Re:Zero FF Beatrice Heart Crossing

Chapter 9: The Peaceful Lake and The Warring Heart

In the week that followed, Beatrice swapped out books with Adella several times as her injuries healed. She found herself enthralled by the romance novels and would try to finish one every night. This led to her trying to sleep in and being harassed by Niki who, as promised, showed up to visit Beatrice everyday. Subaru kept busy watching over Beatrice or by foraging for items that he could trade with the villagers. Niki had been visiting so frequently that Kobe set up a cart to go between the village and the castle. Subaru felt bad about abusing Kobe's kindness so he had started to scavenge for things he could trade to make it worthwhile. Adella even contributed baked goods to the endeavor. Before long, the awaited day arrived for the camping trip and Beatrice was in Adella's room speaking with her.

Beatrice: "Here is your book back, I suppose."

Adella: "Thank you, Lady Beatrice. Did you find all the books useful?"

Beatrice: "I think so, in fact… I still have no idea what I should say to him, I suppose."

Adella: "Don't worry about that! You just need the opportunity to talk one on one. That's where Niki and I come in."

Beatrice: "W-what are you going to do, in fact?"

Adella: "Now that would spoil the surprise! Look at the time! Go wake Master Subaru up and get dressed. Miss Niki should be here soon."

Adella practically shoved Beatrice out of her room. Beatrice walked back to the bedroom and approached Subaru. She took a moment to look at his sleeping face that she had seen many times but something about today was different. She had been reading romance novels and her gaze was drawn to his lips. They were slightly parted and seemed to have a glisten to them.

Beatrice: "I don't see what is so interesting, I suppose."

Beatrice reached out her hand to gently touch Subaru's lips, but he began to stir and she pulled her hand back.

Subaru: "Beako? Watching me sleep again, huh?"

Beatrice: "N-no...Y-yes...Idiot!"

Subaru: "Good morning to you too."

Beatrice: "Nevermind that, I suppose. Just get dressed and go downstairs. Betty needs to get ready too, in fact."

Subaru: "Gotcha, I'll be quick."

Beatrice stepped out of the room as Subaru selected an outfit from the wardrobe. He decided on a dark navy tracksuit and black tennis shoes. As he left the bedroom, he grabbed his backpack that he had packed earlier in the week. Beatrice ran in as he left and shut the door while Subaru made his way to the foyer. Adella was waiting for him in her normal maid attire with a very large trunk.

Adella: "Hello, Master Subaru. Are you ready for our journey?"

Subaru: "Yeah...uhh...how are you going to carry that trunk?"

Adella: "A head maid has many tricks. Carrying this will be easy."

As a show of strength, Adella lifted the trunk by a handle on top with one hand.

Adella: "See?"

Subaru: "That's incredible! How-"

Adella: "Now, now, a maiden has her secrets. I assure you that every article contained within is of utmost importance."

?: "I used mana to make it lighter, in fact!"

Adella: "You see- Erk!? L-lady Beatrice?"

Beatrice: "I see I've caught you off guard for once, I suppose!"

Subaru turned to seek out Beatrice, who had entered the foyer behind him. While it was unusual for Adella to become flustered, the reason became apparent when he laid eyes on Beatrice. She wore a smug smile from having rendered Adella speechless, but her attire was the more notable feature. Instead of her normal outfit of ornate dresses, she was now wearing a tan button up shirt with a matching short skirt and large dark brown boots. Her hair was tied into slim pigtails and she wore a pith hat on her head. Subaru couldn't help but think she looked like a cartoon explorer with her small backpack in tow. Adella caught her breath before speaking.

Adella: "Lady Beatrice, what in heavens are you wearing?"

Beatrice: "Huh? We are going for a hike, I suppose. This is what people in books wear to hike, in fact."

Adella: "I'm afraid you might have mistaken old adventuring novels for current fashion trends."

