Interlude 3: Sora and Natsuki Subaru
A few days after the events that transpired in the Sanctuary, Roswaal took the newly formed Emilia group to the new mansion with everyone having Elsa and Meili in the middle due to their distrust of the two. Meili tried to befriend Petra yet the little maid just ignored her while holding the anger she has towards the girl. During the walk, Subaru told Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki that he decided to be a knight.
"Hell yeah!"
"Wise choice newbie."
"You are going to be a badass knight just like us."
The three knights were overjoyed to hear their friend choosing to become a knight, causing everyone else to chuckle or have a smile at hearing how excited the three were. The three knights quickly started to plan on how to tell Marcos Gildark, their captain, on Subaru's transition from temporary knight to full fledge knight in the capital until Roswaal interjected.
"Noooow Now, Subaru-kun will becoooooome a knight at the Mathers household. Nooooooot in the capital."
"Hold on there, every knight of Lugnica becomes a knight in the capital. Natsuki Subaru will become a knight in the capital."
"Noooooooo he won't. He will become a knight under my rooooooooof of my true household. I will beeeee the one who will make hiiiiim a knight."
"What?!"
Just as the three knights were happy, Roswaal's comments created a bit of in-fighting with everyone interested in the argument they were having, shifting their focus from Elsa to Roswaal and the three knights. As the arguing entertained everyone, Subaru and his parents had a chat all the way in the back.
"How are you two doing?"
"We are holding up good, my baby boy."
"Yeah, we are doing well my amazing son."
"That's good to hear, I wanted to talk about something important."
Subaru quickly looked at his parents with a serious facial expression and told them about how they would need to find something to do in this new world. Subaru proposed that they should get a job with Roswaal which the two were hesitant.
"Hmm I don't know about this my son but considering that you are being Emilia's knight now and you will be next to that bastard. I guess we can work for that man."
Subaru looked at his parents and could see that although they were hesitant to work for Roswaal, they want to be with Subaru. As Subaru smiled that his parents and him would be under the same roof, Naoko wanted to talk about something which changed the atmosphere.
"To change the subject for a moment, you're dad was just telling me about Garfiel."
Naoko's smile turned into a scary face as she looked at her husband. Both Kenichi and Subaru were scared to see Naoko like this, causing both of them to shake.
"What did...my dad say regarding Garfiel?"
"That we should adopt him."
As Naoko says this, she goes to grab Kenichi's ear with some annoyance while smiling as if nothing happened. While Kenichi's ear was hurting, Subaru in a scared tone of voice began to ask, "W-Well what do you think?"
Naoko was silent as she was thinking on her son's question, truly trying to figure out whether or not they should adopt Garfiel. She quickly looked at Garfiel and could tell that him and Frederica were siblings just by the way they were walking. She then turned towards Subaru to ask about Garfiel's life. Subaru could only explain what he knew, which got her thinking before she called Frederica and Garfiel in order to speak to the two.
"Hello there, you two must be Subaru-sama's parents. My name is Frederica Baumann."
"Yes, nice to meet you. You must be Garfiel-kun's older sister. My name is Natsuki Naoko, this here is my husband, Natsuki Kenichi."
"Nice to meet you, Frederica-san."
Frederica nodded at both of Subaru's parents, impressed by how they share many of Subaru's looks and attitude. She smiled before asking the two if Garfiel and her could help them to which Naoko responded.
"We wanted to ask you both about your family since my stubborn husband wants to adopt Garfiel into our family."
There was a pause in the air with Garfiel and Subaru both looking at each other, unsure on how to register this and Frederica completely stunned by this overall. Frederica stood silent for a while as this was something serious.
"We can discuss this in a more...appropriate place."
Subaru says which Frederica agrees before she leaves on her own, leaving Garfiel confused for a moment before asking Subaru to talk in private. Subaru agreed and the two walked away from everyone in order to talk.
"T'hell was that, Captain?"
"I honestly don't know Garfiel...my parents are just being weird."
"Yeah, never seen sis act weird."
"Yeah...regarding what was said, what did you think?"
Garfiel had his arms crossed while walking, giving real thought to what was said since this was a serious matter. They stood silent for a moment before Garfiel responded to his captain's question.
"Th's weird, let's just drop it."
"Agreed."
Garfiel and Subaru both nodded and rejoined the group, not wanting to discuss the situation any further since it was awkward. As they reunited with the group, they walked half a day before reaching Roswaal's new mansion. As they arrived, Subaru talked to Roswaal to ask if he can get his parents to work for him in order for his parents to stay somewhere nearby.
"Oooooh, whaaaaat would you like theeeeem to work as?"
"Hmm. I think my mother could be one of your maids since she knows how to do chores and can cook. As for my father, he could either be a knight alongside me or maybe a butler."
"Aaaaaaare they okaaaaaay with that?"
"Yes, they just don't trust a pathetic clown like you."
"Thaaaaaaaat hurts, Subaru-kuuun. But siiiiince you insist, I will hire theeeeeem but I neeeeed to know what your faaaaather wants to do."
Subaru crossed his arms and began to think for a moment, wishing that he had asked his father about what he wanted to work as. He really gives a lot of thought into it before he finally knows what his father should do.
"He should be a knight alongside me, he is very communicative and can fight, probably better than me without magic."
"Aaaaaalright."
Roswaal nodded and quickly walked into the new mansion to show the group where they will be at. While Roswaal was giving everyone the tour, Subaru was pulled to the side by the three knights.
"What happened guys?"
"Well we would like to stay but we should probably head back to talk with the captain. He needs to know that the Great Rabbit is taken care of."
"You aren't going to tell him about Sanctuary?"
"Don't worry newbie, we promised to keep it a secret. Now regarding the Bowel hunter, we will just keep her out of our report but try to keep her in check."
"Master Sora will make sure she doesn't do anything bad."
"Alright newbie, we are counting on you and your master to keep an eye on things then. Not only on the Bowel hunter and her associate but also on that pathetic clown."
Subaru gave a thumbs up which gave hope to the three knights, knowing that their friend will be able to handle Roswaal with Sora by his side. As Subaru watches his friends leave off to the Capital, he turns to see Rem standing there.
"Rem. What are you doing there?"
"I was sent here by Roswaal-sama and Ram-sama, they were both wondering what you were up to?"
"Hmm. Okay well I was seeing my friends off so you don't have to worry."
Sora gave Rem a smile and started to walk off yet Rem stopped him which did worry the boy since he remembered the first week with Rem she didn't trust him and distrusted him because of the witch's scent on him. There was a silence in the air for a moment before Rem finally broke the silence.
"You have an odd and dark smell on you. My instinct is to not trust you but after having heard all the things you've done for your friends, I want to know why you smell bad."
"Oh, you must smell the witch's scent on me."
"Witch's scent?"
"Ah right, you don't have a lot of knowledge regarding things. The witch of envy's scent is what I have and not because I want to. She just has her eyes on me which I really don't like."
"So...she put it on you for...reasons?"
"Basically."
Rem crossed her arms as she processed everything she heard from the boy that saved them all. Subaru looked at Rem with a slightly nervous facial expression yet keeping his composure. He waited for a moment before Rem continued to interrogate him.
