NO PAIN, NO GAIN
It was night 12 AM at the University of Michigan. Autumn was almost over, which meant that the cold weather was getting closer and closer. The lights on the tree-lined path, lit, illuminated his path to a spot nearby.
"Dude, I really need to do something about this headache…" He muttered, just to himself.
He hadn't slept for a couple of days straight, just studying for the next exam at the medical school residency. The internship was really crap, with a lot of work and even more study load to follow.
Without having to say anything else, he was broken.
"Funny... The medical student loses their own health to ensure the health of the others... In fact, I always knew it would be like that."
He hadn't entered medical school because of his own taste, but because of pure family pressure. Everyone in the house wanted a successful son who made far more money than everyone else put together.
At home, he had a little sister who admired him very much for who he was, and his parents also seemed very proud of how far their child prodigy had gone in life. Now he was completing his probationary internship in a residency program, but he knew the study would never end.
Health professionals can never stop studying and updating themselves on new things and treatments. Reading scientific articles became almost the only minimally interesting hobby he could have, as he never again had time to play video games or do any of the other things that other 23-year-olds who weren't in university did.
He didn't have a girlfriend, because he didn't have time for one, and couldn't devote a single extra hour of his day to any woman other than his teachers and the piles of stuff they told him to read. It wasn't uncommon for college girls to look at him differently, but the guy always ignored them... Well, at least that meant he had the slightest talent of being someone attractive to the eye, even though he didn't take good care of the own health.
It didn't help that he was the only man in the room, either. At first, there were five more besides him, and they all ended up leaving and switching to another type of study, or just dropped out or failed college, and one of them committed suicide. Of the six boys, only he remained.
The good thing about it was that he had a dorm room all to himself, as he could never share one with a girl. It somehow brought him privacy, but still...
Without needing to say anything else, he felt alone.
But he continued, for days on end sleeping badly or even unable to sleep, only to pass the exams and soon finish the damn residency. He didn't like what he was doing, but who said his opinions matter?
Since he was a child, he was the genius of the family, always getting the highest grades and being the child prodigy in that environment. Everyone was enchanted by the boy's enormous intelligence and ability to accumulate and disseminate information on any subject.
But as he grew up, it started to become a burden. He didn't want to be that genius anymore, didn't want to be reduced to that. He was a person, and he wanted to be treated as such; as someone who may have weaknesses, who may cry, who may say "no".
But that was never allowed to him. His parents live in a bad situation financially, and they need their genius son to stay minimally alive. Then...
If he's doing everything right, then it should be okay, right? He's smart, actually one of the best in his class, doesn't have any debilitating health issues, and is making good money in the residency program to help his family.
So why can't he feel good about it?
"My head hurts so much..."
He touched the sides of the skull, massaging to relieve some of that throbbing in his meninges. At least the school taught him a little about how to deal with what the thing itself does to him.
After relieving some of the pain, he stopped where he wanted to. Unfortunately, the university cafeteria was already closed – he had missed his time for studying too much, so he had to go out and buy a fast-food burger to support himself through the night.
"Once again eating this crap…" He looked at the meat wrapped in a sesame bun, added with some greens and tomatoes.
He missed a home-cooked meal, with care and love, and not just something mass-prepared to feed several people - something like that doesn't have the same taste, the same love and feeling, which are factors that made all the difference.
"Ghk...!" The headache had gotten worse… and quite a lot.
He dropped the hamburger, and sitting on that park bench, wrapped in a leather coat, the boy touched his head, locking his teeth together.
They say it has to hurt – that if it doesn't hurt, it's because you're not living right. That's what everyone has always told him, the old and so controversial "no pain, no gain" lesson.
... But he couldn't stand it anymore, it hurt so much. Nobody's life should hurt as much that way as it was doing to him in that second. That suffering, the unparalleled sensation of having the nerves twisted and rearranged inside the throbbing head...
That could only be the result of all the effort. He never judged those who gave up, never looked down, not for a single second, for the last one who fought before being consumed by the burnout and depression of being in such an overwhelming place. He just followed, enduring all the pain...
... At least up to that point.
There was no one around to help him, and the closest sound that wasn't just natural of the night was a party at one of the student fraternities, which was quite far away.
He had fallen to the ground, clutching his own head as if there was a bomb in there about to explode. It was unbearable pain that said nothing but that he was about to die.
