Just wanted to take a quick moment to give credit to Luigi442
His story "Our Place In The Sun" is what inspired me to give writing something a real try for once. I really liked his premise but will be doing something a little different with it , also taking it into a slightly more mature route in terms of rating!
Chapter 1: When Finally Leaving Hell
"Why do I feel so weak?" Where the first thoughts that entered Subaru's mind whenever he opened his eyes realizing he wasn't in bed. He knew right off the bat that something was going on. His vision was hazy, rubbing his eyes he found himself still having a weird sensation coursing through his body. It was similar to when he drank Echidnas tea, if you could even call it that anymore. He was sore all over, and it was hard for him to really focus. There was a loud ringing in his ears that made him flinch in pain. It almost felt like something had fundamentally changed deep in his core. He gripped his chest worried that something might be wrong. He then proceeded to inspect himself closely. Luckily it seemed he was still fully clothed and in his tracksuit, the only thing he could really call his own, while also serving as a grim reminder of the loser he once let himself become. After everything he had been through he was surprised just how well the thing had held up, even with the occasional repair from Rem the thing was sturdier than he imagined a tracksuit could be. "Rem… man do I miss her..."he thought himself growing a bit of a frown. He sat up still feeling weak and trying to regain his composure. It was almost like all the strength had forcefully been sapped out of him. The ringing slowly subsided giving him a chance to gather his thoughts.
"That's normal at least'' he whispered aloud dusting himself off. He noticed a lot of mud stains that looked like they weren't coming out any time soon. "I just know today is not going to be my day" he regrettably thought. Almost like a switch had been flipped he was suddenly bombarded with the sensation of being wet. His socks, pants, sweater, and underwear specifically in that order. It bothered him so much that he unironically considered using return by death for a second. "I shouldn't make jokes like that…" he thought, suddenly being reminded of his "Unthinkable Present" Just the mere name gave him shivers down to his core. A sudden gust of wind served as a reminder for Subaru to pay closer attention and not dwell on irrelevant things to the matter at hand.
"When did…" He muttered now realizing he was in the middle of a rice field. Not only did he have no idea where he was, he was a little insulted that his place of awakening was in a rice field. It looked late, like the sun was getting ready to set. Quickly finding his strength suddenly returning he jumped up making sure to let out an annoyed growl. "Seriously what the hell have I gotten myself into this time!?" he yelled, attempting to get as much mud off of himself as possible. He realized pretty quickly that the mud had no real intention of coming off and the only thing he was accomplishing was spreading it all over. His left eye began to twitch as he quickly lost his patience. "If only Rem was here…" his mind was constantly being reminded of her. From the moment he lost her to gluttony, his mind was always thinking of her one way or another. He found himself suddenly drifting off to a memory of the time Rem helped him clean up all the fertilizer he had fallen into after being shot out the window by Beatrice in one of the previous loops. Even though at the time she didn't trust him she still went out of her way to help him. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Rem hated him at one point, and now loved him more than anything. A heavy guilt surrounded his heart at the thought of how she saw him as her hero. "Hero… does someone like me really deserve to be a hero…?" He quickly slapped his cheeks to get the thought out of his mind.
"Just great! My streak of bad luck never runs out in this god forsaken world" he angrily yelled before finally giving up on his rather half assed attempt of getting all the mud off and focused on trying to gather more information on his situation. He realized that his concern should probably be placed elsewhere at the moment. It wasn't that suddenly being in a rice field wasn't a concerning topic at hand, however considering the "surprises" he's dealt with before Subaru was just glad he had all his limbs intact and not surrounded by dead bodies or a raging fire. He cringed at the sudden memories of his previous deaths. At this point it wasn't even the death that bothered him anymore but the way he was always going to be able to remember the pain. He never thought he would die a painful death, let alone a handful."You know, considering what would normally happen in these situations, I'm half expecting another drop dead beauty to come out from the woodworks just to mess with me." he thought to himself, being able to relax a little.
