Hello everyone, I have nothing much to add besides that English is not my first language, I know there are grammar mistakes and this disclaimer : I don't own RE: Zero.
Natsuki Subaru was not exactly your everyday high-school student. He had been born on the third planet in the solar system, Earth- more precisely in Japan as a yakuza heir. Subaru had been groomed to take over the family business since he could remember, so understandably he was slightly different than the rest of the mass. While other kids played outside he was training in martial arts, when the other kids spent time playing around in kindergarten he was already learning history and etiquette all in different languages. Being a good heir came with lots of sacrifices, chief among them being his childhood and free time. That's not to say Subaru grew up lonely, he had been always surrounded by people. Although most of his uncles would make normal kids cry just by looking at them. Growing up in such an environment was bound to make Subaru thick skinned, he practically had no fear. Which proved to be dangerous for young heir. Happily Subaru possessed enough street smarts that he could survive alone in another world if needed. The young yakuza member was the kind of child that could be called his parents or in this case his father's pride. Though given the situation he found himself in, succeeding his father might be impossible.
It all happened in a blink of an eye. Subaru had just stepped out from the convince store and next he was standing in the middle of road in this world. His ability to adapt was apparently really high, Subaru was slightly surprised. The yakuza had yet to have a melt down. There was no denying what had happened, it was not some elaborate reality TV prank.
I've been summoned into another world.
It sounded like a silly manga title but he couldn't deny it as a carriage like vehicle pulled by a giant lizard like creature crossed the street right in front of him. Accepting what had happened seemed just the next logical step in completing this puzzle for him. Wasting no time he took the first step forward with confidence. No use in over thinking it, for now he shall just go about his business as usual and if there was a reason for him, a yakuza member being brought into this world he was sure it would present itself given time.
This is interesting.
His mind couldn't help but repeat at every new observation. The first thing Subaru noted was that he could understand their speech perfectly but their written language seemed unlike anything he encountered before. Their currency was completely different too he remarked as he walked by and got a glimpse of the money they used at the vendors. Aside of his paper bills, credit card and a few yen that were probably of no use, unless simple metal had different value here the yakuza had few valuables. He could sell his jewelry but then again the yakuza quite liked his watch. It had been a gift from his father and it wasn't something he would give up unless he absolutely had to, in the end Subaru decided it wasn't altogether that bad.
His black Italian three piece tailored suit apparently said wealthy given the looks the yakuza heir was given and the way the stand owners straightened themselves whenever he so much as passed close to one. Subaru was taller than most 17 year old Japanese, with an athletic but muscular body. His short black colored hair was apparently a rarity in this world. He wasn't particularly handsome nor was he ugly his face was quite ordinary even the small scar on his chin changed nothing about that. If there was one thing though his eyes, they were definitely what people would call mean. According to his uncles they were dark narrowed with a silver glint that made them seem predatory, he called it bullshit.
The yakuza had almost all of his weapons at hand and while he would have preferred to have his katana along Subaru still had enough firearms and knifes to make do.
Unless I meet a creature who can't be wounded by those.
His mind supplied which given the fact that he was in a another world that he knew nothing about it was a possibility. Then again the yakuza wasn't sure about the creatures but -people, looked as fragile as they did back on Earth. Still he had to be careful, given the fantasy setting he couldn't be sure people weren't able to use magic or something equally ridiculous and completely ignore the laws of physics.
He walked into a small alley connecting him to what he assumed was the main road and lighted a cigarette. It was one of his guilty pleasures, the young yakuza member was enjoying a small break while still keeping an eye out. Now away from the people of this world Subaru checked his phone it had no signal, as expected. Still it would do him good to keep it out of sight. The technology here didn't seem as advanced as back on Earth. The other belongings he had on his person aside from the cell phone was a carton of cigarettes, a pack of gum, two cans of coffee a cartoon of strawberry milk. Now the yakuza wished he would have brought some food or snack then again he had no way of knowing that something like this would happen.
Subaru heard footsteps and if the grin on the thugs face was anything to go by his first real encounter with the people from this world? dimension? was just about to happen. One of them had a large build and stood right out among the three as they tried to encircle him. Given the fact that yakuza heir had yet to move and his back was against the wall, it wasn't that hard.
"Oi! This isn't the place for your kind, you better give us everything you have so you won't have to get hurt! " The man said and Subaru raised an eyebrow at the punk who addressed him so casually. He had an unusual white complexion like he hadn't seen the sun in quite awhile with black eyes. The thug was wearing what seemed to be a prison suit in addition with chains around his wrists and throat. If they would be back on Earth he would have thought the man was cosplaying. The fact that the man had long grayish blue hair with pink at the end only strengthened this image. But they weren't on Earth.
"Oi do you hear him?" The other man growled. The man could probably pass as intimidating. He slightly resembled a go-to-guy he knew from back home. The man had a large body with purple hair and eyes. He was wearing tan clothes, an orange sash around his waist, a green vest, and black shoes. The third thug seemed to be the opposite of the second in statue. Small with brown mushroom hair and large black eyes and a stupid smile. He looked the least threatening out of the three, whitey at least had the creepy factor going for him.
They stepped right inside his reach with no hesitation what so ever. Wrong move on their part. It did not take much but a few well placed hits to make them all grovel like dogs before him. Subaru made sure to educate them thoroughly on why they should not attack him. The crowd ignored everything that was happening in the dark alley. Some things stay the same regardless of where he was. Not that Subaru would blame them, self preservation was important after all. Although he never really possessed much of it if any according to his uncles and father.
"Just finish us already." the silver haired cried after the yakuza kicked his side once more after he tried to get up. Subaru raised an eyebrow listening to them whine as took out a cigarette from his pack.
"You really want to die?" He asked them flatly making Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest shut up successfully before shouts of denial rang out.
"What No!"
"Who wants to die?!"
"Hell no!"
"Good then from now on you work for me." the yakuza stated with a smirk. Another round of denial was interrupted before it actually started this time by someone else.
