"This doesn't look fake at all."
Natsuki Subaru rubbed his eyes once again and took another look at his surroundings. In contrast to what he was just looking at, hardly anything was familiar.
Could I have blacked out? Or perhaps...?
"Could I have been summoned into a parallel universe!" Subaru cried out to the rooftops, gaining the awkward looks of the townspeople around him. Subaru was hoping that his loud outburst would call a lovely lady to his side, but none came. In fact, after those few seconds, everyone had gone back to ignoring his existence.
Gaining information would be the smartest thing to do. Surely, the goddess that summoned me is in need of a hero, and I must go to her.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that Subaru really and truly was clueless on how he got to this place. All he was doing was gathering groceries at his local convenience store. The usual stuff for a gamer like him. He had bought some ramen noodles, potato chips, even a magazine. And he still had it with him, in the same bag. Besides his cell phone and an unusual shaped coin, this was all he had on him.
After he stepped outside the store, he heard a voice. It was very distorted though, and he couldn't make it out. When he blinked to adjust his eyes, he suddenly saw himself in a different place.
There's no other explanation.
With his objective set in his mind, Subaru began walking in one particular direction. His eyes were beginning to get adjusted to the unnaturally bright sunlight, which gave Subaru more leverage to understand the world surrounding him. Wooden cottages, cobblestone roads, horse drawn carriages, Subaru discerned the world he was in to be a medieval type environment. Furthermore, not everyone in sight was human. Demihumans, he called them, either being completely animalistic or looking animal only in certain parts, like cat ears or a lizards tail.
The area was very populated, with numbers of people needing to go every which way either on foot or horse drawn carriage. Shops were usually consistent of outdoor marketplaces, which made getting around crowded and awkward. Especially for those who actually lived on the streets. Not everyone was blessed with one of the many houses that had been built on either side of the street.
One thing that Subaru took heavily into account was the giant white stone walls that seemed to draw a circle in the city. He inferred them to act as a gate, protecting the denizens of this town from whatever lived out there. Hence meaning that whatever did live out there wasn't keen on being friendly.
"Manual labor is likely something common around these parts if you aren't a shop-owner." Subaru determined to himself. "Considering the lack of technological aspects of course."
"Hey kid." Called a voice. Subaru turned to see a market to his right. A burly man sat behind it, grinning. "You don't look like you belong in these parts."
"Yeah, that's right." Subaru chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm visiting from a nearby city."
"Then you must be really strong." The man smirked. "Traveling as boldly as you do with those demons out and about. But when I look at you, you have no armor, and no weapons either. Surely, the stuff you carry isn't meant to be your equipment, is it?"
"Well no." Subaru raised his hands up as if to defend his own morality. "I actually need to stock up at some point."
"Well then lad, feel free to buy whatever you wish. My wares are as avaliable as the money in your pocket! Ahaha!"
Subaru glanced at the supplies for a moment. One of the items caught his attention, a batch of apples. But the boy was curious, so he pointed to them. "What are these?"
"These are appas. We get them fresh as can be." The shopkeeper explained.
As Subaru continued glancing over things, he realized something crucial. I can't read any of this.
He looked back at the man. But we can understand one another?
Just to experiment, Subaru pulled a couple coins out of his tracksuit and presented them to the shopkeeper. He dismissed them immediately. "We don't use that currency here in Divanos."
"My apologizes." Subaru muttered, putting the coins in his pocket. "Then I guess it means I have no money to give you."
"So you're broke? Then you have no reason to be window shopping my wares. Get the hell away from here until you can buy something!" The shopkeepers attitude took a sudden 180, grabbing Subaru and shoving him away in an instant. Subaru stumbled about for a couple seconds, accidentally bumping into someone as a result.
"Sorry, sorry!" Subaru exclaimed, trying to get away from the scene in a hurry. But the person who he bumped into grabbed his arm before he could get away. In an instant, Subaru felt a chill go down his spine. He turned his head to see a man looking him right in his eyes. They were blue, yet fierce. They looked as if they had seen many things, despite Subaru's inability to understand how he could tell this.
