Harmony and Discord (Genyatta)

The only noise in the room consisted of breathing and soft hums from Zenyatta, who seemed to be deep in meditation. The nine lights on his forehead beamed comfortingly as his floating figure remained relaxed, yet firm. He indulged in this state often, and Genji never understood how he could do it so easily.

The cyborg's eyes drifted to the bed sitting in the middle of the room. On the left edge, an old couple kneeled in deep prayer, too. The right resided of Zenyatta and Genji, whom the couple called upon to come and meditate for their son. Laying on the bed with fatal sickness, the young boy of the elderly.

Genji admired the boy from behind his visor. Exceptionally pale, probably from his illness. Scrawny as well; he has not been eating much. Genji's lax face became a frown when the thought hit him. Would meditation really do anything to help?

Zenyatta's head lifted at last, cueing the others to finish their prayers. Genji quickly stood up, stiff from kneeling. The couple rose and thanked him eagerly.

"I am positive your son will heal. He's so young," Zenyatta reassured them as the wife took one of his hands in both of hers.

"Thank you, Zenyatta. You truly are an inspiration to the people," the husband uttered, bowing his head.

The omnic nodded before turning to the son once again. Already at the open door and eager to return to the monastery, Genji glanced at his master's advance. Zenyatta lifted his right hand and formed a translucent orb of glowing gold. Maneuvering the sphere to the boy, Zenyatta hummed as a stream of yellow flowed from the yellow center into the sickly one. For the first time in their visit, the son made a noise, a quiet sigh of relief.

The couple looked to Zenyatta as he worked, whispering thank you's. Genji stared in awe. He knew of the orbs orbiting Zenyatta's neck, but he never saw one of healing capabilities. It has only been a few months since he became Zenyatta's student, and Genji still knew very little about the omnic himself. He only absorbed the eye-opening teachings and quiet meditations. 

"It is only temporary," Zenyatta said to the couple,"But it will bring him harmony."

Zenyatta and Genji were sent on their way with a basket of fruit from the couple's own garden. Genji would be admiring the plump, ripe produce if he was not still hung on the spectacle in the hospital room.

"Master," Genji caught Zenyatta's attention and waited for the omnic's head to turn,"What did you give to their son?"

Zenyatta kept silent for a few moments, as if attempting to understand what Genji meant by the broad question. "... The harmony orb?"

"Yes,"

"It will help him not feel pain for a short period of time," the monk explained.

"I have never seen you use that on others before," Genji replied.

"It's a rare occurrence." Zenyatta admitted. "I only use it on those that are in pain."

Pain. Genji's mind reminded him of the aches of when he awoke in his cyborg body, ghost pains that lingered in limbs that were no longer a part of him. He shuddered.

Once they reached their home, Genji brought the fruits to his room, then wandered the house. Quaint, nothing compared to his luxurious palace in Hanamura, but suitable. As long as he had privacy, Genji was fine.

No matter how hard he tried, Genji could not shake the idea of the harmony orb from his curious mind. How did it feel? Comforting, he supposed, but was there more to it than that? Zenyatta mentioned it did some healing, could it sew open wounds?

"You seem troubled, my student," Zenyatta's voice shocked Genji from his thoughts. The cyborg faced his master, who hovered by the front door.

"Master, if it is not too much to ask of you, may you..." Genji attempted to piece together the question in his mind,"try one of your harmony orbs on me?"

Zenyatta's head dipped to the side in question. "You are not in any pain, Genji,"

Physical pain, no. Mental, yes. Memories of his final moments completely human in Hanamura dug into Genji's mind and scarred him. The flashbacks and nightmares began to wane, but those that came still stung him.

"I want to experience it, to learn from it," Genji tried to justify an answer.

After a pause, Zenyatta nodded. "I sense the curiosity within you. Very well, come,"

Genji followed his master to a couch in the living room and sat down. Zenyatta hovered before him, and he materialized an orb in both hands. In his right lay the harmony orb, but his left palm held a orb of menacing purple, one Genji had not seen before.

"These are special orbs of mine; harmony and discord." Zenyatta explained. "The harmony heals, while discord pains."

Genji nodded as he gazed at the floating spheres before him. That made sense. 

Zenyatta held out his right hand. "Since you are not in any real pain, the orb will have little effect on you. Please, touch it,"

Genji complied, lifting one arm and bringing his hand close to the harmony orb. Once the stream of gold attached to him, he gasped.

