Away from Crusch and Garfiel, Subaru explained to Rem what had just occurred, not knowning what kind of reaction he'd get from her. Rem asked Halibel to leave so that she could talk with Subaru in private. Then, she exploded.
"You did what!?" Rem shouted at him. "A magic vow!? Rem can't believe it!"
Subaru had a tense face as he tried to calm her down. "Rem, it's alright... I just have to-"
"Don't tell me it's alright Subaru! This is serious, even for you! This is the type of magic that destroys your Od. It's not the kind of thing you can just come back from!" Rem was both mad at him and scared for him.
"I know, I know... but..." Subaru tried to use a soothing tone. He wasn't soothing anything.
/I did this for you Rem. I did this so that you and Ram and Emilia would be safe./ Subaru wanted to say that, but he knew that if he did, it would only make her angrier. After all, she would never asked him to do something like that.
"If you knew, then why did you make a vow!?" She was really upset. "I told you to come to Rem if there was a problem. I don't understand why you would- Hummppff- How could you- Ughuhuh."
Subaru didn't know what to do. Rem had started sobbing, and he was starting to feel worse and worse about himself.
"Shhhh... Rem it's okay. I know we can do this." He hugged her, and rubbed his hands on her back. He could feel her trembling slightly.
Rem clutched at his kimono and pulled down on the fabric by his shoulders. Subaru felt her weight as she dug her face in his chest. "It's okay." He said calmly. He could feel the wetness of Rem's tears on his clothes.
"It's not okay!" Rem pressed her forehead into him.
"I need you Subaru!" Rem cried as she spoke. She squeezed him tighter. "You don't understand how much I need you. I really, really need you."
Rem had seen Subaru meltdown a few times, but now it was the inverse. And that made him a little uncomfortable. "Rem." He said.
"Three years? That's not enough time. Having you ripped away then, after everything that we've been through. Huuff" Rem wailed. "That's not fair! You can't die! You can't leave me now!" '
Rem kept muttering out the word 'please'. Trying to bargain him back to her.
"No one's leaving you Rem!" Subaru tried to tell her. "I'm still here. You're holding on to me right now! We'll get Emilia the crown, it'll be cinch. And then me and you... we can go back to Banan. We'll take Ram with us, and make sure she's safe too. So don't worry Rem. This isn't the end! This is only the beginning!"
His words gave her some confidence, and Rem's crying stopped a little.
"You promise?" She asked him.
"Of course." He brought her even closer, if that were physically possible.
"You don't think I'm that selfish do you? Sticking you with a kid, and then going off to die. Even I'm not scumbag enough to do something like that." He joked.
Rem let out a quick exhale from her nose despite her tears. Despite it all, she still found him funny.
"Okay Subaru-kun." She said to him. "Dying is not allowed, alright? Don't even think about it."
"I know I know. You made that very clear to me earlier."
"Good." Rem was getting some composure back. "Honestly, you worry Rem so much. You should try to be more thoughtful."
Subaru felt a pang of guilt. "You're right. I'm totally out of line. But what else can I do? To keep the one's I care about safe... There's nothing I wouldn't do to for that."
Rem knew that was the truth. Subaru was the type to sacrifice himself. It was one of the things that had made her fall in love with him.
Then in a quieter voice, barely a whisper, she said. "Stay like this, Subaru-kun. Hold me."
Subaru did as he was told.
They stood there, hugging for who-knows how long. Rem savoured every minute of it. After all, there was no telling how many moments they would have like this again.
Being together now. Rem figured that was the most important.
*Scene break*
Garfiel didn't know what to say. Working for Crusch? Of course, a smart woman like her would spot his amazin'self's talent, but still...
"I- I can't leave the sanctuary." He told her.
"Why not?" She asked him.
"Because. I'm the strongest. If something were to happen, who would be here for them?" He told her.
"That's a shoddy excuse. Nothing is going to happen to your sanctuary, it's not as if Lugunica is at war."