"I was told that Sora and yourself...know more about the me that nobody or myself can remember."
Subaru crossed his arms and started to think of every interaction he has ever had with Rem before the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony ate her name and memories. As he recalls his first events with her before having been killed in the forest, he tells Amnesia Rem all about how she taught him and Sora how to read and write since they were foreigners. He also explained how powerful she was which was something Amnesia Rem wished to regain.
"How strong was I?"
"I mean, you are still pretty strong. From what Master Sora said, you can take a lot of damage and give some as well."
"Wow...that is impressive to hear...was I close to Sora? My sister says I was close to him."
"Well..." Subaru's face turned red since he isn't sure how to answer this question. "You probably should ask Master Sora himself...he knows this answer better than me but from what I know is that you really cared for him deeply enough to even kiss him."
Rem had a moment to process everything before her face turned completely red, thinking that Sora and herself are in an intimate relationship. This is something Subaru didn't realize he put this mindset in Rem's mind. She looked away for a moment to cool down before returning to look at Subaru to ask for more questions. While Rem and Subaru chat, Sora walks around for a moment before walking outside on his own to think.
Emilia had just gotten out of her new room with fresh new clothing to see that something was off about her friend. Emilia was curious of this and quickly followed the Keyblade wielder for a bit until the two were in the new large yard. Sora pulled out his keyblade and quest decided to do some training on his own until Emilia spoke out.
"Sora?"
"Emilia? What are you doing here?"
"Sorry, I just couldn't help but see that you are by yourself."
"Yeah, I just thought that I could use some time on my own."
Sora quickly turned towards the air he was swinging his keyblade and returned to his training until Emilia approached the boy. She could tell that something is wrong with him. She got close to the Keyblade Wielder and patted him in the arm which caused him to pause from his training. He turned towards Emilia and could see that she is worried for him.
"I know this is much but what did you fully see in the trial? Maybe that is what's bringing you down."
"..." Sora stood silent for a moment before he looked up at the sky to see a clear sky which reminded him of Destiny Island. He had a small smile before he sat down with Kingdom Key disappearing. Emilia sat down with him and started to hear about Sora's trial.
"I got to actually talk to my friends again...Riku, Donald, Goofy, everyone. I even got a chance to tell Kairi how I feel...how much she means to me and yet I still miss them very much. I know you told me that they miss me and it makes me happy that they are trying to find a way here...I just fear that maybe I won't see them again..."
Sora looks down and recalls what he told Riku on how they give him strength, how without them he is worthless. Although he has overcome many challenges, he still feels like he needs his friends in order to push through any obstacle in the way. Emilia noticed this and could see that Sora was hurting. She took a moment to think of the right words before saying, "I know it must be tough to be on your own without the people you care about standing by your side. I know this but I can assure you that you will meet your friends again. I did promise Kairi I would protect you until then, so that's what I will be doing."
"Thanks Emilia...I'll try not to be down too much."
"And I will do my best to help you out when you are feeling down."
Sora and Emilia smiled before the two just sat in the silence, enjoying the peaceful sky before returning back to the mansion with Emilia heading to do her studies and Sora going off to prepare Subaru for some training.
For the next couple of days Ram and Frederica trained Rem, Petra, and Naoko in being maids. Garfiel and Subaru both were being trained by Sora with Kenichi, Elsa, and Meili joining in on a few of the sessions. Kenichi and Naoko both create the perfect mayonnaise together with Subaru and Ram's assistance. Beatrice and Subaru spend time together with Subaru teaching Beatrice stuff from his world while Beatrice taught Subaru all the important things he would need to know regarding her world.
Lastly Ram secretly teaches Rem how to use her oni powers properly just in case she would need to summon them in the future. As time passed, the day for Natsuki Subaru to be knighted arrived. Everyone is acting crazy with Frederica and Ram trying to get Garfiel in the tuxedo. While everyone was busy, Emilia was confronted by Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki to be informed that Crusch, Felt, and Anastasia's factions wanted to be there for Subaru's knighthood.
"Will that be alright, Emilia-sama?"
"Yabuto-san, that would be nice to have the others be there for Subaru. What about the Priscilla faction?"
"Yeah I don't think you want her here."
"Why?"
"Emilia-sama, you do realize that she is the meanest of the meanest to put it in kind terms."
"Wait, is she coming?"
"Only because I have an interest in the boy with the key." That voice caused the whole hallway to chill as the most ruthless woman spoke on her behalf with her one armed knight by her side. The three knights turned towards Priscilla and can tell that she is mad at how they didn't even bother to mention her or Al. She pulled out her fan and pointed at the three with a threatening look before speaking to them, "You three are lucky that I don't want to cause a ruckus. Next time show respect or I will put you all in your place."
Priscilla began to walk towards the large banquet hall with Al walking beside her, leaving Emilia slightly annoyed since she remembers how rude Priscilla is. As Priscilla and Al leave, Crusch and her crew enter the hallway to greet Emilia and the three knights.
"Emilia-sama, it is good to see you once again."
"Crusch-sama, how are you doing?"
"I've been good, working hard with all the paper works since we defeated the White Whale. I heard that you all managed to get rid of the Great Rabbit."
"Yes but the credit goes to Subaru and Sora."
"Seems like Subaru-dono and Sora-dono can do so much together." Wilhelm says with an impressed tone of voice. He saw how much of a fighter Subaru was after having lost his keyblade and how powerful Sora was during the fight against the White Whale.
"Nya! Those two are just amazing." Felix says as he was impressed just how much Sora and Subaru have done. Emilia and Crusch both had a small chat before Crusch and her group continued on inside, having been warned that Priscilla made it first. As the three were going inside, Subaru approached them.
"Subaru-kyun! How are ya doing? Are you ready to be a knight?"
"I'm a little nervous but I want to ask if I can talk to Wilhelm for a moment in private. Is that okay Crusch?"
Crusch looked at Subaru and allowed him to take Wilhelm to a private place, she gave him a nod and was received with a thank you before Subaru took Wilhelm away from the group for a moment.
"Mind if I ask what this is about, Subaru-dono?"
"I want to ask a favor but I need to wait for two more people...eh it doesn't matter for now. I want to help Master Sora?"
"What would you like to help Sora-dono with?"
"Well...my master still has issues regarding being a master. He told me that he didn't pass something called the Mark of Mastery which is what I want to change."
Wilhelm processed everything he heard from Subaru, attempting to figure out how they can assist in helping Sora with his low self-esteem as a master. He asked the boy what was the plan to which Subaru responded with,
"The plan is for Master Sora to be confronted by the strongest warriors of this world and to beat them on his own."
"I see. Who will Sora-dono be facing?"
"Well...you are one of four I have in mind."
"It is an honor to be considered as one of the strongest by you, Subaru-dono."
"Yeah. The next person who will join is Beatrice, my spirit."
Wilhelm was intrigued that Subaru is contracted with a great spirit but what he is happy to hear is how he is compared to a great spirit. This got him curious to know who were the other two who will be facing Sora. Before Subaru could answer that, Otto knocked on the door to inform the boy that Felt's camp had arrived.
