Sleepwalkers

The clock strikes 11pm, I'm punctual to the nightwatching, getting to the council at the exact settled time. The job sucks, but maybe, if I do it well enough, they'll accept me back into the guard.

I look over my shoulder to see Hiro was already there, standing in front of a cliff, looking at me with disgust.

I'm already exhausted for being dragged around for hours by a serpent, twice... But this night is bound to be the most exhausting of all. I bring the sword, walking around to check the place. Noticing I don't know a single one of the guards.

Hiro stays in place, with her arms crossed, static, looking around.

"...That's what you wanted right?" I say to Hiro as I approach. I slightly jab the tip of the blade onto the ground right next to her, just so I could support myself on the handle... I can't let she notice how sleepy I am, she'll mock me to death.

"Spare me, we're already here, don't make it worse." She rubs her eyes.

"That's the point, I'm trying to make it a little interesting." I roll my eyes. "I miss it when the council had these meetings and each kingdom would have a room to spend the weekend. It was fun, the rooms are still there, do you know when--"

"Please stop talking or I'm going to push you down the--"

"Shhhhhhhhh." I say as we both turn our eyes at the giant lizard guard staring at us.

Not fighting while we worked together was the one thing Miori asked from us.

We stayed silent, staring down the hill like two grumpy children who can't play with their toys.

I look from the corner of my eye at Hiro, she can barely keep her eyes open. I laugh.

"You're already falling asleep? Please. I know your highly trained team would mean nothing here. The main thing isn't the 'watcher' part, it's the 'night'. I don't need sleep, this will be a piece of cake." I smile, knowing very well that this was only true until a few days ago.

She frowns as she can't simply punch my face.

"I bet you're so unprofessional you're not going to make it to the end of the night." She smirks. "I'm pretty sure I'm a better watcher than you."

"Oh, yeah?" I look at her.

"Oh, yeah." She holds the smile, not taking her eyes off the forest.

"That's it. Let's see who does a better job. The one to leave first, loses." I say boiling.

"Deal." She answers with a smile.

"GOOD!"

I quickly look to the front as well, showing I can focus just as much. I don't say a single word for minutes straight, I let the burning of beating her at something fuel my will to stay quiet.

My Gods, is it boring.

I slowly start to close my eyes ever so slightly, trying to micro nap every few minutes. Everytime I close my eyes, I see the bedroom I see in my dreams.

 She looks at me with an annoying giggle that wakes me up.

"See? The proof it is your fault we're being disrespected." She smiles.

"We're not supposed to fight, dipshit. Do your fucking job." I scowl.

"I'm just trying to help! You're the one sleeping in the middle of your shift... Watch your mouth."

"Shhhhhhhhhhhh." The lizard was still staring, we both look surprised as he decided to shut us up himself. Even though all the other guards are chatting with no limits, apparently, we're too infamous to have that privilege.

We quickly go back into not making a sound. I didn't care at all for the job at first, but now it's personal.

After hours endured, we stopped picking on each other when we fell asleep, because it simply wouldn't stop. The exhaustion from the amount of things I've done today won't stop hitting me like punches in my eyes. I look to the side, Hiro is so equally defeated I barely have the courage to poke fun at her.

"You both know you can sit down, right? Since you're both almost passing out." The lizard screams, making us open our eyes again. We very embarrassed and reluctantly sit down, I let my sword on the ground.

But I wish I did had the courage to mock her. I've traveled under the desert because of the messes she puts me in, all for her to turn me into barbecue first thing. "They're all right, they're all right about me. I care way too much about her... I don't understand how they found out. Do I really make it that obvious?"

I look over at her to see she's passed out, slightly opening her eyes every 10 seconds but quickly sleeping again... I don't know if pushing her off the cliff would prove I care, or if it would prove I do not care at all... So I stay still, watching the sky, slowly feeling my eyes heavier and heavier.

I find myself back in the apartment bed. My eyes look around, knowing it's a dream. Hiro is sitting on the bed by my side, not moving, not sleeping, but surely not awake either. I feel the same, even here, I feel sleepy and exhausted just like before.

Even though I know it is a dream, I can't enjoy it. I'm far too pissed off at Hiro to let it pass, even if the one on the dream has nothing to do with it.

"...You're the worst, did you know that?" I say staring at the walls. "I can't stand a single more second next to you."