"Hey you! I'm talking to you move it! " A rude flustered voice screamed as something dashed into the alley they occupied. He managed to get a glimpse of a small blond haired girl running faster then he actually thought possible. She was but a flash with a cheeky smile showing off her canines. Her crimson colored eyes shined wildly as she went right past them or over them in the case of the midget lying in the middle of the road and kept going toward what should have been a dead end. Instead she kicked off against a wooden plank set up against the end wall, grabbed the top of the wall, and lightly flung herself up onto the roof of one of the surrounding buildings, where she disappeared.
"Now then." He said ignoring what just happened."Show me your hideout."
"W-what?" the one with unusual white complexion asked.
"Come on move it, I'm hungry." he said while delivering a kick to the large thug who happened to be closest to him.
"Hold it right there, you evil doer!" That voice overcame the noise of the crowd, the vulgar insults more like whining of the three as they sit up and for some reasons unknown shook him to the very core.
There was a girl standing at the entrance to the alley. She was what people would call beautiful. Her long hair was silver colored, with fashioned braids in it that reached down to her hips. She was looking straight at Subaru with violet eyes that shone with intelligence and if the yakuza had to say a bit of naivety. In her soft features were both elements of youth but also mature beauty. There was also a noble air about her that gave her a dangerous yet bewitching charm. The girl was shorter than Subaru, around five feet, three inches tall. The clothes she wore used white as a base color, and there was nothing terribly ornate about them, but on the other hand, the simplicity emphasized her presence. There was one thing that stood out though, it was the white cloak the girl was wearing. It was emblazoned with embroidery that depicted a bird of prey which Subaru quickly took a mental note of.
"I will not stand by and watch any more of your wrong doing. That is enough!" She declared with a typical line of a heroine facing a villain. The other men seemed to be just as shaken up as Subaru was shocked. Of course villains and now the hero had appeared.
His interest quickly turned into dislike, he couldn't really stand her type, self righteous, self sacrificing and quick to jump to conclusions.
"Excuse me?" He asked testily.
"If you stop right now, I'll let you go. In a way, this is my fault for not being cautious. So do the right thing and give back what you stole."
"Hey, what she's wearing looks expensive. You think she's nobility?" Whitey asked the other two. The answer he got was a hit from the young yakuza, making him fall over once more.
The smallest of them asked the right question. "Wait, huh…? What we stole?"
"Please. It is very precious to me. I'd be willing to give it up if it were anything else, but I absolutely can't in this case. Please. I won't do anything to you, so please just give it back." The girl looked as if she was pleading with all her heart. However, there was an inexplicable feeling of pressure that rose within the group. Something was happening that was hard to explain. Subaru did not like it.
The smallest and least threatening guy stepped forward. "W-wait a minute! We don't know what you're talking about!"
"…What do you mean?"
The tallest pointed to Subaru. "You're not with this guy…are you?"
"…No." She said as she looked them up and down. "Did you all have a fight among yourselves? I don't think three against one is really fair, but…if you're asking me if I know this person, I haven't ever seen him before in my life." Perhaps it was because she thought the men were trying to change the subject, but you could hear an amount of irritation in her voice. Because of that, each of the three rushed to explain themselves.
"Wait a second! If you're not after this guy, then we're not involved! I bet it was that girl from before!"
"You said you had something stolen from you, right?! That wall! You see that wall? She jumped off that wall and ran away on the rooftops!"
"She's farther back! Back past that wall! At the rate she was going, she's probably another three streets down!" As the men continued to plead their innocence, the girl turned her eyes to Subaru, as if asking whether these men were telling the truth. Not thinking much about it, Subaru nodded.
"Hmm… It doesn't look like you're lying. So the one who stole from me is down farther ahead? I've got to hurry…" The girl turned away from Subaru and the men and toward the main road. The three clearly looked relieved thinking she was going to take the yakuza's side and help with their beat down. Not that Subaru needed any help with it. "Still, this situation is one I can't just ignore."
As she turned back around the girl put her hand up, palm facing outward, and a series of shining lights began to dance in front of it. There was a high-pitched sound as a fist-size clump of ice fell to the ground right beside Subaru. Obviously a warning shot. The clump of ice, which seemed to have formed heedless of both the season and the laws of physics, quickly evaporated as if it were being eaten by the surrounding air.
"…Magic I guess." The best word to describe what happened just tumbled out of Subaru's mouth. There wasn't any incantation or anything, but that chunk of ice had definitely shot out of that girl's palm. Magic—having seen it with his very own eyes for the first time, Subaru realized something. "It isn't quite as fantasy-like as I imagined… To be honest, this is kind of a letdown." Subaru had imagined there would be more light and energy being bounced around. In reality, all that happened was an unrefined-looking clump of ice suddenly materialized, probably used as a blunt object for physical damage, and then suddenly disappeared. There was no feeling or anything put into it at all. "Now… could you explain why you've done that?" Subaru asked as politely as he could given the situation.
"I don't know what had happened between you but there is no reason to hit someone who is hurt."
"Right!" the smallest and the tallest intoned happily before both got hit over the head by the yakuza making a small swelling appear.
Now he was wishing he would have lighted his cigarette. "Yes, you don't know." He said as the two nursed their wounds.
"Even so-"
"He's evil!" the one on the ground screamed as Subaru stepped on him, ignoring his shouts completely as he continued his speech.
"And since we established that why don't you mind your own business lady. Now get up already, you lump, I didn't hit you that hard." Subaru said kicking the one on the ground once more making the girl frown.
"I'm up! I'm up -stop hitting me!" the man shouted as he stood up straight.
"Move it- I'm hungry" He called since the smallest one was still lingered in the back as they walked away from the girl who was obviously trying not to say anything else. She looked like a scolded child.
Help her! He couldn't help but tsk making the three flinch wondering what they did to upset him again.
"Get me an apple" he ordered as they walked beside a stall.
"What?!"
"You heard me trash!" He said with a small glower and the man dressed in white yelped.