But he couldn't die there... If he died, who would keep sending money home? Who would be the role model of his little sister? No! He couldn't die! That would make the road so far culminate in nothing!
The pain didn't lessen, only increased, and it was when, writhing on the floor, that he saw it approaching him, together with a voice that didn't seem to match its image.
"Please help my beloved." The voice asked.
He immediately thought of it as a hallucination caused by pain and lack of sleep. That couldn't be right in any way.
"You will help my beloved, won't you?" The thing asked again.
He didn't know what that was talking about, and he didn't even want to know. He just wanted that immense pain to go away.
"Help my beloved, please. Help, yes? You will help him, won't you? Help him, please?"
Even though it had a female voice, the thing was just a bunch of shadows piled up in a vaguely humanoid shape. He couldn't understand any of it and already assumed he was going crazy.
The figure kept repeating those things, that same nonsense about "helping someone it loved", always in a tone of request or begging. It was something insistent, more like a broken record, something he couldn't ignore.
"Okay, okay...! I help...!" He brought himself to scream, finally giving in.
"Thank you. Thank you for helping my beloved. Thank you. Thank you." She repeated, looking pleased with the answer.
And then, gradually, his vision began to blur, like static from an old television, until it finally stopped.
I died...? No... This is too weird for me to have died...
Gradually, the ambient noises began to make a little more sense, as well as the other sensations that surrounded him. It wasn't as cold as it had been at night anymore, and now, he could feel sunlight hitting his pale skin, and a subtle odor of what appeared to be some kind of spice wafted through the air.
Opening his eyes, however, was when the young man really felt shocked. It couldn't be real.
Okay... Is this hell?! What did I do to deserve to be here?!
He began to take in all the surroundings. There were people walking everywhere, as you would expect in a normal city, but there were two fundamental differences.
First of all, it didn't even remotely resemble a normal city. Buildings were made of stone and people sold things from stalls. If anything, it was much more like a fictional medieval setting.
And second...
Why the hell are animals walking and talking to people?!
There were beings with zoomorphic features in that new environment, animals that walked on two legs and talked to people as if that was common. All were endowed with cognition and appeared to live in peaceful coexistence with the humans of the place.
Speaking of humans, these were also weird. None of them had the usual hair colors or eyes, always exhibiting strange shades and nuances that you would only see in college girls who like to color their hair. But no, that was perfectly natural hair, and that was shown by the bright, vivid aspect of each strand.
My God, where the hell did I end up...?
All he remembered was accepting the request of that thing... That thing! Maybe that was a demon that dragged him to some kind of purgatory or something?!
Oh no... Oh no... Oh no... Oh no...!
He grabbed the sides of his head, like he was trying to shake the life out of there. If he had really been transported to another place, what would his family feel and be like?! Everyone who trusted him to bring a better life had been left helpless... Investigations would be made, but the results would be inconclusive, and perhaps everyone would have the image that he just ran off like a coward...
That can't be true...!
He started running without looking where he was going. The young adult had not been very fit since the moment he was forced to stop playing basketball to devote himself to college, being a little too skinny, but even so, it was as if nothing could stop him from continuing to run.
He just ran further, fleeing between paths that only seemed to narrow and grow darker. The stone floor didn't change, however. He pulled at his hair, as if trying to wake up through the pain.
I can't stay here! I have to go back... I have to go home...!
Despair took hold of him. The young adult couldn't keep himself there, didn't know anything about his new reality, or anything else that might help him. There could be no explanation other than the fact that he was in hell.
And he continued to run, and run, and run without stopping.
"Damn, why the hell do you keep following me?!" Asked a young man dressed in tracksuit in black, white and orange.
"What are you talking about? Hurry up and cough up those things you have there!" Said one of the three, the smallest of the trio.
The boy with the scary eyes was carrying a bag with a few things, they being instant noodles and potato chipsin a package. He didn't know how, but he had a feeling the day was being repeated over and over again.
According to his mind, this was the third time those three had appeared, with the same intent to rob him. It was always the same situation, no matter how many differences existed.
He just knew that he had to get over it, and that most of all, he had to save her...
The image of a specific girl crossed his mind, causing a small smile to appear. In those two other realities, he swore he would keep his promise, even if it was all an illusion.