"You don't know that." Garfiel protested.
"Maybe." Crusch shrugged. "But waiting around, preparing for things that may or may not happen is a paranoid way to live. In my estimation, you ought to leave here. See the wider world, grow even stronger. You'll do more working for me then you could ever accomplish here."
Crusch wondered why she had never bothered to recruit any strong fighters before this. It seemed like an obvious defect in her camp now that she thought about it. /What's wrong with me? I must be losing my edge. /
Garfiel kept silent.
"Fine. Stay here if you want. But when you get bored. And you will get bored." Crusch added with certainty. "Come find me in the capital."
Young men like Garfiel all had a sense of adventure. /Well, that's not a bad thing I suppose./
She knew he would come eventually.
*Scene break*
The carriage was getting back to the mansion now (where the mansion used to be, at least). The group returning was the same as those who'd departed: Crusch, Halibel, Rem and Subaru. They made some small talk as they rode. Crusch and Rem complimented each other's fighting and Halibel made the usual irreverent jokes. Crusch noticed that Subaru was quiet. / He's being cagey... Whatever happened between him and the margrave, he doesn't want me knowing about it./
They finally got back to the others. Ram and Emilia were where they had left them, and Roswaal was present too. He was tending to Ram, giving her some of his mana. The curse marks were nowhere to be seen.
For the first time in a long time, Subaru smiled. /I've done it. This is an ending. I'm finally out of the death loop./ He basked in a warm sense of joy.
Everything he'd done had been for this. Zerestia, Capella, Echidna and Roswaal. Subaru had delt with all of them, just so that these people here would be safe and sound.
The travellers got out of the carriage.
The first person to greet them was Emilia. She jogged up to Rem and Subaru and flung herself towards them. She got them both in her hug.
"Thank you. Thank you Subaru, and thank you Rem. You don't know how much this means to me." There was heartfelt relief in Emilia's words. /I'm always relying on these guys./ She reflected. /I don't what I'll do to ever pay them back./
"You're welcome Emilia. Aghh-. You're too heavy!" Subaru was physically exhausted, he couldn't support the weight Emilia was bearing on him.
"Ohh sorryyyyy." Emilia removed herself from them.
Rem smiled sadly. She appreciated Emilia's thanks, but the half-elf didn't yet understand the extent to which Subaru had sacrificed himself.
"How's my sister?" Rem asked her.
"She's okay." Emilia answered. "She's still tired, but Roswaal's helping her now. She should be fine, I think."
"Good." Ram's recovery had been a priority for the blue-haired oni girl. She felt more reassured now. Rem continued. "Emilia-sama, don't forget to thank Crusch. Her assistance was most helpful."
Emilia let out a small 'Eeeep', realizing that she had been ignoring the other candidate. She gave polite bow to the noblewoman. "Karsten-sama. Thank you for all the help you've lent us in this matter, we are in your debt."
Crusch's face was still, she rarely lost her dignified expression. "Do not speak of debt. This was not a favor, but rather, an exchange. I will take a consultation with Mathers as my recompense."
"Of course." For Emilia, that was a small price to pay. "You're free to go speak with him right now if you'd like."
Crusch nodded and made her way to Roswaal, who had just detached himself from Ram.
Emilia turned to the final person, Halibel. "And Halibel-san. I don't know the specifics of what happened in the sanctuary, but I'm sure you were helping too. I thank you." She gave him a bow aswell.
Halibel let out a grunt-like laugh. "Calm down ojou-san. I didn't do anything." He found her shower of gratitude funny.
Behind Emilia, they could see Ram walking towards them. Ram joined the conversation.
"All good?" She asked Rem and Subaru.
Subaru felt a comical level of indignation. /All good? All good!? That's all we get?/
"Yeah. *All good*, as you can see." Subaru said in an exaggerated way.
There was an awkward silence. Ram didn't have the best interpersonal skills.