"My name is Chin not trash." He shouted in weak attempt to fight back that was meet with an unimpressed stare.
"It's useless Chin." The smallest consoled.
"Yeah" the third of the group agreed. "let's just get him this 'apple', that bastard is too strong to fight and he still has your knife."
"Right." The first said with an exaggerated pout. "What is this apple he's talking about Kan?"
I suppose they might call it something else. "The red fruit." Subaru said with a tilt of his head.
"A ringo apparently." The smallest who he learned was called Kan said seemingly unsure.
"Right." Chin quickly acquired the product all while trying to control his ticking eyebrow as he had to pay for it. "Here you go, bastard, hope you choke on it." Subaru tripped the git for disrespecting him, to people around them it probably looked as if he fell on his own. They were in the middle of the road there was no need to attract unwanted attention of possible guards but that didn't mean he wouldn't discipline them.
He admittedly was surprised when they actually brought him back to their lair and didn't lead him into a trap. Then again the three seemed to be stragglers with no connections, maybe even foreigners and even if they weren't the people around them, and that being a relative term since they kept quite a distance from Subaru in particular didn't look like they'd be of any actual help, their eyes seemed dead.
"This is your hideout?" He asked with no small amount of disdain. The thought of staying in a broken down cot was less than appealing. "What is it to you as-" Chin didn't get to finish his sentence as he was kicked in the stomach.
"Mind your language." Subaru said as he walked over a small table he leaned against while lightening a cigarette. "Now then, I'm going to explain what's happening just in case some of you are especially thick-headed." He said giving a meaningful glance in Chin's direction who spluttered, while the other two tried not to be amused by the stranger's words. "My name is Subaru Natsuki and since I defeated you, you work for me, call me Boss."
"Hell no ja-" Ton started but didn't finish the sentence as Subaru threw a small knife toward him leaving a small blood trail on his cheek.
"I don't care for your trash talk. If you insist on doing it in front of me, be prepared to face the consequences."
"Are we going to be paid?" Kan asked while trying not be conscious of the knife embedded deep into the wood behind them.
He felt like sighing. "Yeah, of course depending on your accomplishments." He said while looking each of them in the eye. Money apparently no matter which world you are in was a big motivator. "Now then my first question who was the blonde thief?"
Kan sighed. "Her name's Felt. She is well known here in the slums."
"Hmm..." He could use someone like her. Not to mention if she did steal whatever the silver haired girl was looking for it was probably a way he could get her to own him. "Alright take me to her."
"What, why?" Ton and Chin asked at the same time.
Subaru tried not to sigh. "I'm not sure what she stole but I want it."
"Ah why?"
"The silver haired girl, from her words I'd recon there are few things she wouldn't give us in exchange for that item."
"Oh you're going to blackmail her?" Chin asked only to be hit on the head by a plank of wood that had been close to Subaru's hand.
"What do you take me for? I am not going to blackmail her"
Kan glared. "Don't tell me you're just going to give it back to her for free?"
"Again -No. Don't interrupt me." he said giving them a glare followed by an annoyed look. "I'm a business man. I'll make a deal. Now then take me to Felt."
"Ain't you busy?! We just got-" once again Chin got hit by a blunt flying projectile.
"Stop your yapping and let's go. The silver haired chick could have already found her." He could hear the man growl like an animal but he stopped talking."Tell me everything I should know about Felt." Subaru asked Kan while they left the hideout. The smaller male seemed unsure for a moment but then started talking. From what he understood Felt was trying to break out from the slums. She already made quite a name for herself.
Kan next words brought Subaru's attention back to the present. "Whatever she stole is probably sitting in the loot cellar. She usually takes things there, gets them tagged, and then the old man Romu-ji who's the master there'll get them sold at a market somewhere else."
"That sounds like a pretty interesting system…" Something akin of neutral grounds. "Doesn't anyone worry about the master of the cellar taking off with all of the goods?"
"The reason he's the master is because people trust him not to do that." Ton added.
"But, well, even if you go up and tell him it's stolen, he'll probably just say 'So what?' right back at you, so you'd better be prepared to negotiate a price to buy it back." Kan stated in a matter of fact voice. Wonder if it happened to them.
It didn't take long to get to the place called the "loot cellar". The building was right up against a tall defensive wall, and was in the deepest part of the slums. It wasn't a high-storied building, but it was wide enough to the point where it looked as though it could function as living quarters for a large number of people.
This place is slightly different than I imagined. His thoughts were interrupted thanks to the sound of fighting that erupted from the inside. As most people from the slums two of the three couldn't help but try and get as far away from the loot cellar as fast as possible. While the third seemed more like frozen in place. Subaru grabbed the scruff of their clothes making both Ton and Kan looked at him the questioning. Seeing Chin's expression of dread mixed with a spark of barely restrained curiosity Subaru decided to speak up.
"Never run head first without any plan into a potentially life threatening situation that you know nothing about." Chin at least had the decency to look sheepish.
He had no doubt the silver haired girl was in there because the voice in his head decided to speak up more like shout out Help her! and Save her! over and over again. It was becoming a bit distracting true to be told.
"I'll go check out what's happening." He said both to the three and to the voice inside his head. He started walking before throwing over his shoulder. "Kan you bring some reinforcement. Ton get the people that get too close away from here, we want no interruptions, Chin you'll be my backup." He said handing the knife he confiscated earlier back with a "Try to be useful and aim toward the enemy if you have a chance, don't make yourself known otherwise."
"Wh-" Chin asked dumbly.
Kan decide to elaborate. "You can't really think we'll do that?!"
"Yeah, exactly." Ton added totally unhelpful.
"You can try to run." He said with a shrug. "I'll have fun hunting you down later." Subaru smirked as he added the last part.
He unlike many yakuza didn't enjoy making a big show, knowing in guns blazing would mean giving up his advantage, instead he walked more like prowled around like a beast hunting his prey. Subaru stuck close to the shadows. He tried to feel the Qi surrounding him, mixing his out energy with it, erasing as much of his presence as possible. The yakuza easily found the hidden backdoor, and couldn't help but think it was quite convenient. Apparently he did have broken ability, because his hands that touched the shadowed wall actually sunk inside the shadow, it felt weird. Definitely something he will explore more in the future, for now he just decided to ignored it.