She was real, and she needed his help. That was no time to give up.
He then just started walking forward, a little uncomfortable with that repetition of events.
"I don't have time to deal with you guys. There is something I need to do and- Huh...?"
He heard footsteps. Everyone heard the hurried march they saw from one of the other streets in the alley. An unsuspecting person, who didn't look straight ahead, had just walked in there. He was clutching his own face, running like he was crazy.
"No, no, no, no, no, no...!" He seemed to be proclaiming in denial.
Neither the young man nor the thieves understood that scene, but the latter prepared anyway. One of them, the thinnest, removed from his robes a pair of daggers that he used only to threaten the victims.
"Hey you! I would stop right there if I were you!" He announced, pointing with his daggers, assuming a fighting stance.
But he didn't listen, just kept running. The orange boy immediately realized the danger that the situation entailed, and tried to warn.
"Hey dude...! Look forward...!" He reached out a hand, raising his voice.
But it was already too late. All that had echoed through the alley was the sound of the dagger invading his chest.
It hurts... It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
He was awakened from his automatic mode of consciousness by the immense pain that hit him in that second. It was something that burned inside, as if there was a flame immediately inside the heart.
He felt the immense spasms of that suffering run through his body, as the blood stopped flowing. The extremities grew colder, and soon the strength began to fail, and the body, to somehow ignore the pain.
"He-hey, Chin...! That wasn't supposed to happen...!" Said the tallest of the trio.
"It was him...! It was his fault for coming towards the blade...!" The one called Chin tried to justify himself.
"We have to get out of here...! What if some guard sees this?!" The smallest of the three raised his comment.
And with that, the trio hastily made their way out of the alley, leaving him lying there.
He was on his knees. Death seemed to take surprisingly long to arrive. A lot of blood was vomited from his mouth, leaving him to taste the ironic taste of his own suffering.
I... I'm dying...
He thought, looking at the large amount of blood flowing from that opening made in his chest.
... But that pain didn't come to an end, like the first time, just increasing. It was as if all the life he was about to lose outright had been miraculously injected once more into his body.
The adrenaline jolt wasn't enough to stop the pain, and with that, he felt that strange urge to pull the object. He knew the right thing to do was leave it there, as the bleeding would be more, but no one should be able to simply survive a stabbing to the heart like that.
Death was not coming, as if it refused to make its presence felt. He looked down then, and with a single great movement of his trembling hands, he drew the large dagger that was embedded in his chest.
A large amount of blood spurted out of the huge hole in the middle of his chest as he arched his back backward onto his knees. A scream of immense pain cut across the alley, followed by a strange relief as well as that feeling that shouldn't be common to anyone.
The pain was fading, and the wound was mysteriously closing.
The other boy couldn't believe his eyes. He himself had gone through several strange experiences since coming to this new world where his heroic journey was supposed to begin, but nothing like that... To see a person survive and heal from something like that was simply...
"Amazing..." He muttered, squeezing the plastic bag he was carrying a little tighter.
Even a little impressed and paralyzed by the situation, he took himself to approach the boy who appeared to be a little older than him, kneeling on the floor, confused, and breathing deeply.
"Dude, that was awesome!" He said. "How did you manage to do that? Can you heal or something? Was that Magic?!"
The other raised his face to face him, as did his left eyebrow. He was too confused to understand anything, but something about it caught his attention...
The word "Magic".
He had a vague knowledge and appreciation for it. The only Magic he knew was that of a few games and the few anime he had time to watch very sporadically.
He was never an avid fan of the Medieval Fantasy genre, preferring much more Sci-Fi type stories, any kind of technological fantasy or something with superpowers that are unrelated to Magic.
In fact, it's been three months since I've been able to follow an anime...
He looked at his hand. The blood seemed to have mysteriously vanished, evaporated into thin air, leaving only that tear in the white shirt he wore inside his open coat. His pale skin was fine, as if nothing had really happened.
What was that...?
"What the hell...! Everyone seems capable of doing something cool but me...! Where are my powers as a protagonist?!" The strangely energetic boy seemed to complain. "Since I came to this world, I haven't managed anything useful...! Tell me, you were transported too, weren't you?"
A shock seemed to run through the body of the eldest when faced with that information, prompting him to stand up and face the other.