"Wilhelm, can you wait here for a moment?"
"Don't worry Subaru-dono, I can wait here for a bit."
"I promise to not take too long."
Wilhelm nodded while Otto took Subaru to head towards the large banquet hall where he would be knighted. As he entered, he and Otto noticed that Felt's group were sitting on a table with Felt complaining about being in a dress while Old man Rom was hesitant about being there.
"Subaru-san, are you sure that the big one should be in...those kind of clothing attire?"
"Don't be so judgemental, Otto."
"If Garfiel-san sees him, he will get mad because we forced him to be in formal clothing!"
"Oh don't worry, I trust you our Minister of Internal Affairs."
"Wait...civil, cabinet? Minister of Internal Affairs?"
"Good luck, Otto."
Subaru quickly goes to speak with the Felt camp while leaving Otto completely troubled over the change in his position. Once Subaru walked towards the group, Felt noticed him first and quickly greeted the temporary knight by kicking him in the gut.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"Sorry big bro, I just needed to kick something since 'my knight' won't allow himself to be kicked."
"I'm sorry Felt-sama."
"You better be sorry! Anyway, what brings you here, big bro? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"
"Yeah about that...Reinhard? Old Man Rom? I need to talk to you two in private."
Reinhard and Old Man Rom both looked at each other with confusion in their eyes, unsure of what Subaru wanted yet the two knew that it was probably something important. As the two nodded at Subaru, Felt felt left out and started to complain.
"Wait, what are you up to big bro?! I want to help out!"
Subaru quickly thought for a moment since he knew that Felt would be angry if he didn't give her a task to do. He looked around and could see that his master was missing oddly which made him come up with an idea for what Felt can do.
"If you can find Master Sora, stay with him. Once he is here, make sure he doesn't leave at any point until the signal as been given."
"The signal for what? Is there some kind of surprise for him?"
"In a way."
"Alright big bro, I won't fail you." Felt says in confidence before going off to look for Sora, excited to be contributing. Subaru took Reinhard and Old Man Rom to the room where Wilhelm was in. As the three entered the room, Old Man Rom and Wilhelm instantly recognized each other and gave a look of slight hostility. Subaru noticed this and felt a bit off by it since he should've checked on this prior to having the three there.
"So um...I see that we have some tension here..."
"You didn't know Subaru, it is alright."
"So Rein, can you explain to me what is going on?"
"Well...wait, Rein?" Reinhard asked with a curious tone yet he felt some warmth having someone refer to him by an odd nickname.
"Well we are friends."
Reinhard tried his best to hide his smile yet he couldn't, he felt happy that Subaru treats him as a friend rather than the Sword Saint. He took a moment before he explained Subaru to Wilhelm and Old Man Rom knew each other from the demi human war before explaining that himself and his grandfather haven't been able to speak for many years after what happened to the previous Sword Saint.
"Well...I wish I knew..." Subaru says with a disappointing voice which caught Reinhard, Wilhelm, and Old Man Rom's attention. Old Man Rom just starred at Wilhelm for a moment before speaking to Subaru.
"Well why don't you explain why we are all here."
"Right Right, so Master Sora feels like he isn't a worthy master since he hasn't passed his Mark of Mastery to become a Keyblade Master."
"How do you propose we help that boy?" Old Man Rom says with Reinhard agreeing as the two were not sure what exactly is the plan to help Sora achieve the title of Keyblade Master. Just like he did with Wilhelm, explaining that he is gathering the four strongest warriors he knows to face Sora on a four on one. Reinhard and Old Man Rom were silent for a moment before the Sword Saint broke the silence by saying,
"I would be honored to help another friend of mine."
"I don't mind helping, after all he saved me and Felt back in the Loot house. I would like to help him out...even if it means working with him."
Wilhelm and Old man Rom gave each other a look of hostility before Wilhelm spoke his opinion regarding Sora's Mark of Mastery.
"I want to help Sora-dono because he helped in taking down the White Whale. I will do this...even if it means to work with that demi human...and with my grandson..."
Wilhelm and Reinhard both couldn't look each other in the eye after the problems the two have from their rocky past. The two didn't look at each other but they acknowledge that they are doing this for Sora's sake, to help a friend. The three of them listened to Subaru's explanation on how things will transpire so they don't lose focus on his knighthood. Wilhelm, Old Man Rom, and Reinhard all three understood and kept a note on the signal so they can be prepared to face off Sora, the Keyblade Wielder.
"Subaru-dono, mind if I ask why isn't your spirit with us to listen to the plan?"
"Beako is at the moment gathering mana with Roswaal's help so she can pull this off since she can't get mana as usual due to our contract."
"Understandable. Well don't worry Subaru, we will be ready."
Subaru nods at Reinhard and leads the three out of the room so they can all return to the banquet hall to catch up with the others. While Subaru was with the others, Sora was with Garfiel trying to look nice for Subaru's knighthood with the assistance of Clind, the house steward serving the Miload Family. While Sora and Garfiel were doing their best to get themselves in delicate clothing, the two had a chat.
"Why can't I wear some comfortable clothes?! Th's'sucks!"
"Remember that we are doing this for Subaru...even though it feels weird wearing this kind of clothing."
"Ya see! Th's'weird wearing th's clothing."
"I mean it is weird but not too bad...I think."
"Anyway, when will we start training?"
"We will start tomorrow..." Sora says this with a hesitant tone of voice, still having trouble that he really is a master with a new student. Clind continued to check on the tuxedos of both Garfiel and Sora, finding Sora's tuxedo's much easier to work with. As Clind worked on the tuxedo of the two boys, Felt entered the room which got the attention of the three.
"Who're ya?!"
"Name is Felt, who are you supposed to be?"
"Garfiel Tinsel, lil' girl."
"I'm not little! I'm Fifteen!"
"What?! How?! I'm Fourteen'n look much older than ya!"
"What?!" Felt looked at Garfiel and was slightly intimidated by the boy who was one year younger than herself yet her focus turned towards Sora. She charged at the keyblade wielder and gave him a big hug, always happy to see the one who saved her and Old Man Rom from Elsa. As she hugs Sora, Clind looks at her and asks if she could leave for a moment.
"No."
"What?"
"I'm a royal candidate or whatever, so I have the right to be here."
"Lil' girl, leave. Master'n my amazin' self'r changin."
"I'm not little! I'm the same age as you! Besides I want to spend time with Sora!"
Clind and Garfiel both looked at Felt with uncertainty yet they knew that she wasn't going to leave so they dropped it. As Sora and Garfiel had their tuxedos ready, Garfiel started to complain once again about the suit.
"Th's'stupid! My amazin' self looks stupid!"
"Well I don't know why you are wearing a fancy suit if you don't want to. Old Man Rom isn't wearing some suit or anything fancy."
"What?!" Garfiel hearing this made him angry that he was being forced to be in a tuxedo. He was tempted to ripe through the clothing he was wearing yet Clind approached Garfiel and grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't you dare destroy this."
