Chapter 59: Meili Portroute
("Hello there, my name is Petra. Let's be friends!")
Meili was with Shaula when this memory of Petra came to her mind. She looked up at the ceiling and started to think on why she was recalling her first meeting with Petra. It had been over a year since she met the girl from Arlem village and it had been a struggle to get back on her good side since the Sanctuary and mansion incident with Petra viewing her as a threat at all times despite treating her with respect during her maidly duties. The only time she had talked to her like friends would was when she vented about everyone in the Emilia camp with the exception being Sora. She still recalls that day since she didn't view her as a threat or as someone she hated. This did hurt her feelings a little since she does wish to make amends to the girl, yet she knows it will take a long while for Petra to truly forgive her. She looked at Shaula and could see that something was bothering her.
"Naked onee-san, what is bothering you?"
"Huh? Nothing is booo~thering me."
"Are you suuure? You are acting like onee-san."
"Onee-san?"
"Elsa."
"Ah, big chest woman...wait how?"
"You both like someone that likes someone else."
"Uh?"
Meili took a moment to see how dense Shaula regarding what she was is saying, making her think what Elsa would say. As she thought for a minute, she looks at the guardian of the watchtower to say,
"I'm saying that you have feelings for Subaru-san, correct?"
"Master...well..."
Shaula's face turned completely red as she starts thinking about her master in a romantic way, causing her lustful side to slightly show. Meili didn't know what to do except snap the guardian of the watchtower by smacking her on the head.
"D-Don't act like that while you are carrying me on your shoulder. It's weird."
"No nee~eed to be mean."
"Just don't be weird. Anyway, do you like Subaru?"
"I love master! I love him! I love him! I love him! I love him!"
Meili was caught off guard by the amount of love Shaula has to her master, making her question on whether she loves her actual master or Subaru. As she was thinking on this, the two were approached by Subaru himself with Sora by his side. Shaula looked at Subaru and started shouting,
"Master! Master!"
"H-Hey there, Shaula. Hello there Meili."
"Subaru, Sora, good to see you two. What brings the two of you here?"
"We are gathering everyone together. There is something important Subaru wants to tell everyone."
"Ooookay. Where is Elsa?"
"She is with the others at the moment."
"Okay. Let's get going, naked onee-san."
Shaula nodded at Meili before following Sora and Subaru, with Shaula wanting to be close to her master while Meili was curious to know what Elsa is thinking of at the moment. After Sora had saved Elsa from herself and both herself and Elsa had rebelled from mother's organization, she has noticed just how much Elsa as started to care for Sora. Prior to being hired to attack the mansion, she knew that Elsa was obsessed with Sora but after the mansion, that obsession had changed into something genuine. She even can tell that this was much healthier than what it was before yet she is now worried for her sister.
'Elsa you idiot. Why did you fall in love with this boy? You have never been in love before like this...'
Meili looked at Sora and was surprised by how young he ended up getting when losing his memories, causing her to think about what kind of struggles the boy had to deal with. She has always respected Sora since she met the boy back when she was ordered to attack Arlem village. The boy would always fight with all the people he cared about in his mind, making her even more curious on how his friends' strength gives him strength. She is even more grateful to the boy when he saved Elsa from being controlled by the curse her sister had. This caused the little girl to smile at the boy, seeing how innocent he had always been from the beginning. The group walked for a few minutes before gathering with the others. Meili asked Shaula if she can set her down with Shaula complying to this and gently setting the girl down. As she does this, Meili walks towards Elsa's direction to stand by her assassin sister's side. As she does this, the group discussion starts with Kishida saying,
"Subaru, what is the reason you have gathered us here? Shouldn't we be focused with the trials?"
"Yes well Kishida, we have two new problems. The first being that we have the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony coming with a bigger threat coming right after them."
"Great, as if we needed more trouble." Kishida responded, seeing that their situation is already trouble enough.
"Subaru-san, mind if I ask how'd you acquired this information?"
"W-Well the thing is that I lost a lot of my memories."
"What?!"
Naoko and Kenichi were the two most worried by this, worried for their son's well-being. As the two were checking on Subaru, Meili looked at Elsa to see how she was feeling of the situation. She looked at her assassin sister and could tell that something was bothering her despite her facial expression being a blank one. Meili tapped on Elsa's shoulder to gain her attention. Once she did, she asked Elsa in a curious voice,
"Are you okay, onee-san?"
"...don't worry about it, Meili."
Meili looked at Elsa and was a bit concerned by this but knew that asking anymore won't get her anywhere. She turned back to Subaru, hearing the boy say,
"Don't worry mom, dad, I will be alright. I may have lost a couple of important memories of being here in this world but I haven't forgotten what is important to me."
Subaru looks at Emilia when he says this and smiles, causing the silver haired half-elf to blush a bit before the focus returned to the topic at hand. Subaru looked at the group and said in a serious voice,
"We do need to get the trials done but at the same time we need to prepare for the threat that is the two Sin Archbishops of Gluttony."
"Well then, what do you suggest?" Rem asked.
"I think for now we should have Julius and Kishida both take on the trials. Mom and Dad can be there to help you out with Anastasia being the support. The rest of us can set a trap for the two gluttonies and deal with them."
Elsa and Meili both looked at each other before looking at how the others reacted, seeing some hesitation from the group except from Sora and Emilia. The two seemed to trust Subaru, with Sora being the one to speak on his behalf.
"I think this plan will work. I may not be as strong as I was before but I'm willing to fight in order to protect all of you...my friends."
Meili had a smile in her face when hearing this, somehow finding joy when Sora speaks about them as friends. Although he reverted to his younger years, he still is the same old boy who is willing to fight for those he cares about. Meili takes a quick look at Elsa and could tell that she is happy hearing Sora speak like this. The group think over the plan to see that it is better than nothing, considering that they have two hours to prepare with Julius and Kishida knowing that they have to come up with a strategy to beat Reid's trial. As the two knights talk with Kenichi to find some strategy, Meili notices that Ram and Subaru are walking away from the group. This causes her to be curious and to follow the pair, seeing that Elsa and Rem are both approaching Sora to speak to him. As Meili follows Subaru and Ram towards a hallway, she listens in to hear Ram say,
"So, what was the meaning of that farce earlier? Now that you've taken Ram out like this, you intend to talk about it now, right?"
