Author notes at the bottom
Dialogue Change: Normal text means speaking, Italicized text means thinking or telepathy
Chapter 2: Reuniting with the Sage
In the capital of Lugunica, more specifically a dark and decrypt alleyway, a black-haired boy was currently in shock. After hearing the voice of another person he had lost, he was sure that he had finally gone insane. Even if every fiber of his body told him it was not her, he could not stop himself from believing, he did not want to face reality just yet.
As he slowly turned around to face the illusion, he muttered a name. A name of the bright, cheery girl he resolved to save alongside his allies, the only individual who considered this worthless boy a worthy fit for a master.
"S...Shaula?" Subaru exclaimed, shocked, relieved, surprised and bewildered.
It was only a name, a whisper, yet the effect that it had was massive. Subaru could feel someone rapidly approach him. Fear filled him, as he knew that he had guessed wrong, he truly had just been hallucinating for it was not Shaula, but an attacker. Resigning himself, Subaru turned to face his fate.
What greeted Subaru's eyes was not a knife or fist ready to injure him, but a long ponytail tied into a way that Subaru compared to a scorpion. Subaru could not see anything else, as he was smothered by an unknown individual, pulling the poor boy into a bone-crushing hug.
"Master… master it is you!" Shaula said as she continued to hug Subaru, determined to never let him go, never be left behind again. She was so happy to once again reunite with her beloved master.
"Sh...Shaula?!" Slight tears poured out of the black haired boy's eyes as he tightened his embrace.
Subaru was shocked, he hadn't gone insane, the keeper of the star tower really was here with him. How this worked or happened Subaru did not know, nor did he care. The only thing that mattered in the moment is that he had not failed everyone he made a promise to, at least he could keep one promise out of the thousands of broken ones.
"Shh Shaula, it's okay I am here, you are here, we are both safe. It's all going to be alright," Subaru said as he adjusted himself, a feat that was difficult as the Scorpio's hold was tight. After getting himself in a somewhat comfortable position, he began to stroke Shaula's hair, noticing how she visibly calmed down soon after he started.
A soft sign was all that could be heard from the girl as she loosened her grip, still keeping Subaru close, lest she lose him once again.
Upon seeing Shaula relax, Subaru smiled then frowned, beginning to think about what his next move should be.
"So it's true that I have been sent back, which means I have to do everything again, and meet everyone again."
Subaru winced at the thought, "That also means that the enemies I beat are also back, man that sucks."
Subaru signed as painful memories resurged, memories of being gutted by the bowl hunter, of watching Rem be tortured and twisted by an insane madman while he could do nothing, of facing an invincible foe who could kill the sword saint himself, of a white whale, of a centaur, of Reid.
Every foe Subaru had ever faced flashed through his mind, and he nearly broke at the thought of having to face them all over again.
Worse yet for the youth was the thought of having to befriend again his many wonderful allies that he had gained over his time spent.
Though he considers them to be the best people he had ever met, people he would gladly do anything for to ensure their safety, he could not reject the steady flow of less pleasant times spent with those he considered friends.
The time when Rem tortured him due to the suspicion that he was a member of the Witch's Cult. The time when Emilia abandoned him at the capital due to his foolishness and pride, when Ram almost killed him after he sister died.
When Julius humiliated him, when Otto pushed him into the white whale, when Garfield murdered the villagers all to kill Subaru, when Beatrice rejected him while the mansion burned around them.
Subaru could not take it. All the cruelty and suffering he had endured, all the fear and panic he felt, just so he could get his happy ending had all been for nothing. In 2 minutes, the slate had been wiped clean, and Subaru could not find it in him to do it all again.
Almost subconsciously, his hand began to scratch against his forearm, something he always did when the darkness in his mind took over his form.
Subaru felt guilty for doing this, but he liked the pain this action brought, it made him feel alive, it helped him forget about everything, even if for a little while.
"Master? What are you do… wait master stop!" Shaula cried out as she saw the person she loved with all her soul hurt himself.
