Chapter Text
When Hanzo was young, he always had some desperate girl throwing themselves at his feet. He was the heir to one of the most powerful clans in all of Japan, so he was bound to have at least a few ‘admirers’. They would croon at him from the dark alleyways that littered Hanamura, or if god-forbid one of them was desperate enough to actually approach him, his bodyguards would drag them away, usually screaming. He’d be lying if he said that he didn’t enjoy it, but he’d also be lying if he said that he hadn’t eventually fallen for one.
She was probably a whore, going by the name ‘Aiko’. She was also probably at least 10 years older than him, but he didn’t care. Most of the women that tried to seduce him were too audacious, too brash. But she… She was different. She never said a word to him as she caught his eyes, brushing probably just a bit too close on the sidewalk for the comfort of his guards. Sometimes she was there and sometimes she wasn’t, but eventually Hanzo found himself looking for her gaze. Her face was rather forgettable if he was being honest, but her eyes were what Hanzo could never ignore. They were deep and alluring and almost taunting him to come closer and learn what thoughts were actually swirling deep within them. He could never resist.
The first time he saw her, he snuck out in the dead of night. He had lain awake, tossing and turning before he made up his mind. He slipped through his window in nothing but his Jinbei, bare feet barely making a sound as they hit the stone floor of the courtyard. The soft moonlight tinted pink by the cherry blossoms soon blurred into the harsh buzzing reds and blues of neon signs as he ran and jumped from low rooftops to unseen shop corners and the shady spots beneath broken street lamps. He searched half the city, heart pounding with the thrill of escape and discovery when he finally managed to find her.
As he dropped from the tiled rooftop of a decrepit noodle shop to the rough dusty street, he saw her. She was already watching him with those dangerous eyes of hers, smiling sweetly like she’d always knew he’d come. His mind went blank as he stood panting, the woman slowly approaching with outstretched hands. She had whispered sweet nothings into his ear with the voice of a lovesick siren, soft hands drifting up his abdomen and nearly tickling up his ribs before they chose their place hung around his neck. He had leaned wholehearted into her in every way, and it wasn’t until he returned home late into the night did he realize that he was no longer in the possession of the ornate gold clip that normally held his hair into its topknot.