Subaru stood silent for a moment with Meili curious on how this conversation will go, also wanting to know if this is a farce or not. Ram gave Subaru a look before continuing to speak in a serious manner,
"Kindly stop entrusting too many important roles on Emilia-sama, Sora-sama, or Beatrice-sama. I understand in Sora-sama's case you can't because of his condition and Beatrice-sama aside, it would be far too heavy a burden for Emilia-sama. That is why it would be appreciated if you involve Ram now. The details are..."
"-Ram, it's true that I've lost my memories. Neither is it a lie, nor a plan."
Both Ram and Meili noticed the words with Meili seeing them as true thanks to Elsa training her during their years together in detecting deception while Ram looked at Subaru with her crimson eyes containing confusion, fear, and rage. The little girl noticed this and wanted to do something about it but she stayed put, afraid of the scolding she would get for eavesdropping in such a delicate conversation.
"I've lost my memories. I have a grasp on the names and relationships of everyone within the tower, but I can't remember a single thing aside from that. That's also true."
"Kindly stop."
"I have nothing to convey. Right now, my hands are all empty."
"Kindly stop, Barusu. If you say anything more than that..."
"I know that we came to this tower, to regain a lot of things which were robbed away from us. That we're in the midst of the Trial too. That's all. My intention, is..."
"Barusu, if you say anything more than this."
"About Rem too, I have"
"Barusu!"
Ram shoved Subaru into the wall with Meili being ready to act if the pink haired oni attempted to harm the boy. Although she isn't useful in a fight, she knows that with the secret knife given to her by Elsa, she can at least to some damage. As she ready her little knife, she listened in to Ram speak,
"What's your intention? Saying such stupid lie!"
"It's not a lie...For me, lying to you is-"
"So, you're saying you've not lied? Then what should be done according to you? That Ram should trust you? That Barusu also forgot Rem's past...something, so ridiculous!"
"Ram..."
Ram scowled Subaru from a distance so close their lips could touch each other, with Meili get herself ready to protect Subaru should anything happen.
'Why are you this stubborn, pink maid? Onii-san isn't lying, if anything he is telling the truth!'
Meili was a bit disappointed in Ram for acting in such a way yet she continued to wait and see what happened next. Subaru had come to a conclusion on how to deal with this situation, making him be able to speak despite Ram holding him by the collars very tightly.
"—I will get Rem back for sure just like I will get Sora back."
"~hk!"
Ram was caught of guard by this with Meili smiling at the determination in Subaru's eyes, reminding her of the same determination Sora had. This caused her to lower the weapon she had, confident that Subaru can handle this.
'You really are like Sora, aren't you, Natsuki Subaru? No wonder you two got along very well as Master and Apprentice.'
As Meili smiled on this fact, she continued to listen as she heard Ram say in a slightly hesitant yet still angered tone of voice,
"How can you talk...about getting her memories back, Barusu! You forgot about Rem too, didn't you!"
"But still, I'll get her memories back. Not only hers but Sora's as well and mine. That is the goal behind coming to this tower, accomplishing and regaining everything without leaving a single thing. We'll all go back together...It's a matter of course, that I'd guarantee at least that."
"—Barusu?"
"It is, a matter of course...when you think of everything which happened in this tower."
Subaru was finding it difficult to breath yet he distorted his cheeks for a different reason. Ram raised her eyebrows upon Subaru's reaction and slightly relaxed her hands which had grabbed his collars. As she does this, Subaru grabbed hold of her hands and pulled them apart, at the same pace, their bodies switched positions. Meili looked with curiosity on what was going to happen.
"-Filthy. Kindly let go."
"Ram. I'm going to definitely get back Rem's memories, Sora's memories, and my memories. For that, please lend me your strength."
"..."
"I need everyone's strength. I may still wield the Keyblade but I'm pretty weak. The Natsuki Subaru who was there before you all found me, the Natsuki Subaru whom you all knew, may not have said something so pathetic...but, for my present self...I know you won't believe or forgive me for forgetting Rem but please keep that rage of yours for later. In exchange for that, I promise you."
"Promise...?"
"I will carry through, no matter what. I'll eat it all up, no matter how many tries it takes. If I break this promise, if I give up in front of you, then feel free to do whatever you'd like to me, burn me, scorch me, anything."
"..."
"That is my resolve."
"...Why would you got that far. If Barusu has truly forgotten, then you shouldn't think of getting Rem's memories back this much."
"..."
"Once you forget, it all turns into a void. It becomes a gaping vacuum and the feelings for what used to be there all disappear. All vanish. Love, hatred, warmth, loneliness, everything."
'She is right, onii-san.'
Meili thought of this since she can agree that forgetting something means losing all interest in that one thing that is forgotten. Subaru responded to what Ram said by saying,
"The truth is, that's true. My memories are blank and the feeling which myself, who was there until you all found me, felt for regaining the memories of Rem have slipped out of my hand but..."
"Then why?"
"But I know that you cherish Rem, want her to get back the memories she had lost. I would assume that Sora prior to losing his memories wanted that too. And the Natsuki Subaru you all knew wanted that as well. Right now the reason I want to get Rem's memories back isyou're your sake, Sora's sake, Natsuki Subaru's sake, and for Rem's sake."
"..."
"That's why, I'm counting on you for when I give up. Do whatever you'd like to with my head, that is my atonement, myself who made you cry."
"Ram never cried, don't fool around."
"Ouch! That hurt!~hk!"
Subaru received two slaps to the face with Meili doing her best not to giggle since she found this hilarious. As Subaru was looking at Ram with disbelieve, he started to say,
"Y-You...I was just now, saying something pretty brave..."
"Getting all energetic on your own accord, what do you mean by saying something brave? First things first, Barusu making a promise is laughable itself. Quite impressive how you yourself proposed what is the last thing that can be trusted in this world."
"What do you mean by that?"
"There as only been one promise you had ever kept and that I believe was due to Sora-sama's assistance. Other than that, when was there a single promise you had kept?"
"What?! I'm that bad of a level?!"
"Yes, the Barusu we knew before finding you wasn't a capable man who could manage everything by himself either. Rather, he was a simpleton and his specialty was that whenever he manage something by himself, he would only enlarge the damage in the end."
"Are you serious...? That is quite disappointing..."
"I will only say, Barusu does have good timing when it matters most and has gotten a little strong. He could probably beat Otto at best."
"I don't know this Otto guy but he sounds pretty weak."
"He is, even as a merchant he lacks strength but he is intelligent, which is why I consider Barusu to be as strong as Otto."
"I guess..."