"Isn't there something you want to say to me? You know, for bringing Roswaal back?" Subaru asked her smugly. "Maybe something that rhymes with 'spank you'."
Ram gave him a blank stare. "No, can't think of anything. In fact, I can't think of a single- Aghh!"
Rem stepped on her sister's foot, preventing any more rudeness. Ram had a look of betrayal on her face.
"Just get it over with." Rem said flatly.
Ram lifted the pained foot and ran it behind her other leg. "Well..." Ram seemed pained.
/Does she think she'll die from a 'thank you'?/ /Sister, could you get any more dramatic?/
Showing even an ounce of appreciation to Barusu was torture. Still, she swallowed the bitter pill.
"Uhhh... Cheers?" Ram had the most forced smile he'd ever seen. It twisted her lips, and made them all loopy-like.
Subaru sighed. /I suppose that's as good as it gets. I should be happy she even went this far./ Honestly he found it all pretty hilarious. Rem probably took a little more offense to her attitude though.
/At least she's being herself./ Subaru thought. Seeing her acting normally was a comfort, even if her 'normal' was annoying.
"It was nothing." Subaru told Ram. This was a blatant lie.
"So anyway, what now?" Ram asked them.
Rem and Subaru looked at each other. That's right. The future. It wasn't something they'd been giving much thought too.
Rem gave the answer. "We should finish up this business with Crusch. And then, well..." Her hand grazed Subaru's. "We work to win the selection."
"Right." Ram responded. Rem's answer was a clue. In Ram's head, she was starting to form a theory on how exactly Subaru had convinced Roswaal.
"Wow Rem! You seem really motivated!" Emilia beamed.
Rem almost laughed. /If only you knew./
"Yup!" Subaru said. "We both are." He did a thumbs up and smiled.
In the distance, Subaru could see Crusch with Roswaal.
/We're gonna win it, for sure./ He was determined.
He refocused on the people beside him. He turned slowly, saving a picture of each one of them in his mind.
Easygoing and experienced Halibel; Snarky and sensible Ram; Pure and bubbly Emilia; And finally, the sweet and loving Rem.
For now at least, Subaru was happy. He'd never known a better group of friends.
*Scene Break*
All of them were gathered around the bed, Crusch and Roswaal included. Crusch had left her companion, Felix, with one of the townspeople in Arlem.
Roswaal inspected the sleeping boy. He held a hand over his face, and a bright light emitted from his palm.
"I see..." Roswaal muttered.
"Well. What's his condition." Crusch asked him impatiently.
"He's suffering from exhaustion and mana drain." Roswaal responded. "But worse than that, he seeeeeems to have been affected by the authority of gluttony."
"What's that?" The duchess said.
"See for yourself." Roswall cast some spell on the boy, which seemed to wake him up.
Slowly, Felix opened his eyes.
"Huuuh" He came out of his stupor. "Where am I?"
Crusch answered him. "Arlem."
"Ohh Umm." Felix surveyed his surroundings. "Not to be rude, but who are you people?"
Crusch's eyes widened.
"Wait." He tried to recall how he got there. Everything was a blank. "Who am I? Where is this? Wait. What's going on?" Felix was starting to panic. His memory had been wiped.
"You seeeeeee." Roswaal chimed in. "He's had his memories eaten by gluttony. My apologies Karsten-sama. Not even my magic is capable of restoring him."
Crusch didn't answer him. Instead, she approached Felix.
"Your name is Felix Argyle. I'm Crusch Karsten. Up until recently you were my knight, but after a hard battle, it seems you lost you memories." Crusch was most concerned with putting the boy at ease.
Felix didn't trust this instantly though. In his state, he couldn't be sure of anything anymore. "If you say syo..." He said half-heartedly. His verbal tick still remained though. So deeply ingrained in his muscle memory, even in this state it was still present.
"Worry not Felix. I will make it upmost priority to get your memories back!" Crusch exclaimed.