"What do you mean 'transported'...?!"
"…So that's what happened. I remember leaving the convenience store and spawning in the middle of a road here! The Isekai dream has finally started for me!" He seemed to celebrate that. "Oh, and my name is Natsuki Subaru, a broke but authentic shut-in! What about you?
The two had talked for a short while, sitting on the steps of the alley. The used dagger was still on the ground, slightly stained with residual blood.
At first, he had a bit of a hard time dealing with the energetic guy, since basically all the interactions he's had in the last three years have been with girls, which requires a different way of communicating, but over time, happiness for being able to interact with an equal overcame that.
He laughed a little at that. Subaru's intro was somewhat funny, however, what really caught the eye was the boy's name.
"'Subaru'? Isn't that the name of a Japanese sports car brand?" he questioned, obviously calling for the younger one's hatred.
"Why can't anyone get the reference?! That's obviously my name, but no one ever remembers the stars when they think of it!" He looked rather enraged.
"Ah… I'm sorry. I really don't know much about Japan or stars." He replied, trying to step back. "And my name is Jake. Jake Parker."
"Jake? That's an American name…" Subaru concluded, putting a hand to her chin. "... So something special must be making us understand each other! Maybe it's some 'Hero Blessing' of sorts?!"
"That must be it…" Jake replied. "I never imagined myself talking to a Japanese like this."
The two exchanged a laugh, Jake being the lighter of the two. His mind was still focused on events and what would happen to his family. If he really was in another world, as Subaru proposed in their conversation, then there was no expectation of a return.
I will never be able to see my family again...
Jake started to withdraw. He still had no idea what was going on a deeper level, and while Subaru seemed to enjoy the news, he couldn't help but feel bad and worried.
With one arm, he wrapped his arms around his knees, and with the other he studied one of the daggers. The object still had blood on it, even though everything on his clothes had magically evaporated.
Why is the dagger still bloody...?
Looking at the object, Jake felt himself involuntarily gulp in air. The metallic surface reminded him of the great pain he had felt, and it made him want to stop looking.
And that's when...
"Huh…? Why is there a second dagger in my other hand...?" He spoke in a low voice, feeling the volume of the second object appear in his left hand.
Was he so deep in thought that he didn't notice he was holding a second dagger? No, he might be sleepy from not having slept for two days in a row, but no one could be so inattentive!
So how had that second dagger come to be?
Subaru, who was standing and smiling as he spoke things about how wonderful Isekai worlds were, dusted off his robes with his hands, addressing Jake.
"So man, I'd love to keep talking, but there's something I need to do... The event where the main character saves the main girl!" Subaru pointed at him, trying to play heroic. "See you around! It was good to have this chat!"
Realizing how Subaru was going away, Jake jumped to his feet, extending a hand to the boy.
"Wait, Subaru! Where are you going?!"
"Well, didn't I already say? I have a great mission to fulfill! I'll save the heroine and make her fall in love with me!"
"I'll go with you...!"
That was a decision made in a hurry. The truth was, Jake didn't feel able to be alone. He didn't know how to act in the face of that world, something Subaru was excited about. In situations like this, looking for a company that is minimally experienced or familiar with the context and environment would be best.
"Eh?! What do you mean? Go after your own heroine!" Subaru protested. "Find a pretty girl in trouble and help her! It's not that hard."
He really talks like we're in some kind of game...
Jake slapped his face lightly, taking a deep breath.
"I don't want your heroine or whatever... It's just..." He turned his face to the side. "I don't know what to make of this... And you seem to understand much better about it all, Subaru..."
Jake was never very proud, and that was only reduced by the environment in which he came to live. When one lives surrounded by a hegemony of girls, a man unfortunately has to know how to keep himself "low profile", which means no bold comments or an aggressive and domineering posture.
And even though he didn't want to, he was forced to admit that he needed help several times, trusting the girls in the class to do it. A part of his ego was successfully destroyed by the environment.
Subaru not incredibly laughed at that. Hearing another guy say something like that was certainly hilarious!
Jake didn't react, just biting his teeth as he looked away, enduring Subaru's teasing as she pointed mercilessly at him.
"Seriously man, that was so funny...!"
"... And what was so funny about that...?" Jake was prompted to ask.