Subaru stood silent as he heard all of Ram's cold and harsh words thrown towards him. Meili stood silent by this and thought carefully about what Ram said regarding Subaru's strength. She hadn't seen Otto in a fight but she figured he was pretty smart considering he was able to survive her Mabeast and the heartless from what she heard from Elsa when she was at Otto's hometown village.
'I guess Onii-san could beat Merchant boy in physical strength but I guess in intelligence the merchant boy is superior.'
As Meili was thinking more and more on this, her thought process would be interrupted when she heard Ram ask Subaru a question.
"Barusu. Did you truly forget about everyone? Sora-sama? Rem?"
"...Yeah."
"Hm. Even if you have forgotten everything, kindly remember just Rem again."
"Don't be absurd. Let me remember everything again..."
"Saying it once again. Kindly remember just Rem again, even if you need to die for it."
"Yeah, I swear. Even if I die, I will remember everything again."
"Alright. You're free to go this time...except for you, Meili-san."
'What?! How?!'
Ram turned towards Meili and gave her a cold look, causing the little girl to almost go into shock by how scary the pink haired maid's eyes were when serious. Subaru was surprised that Meili was even there, causing him to question whether or not she had listened in on his very first vision of events. While Subaru was thinking about this, Ram crossed her arms and ordered Meili in a scary tone of voice,
"Stand right over here, right now."
"Y-Yes ma'am."
"Ram-sama!"
"Y-Yes R-Ram-sama!"
Meili quickly went up to Ram with a scared expression, afraid of what Ram might do since she has seen her scold Petra before. Aside from Elsa and Capella, Ram scares her the most out of the Emilia camp. As she stood standing in front of the scary pink haired maid, Ram inspected her for a moment before saying in a stern voice,
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the Bowel Hunter?"
"Sh-She was busy with the blue haired maid-"
"Rem!"
"I-I mean Rem. Onee-san is with Rem talking with S-Sora-sama."
"Hm. What did you see?"
"N-Nothing."
"Is that so?"
Ram moved her hand in a slightly threatening way, succeeding in scaring the little girl to confess what she knew.
"I-I saw everything! Okay! Don't hurt me!"
"Hmph. Don't be stupid. I won't hurt you. Just don't eavesdrop again."
"Y-Yes Ram-sama!"
Meili bowed before running away, leaving Ram satisfied while Subaru had something in his mind. In his previous vision, he saw all the memories of Meili and could tell that at this moment, she wants to feel useful. Before Subaru could go and talk with Meili, Ram looked at Subaru and began to say,
"...Did you tell Emilia-sama and Beatrice-sama the same thing? Regarding your promise?"
"No, I don't think they believe I would give up."
"Is that so? Hmph. The fault is them being infected with Barusu."
"That's why I won't request the two of this. Rem and Elsa are focused with Sora, Julius is focused on protecting Anastasia, Kishida is busy dealing with the trials, and I would rather not get my parents involved in this."
"That is a bad view. I would understand the others but your parents should be there for you as well, Barusu."
"I know but...at the moment I trust you with this."
Ram looked at Subaru with some concern towards him yet she kept her cold stare. She took a moment to process what he said. After a moment, she responded with a cold voice,
"You are an idiot, Barusu. Your parents should be the ones to help you out when you feel useless like you are right now...but for now I will assist you with this. Just remember, I won't let you give up at all or else."
"I understand."
Subaru nodded at Ram before the two head down the stairs to catch up to the group with Ram thinking of strategies they can use to take down the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony while Subaru was looking for Meili. As the two reunited with the group, Subaru turned and looked at Elsa and Meili's direction, seeing the two assassin sisters talking with Sora and Rem. As he looked at the two assassin sisters, seeing just how much the little girl cares for Elsa. The boy closed his eyes to think for a moment, recalling what he saw in Meili's book of the dead. He saw how the little girl and the Bowel hunter met, how Meili was forced to do things by someone called Mother, and all the missions that eventually led to meeting the Natsuki Subaru before him and Sora prior to losing his memories.
'I need to talk to her. She needs to know that she can doesn't need to be afraid.'
Subaru approached the group, hearing that Elsa and Rem were arguing on who should protect Sora with both Sora and Meili being silent since they wouldn't want to get in between the two women. While the two were arguing, Subaru taps on Meili's shoulder before asking,
"Hey, is it okay if we speak in private for a moment?"
"Um...sure...is it about what happened earlier...?"
"No, you are not in trouble. I just want to have a little chat."
"Okay."
Meili's mood changed into a happy one once she got confirmation that she isn't in trouble. The two looked at Elsa and Rem first to make sure that their attention was on their own conversation before the two walked away into a private area of the library. Sora noticed this and got curious, causing him to sneak away to follow Subaru and Meili.
As Meili and Subaru find a place to talk alone, not knowing that Sora had followed them, Meili looked at Subaru to make sure that nothing bad will happen. After a moment of inspecting the boy, she asked what he would like to talk about in a curious tone of voice. Subaru stood silent for a moment, thinking on how to start this conversation. He wanted to help Meili feel better and feel useful but he wasn't sure how without sounding suspicious until an idea came up.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Um, sure?"
"What do you think about the old me? The Natsuki Subaru you all knew before the amnesia me came into creation."
Meili was caught off guard by this, not expecting the amnesia version of Subaru to want to know about himself through her. Meili stood silent for a moment before she responded to the amnesia Subaru's question by saying,
"W-Well I don't know you too personally but from what Sora had told us, you are determined to protect everyone. Even Elsa said good things about you though you are very weak."
"Well that isn't surprising. I guess I have always been weak."
"B-But even so, you are still a hero. You took on my Mabeast and survived. You were able to take down the White Whale. And you managed to save Emilia from the Sin Archbishop of Greed."
Subaru stood silent for a moment, surprised by this yet his mind was on something else. He took a few seconds before he said to Meili,
"Okay, well what do you think about Elsa?"
"Onee-san? W-Well she is amazing. She is a badass, the way she defied mother. The way she goes into danger."
"Hm. What about Sora? What does she think about him?"
"..."
Meili stood silent for a moment, unsure on how to answer this question without giving Amnesia Subaru the wrong idea.
"I mean she cares for him, right?"
"You are not wrong but there is more to that. She might have developed a crush. Onee-san can be such an idiot at times."
Subaru was intrigued by this yet his focus was on something specific meanwhile Sora overheard this and was completely unsure on how to deal with this. Subaru looked at Meili's eyes and could see just how happy the little girl is when thinking about the Bowel Hunter or even talking about her. This made him see in person how much the girl cares for her assassin sister yet there was also another emotion within those words.