A worried voice interrupted Subaru's spiral, and he felt his arms being forced away from him.
Shaula timidly held his hands in her's, gaining confidence from the warmth they brang, before readdressing her teacher.
"Master, please tell me what's wrong. If someone hurt you I'll be sure to make them regret it." She declared, wanting to fix the deadened eyes her master wore.
Shaula loved her master, and it pained her greatly to see how cold his eyes were, like they had lost their fire, their will to live.
Subaru's eyes slowly refocused, upon meeting the forest green eyes of the woman in front of him, he internally panicked, cursing himself for showing weakness in front of a friend.
"Damn I really am useless," he thought,
"I'm forcing the girl who I promised joy to look after my pathetic self. Just how much farther will I fall."
Subaru avoided Shaula's gaze, not wanting to face her after his recent display of self-harm. Shaula, however, would not be brushed off, as she grabbed Subaru and forced him to look at her.
"Master always had a habit of hiding things from me but…" She gulped, then steadied herself before continuing, "this time, I want to help. I don't like seeing a master like this, and I will not let him stay like this, so please tell me so Shaula can help," She finished, smiling a little at Subaru's shocked face.
Subaru slowly readjusted himself, breathing in and out before talking. "Look Shaula, I'm grateful for your help, truly. But.." his eyes darkened, thinking about all he had lost:
"What's wrong is that I lost something, something I can't get back, not ever again." He casted his head downward, eyes tearing up. He had lost, he had a trump card in RBD and he had still lost, he truly was useless.
"Then why not make a new one?"
"Huh?" Subaru replied, trying to understand what was meant by those words.
Shaula, seeing his confusion, continued. "Master would always try to make many different weird and wonderful things," She turned her gaze upward, reminiscing on all the different inventions her master would try to make:
"Sometimes while making them, master would break them by accident. Whether it was accidentally leaving them by mabeasts, using too potent mana crystals, or misplacing them, Master was really clumsy." She smiled, first thinking about all of her master's antics, then about all the antics her master would do now they were reunited.
"Whenever Master broke something, he would grumble a little but make a new one, always as happy with the new one as he was with the old."
As Shaula finished her speech, Subaru went to correct her, wanting to argue that the two situations were not the same in the slightest, but the last sentence threw him off:
"Always as happy with the new one as he was with the old."
"Could I…" Subaru muttered, "could I get it all back, get everyone back. Get my happy ending?"
He was still doubtful, still unsure. Scared about everything that he would have to face. Despite this, Natsuki Subaru was not someone to give up so easily. He said he would do anything for his friends, and now he will prove it. He will make new relationships, new friendships.
These would be as good as, no better than those he had before. For the first time since coming back, hope entered Subaru's soul, and the fire in his eyes was reignited.
He stood up, with a sign he grinned, striked a familiar pose and shouted to the world, "My name is Natsuki Subaru and I will get my happy ending, and no one can stop me!"
He recollected himself before looking at Shaula, who was grinning ear to ear seeing her favorite pose. He was a bit apprehensive about what he was about to ask, his mind fearing rejection.
While he had confidence again, it was based on an unstable foundation, and Subaru does not think his mind could handle a refusal. With a resigned face, Subaru asked Shaula the question that will make or break his journey:
"Shaula, will you help me? Sadly, I don't think I am going to be able to get through everything alone, so will you lend me your strength and help me? I know it's selfish…"
He was unable to finish, as Shaula once again jumped to hug him, almost making him fall down.
"Of course master, Shaula will always be there to help master with whatever he needs!" She stated, ecstatic that she would get the chance to once again travel with her beloved master. Her instant approval almost made Subaru tear up in bliss.
"I don't deserve her." He thought, amazed at the girl hugging him.
Now that Subaru stabilized his mind, he started to think ahead, planning what actions he should take to ensure a happy ending. While thinking, he reminisced about the time he first met Shaula, how she hugged him just as he did now, with her….