~.~
The ones inside Felt, a gigantic old man, probably the half giant Romu-ji he heard about and the self righteous silver haired girl, the fourth if you counted the white cat like spirit that was fighting against a dark haired beauty. Countless ice shards had been created and were flying all over the room. However, the way their opponent the black haired woman was handling it could only be described as superhuman. She would spin around, duck down so low it looked as though she were crawling on the ground, and at times she would step on the walls to evade attacks as though she were completely ignoring gravity. If even with all of that she didn't seem able to dodge an attack, she would use her blade to cut through the ice crystals and shatter them.
"She really looks used to fighting, despite her being a woman," muttered the spirit, impressed their opponent skill and fighting sense. Subaru had to agree, she knew how to fight, her movement reminded him a bit of old school ninjas. It was obvious she was in the business of taking lives.
"Well, it's been a very long time since someone called me a girl." The yakuza had to agree he wouldn't exactly call her a girl, a woman maybe.
"From my perspective, most people I deal with are like babies to me. But even so, you're so strong I almost feel like I should pity you."
"To be complimented by a spirit such as yourself, I must say I'm honored." As she fended off another shard of ice with her knife. Almost a hundred pieces of ice must have been thrown at her, but it didn't seem as though a single one of them had made their mark.
"That woman in black's movements really are incredible, but I don't think they can lose if they continue to hold the advantage in numbers…but it's not like that spirit will be able to keep itself here forever. As soon as that spirit's out, the balance of power will shift," Rom commented passively hopping that it would be enough to snap out Felt from her frozen state.
Subaru frowned hearing his words. It wasn't as though much time had passed since the start of the battle, it barely started when they got here, but with so much magic being used the room was filled with icicles, wouldn't the cat be using up all of his stored mana or whatever? As he concentrated slightly he could actually feel the spirit's fading presence.
"Just when things were starting to get fun… It pains me to see that something else is distracting you from paying attention to me," muttered the assassin as she twisted her body to dodge an icicle attack, confirming Subaru's thoughts.
"As a popular male, it really is tough on me. However, you know if you stay up too late it's bad for your skin," replied the spirit in a light tone just as the black haired woman's movements suddenly stopped. In response, the spirit winked at her. "Don't you think it's about time we draw the curtain on this performance? When we keep repeating the same act it begins to get boring."
"My foot…"
As soon as the assassin tried to take a step, she fell forward, catching herself with her hands on the ground. Her right foot had been frozen to the floor. The fragments of the ice shards that had been broken had piled up on the ground, and some had served as a way to bind her feet and so restrict her movement.
"You didn't really think I was scattering all of these things around for no reason, did you?"
"…I guess this means you've got me."
"Just blame it on the gap in our ages. You have plenty of reason to congratulate yourself for getting this far. Now, good night."
Throwing its chest out, Puck's body, still standing on silver haired half elf's shoulder, started to oscillate at a high frequency. The cat was posed as if he was about to release his ultimate move, with both paws out in front, focusing more magic than ever before. Subaru watched as that magic was shot off like an arrow. The magic did not take the shape of ice, but was simply a load of destructive energy.
Along the path of the bluish white light everything froze, and in one fell swoop the loot cellar was filled with white. The energy passed through the assassin and broke into the door that formed the entrance to the cellar, blowing it off its hinges, and residual freezing energy from the attack even reached outside. As the brilliant light from the attack passed, everything was frozen, from the counter to the stolen items, to even the ground they lay on.
Of course, if directly hit, even a human being would quickly turn into an ice statue, but…
"It can't be…" said the spirit
"Of course it can. Ah, that was wonderful. I really thought I was going to die there."
…this was all assuming the attack would hit.
"…With you being a girl, I can't say I approve." While the attack was dodged, the spirit didn't seem any angrier than what his words conveyed. He simply wasn't happy with what their opponent had done.
Subaru saw blood dripping, and a bit of steam was rising from the frozen ground. The blood was coming from black haired woman's right foot. She was standing barefoot just out of the line of fire from Puck's attack, and bleeding profusely from her right foot, and it wasn't hard to see why. After all, she had sliced off the sole of her foot.
"I was afraid I might lop the whole foot off, seeing as how I hurried. That was a close one."
"Even if you only cut that much, it must hurt a lot," said the cat.
"Well yes, you're right. But it's wonderful. It makes me feel alive, and in addition to that…" In response to spirit's worried sounding words, the woman nodded with a look of ecstasy in her eyes, and without hesitation pushed her bleeding foot against a piece of ice. A sound that sounded like air shattering came erotically from her throat, and then immediately afterward she took her knife to the ice around her foot. With that, she had managed to stop the bleeding with the ice. "It's a little hard to move, but this should be enough," said commented with a laugh, clicking her ice shoe against the ground, looking as though she was having fun. Her addiction to fighting left her without any hesitation when it came to maiming herself, but right now it was her opponent, the spirit user, who was in trouble.
"Puck, do you think you can keep going?" she asked in a whisper.
"I'm sorry, but I'm really tired. I think I really underestimated her. At this rate I'm going to disappear from having run out of mana," the freshly doubled Puck replied, for the first time without the confidence that had filled his voice before. As the cat stood on the half elf's shoulder, its figure began to shine, and looked as though it would fade at any moment. They were out of time.
"I'll find a way to handle the rest on my own, so go ahead and rest. Thank you."
"If something happens, I'll obey my contract. If need be, call me out, even if you have to use your od," said Puck with a warning, as his body disappeared in a wisp of mist.
If Subaru hat to say the one most disappointed by Puck's departure was none else but his opponent.
"Aw… You're going away? That's terribly unfortunate," said the assassin, the one who had been fighting with Puck with her life on the line. She sounded truly disappointed. She readied her kukri again and with the high-pitched click of her icy shoe, began to head toward the half elf. A number of icicles materialized around her opponent in response, but there were far fewer than when Puck was with her. The match appeared even.