Garfiel looked at Clind with annoyance and was about to punch the wall near him yet Clind got out his whip and warned Garfiel that he would attack the boy if he tried to cause damage to his suit or anything in the house. Garfiel just got mad and stormed off, making his way towards the banquet hall while Sora and Felt both chatted for a bit.
After a couple of hours with Anastasia's camp arriving with Anastasia, Julius, Ricardo, Mimi, and Tivey being the ones to be there for Subaru, everyone sat down and enjoyed the meals they were getting with Otto being tempted to drink some alcohol by Yabuto and his two friends. Felix, Reinhard, and Julius all three met up with Subaru to discuss the important things he should know when becoming a knight.
Ram, Rem, Petra, Frederica, and Naoko all five maids served the food with Roswaal impressed by Naoko's efforts as a maid. Kenichi got a chance to talk to Marcos in becoming a knight alongside his son. Because Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki all three spoke about how Subaru along with his father, his master, and the others managed to defeat the Great Rabbit, he was convinced that Subaru and Kenichi should be knights.
"To beat one of the three great Mabeast, that certainly gives you the qualifications of being a part of the knights. You and your son."
Kenichi bowed to Marcos before returning to the table his son, Garfiel, Otto, Waraki, Yabuto, and Kishida were at. As he sat down with the group, Kenichi quickly turned to his son to tell him all what Marcos said.
"That is good to hear, now we both can be knights for sure."
"That's true my son...The amazing Natsuki Kenichi and his amazing son, knights."
Everyone in the table cheered to what Kenichi said before taking a drink. Garfiel tried to take a sip of Alcohol yet Otto stopped him.
"Sorry but I can't allow you to drink."
"Why not?!" Garfiel asks impatiently as he is still mad that he has to wear a suit while Old Man Rom doesn't. Otto explained that he is still too young to drink and would get in trouble with Frederica if he let him drink. Garfiel was angry at this and still attempted to drink only to receive a strong hit to the back of his head by Frederica herself. Garfiel was mad by this and just started to complain about his suit again while Kenichi took the time to talk with his son.
"Aside from being the greatest knights, how are you and Emilia holding up?"
"We are fine I guess. We haven't had much time to talk with her continuing her studies and me with my keyblade training."
"That is true. Your mother has been working hard as a maid and well I have been doing some studying of this world's language though there was something that caught your mother and my attention. You and Emilia kissed."
Subaru's face turns red as everyone in the table quickly turns towards Subaru once they hear what Kenichi said. Every single one of them in the table starts to either tease Subaru or congratulate him on his accomplishment of landing a kiss on a royal candidate.
"Damn newbie, that's quite the accomplishment."
"That's my son, a ladies man."
"Dad! Why did you have to mention that here?!"
"What Subaru-san? Are you embarrassed by that?"
"No! Just...it's personal damn it!"
"No need t'be embarrassed, Captain. I ship ya with princess."
Yabuto, Kishida, Waraki, and Otto all four agree to Garfiel's statement in the end, making Subaru more embarrassed since he didn't want anybody to find out about him and Emilia kissing.
"Let me guess, mom told you about this."
"Yup, your mother mentioned that Emilia is a bit confused on things but that you two definitely kissed."
Subaru was unsure of this and quickly just let things slide off as he is only going to get teased even more should he mention the part where Emilia thinks kissing makes babies. As he sighs with relief, he sort of starts to think that his mother probably knows this due to having learned that himself and Emilia kissed which made him fearful if his father knew. Before he could ask his father, Beatrice approached the table and sat down next to Subaru.
"Hello Beako, good to see you here."
"Betty was looking for you, I suppose."
"Right, sorry."
Beatrice just looked at Subaru for a brief moment before turning her attention to the group, seeing that Garfiel return to trying to drink some alcohol only for Otto to stop him. While this was going on, Sora and Felt were both guided by Clind towards the banquet hall where Subaru will become a knight yet they bump into someone wearing Emilia's anti-recognition cloak. Felt asked who was the person in front of them only to instantly run behind Sora when it is revealed to be Elsa.
"What is she doing here?!"
"Elsa! What are you doing? You'll get us all in trouble!"
"Sorry Sora Dear, I just couldn't sit in a room and be bored out of my mind. I want to participate in your apprentice's knighthood."
"You'll get us all in trouble! We have too many people from the capital here!"
"Sora, what is going on?!" Felt ask as she started to notice how friendly Sora and Elsa were talking, making her afraid. Sora noticed this and knew that he needed to explain to the little girl what had transpired.
"Okay well let's just say Elsa is under our group due to an incident that happened in the previous mansion."
"Now that you bring it up, what happened to the previous mansion?"
"Well..." Sora began to explain all of the things that happened with Sanctuary and with the mansion, making Felt look at Elsa with fear still since she almost killed her and Old man Rom. As Felt understood that things have been very tough, she crossed her arms and took a moment to process before asking Sora, "Are you sure we can trust her?"
"I know it's a long shot but I want to believe there is good in her."
Felt was still unsure by this since her fear of Elsa still exists within her but she trusts Sora with her life, so she just nods but asks Elsa to stay away from her.
"My My, that is mean."
"You almost killed Old Man Rom. You almost killed me! I don't want you near us."
"I understand but just know it wasn't anything personal."
"Whatever." Felt sticked out her tongue before hiding once again, causing Elsa to just smile before putting back the cloak over her face to not get recognized and continued to make her way towards the banquet hall. As Elsa left, Felt started to question Sora's kind heart since that might backfire at some point.
"Just keep an eye on her, I don't trust her."
"I will Felt but for now we should probably head to the same place she is going."
Felt nodded, remembering her part in Subaru's plan. As the two walked, they encountered Emilia who was with Naoko. The four of them chatted with Felt apologizing once again for stealing the insignia yet Emilia just patted her in the head. As the four started to make their way towards the banquet hall, Roswaal entered and quickly announced to everyone that the knighthood ceremony will start in a moment.
Subaru and Beatrice looked around to see how each camp was holding up. Felt's camp seemed okay yet it was just Reinhard and Old man Rom not doing anything but thinking about something. The two looked at Crusch's camp and could see that they are all chatting about something yet they don't seem bored. They turn to Priscilla's camp and can see that Al is just sitting there oddly while Priscilla herself was looking like she was getting impatient. Lastly Anastasia's camp seemed to also be chatting in order to kill time with Ricardo making Mimi and Tivey laugh.
"Seems like things will go south if Sora and Emilia-sama don't hurry up, I suppose."
"They will be here...oh that reminds me, I need to ask you for something Beako."
"What will that be, in fact?"
Subaru quickly told his spirit of the thing he wants to do for his master, wanting him to pass a version of the Mark of Mastery that way he could feel like he is worthy of the title Keyblade Master. Beatrice stood silent for a moment before nodding.
"Betty would like to help with this, I suppose. The only problem is Betty doesn't have a lot of mana."
"Don't worry, I created an ether to restore your mana with the help of Master Sora."
"An ether?"
Subaru nodded and gave a bottle to Beatrice which made her skeptical for a moment before trusting her contractor and received the ether. As she accepted it, she could feel her mana rapidly returning to her which felt the same surge she got when she received something from Ram back in Sanctuary.
