Heart of Hisui: Rei x Reader

3 - Not a Morning Person

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-Your POV-

"I'm so, so sorry,"

"Now who's apologizing way too much?" I laugh softly, concealing the regret I felt.

Rei shakes his head furiously and continues to pester me with his unnecessary ways to attempt to make up for what happened earlier. "No, really. If I was better at Pokemon battling with my Pikachu-"

"Don't say that," I interrupt firmly, spooning more of the soup Rei made for dinner into my mouth.

I still feel dizzy from the attack, sleepiness glazes my vision and my head bobs up and down as I struggle to stay awake for even a minute longer. Going through the motions, I finished the meal silently, accidentally tuning Rei out while I started glaring at the darkening horizon.

"...did you hear me, (Y/N)?"

"Eh...?" I mumble, exhaustion clouding all thoughts. The dark night sky makes it hard to not simply lie down and drift into dreams, but I fought to listen to Rei.

"Are you quite alright?" He quickly stands from his spot on the ground next to me, hurting to my side and looking me over, likely worried he missed an injury.

"I'm going to go to sleep now. Thanks for the food." I numbly stagger and then crawl into the small, plain tent that was set up earlier, burning myself under the covers. The moment my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep, with Rei's worried gaze watching over me as I hugged the blankets tighter.

-Rei's POV-

I watched as she stumbled into the tent, the dark sky hanging heavily with the late hour. She was peacefully sleeping in the blink of an eye. As I picked up our plates from the meal, I watched (Y/N) in deep concern.

I'd never once thought that we'd encounter an Alpha so soon, or ever, on our journey. It chilled me to my bones. We'd be on this journey for a week at this location before we came back to Jubilife Village to report back to the commander and Cyllene-san.

Let's hope we'll make it through this cold night. Wait, no. I shouldn't think that. We have our Pokémon, although they're frankly frightening and unpredictable and I almost dread having to interact with them constantly.

A crisp breeze ruffled the tall grass surrounding where we had made a mini camp. It sent shivers down my spine as I finished piling the last of the sticks I'd gathered to the campfire in front of our tent.

After packing up everything but the tent for the next day, I crept into the cloth tent and saw (Y/N) peacefully lying there. Pulling the covers of my blanket over me, I realized that this was the first time I'd slept next to a girl. Not that it mattered... My face warmed suddenly, but the bitter and cold Hisuian air cooled them almost immediately. I pulled the covers higher over (Y/N)'s sleeping form, wordlessly wishing her sweet dreams.

Day one of our first adventure was already over. I closed my eyes and was soothed to sleep with (Y/N)'s soft breathing beside me.

Waking to the sound of Starapters cawing overhead, I slowly open my eyes to see the cream cloth of the tent above me. I glance over at (Y/N), who is still sleeping, curled in a tight ball under the covers. The urge to comfort her is immense, as it almost seems like bad dreams had found her, but in case I was mistaken, instead I shuffle around in the tent until I find my hat and scarf. Swiftly placing the red cap on my head and the matching scarf around my neck, I step out of the tent and into the daylight.

The sun has risen already, filling Hisui with beams of light. Several Pokémon scamper around nearby, adding to the picture perfect scenery that almost made me wonder if Pokemon were really all that frightening. Then I recall the horrific evening yesterday, and abruptly turn away.

I hear a rustle from inside the tent. Out walks (Y/N) a moment later, rubbing sleep from her eyes with a groan.

"Morning," She grumbles groggily.

"Are you feeling okay?" I ask, confused at her attitude that becomes a complete one-eighty.

"Not a morning person," She plops down on the grassy ground, pulls out some bread from her pack, and chews on it thoughtfully, mumbling, "That was some day, wasn't it."

"Sure was," I nod and look out over the horizon, vividly recalling the nightmare of a Pokémon that had attacked (Y/N). I wonder why it targeted her, rather than me, when I was clearly closer and an easier prey...

"It seemed as if it was after me."

My head whips in her direction, "W-what? Um... Why do you say that?"

"It's as if it knows I'm not from here..." She mutters and looks down at her feet, still gnawing on the slice of pastry. "Who cares, maybe I was a villain before I came here. I wouldn't know.

"I don't know what to say. But there's no way that you were a bad person. I mean, you wouldn't have a reason to. Right?" I nervously look away from (Y/N), eyes darting to the sky.

"Whatever." She shrugs and finishes her bread, then pulls out some leftover berries from yesterday. "Want some?"

"Sure, why not?" I smile and sit down next to her, grabbing a few pieces of fruit and popping them into my mouth, (Y/N) doing the same.

"We have a week here, right?" (Y/N) questions.

"Right. If we do well, we'll get our first star from the Galaxy Team." I respond wistfully, imagining the moment we'll be rewarded for our work ruffing it out out here in the wild.

"Well then," She stands and brushes herself off, saying, "Let's get going,"

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Word count: 983 words