Beatrice: "W-what? Do I look f-foolish, in fact…?"

Adella remained silent as Beatrice turned her teary gaze to Subaru. He could tell that she put effort into her outfit and did not intend it as a joke.

Beatrice: "What about you, I suppose? Do you think Betty looks terrible, in fact?"

Subaru: "Not at all. I think you look especially cute. It actually makes me more motivated to hike!"

Adella: "Master, you can't be ser-"

Beatrice: "That settles it, I suppose! Betty is prepared, in fact. Let us be on our way!"

With newfound confidence, Beatrice flung open the front door and stepped outside. Adella gave Subaru a grave expression before moving her trunk outside. Before long, they could see a cart approach in the distance. Once the cart arrived, Beatrice was pulled into an embrace from a visibly excited Niki before they started to load the luggage on the cart. It was a small cart with open sides that had a makeshift awning to block out the sun. In all, there were two seats on each side and one seat near the driver's seat. A large blue-grey land dragon pulled the cart but the speed was significantly slower due to its age. After they had all the supplies secure, Subaru pointed out a dilemma.

Subaru: "Umm… We only have space for two to sit in here now…"

Adella: "Oh, is that so? Well, I suppose that Niki can sit on my lap. Subaru, would you mind if Lady Beatrice sat on yours?"

With this inquiry, Beatrice froze as she fought the heat rising in her cheeks. She turned her head almost robotically towards Subaru and waited for his answer.

Subaru: "Ehh? Adie, I can't make Beako do that. After all... she is a maiden-"

Beatrice: "Eep! I'LL DO IT!"

Beatrice erupted as she blurted out the sentence. A stunned Subaru looked towards her with a confused expression.

Subaru: "Huh?"

Niki: "What was that, best friend? I don't think he heard ya."

Beatrice: "I-I said I-I'll do it, I suppose… I want to s-sit o-on-"

Niki: "Yes, yes, you wanna sit on his lap, in fact. We'll be here forever at this rate! So what's yer answer, mister? Can ya provide the lady a seat or not?"

Subaru blushed as the cat girl excitedly pointed a finger at him demanding an answer.

Subaru: "I-I guess that's fine."

Niki: "Okay! Load up!"

The excited cat girl crawled into the cart and sat on Adella's lap while Subaru awkwardly took his seat. Beatrice slowly shuffled into the cart before standing in front of Subaru. She turned away from him and made sure to hold her skirt down as she gingerly hopped into his lap with a squeak. Subaru would have thought it cute had he not been distracted by the softness of her legs. He noted that she was lighter than he remembered and that the scent of her shampoo occasionally wafted near his nose. Before he realized, the cart had started moving and the intermittent bumps only made him more aware of her presence. It was Adella who interrupted his thinking by breaking the silence.

Adella: "Master Subaru, you don't have to stare so intently at Lady Beatrice. Someone might get the wrong idea."

Niki: "Yeah, yer makin' goo goo eyes and she can't even change back to her normal color!"

It was then that Subaru noticed that Beatrice was indeed an intense shade of crimson. He spoke out to try and calm her nerves.

Subaru: "Beako, you need to breathe, I don't want you to faint!"

Beatrice: "I-is that so, I s-suppose… Ahn...Ahn…"

Subaru: "That's good, now jus-"

At that moment, as if by fate, the cart hit a small rock on the trailside that made it jostle violently. The distracted Beatrice lost her balance while Subaru instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist to stabilize her.

Beatrice: "Awawawa!?"

Subaru: "Beako! Are you okay?"

Beatrice: "..."

With that, Beatrice went silent as Adella and Niki exchanged devilish smiles. Subaru was left with the duty of keeping her secure until they arrived at the village. As the cart stopped, new energy shot through Beatrice as she jumped up and ran out of the cart without saying a word. Niki grabbed Beatrice's hand and ran off to the lodge with her while Subaru and Adella worked on unloading the cart in the meantime. Within a few minutes, the luggage was ready to go and Niki ran over with Beatrice and the four children along with a cat woman who they were unfamiliar with.