"Wait." Subaru said, a bit of fear welling up in him. Looking at Shaula, he remembered and saw her interesting choice of clothing.
If someone were to have passed by the alley at this time, they would have swore that the boy in there had a face redder than an appa as he hurriedly untangled himself from the embrace of a woman.
Subaru calmed himself, opting to head pat Shaula instead upon seeing her disappointed face. Her disappointment quickly morphed into bliss as she seemingly melted under his hand, her face adopting a dopey smile. Subaru also smiled, happy that she was happy, before starting to think.
"Ok, so operation get everything back is a go. Taking it one step would be best, don't want to get overwhelmed. So for my first time here, I have to get to the loothouse, save Emilia, Rom, and Felt. I also have to fight off Elsa, but with Shaula here that shouldn't be too hard… I hope."
Subaru remembered how strong Shaula claimed to be, and the numerous instances where she backed up that fact.
"She should be able to take care of Elsa. Speaking of things that happened, weren't there those 3 guys that tried to mug me? Where are they?"
He thought, a bit confused at the obvious difference.
As if on cue a trio of voices could be heard behind the duo.
"If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up everything you got." One said
"Yeah yeah, especially that bag and those clothes." The second one added on
"Hey who's the girl, she's pretty hot." The third voice chimed in, focusing more on Subaru's companion than the boy itself.
Subaru signed as the three muggers entered the alley, their names he did not know, so he called them dumb, dumber and dumbest for convience.
"Welp sorry fellas, unlucky for you I'm not only broke beyond compare but completely lost as well," Subaru shouted, puffing out his chest to emphasize his point, making Shaula giggle in amusement.
The three muggers were taken about for a moment, seeing that Subaru was not lying. The black haired boy had to stifle a laugh as he pictured an old laptop in each of the muggers heads, slowly rebooting after shutting down by accident.
Suddenly, the muggers' tone shifted from confused to angry, as they slowly approached Subaru.
"Who do you think you are, some sort of wisecracker?" Dumber said.
"You're gonna get it now, both of you!" Dumb said, pulling out knives from his pockets.
Before they could get any closer, Shaula stepped in front of Subaru, issuing an ultimatum to the idiot trio.
"I will not allow you to harm my master." She said, still smiling, the red dots in her eyes burning bright. "Master has ordered me to protect him, and I will do anything he says."
Subaru was a bit embarrassed at Shaula's proclamation, but the muggers were unimpressed, still thinking they had the strength advantage. Seeing their continued aggression, Subaru felt a little bad for them, and decided to spare them a little.
"Shaula, go easy on them." Intoned, the fierce eyed youth, as he smirked.
"Of course master." Shaula jumped up and down as she prepared to follow her master's orders to the letter.
Subaru turned away to think about what he should do next. "Looking at the time of day, Felt should have stolen the insignia, but Emilia-tan should still be searching, meaning we can meet up with her. Next…"
Subaru's thoughts were interrupted by a creepy feeling reverberating through his body. He turned around and was wide-eyed and frightened at the site that greeted him.
Shaula was currently smiling as a huge white circle appeared over her head, slowly gaining power. The aura around it was ominous, and even an airhead could figure out that it was bad news. The three muggers were stuck in place, terrified of the weird circle that appeared over the even weirder woman's head.
It took Subaru a few seconds to process what he was seeing. After some thought he decided that he could figure the thing out later, the priority was to stop whatever it was before it was unleashed onto the world.
"Shaula stop!" Subaru frantically shouted, reaching out his hands while rushing over to the women.
"Hm? Why master? These thieves need to pay for threatening you." She said matter of factly, lowering her arms while the magic circle evaporated into thin air.
Subaru could only stare in shock. "How can she act like that?! Does she have no sense of going easy?!"
He thought, incredulous at Shaula's genuine confusion and innocence.
"While I appreciate the… lengths you're willing to go," Subaru started, still recovering from his mini heart attack, "I would appreciate it if you didn't leave the capital in flames in the process."
