Re: Membered - A Re: Forgotten Spinoff
"Stay back, archbishop!"
The little blonde spirit of yin, Beatrice screamed as she shot a minya crystal towards him.
"Woah beako, that almost hurt me! What happened?" Subaru screamed while dodging her attack.
"You, a person who carries her disgusting scent on your body, dare to call yourself my contractor, in fact?" She said with a glare.
"Please understand me, I don't know what has happened but I feel like I have an idea. The archbishop of gluttony! When I encountered him, he must have eaten my name! That's right, that's why no one can remember me... I don't even have a gospel you know? You can check", Subaru tried to provide an explanation while trying not to sweat.
"Don't think I'm going to believe you so easily archbi- what...? You don't have a gospel? ... But you could still be one of their fingers. How do you expect is us to trust you, I wonder?"
Subaru turned towards Emilia.
"Emilia, you believe me, right? We took on the sanctuary together and you made me your knight. You trust me, right Emilia-tan?" Subaru asked while looking at her with pleading eyes.
"Uhh... I... I don't remember you sadly. And my knight is Garfiel. I want to trust you, but I also trust my spirit…. I'm sorry again but if you are not a bad guy, please give us some proof", Emilia said while looking at him with pity.
"Emilia, don't fall for his lies", Beatrice was not ready to give him the benefit of doubt.
Before Subaru could say something, Garfiel, Felix and Julius arrived.
"Princess, is 'ere some sorta problem goin' on?" He asked, sceptically looking at the person surrounded by everyone.
Beatrice explained about him, not giving Subaru a moment to speak.
"Oh... So you're one of them huh... Very well, Ferris-chan will take care of nyou! Now please come with me nyand tell me how we can cure Crusch-sama", Ferris said while approaching him with a very creepy stare.
"So ya're one 'f those people who separated Ram from her sister, huh? Disgusting monster!", Garfiel spat as he grabbed him by the collar.
Subaru could look around to see Julius also glaring at him, though he remained calm.
Now Subaru started to reconsider his situation. He was surrounded by his friends, who didn't remember him and considered him a threat. He could try killing himself but he had learnt his lesson once with rem. There is a possibility that he won't go back in time enough to make things normal, as such he won't be able to change the current situation. Therefore, whatever he could do, he had to do it now and quick.
He thought as they came closer.
Closer…
And closer…
And closer…
And then he got it. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and-
"REINHAAAAAARD!"
The knight with hair carrying the passion and colour of the most dazzling flames and eyes replicating the calmness of the deep sea was running. His divine protection of sensing trouble was sending signals of the charts. And then that scream.
"I need to go faster", he said as he ran even faster and arrived at the scene.
"What happened?" Reinhard asked, tensed if some misfortune had befallen one of his friends. He could see them ganging up around a person that carried himself in… quite a unique attire.
"Reinhard! You cam-"
Subaru was trying to speak but he was cut by Felix, who explained, "Don't worry Reinhard, this guy is a member of the witch's cult as confirmed by the spirit over there. He also carries her disgusting smell over his body. I will interrogate him myself."
Reinhard looked at him to see Subaru's pleading eyes. He could sense something was wrong.
He didn't want to offend Felix but he felt like he had to step in.
"Ferris… I am sorry but, if you could give me a moment…", Reinhard came in between Subaru and Felix, thinking about an idea that came in his mind.
"Reinhard but…"
"Felix-kun, please do as Sir Reinhard says. If he is really innocent, I will feel very bad for not providing him justice", Emilia pleaded, providing support. Subaru noticed that while she didn't trust him fully, she did give him the benefit of doubt and took his side when she could.
Reinhard approached Subaru and asked, "Pardon me, but were you the one who screamed?"
"Yes…", Subaru said with a faltering tone, his emotions in a state between crying and trying to remain calm.
"Why did you call my name?", he asked.
"Because I knew you would come to save me, just like you came to save me on the day when we fought Elsa… to protect Emilia and Felt", Subaru said.
"B-but I don't rememb-" Emilia was about to counter argue that point, given from what she remembered, only Reinhard was there on that day. But…
"Emilia-sama he is telling the truth", Reinhard turned towards her and told her with a smile. Emilia cupped her hands around her mouth from surprise. He looked towards Subaru again.
"Why were they thinking that you are an archbishop? Do you really have the witch's scent on you?" He asked.
"I…I have the witch's scent on me. But I really don't know why. It has been around me ever since I arrived in this country. But trust me, I am not affiliated with the cult. I HATE THOSE GUYS, DAMMIT. I was present both when the archbishop of sloth and the white whale were killed, providing all the support that I could. And then we fought greed in Priestella. And… And then we were about to regroup when… when that gluttony… ghk…he attacked me and ate my name… ghk", Subaru fell down on the ground sobbing while wiping tears and trying to keep his words coherent.
Looking at his state, Reinhard understood that he shouldn't press on further. He turned back towards his friends.
"Dearest friends, every single word that came out from this person's mouth has been the truth and nothing else", he smiled.
"I even remember all that you guys told me about yourself and everything that happened in the sanctuary!" Subaru said to his camp members while looking down.
They all had an expression of shock upon there faces as he said that.
"But… But Reinhard! What if it's some ability of his with which he-"
"Ferris… I think we should try to understand his situation…", Julius interjected.
"I am no stranger to the evils of gluttony, and if all that he said is true then I don't want the blood of our own comrade to taint our hands", he said with a downcast expression.