"I consider Subaru to be one of the luckiest people I know~" a faint yet sweet voice called out from behind him. In that moment it was as if the world faded to white, the rice field slowly fading out. The wind no longer blows, and the wet sensation fading away. His mind went blank, only repeating the voice over and over again in his mind. It seemed like time had frozen in place, giving Subaru an eternity to dwell on who exactly the voice could be. He found that his body no longer responded to his wishes. He was already feeling weak and this just took the wind right out of him. His mouth began to dry up, not even a shred of moisture was left to be had. His calm demeanor didn't last long. He found himself being riddled with anxiety in every fiber of his being. It wasn't that he was afraid of the voice itself. No, what he feared was that the voice wouldn't be coming from the person it belonged to.
"No…" he whimpered with a loud crack in his voice. Even such a simple word took an extraordinary amount of effort. His heart began to ache, beating so fast he felt like it would explode at any moment. He shut his eyes as tight as possible in an attempt to keep them from popping out. Not even the breathing technique he learned with Echidna had any effect to calm his nerves. "It can't really be her can it?..." was the only thought that crossed his mind, repeating itself over and over again like he was some kind of madman. For once he understood what it really like to feel "his mind tremble".
"Subaru… is everything okay?" the same heavenly voice called out once again. It was filled with some much missed love and concern that there was no mistaking who was behind that voice. Yet the fear of it being wrong once again kept him from responding. He wanted nothing more than to believe his beloved would be right there waiting for him. He wanted nothing else but to see her beautiful glistening blue eyes that were always filled with an undying affection for him. The smile that gave him the confidence to face the white whale head on. The woman he realized he loved and was just a little too late to say it.
"JUST THIS ONCE LET ME BE RIGHT" the young man passionately screamed into the sky, finally mustering the strength to turn around. It took everything he had to gather enough courage. It didn't matter what was waiting for him as long as she was there waiting for him he knew everything would be okay. He knew that all of his countless hours spent worrying about her wouldn't be for nothing as long as he brought her back. He knew that if anyone else besides that beautiful blue haired maid was in front of him he was going to be heartbroken beyond repair.
As the young man slowly turned around, his mind was flooded with the memories of a beautiful, kind, and unforgettable blue haired maid one again. The one woman who no matter what he did, would always love and support him. The woman he knew he didn't deserve. The woman that deep down he knew was the only reason he tried so hard to overcome the Sanctuary fiasco. "Rem, please be there…" he whispered almost as if admitting defeat, ready to give up if it turned out to be anyone else. At that moment nothing else mattered to him and he didn't care if it made him seem selfish.
"I'm going to open my eyes, and unless you are a beautiful and admittedly sexy blue haired demon in a maid outfit, leave" he said sternly, still hesitating on whether or not he should look to see who exactly is in front of him. He started to regret all the times he took her for granted never letting her know how much he meant to her. He wished that he could talk to her for hours on end just about how the only reason things worked out half the time was thanks to her efforts. Without her he would have never been able to solve anything. His biggest regret was also the only reason he had to save her.
"W-well I don't k-know ab-about sexy or c-cute but I can assure you I'm d-definitely a blue haired demon m-maid" the soft voice muttered. Her face was flushed a bright red, and she began to cover her mouth with her hands in order to hide the smile that was plastered on her face. She never considered herself to be attractive in the slightest, but for some reason it was even harder to consider her true love a liar. This was definitely one of the most conflicting situations she has been faced with. Her heart was beating intensely after hearing the way Subaru described her, while also having a growing curiosity as to why he seemed so distraught. "Why is he acting like we haven't seen each other in forever? Weren't we just celebrating the defeat of the white whale?" she thought while clutching her chest. She only awoke a few moments ago after hearing Subaru let out annoyed grunts, and was feeling even more disoriented after his comments.
However she was quickly pulled out of her delusions when she was suddenly tackled to the ground by a crying Subaru. He buried his face in her chest, completely disregarding how others might view the action. She decided not to fight it and instead held him tightly while running her fingers through his hair, something she knew he enjoyed. "Wait… didn't someone else do this for him too…?" As they laid there covered in water and mud, she found herself having trouble with the fragments of memories she was starting to discover. The last one she could recall was when she was riding home with all the villagers in the carriages with someone. However she found herself not being able to remember who exactly she was with. As she got lost in her thoughts even deeper she found herself unable to remember anyone's face. She could recall the names but the only person she could really recognize was the man crying in her lap, Subaru. "Why does it feel like I'm forgetting all these people… I mean I know them … but I also don't…?" she began to grow more concerned the more these thoughts continued to branch out. It started to give her a headache and it felt like something was intentionally keeping her memories under lock.