Shaula put a finger to her chin, thinking for a moment before nodding and smiling at Subaru. "Okay master, if you don't want me to use Hell's Snipe then I won't." She reassured, trying to ease Subaru's concerns.
Sighing in relief, Subaru cringed a little at the mention of Hell's Snipe, remembering how it caused him a fair bit of pain while he traveled the desert. Nonetheless, now that he wasn't in any danger, he could freely ask a question he has had in the back of his mind.
"Just how powerful is that move?"
Subaru's curiosity peaked as he inquired about the strange magic and his scorpion companion.
At the question Shaula puffed out her chest, pride entering her voice. "I am not as strong as master used to be, but master said that at full power, using all my mana, I could completely destroy the Empire State Building with Hell's Snipe, whatever that is," she finished, clearly happy she could show off her achievements.
Instead of showering her with praise, Subaru's face drained of all color. "The Empire State Building," he remembered, "was over 300 meters tall. If she could destroy that whole thing in just one attack…" Subaru trailed off, ecstatic he stopped her before she could turn a portion of the capital to dust.
"Anyways master, those idiots tried to harm you. Can't I do something to punish them?"
Shaula's question broke Subaru out of his stupor. Deciding this would be a good opportunity to gauge Shaula's strength, he approved her request.
"Sure but don't hurt them too bad, just knocking them out is fine."
Happy that she was given the green light, Shaula turned to the muggers, cracking her knuckles. If possible, the three muggers' faces turned even paler at the sight.
Subaru felt a bit bad treating Shaula like some tool, but he wanted to make sure he knew her abilities, lest she accidentally destroy a building and get labeled a public enemy. Dealing with knights was the last thing Subaru needed right now.
Readying herself, Shaula dashed towards the thieves, leaving small craters wherever she stepped. In a blink of an eye she was behind them. Three chops in the neck later and the three thieves were knocked out, their faces frozen in fear at the lady standing over them.
"All done master!" She cheerfully stated, happy she could fulfill her beloved master's request.
"Y-yeah good job Shaula, I'm proud of you," Subaru responded, eyes wide in disbelief. "Holy shit!" He thought, thinking back to the display he just saw.
"She's fucking insane. I could barely see her dash, her strength is incredible, and she has amazing hand-eye coordination. I can't say for certain, but she could probably beat Elsa with ease."
Subaru was still trying to process just how strong Shaula is, but his face broke into a small smile, happy that he had an amazing ally.
Shaula beamed with pleasure upon hearing the compliment. She gathered up dumb, dumber, and dumbest before uncermonisly throwing them off to the side. After finishing the clean up, she walked back over to Subaru, watching him as he had his head down, deep in thought.
Suddenly, both of them heard a noise and watched as a blur of blonde whizzed past them.
"Woah." The little blonde said, noticing the three unconscious muggers, before running along the wall and getting out of the alley.
At this, Subaru smiled a bit upon seeing Felt, he muttered something before going over to Shaula.
"I'll see you soon, Felt."
"Master, did you say something?"
"Huh? Oh no, nothing important."
Subaru went over to Shaula, who immediately put her head down, wanting another head pat.
"She's like a child." He thought, obliging her request by gently patting her head. The head patting session was soon interrupted when another person entered the alley.
"Stop right there thief, please kindly return my insignia and I will leave peacefully." A voice like a silver bell chimed, earning the attention of the two awake occupants of the alley.
Standing there was Emilia, her face serious and her pose graceful as she tried her best to replicate the pose and form of the authority figures she read during her studies.
Shaula watched as Subaru turned to the voice, a small smile etched onto his face. She also saw him wince a little when he met the eyes of the strange women as she regarded him with unfamiliarity.
Sighing, Subaru casted his gaze downward, before turning his head up and addressing Emilia. "Sorry Miss, but we aren't thieves nor do we have your insignia," he said, opening his hands and emptying his pockets for extra effect.