Suddenly, he was surrounded by fluttering cherry blossoms. Genji glanced around, frantic that the couch disappeared from beneath him, replaced by plush grass. When he looked down at himself, he froze. His cyborg suit vanished, as well as the scars plaguing his body. 

"Hey," a familiar voice had Genji's head turning.

"Hanzo?"

The older brother of the Shimada clan approached him, then sat down next to him. Hanzo was young. They were boys again. Genji swallowed. This could not be real. But, why was he calmed by the presence of his brother and the peaceful drifting of cherry blossom petals?

"Such a beautiful place, is it not, brother?" 

Genji nodded. "Very."

The word came to him: Home. Hanzo, cherry blossoms, Hanamura, home. Genji shut his eyes, and wished it that he could stay like this for the rest of his life. With Hanzo, in Hanamura. No sibling quarrels, only fresh grass, a great view, and pink flurries.

When Genji reopened his eyes, home vanished. He returned to Nepal, in the dank little house, his cyborg body, and Zenyatta.

The omnic stared at him, assessing his student. "Well, what did you experience?"

Genji sat silently for a moment, processing the occurrence. "I... I was home,"

"Good. The harmony orb is supposed to allow you to experience good memories and soothe your mind." 

Memories. It took effort, but Genji recalled many years ago, when he and Hanzo sat upon that hill and let the hours pass when they completed their training for the day. Comfort stirred within him. How he wished he could go back to those good old days.

Genji's eyes wandered to the discord orb in Zenyatta's left hand. Curiosity snagged him, and he found himself unable to defend himself from the idea of what horrible memories would resurface if he dared to approach the orb. If the golden sphere granted him the life he wished he possessed, then Genji could only cower at the fears the purple one threatened to reveal.

"Is something the matter?" Zenyatta's voice brought Genji back to reality. 

The cyborg glanced at his master. "No. I was only thinking about this experience. Thank you, master, for showing me."

Zenyatta allowed the two contrasting orbs to disappear, and he folded his hands together. "You are welcome, my student. Is there anything else you request of me?"

"No, master."

"Very well. We shall start evening meditation early, then."

Genji groaned internally, but respectfully nodded his head despite dreading to indulge in the impending hour of boredom awaiting him.

---

"Thank you for escorting me around the town as I run my errands, Genji," Genji swore Zenyatta thanked him three times during their trip, but he cheerfully replied.

"It is not a problem, master." Genji did not mind at all. He wanted to go anyway, knowing how tedious the relationship of omnic and human is. He wanted to be there in case something happened. 

Holding a few bags of groceries and gifts from townspeople that Zenyatta visited and preached to in the past, Genji hoped they returned home quickly. Despite his new strength as a cyborg, carrying multiple bags remained tiring and a strain on the arms. He shifted his grip on the bags, fingers crying out in pain, but he trudged through it.

Eyes scanning the passing figures of the village, Genji paused as he became fixated on a man shoving through a crowd, then took off sprinting. A woman screamed, and Genji became aware of a stolen purse. The bags fell from his hands as instincts kicked in, Genji at the heels of the robber thanks to his enhanced agility, one of the finer features of his new body.

Dodging crowds and structures hindered Genji, but he kept his eyes on the runner. A hard right sent them both into an alley, where Genji cornered the man. 

"A pitiful act of you, to steal from the innocent," Genji commented, catching his breath as steam escaped his vents. It has been a while since his adrenaline flooded his system, causing Genji to realize how much he missed the rush of pursuit, especially as an assassin.

The man clutched the purse and smiled. "And pitiful of you to chase me like a fool."

Confused by the statement, Genji failed to acknowledge the two other men in hiding. One crammed his fist against the side of Genji's head, throwing him off balance, and the other stole his sword. Struggling to find his bearings from the punch, Genji's vision reeled as his arms were pinned behind his back by the attackers. He kicked and attempted to override them, but their combined strength tamed him.

The robber began to dig through the purse, pocketing cash. Genji slowly gave up fighting as he examined the men holding him, seeing a knife peeking out from one's pocket. Instead, he looked for a possible escape route once given the chance to run. The alleyway's walls seemed easy to climb due to gated windows for grip and dumpsters for leverage.

Approaching Genji, the robber grabbed his chin. "What a weird omnic."

"I'm not an omnic." Genji spat at him.

"Human? What's with the getup?"

Genji kept silent. It was none of his business the situation that caused a majority of his body to be reconstructed as robotic. 

"What should we do with him?" One of the men holding Genji's arms asked.