"It looks like we can't just sit around and watch this anymore, can we?" said Rom, gripping his club and getting ready to move. "I don't know who's going to win this anymore, so if we just wait around we're going to miss our chance. You understand, right, Felt?" continued Rom.
"I know, I know. Whether we help or run, we're going to have to make a move soon," said Felt, talking for the first time since he arrived.
Rom had strength in his arms and Felt strength in her legs and half elf had strength in her magic, and so all of them could manage to fight. However their opponent's abnormality trumped all of those abilities.
"It looks like she's starting to get pushed back," said Rom, and that was enough to completely describe what was happening.
While the spirit user hadn't stopped shooting projectiles the assassin just slapped them away with her blade, rendering them useless. In response to her dance of slicing attacks, the half elf would block the attacks with her ice shield, and freeze the ground in front of her feet to slide away, barely dodging opponent's continuing attacks. After the magic user gained some distance, she would continue her barrage, but she was slightly outmatched. To change the current situation, some kind of support was absolutely necessary. Subaru was wondering if it was time for him to join the fight, but decided to wait for a bit longer. He did not want to get involved unless absolutely necessary.
"All right, I'm going!" Apparently Rom had thought the same as Subaru, and after letting out a yell, Rom joined the fight. As Rom swung his club, it brought a gust of air along with it, and as the assassin ducked her hair was caught up a little in the blast. The half elf was pushed over the counter by her opponent disenabling her temporarily.
"Oh, how rude of you to interrupt our dance," said commented.
"If you want to dance that much then I'll make you dance a fine dance, so give it your best shot!" As Rom swung his thorny pointed club at her, he changed his line of attack. He thrust the club toward woman's throat, but Rom froze at the result.
"What the hell is this?!"
"I'm only able to do this because you're so strong," said a voice from above. That kind of technique could only be accomplished with a godlike sense of balance. Before that balance could be broken, the assassin swung her blade horizontally at Rom. The strike was level with Rom's forehead. If it landed, the top of his head would be sent flying.
"You think I'd let you?!"
Shing! went the sound of the black haired beauty's sword as it collided with a knife thrown by Felt. The collision had altered the path of the sword, but the side of it still collided full force into the side of Rom's head. A dull sound rang out as Rom toppled over to the side.
"What a naughty little girl," said the assassin now out for blood as she landed lightly back on the ground and turned just her eyes toward Felt.
"…" Felt herself had frozen like a frog being stared down by a snake, and now she was weaponless. Her small knife had saved Rom's life. She probably had aimed for their opponent's arm, but in the rush of the moment her aim was a little off. However, without that slight miss, Rom might not have been saved.
"You don't have the determination or power to fight. You should have just cowered in the corner like a good little girl." The high-pitched click of the assassin's step rang out as she instantly closed the distance between herself and Felt. Rom was unconscious and so the only one who could her the blonde thief was the half elf she stole from. The icicles were useless but it served well in bringing her opponents attention back to herself slightly, but the assassin had no intention of leaving Felt's interruption go unpunished. Happily it give the silver haired girl enough time to close in and tackle Felt, saving her from what would have been a critical wound. She did so without much thinking, injuring herself in the process and playing right into their opponent's hand.
The assassin followed up with a decisive blow, that never connected. The bullet pierced through into her body, violently making her stop in her tracks. She looked at the wound in the middle of her stomach, her hands touched the bullet's entrance and before her eyes found Subaru's who stepped out the shadows. He kept his gun trained at her, ready to fire at any given moment.
"That hurt..." The black haired woman declared in a way one would say if stung by an insect.
"You're-" the half elf said in surprise before her injury brought her attention back to their current situation. Her wound was while not fatal she, no they all would have died had the yakuza not stepped in when he did.
"A-are you alright?" Felt asked worried. "You... why would you..." They had been saved by the nick of the time.
"And just who are you supposed to be?" His opponent manner of speech could be described as seductive. "The hero arriving in the brink of time to save the damsels in distress?"
"That description does not fit me." Subaru was amused by her words, he as the hero? Now he heard them all. "You shall leave now."
She looked a bit put off "But why I'm having so much fun!" The assassin said euphorically. He knew she was preparing for another attack.
"Try me than." The black haired beauty's smile widened as she saw his eyes. He briefly what they reflected because she seemed to be overjoyed.
"You would..."she said not explaining further. "I am Elsa 'The Bowel Hunter' Gramhilde," said Elsa, licking her lips. "Now then who are you and why didn't you kill me?" The injury dealt by him was meant to disable instead of killing.
"Subaru Natsuki and sorry, but rain check" Subaru said seemingly put off "reinforcement had just arrived." A flame appeared, burning through the roof from the center of the loot cellar. The flame was filled with a ghastly malice that swept through the room. Right before his eyes, in the middle of a rising pillar of smoke, Subaru saw a red, burning, shining figure.
"That was close. I'm glad I made it in time. Now…"
Felt spoke almost in disbelief. "Y-you're…"
The flame wavered and stepped forward. Its very existence was enough to make everyone freeze. Taking in the gazes from everyone present, without being shaken one bit, stood an absolute sense of will. With sky-blue eyes shining with a pure sense of justice, the young man smiled faintly.
"I think it's time to draw the curtain on this performance!" the hero declared, brushing back his red hair.
"…Reinhard?" The blonde thief breathed out.
"That is correct. I'm sorry I'm late." The red-haired young man said as he briefly looked at Subaru. Without letting his guard down for a moment, Reinhard looked ahead, and turned his eyes toward the black-clothed beauty who was now focusing her animosity toward him. His blue eyes narrowed, as if he were remembering something.
"Black hair and black clothes, and your weapon is the bent blade particular to the northern countries. With all of those characteristics aligned, there's no mistaking it. You are the 'Bowel Hunter,' aren't you?"
"Interesting alias…" muttered Subaru.