"Meili...do you think you are useless?"
"What?"
"Do you ever feel like you are useless?"
"N-No I don't! I wouldn't be alive if I felt useless!"
Subaru looked at Meili, seeing that she is all defensive now but deep down with the help of her book of the dead, he knows that she is hiding under a façade. Having the knowledge he needed, he proceeded to say,
"I get it, feeling like you have to depend on someone else, feeling like there isn't anybody there for you but there is."
"..."
"I-I know it sounds weird coming from me, the person who lost his memories of this world, but I can tell you for a certainty that I know what loneliness feels like. How it feels to have nobody by your side but you have Elsa, you have Sora, all of Emilia-chan's group, and even myself...well the Natsuki Subaru before me but me as well."
"..."
"You know you can rely on others. Don't feel like you always have to be in Elsa's shadow. You can be your own person too...(Hmph. That's ironic coming from me.)"
Meili looked at Subaru and quickly analyzed him before concluding that he is being genuine with what he is saying. She crossed her arms and started to think about everything in her life, knowing that she had someone she trusted the day she met Elsa in the forest. Although at that time she was trying to kill her assassin sister, over time she grew to care for her even though it wasn't clear for her if Elsa had cared for her back then. There was always something in her mind during their line of work, something the bowel hunter said,
("If you had to choose between your life and mine, you must choose your own.")
("W-Why?")
("Because I would choose my own life. That's what an assassin would do.")
Those words were not supposed to hurt at all since they were true, an assassin must value their own life and yet Elsa had stuck out her neck to save Meili in countless of occasions. Even after defying mother, she seemed to only be useful when her Mabeast are around. Otherwise, she is just a little girl playing dress up. This caused her to slightly tear up, feeling hopeless and worthless since there was nothing she can do. Even if she used the knife she was carrying, she was still weak regardless. As tears were streaming down her eyes, she felt Subaru giving her a hug. She was unsure on what to think yet she allowed it.
"I know what it feels like to be worthless. I felt it before being send to this world for some reason. I feel it right now, seeing that everyone wants the real Natsuki Subaru...but there is one thing I can assure you is that you will never be alone."
"A-Are you sure about that?"
"I can assure you that."
Meili smiled and let out her tears, wanting to let out all the pain she had felt having worked for Mother. All the pain she had caused, the remorse she feels, and everything mother had done to her during her time as an assassin. As she was letting all the pain out, she could only think of one person she wished to make amends with, Petra. She can tell that Petra is still hurt that someone she trusted was trying to kill her, making her understand that she needs to make things right.
'I want to play with you again, Petra...but I just really want to be friends with you.'
Seeing that the only way to make amends is to apologize as many times as it takes, she felt more motivated to do something. The hug stopped between Subaru and Meili with the two getting up until they noticed a voice speaking directly to Meili,
"Subaru is right, you are not alone."
The two look at the direction of the voice to see that it was Sora speaking, surprising the two with Meili hoping that the boy didn't hear what she said regarding Elsa having a crush on him. Sora smiled and quickly noticed something on his pocket. He quickly looked only to find Kairi's wayfinder. He was caught off guard by this since the last time he saw it was during the time he was getting things for the rift, with Kairi still working on her wayfinder.
'Seems like she finished it at some point and gave it to me...'
Sora had a faint smile, feeling so many emotions yet he stayed focused on what was really important, comforting Meili. He looked at the wayfinder for a moment before he turned towards the little girl and handed it to her.
"A-Are you sure about this? This belongs to you."
"Well I want you to hold on to it. Maybe it might help you out."
"I-I don't know...but thank you, Sora-san."
Meili went and hugged Sora, showing how grateful she is by his help. They stayed like this for a moment before the three all decided to walk back to the group with Meili thinking of ways she can help. As the three were getting closer to the group, Subaru turned towards Sora to ask him,
"How long where you there?"
"I heard everything."
"Everything...?"
"Y-Yeah."
Meili immediately realized her mistake but knew that this should be something to priorities after they had accomplished their goal in the tower. As they arrived with the rest of the group, Emilia quickly looks at the three and asks,
"What have you three been up to?"
"Don't worry Emilia-chan, we were just having a bit of a talk."
"My My, I wonder what talk that could be."
The three all noticed this and turned towards Elsa, seeing that her and Rem look a bit annoyed at Subaru and Sora.
"You shouldn't go off running around, both of you. You have amnesia so we have to protect you."
"Sorry."
Both Subaru and Sora apologized before they along with Meili were informed of the plan to deal with the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony. The group of women had decided that Emilia and Elsa will take on one of the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony while Rem and Ram will take the other. Both Sora and Subaru will aid with both Shaula and Beatrice protecting them and Meili in the process. Hearing that last part made Meili slightly sad at first since she knows that in a heated battle, she would easily be killed yet she tried to think of ways she could be useful.
'Come on, there as to be something I can do to help Onee-san, Sora-san, and Onii-san.'
Meili thought and thought until she realized that there are some powerful Mabeast protecting the tower. She raised her hand to catch the group's attention before she said,
"Why don't we get the Mabeast from the tower to help us out?"
The group all looked at one another with Shaula looking at the little girl with a slight kill intent. Subaru noticed this and quickly snapped her out of this by saying,
"Is something wrong, Shaula?"
"Eh? Oh um...nothing Maaaa~ster."
"Wait, is it okay for us to get some Mabeast into the tower?" Emilia asked Shaula to which the guardian of the watchtower had noticed. She stood silent for a moment before she responded in a serious facial expression,
"Remember, nobody is allowed to leee~ave the tower without finishing the trials unless you want me to kill you."
"But we aren't leaving the tower, we are just grabbing something nearby the tower. So technically we aren't leaving."
Shaula looked at her master for a moment before thinking deeply in what he said. She thought for a few seconds before seeing that what her master said was right, they aren't trying to leave but getting something nearby. She looked at Subaru with a lustful look before saying,
"Maaa~ster is sooo smart. You deserve a hug!"
Shaula tries to tackle Subaru to give him a hug yet he was able to dodge the tackle. She fell to the ground and looked very annoyed at this, wanting to hug her master so badly.
"You're sooo mean Maaaaster!"
"S-Sorry Shaula but we have to focus on the plan. We only have an hour to prepare."
"Hmph."