"Who are you?" The man stated, curt and cold. Subaru gulped terrified by the man's demeanor. But that was all the fear he showed.
If this man wants to pick a fight with me, then I'll mow him down easy. Everyone's watching, they'll see that I'm simply defending myself. A lowly street thug such as himself may be minimal EXP, but it'll suffice for an excellent tutorial battle for my magic.
"Get your damn hands off of me you dirty trash heap!" Subaru cried out, clenching one of his hands into a fist before lunging forward. The man raised an eyebrow at the sudden movement, then reacted in his own accord.
First, he stopped Subaru's punch in mid swing with his vacant hand.
Second, he kicked Subaru directly in between his legs.
Third, while Subaru moved his hand away, the man used his once again vacant hand to smack Subaru right in the face, sending him right to the ground.
Finally, he spoke. "I didn't want to do that. All I asked for was your name."
Subaru gasped, struggling to breathe. He looked back up on the man, whom he could now see a little more clearly. The man was wearing a black vest, with a white undershirt worn underneath. Black pants layered his legs all the way down to his feet, where he wore blue shoes and black socks. His hair was wavy, that of the color brown, complimenting his blue eyes. The man's arms were covered in silver armor, at least what Subaru determined, going down to some black gloves.
"Why...why do you want to know?" Subaru coughed out, hoping to figure out this guys deal. The man however, didn't answer his question. Instead, he walked away.
The fight being done, a small crowd that had begun watching stepped away, murmuring to themselves. Nobody stepped forward to help Subaru, the boy was forced to get himself up.
"My life, starting in another world." Subaru sighed. "Why did it start out like this?"
"Alright. I choose you."
Satou Kazuma grinned, pointing right at the goddess in front of him. That'll teach you to be stuck up.
All of this had happened so suddenly, that it almost seemed like a dream. Kazuma had been told he was dead, and he believed it. He still wasn't sure that he believed that his death emerged from shock rather than a truck, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he was dead, and that one of the most annoying people he had ever met was the person to greet him.
She went by Aqua, a goddess revered by many. She claimed herself to be the one that passed those who died early onto the next life safely. But she had belittled him so much on how he died that he wondered if that people even liked her in that spot.
It's probably because she's just a little cute that people end up falling head over heels for her. He determined for himself.
After a little talking however, Aqua told Kazuma of another possibility. A parallel world was supposedly in danger of dark forces, that the fate was in grave danger. Despite this, Aqua never mentioned what the dark forces were, nor did she sound like she even knew what they were, prompting Kazuma to believe her to be a 'useless goddess'.
Being a prominent gamer, Kazuma accepted the challenge, believing that he could succeed in destroying them. To assist him in the quest, Aqua had given Kazuma multiple weapons and skills as a perk for when he jumped into the world. But Aqua was being so annoying about it, that Kazuma couldn't resist. After all, she was a goddess.
"Yeah, sure." Was Aqua's first response. It took her only a second however to realize what Kazuma had said. "Wait, that's not an option! You can't just-!"
"The decision has been made." Came a new voice. At the feet of Kazuma and Aqua appeared two blue circles, which began raising them up from the ground. The voice had come from another female angel, one who looked more serene to Kazuma compared to Aqua. Especially with how the blue goddess looked now.
"Wait what!? No, no no no no no! You can't take me there, please no!" Aqua cried out, smashing her fist against some sort of force field that was keeping her within the blue circle.
"Aqua." The serene angel spoke. "Once the forces of darkness are vanquished, then you may return here. Until then, you shall make due in this endangered world without the powers bestowed unto you when you first arrived."
"What!?" Kazuma and Aqua cried out in unison. Clearly, the former wasn't expecting her powers not to be a part of the deal.
"Satou Kazuma." The angel spoke again. "If you can defeat the forces that disrupt the nature of the world, a beautiful reward will await your return. Now go!"
"Please no no no no no, you can't do this to me! No no no NO!" Aqua continued to cry as the two dissapeared into thin air.
Kazuma saw lights flash in front of him. He could've sworn as he flew through nothingness that his soul was passing by worlds of uninterest, yet plentiful in possibilities. It only took a few seconds however for the lights to stop flashing, and he suddenly found himself in a new place that he didn't recognize.