"It's an alias given to her based on the way she kills. She's well-known in the capital to be a dangerous individual. However, from what I hear she appears to be more of a mercenary," replied Reinhard in response as he trained his clear eyes on their opponent.
"Reinhard. Ah, yes. The knight among knights…and of the 'Master Swordsman' lineage. Well, that's amazing. I never thought I'd meet such an enjoyable opponent let alone two." She said as she looked at Subaru briefly."I'll have to thank my employer now for giving this job, now won't I?"
"There are many things I would like to ask you. I recommend you surrender, however…"
"Would you say to a starving predator as it stands before its wounded prey, a perfect specimen and already dripping blood, to bear its hunger and move on?"
"The bullet that I shot you with is a Trick Bullet, unless you get it out, all of it, your quick regeneration only makes it worse. Instead of squandering the small chances you have against both of just retreat now and fight tomorrow. Or you can die today, in the end I don't really care. Though you better decide quickly. " Reinhard looked like he wanted to object but he didn't really have the chance.
"One day, I will open the stomachs of everyone here, so take care of your bowels for me until then!" she cried, using a part of the collapsing building as a foothold to leap up onto the roof.
Everyone present seemed to be in shock by what had just transpired.
"H-how did you?" The silver haired girl asked before Felt's distressed words distracted her.
"Rom?!"
The half elf quickly moved closer, careful of her own injuries. "Let me look at the wound."
As the girls took care of the half-giant the red-haired knight turned to the yakuza.
"Looks like my presence wasn't needed. You had everything in hand" He admitted before giving him a certain look that he knew all too well. "though I am unsure if letting her get away was a good decision."
Subaru really felt like sighing. He wasn't in position to order around a knight, so it was surprising that Reinhard would look at him for answer. The yakuza had none he could offer the red-head, it was not his job to decide what the knight should do and he was not going to take responsibility for letting a murderer escape.
"Feel free to chase her." Natsuki said as he turned around. Sun Tsu said 'The supreme art of war is to subdue an enemy without fighting.' Subaru had found those words somehow extremely fitting in this situation. On that subject he found that the best way to destroy an enemy, besides destroying them in every possible way, was to turn her into a friend. Elsa seemed like someone who the yakuza could use in the future, it all depended on how he used his cards. "Besides - I still have to scold this idiot."
"Are you-"
"You shouldn't do that!" He cut in before the silver head could actually start healing the wound, gathering many surprised looks once more.
"What do you mean?!" The two women asked as once.
Felt quickly added. "I stole from her, old man Rom has nothing to do with this!"
"Let me rephrase what I meant is don't do that now. Isn't there someone who should be treated first?" Seeing as he wasn't getting through he sighed while muttering. "no common sense at all... " His eyes found the half-elf's and with an exasperated tone he asked. "I mean are you really a healer when you endanger both your life and possibly his. Or maybe you are confident enough in your abilities that you think you can heal him fast enough so you don't bleed out?" the question had the desired effect. Both Felt and Reinhard realized by now that the half-elf was still bleeding quite heavily from the wound she got when she saved Felt, making her self conscious, while Reinhard's eyes only narrowed slightly. Subaru wasn't done yet. "In this case, I think confident is just another word for stupid." he said making her flinch slightly. "You know I didn't save your life so you'd throw it away needlessly. I didn't even get a reward yet! You didn't think I did it for free, really there is limit of how self-righteous one can be."
"Of course I... "
"Please..." Felt pleaded. "You have to save him, he is the only family I have! But he's right, caring for two injured unconscious people in this moment would be troublesome, so heal yourself first and then please heal him too."
"Alright, I understand I shall do so then."
Reinhard looked on from a distance at the faint blue light, its wavelengths those of water, the element of healing, and let out a soft sigh that no one around him could hear. Signs of grief showed on his handsome profile . If you were to take the image of his figure as he stood in front of the ruins behind him, it would surely be a masterpiece of art. Such was the way he stood. However, Reinhard had a deep sense of regret in him, the weight of which could not be lessened by words.
"…All right. That should do it," came a voice like silver bells to Reinhard's ears, as he had continued to blame himself, his eyes closed.
"I'm done treating him. He made it past the worst of it." She made sure that there was still a look of redness, of life in his face, then stood up and nodded.
"That's good to hear. Now that that's taken care of, Lady Emilia…" Reinhard said as he walked swiftly over to Emilia, knelt down on one knee, and bowed his head. Reinhard's every motion was executed without any fault, and perfectly adhered to proper etiquette. "Due to my shortcomings, I have caused you a great deal of stress. I am prepared to take whatever punishment you deem necessary in response to my failure." Reinhard placed his sword in front of him as he knelt and apologized for his failings. As a knight, this was the most sincere way he could apologize. No matter what might befall him, Reinhard was prepared to take any punishment without complaint.
Emilia, however, stuck out her finger and waved it back and forth, looking annoyed. "I never understand why you all are like that."
"Meaning…?"
"You saved us all from grave danger, and everyone made it out alive. Yet here you are, trying to take responsibility for our pain and all of the trouble we went through." Emilia pointed her finger toward Subaru, who was now smoking quietly while nursing a drink he helped himself with from the bar. "That one over there is a lot more honest. He saved me and then demanded a reward." The half-elf wasn't sure how to feel about that. But he did save her life while placing his own in danger, not to mention it had been his words that had the bowl-hunter running, even if Reinhard's appearance helped things along quite a bit. She should thank them properly. "So, thank you for saving us. That is all I have to say to you. I don't see any fault of yours to punish you for. If that's not enough for you, then work harder next time you save someone."
"Understood. Thank you for your kind words," said Reinhard, bowing further to show his respect before standing up again.
One more cheesy line and I'm going to be sick. Natsuki thought with a sigh.
When the two stood facing together, it was clear that Reinhard was much taller than Emilia, and so when he looked at her, he had to look down at her. Where was that grandness that he sensed from her just moments before? It must be a difference in the capacity of our characters, mused Reinhard, taking heed of his own narrow-mindedness. Surely Emilia was simply one of those "chosen ones," he reaffirmed within himself.