"This feels weird, I suppose."
"I know it does but do you have enough strength to participate?"
Beatrice paused for a moment, trying to decide whether the amount of mana she had with her at this moment was enough to contribute in a battle against Sora. After making her choice, she looked at her contractor and said,
"Betty will fight but you will owe me, I suppose."
"That's amazing Beako and yes I will repay you for this!"
Subaru goes and gives Beatrice a hug which only surprises her before making her very annoyed despite enjoying the hug. After a moment, they all notice Emilia, Felt, and Sora arrive into the banquet hall. Roswaal noticed this and quickly began the knighthood of Natsuki Subaru with Marcos asking the present knights to stand in formation. Reinhard and the others stood in formation with Marcos starting to make a speech with Subaru standing in front of them.
"We are here today to make Natsuki Subaru into a knight for his accomplishments in not only taking down the White Whale but also the Sin Archbishop of Sloth and The Great Rabbit. These accomplishments are worthy of becoming a knight of Lugnica."
Everyone looked at Subaru with an impressed facial expression, with many of the royal candidates giving credit to Sora for having trained such an impressive apprentice. Marcos continued to speak.
"As the Captain of the Imperial knights, I will be knighting Natsuki Subaru into an official knight with him serving under the Margrave Roswaal L Mathers. And I will make him be the official knight to Emilia-sama."
Emilia and Subaru were caught off guard by this which made the two smile, both happy with their relationship getting much closer now. Kenichi and Naoko both noticed both of them smiling which made the two look at each other with happiness, seeing how in love Subaru and Emilia were.
"Natsuki Subaru, please stand right here with your weapon."
Subaru nodded and quickly pulled out his Starlight keyblade and approached Marcos slightly nervous. As he was close by, he quickly nodded at Marcos since he had explained the plan to the Captain and got approved by the captain himself. Subaru turned towards Sora and smiled before speaking.
"Before we continue with this, Master Sora, can you stand here for a moment."
"Um...okay."
Sora was confused by this yet he followed his apprentice's lead and began to walk towards his position. Once he arrived towards his position, Subaru quickly snapped his fingers which Reinhard, Beatrice, Wilhelm, and Old Man Rom noticed as the signal. The four quickly gathered behind the Keyblade Wielder with their weapons ready in hand except Reinhard. Sora turned towards them and looked confused until Subaru took over.
"Master Sora, I know how hard things have been for you. You have mentioned how you aren't sure how you can be a master when you haven't passed the Mark of Mastery so we decided that we will give you a Mark of Mastery of our own."
"Uh?" Sora was confused by this yet Subaru continued to speak.
"We want to help you in becoming a master. That is why we have the strongest people we know to face you off. You have to beat them with only your skills, no magic abilities or transformations."
Sora looked at Subaru and was surprised by this, seeing that his apprentice wants to help him become a master. He crossed his arms to think for a moment before he accepted this, appreciating what Subaru did for him. Just as he was about to start the fight for becoming the Keyblade Master, two people joined in on the fight.
"Mind if we join in on this?"
Sora and the others look to hear Julius speak with Ricardo alongside him, both wanting to join in on the fight. Subaru looked at his master to check if he was alright with it yet Sora just smiled and told both Ricardo and Julius that they can join in. Yabuto and the others wished to join yet Subaru mentioned that they don't have enough space to have everyone facing Sora. As everyone watched the exciting fight about to unfold, Reinhard approached Sora and smiled as he was able to pull out his sword.
"Sora, it is an honor to face you once again. May the best side win."
"Thank you Reinhard."
The two bowed at each other before the others bowed to Sora, showing their respect to the Keyblade Wielder. There was a moment before the fight broke out with Reinhard and Sora clashing weapons. The clashing of the Dragon Sword Reid and the Keyblade caused a loud sound which pushed both warriors back before Wilhelm and Julius both charged at the young boy together. Sora with his Kingdom Key in hand was able to keep up with the two, surprised just how fast Wilhelm Van Astrea was. While Wilhelm and Julius were on the offensive, they waited until Old Man Rom swung his club the moment the two moved out of the way. Sora noticed this and quickly managed to dodge the attack, barely.
'Darn, that was very close.'
As Sora was on the air, he noticed right in front of him Beatrice in the air with a couple of purple icicles floating behind her.
"Seems like this will be easy, I suppose."
Beatrice smiles confidently as she sends a bunch of purple icicles yet what she didn't expect was Sora to smile before easily deflecting each of the icicle without hesitation. As he does this, he looks down and notices Ricardo jumping high enough to attack him. The two clashed weapons yet the Keyblade wielder was able to push the dogman back. He quickly charges at Ricardo only for Wilhelm to attack him all of a sudden.
"Don't let your guard down, Sora-dono."
"Alright."
Sora smiled as he quickly clashed with Wilhelm, the two being on equal ground. As the two clashed weapons for a moment, Julius and Ricardo both tried to attack the boy by his sides yet the boy jumped high enough to dodge the attack of the two. As Sora gained his distance from the three, Old Man Rom on his own charged at the boy, going with his strongest attack yet Sora quickly deflected off the attack.
"Wha..."
"I was prepared for that." Sora said this with a smile, having anticipated his big friend using such a powerful attack. Old Man Rom was both surprised by this and proud of the young boy before easily being knocked out by one swift hit. Felt quickly went to Old Man Rom's position to help him up with Wilhelm and Reinhard both charged at Sora. The two did feel weird fighting side by side yet they also enjoyed it as this is the first time Grandfather and Grandson fought side by side. The two swung their swords well coordinated yet Sora was able to block both attacks with everything he had before gaining some distance from the two.
'I better start fighting with everything I got or I will lose this fight.'
Sora having his resolve to win the fight quickly charged at Wilhelm with Julius and Ricardo attempting to interfere. Sora would normally use Reflega to block the two but since he can't use his magic, he resorts to dodge rolling out of the way. As he dodges a couple of attacks, he manages to charge at Wilhelm and go on the offensive. Wilhelm deflected each attack with everything he had, surprised how strong Sora's offense was.
Sora kept pushing the old butler back for a bit before being forced to deflect off one of Reinhard's attacks. As Reinhard forced Sora into a defense, Wilhelm and Ricardo took their opportunity to attack the boy while he was focused on the Sword Saint. Sora noticed this and quickly managed to dodge the attacks before turning his attention to Julius. As Sora was charging at the lone knight, he felt a couple of icicles approaching him. He turned towards his right side to see a confident Beatrice attacking him.
"Don't forget about me, I suppose!"
"I haven't forgotten about you Beatrice, I just have my focus on something."
"Then focus on me, in fact!"
Beatrice sent in a large amount of purple icicles before casting Al Shamak in an attempt to blind Sora yet he was able to get to Beatrice and knock her down with one hit. As she was flying to the ground, Subaru ran and managed to catch her before she hit the ground. As he caught her in his arms, she looked at her contractor and slapped him in the face.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"That was for not warning me of how your master fights, I suppose!"