She quickly redirected her attention to the area around them. It didn't look out of the ordinary but even the rice field in the village looked vastly different. She noticed the entire area made her feel uneasy. It wasn't the rice field itself but rather it was more the atmosphere that it carried. Upon closing her eyes and doing a closer inspection she noticed a distinct lack of mana in the air. Once she noticed the lack of mana she began to notice that her body itself felt odd. She wasn't visibly injured and it seemed like nothing was out of the ordinary but she couldn't shake the feeling that something major had changed. She felt so weak that it was hard to really move. She redirected her attention once again to the man who was starting to calm down in her lap. A sense of worry washed over her briefly. She never liked seeing Subaru cry even if it was tears of joy. Rem was visibly glad that even if it was only temporary she could have him all to herself. However the moment was short lived when a realization hit her, Subaru was missing his one defining feature. It made her question the situation for a moment. Was the Subaru crying on her lap the same one that she loved? She shook her head violently telling herself off for ever doubting him.
"Subaru! I hav-'' were the only words that could escape her mouth before the man laying in her lap placed his hand on her cheek. It wasn't fair, the look in his eyes were so full of love she was convinced he would only ever look at Emilia that way. "Eh? Emilia?... Who was she again? Why did I think that?..." The thought bothered her once again as she struggled to remember the people attached to the names that bounced around in her head. Subaru wiped his tears as he positioned himself so that he would be laying down on her lap while looking up at her. While he was definitely enjoying the reunion, part of him also knew that there was a chance this was nothing more than another sick joke from the witches, or even worse that being another delusion of his. He often had dreams of being reunited with Rem. Even dreams of what would have happened if she decided to run away with him on that fateful day.
"It's really you… right Rem?" he asked with a defeated voice that was ready to give up. His expression shifted back to one of unease and anxiety as the possibilities of this all being a lie clouded his mind. Just being able to feel her thighs, catch a whiff of her scent, and get lost in those eyes of her seemed like it was impossible. He grew tense and unsure how to feel about the situation at hand. Despite how badly he wanted to hide it, Rem was able to see right through it. After all the time they had spent together Rem couldn't help but chuckle a little. Somehow Subaru still believed he could hide his emotions from looked down at him, deciding to keep her thoughts to herself for the time being and ask about what she noticed at a later time. It was obvious that seeing her made Subaru very emotional and it was gonna be impossible to get any sort of information out of him. Right now she felt it was her job to comfort the man she loved, her hero.
"Yes, I am your one and only Rem" she said with a smile that always had a way to break through Subarus doubts. She pinched his cheeks a little to show him that he wasn't dreaming. She giggled a little, feeling like she was consoling a baby rather than the man who saved Lugnica time and time again. He wasn't sure why considering how the witches had tricked him once before, but he knew that the Rem he was looking at right now was the real deal. Something about the way she talked, smiled, and giggled served as reassurance. He reached for her hand and held it tightly almost as if telling her that he had no intention of ever leaving her side again. Subaru was never going to leave her side no matter what the reason. "This time, I'll make sure of it." he silently thought to himself putting the maids hand up to his cheek. She was covered in just as much mud as he was but it didn't stop him from enjoying the sensation of her skin.
The two continued to enjoy their reunion, unable to really speak as they were both overwhelmed with emotions, any conversation would simply lead nowhere. The space around them fell silent as if it was waiting for them to finish their reunion. "WILL YOU TWO HURRY UP AND GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FIELDS" a distant, raspy voice yelled from a distance. The voice was so loud it caused them to flinch out of fear like they had just been jump scared.