Niki: "Hey everybody! This is Mina's mom, she wanted to meet you, little lady."

?: "Hello, I am Hina. I wanted to thank you for rescuing my daughter."

Hina made a considerable bow towards Beatrice before presenting a box to the small spirit.

Hina: "This is from the village and myself. Please accept this gift along with our deepest gratitude."

Beatrice: "It was no trouble, I suppose. I hope to get along with you from now on, in fact."

Hina: "Then I will trust Mina and the little ones to you. Please have a safe trip."

Beatrice: "Thank you, I suppose."

The small cat woman turned to take her leave as Subaru tried to interject.

Subaru: "Erhem… I'm Subaru Natsuki… and this is Adie...and she's not stopping…"

Niki: "Don't mind it, that's the most I think I've heard her talk in ages. She's had an overwhelming week. Besides, I already told her about ya!"

Subaru: "Still...rude…"

?: "Well I reckon that y'all are about to head out camping, right?

Niki: "Paw paw!"

Kobe: "Hello, Niki. I wanted to thank Beatrice personally and see you off on your journey."

Beatrice: "Thank you, I suppose. I am getting a little tired of giving thanks, in fact."

Subaru: "Beako! Manners!"

Kobe: "That's quite alright. Besides I think you like this crass side of her, am I right?"

Kobe nudged Subaru lightly which elicited a small blush from the boy.

Niki: "Paw paw, enough! We gotta get goin' if we wanna make it to the lake before night!"

Kobe: "Fine, fine. Y'all just follow the river up to the small mountain and there should be a lake fit for swimming and camping."

Adella: "Thank you sir, as head maid, I will ensure our safe passage to the campsite."

Kobe: "A maid? Now I have seen it all…"

Niki: "Bye, Paw paw!"

Niki stormed ahead dragging Beatrice as the group followed. Kobe stood watching and waving as the campers made their way out of the village along the river. There was a worn trail in the grassland next to the river that guided them. Niki took care to keep the children marching straight as Beatrice looked around wide eyed at the unfamiliar scenery. Adella was head of the pack with her oversized trunk that she dragged behind her effortlessly. The trunk almost seemed to float and the children would occasionally jump on it for a ride. The scenery stayed consistent as they moved away from the village with the exception of the trees. As they trudged along, the forest began to become dense enough to shield them from the sunlight. After what felt like a few hours, the group ran into a rocky cliffside. The river met a small waterfall and Subaru surmised that this must be the base of the mountain that Kobe had mentioned. Niki turned to address the group.

Niki: "Now we gotta cross the river and the trail should take us up. Everybody be careful crossing, the rocks can get slippery!"

Children: "Kay!"

Adella assisted Niki in getting the children across the river as Subaru took Beatrice's hand to guide her across.

Subaru: "Everything okay, Beako?"

Beatrice: "Yes, I suppose. It is a very good day for a camping trip, in fact."

Subaru: "Agreed. I can't wa- Hey, what's that? Look, it's a frog!"

Beatrice: "Huh? So it is, I suppose. Such a trivial thing to distract y- Erk!?"

The small frog sat on the river rocks, eyeing the two travelers cautiously. Seemingly unhappy with being referred to diminutively, it jumped on to Beatrice's hat. The small spirit let out a shriek as she threw her hat at Subaru before jumping off the rocks and soaring across to the head of the group using her mana.

Everyone: "..."

The entire group froze as the boys started to look down and the girls covered their mouths. The collective blush from the campers was made poignant by the silence that followed. Coming to his senses, Subaru grabbed Beatrice's hat and shook off the frog and ran to Beatrice's side.

Subaru: "B-beako!"

Beatrice: "W-what, I suppose? I wasn't scared, in fact. Just surprised, yes surprised!"