"Oh come on, you are my spirit, I sort expected you to-"
Beatrice slaps Subaru again which Yabuto, Garfiel, Otto, Kenichi, and Waraki notice this, making all five of them laugh at Subaru while Kishida and everyone else are amazed by the fight. Elsa was in the background in an attempt to not get recognized yet she looked at the fight with an amazed look as well. She knew from her three battles against the Keyblade Wielder that he was pretty strong for a boy that doesn't have a divine blessing or a martial arts and yet he is holding his own against some of the strongest warriors in the world.
'Just as you seem to have proven to be such an amazing warrior for a boy at your age, you keep succeeding my expectation, Sora Dear. You are one interesting boy.'
Elsa smiled as her entire body was craving to join in the fight, whether it be facing Sora or facing all of Sora's opponents. Felt and Old Man Rom both watched from their table with the two amazed by Sora's strength. Felt now wished more than ever to have Sora in her camp while Old Man Rom was just simply amazed how powerful the young boy was. Although he lost pretty early, he accepted defeat and acknowledged that his opponent is amazingly strong.
"Old Man Rom, you aren't mad that you lost, right?"
"Don't you worry Felt, I lost to a worthy fighter."
Old Man Rom smiles while Priscilla, Anastasia, and Crusch all watch with amazement on how strong the boy is. Pricilla looked at her knight and could see that Al himself was invested in the fight. She then looked at the fight herself and could tell that having Sora in her camp would benefit her greatly.
'It doesn't matter who this boy serves his loyalty to or what he could possibly think of mineself, he's place is to serve me. That is what I've decided...and the world shall deliver me him.'
Priscilla smiled at this while Anastasia began to think of many ways she could convince Sora to join her camp. For her, she knows that being friends with the boy is one way to get him to join since she notices that he values friendship above all yet she is also keen on wanting him to be in her debt to permanently secure him. Crusch knew that she had an alliance with the Emilia camp, meaning that Sora would help her and her camp out when they need him.
Sora continued to push Julius back with a strong offensive, surprising the spirit knight as this is his second battle with the keyblade wielder and can tell that he has gotten stronger. Julius continued to deflect each attack with everything he had before Ricardo, Wilhelm, and Reinhard assisted Julius in pushing Sora back.
'That was too close!'
Julius thought as he did felt that Sora was going to eventually beat him, making him grateful when his allies arrived to help him out. As all four of them were attacking Sora at the same time, the Keyblade Wielder, having faced impossible odds before, had managed to hold his own against all of their offense. Eventually he turned his attention to Ricardo and managed to land a couple of powerful hits on the dogman, sending him flying into a wall, knocking him out of the fight.
"Haha this kid is pretty darn good!" Ricordo says as Mimi and Tivey go to check on him, impressed by how strong Sora was. He got up and was asked by the two if he was going to rejoin the fight yet Ricardo told them that he was eliminated fair and square, curious to see if Sora will be able to beat the Sword Saint once the two faced each other one on one.
"You sure fought well." Tivey said with Mimi adding on, "Sucks that you weren't the last one to stay in the fight."
"Now hey! This opponent is pretty darn strong, I'm okay losing to him."
Mimi and Tivey just sigh as they never thought Ricardo would accept defeat that easily. As the three returned to the table, Sora looked at the three remaining fighters with a confident look. Wilhelm, Julius, and Reinhard each had their thoughts about Sora yet they were all similar in that the boy in front of them was not only extraordinary but amazing.
'Sora-dono, you are more than just a worthy swordsman, more than any of us warriors. You are amazing.'
'You would make for a worthy knight, Sora.' Julius thought as he was impressed on how a young boy like Sora could handle many strong opponents all by himself with just his wits and strength.
'You would sure make for a worthy Sword Saint than myself...' Reinhard thought this, having felt some guilt that his grandfather has to fight with an incompetent warrior such as himself yet seeing that his friend was fighting with everything he got, limited to only his physical strength rather than all of his abilities he has in his disposal. '...But considering that you are trying to prove your strength, I will not hold back either. You are my friend after all and it would be wrong of me to deny you a worthy fight...show me how awesome you are, Sora.'
Reinhard still had doubts of himself fighting alongside his grandfather yet he had regained some confidence in giving Sora a difficult fight with all of his divine protections assisting him. The three warriors smiled at Sora's confidence before charging at the boy, each of them relying on one another to beat the boy. Reinhard reached Sora first, clashing weapons with intense strength.
As the two were pushing each other back with everything they had, Wilhelm and Julius joined the mix by giving Sora a much decent challenge. This fight reminded him back in Destiny Islands when he challenged Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka on a three on one fight. He smiled at the fond memory before quickly deflecting each attack thrown at him with some ease.
'I won't hold out for too long if I draw this fight any longer. I better start wrapping things up.'
Sora quickly went towards Julius once he saw his opening and without a second of hesitation he landed a strong hit to the stomach of the knight. Julius was completely caught off guard by this and was sent flying into the same wall Ricardo went flying into. Julius looked up and was conflicted on how he lost, not having been able to use all of his techniques in the fight yet he didn't feel discouraged by the way he lost.
'You are quite the fighter, Sora. Maybe we can train some time but I will say, it would be an honor to fight side by side with you.'
Julius smiled and with the help of Ricardo, he got up and was given some compliments by Anastasia before the three returned back to their seats, interested to see The Sword Saint and the Sword Demon fighting side by side against the Keyblade Wielder. Reinhard and Wilhelm looked at each other with hesitation yet seeing that this is to give Sora confidence to become a true Keyblade Master, the two nodded. Although they have a rough past, the two are willing to set that aside for a friend they cherish. Sora noticed this and smiled before charging at the two, wanting to take the offensive side first.
The two Van Astrea members noticed this and together charged at the Keyblade Wielder, having faith in the other to do one likely thing. Reinhard deflected Sora's attack while Wilhelm managed to switch Sora from offense to defense. Wilhelm going all out showed that even as an old butler, he was still a formidable opponent. This almost convinced Sora to switch keyblades as that is something, he is still able to do yet he wanted to prove to himself that Kingdom Key and his own skills are enough to attain the title of Keyblade Master.
Sora paid close attention to the way Wilhelm was fighting despite being very quick, learning every pattern until he noticed his chance to beat the old butler. He waited until he saw the right moment to use all his strength to counter Wilhelm's attack, managing to disarm the butler yet what he did not account for was Reinhard jumping in the mix to give Wilhelm a chance to recover his weapon.
Sora knew that if he allowed the Old Butler to recover his weapon, he might not get a second chance in having a one on one. He deflected a couple of attacks from Reinhard before dodging on, allowing him to move at incredible speeds towards the old butler. Wilhelm was able to grab his sword yet even when he put himself to defend Sora's attack, it was still too much for the old butler. He was sent all the way towards a wall, yet he barely was able to stop himself from hitting it with his back. As he regained his composure, he ended up falling on one knee, tired out from the fight. Crusch approached him to ask if he was alright, to which she received a smile and a response.
"I will be alright, Crusch-sama. It seems I have reached my limit on this fight. Now to see my...grandson face off against Sora-dono."
Crusch nodded and helped Wilhelm to his seat while Sora and Reinhard just looked at each other, both excited to give it their all.