They jumped up almost instantly, quickly getting on their feet filled with both embarrassment as well as some guilt seeing how they ruined some of the rice by laying on top of it for so long. Not to mention both of them were now in more mud than before. Both looked around to see where the voice was coming from making brief eye contact. Eventually they catch the man at the top of a small hill by the edge of the rice field. They looked at each other again and gave one another a smile before chuckling. "Shall we?" Subaru asked while bowing to Rem in a joking manner. While he was more confused than ever before he was just glad to have his Rem by his side again.
"I believe we shal, my dear hero~" Rem teased, lifting her skirt slightly and bowing back at Subaru in the same playful manner. It felt like they were back at the mansion being their silly selves slacking off from their duties. While she wanted to question why she only remembered fragments of her past, and only memories with Subaru at that, she decided to leave it alone. They both broke out into laughter once again, the feeling of uneasiness finally leaving their mind. They both knew there was a lot to figure out but just being with one another was more than enough for them "QUIT LAUGHING AND GET THE HELL OVER HERE" the very obviously peeved old man shouted once again. This time he seemed to be waving his fist around which serves as nothing more than a half assed threat.
They both cringed at the man's yelling again. His voice definitely showed signs of abuse and age. Subaru then reached for Rems hand again holding it firmly and interlocking their fingers. He began to pull her forward slightly as he figured both of them were still exhausted. "I'll talk to him and tell him this is all a misunderstanding!" he smiled back at her trying to give her some peace of mind. Once again feeling flustered she simply nodded in agreement and began to follow closely behind him. She was so curious as to why seemingly out of nowhere he was being so affectionate. Back then from what she could remember he would never act this way and save this kind of attention for the Emilia person. As they got close her gaze became fixated on a rather large object the man was standing next to. She didn't recognize it however it appeared to be constructed out of metal. It was truly like nothing she had ever seen and it made her wonder if they might have ended up in a different region other than Lugnica.
"I wonder if she remembers what happened when she fought sloth and greed." Subaru thought to himself as he continued to pull Rem along. He was hoping that the old man would be able to serve as some sort of clue as to where they were, and why the hell they were brought to the middle of a rice field. Subaru knew that if anything the man was not the one who dumped them here. He suddenly stopped in place, once again he had a sense of shock overcome him, the air was almost impossible to breathe, and panic began to set in. The man was not standing next to anything that would have been possible to make in Lugnica. There was no mistaking it, and it made sense why Rem had her eyes locked on it. It made him grip her hand even more tightly not knowing it slightly hurt Rem in the process. Rem could tell he was freaking out, he always had the habit of phasing stuff out whenever he did. "Why the hell… is he…" Subaru thought to himself while pointing towards the familiar sight. It couldn't be possible yet there it was, mocking him. "WHY THE HELL DO YOU HAVE A CAR OLD MAN" He yelled, almost sounding more angry than fearful.
It caused Rem to jump and snap out of her trance. She was confused as to what he meant when he said "car" but quickly realized it must not have been a good thing judging by his reaction and the way it was making him panic. She quickly pulled her hand away from Subaru and reached for her ball and chain, only for her to realize it was gone. She was shocked, how could she not notice until now, but decided she had no time to dwell on it. She was going to activate her horn, and carry Subaru away from the "car" that he had mentioned. If anything she could outrun the car and the man. Once again she came to the realization that her horn was not activating. This caused her to panic a little herself as her horn had never failed to activate before. "Is it the lack of mana?" she asked herself internally before attempting to pick up Subarbu. This would only lead to yet another surprise for Rem as she failed to pick him up and slammed into Subarus legs as a result. "What? He's normally so easy to carry?" she thought to herself as she sat there staring at her hands in disbelief. Yes she felt weaker than normal but she could tell that even at full strength she wouldn't be able to do it.
The sudden bump from Rem to his hind legs somewhat served as a snap back reality. "Rem are you alright?" he asked, crouching down to comfort her. As if he didn't have a million questions already, now the list was getting bigger. "What the hell is going on here? Why does the old man have a fucking car? Am I back in my world? But then why would Rem be here with me?" where all thoughts clouded his mind as he attempted to calm the panicking maid.
