Chapter 10: The Crow and The Butterfly

Subaru happily strolled through the large hallways of the place he worked. He had the mission that Echidna sent him on fresh in his mind. He also had another problem and hoped the subject of his mission may have an answer.

The setting sunlight lit the way. The halls were long and empty. Doors that lead to many rooms. Some led to bedrooms, others led to offices or meeting rooms. However, there was a door he was looking for. There was no certain door that he was to find, but he would know it was the right one when he found it.

Eventually, something called out to him. Something about the door on his left told him that he was where he needed to be. He was going to knock, but if he did, the door would be wrong. So, he just opened up.

"Yo, Beako. How are you today?" Subaru smiled as he walked in the room.

"Ugh. Why are you here, I suppose?" Beatrice, the great spirit of the forbidden library asked him.

"I've come seeking knowledge of love. I figured since you have a very vast collection of tomes here, that maybe you could help me."

"Why should Betty help you?"

"Because, we're friends, aren't we?" He walked a little closer and sat on the floor in front of the blonde girl.

Betty looked deadpanned as always, but her mind was going wild. 'Friends? Betty's only friend was Ryuzu. Maybe..?'

"Beako?"

"I told you to stop calling Betty that ridiculous name, I suppose." She snapped back at him.

Subaru thought for a moment. Normally, he would just laugh it off and move on, but this time was different. Betty had helped him in the past. She comforted him when he needed her. It would be mean to continue to call her that if she didn't want it. Especially if he was to be her friend. "Okay, Betty."

"Huh?"

"You wanted me to stop calling you that. So, can I call you Betty?"

"S-Sure, I suppose." Her eyes finally dropped the glare and she just looked at him. "A-Anyway. You were looking for a book."

"Yes. I would like to find a book on love. More specifically, how to choose between who to love."

Betty smiled a bit and laughed. "You are hopeless. If you need a book to teach you, then you stand no chance."

Subaru stood from his place on the floor and began to search around. "That's interesting coming from you."

"What do you mean, I suppose?"

"You tell me that I'm hopeless because I don't know my future, but what's yours?"

"To read this book for now, guard this place."

He moved to the other shelf beside her chair. "That book you read. The one that's always in your hands."

"What of it?"

"I know what it is." He turned and looked back at her. "It's blank, from beginning to end. There's nothing there."

The great spirit was shocked. "H-How do you..?"

"A certain witch told me on the way back from the capital. She came to me in a dream. Told me her name was Echidna."

"Y-You saw mother?"

"Mother? Well she did create you so it makes sense." He pulled over a stool and sat at her level. "Betty. She told me to come here and help you leave this place for good. She told me to be your friend."

"Are you… 'that person'?" Tears began to form in her eyes, hoping that the one she had waited for, for so long, had come for her at last.

"No. I am not." Before he could continue, he was launched out the door. "Wait. Betty!" The large wooden doors shut behind him. "Great, now I have to find her again."

In the library

Beatrice sat and squeezed her book. "He's not 'that person' then why did mother send him here?" She spoke aloud and wiped her tears. Her doorway had since moved, and she knew it was only a matter of time before Subaru would come back. In fact, she wanted him to come back. As much as it pained her to admit it, he was her friend, her only friend.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

She lifted her head and stared at the door. 'He doesn't normally knock.'

"Betty, you know that your door is in my bedroom." Came Subaru's voice from the other side. The door slowly creaked open to show him coming in. "I'm sorry if I got you upset."

"You said all those things to Betty, then you tell her you're not 'that person'. What did you expect Betty to do?"

"Nothing short of what you've done." Subaru resumed his seated position in front of her. "I'm sorry."

"You said that, I suppose."

"I know. But I had to say it again." He bowed his head to her. "I'm sorry that I'm not the one you want me to be. I'm not the one that you call 'that person'. What I am, is a man that can't do much of anything. I can't use magic very well. I can't handle a sword. I can't even pick between those that love me."

Betty sat back and listened to him.

"What I am, is a man that needs help. I want you to be that help for me Betty. I have nothing to really offer you but my hand and my friendship."

