could still remember the heat of his hands on your waist from earlier while the two of you danced.
Like a trance broken, Hanzo’s eyes broke contact as he cleared his throat, “Yes I’m sorry. I am done, I will go turn around again.”
Your eyes followed him as he went back to his position across the room, his back taut. You let out the shaky breath that you didn’t know you were holding that whole time. You pulled the corset away from your chest and the dress fell away into a neat flutter on the floor. You moved quickly to put the outfit you were given on. The clothes were obviously meant for a man but they would do the job for now, until you could make it back to your base.
“I’m done,” You told Hanzo.
His body looked as tense as when you had last observed, but he regained his composure as he turned to face you. “I’m glad to see the clothes fit well enough,” he said.
You nodded in reply.
“Would you allow me to walk you back to wherever you’re staying?” He asked you.
Your mind was still in a thoughtless daze, your head nodding on its own accord.
He handed you the dress you wore tonight and you looked at him confused. “Keep it or sell it whatever you want to do with it.”
You stared down at the dress that turned you into an aristocrat for the night. Who would have thought where you were now and the events that had transcribed would have happened. Holding the soft fabric in your hand you sighed, “After the memories I’ve made here tonight I don’t think I could ever sell this now…” Hanzo’s gaze dropped to the dress in your hands, “Even though it would save you?” You shook your head. He said no more on the matter taking your hand and leading you out a backway that you had not noticed when you had scouted. The two of you creeped out of the Shimada palace as you led him through alleyways to avoid attention. Before long, you had made it back to where your base was located. It was not far from the redlight district, in fact you often could hear the giggling of courtesan women as they entertained the wealthy men who came through for their company long into the night. You could tell Hanzo was deep in thought the way he stayed silent the whole walk.
“You don’t have to come any further,” You told Hanzo, breaking his daze.
His eyes observed you, “When can I see you again?”
You were kind of dumbfounded by his question, “You want to see me again?”
“Was it not obvious?”
“I’m poor.”
“So, I’m rich.”
“Way to rub it in, but again, why?”
“Why not?”
You huffed, “Don’t you have duties to handle as the heir of your empire?”
“I do, but if it was not obvious from my actions, I’d like to court you formally.”
You raised your eyebrow as you crossed your arms, “You want to court a peasant from the streets?”
“Yes, and so what?”
“What will your father or any of the elders think?”
Hanzo sighed, “I can admit they will not think fondly of this, especially the elders, but my father has always supported me and Genji.”
“I just don’t know if this will end well for either of us, Lord Hanzo…”
“Please allow me to try?”
You sighed, “As long as it won't cost either of our lives, especially not yours.”
“Don’t think so little of your own life, I’ve never met a woman even in the high class world with wit and quick thinking like you.”
Your heart skipped a beat at his compliment, “While the streets may have raised you, you still have highly desirable qualities.”
“Okay, okay, I get it you like me, Lord Hanzo.” You hit him lightly.
“During our dance together, you were just as beautiful as the very flowers that that composer wrote that music about.”
You prayed the darkness of the night was enough to hide the stinging redness of your cheeks from Hanzo. “Are you going to leave yet?” You huffed.
“Depends, when will I see you again?” Hanzo asked.
You shrugged, “Depends, I am quite a sneaky and hard to catch mouse, but I’m sure you’ll have no trouble catching up.”
Hanzo smirked at your statement, “As elusive as you are, I’ll always be able to catch up to you.”
You smiled, stepping closer to him, “I look forward to seeing you again then, Hanzo.”
You could tell calling him just by his name had him slightly flustered.
His hand reached out for yours holding onto it. “Are you sure you’ll be okay even if you don’t sell that dress?”
Your smile faded as you thought back to your own problems, “I probably won’t but I’m sure I can figure it out,” You looked up to the sky admiring the shining stars above, “Maybe they were right and I need to swallow my pride as a woman if I want to survive.”
Hanzo’s already seemingly permanent frown grew more at your words, “Don’t give yourself to someone that won’t ever appreciate it.”