"Then why are you? You're the one that decided to do the nightwatch by my side." She replies like she has been dying to talk about it too.

"Because I was trying to talk. I was trying to have a single normal conversation. Something you're completely uncapab--"

"Stop trying to fool yourself by saying you're always just trying to talk to me. Don't think I don't notice your stupid vile little stings. Am I really supposed to believe and accept you just want to be nice when you won't change a thing?"

"I didn't change a SINGLE THING? Please, if that was true, I would greet you every time with a sword on your face, but no, I walk in, and it takes FIVE MINUTES for us to start fighting, and I literally ONLY aim at your prosthetic arm and leg so I won't hurt--"

"Yeah. FUCK. YOU. I never fucking asked for your fucking pity. You act just like a little boy, you won't stop your fucking mouth even if your life dep--"

"Watch your language, you're losing control, aren't you completely obsessed with it? Then try to behave for--"

"And you know what's the most FUNNY thing?" She cuts me off. We still can't stare into each others faces. "You say you don't aim to kill me because you 'care', like we haven't been playing pretend that we are fighting for A DECADE."

"Playing pretend? So for you it's not only a game, but fake?"

"Don't pretend you're stupid, you know very well what I'm talking about. It's the same thing we did when we still talked 20 years ago. We'd fight everyday for fun, pretending we were finally the kings we were meant to become. And now you're an adult who can't separate what's real from what is not, and will try to compel me to engage in your childish little games when I'm done, I'm DONE."

"...If I was the only one fueling it, we wouldn't be fighting every single day, you genius."

She stays silent. Everything she said stings constantly.

"I hate you. I hate you so much."

"Boohoo, what a surprise. I hate you too."

I finally look at her, she turned to the other side so I wouldn't even be in her peripheral vision.

Without thinking much, I close my eyes again like I can't hold it anymore.

I wake up back at the council's outer grounds we passed out at. Completely alone, not a soul awake making a sound, the sun already up, way past the time our mission should be over... I open my eyes properly to see Hiro's head was resting at my shoulder.

More than ever before, I feel my entire body burn in embarrassment. Even if she doesn't know, it's the closest we've ever been in years.

I quickly pretend I'm sleeping when I notice her opening her eyes. Not able to face her after my dream, and not able to take her head of me either... I am simply curious.

She opens her eyes, looks around as as soon as she notices it she jerks back on her place, scared. After checking all the angles for someone, she looks down.

The thump of her forehead against my armor almost makes me flinch. She brought her face back to my arm again, exactly how it was before. The curiosity is stronger, making me freeze in desperation to see more.

What's actually impossible to take only starts when she carefully wraps her arms around mine. It mortified me, to the point where my heart desperately wanted to come back to life so it could beat harder than anything. I wanted to throw myself out of the cliff because apparently, I still didn't wake up. I don't know if it makes more or less sense when she starts to cry.

It's unmistakable, the sobs and the quivering break what's left of my rotten heart.

"...Maybe I'm not the only one that cares too much."

I try to somehow enjoy the moment as if I could cry in her arms along. It takes her a while to let go, thankfully. Just seconds after she looks away while crossing her arms, we hear something.

"Hiro! Hero! You two are awake!" A voice call us from behind, she looks back to see it.

I turn my head back too. Nervous if she would react, but confused when I see her face is straight as ever.

"What is the situation?" She asks the lizardman, like nothing ever happened.

"Everyone's gone already, we've been trying to wake you two up for hours, but nothing. They tried everything!" He chuckles.

I'm still trying to regain my senses, to the point I can't talk.

"That's it? End of the mission?" She asks still not moving a muscle on her face.

"Precisely. You two are pretty heavy sleepers, you know that? ...And I was pretty sure last time I checked, undead don't need to sleep." He squints his eyes at me.

I can't react. Seconds go bye, the lizard simply leaves.

 I'm surprised by what I hear.

"Bye, Hero." Hiro says as she turns away.

"...Bye... Hiro." I say staring at her in disbelief.

Before I could process it, I notice a paper, stuck to her back, saying "Push me as hard as you can."

I hold my laughter, smiling as I make my way home.

"That's probably not going to work but it's really funn--"

Someone pushes me and I fall off the cliff, straight into the trees and then the ground, somehow managing to fall in one piece.

...I'm way too tired to go back home, so I have my rest right there.