"Oh, you know what? Leave it alone!" He said, still trying to stifle a few laughs. "Come on, let's get going! We can't waste a single minute!"
"Wait, is this serious?" Jake's eyes lit up a little. "Can I really go with you?"
Subaru turned to him, flashing a smile accompanied by his characteristic sanpaku eyes.
"Just tag along, man. I would feel kind of bad for leaving someone so confused and who seems to be a good person lost out there... But what I said still goes! No wanting to steal my heroine!"
"Right, right…" Jake dusted off his clothes, zipping his coat to hide that torn shirt. "I won't steal your heroine... Although I don't even understand much about it."
The two then started walking, with Subaru as the guide. Along the way, the boy mostly kept talking to himself, whether it was about how the Isekai worlds were every teenager's dream or about how he should have been called as a Hero for that world or something.
And meanwhile, Jake kept silent, only confirming sporadically with an "uh-huh" or a nod as he thought about his own questions.
That moment... How did I not die from that stab? There's no way someone can survive such a deep and well-placed stab to the heart, let alone make the wound close..."
Once again, he remembered the intense pain, the hell of being stabbed in the middle of his chest. And what followed from that was a metallic sound that resonated through that narrow alley.
"Is it real that you were still carrying this thing around?" Subaru asked after seeing the fallen dagger on the floor.
"I… I wasn't… I… I left the daggers in the alley…" Jake stared at that object.
It was identical, even with the same fresh blood marks, in the exact same pattern they had been arranged in before.
He didn't remember bringing it. In fact, Jake didn't bring the object with him on the walk. So why would It be there?
"Nah, you must have forgotten! That can only be the only explanation. Kick this thing aside and let's keep going." Subaru started walking ahead.
"Wait a second...!"
Jake kicked the dagger away, making sure he could see it away from him, confirming that he wouldn't carry it. It was all weird, to say the least... And he doesn't mean the fact that they were in another world!
The two continued walking until they reached a part of the place that was in pretty bad condition, and as a medical student, he immediately started thinking about it.
The health indicators of the place are very bad, and I wouldn't be surprised if they said that due to the lack of public policies aimed at this population. Diseases like diarrhea should kill a lot.
The people there looked sick at the slightest look, being all weak and dejected. That, for a doctor, would be the biggest nightmare.
"Aren't you coming?" Subaru called, already a little distant.
"Oh, oh... Of course! I am going!" He hastily tried to follow.
Subaru was talking to someone. Jake was so dispersed watching his surroundings that it took him a while to get closer, and when he was finally near the big door, he was surprised by something, taking a leap back.
"Hmm? Your friend there seems to be a tad bit of an idiot." An elderly man of massive proportions and well over six feet tall raised one of his voluminous eyebrows in Jake's surprise.
"Get up from there, Jake. We'll go in." Subaru acted like it was nothing but just in front of the elderly giant. As soon as he entered, the young man couldn't help giving the scholar a suppressed laugh of pure debauchery. "That was pretty pathetic, you know?"
"Oh, shut up…" Jake stood up, a little paranoid at the chance he'd contracted an otherworldly disease from that contact with the floor.
"Hehe, scared kitten!" Subaru kept pressing.
Jake just turned his face to the side, feeling reddened by the joke, after all, it's not every day you see a giant!
End of Chapter 1.
AUTHOR NOTES
So guys (typical of me and saying that…), I decided to start a new Re:Zero project, this time is better, less cringeworthy one, I can promise!
As you can see, Subaru is here too. Yes, he has [Return By Death], just like all other Subarus, but now he will be cooperating with an OC!
This Fanfic is heavily inspired by two amazing stories: "Re:Zero Male Insert" by Booklore and " (Rem x Reader) Re:Reader - Starting YOUR New Life in Another World " by Kaip0. BUT, the biggest inspiration is one of the best anime I've ever watched, named "To Your Eternity".
The OC (Jake) has basically the same abilities (but not all of them) as the protagonist of the show, a " thing " named Fushi. In case you didn't watch the anime or read the manga, I really recommend it. The plot is deeply emotional and interesting.
And, watching the show, you can easily see that Fushi's abilities would easily work in the Re:Zero plot when associated with Subaru, who has RBD. So, this is what this story is all about!
PS. "Re:Fulfillment" is pending further analysis. Still thinking hard about discontinuing it.