Shaula pouted as Subaru and the group now discussed a new plan that involved the Mabeast and Meili, making the little girl happy to be useful. Sora and Subaru both noticed this and smiled, happy to see Meili smiling. As the group discussed the new plan that accounted the strongest of Mabeast provided by the Pleiades Watchtower, Ram pointed out a problem they hadn't considered.
"We should also account Sora-sama's enemies attacking us."
"True, that might force us to change the groups a bit."
Emilia said this with a worried tone while Subaru felt stupid for not having mentioned the Organization members though he had noticed that they didn't do anything the first vision and acted in the second vision for some odd reason.
'Hm. They seemed to have target me first before attacking the group...was it because Meili was killed by that darker me? Was it because we were left in the open?'
While Subaru contemplated on this, Emilia and the others tried to figure out who should fight which of the three Organization members should they attack. Ram suggested for Elsa and Emilia to take on the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony while the rest handle the Organization members should they attack. Rem was confident in her abilities and trusted her sister's judgement while Beatrice felt that they would be in a slight disadvantage considering how strong the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony are.
"Although we have enough people to fight off all threats, these threats alone are a little too much for us without Sora in his normal form, I suppose."
"That may be true Beatrice-sama but we also have to account the Mabeast Meili will be using."
Beatrice looked at Rem as she processes what the blue haired oni said, causing the little spirit girl to think on how Meili's ability to command the Mabeast could assist them.
"They could provide some offensive and defensive assistance, I suppose."
"Yes! Hopefully I can get a lot of them to help."
"I mean, with your divine protection, they would follow your orders."
"I know Elsa."
"Aside from that, we are all in agreement that Emilia-sama and the Bowel Hunter will be the main two fighting the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony while the rest of us deal with Sora-sama's enemies."
"Yes."
The group all said in unison, agreeing that this is the best course of action before Shaula, Subaru, and Meili went down the stairs to get the Mabeast. As the three were walking down the stairs, Subaru looks at Shaula to ask,
"Are you okay with this?"
"Yes Master! I trust that you both won't break the rules. I don't want to kill any of your friends, Master."
"Y-Yeah..."
Subaru didn't like the thought of Shaula trying to kill them, not wanting another problem to be added to what they are already facing. Meili looked at Shaula with a blank facial expression, unsure on how to handle what Shaula said yet she ignored it for now since it is something that shouldn't be taken serious for now. Once the three were outside, Subaru and Meili both looked around for a moment before noticing that something was wrong with Shaula.
"Naked onee-san, are you oookay?"
"Y-Yes...just get the Mabeast so I don't kill you all."
"Wait, is it some kind of rule or-"
Before Subaru could say anything, he was caught off guard by Shaula's tackle for another hug. As Shaula gets to hug her Master, she holds him tightly while she was shaking.
"Shaula, what's wrong?"
"J-Just p-please hold me...master..."
Subaru's face turned red as he felt Shaula's chest pressing on his body yet he was able to keep himself in control when he sees that she is bothered by something. He returns the hug and wraps his arms on her, allowing her to calm down and to have a smile on her face. Meili looked at the two, worried for Shaula.
"Naked onee-san?"
"Don't worry Meili, I'll take care of her."
Meili noticed this and nodded at the boy, understanding that she has an important job to fulfill. She goes and approaches the Mabeast from the Sand Dunes. The few Mabeast that approached Meili were six Gabaou with their horns broken. Subaru was a bit tensed when he saw these creatures, surprised at how the previous Natsuki Subaru was able to deal with such things despite being the weakest of the group. Meili looked at the Mabeast and smiled at them, seeing that the Gabaou is surprisingly listening to her despite being a bit much for the little Mabeast user.
"Mabeast! I want...no, I need your help. My friends and I need help to fight off some bad guys. I know that you all might not listen to me, but I ask for your help."
Meili looked at the Mabeast, unsure on whether her divine protection will be able to get the Mabeast to listen to her. As she had some doubts, the only think in her mind is wanting to help Elsa, Sora, Shaula, Subaru, Emilia, and everyone else in the tower to make it out safely. The Mabeast all looked at one another before approaching Meili at first in hostile manner until one of the Gabaou used it's long spear to get Meili on it's back before going to Subaru and Shaula to also give them a ride. Shaula was shocked by this yet she managed to calm down when she noticed that they were all heading into the tower. Subaru looked at the creature he was riding and was happy, feeling like he is doing something crazy but fun. Meili looked and smiled as she saw Subaru having fun while Shaula was calm.
'I'm happy right now.'
Meili looks forward and guides the six Gabaou into the tower with Patrasche and Frufoo both noticing this and being slightly off by it. Subaru got off the Gabaou to go get Patrasche and Frufoo, thinking that maybe they can help the group in dealing with the Organization members. As the group arrive to the library, Emilia and the others except Elsa at first were on their guard since they usually don't deal with Mabeast but after seeing Shaula, Subaru, and Meili riding their own Gabaou.
"That looks so cool."
Sora said since he was not exactly afraid of the Gabaou Mabeast but very intrigued by the mabeasts themselves. Subaru approached Sora with Patrasche by his side, catching the attention of Emilia, Beatrice, Ram, and Rem.
"Considering that we are facing some powerful foes, we will need everything in our disposal to win."
Emilia, Elsa, and the others nodded to what Subaru said, agreeing that they are going to need everything they have to win the fight. Meili looked at the group before telling her Mabeast to stay still and not to harm the group, wanting to establish that they are allies. Meili got down from the Gabaou she was riding before heading towards Elsa's position, wanting to check up on her assassin sister. As she approached Elsa, the bowel hunter looks at Meili and pets her head before turning back to Ram, the two of them discussing of possible things to do should they get overwhelmed.
"What are you all talking about, Elsa, Ram-sama?"
"Pink maid and I are discussing on who can hold off the possible threats in the case we need to run to the others. I say I can hold off the two Sin Archbishops of Gluttony with ease."
"That may be true but last I heard from Sora-sama, you were struggling with one."
"Despite this, I can still hold the two off long enough for everyone to escape."
"I don't know, we are strong together. So we should escape together."
"Emilia-sama, I understand what you are trying to say but sticking together if we get overwhelmed will only get us all killed."
Emilia looked at Ram and understands what she was trying to say, yet she did not wanted this.
"Nobody gets left behind."
Emilia was at a pause for a second since she was going to say this only for Sora to beat her to the punch. The young Keyblade Wielder walked towards the three girls with his keyblade in hand. As he was close to the three, he begins to say in a serious tone of voice,
"We all have to stick together. We can't leave anybody behind no matter what happens."