The sun was the first thing that got to him. The bright light was something that he was used to back home, yet after being in the realm of dead for so long, his skin felt like it was being scorched. Kazuma took a look around to get the sights around him situated. Wooden cottages, cobblestone roads, horse drawn carriages, Kazuma couldn't believe for a moment that this was actually real, that he would be living a fantasy of his at long last.
Then he heard a sniff next to him, and realized that all that was about to be for naught. He looked over to see Aqua again, looking completely pitiful, with eyes filled with despair before she suddenly grabbed Kazuma's shoulders and began sobbing loudly. People began looking over at the scene unfolding, with Kazuma's face turning red with embarrassment.
"What are you doing, you useless goddess?" Kazuma snarled in a quiet tone. "You're making such an unnecessary scene!"
Either Aqua didn't hear him, or simply ignored him, but she began sobbing louder. Kazuma began hearing people speak, seeing people pointing at him and glancing at him with suspicious eyes. His heart rate began to increase as he realized what the unfolding scene may have potentially been looking like. In a hurry, he grabbed the girl and dragged her into the closest building.
"If you don't be more quiet, I'm gonna-!"
"Um, can I help you?" Asked a quiet voice. For some reason, the voice stopped Aqua's crying. The two turned to see a young lady dressed in a purple dress eyeing the two of them nervously. Instantly, Aqua frowned.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"Ummm uh, I'm Wiz." She responded, a tremble in her voice. "You guys came into my shop crying, so I came to see if you were alright."
"If you're the owner of this shop." Aqua stated. "Then why do you smell like the dead?"
With a swift movement, Wiz's eyes went wide and she suddenly backed away. Aqua grinned. "So this confirms my suspicions. Who are you really?"
"Aqua!" Kazuma snarled, clearly seeing that the goddess was pushing this shopkeeper too far. "That's enough!"
"You ungrateful lich." Aqua snarled back at Wiz, causing the girl to tense up even more, fear in her eyes.
"Hey Wiz, have anything to drink in this store? I'm pretty thirsty." Kazuma spoke up, both trying to get off topic of the dead and trying to side with Wiz so that Aqua wouldn't do anything regrettable.
"Y-Yes, of course!" Wiz replied in a hurry, practically running to the back room to find something. Kazuma made a mental note to remind himself two things. One being that this shop lady would probably be really reliable in gathering supply. One look around the store confirmed that, considering the amount of unusual storage she had. The other thing being that this girl was also hot, and he needed to get her to like him somehow.
"I don't like her." Aqua huffed.
"I know that, but don't hate everything here just because you aren't superior to them anymore." Kazuma huffed back.
"I am too superior to them! The divine goddess Aqua, both beautiful and strong, does not let evil dead talkers command her every action!"
In a moments notice, Wiz came back a couple bottles of water. She placed them on a counter and began charging a bill. Aqua strode over to the counter and snatched the water bottles before she could finish however. "We'll be taking these, or I'll just make you my slave!"
"Eeek!" Wiz cried out, covering her face with her hands as if they would suffice as shields. "Their yours, please don't hurt me!"
"Thank you!" Aqua replied, almost as if her cheerful tune was to mitigate her harmful tone. Without so much as another word, she walked out of the store. Kazuma quickly muttered a 'thank you' before following after her.
The moment Kazuma stepped outside the shop, he heard another loud scream. It was from Aqua.
Oh my goodness! This girl is absolutely useless!
As he turned towards the sound, a smaller figure darted past him. Kazuma wasn't sure who or what it was, but could discern that it had golden hair.
"Thief, stop!" Aqua cried out, rushing past Kazuma in a hurry. The boy turned back in the direction Aqua was coming from to see the water bottles had been dropped to the ground.
Thief? What in the hell else did she have on her that could get stolen?
"Oi, she with you?"
Kazuma turned around to see a larger man picking up the pack of water bottles. Kazuma noted quickly that this man was ripped, and didn't bother showing it off. The boy pointed back towards her. "Her? Yeah, unfortunately."