"Subaru… I can't use my…" she mumbled, her eyes still wide in disbelief of what was happening. Not once since she was born did she ever have this kind of weakness show itself. "Can't use what?" he asked while picking her up bridal style ready to make a run for it if necessary. He wasn't sure of what the hell was going on but he wasn't leaving Rem behind. The old man grew impatient watching the young couple continue to mess around in his rice field. He began walking towards the couple with a peeved off expression."What the hell do you mean 'why do I have a car' try walking to the farm from the city asshole" he yelled towards Subaru waving his fist like a madman.
Unfortunately the man's words fell on deft ears as neither of them paid any mind to the old man. They were both completely dumbfounded and afraid of the situation that was quickly beginning to unfold before them. Subaru was attempting to maintain a calm demeanor while Rem was slowly losing her grip on herself. It was probably the worst situation they could find themselves in. Completely drained, no idea where they were, and as far as they knew an enemy was walking towards them. The old man reached the two, noticing that the woman was dressed quite oddly. It gradually made him more irritated as it seemed the two were fulfilling some kind of fetish in his rice fields. He placed his hand on Subarus shoulder, turning him around by force. He didn't care that the two were having a moment, they were ruining his crops.
"Oi! I've had enough of you two! Get the fuc-" the old man found himself biting his tongue. He looked at the boy covered in mud and almost had to do a double old man had a gut feeling that he should calm down and pay attention. He closely examined the young man as he seemed so awfully familiar. He stood there in silence as he tried to recall where he had seen the boy previously. "Natuski Subaru… Right?" the old man asked, scratching his chin still trying to recall everything. It was a name he noticed on a flyer back when he drove to the city to drop off some crops for the local farmers market. If he remembered correctly some parents were looking for their son. Randomly after stepping out for a run to the convenience store the kid was nowhere to be found.
This managed to get Subarus attention causing him to look the old man straight in the eyes. He didn't recognize the man but noted that his clothes were not those you'd find in Lugnica either. The man was dressed in a red messy flannel, beat up from years of work. A matching set of overalls with patches that served as almost badges to show off the man's countless hours of labor. The clothes weren't completely unique but the branding is what gave it away. In all the time he had spent in Lugnica, branding was never really a thing. He was then reminded of the way Echidna would always tell him to calm down. He took a deep breath finding himself at ease. Once again the way all the anxiety simply disappeared from his body was dumbfounding to was honestly glad that it worked unlike when he saw Rem. "Do you know me?" he asked with an almost entirely different demeanor. He wasn't freaking out anymore and came off as a bit more serious.
"Natsuki Subaru… A highschooler right? Son of Kenichi?" The old man seemed anxious about the answer as he wasn't even sure if either of the names he just listed were even right. It was hard for him to remember what the flyer said exactly but he remembered a worried father handing them out all over the farmer's market that day. The way the man looked like he hadn't slept in weeks is what drove the old man to talk to him. He didn't think he would ever actually run in to the missing boy.
Subaru took a moment before answering to gather his thoughts. "How do you know my dad?" he asked, pressing Rems face into his chest in order to calm the silently panicking maid. She didn't resist and instead decided to bury herself in his chest. His beating heart served as a distraction from the fear that she was drowning in. She gripped his tracksuit tightly with tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Just have faith in Subaru…" she thought.
"Your parents put out an ad a few months back, said their kid was missin' that was about six months ago if I remember" the old man mumbled watching Subaru trying to comfort the oddly dressed blue haired woman and figuring that she would be the reason the young man had disappeared for so long. He suddenly didn't feel so angry anymore. He remembered a time where he put everything on the line for his now wife. The look in Subarus eyes reminded him of himself when he was younger. As much as the old man hated it, he couldn't be mad at the young man anymore.
Subaru didn't answer immediately. If the old man was being honest, it pretty much confirmed what he was worried about. Not only was this guy driving around a beat up truck, but also knew the name of his father. If this was Lugnica the only person who would know what those things are is Echidna."I'm back after all…" Subabru thought to himself.
"Say old man… where are we right now?" he asked, taking a second to look around again. Nothing seemed off, but he noticed that the feeling was a lot different than Lugnicas. Even to someone who had only lived there briefly like him, he definitely felt a significant difference. Lugnica just had such a different atmosphere to it than Japan. Subaru just couldn't put it into words.