That got Betty to crack a bit. "Y-You would leave me too. Like Mother, like Ryuzu, like Roswaal."

"I can't say that I can spend forever with you. That's not possible. I can say that whatever time we do spend would be so great that you could never forget it." He looked up once he saw a tear hit the ground. "Betty. I'm begging you. Please, be my friend. Help me learn the things that I need to know of this world. In exchange, I will make sure that as long as I live, you will never feel alone again."

That did it. Betty broke. She threw her book down and ran to his arms as she cried. Her blue butterfly eyes leaked heavy tears in his dark crow like hair as he knelt before her. He held her in his arms for some time before a knock came at the door.

"Subaru? Dinner is almost ready." Emilia's sweet voice came from the other side. "Subaru, is that crying I hear?" The half elf opened the door and found herself in the forbidden library. Even stranger, she found Beatrice crying in Subaru's arms. "Oh."

"Hey Emilia." Subaru looked up from the crying spirit to see Emilia. "We will be down in a minute. Just, let me get her settled first."

"Ok." Emilia smiled and left the two to their own. 'Always being a hero.' She placed her hands over her heart and walked down stairs.

He turned his attention back to Betty as her sniffs started to calm down.

"Subaru."

He rubbed her back to calm her. "Yea. I'm right here."

"Subaru."

"I'm here."

"Subaru."

"That's my name. I'll make sure you'll never forget it."

Betty was finally calming down and she wiped her eyes. "Betty is happy that you came for her."

"Your mother told me that she could see what you were doing. She wanted me to come and get you out of this place so you can be happy." He stood up and grabbed her little hand. "Now, the others are waiting for us to eat."

"Right, I suppose." Betty smiled as she walked out of the forbidden library for the first time in a while. They walked hand in hand all the way to the dining room where Ram and Rem had set out plates. It would appear that Emilia told the twins that Betty was coming down, so they added an extra chair which proved useless.

Once the table was set and everyone was seated, Rem and Ram sat down as well, as per Roswaal's orders. Rem was seated next to Subaru on his right while Emilia was on his left.

The one thing out of place was that Betty had set herself on Subaru's lap and refused to leave. Puck soon was able to get her to get down for a little bit, although she claimed that she would go back once they were done playing.

The other two girls were both hugging each of his arms whilst he tried to eat. Ram sat across from them and stared over at them with a slight blush. Now that she had her feelings out in the open, everything made sense now. She wasn't in love with Subaru as she first thought, but she had a deeper respect for him as a brother. Or that's at least what she forced herself to believe.

"Yo, Ram." That got her to shake her head to clear her mind.

"What?"

"You okay?" Subaru had taken a second to check on her. "You were staring off into space."

"I apologize, I was in thought." Ram bowed a bit.

Roswaal found this most entertaining. "Weeeelllll, it seeeeems that my dearest Ram has become smitten with you, Subaru."

"Not quite Roswaal. I see her as a sister that I never had. I believe she sees me that way too." Subaru was quick to keep them both out of embarrassment.

Then Roswaal turned his attention to Betty who was walking back to Subaru. He chuckled when she jumped up in his lap again. "Then cooouulld it be possible that you have gained Beatrice's faaavor?"

Betty tossed a deadpanned glare his way. "Betty didn't want to be alone anymore. Subaru took me away from the library, I suppose."

"That's greeeeaaaaaattt." Roswaal sat up in his chair. "Your mother would have wanted you to be happy, not alone."

After a few more minutes of small talk, Rem and Ram began to clear the dishes. Subaru stood to help them.

"Come on, Betty." He took her hand like a little kid and they walked into the kitchen to find the twins. Once there, he picked her up and set her down on the counter.

Betty looked around curiously. She had never been in here before. "This place is dirty." That got Ram's attention.

"Well, you could be more helpful about cleaning it." Ram shot back.

"Now, Betty. Be nice to the twins. For me." Subaru handed her a book that he had snuck out of the library without her noticing. "You can read this while we work."

"Hmph. Fine. Betty will read, I suppose." She sat on the high counter and read her book as they worked around her. At some point she began to swing her feet. Betty was happy with what her mother had set in motion for her.