"Unfortunately? You've been blessed with great company boy! I mean look at her, doesn't she look smoking hot running like she does?"
Kazuma blinked. "What's your name?"
"My name? MY NAME! Hahahahaha!" He laughed. "Have you never been to our guild before? My name is revered by all, I am the great Balsin!"
"Yeah right dude!" Another person who suddenly showed up at the scene laughed. Kazuma noted that they weren't nearly as shredded, but they still showed the same amount of gusto. "The only person that reveres you is your mother!"
"You're one to talk Terelis. Remember our last quest? When you stubbed your toe? Don't make me laugh boy!"
"H-Hey, that's not fair! You're one to talk after what happened..."
The two bickered on for a while, Kazuma simply being witness to it all. After a little bit, Kazuma snapped his fingers to get their attention. "Hey, what do you mean by 'guild'?"
The two named Balsin and Terelis eyed one another before looking back at Kazuma. "You really have never been here before. What province you come from?" Balsin asked.
"Or kingdom?" Terelis added, though making sure to put emphasis on the last word.
"If you want to know." Kazuma sighed. "Then ask the girl that just left. She's the one that brought me to this world."
"Then we'll ask her once she visits us at the guild!" Balsin declared. "Come with us boy, you'll learn a lot about this place before long!"
Without so much as a yelp of surprise, Terelis had grabbed Kazuma by one of his shoulders and had begun dragging him with Balsin, who was still carrying the water bottles, in tow. As much as Kazuma didn't like these two people and their overly boisterous attitude...
At least their so much better than that goddess. If I didn't have to see her again, that would be wonderful.
"If you're gonna *huff* run, then *huff* couldn't you move a little *huff* slower?" Aqua asked, absolutely exhausted. She had chased after the girl that stole something from her for about five minutes before she had run out of endurance.
What she stole? A few coins, aka all the money she had on her. It had happened out of nowhere, but clearly this girl was good at what she was doing. Now Aqua was lost in the alleyways of a place she didn't know. She was broke, helpless, and scared. All she felt like doing was falling to her knees and crying.
"What are you talking about over there?"
"If you don't wanna get hurt, then cough up whatever stuff you've got."
Aqua blinked upon hearing this. The voices didn't come from anywhere near her. But they sounded close. If the person that these unruly voices had cornered happened to be the golden haired girl, then this was Aqua's lucky break after all!
I'll just have them step aside, then take back what's mine!
Aqua strode along a couple paces around a couple tight corner, before seeing a few shadows. One of them suddenly moved really fast, before she heard the sound of someone getting smacked. She heard a couple more sounds, none being peaceful. Aqua suddenly grew a little more nervous, silently turning the final corner to see what was going on.
What she was three men kicking some random person who was on the ground. Beside all of them was a bag, and in that bag was a bunch of random junk that Aqua didn't recognize. But what Aqua did recognize was that somebody was in danger.
"Hey you three!" Aqua shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at them. The three men turned around to see who had shouted at them. The boy on the ground also looked at her, and his eyes lit up. Aqua glanced back at the boy again, making eye contact with him to let him know that he was going to be ok.
That's when she realized that he was wearing a tracksuit, similar to Kazuma.
Hello, and welcome to my story Begin Again! This story is a cross-over between the two animes RE: Zero and Konosuba. However, this story will also involve characters of my creation, an entirely new world, and an entirely new story that will hopefully last longer than these two animes.
This story may or may not have fictional shipping. I say may or may not because I honestly have not decided who will be where, and so on and so forth. I've barely gotten much besides the world that Subaru and Kazuma have been summoned to. But honestly, I find it works easier in this regard, that way it's not my decisions that impact the story, but more or less the characters reacting as their own respected characters as I write, without needing to script anything.
I've made the decision that for the most part, I will be taking the helm of the story. But every now and again, I'll try and include reader interaction. There won't be a lot though, as so that nothing out of character occurs.
I plan on making this a once per week upload schedule. If I don't have the next episode up within one week, expect it to be up by the next. Life is busy for me as well, y'know?
That's all. Bye!