Reject [chapter one] (Japan x Reader)

This may not make a lot of sense right now, but it will soon! :3 This is my first proper attempt at a reader insert for Hetalia.

Hetalia belongs to Himaruya Hidekaz.
The plot/story belongs to me.


Reject [chapter one]

The ground was soggy. The air was humid. It felt like a groggy summer day - or night, you weren't sure yet. Your eyes hadn't opened, but you had become conscious. It smelt like damp. Your hands felt the ground…it was cold strands of long grass. Finally you fluttered your eyes open. The sky was grey and not a speck of blue could be seen.

"W-What's going on?" you muttered aloud, forcing yourself to sit up. It seemed as though you were in some sort of park. "Am I here already…? Hmm…I don't remember it looking like this in the photographs…"

After taking a moment to absorb your surroundings, you stood up and steadied your balance. It had been a long journey; a month's worth of travelling made you feel tired and you wanted to get to your destination…if you could remember where that was, of course.

"Japan…" you said in realisation after a few minutes of thought.

"Nani?" a gentle voice came from nearby.

You frowned and looked around. A small boy appeared to be sheltering under a tree whilst a little dog sniffed the trunk of it. Out of curiosity, you walked over to him, stumbling and falling flat on your face.

"Daijoubu desu ka?" he questioned in a language unknown to you, bending down by your side.

"I-I don't understand…" you murmured, heaving yourself onto your back.

"Ah, English," he said, slurring a little on the 'l' sounds. "Are you okay?"

Your head throbbed, but apart from that you were fine so that's what you decided to tell him. "I've just had a long journey, that's all…"

The boy noticed a bracelet on your arm, which had a tag attached to it. "That tag…may I take a closer look?"

You were confused. He saw your frown, but delicately took your hand to examine it. It was only then that you noticed the bracelet for the first time and wanted to take a closer look, too. As you leant your head down, the boy dropped your hand and took a step back. You jumped at his sudden movement and looked startled.

"D-Did I do something-?"

He shook his head straight away. "Go-Gomenasai, sorry."

"Are you okay?" you asked tentatively.

He looked into your eyes for the first time. "Hai, yes."

"Why am I here…?" you wondered, staring back into his brown irises, which made him look towards his dog. He almost looked guilty.

"Watashi…I…"

"You don't know?"

"…" he didn't seem able to get any words out.

"I don't know, either."

His eyes met yours, but you weren't looking. For a moment you merely stared, entranced by his dog and the boy thought to himself silently before deciding on his next words.

"Would you like to walk with me? I can show you the way to the centre of the city. I think you will be able to find where you need to go from there."

Something felt wrong about his words; you could sense it, but agreed for now and waited for him to attach the lead to his dog. Once he was ready, he led you out of the park and through a few streets lined with houses. As you followed the boy into the city, the pavements slowly got more crowded. When you finally arrived on the main street, you almost lost track of him; he only took a couple of steps into the crowd and managed to lose you. Luckily, he kept checking behind him and noticed you weren't there so he stopped to wait since he saw you amongst the swarm of people.

"Welcome to Tokyo," he announced as you began to cross the zebra crossing together, following him as he zigzagged through the people.

"Tokyo…?" you repeated curiously; it sounded familiar.

He smiled softly and nodded, watching you with interest as you slowly strolled past each shop to take in what was inside since you couldn't read the signs.

"The heart of Japan…" you murmured, almost tripping as you had slowed down considerably outside a shop with chibi-style posters on the windows.

The boy's cheeks were lightly dusted with a shade of pink. "Kokoro…"

The shop had your complete attention so you didn't notice the boy's embarrassment; plus everyone around you was talking in fluent Japanese, so his voice blended in with theirs.

"Have you ever been to a manga café before?" he asked, noticing your apparent interest.

"No…" you admitted.

"Would you like to go inside?"

Even though you were unsure what a 'manga café' was, your curiosity got the better of you; a single nod earned a smile from the boy and he led you inside, bringing his dog with him.