Elsa looked at Sora and found warmth when hearing him speak with determination while Meili just found it amusing how Sora never changes regardless how old the boy is. Ram crossed her arms and responded to what Sora said by saying in a cold yet respectful voice,
"Sora-sama, we need someone to save the others. The Mabeast won't last long neither will the ground dragons."
"That may be so but we must think that we will succeed together."
"Hmph. Quite a foolish way to view things...but in the end, it is our job to take care of the threat."
Ram did not like this but seeing Sora confident, she just nodded before the group went to set up the traps. While doing this, Meili wanted to have one important chat with Elsa before the fight with the Organization and with the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony. She approached Elsa, who was making sure her blades were sharp. The little girl tapped her assassin sister in the shoulder, catching Elsa's attention. She turned towards the little girl before asking,
"Need any help, Meili?"
"N-No, I'm okay. I just wanted to talk to you."
"Hm."
Elsa took a quick look at Meili's eyes to see how serious the conversation is will be. Seeing some determination in her eyes, she set her weapons down before getting up, knowing that this is probably something that Meili would like to speak about in private. Meili and Elsa walked for a moment before the two would have a chance to talk, with Meili having a lot in her mind.
"What exactly would you like to talk about, Meili?"
"Well..."
Meili had a lot of questions swarming in her mind but there was just one that filled her with an intense desire to know.
("If you had to choose between your life and mine, you must choose your own.")
("Because I would choose my own life. That's what an assassin would do.")
"Why did you save me, Onee-san?"
"What do you mean?"
"All those times, during our missions. When things go wrong, you would save me despite what you told me before, about choosing your own life. So why did you save me?"
Elsa had a pause for a moment, starting to understand what Meili is referring to. She closed her eyes to think for the right words before saying,
"You are correct, I did told you this because it is the way of an assassin."
"So then why did you save me?"
Meili wanted to know this question. She is aware that her sister cares for her now but she isn't sure if that was always the case before they met Sora. Elsa took a deep breath before looking firmly towards Meili to show that what she is about to say is the truth.
"When we first met, I knew that you hated me since you tried to kill me. All I can think of is getting you to a bath as quickly as possible."
"Hehe I remember that, I gave you so much trouble."
"You sure did."
"But didn't you wanted to see my bowels...well don't you still want to see them?"
"You see, at that point in time I did but orders were orders. I followed them but as we started to go on missions, I wanted you to be the best assassin with your skill set. That is why I pushed you to protect yourself, to value your own life since back then you were barely able to survive."
"But...did you care about me?"
"I guess you can say that I did. I couldn't show mother but you are right, I did cared for you..."
"Y-You did? But why?"
"I guess you can say that I was interested to see how far you can go. Or maybe I got accustomed to take care of you."
"What about right now? Would you save me or Sora-san?"
"..."
Elsa stood quiet when she heard this, completely caught off guard by the question. The Bowel Hunter took a moment to truly think on this question before she was able to give an honest answer to the little Mabeast user.
"I would save you both."
"Huh?"
"It's not because it's you and Sora but because I have grown a fond of them. Just like with you, I have grown accustomed over the year to indulge their insults and hate but when it is important, I would stand by their side."
"But this change was only done after Sora-san had destroyed that curse."
"Yes, Sora Dear did caused a change in me but that's because...I have never felt warmth like that at all."
"Th-then why don't you tell him that you love him."
"..."
Elsa just stood still, once again surprised by Meili's blunt statement regarding what she feels. Elsa looked away for a moment to calm herself down, somehow feeling an overwhelming warmth when thinking about Sora deeply.
'Wh-Why I'm I feeling...embarrassed.'
Meili crossed her arms and looked serious but deep down she was slightly happy for Elsa. Having known her for a long while, she knows that when it comes down to romance stuff, she isn't aware of how to handle things since her love for bowels and the sister love they have is the only love the Bowel Hunter as ever experienced. Elsa took a moment before turning back to Meili only to see her little sister resisting the urge to smile.
"My My, seems like you are enjoying this a little too much, aren't you?"
"I-It's just a little fuuu~uny seeing you deal with this for the first time."
"Hm. Fair but still, right now I just care for him deeply."
"Will you tell him how you feel at some point?"
"Who knows?"
Elsa shrugged which surprised Meili for a moment before being surprised again by Elsa's head pats.
"You really are just my troublemaking sister...yet one I adore very much."
Meili looked at Elsa and smiled as she always enjoys seeing this new side that as been developing since they joined the Emilia camp. After a bit of petting to Meili, Elsa looked at Sora and knew that for now she needed to wait until the boy returned to a slightly adult like form before she can talk to him about her fondness towards him. Meili takes a look at Sora for a moment before she spoke her mind about the boy,
"That boy is nothing but trouble...and yet I care about him too. He saved you and protected us from M-Mother. So I will do my best to help my...friend."
("Hello there, my name is Petra. Let's be friends!")
'My...friend.'
Meili took a pause for a moment, having realized that she really misses Petra. Each time they return to the Miload mansion, she would always do her best to spend time with Petra even if some of the time she ends up ignoring her.
"My My, no need to be said. That little maid will be your friend someday, just don't give up on it."
"Y-You think so?"
"I know so."
Elsa had a genuine smile on her face as she said this, giving Meili a lot of hope that she can make amends with Petra once this is all over. The two walked towards the group after having had a chance to get their mindsets on the fight to come.
The group waited for the remaining hour with Elsa making sure her blades were sharp, Sora and Subaru having their Keyblades ready for battle, the Mabeasts and the two ground dragons preparing to charge when they get the signal, and Meili preparing herself to send out the signal. As the group was waiting patiently, the group hear a couple of footsteps which alerted them of the threat approaching. Meili looked at her Mabeasts for a moment before looking at the direction where the two Sin Archbishops of Gluttony will be arriving. She went back into hiding to see how her allies are feeling only to notice Sora looking at Emilia's crystal with interest.
'What are you up to, Sora-san?'
As Meili thought of this, the footsteps were loud enough for her focus to revert back to the threat. Beatrice and Emilia both prepared their mana to create the icicles trap. As they did this, Elsa and Meili both did their part of the plan by stepping in front of the two Sin Archbishops to distract them. As the two assassin sisters step into the light, both Lye and Roy were caught off guard by this for a moment before they looked at the two assassin sisters with different expressions. Lye was curious on them since he did wanted to know what Meili is capable of and wanted to experience Elsa's fighting style. Roy in the other hand had hatred for the two sisters, seeing them as traitors for having left the assassin organization of mother.