"Well… where do you think?" he scoffed at Subaru losing his obnoxious attitude. He was feeling a little better knowing that he might be able to help that restless father. "Where else would we be? About a half hour drive from the city" the old man pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. He still thought it was odd that the kid was in a tracksuit, and was carrying a girl dressed as a maid. It wasn't exactly a pair you would expect to see out in the outskirts of town.
"That's what I was afraid of" He mumbled, lowering his head to the ground. Never did he ever imagine himself coming back here. "Just what I needed… my luck couldn't be any worse" he chuckled, still trying to figure out how exactly he managed to not only come back to Japan, but also drag his one and only Rem into this situation. "How should I explain this to rem?" he silently asked before looking down only to notice the blue haired demon maid had fallen asleep in his arms. He decided it was better to let her get her rest, seeing as they were both probably drained. It also served as a way to buy time until he could figure out just how exactly he was going to explain all this.
"Look kid let me get the point, I don't know the situation but judging how you're looking at that girl, I'll give you an option" The old man said, causing Subaru to look his way once again. While he did want to help the poor father, he could also relate to Suabru. While he would feel guilty he decided to give the kid a choice anyways.
"What would that be old-timer?" he asked, pulling Rem up even higher so he wouldn't accidentally drop her. He was really starting to feel the fatigue kick in. He didn't want to waste too much time talking to the old man. His body felt like it was going to give in any moment and collapse.
"I can take you back to your parents, and you can have all the fun of telling them where you've been for the past six months…" he took a quick puff from his cigarette blowing out the smoke towards Subaru. He wasn't sure if what he was going to offer next was the right thing to do. He got a flash of the way that man looked so worried. He took a deep breath before letting out a deep sigh. "Or I can drop you off at the next town over and I'll act like you never existed" Even after saying it out loud it seemed so wrong. There was no guarantee this kid could make it on his own, and he knew that very well.
Subaru was a bit hesitant to answer. This world was nothing like Lugnica, he wouldn't be able to go to a different town and start another life so easily. If his parents had put out an ad for him, then everywhere he went there was always the risk of being recognized. He didn't have any money to speak of, nor any real idea of how he would manage to find a place to stay for the night considering the sun was already starting to set. This wasn't some world of fantasy, this was Japan. Even in the best case scenario he would be taken home by authorities after a while.
"No offense, but if you don't mind me asking why are you willing to do all that? As far as you know I'm a runaway who ruined your rice fields." He asked not really sure what to expect for an answer. Sure this old timer was being nice, but he did just scream at them for ruining his crops. That wasn't even including the fact that he obviously had some hesitation with the second option.
The old man continued to smoke his cigarette, turning around slightly as if he seemed a little timid. He didn't know the answer to that either. This was quite frankly out of character for him. As he finished the cigarette he threw it on the ground stomping on it to put it out. "Don't get me wrong, I want to kick your ass for playing in my damn rice fields… but the way you look at that girl reminded me of myself when I was younger" he said scratching his chin, not even sure if that type of answer would satisfy the highschool runaway.
Subaru silently contemplated his options. The fact the old man wasn't threatening to call the cops gave him some confidence that he wasn't going to try and screw them if he did, the old man was a sack of bones, he could easily just run away from him. He was a little hesitant to see his parents, he had been missing for a while. They were okay with him skipping school, but flat out disappearing? They must wanna kill him for it. It was definitely not something he saw them being okay with. It wasn't like he had any real option to begin with, he just had to face what was coming next. Sooner or later he was going to have to talk to them. "If you will… please take me to my parents" Subaru let out a deep sigh knowing that he was basically giving up and crying home to his parents.
This entire situation was crazy. Not only is he back in Japan, but he managed to drag Rem along one way or another. Not to mention the fact that Rem is back to normal, when just yesterday she was still under the effects of Gluttony's authority. Admittedly he was debating on whether or not she should just use return by death and see where the checkpoint is, but ultimately decided against it since he promised Satella he wouldn't use it like he used to. There were just a million questions that needed to be answered and it seemed like the answers to those questions were going to be painfully slow to get. It was irritating but out of his control. He would just have to make a plan of action after seeing his parents and talking to them.