"I just remembered, talking about how you saved us, but…how and why did you come here?" Emilia asked suddenly.
"Today is my day off, and I was wandering aimlessly about the capital. If I had been patrolling off duty, my squadron leader would have gotten upset at me, so I really was just walking around, but then…I met two arguing young men." They ended up being useful, even though in a different manner than Subaru predicted. Being know as troublemakers it was no question as to why they would attract a guard's attention. In the end if not for his safety but Chin's who had been hiding for the entire time. "They begged me to help their friend, as to what are you, lady Emilia doing here, that I still don't understand."
"Well it's because of her." Now that Felt had come up in conversation once more, Emilia turned her eyes to a corner of the open area in front of the loot cellar, where Felt was taking care of Rom, who had yet to wake up. The blond-haired girl turned around as she felt Emilia's stare and looked down awkwardly.
"Lady Emilia, who is that girl…?"
"Reinhard, I appreciate all of your help, and thank you for saving us. However, please…I must ask you to refrain from interfering from here on out," said Emilia in a strong tone, and that was enough to keep Reinhard from pressing any further. Emilia closed her eyes, trying to figure out how she would approach Felt.
As Reinhard looked at Emilia's beautiful face, he sighed. "I won't ask what's going on, but your safety is very important. I would ask that you take care of yourself. I will send knights to take you home, so please go along with them."
"Normally I would have to refuse, but after all of this I suppose there's no helping it. All right, I'll take you up on your offer," Emilia replied.
"Understood," replied Reinhard. "Then perhapsh could you tell me what relation do you have to him?"
"I just met him today," Emilia replied immediately, and Reinhard paused, giving her a doubtful and confused look. Perhaps because she found Reinhard's reaction amusing, Emilia smiled. "It's the truth! There's no other way to put it. I don't have any memory of meeting Subaru before this day. The first time I had ever seen him was when I walked into an alley not long ago. It wasn't a particularly nice meeting-"
"Because you couldn't help but act self-righteous." the yakuza butted in before giving them a small mocking smile. "Sorry, did I interrupt you two? Didn't know it was a private conversation, though I like to point out One that there are others in this room who are capable of hearing. Two, it's not polite to hold a private conversation while in company of others. Three you were not particularly quite. So, now then how shall we proceed?"
Reinhard was not sure what to think about Subaru, he did not dislike him, nor did he like him. But his bravery did deserve respect. "If you would like" The knight started "I could have someone from my family take him in as a guest…"
"…No, I'll take him with me. I'll be able to find out more about him that way, and even if he isn't connected to that weirdo, it does not change the fact that he saved my life," said Emilia. "But thank you for offering," she added, to which Reinhard replied with a slight nod.
"That's nice, you deciding about my fate like it does not concern me." He said finally standing up. "I will stay here" it was not negociable. "when the time is right, I will come to you for my reward."
Emilia looked a bit put off. People would be usually jumping at such a chance. "Are you sure-"
"Yes. That's why I said what I just said. "
With that,Subaru Reinhard and Emilia had just about finished all they had to talk about. Afterward, Reinhard would go and send a few knights to escort Emilia back to her residence, and then he would have to start working on cleaning up the aftermath of the battle.
As Reinhard looked at the loot cellar that he had destroyed, he closed his eyes before the extent of the damage. As always, he was frustrated that he could not properly control himself. All of this damage was the result of a slight miscalculation of power on his part. He needed to be more careful.
"What is it that you plan on doing next to deal with the area?" asked Emilia.
"We'll have to declare the area off limits for a while, and pass out wanted posters for the Bowel Hunter. She is already a person who has a lot of rumors floating around about her, so I'm not sure it will help, but…"
Subaru hmmed. "What about the girl, Felt and the old man?"
"…It's hard for me to grasp all that has happened, but given my occupation, I do not think that what they were doing is something that I can just ignore. However…" Reinhard paused, and then shrugged his shoulders. "…today happens to be my day off. If I might add another thing: If there's no victim filing a complaint, then the lack of evidence makes it hard to convict. But above all else, it's really hard for me to grasp what happened."
The silver haired girl couldn't help but giggle slightly. "You really are a terrible knight."
"Well, that is the truth, despite everyone calling me the knight among knights," said Reinhard jokingly, and Emilia put her hand to her mouth and giggled some more. Finally, after all the laughing had subsided, Emilia's thoughts were in order. She walked toward the blond-haired girl who was still hugging the old man beside her. When she noticed Emilia coming, she looked up, prepared to face her.
"So this old man is your family?" asked Emilia, squatting down so that she was on the same level as Felt. Felt looked shocked. Of all the things she had expected to hear, that was not one of them. Even Reinhard, who didn't know what had happened between the two, could tell that they were not on particularly good terms even with all that happened. Felt scratched her cheek and tried to regain her composure, and then, as if trying to hide her embarrassment, she slapped Rom a few times.
"I-it's kinda like that. To me, Old Man Rom is like my only…uh…grandfather figure sort of thing."
"I see." The half elf nodded slowly. "I only have one family member as well. He's always sleeping when it counts, and when he's awake I don't think I could ever say that to him."
"Well…I can't say these sort of things when Rom's awake, either."
Reinhard couldn't be sure, but it looked as though the intensity of Felt's slaps was increasing. She probably wasn't paying attention. The frequency was also increasing, and the old man's white bald head was turning red.
Felt then looked up at Emilia, with a weak light in her red eyes. "I was sure you were going to be angry at me."
"Well, that might have happened if things were as they were before, but I don't feel like I have it in me anymore. So while only a little bit, I'll forgive you." said Emilia with a weak smile and a shrug. Subaru looked if a bit annoyed thanks to the lost bussiness opportunity.
Felt looked at Emilia, then at Subaru, and then looked down before quietly saying, "I'm sorry. Both of you saved my life. I can't be so ungrateful as to ignore that. I'll return what I stole."