"What are you two doing here?"
"My My, do I sense quite the hatred from you, Roy."
"You betrayed momma, you deserve death."
"Mother was quite the woman but she didn't made life fun."
"Is that so? We shall kill you then."
"I doubt that will happen."
Meili spoke as she looked at the two Sin Archbishops of Glutton with a confident facial expression, snapping her fingers to command the Gabaou to step out of the shadows. As the Gabaou listens to Meili's orders, the two Sin Archbishops of Gluttony look at the Mabeasts for a moment before turning their attention towards Meili. Roy was not surprised since he was aware of her ability of being a Mabeast user but found it amusing seeing them listen to a little girl while Lye found it quite interesting.
"Do you think we are scared by those ugly creatures~tsu?"
"No but now you have lowered your guards."
"Huh?"
Both Lye and Roy looked at Meili with a confused facial expression before noticing a bunch of icicles surrounding them. As the two were caught off guard by this, Beatrice quickly used Al Shamak to blind the two threats. As the two were blinded by the dark mist, Emilia send her icicles to attack the pair. Lye and Roy could feel their bodies being pierced by the icicles, forcing the two to use Solar Eclipse in order to escape. As the two managed to get out of the dark mist, Elsa with her strongest blades charged towards Roy to continue their fight that was left off in Priestella while Emilia jumped out of hiding, she charged at Lye with Shaula covering her. Meili watched as best as she can, barely able to keep up with the fighting yet she could tell that for now Elsa and Emilia were on par with Lye Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard.
'You got this Onee-san! Emilia-sama!'
Meili cheered from within with the Mabeasts preparing themselves for the battle ahead. Meili turned towards her left and could see Beatrice, Subaru, and Sora all three holding the line with Rem and Ram getting themselves ready to enter battle. As the two were preparing to jump in, one of the Gabaou tapped Meili in the shoulder to gain her attention before pointing the spear towards a corridor of darkness, sensing actual danger coming through the portal. Meili looked at the portal and noticed that three Organization members coming out of the corridor of darkness.
"S-Sora-san...Onii-san...Beatrice-sama..."
The three heard Meili's voice and turned to her only to see that she is looking at a different direction. That prompted them to look at the same direction she was looking to see Replica Riku, Terra-Xehanort, and the other Organization member.
"As if this is needed."
Subaru says which catches Rem and Ram's attention. The twins noticed this and realized that their other plan in dealing with the Organization should start. The two nodded at each other before turning towards the three Organization members to face them off. Sora and Subaru both prepared themselves to fight yet Beatrice told the two keyblade wielders,
"You two should stay back, I suppose. You don't have the necessary strength."
Subaru and Sora both noticed this but they weren't afraid of facing powerful foes. Sora felt his friends strength though seeing Riku was a bit unnerving while Subaru was confident that his two visions will come in handy. Meili looked at the Organization members and quickly ordered three of the six Gabaou to assist Rem and Ram on attacking the three Organization members.
"Make sure the twins are not killed."
The three Mabeasts nodded at Meili before going off to help Rem and Ram once the two oni twins charged Terra-Xehanort, perceiving him as the big threat to take out. Terra-Xehanort noticed this and quickly pulled out No Name to block off the attacks of the oni twins. As he does this, Rem quickly switch her attention to Replica Riku and manages to catch him off guard with a punch to the face since he didn't expect the blue haired girl to have attacked him all of a sudden. Ram continued to face off Terra-Xehanort with everything she had, having a few ether potions in the case her mana runs low and harms her. As Ram and Rem were holding their own against Terra-Xehanort and Replica Riku, the Organization member looked at its allies and prepared to join in on the fight only for Beatrice to quickly help out Rem and Ram by using her reserved mana to create three purple icicles and send them towards the Organization member to stop it from harming Rem and Ram.
As she does this, both Subaru and Sora with their keyblades in hand quickly attack the Organization member with the three Gabaou that Meili had send assisting the two. As Subaru and Sora were doing their best to push the Organization member back, Meili stood silent as she watched the two groups fighting. She looked to her left and could see Shaula shooting powerful mana lasers towards Lye with Emilia being on the offensive meanwhile Elsa and Roy were both clashing weapons intensely, both aiming to kill each other.
'As always, Onee-san is amaaaazing!'
Meili smiled as she watched her assassin sister facing off the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. She looked at the fight for a moment before turning her attention to the other group to see how they are doing. Rem and Replica Riku were on equal grounds with Rem being on the offense while Replica Riku was on the defense. Ram was barely able to keep up with Terra-Xehanort due to his immense strength yet her intelligence was able to help keep up with a powerful foe. She then looked at both Sora and Subaru's fight with the Organization member who was wielding the same Kingdom Key like Sora's. The two boys were having the most trouble since their opponent was extremely skilled.
She crossed her arms and thought on how things would be different should at the very least Subaru not lost his memories, they would be doing much better. If Sora hadn't lost his memories, Meili is positive that the boy would easily dominate the fight on his own. Meili continued to observe as Sora and Subaru with their skills attempted to give their opponent a fight only for the Organization member to easily knock the two back. As Sora and Subaru were being pushed back, the three Gabaou managed to help the pair by attacking the Organization member when it was focused in going on the offense against the two boys. One of the three Gabaou managed to land a hit on the Organization member but not a fatal one. The Organization member turned towards the Gabaou and was about to end all three with one hit only for Subaru to suddenly block off the attack, barely.
"Nobody is dying in my watch."
"..."
Subaru had a smile on his face only to be met with a Keyblade to the face, sending him flying towards where Meili is at. The little girl was able to move out of the way, avoiding Subaru all together as he crashed to the ground. While that happened, Sora charged at the Organization member with the three Gabaou backing him up. While Sora did his best on his own, both Beatrice and Meili went to check on Subaru with the great spirit hitting the boy in the back of the head.
"Ow. What was that for?"
"You are such a stupid contractor, I suppose! I told you and your master to not go fight! You both don't have the necessary strength, in fact!"
"S-Sorry Betty but I can't just-"
"Shut up! I don't want to hear it, I suppose! You are Betty's Subaru, I don't want something bad happening to you, I suppose!"
"Okay Okay. I won't be too reckless."
"Hmph. As if you would do that, I suppose."