Subaru: "Beako… It's not that…"

Beatrice: "Then what is it, in fact? You are going to tease me, I suppose."

Subaru: "N-no… Beako, when you jumped… Well, we could see your...You're wearing a skirt…"

Beatrice looked down as she clutched the hem of her skirt. All of a sudden, her breathing became erratic as she turned bright red. Her screams echoed in the forest as she took off in a full sprint up the mountain trail. After a moment, Subaru and the rest of the group cleared their heads and started to make their way slowly after Beatrice. It wasn't long before they came upon the small spirit, who was now wearing tan shorts instead of her skirt. The rest of the march was silent as Beatrice kept her distance from Subaru. The group winded along the mountain trail, crossing the river several times along the way. The treeline had become extensively dense with the sun passing the center of the sky. Within an hour, the trail opened up to a small clearing of vibrant green grasses next to a large lake with an impressive waterfall that appeared to originate from higher on the mountain. With a groan, Niki kicked off her shoes and laid down in the grass with the children as Adella opened her trunk and handed out sandwiches for a quick lunch. After the group had eaten, Niki took the children to forage while Adella handed Subaru two tents and gave him instruction.

Adella: "Master Subaru, will you and Beatrice set up these tents while I start preparing for dinner?"

Subaru: "Definitely, we can do it!"

Beatrice: "Can't I just use magic, in fact?"

Adella narrowed her eyes at Beatrice before responding.

Adella: "I think it would be a good bonding exercise, don't you Beatrice? Besides, I think the experience of pitching a tent would be beneficial for shut in."

Beatrice: "Shut in!? How da-"

Subaru placed his hand over Beatrice's mouth as she went limp in surprise. As he removed his hand, Beatrice touched her cheek in apparent shock as Subaru replied to Adella.

Subaru: "Like I said, no problem. Beako, take a corner and pull it out so we can add the rods."

Beatrice: "O-okay, I suppose…"

With the two working in tandem, they made short work of the tents. Both tents were a plain cream color but one was larger than the other. Subaru could tell that BEatrice had something on her mind but she remained unusually silent as they worked. They were simple rectangular tents with triangular roofs and doors that pulled open along the shorter side of the exterior. As the campers tried to decide who would sleep where, Riko interjected with a suggestion.

Riko: "I know! Boys in one tent, girls in the other!"

Soba: "Yeah!"

Mina: "I get to be with Bea?"

Nana: "That's right! Yay!"

Riko: "Wait a minute! I wanna sleep next to Bea!"

Nana: "Too late!"

The little cat girls ran into the large tent before anyone could protest. Beatrice's expression soured as Adella pushed her into the tent while Subaru and the boys entered the smaller tent.

Beatrice sat her futon in the back corner of the tent while Adella put hers next to Beatrice and Niki laid hers at the front of the tent with the children. After they finished setting up their beds, Beatrice let out a groan.

Beatrice: "Ehh…"

Niki: "What's wrong now?"

Beatrice: "I haven't been able to talk without getting flustered, I suppose…"

Niki: "Whaddya talkin' bout? Ya sat on his lap and showed him yer pan-"

Adella: "Now Miss Niki, please spare her feelings. She's trying her best. I think your luck is about to change after dinner…"

Beatrice: "I hope so, in fact."

Niki: "Come on, yer supposed to be havin' fun! Mina, help Bea have fun!

Mina: "Yay!"

Mina dove onto Beatrice and began to purr loudly. Even with her dampened spirits, Beatrice had to softly smile as she patted Mina.

Adella: "Okay, I'll go serve dinner! Hurry along."

Adella exited the tent with the other girls to see that Subaru had started a fire in the pit that she sat up. Adella sat a pot of stew she had prepared over the flame and waited for it to cook. After a short time, the sun was setting in the sky and the campers were having dinner around the fire. Beatrice had used mana to chop large logs for benches so they could sit and strategically placed herself next to Subaru. Once the stew was finished, Adella enlisted Niki and the children to help her clean up before winking at Beatrice. Now that Beatrice and Subaru were alone, Beatrice tried to speak up.