At this, a hint of panic entered Emilia's eyes as she tried to argue back. "But you took out those three boys," she said, gesturing to the three unconscious individuals hunched over by the wall."
"Those buffons were threatening the Master, so I took care of them," Shaula interrupted, nodding her head as if her actions were the most natural thing in the world.
"She's right Lia, these two aren't lying, nor do I sense any malice in them."
A fourth voice added on, seemingly coming out of the crystal that was hanging off of Emilia's neck. Suddenly a small gray cat emerged from the crystal, floating next to the half-elf.
He glanced at both of them before looking fixedly at Shaula, as if he could feel a great power residing inside her.
The cat decided to finally speak and turned around to face them both, Subaru and Shaula, addressing them both:
"Sorry you two, my daughter is in a bit of a hurry right now. She lost something really important, so she's a bit frantic at the moment."
Subaru nodded his head, understanding the girl's plight. Putting a hand over his chest, he posed and noble, adopting a courteous voice as he addressed Emilia.
"And what, may I ask, has this beautiful maiden lost? If it is within my power I would be honored to assist in the recovery of the item in question."
He opened his eyes, giving a devilish smirk as he saw the effectiveness of his attack. Emilia was currently half turned away from him, blushing fiercely at his words, with a smug Puck next to her, patting her cheek.
"You'll have to forgive her, she doesn't g-get compliments all that o-often, so she isn't the b-best at handling the-m." Puck was trying hard not to laugh as his daughter's blush grew fiercer by the second. He had failed, but he eventually managed to squeak out his sentence.
After a few more seconds, Emilia slowly calmed herself down, before looking at Subaru with concern.
"Are you sure you want to help me? I mean I reaaaly appreciate it, but I'm a half elf…." Emilia trailed off, trying not to think about her heritage and the abuse it brought her.
Emilia had been discriminated against due to her half-elf lineage for as long as could remember. She looked exactly like the witch of envy, the being that destroyed half the world 400 years ago, after all.
She expected Subaru to look shocked. He expected anger and fear to fill his tone as he sneered in disgust, grabbing his companion and leving, grumbling about wasting effort on a half-devil like her.
Subaru did not do any of that, instead choosing a course of action that surprised Emilia greatly.
Subaru nodded in understanding. "That's ok," He said, warmth in his voice: "I don't care about any of that, all I see is someone who needs help, and I want to help."
Emilia was shocked, astounded that for the first time in a long time someone had cared not for her heritage. She had not been casted aside or suffered verbal abuse, she had been accepted as an individual. She closed her fist as she tried to stop the tears that threatened to leak out.
Noticing Emilia's inner thoughts, Puck chose to answer instead.
Before he did, he telepathically sent a message to Emilia through their link, filling her in on some other details before they made their decision:
"Like I said Lia, this guy nor his companion show any malice or ill intention. In fact, the guy really wants to help you, he has deep adoration for you. I'm not sure why but he does, also his companion is just happy to be here, so it should be fine to bring them along."
"Ok." was all Emilia could muster, still overwhelmed with how easily Subaru brushed off her heritage and accepted her.
Happy with his daughter's approval, Puck addressed Subaru.
"We would greatly appreciate your help in this, as it seems you appeared to have quite the impact on Lia. Besides, if worse comes to worse we can always use you as a meatbag." Puck shrugged as he finished, a small smirk on his face.
"Hey! I'd rather not be relegated to that position, it's unmanly." Subaru exclaimed, before resigning to his fate, nodding his head in confirmation to Puck.
The youth turned towards Shaula, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during this interaction. He saw her gazing at Emilia, face scrunched up in thought. While he moved to her, Shaula snapped out of her funk, turning to Subaru, a frown on her face.
"Master, who is that girl? She feels really familiar to me."
Subaru was surprised once he heard these words, his mind trying to think of the possibilities
"Could she still have her memories from the tower, or could it be something else? No matter, it's better if we talk after we get the insignia and save Rom and Felt."
Subaru put a finger over his mouth, signaling for Shaula to stop talking before responding to her.