Genji gazed at the dark eyes examining him, and he swore they locked for a moment. "Scrap him, of course. Sell the parts of the suit. But, first, I want to see who's under the mask."

No.

Genji's struggling increased as he yanked his head away from the robber. He heard a curse, then cried out when a hand snagged the black scarf dangling from the back of his head, holding him still. Intruding hands seized for a maneuver to lift his faceplate, and Genji hoped and prayed that curiosity would not help them.

A soft click caused Genji's heart to stop. Hissing with steam, his visor lifted, then the metallic mask. He whimpered as the mugger tossed the plate aside. Exposed, Genji wished he could curl up and hide, wither away. No one since Dr. Ziegler has laid eyes on Genji's face, a true scar from his battle with Hanzo. Decorated heavily by small valleys of wounded skin, his face bore the threat he encountered in Hanamura.

"How disgusting." 

Genji flinched and dipped his head to the floor. Don't look at me, stop looking at me. Give me back my mask. He cursed the three men holding him with every word in each dialect he knew. How dare they expose him like this. His face was never for the public to see, let alone a bunch of criminals.

As Genji dreaded the humiliation, something zipped past his head. He heard the robber scream, causing his head to tilt up. A familiar, purplish orb attached itself to the mugger with a small stream. Trapped in his own world of relentless, painful memories, the robber backed down from Genji and tried to rid of the nightmares.

The two men clasping Genji's arms released, allowing the cyborg his chance for redemption. A quick blow to the head had one knocked out, and a kick to the stomach caused the other to double over in pain and collapse to the ground. They would not be putting up anymore fights.

"You will not be harming my student." A stern, familiar voice stated, growing closer with every word.

Genji flushed and covered his face with one hand, quickly kneeling down to find his face mask with the other. Zenyatta could not see him like this. His face reveal was supposed to be special, a timed event after Genji built up the courage to remove his faceplate proudly, no longer ashamed of his scars. It was never supposed to be like this, in an alleyway with three robbers.

A hand shoved the faceplate into his own, and Genji secured it back into place. He exhaled, and tilted his head up.

"Thank you, master—"

"Genji, I am disappointed in you."

The words made Genji freeze. 

"You should not have acted so rash, you could have gotten hurt," Zenyatta gestured to the immobile men,"or worse."

It would not be the first time someone tried to kill him. Acknowledging his mistakes, Genji bowed his head. "I understand, master. I am sorry for worrying you."

Zenyatta glanced over at the man distracted by the discord orb. "Let us return home,"

"Yes, master,"

Genji retrieved the groceries and returned the stolen purse before taking the trek back home with Zenyatta. His master was silent during the trip. The events in the alley played in his mind.

"Master," Genji said,"Are you the only one who can use the harmony and discord orbs?" 

"Mondatta could use them as well," his mentor replied, and Genji felt the guilt creep into him for allowing Zenyatta to speak of the tragedy of his brother,"Why, are you curious?"

The robber's echoing screams made Genji shudder. "You seemed to cause that man a lot of pain,"

"That is what discourse does to one's soul," Zenyatta murmured as he hovered to one of his meditation pillows.

Genji was unable to shake the questions plaguing his mind. What terrible memories happened to be brought up from the orb? Were they as vivid as the harmony orb? How would it feel?

Zenyatta seemed to read his thoughts. "I do not want to cause you harm, my student."

"Forgive me, I am curious," Genji replied.

"To know pain?"

"To see what memory would be brought up to haunt me,"

Genji already knew the answer. Zenyatta, however, did not. Genji still has yet to lament about his past, his encounter with Hanzo. Even though he was now his student, Genji kept quiet about his personal life to Zenyatta.

"Do you really want to see?" Zenyatta's voice dipped an octave to convey his sincerity.

Genji hesitated. Did he really want to be transported back to the worst day in his life? 

"Yes,"

What drove him to comply was a nagging thought. Maybe he could change what happened. It was stupid, of course, since the encounter was in the past, but Genji, stubborn as he was, wanted to see an alteration in the confrontation.

Zenyatta's left palm wielded the discord orb, it's purple center bubbling like plasma. The omnic gazed at Genji, who gave a reassuring nod as he breathed deeply. Copying the gesture, Zenyatta sent the sphere Genji's way.

Once the stream attached itself, Genji found himself in Hanamura, inside the dojo where Hanzo and he trained. Suddenly out of breath, Genji glanced around, then leapt out of the way of a blue streak aimed towards him. Hanzo, positioned on the upper level of the dojo, aimed once again. Genji was in the middle of their fight.