You dropped your gaze back down to him, a teasing smile tugging at your lips, “Could the almighty Lord Hanzo be implying that he is the one who would appreciate me?”
Another grunt fell from his lips at your teasing, “Your mouth knows no end.” You let out a small breath at his words. He pulled off one of his gloves. “If you won’t sell the dress then at least take this ring to buy your freedom.”
You were speechless, “I can’t accept that.”
It was his turn to tease you,”You won’t accept a ring given to you but you were willing to rob my house just a mere few hours ago?”
“It’s different now!” You protested.
“Take it anyways, it would make me feel better knowing that your life isn’t on the line anymore.” You knew you couldn’t argue with him on that.
“Fine, but I’ll make it up to you one day.”
He lifted your hand up to his lips once more, placing another delicate kiss on your knuckles, “I look forward to it.”
Before long, you were finally alone again, the events of tonight feeling almost like a distant dream, but it was a dream you hoped you wouldn’t wake up from. You stared at the dress in your hands and the ring that Hanzo had given you. While it had been your intention to sell the dress for money originally, you weren’t sure if you had it in you to let go of such a beautiful dress. Especially not after the memories you made in it tonight.
You would at least hold true to your promise with Hanzo though and sell the ring he gave you. You tucked the dress away carefully in your stash making sure that no one could find it and take it from you while you were gone. You held the ring close to you as you walked your way into the red light district nearby, full intention of buying your freedom.
Walking down the grated pathways the further you walked in the more giggles you heard from the female courtesans that worked for different houses. Each calling out to the men down on the streets begging them to come in and enjoy their company-of course for a hefty sum. Only the rich could truly afford to come here every night and only nobles truly had the money to buy a courtesan’s contract.
Walking up to a dimly lit stall with a loud man calling out to the masses to get them to come take a look at his wares you opened your hand. “I’d like to sell you something.”
The man was quick to take in your form. You hoped the clothes you borrowed from Hanzo were enough to make the man believe you were of at least higher standing than a street rat. “My pleasure, may I take a closer look at your ring so that I may be able to give you an accurate price?” The man’s smile was akin to a shady salesman but you knew once he inspected the ring closer he would not dare to run off with it. The man examined your ring and once he saw the family crest of the Shimada’s he froze.
“My lady, how did you come across such a thing?”
You decided to play along with the role given to you, “It was a gift I received tonight at their masquerade party.”
“And you wish to sell it, my lady?” He seemed baffled.
You narrowed your eyes at him more, “Do you want it or not? I’m sure I can find many other vendors here that would love to have something like this in their collection.”
The man was quick to dispute you, “No, no, I will buy this ring from you my lady.”
The man was quick to give you a price and you did your best to hide your surprise at the number. The number was still more than what you owed to the Hashimoto’s you almost couldn’t believe such a thing. You agreed and took the money with you, walking to leave back towards the place you called home. You did your best to hide the sack of money you made within your other items.
Sitting down on your stained futon, you grabbed your same old blanket and wrapped it around yourself, finding yourself staring up at the stars once more. Tomorrow you would wake up and storm into one of the buildings owned by the Hashimoto’s and tomorrow would mark the first day of your new life with Hanzo and your first day of freedom.
Hi there everyone! My name is Miki! I am 24 and use she/her pronouns!
Some things I enjoy:
Reading Manga, Watching anime, Playing Video Games(HSR, LOZ, and OW), Collecting figures(ex. Hatsune Miku). I am a very big Arina Tanemura fan <3
I am a writer for multiple fandoms! Here on my blog you can find works for the following fandoms (so far):
-Overwatch
I do plan on adding others later such as Honkai Star Rail and a few other animes possibly.
For now I am using this blog as a place to help me destress from school and work so posts may be inconsistent, but I hope you enjoy the writings I do have!
I also do not take requests really as I want to just enjoy writing at my own pace so please do not send in writing requests or push for updates! <3 (this may change in the future but for now I want to keep my writing relaxing and noncommittal)
theartofmadeline
stormborns
izzy806