"That's the answer I was hoping for, but before I make you jump into the back of my truck, have you had anything to eat? I'm starvin' and my wife is cooking dinner, I can't drive on an empty stomach" asked the old man. He grew a small grin on his face as the guilt left his body. While he did want to give the boy a choice, he didn't want that poor father to keep suffering the way he had been for months.
Subaru was initially thrown off considering that just a second ago this old man went from 'I'm going to kick your ass' to 'Want me to take you home?' to 'let's have dinner' all in the span of a few minutes. It was a little jarring to see the old man shift gears so quickly. He suddenly felt Rem move in his arms. He looked down once again at the woman he had tried so hard to save. "She seemed pretty freaked out about something, we could both use some food to wind down from all this…" he thought. Reluctantly he had made his decision.
"Sure thing, I think we could all use some grub to cool off" Subaru responded, smiling at the man as they walked towards the small beat up truck. Sabura knew he didn't have many real options. It was either take the man up on his offer or try to carry Rem god knows where with absolutely no strength. The man let down the trunk door giving Subaru the chance to hop on. The truck was pretty close to the ground making it easy for Subaru to hop on without having to set down Rem. She was already dirty but he wouldn't feel right setting her down like some kind of object. "You know, if it wasn't for the fact that she was asleep for so long, I would probably be drooling all over her cute sleeping face" he thought to himself feeling a little sad. He reminded himself of just how bad the situation is. He's no longer in Lugnica, and he had no idea if going back was even possible.
That's also when another thought popped into his head. "Wait if me and Rem are here… are the others somewhere else? Or are they still back home?" he found himself loading up his worries even more. If there was a chance the others were brought to japan too wouldn't they have been in the rice field as well? After all Rem was only a few feet from him. There was no real way to tell but he hoped that it wasn't the case.
"It's gonna be a bumpy ride! I live about 10 minutes from here so hold on tight!" The old man said as he hopped into the driver's seat. He turned on the radio which started to play what sounded like music from 2 decades was oddly soothed by the start of the decade old engine trying to start before jumping to life. He remembered his grandpa had an almost identical beat up truck that he would ride around in as a kid. As the man pulled onto the small dirt road, Subaru found himself looking up at the sky. At a glance there was no real difference from either world's sky. He couldn't help but worry about everyone else.
"Roswaal, Beako, Emilia, Ram, Petra, Otto, Garfiel, Frederica… I sure hope you guys are safe at home…" Subaru contemplated. Was this going to be the end of his adventures with them? Should he consider that a good or bad thing? Not like anything good ever happened in Lugnica without him dying first. He sighed, covering his eyes with his arm. Rem was laying on his lap, and he couldn't resist playing with the resting girls hair.
"Home huh… I wonder what my home is now…" he thought. In all his time spent in Lugnica, he never really considered what he would do if he ever came back. He assumed he would spend the rest of his days in the world of fantasy. The world that was a living hell from the moment he set foot in it. Somehow in that hellscape he still managed to be surrounded by amazing people. People who were all better than him in every way shape and form. To say he missed them would be an understatement. He felt homesick, which was ironic considering that he was closer to home than he has been for the past six months. "You know I never considered why I was even taken to Lugnica, let alone why I would be brought back…" he said to himself before giving into the fatigue and dozing off alongside Rem.
Meanwhile, at the Miload Mansion
"I don't like the way things look right now…" Ram thought to herself as she ran through the halls of the Miload mansion. Ever since the Mathers mansion burned down they had no real option but to temporarily relocate in this mansion. Ram wasn't very familiar with it yet, and quite frankly that made her even more irritated than she already was. "I wake up and what do I find? Barusu has gone missing and ran off with my sister! That conniving little…" she ranted off in her mind before being stopped by a rather tall blonde maid. While she wanted to go off on said maid she knew that it wasn't the time for that kind of behavior.