"Seems like I'm the last one standing, Sora."
"I'm a little excited to see your strength alone, Reinhard."
"I will not disappoint."
Reinhard nodded at Sora, wanting to show all his strength to his friend. The two got themselves into their fighting stances, both prepared to face each other.
"Reinhard Van Astrea, of the line of Master Swordsmen."
"Sora, The Keyblade's chosen one."
The two smiled before charging at each other with everyone in the banquet hall at the edge of their seats, excited to see if Sora with just his strength can really take on and possibly beat Reinhard. After a couple of seconds, both warriors suddenly charged at each other, both going at it with everything they got. As they both clashed, their weapons clashed hard enough to cause powerful wind to almost knock everyone out of their seats.
Sora and Reinhard, similar to their battle in the capital, fought with everything they had, countering each other's attacks while barely dodging a couple. As the two were neck in neck, everyone started to place bets on who would win with the majority of people siding with Sora while the others sided with Reinhard. Otto and Garfiel both had an argument regarding this with Otto making bets on Reinhard while Garfiel sided with his master.
"Com'n, Master gots th's."
"Are you serious? Sora-san is fighting the Sword Saint of all people!"
"But it's th'Keyblade user! He's a badass!"
"That doesn't prove anything!"
Subaru and the others in the table laugh when they hear this, enjoying the argument between the two while also enjoying the fight between the Sword Saint and the Keyblade Wielder. Wilhelm looked at the two and although his grandson and him haven't had the best of history, he still rootes for him to win alongside Sora. The two warriors continued to prove their strength by continuing to clash blades multiple times until the two jumped up on the air and continued the fight there.
'He is amazing' Both Sora and Reinhard thought of the other as they were giving it their all and were still in a stalemate until finally Sora was able to land a hit on Reinhard. All the knights, Crusch, Felt, and Anastasia were all impressed that Sora once again landed a hit on the Sword Saint despite him having all the divine protections to avoid being hit. Many of those not in the royal selection meeting were completely stunned by this while Priscilla, Roswaal, Emilia, Subaru, and Garfiel were all expecting this by Sora, having shown to be very strong yet they were still very impressed by his skills.
'You got this Master Sora, I believe in you.'
Sora and Reinhard continued their fight until finally Sora was able to deflect off one of Reinhard's most powerful attacks, leaving him open to attack. Sora didn't hesitate in taking the chance to finish the fight, managing to land a powerful blow to Reinhard's chest. As he landed a powerful blow, Reinhard was sent flying to the ground and created a large crater. As the Sword Saint was on the ground for a moment, one of his divine protections granted him strength to keep on fighting as if nothing happened. This got Sora's attention, causing him to quickly charge at Reinhard with everything he had in him, knowing that this was truly his last chance to beat the Sword Saint before his stamina ran out.
'Come on Master Sora, I know you can do it.'
Subaru had his fingers crossed on both of his hands, wanting his master to win with Beatrice also wishing for Sora to win. Rem looked and was unsure yet somehow her heart was telling her that she should cheer for Sora.
'Is it because he saved me from being asleep? Is it because we shared a strong bond? I don't know why but...Sora-san, please win...'
The Keyblade Wielder continued to go on an all-out offensive attack, not giving up with the memories of Kairi flashing up, his memories with Riku, his first meeting with Donald and Goofy, the first time he trained with Subaru as his apprentice, the time Rem confessed her feelings for him, and many more important memories over flew the boy until finally he gained the strength of the people around him to land the determining blow. Sora with all of his strength and the strength of his friends managed to create one powerful attack to finish off the fight. Everyone looked amazed as Sora with just one final attack managed to disarm Reinhard and pointed his keyblade at him. As he did that, the two looked at each other before they both started laughing, happy with the way things resulted while everyone cheered.
As everyone was cheering happily for Sora's victory, both the Sword Saint and the Keyblade Wielder shock hands before Marcos approached them. As the Captain of the Royal Guard waited until everyone stood silent before speaking,
"As the overseer of this Mark of Mastery, I hereby grant you, Sora, the title of Keyblade Master. You have not only shown how worthy of a warrior you are, but you also managed to face and defeat the Sword Saint himself. Congratulations."
Sora nodded with respect before he held his keyblade high, thinking about his friends from both his world and the outside world.
'Thank you everyone…thank you for giving me your strength.'
As everyone celebrated Sora's accomplishments, Reinhard smiled but was surprised when someone familiar to him tapped him in the back and spoke to him.
"You did very well, my grandson…"
Reinhard was silent for a moment as he couldn't turn to see the person he had hurt for so long since he was the cause for the previous sword saint's demise. Wilhelm having had his vengeance cleared, he now wished to at the very least repair his relationship with his grandson. He stood side by side with him and started to talk about the battle they just participated in.
"I believe this is the first time we have ever fought side by side."
"You are right, honored grandfather."
"You fought bravely…we should um do that more…"
"…" Reinhard was silent as he didn't know what to say other than thinking that his grandfather must be joking. After how hard it had been for him to handle his grandmother's death, he doesn't feel worthy of fighting alongside him yet something changes when Wilhelm continued to speak.
"I… I'm not so good at this, so, you, if you know any kind of trick to make it easier, could… you teach it me?"
Reinhard looked at his grandfather and could see that he wants to make amends since he wouldn't trip over his own words so easily. This made him give a genuine smile as he understood what is going on and could see that he really is trying to bond with him. The two managed to have a normal conversation with the two talking on how to perfect their fighting duo should they team up against any opponent in the future.
As they talked along with others having their thoughts in the fight, Marcos brought everyone back to the main event being Subaru becoming not only a knight but Emilia's knight. Marcos gave a speech of how important being a knight is before allowing Emilia to handle the rest. Everyone was excited by this moment yet Sora, Kenichi, and Naoko were the ones that were extremely proud of Subaru. The boy kneeled in front of the woman he loves while she begins to speak with everyone silent out of respect, even Priscilla.
"To the sun that gazes over the radiant world, to the stars that watch the realm in its sleep. To the winds, to the waters, to the earth, to the light, to the spirits residing in everything. To the grand world that received you, that nurtured you, that delivered you. To the pride that supports you, that you built, that you fostered. To everything that watches over you, to the world that raised you, to the pride that supports you, let your way cast no shame. Without fear, without dread, without doubt, be as you are in your heart. With your will always strong and as everything that surrounds you does, will you swear to protect me from this moment forth?"
Subaru was uncertain of everything at first, having felt his hand shaking and his forehead sweating yet he knew that his heart knows the answer to Emilia's question.
"To the sun, to the stars, to the world, to my pride and…to my mother, to my father, and to my master, I swear. I will protect you. I will realize your wishes. My name is Natsuki Subaru."
He raises his head with the sword remaining on his right cheek but its gleam fails to catch his eye. The only thing he sees is the brilliant amethyst, gazing back to him.
"Emilia. I am your knight."
"-Mm."