"I don't know who she is," he lied, "for right now let's help her. She lost something and I want to help her get it back."
At this Shaula nodded, then smiled.
"If master wants to help this women, then Shaula will also help. Though I hope you won't forget about me while helping her." She pouted a little at this, hints of jealousy in her eyes.
Subaru chuckled before responding, "Don't worry Shaula, no matter what I will never forget you," he said, patting her head as he did this. She was satisfied with this answer, leaning into his touch.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me."
A voice interrupted the pair, both sets of eyes turned towards the cat.
"If we are gonna be working together, we should introduce ourselves, you know, like a bonding exercise."
Subaru nodded, before walking away from Shaula and standing in front of Puck and Emilia. He straightened his back and arched his hips, getting himself into his famous pose. With one hand on his hip and the other pointed to the sky, Subaru shouted
"My name is Natsuki Subaru, not only am I lost, but I'm also broke beyond comparison! Nice to meet you two." His overexaggerated demeanor got laughs out of everyone in the alley.
Breathing in to compose himself, Puck responded. "Nice to meet you Natsuki Subaru, my name's Puck." Puck floated over to Subaru and went to shake his hand, to which Subaru gladly obliged, the two looking like merchants who had just finished a deal.
"Wow Subaru, you are reaaaaly good with spirits. I've never seen one that could touch one so easily." Wondered Emilia as she was fascinated by this new strange friend of hers.
Subaru merely shrugged his shoulders in response, now choosing to idly rub Puck's fur, who made no effort to resist.
Taking this as a sign that she should continue, Emilia went on:
"Anyways, my name is…" At this point Emilia began to panic, wondering what she should do. Should she lie? Sure it would be cruel to the boy, but she didn't want to hurt him. Only bad things would come to people who associated with her.
But he was so nice, she countered. He had brushed off her lineage and instead focused on herself and her needs. Believing him to be a good person, Emilia steadied herself.
"Emilia, just Emilia," she finished, smiling at Subaru, who felt his cheeks get a little hotter at the site.
"A pretty name for a pretty girl," was what the black-haired boy responded with, causing Emilia to also feel her cheeks flare up.
All eyes turned to the fourth resident of the alley, the scorpion girl who had a smug grin on, like she was waiting for this moment her whole life. In a way, she was. Fixing herself to perfectly mimic Subaru's earlier pose, she began her introduction,
"My name is Shaula, master's one and only apprentice,"
Subaru could only look on with pride, overjoyed that someone else was using his favorite pose. That pride soon turned to horror at the next phrase that came out of the girl's mouth.
"And his personal, exclusive sex slave!"
At these words, time itself seemed to have stopped. Shaula tilted her head in confusion, wondering what was up with the others as they stared at her, eyes wide in shock.
Subaru never considered himself to be a suicidal person. Even though he has done it time and time again to save his allies, he still hated the thought of it. Scratch that, he hated the idea of death itself, and prayed he would only die again at the end of a long, fulfilled life. Though he knew deep in his heart that won't be the case.
All of this changed when he heard the words come out of Shaula's mouth. With jumbled ideas filling his head, Subaru only had one coherent thought:
"Satella, if you are somehow listening, please kill me. I don't care how brutal or how far back I get sent back, please end my suffering right now."
The poor boy was blushing profusely, still attempting to comprehend the words Shaula just uttered. His face twisted into one of betrayal as he could have sworn that he heard a voice in the wind say "Sorry, my beloved."
The voice brought with it despair for the boy, as he prepared to face the fallout of the blissfully innocent scorpion girl's words.
Author Notes:
Another chapter, damn I cannot believe it. Apologies if it's short but I wanted to get it out before finals.
Once again thank you so much for all the support, I really appreciate it.
Huge shoutout to Oteycri000, a god who beta read and revised this to turn it into something awesome. Check them out, they also have some really good fanfics.
Finally a fun fact: I wrote this at 1am while listening to the same song for 3 hours.
See you all next time!
- twisted