*Scene Break*
It had been a few days since the mansion burned down. The team (Subaru, Rem, Ram, Emilia, Halibel) had moved to a new house in the capital. It wasn't huge, but the estate was more than large enough to house the five of them. The house, which they all called 'the villa' was located in Goldwater, the capital's swankiest neighbourhood. Priscilla, Felt and Karsten also lived in Goldwater. Subaru was glad for the move: if he was going to make Emilia ruler, it was in his interest to be close to the action.
Roswaal was no longer present, although he promised to drop by once in a while to help Ram. For now at least, it would be up to the five of them to make Emilia ruler. Subaru had explained to them the situation regarding his vow. Emilia had been devastated by the news, but she promised Subaru she would work her hardest so that he wouldn't die.
Now, they were all assembled for dinner. Emilia sat at the head of the table. On her right was Subaru, and one seat further was Rem. On her left was Ram, and one seat further was Halibel.
Emilia spoke up. "So Halibel-san." She looked a little nervous. "Are you uhhh... Sticking around?"
"Yeah." The wolfman responded. "I was hoping I might be able to help Su-san out. Although at some point, I'll need a little compensation." He held his hand up, rubbing his thumb against his other fingers. By compensation, he of course meant money.
"Yes. Ummm" Emilia looked at Subaru.
"It's worth it Emilia, trust me. You won't find anyone stronger than Halibel. With all that's been happening, it's definitely worth hiring some protection. We should get Halibel on the payroll as soon as possible." Subaru gave his opinion.
"Right." Emilia gave a short nod. It was pretty cute.
Emilia stopped talking to take a bite of her food.
Rem interrupted the discussion. "Everyone." She started. She looked down at her plate. "Rem has some big news."
Before she had even broke the news, Subaru fixed his gaze on Ram. /OMG... Please don't stick me with that fork!/ he noticed the silverware she was holding.
Everyone was silent, waiting for Rem to go on. All the attention made her squirm in her seat. Her face went very red all the sudden. Time to pay the piper.
In a whisper, barely audible, she continued. "I'm uhhh... I- I'm pregnant. S-S-Subaru and I are having a baby."
Ram dropped her fork and it made a large clanging noise as it fell into her plate. Emilia gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. Halibel chuckled, and Subaru looked almost as embarrassed as Rem.
Rem went on. "Rem saw the doctor today... He said, I'm three months in."
'Three months'. Ram mouthed the words to herself. /Three months! Isn't that!/ Ram distinctly remembered a conversation she had with Subaru. When she had left him alone with Rem at the mansion, she had very clearly not to lay a finger on her sister. She glared at the boy.
Subaru gulped. /Shit shit shit! Ram is too clever! Has she already figured it out?/ They both knew, in all likelyhood, the conception had taken place that fateful day at the mansion, right before Betelgeuse's attack.
Subaru tried to loook apologetic. Ram gave him a terrifying smile.
"Congratulations sister." She said quickly. Then, the pink-haired oni jumped out of her seat and went for the father-to-be's throat. "You bastard, Barusu! Dammit I told you to keep your hands off! You really are driven purely by lust!"
Ram flung herself over the table towards him.
"Arghhh!" Subaru let out a high-pitched squeek, fearful of the short girl who had it out for him. Subaru tried to scoot back, but his seat tilted back instead, resulting in him falling over in his chair and banging his head on the wall. "Ow!"
Ram landed on top of him and started to strangle him. "You dog! I let you out of my sight for two days, and you go and get her pregnant! Forget Roswaal, I'm gonna kill you for real!"
Ram grabbed the fork from his plate.
"Not the fork! Not the fork!" Subaru begged her.
Ram smiled. Clearly she had a sadistic side. She stuck the fork in his thigh.
"Woooahahaha!" Subaru let a pained yelp. "Enough! Enough! Basta! Uncle! Goddammit, Yamete!"