Subaru had wrapped his armed around himself and curved up while sobbing. And then he felt an embrace.
"Emilia, you shouldn't-", Beatrice was about to stop her but…
"Beako, didn't you listen to what Reinhard said? Can't you see the expression on his face? He looked in soooo much pain, we can't push him away like this if he really is a member of our camp", Emilia told Beatrice and then looked towards Subaru.
Subaru couldn't believe it. Emilia trusted him. Even though she still had her doubts, she still approached him. More tears started to well up in his eyes.
Garfiel felt pity looking at him. He could also feel that his behaviour was nothing like those damn archbishops.
Emilia patted his head with her hands.
"What did you say your name was?" She asked him with a smile.
"S- Subaru… Natsuki Subaru", he said, trying to calm himself down.
Emilia said, "I'm sooo sorry Subaru. If you really are a friend of ours then we may as well have failed as one. Please don't be sad. If what you said is true, then we'll try our best to bring back your memories. But you'll have to help by being truthful like you did just now. Can I trust you, Subaru?" She looked straight into his eyes. For some reason, they reminded her of her aunt with that beautiful sharpness.
"Yes…!" Subaru smiled in between tears.
He was happy, really happy. And at the same time, his hatred for gluttony knew no bounds.
"Also…" Before he could let wrath overtake his thoughts, Emilia called him. Looking at her face, he could see she was trying to hide a blush.
"What does… 'tan' mean?" She asked, cheeks flushed in pink.
"… pfft Hahahahah", Subaru couldn't stop himself from laughing.
"You… you're laughing! That means it means something bad! Subaru! We just started to reconcile and you're already making fun of me", Emilia pouted.
Subaru got up.
"It is nickname, Emilia-tan. A symbol of our closeness", he shot a thumbs up towards her.
She smiled but her eyes looked pained over the fact that she couldn't remember someone close to her. The others also smiled looking at them while Beatrice had a neutral expression as she was more worried about her contractor's safety.
Subaru turned towards Reinhard.
"Thanks Reinhard! You really saved my ass today", he chuckled.
Reinhard returned the smile and was about to reply, when-
"This is not done, nya! How can we all trust him so easily? We don't even nyow if he is manipulating us in some way! How can you all reject all suspicions just like that?" Felix asked, still not believing Subaru.
His words sent everyone deep thought. After all, Felix was not completely wrong. Subaru's explanation for the witch's scent wasn't a very strong one after all.
"For that" Someone called out. They all turned around to see a guy with ashen hair and clad in green from top to bottom approaching them.
"I have a plan", Otto was here to save the day, yet again.
"Otto-bro? Wha' plan are ya talkin' 'bout?"
"I had been listening to all that had been happening here from a distance ever since that guy over there screamed the Sword Saint's name. Well, the thing is we are going to the Pleiades tower anyways, so why not take him with us?", Otto explained.
"You really want to bring a suspected archbishop near the witch's tomb, I suppose?" Beatrice countered.
"But… didn't you say that to be an archbishop one has to carry a gospel, Beatrice-sama?" Otto asked.
"That… is true, in fact. But don't you think with that smell, he could still be a finger to one of those archbishops, I wonder?"
"If he is still a cultist, I think we should be confident enough in ourselves to know that we can take him down. We have fought many cultists at this point and have knowledge enough to conclude that they are not as strong as the archbishops. In the worst case, we have you, Emilia-sama and Garfiel if we have to restrain him and heal us. And let's not forget that the conversation with Sir Reinhard's points more towards him not being a cultist. We can give him the benefit of doubt after all of that", Otto kept his point.
Beatrice was left speechless and so was felix. They looked at Subaru and then looked down. One proper look at him and both could determine that he was weak and not much of a threat.
"But why bring him to the tower? We could have him wait in Priestella until we return?" Julius posed a question.
"Well, if the sayings are true, then the Great Sage must be in the tower. Maybe they could confirm us his identity and tell us how to restore his name along with all the others who have suffered from gluttony", Otto explained.
Everyone was now satisfied with his answer. Otto turned around.
"So Natsuki-san, was it-" and he was tackled to the ground by Subaru.
"Otto, you saved me again. Thank you so much my friend. I promise I will tease you a little less from now on", Subaru smiled with teary eyes.
"EHH? You sound as if you always teased and troubled me! Was my decision to support you wrong after all!?" Otto wailed which made some people around him giggle.
The mood had finally calmed down. Everyone had come to accept the opinion that Natsuki Subaru meant no harm. With that, they all prepared to set out for the Auguria Sand Dunes.
Cue in a montage of everyone dying multiple times in the Watchtower from all threats present there, Shaula simping for her master, Patrasche being best girl, Reinhard one shotting everything, and the dragon being diagnosed with dementia, until the gluttony trio is killed while 'Powerpuff girls opening montage music' plays in the background.
"Holy shit Subaru, we are all so sorry that we forgot you", they all screamed together.
"It's ok guys, you all treated me well anyways and didn't leave me in random cell number XX-0-XX to have the most horrible treatment in the world until my sanity broke. Now let's have group hug", Subaru smiled.
And then he got lots of hugs and kisses
And then they lived happily... until the next arc, that is.
Anyways, always wanted to write a re forgotten spin off based on this premise. I know it's a bit short, but initially it was just a crack idea that I fleshed out because I liked it.
Do leave a review.
This is The_Appa_Man and I'll see you in my next fic.