Take My Hand [Wuthering Waves x Reader]

[2] Arrival

[Art by: Wisda / https://twitter.com/wisdafuzuo ]

The first few things I felt upon waking up was the feeling of grass right underneath me, the tree that I was leaning against, and the caress of the gentle breeze, making it clear to me that I was not in my room anymore. To my surprise, it was quite comfortable and the urge to go back to sleep was very tempting. However, I chose to groggily open up my eyes instead, curiosity getting the best of me.

The instant I saw my surroundings, my eyes immediately widened in shock. Although I was surrounded by nature, like the field of blue flowers, the nearly leafless tree right in front of me, and the large moss-covered rocks, I could clearly see what looked like Jinzhou from where I was sitting.

"Oh, you're awake already?" a familiar voice suddenly remarked, causing me to jump in surprise.

I hurriedly turned to see who it was and saw Rover smiling apologetically at me, the black-haired boy sitting just close enough to me that he could quickly protect me while maintaining enough distance between us to ensure I wouldn't get uncomfortable.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized as he shyly rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just surprised that you've woken up so fast that I spoke up without thinking. I mean, you turned into a Resonator along the way so..."

"Eh? I'm a Resonator now?" I asked, blinking my eyes in surprise. "I don't particularly mind but I just arrived here, you know? If I Awakened this alarmingly fast, something must've acted as the catalyst, right? I could be wrong but I doubt a natural Awakening would be this quick so..."

Rover looked down and crossed his arms over his chest, a troubled look on his face. "I'm not that well-informed regarding this so I can't say much," he admitted after a moment of silence, frowning. "However, if I were to guess, I'm most likely at fault to some extent. That much I'm sure of. Other than that, we'd have to go to Huaxu Academy if you want to know more."

Huaxu Academy, huh? I repeated to myself as I quietly thought it over. That would certainly be for the best but...I wonder, is it possible for a Resonator to resonate with another person? To be specific, having a Resonance Spectrum Pattern of a certain person instead of a certain object or species? Or perhaps have the same one as another Resonator due to them influencing the Awakening? And if so, would that implicate Rover pretty badly...? I don't want to really cause him more trouble as is, but I'm getting the feeling that running away and not confronting it might cause a lot more problems...

I turned my attention back to Rover, who was keeping an eye on our surroundings while patiently waiting for my response. "...sure, let's make that our first destination then," I answered, causing the male to glance back at me and then nod his head. "Before that though, I should probably make myself a backstory of some sort so I won't be so suspicious..."

"They might judge you as someone not from here when they see your clothes, just like how they did with me," he noted, and I looked down at my attire, which was thankfully appropriate for going out in public. "Because of that, you should make sure that you're from somewhere else. ...though, I'm not entirely sure where so I can't help you there..."

"Even if they did assume that I was from here, I know so little about this place that it might be for the best to say I'm not from here..." I commented, vocalizing my own thoughts this time so Rover would be on the same page as me. "That said, seeing as the situation on this planet isn't that good, I think it might be alright to say that I don't want to talk about where I'm from if they ask. When they question why I don't want to, I can maybe put myself as a lone wanderer who has no home to go back to. With that, they'll hopefully drop it out of consideration for me. Seems a bit depressing but I think that'll work...?"

Besides, excluding the wanderer part, I'm technically not lying when I say all that. I thought to myself as I looked away, sighing. I don't really want to talk about my past or the world I'm from, and I genuinely have no home to go to here in Solaris-3...

After a short moment of silence from the black-haired male, he finally responded. "...yeah, I suppose that'll do..." Rover said. "Though, if you don't mind, I'd like to make a suggestion."

"Sure, go ahead," I answered with a small smile as I turned to look at him. "I don't see any reason to not trust you and I know you won't say anything unreasonable so..."

Rover gently smiled at that, happy that I felt that way towards him. "I'll make sure that I never betray that trust then," he remarked as he put a hand over his chest. "...and, as for the suggestion, I want you to be my traveling companion if it's alright with you. I don't want you to take on the role of a lone wanderer."

My heart immediately skipped a beat at that, taken aback by the sudden offer he's giving me. "I-is that alright?" I stammered out, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "As I am now, wouldn't I just be a burden to you? I haven't adjusted to this world yet and I have no combat experience!"

"I don't mind," Rover stated with a nod of his head. "Besides, if you accept, not only will I be able to help train and protect you, both of us can learn more about this world as we go on adventures together. After all, I have amnesia, remember? And, well, you already know everything that I know about myself right now so I don't really have to hide anything from you thankfully."

"I-I see..." I said as I involuntarily rubbed the back of my neck and averted my eyes elsewhere, too flustered to continue looking into those earnest eyes of his. "Y-you've got a point there..."

This guy sure is kind and earnest... I thought to myself, blushing. I knew he could be like this because of the quests that I've done in Wuthering Waves but...it's another thing entirely to be witnessing it firsthand, all the while being the target of said kindness! There's no way that I can deal with this! I'm too weak against this kind of attack! On top of that, this option seems a lot more favorable in reaching the radiant future that I desire...! I'd be stupid to reject him when he's extending a hand out to me like this!

After calming myself down, I returned my attention to Rover and gave him my response. "Alright, I accept," I conceded. "...that said, first things first, I want to confirm the current circumstances surrounding Jinzhou and you before we do anything else. Was the conflict surrounding the Threnodian of War resolved?"

"Correct, the war has come to an end and things are peaceful for now," he answered with a nod of his head. "With how things are right now, I'll be able to dedicate most of my time and focus to help you out."

"G-good to know," I responded, desperately fighting back the blush threatening to appear. "A-anyways, I guess we should get going to Huaxu Academy, right? Beside, gaining more information about myself as a Resonator and getting a Pangu Terminal is of utmost priority. Getting weapons and planning my training can come later."

"Alright, let's get going then," Rover remarked and stood up, then extended his hand to me.

I stared at his gloved hand, blinking my eyes in surprise. ...this is gonna be hard to get used to... I thought as I sighed inwardly. Being alone and having to fend for myself for so long really has affected me to some degree, as much as it pains me to admit. Like, how much times am I going to be caught off-guard by his kindness...?

Not wanting to keep him waiting any further, I stopped thinking about it and reached out to his hand. However, I stopped when they were close to each other, suddenly hesitating. It somehow felt wrong to me because it went against how things usually went for me. I should be getting up on my own, never expecting anyone to really help. ...yet, even so, I... I grit my teeth and forced myself to put my hand onto his, even if it felt so weird and foreign to me.

When I felt him gently hold my hand, I couldn't help but look up at him, my cheeks burning from embarrassment. My eyes widened in surprise and my heartbeat became more faster when I saw him tenderly gazing down at me with such a soft smile. ...I think this boy might be the death of me.

With that, he helped me get up and the two of us walked towards Jinzhou.

---------------

[Author's Note]

Hey, you guys still alive? Sorry if this chapter ended up killing you from sweetness overdose or something. xD;;

Though, I hope you all enjoyed it regardless! Now excuse me as I go back to playing Wuthering Waves.