Beatrice: "So…"

Subaru: "..."

Beatrice: "..."

Subaru: "Beako you're acting strange today. What's up?"

Beatrice: "Sorry...Betty is...I am having a hard time...I suppose…"

Subaru: "What for? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Beatrice: "Umm...er… I don't know, in fact. I-I think I might...L-like…"

Subaru: "B-beako?"

Beatrice: "..."

Subaru didn't know what Beatrice was trying to say, but he felt his heart race when she mentioned liking something. Why was this happening now? They had discussed things like this before with no issues. Subaru sat in silence while he pondered his own emotions. Beatrice broke eye contact and started to look down, which only added to Subaru's heartache. He needed to find a way to get the conversation moving. As he thought, he was reminded of their first night in Wishleaf when Beatrice was also having trouble talking. He didn't understand what he was feeling, but he decided to try using the solution from before.

Subaru: "H-hey, Beako?"

Beatrice: "Y-yes?"

Subaru: "You wanna pretend to be a couple like before?"

Beatrice: "Huh?"

Beatrice was stupefied. Was he playing with her? Her heart raced as she stared into Subaru's eyes looking for his intention. However, she thought that maybe it would be easier to talk like before if she pretended.

Beatrice: "I would like that, I suppose. My heart has been racing, in fact."

Subaru: "Mine too…"

The two blushed at their own admission before continuing. Beatrice squirmed as she talked and unwittingly had moved closer to Subaru. Subaru looked down into the small spirit's eyes and he thought that their reflection under the starless sky was quite beautiful. Their hands touched softly, eliciting a gasp from Beatrice as she continued.

Beatrice: "I'm sorry for being so quiet lately, I suppose. I've been trying to figure out how to say what I'm feeling, in fact."

Subaru: "Which is?"

Beatrice: "How rude, I suppose. To probe into a maiden's heart with no regard, in fact."

Subaru: "It's not like that… I've been trying to put words to my feelings too…"

Beatrice: "H-huh? Could it be… do you also… li-"

Beatrice was cut off by an overwhelming crack that shook the entire area. Subaru looked round for the source as they saw Adella, Niki, and the children running up.

Nikk: "Get to the tents!"

Just as Niki yelled the words, the sky confirmed her urgency by releasing a torrential downpour. Subaru scooped up the boys and barreled into their tent while Beatrice followed the rest of the girls into the large tent. The echoes of raindrops battering the tent were all she could hear as Niki closed the door. Beatrice went over to her futon and it was as if all the anxiety she had accumulated finally came to the surface. She collapsed in tears as Niki and Adella rushed over to comfort her.

Niki: "What is it?! Did that idiot hurt ya? I'll kill em'!"

Niki hissed at the unclear threat as Adella touched her shoulder.

Adella: "Calm down. I am assuming that Lady Beatrice was making headway before the storm so rudely cut her off."

Beatrice: "I...hic...tried so hard, in fact… I don't know why I got so excited…*sniff*..."

Adella: "I think you do know. The sound of your heart finally reaches your ears."

Niki: "I'd say so. About time. Question now is, whaddya gonna do?"

Beatrice: "I-I wanna talk to Subaru!"

Niki: "Sounds like a plan, best friend. Let's take this to the war room!"

Adella: "Indeed. Regroup and conquer!"

With the children tucked in, the girls proceeded to come up with a strategy for the following day. In the boy's tent, Subaru had finished tucking in the boys and started to wonder about Beatrice. Something felt torn in his heart and he couldn't place the pain, yet he knew that he wanted nothing more than to speak to Beatrice. With that, the boy and the spirit thought long into the night before finally going to sleep to the sound of reverberating raindrops.

End Chapter 9