Ram moved the fork up and down, getting it a little deeper.
"I think that's good Ram." Her pregnant sister chimed in.
Still straddling Subaru, Ram looked up at her sister. "Rem, I can't express just how happy I am for you! I'm just so glad you and B-Barusu are so serious!" She gave Rem the biggest smile ever.
/Is this girl for real?/ Everyone at the table was in sync.
Ram looked back down at Subaru and gave him a disgusted look. /Damn, she runs so hot-and-cold!/ Subaru thought.
She got up from him. She let out a disapproving 'Hmpff' and flicked her hair. Ram walked out of the room.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Subaru yelled after her.
"Shut up Barusu! I'll be back in a second." She called out from another room.
Silence reigned for a moment.
"Uhhh, Ahhh." Emilia didn't now how to follow that up. She put her hands together. "Congratulations Rem!"
Rem gave her a curt bow. "Thank you, Emilia-sama. Rem is really happy about this."
Emilia hesitated. "So... Pregnant... Wow... So then, you and Subaru did... He stuck his-"
"AAHHH!" Subaru shouted over her. He and Rem were beat-red. Subaru couldn't let Emilia talk about her curiosities. If they got onto that sort of topic, Ram really would kill him.
Ram re-entered the room, holding a large bottle of bourbon in each hand. "What's all the ruckus." She asked them. She slammed the bottles onto the table, and went back to her seat.
"Uhhh... Ram, what are those for?" Subaru had concern his voice.
"What do you mean, Barusu? We're celebrating, dummy. It's only normal to have a drink when you're celebrating." Her voice was slow and cold. Subaru got the chills.
"Cela. Cela. Celabrating." She said in a sing-song voice.
She tossed out the water that was in his glass, throwing it in his face. Than She slammed his glass onto the table and filled it to the brim with hard alcohol. She slowly pushed the glass in front of Subaru, careful not to spill a single drop.
"Drink it." She told him sweetly.
"Ram, this seems like a lot for m-"
"Drink. it." She told him again. This time not so sweetly.
"Haha." Subaru was sweating. "R-Right." /Is this hazing? Am I being hazed right now? by Ram?/
Subaru took a sip. and then put it back down.
Ram continued to look at him menacingly. "All of it."
Subaru gave a pleading look to both Halibel and Rem, begging them to help him somehow.
Halibel shook his head 'no'. This was above his paygrade.
Rem didn't help him either. /Subaru-kun, just let sister have her way for tonight. Better to get it over with now./ Rem was hoping to clear the air by letting Ram bully Subaru a little bit.
Resigned to his fate, Subaru lifted the glass back up and finished it in one swig. The whiskey burned as it made its way down to his stomach.
"Good." Ram said sweetly. "You know Subaru, in Lugunica it's tradition for the man to celebrate each day that his wife is pregnant."
Subaru started sweating.
Ram gave her messed up logic. "Three months. 90 days. You still have have 89 days to catch-up on." She refilled his glass. "You should try your best, for Rem's sake."
/89 more? I don't think I'll make it past two of these./ The glass was bigger than a normal shot glass.
"Drink up." Ram stated.
Subaru couldn't remember what happened after that.
*Scene Break*
"HUGGHH!" Subaru quickly grabbed the bucket by his bed, and vomited into it. /Better out than in./
Last night was a blur. All he knew was that right now, he felt very sick. /Crap. I'm such a mess./
He laid back down on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to suppress the nausea he was feeling.
He heard his door open, and footsteps approached him. The person sat down on his bed, and Subaru reached out to them and hugged them around the waist.
"Rem. You're such an angel. Sorry you have to see me like this." Subaru still had his eyes closed. "Mmmmmm. You're so warm and fuzzy today."
/Wait... Fuzzy?/ Subaru snapped his eyes open.
"Subaru-kun, drink this." Halibel said in a high pitched voice, imitating Rem. He held out a big glass of water.