"Ram I know what you're thinking but would he really choose to run away now? After everything he did just to save the sanctuary?" Frederica said, patting the troubled Rams head gently. She knew that it was only a matter of time before their peace was going to be disrupted again, however she had hoped it wasn't so soon.``As guilty as the situation might seem, even if he ran off Garfiel would have found his scent by now…" she let out a deep sigh also letting the concern on her face reveal itself. She watched as Garfiel slowly walked down the hall toward the pair, already having an idea of what he was going to say. In the brief time that she got to know Subaru it was obvious to her that he wouldn't run. That was the one thing that she had absolute faith in, but was also the cause for her growing worries. "If he didn't run away, then that only leaves the worst of the worst '' she told herself.
He seemed rather irritated, almost as much as Ram. However there was also the same hint of concern in his face as Fredericas. He knew full well that even if he couldn't smell Subaru, there was no way he wouldn't be able to pick up the witches scent, especially considering how much of the scent he was always giving off. He went as far as going back to the Mathers mansion only to find nothing, not even a hint of the blue haired woman's scent. As he reached the two in the hallway he placed his hand on Ram's shoulder. He already knew that she was upset, and was fully prepared to deal with the consequences. She turned to look at him and without a word she could tell the news wasn't good. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that if anyone was gonna be able to find their scent, it was going to be Garfiel. He looked her straight in the eyes before letting out a sigh. It felt like he was delivering the death of a family member. "Sorry, I checked everywhere he could have gone, I couldn't even pick up Rem's scent" He said feeling an immense amount of guilt.
This answer was far from the one she wanted to hear. While she still had no memories of who Rem was, she still felt concern for the girl. She was able to tell from the moment she saw her that they shared the same blood. She spent hours every night trying her hardest to recall even the sound of her voice to no avail. The guilt of not being able to remember her sister was starting to take a burden on her. Not to mention the issue of Subaru missing as well. Deep down she also knew that Subaru running away was nothing more than what she wanted to believe. It would make everything so much easier to resolve if that was the case. "So if Barusu and Rem didn't run away, what could have happened? It's not like they could have disappeared into thin air!" the pink haired maid rattled off while getting up close to Garfiel. She knew that he wasn't to blame but she had no other outlet for her anger. This caused the young blonde to blush a little. "I have no idea alright? I'm worried about the boss too" he retorted. He didn't even want to imagine all the possible things that could have gone wrong.
Ram stepped back giving Garfiel room to breathe. In a fit of rage she continued to walk down the hall before stopping in place. Looking for them was going to accomplish nothing. The only real option they had was to think outside the box or start throwing out accusations. She turned around showing her back to both Frederica and Garfiel. A heavy silence filled the mansion at that moment. A silence that felt eerie in nature, one that was slowly engulfing the trio in a wave of doubt that they couldn't easily shake off. The doubts weren't necessarily pointed at Subaru but the situation called that he had to have something to do with his disappearance.
The silence was abruptly broken by the sound of heavy breathing and someone running down the mansion hallway. As the trio looked on, a sense of guilt washed over them as they realized they wanted to blame everything on Subaru out of frustration. A familiar red ribbon wearing maid could be seen rushing to the scene, showing obvious signs of having been crying. The three looked at one another and silently nodded. They needed to keep it together for the time being, if not for themselves then for the little girl who was probably taking it the worst. "Everyone…" was all Petra could say before she had to gasp for air. She fell on her knees as a throbbing sensation caused her to wince in pain. She had been running around all morning desperately trying to find Subaru and Rem after finding out that they had gone missing. She looked up to see Frederica holding out her hand.
"We should go see Master Roswaal I assume?" she asked as Petra took her hand silently nodding while trying to wipe any of the tears that escaped her eyes. Without another word the four walked down the hallways with a feeling they wished they could ignore. In one way or another, they knew that whatever was going on was, it was just the beginning of another long, hard battle unlike any they had faced before.
Thank you for reading the very first chapter of "Where Loyalties Lie" . I've never actually written a fanfiction before so it was actually kind of nerve wracking to get this the way I wanted. I probably revised this 3 times before finally deciding on a format for writing. I'm very open to critique so feel free to let me know what you think.
I want to thank Luigi442 for letting me take a crack at his premise. I plan on writing more than one chapter regardless of the fics popularity and already have a plan for how I want the story to play out. Anyways, I really do appreciate it if you took the time to read this entire thing, and I hope you stick around for more.