He says the words and she give her answer, her eyes flood with emotion yet she manages to keep anything from spilling as she lights the sword from Subaru's shoulder. She fixes its alignment and presents it back to him. Although he doesn't need the sword, he still respectfully accepts it in both his hands and sheathes it in its scabbard. As Subaru returns the blade to his hip as he looks up to Emilia, still kneeling. He sees her give a slight nod and stands up where he breaks the seriousness of the ceremony by saying, "Also Emilia-tan, you look mega sexy cute in that outfit."
"You dummy."
Emilia pokes out her tongue with a red face which everyone chuckles at, even Marcos gives a little chuckle as he can see how close the two are. Eventually the party started with everyone finally receiving the full course meal.
As everyone was celebrating, both Subaru and Sora were on the second floor, watching everyone from above and enjoying the view of everyone having fun. The two look and could see Priscilla having a chat with Naoko which annoyed Subaru since he dislikes the woman talking with his mother yet it didn't seem like she was being hostile. The two then turn to notice Old Man Rom giving criticism about the alcohol and trying to mix things around which made the two chuckle a bit. They then look to see Marcos and Kenichi both having an arm wrestling contest with the two on even grounds. The two laughed at this as they could see both of them trying their best yet nothing going on. Sora looked around and quickly alert Subaru to an interesting sight of Reinhard and Wilhelm having a conversation.
"Seems like the fight really helped their relationship."
"Wait Master Sora, did you know that they had some trouble?"
"Not really but I could tell that they had tension but it seems like they have worked it out."
"Good for the two then, family should be able to get along."
"Right…Subaru, there is something we need to discuss."
"Oh, what about Master?" Subaru looked at his master with curiosity, wondering what he would like to talk to him.
"That dark fire you used, that is a darkness ability."
"Yes though I know it is risky using the power of darkness."
"Yeah, try to not rely on the power of darkness too much. I know Riku can use it but he had to learn to resist the full power of darkness. That is why he can use both light and darkness but knowing you…you might be at risk."
"I understand Master Sora, I will try to not use the power of darkness as frequently."
"Alright, now about your Invisible Pro-"
Their conversation would be interrupted when they hear a crowd cheering for Otto to chug a full glass of expensive-looking alcohol in one go. Just as Otto accomplishes this, he slams the glass back down to the table with everyone cheering for the merchant only to see Otto's face flush bright red before swiftly paling dead white.
"Oh, goddamn Otto. He's overdoing it."
"He is such an idiot." Sora says with Subaru surprised by this comment. Sora is aware of alcohol during his time with Subaru, Emilia, and the others on the snow contest. He learned that drinking the stuff is not good and seeing Otto chug an entire glass made him slightly disappointed on the merchant. As the two watched, they noticed Yabuto and Kishida taking Otto out of the hall.
"Guess they're going to the toilet."
"Garfiel!" Both Sora and Subaru noticed Ram and Frederica speak in unison as they chase Garfiel around the large banquet hall with a glass of alcohol in his hand. Both keyblade wielders were laughing at this as they can see how much trouble Garfiel is going to get for this. As they watched in peace, Emilia and Rem both joined the two up where they were at.
"Sora, Subaru, why are you two up here?"
"Oh, hey Emilia-tan, Rem, what brings you up here?"
"We noticed you two were missing and so Emilia-sama and I went looking for you."
"Sorry about that, we just wanted some air for a bit."
"Mind if Rem-chan and I join?"
"Of course."
Sora and Subaru made space for both girls to join them with Emilia and Subaru together and Sora and Rem together. As the four watched down for a moment, enjoying that everyone is having fun yet Subaru felt fear when Roswaal noticed him and gave a nod before drinking the same alcohol that gave Otto a stomach ache. Subaru didn't like this yet he ignored it and just continued to watch everyone else. The four all smiled when they noticed Beatrice and Petra just dancing in the center of the room while Garfiel continued to run around in hopes of avoiding Frederica and Ram as he started to chug the alcohol into his system. Sadly for Garfiel, the moment he finished the drink he was tackled by both maids to the ground.
"Poor Garfiel, he is in so much trouble now."
"Well, he did asked for it, he knows that he is too young to drink."
"That is true Master Sora but still, he at the very least managed to achieve drinking some alcohol."
"But at what cost?"
Rem asked as the four all saw Ram and Frederica kick Garfiel for a moment before the blonde maid took her little brother away from the scene, angry at what he did which made the four looking at everyone laugh for a bit at Garfiel's misfortune. As they were enjoying themselves for a moment, Subaru thought of something and quickly looked at Emilia to ask a simple question.
"Emilia, can we go and have a dance?"
"Um…sure."
Emilia was surprised by this yet she wouldn't mind dancing with her knight, the boy she loves. As the two were about to leave, Sora and Subaru both fists bumped before the Keyblade Master watched his apprentice walk with Emilia. As Subaru and Emilia went down towards the center of the event and started dancing, others began to join in with Waraki telling Roswaal to take Ram out to dance.
Roswaal listened as he knows that Waraki wouldn't hesitate to tell everyone about what he did. The Margrave got up and approached Ram to ask her to dance which Ram was more than happy to without showing everyone her emotions. As Ram and Roswaal went to dance, Waraki was approached by a disguised Elsa and she asked the knight if he wanted to dance which he was unsure of but allowed it to not draw suspicion towards him. As everyone was dancing, Rem looked at Sora and could tell that something was up with him.
"What is wrong, Sora-sama?"
"You can just call me Sora, Rem."
"Oh…pardon me about that-"
"It's okay and to answer your question, I guess I just…miss my friends. I wish they were there with me to see me become a Keyblade Master."
Rem was silent for a bit since she doesn't know much about Sora other than what everyone around her have told her yet she wanted to help the boy. She hugged him and felt extreme warmth from it while speaking in a happy tone.
"I'm sure they are with you in spirit. You'll see them again someday."
Sora smiled at this and thanked Rem, reminding him on how important she is to him. He silently vowed to get Rem's memories back but for the meantime he will protect her with everything he had. He accepted Rem's hug and before long the blue-haired maid offered to dance with the Keyblade Master as she started to get slightly jealous of her sister dancing without her present for some reason. Sora accepted this and the two made their way towards the dancing area of the banquet hall.
As the two start dancing, Subaru and Emilia both noticed this and smiled, seeing both Sora and Rem as a cute couple. The night continued like this with the Keyblade Master and Emilia's knight both excited to see what the future holds for them. As everyone was having fun, a mysterious figure looked from a distance with a book of wisdom in one hand and the Book of Prophecies in the other.
"Don't worry Sora, I will give you a chance to rest but things will eventually get chaotic soon…"
The mysterious figure spoke before leaving in a corridor of darkness, interested to see whether or not Sora and Subaru can take what comes next.
Author's note:
This concludes Arc 4, now I'm working on Arc 5 which will be much interesting since this is probably Season 3 stuff whenever that is made. I will change a few things in that arc and bring in a few fights but for now I will be taking a break so I don't burn out. I'm also using Wattpad to make sure the chapters look decent and adding drawings to give the story some visuals. This also means that I might add a few things in the future to previous chapters, expanding the story. Other then that, I probably will be sending the next chapter either the week of the last episode of this season of Re:Zero or the week after. I hope you all enjoy the interlude.