"Wahhh! Halibel!?" Subaru quickly let go of him.
"Hehe." Halibel let out a cheeky laugh. "Disappointed?"
Subaru didn't answer him. He was more concentrated on not puking. Subaru took the glass from Halibel and downed its contents. He gave Halibel a 'thank you'.
"Su-san, drink lots of water. I need you in good form." Halibel told him.
"Ughh. What do you need me for?" Subaru asked him.
"I want you to come with me to pick up Meili." Halibel said. "I would ask Rem, but she's working around the house. I think Meili would be really happy to see one of you at least."
Subaru thought about it.
"Don't worry, you still have a few hours to recover."
Halibel went to get him another glass of water, and then left the boy alone.
Subaru puked again, and then had the second glass of water. He laid down in his bed and fell asleep.
When he woke up two hours later, he felt significantly better. His head still pounded, and his stomach was queasy, but he had managed to get a hold of himself, to some extent at least.
He slowly got changed and then went downstairs. He saw Rem cleaning the house, and Emilia doing some paperwork in the living room.
"Guh'afternoon." He said lazily.
"Ah. You're awake. How are feeling Subaru?" Emilia asked him.
"Awful." He rubbed his thumb and index against his eyes.
"Yeah. Ram treated you pretty harshly last night." Emilia told him.
"Where is she? I want to give her a piece of my mind."
Rem answered him. "She's gone out to do the shopping. She won't be back for a while."
Subaru went up to Rem. Not thinking, he wrapped his arms around her. He was still a little drunk. He dug his nose in her hair and took a good sniff. Rem didn't protest.
"You smell good." He told her.
Emilia blushed seeing this.
As this happened, Halibel walked down the stairs. "Good morning loverboy." Halibel greeted him. "Ready to go?"
Truthfully, Subaru would rather stay at home and enjoy Rem's warmth.
It took him all his willpower to detach himself from her and face Halibel. "Ready as I'll ever be."
They headed out. The fresh air did Subaru some good.
"Where we going?" He asked the wolfman.
"The pickup is at a restaurant in Gallowsfield." Halibel told him. "We're taking the carriage."
Gallowsfield? That was a neighborhood on the complete opposite side of the city. /What's she doing in Gallowsfield? That place is a total slum./
The loothouse where he had met Emilia was also in Gallowsfield.
Subaru hopped on the carriage and let Halibel drive. He watched the capital city pass him by.
He thought about how amazing life was. All these people he could see, going about their day-to-day business, they all had stories. They all had their own lives, their own friends, their own dramas. The events in his own life would only be a drop in the bucket of human experience.
He pondered this for about twenty minutes, before they finally got to their destination.
It was a dark and dirty eatery in a run-down part of town. Subaru thought it was interesting that they were meeting in such a place. Why not pick up Meili at her sister's place?
/Maybe Meili's sister doesn't want us knowing where she lives... Odd./ Subaru reasoned.
Subaru and Halibel entered the restaurant and got a table. Now starting to recover fully from his hangover, Subaru felt quite hungry. He ordered the full-english and a glass of orange juice. The waiter chuckled. There was only one reason someone would order that at two in the afternoon.
A 'ding' from the bell attached to the entrance informed them that more customers had entered. Halibel could see them, but Subaru couldn't.
"That's them." Halibel said, waving to the newcomers.
Subaru turned in his seat to get a view of them. He froze.
Meili was indeed there, but Subaru was more concerned with the person accompanying her.
It was someone he knew. Someone he feared.
It was Elsa Granhiert.
The Guthunter.
I've decided that from now on, I will be responding to reviews. Drop one and let me know what you think, and in the next chapter I'll address them.
I also want to say that I intend to continue this story, and I'll definitely be doing an Arc 5 and 6. (They'll be quite different from the canon though.)
Anyway, thank you for all the support so far, and I hope you guys are still enjoying Rem Loop.
Till next time. :)