"Good. That makes things easier on me. I really, really would feel bad if I had to sic this guy over here on you," said Emilia with a wink, pointing back at Reinhard.
After hearing those words and looking at that young man with the red hair and blue eyes, Felt grimaced. "The knight among knights… I would have to be crazy to try to run away with someone like that on my tail. "
Upon hearing those words, Reinhard just smiled back at Felt, wordlessly.
With a slight click of her tongue, Felt stood up and walked over to Emilia, who stood up as well. "All right, I'll give it back," said Felt, digging around in her breast pocket. "If it's that important to you, make sure you hide it better so it doesn't get stolen again."
"That warning feels a little strange coming from you. …If possible I would like it if you stopped your thievery altogether." Subaru sighed once more, truly how self -righteous can one be.
"That's something I cannot do," said Felt in a flat refusal. "Just so you know, I'm only returning this to you this time because I owe my life to you all. I don't think I did anything wrong, and I have no plans to stop."
Felt put on a strong-willed smile. Considering Felt's age, it was almost painful to watch. As Felt declared her intentions, Reinhard looked on in silence. Given his occupation, Reinhard knew that this was not something he should overlook, but what other way of life did she have? What right did he have to talk of justice without offering her any alternatives? Reinhard had seen enough of the capital to not be so naive as to ignore that fact. Emilia seemed to realize this as well, and after lowering her eyes for a few moments, she stuck out her hand without another word.
"Understood. …I was asking for too much."
"If I was able to eat without having to work for it, I might quit, but that's not happening. Anyway, here you go." Felt reached out to put the thing she had taken out of her pocket into Emilia's hand, to give back what she had stolen.
For an instant, Reinhard saw a flash of red cross in front of his eyes. That bright light was something he had seen before, and as he narrowed his eyes Reinhard searched through the sea of his memories for it. Then after he had found what he was looking for…
"Huh?"
"Reinhard…?"
…he reached out and grabbed Felt's hand, still holding on to the badge. Both girls looked up in surprise at Reinhard, but when they saw his serious expression, both fumbled for words.
"Th-that hurts… Let go…" said Felt, shaking her head and trying to resist.
Subaru bit back a smirk. The knight looked like a man posessed. Curious, what brought this on? He had just been acting like the perfect knight. Must have been something big, for him to drop his gentleman persona.
Reinhard did not loosen his grip. The strength in his hand was such that, if he wanted to, he could bend steel. Even if he wasn't using his full strength, it was not something that a slender girl like Felt could shake away from. "I don't believe it…" muttered Reinhard, his voice shaking.
Upon hearing those words, Emilia responded, her eyes trembling. "Wait, Reinhard. I understand that it is hard to let her off without a word, but she didn't realize how much this badge is worth. Plus, I do not find fault with her. It was my fault that I let it get stolen in the first place."
"You're mistaken, Lady Emilia. That's not what I have a problem with," said Reinhard in a forceful tone. Confused, Emilia went silent.
Reinhard stared intently at Felt, so much that he had already forgotten how rude he just was to Emilia. As Felt looked back at the young man with hair as red as her eyes, those red eyes of hers wavered with anxiety.
"…What is your name?"
"It's F-Felt…"
"What is your surname? How old are you?"
"I-I'm an orphan, all right? I don't have a surname and I…I think I'm about fifteen years old. I don't know my own birthday. But enough about that. Let me go!" As Felt spoke, she seemed to regain a bit of her composure and tried to wrestle herself away from him.
Reinhard kept his firm hold on Felt and then turned to look at Emilia. "Lady Emilia, I am no longer able to fulfill your request. I'm taking this girl with me."
"…May I ask why? If the reason has anything to do with this badge…"
"That is certainly not a crime I would like to ignore, but considering the far greater crime it would be to watch this moment before me unfold without any action, it is a trivial matter."
Emilia furrowed her brow, in both hesitation and confusion.
But Reinhard accepted Emilia's confusion. He felt that there was no helping it. After all, this was something she was used to. It would be cruel to tell her to realize what was happening.
"You're coming with me. I'm sorry, but I can't let you refuse."
"What are you, crazy?! Just because you saved me doesn't mean you can just… Huh?"
Just as Felt was about to continue yelling at Reinhard, her body went limp. As the power drained from her body Felt glared at Reinhard, until the very end, finally saying, "Burn in hell… Damn it…" before her head drooped and she fell unconscious.
"That's again not a very knightly thing for you to do… If you do it that roughly, it's going to leave lasting effects on the gate."
"Fortunately, this is something I've had to live with all my life, so I understand how to keep everything in moderation. …Lady Emilia, I believe you'll hear again from me soon. Please understand."
Reinhard gently took Emilia's badge out of Felt's limp hand and gave it to her. The dragon on the badge was, in fact, the state symbol of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunika. In Reinhard's hand the red jewel shone with a dull light, but when it was returned to Emilia's hands it shone bright, as if delighted to be back in the hands of its owner.
"I ask that you take good care." said Reinhard with a bow, after Emilia silently took her badge from Reinhard and continued to look at him.
Feeling Felt's light weight in his arms, Reinhard brushed her blond hair away from her forehead. When she was unconscious like this and didn't have to be so on guard, her white face looked both innocent and charming. If she were given a change of clothes and a bath, surely she would shine.
A strong wind blew and Reinhard's bangs danced in front of his face. Through those bangs Reinhard looked up at the sky and saw floating in the twilight above the capital, the moon. It was a full moon that shone with a bluish white light, and its beauty was both alluring and bewitching.
"This may be the last time I can look up at the moon and feel at ease…" muttered Reinhard, his words only reaching the moon that looked down upon them.
AN: I followed the LN for writing this obviously Subaru is different, I am unsure if he will have the power to return by death, but I don't plan on making him use it at least not for quite a long time.
Drop a review if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them all the next time I update, which I'm not sure when will be. I admit I wrote this fiction just for the fun of it, it is not my priority at the moment.
Anyway thank you for reading, Bye!