"Hanzo!" Genji yelled. "We do not have to fight,"

"Backing down? Coward." Hanzo hissed.

Arrows rained from above. Genji swiftly dodged them.

"You are the coward! We could have settled this peacefully, but you turned to violence. Are you that afraid of me succeeding father?" The words left Genji's mouth dripping with acid.

Lowering his bow, Hanzo stared down at his brother, and Genji noted the change in posture. Had he gotten through to him?

"You can rule the empire, brother. I could care less. Please, let us not fight," Genji said, heart racing. This was the reaction Genji expected from their encounter. What did he do different this time?

"Genji," Hanzo uttered,"You fool."

Pain seared through Genji's shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain. An arrow speared him. Then another through his abdomen. Stumbling back to the wall, Genji shut his eyes. This was not real, he reminded himself.

Genji peered up at Hanzo, and he tensed as blue light encompassed his brother's arm.

"Hanzo!" Genji screamed as the twin dragons enveloped him. He did not expect to remember the pain, but Genji was unable to embrace the waves on agony as the dragons circled him, trapping him in a vortex. He could tell where the future scars appeared on his body, what flesh peeled away and had to be replaced by faux tissue. 

He tried to call out to his brother once again, but his voice was swallowed by the warp of blue around him. Genji fell to his knees, unable to weather the attack any longer. The world faded around him, and he witnessed Hanzo lower his bow in triumph.

Genji closed his eyes and waited for the pain to dissipate with the memory. Slowly, he returned to the real world. Zenyatta's voice echoed in his mind.

"Genji?"

He tried to speak.

"Genji, snap out of it,"

"Master..."

"Genji..."

Blinking, Genji glanced around. He was back in Nepal, thankfully. Zenyatta hovered before him, and if he could make expressions, Genji knew his face would be contorted by worry.

"You started talking to someone... Hanzo?" Zenyatta said, touching his student's faceplate, leaning close to examine his state. 

"Yes... Hanzo is my brother," 

Genji was unaware how endorsed he became in the memory. Something clung to the corners of his eyes. Tears. 

Zenyatta cupped the cyborg's face. "What happened, Genji?"

Although difficult to suppress his tears, Genji managed to talk about Hanamura, the Shimada clan, and Hanzo. He kept the story simple. The Shimada were a criminal empire that rose to power in Hanamura. Hanzo and Genji's father became the head of the clan, and Hanzo and Genji were expected to succeed him. Genji had little interest in the illegal business, but Hanzo was eager to please their father. After his death, Hanzo insisted that Genji take up responsibility in the clan, and when Genji refused, Hanzo found that the only resolution was to murder the weak link. When Genji was found and rebuilt as a cyborg, he dismantled the empire with the help of Overwatch.

Zenyatta listened intently, finding a spot on the sofa next to Genji, hovering over the seat. 

"Genji, why did you never tell me?" Zenyatta asked after the story ended.

"I am not proud of my past, who I am, or who I am affiliated with," Genji admitted.

"Your past defines you. It allows you to grow,"

"How can I grow when I am like this?" Genji gestured to his cyborg body. "I should not be alive."

"But, you are," Zenyatta uttered, touching his student's arm. "You were given a second chance,"

"Why?"

"The universe is telling you that you still have a purpose in this life,"

Genji allowed the words to sink in. He never thought about it that way. He was convinced that the universe wanted him to suffer in a body neither omnic or human. But, Zenyatta, once again, enlightened him.

"What is my purpose?" Genji asked.

"That, my student, you will have to figure out for yourself," Zenyatta jeered. "Maybe it will have something to do with your brother."

Genji shrugged. At this point, he wanted nothing to do with his brother. He would never forgive his actions, and Genji expected the same from Hanzo. If possible, he preferred not to cross paths with Hanzo ever again.

"Are you still shaken, Genji?" Zenyatta questioned.

"No, I believe I have recovered," 

"I would like you to meditate for an hour, just in case," Zenyatta insisted.

"No, no, that's not needed," Genji said, hoping to get out of an hour of sitting in silence and pretending to seek inner peace.

"Genji, I know you are skipping our meditation sessions," 

"What? Me? Never,"

"Genji."

He sighed. "Alright, I will meditate."

"If you decide to stop early, I will add another thirty minutes to the session." Zenyatta warned.

"Master!"

"Come along, now, grab a cushion and meet me outside," Zenyatta floated out the door, and Genji groaned. A small part of his mind wished Hanzo succeeded in killing him as he trudged after Zenyatta with a large cushion in hand.