Subaru laughed it off for a moment before looking at Meili, noticing that she is worried. He pats her in the head before saying,
"Don't you worry, I may be super weak, but I'll still find some way to be useful."
Meili was unsure what to say while Subaru got up, getting himself ready to join back in the fight. As Subaru was going to do this, he felt someone grab his arm with a firm grip.
"Don't need to push yourself too hard, Subaru. I can take care of this."
"W-Wait, Kishida? What are you doing here?"
Meili, Beatrice, and Subaru were all unsure why Kishida is acting against the original plan.
"What are you doing, in fact?!"
"Beatrice-sama, protect these two. I'll make sure that Sora-sama doesn't get overwhelmed."
Kishida looked at the group and smiled before charging into battle, observing the way Sora's opponent was fighting before conducting a plan in how to handle such a tough opponent. Meili, Beatrice, and Subaru looked at Kishida to watch the knight jump into the fight, managing to block off a powerful attack aimed at Sora before going on the offense against the Organization member. Sora was surprised by this while Kishida had a smile on his face, ready to put his training to the test. While Kishida threw a barrage of attacks at the Organization member, Sora and the three Gabaou joined in, allowing them to be strong enough to push back the threat. Meili, Subaru, and Beatrice noticed this, making the three relived that for now they have Kishida to help push Sora's opponent back for now.
"What is he doing here?"
"I do not know, I suppose."
Subaru and Meili both started to brainstorm of ideas that they can use to be useful in the fight with Subaru trying to figure out the power he used in his first vision while Meili looked at the three Gabaou with them to see if they had an idea how she can help. The Mabeasts look at each other before looking at the little Mabeast user. Although for most a Mabeast noise is just disturbing and scary, for Meili she could understand a word they were saying.
"Rely. Don't panic. Trust them."
Meili was silent by this, surprised that the Mabeast would advice her to trust on the others yet she wanted to do more than sit around and watch everyone else do the hard work. Beatrice and Subaru could both tell that something was bothering Meili, focusing their attention towards her. As Meili was in deep thought, Beatrice patted the little girl in the back before saying,
"You shouldn't push yourself too much, I suppose. Know your limits."
"Wh-What Beatrice is trying to say is try to rely on others."
"B-But I always have to...Onee-san always as to save me..."
"..."
"I can only contribute if my mabeast friends are there, otherwise I'm useless."
Subaru and Beatrice both took a moment to stay silent while processing what Meili said. The two knew that this was something the little girl had been feeling for a long while since it takes a long while before this kind of emotion can be created. Subaru knows this feeling well since he had been feeling inadequate to his father for a long time while Beatrice knows the feeling of uselessness with the four hundred years of suffering because she was waiting for "that person". The two understood this feeling with Beatrice being the one to speak to Meili,
"You shouldn't feel like this, I suppose. Yes, you are still very annoying and still a bit untrustworthy, but you have something special, in fact."
"What is it?"
"You are the only one out of this group to talk to those creatures of yours, in fact. You are as dumb as Betty's Subaru to think lowly of yourself."
"Wait what?" Subaru asked as he looked confused.
"Don't worry about it, I suppose."
"Hm."
Meili had a little smile on her face, finding Subaru questioning what Beatrice said a little funny considering that the great spirit is referring to the Natsuki Subaru they are familiar with. Beatrice continued,
"Considering that you are a Mabeast user, you are the only one who is capable of dealing with those creatures, I suppose. Be proud of that. Don't try to push yourself to something you are in capable of, in fact."
"Even so...I wish to be useful."
"Don't."
"Huh?"
Both Beatrice and Meili turned their attention to Subaru, having noticed the single word he said which caught them off guard.
"What do you mean by that, Subaru?"
"Well consider this, everyone here is way stronger than us-"
"If I had all of my mana and it wasn't so easily drained, I would be stronger than everyone, I suppose!" Beatrice says this as she glares at her amnesia contractor.
"Okay Okay, my bad."
"Hehe. Even when he has amnesia, you two still act the same."
"Really?"
Subaru asked with a curious look to which Meili responded with a nod. This surprised the boy yet he crossed this thought away in order to focus on what was more important, helping Meili. He kneeled and began to say,
"I get that you want to help out and be a badass warrior but if something were to happen, I think everyone would be sad."
"I-Including Petra?"
"...Yeah, including Petra."
Meili looked at Subaru with a more confident look, starting to understand that she shouldn't push herself too far. She gave him a smile before stating,
"O~Okay, I will stop being sad."
"Good."
Subaru nodded before the three turned towards the fighting, seeing that Kishida's involvement is helping Sora and the three Gabaou since they have a skilled fighter to make up for their lack in skills. Rem and Replica Riku are still in equal grounds with Replica Riku managing to go on the offense. Ram is continuing to use her knowledge to keep up with Terra-Xehanort, managing to dodge every attack and only using her most powerful wind magic when necessary. Emilia was able to hold her own against Lye by using some fighting skills she had learn from Kenichi during the one year of peace with Shaula firing her laser beams towards the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony when he is closing into the silver haired half elf. Elsa continues to handle Roy with her assassin skills, resisting the urge to just go for the bowels since that would leave her exposed. Seeing all these fights allowed hope to spark in the hearts of the three until they noticed something approaching the group. Having been 15 minutes of fighting, Subaru knew that a new threat was appearing which forced the boy to quickly say,
"Everyone! It's time to go!"
"Huh?"
Kishida was confused by this yet he obeyed as he noticed Sora, Elsa, Emilia, Rem, Ram, and Shaula retreating. As they retreated, shadows began to attack the three organization members which forced them to turn their focus on the new threat while both Roy and Lye followed the group as they wanted to fight them. Meili noticed this and quickly warned Elsa, Emilia, and Shaula. This warning allowed Emilia to quickly turn around to cast a powerful ice barrier to block the path of the two Sin Archbishops of Gluttony. As this happened, Patrasche grabbed onto Subaru with Beatrice and Emilia joining him. Shaula wanted to be with her Master yet one of the Gabaou grabbed her to hop on its back, surprising the guardian of the watchtower while also annoyed since she wanted to go with her master. Sora and Kishida jumped onto Frufoo while the others got into a specific Gabaou before the ground dragons and the Mabeasts to head towards the stairs. As the group was heading up towards the second floor, Meili looked back to see the shadows slowly catching up.
"Onee-san...?"
Elsa turned towards Meili for a moment before looking at where her sister is looking at, noticing the shadows slowly catching up to them.
"Oh my, this could be a problem."
"Don't worry about it, Elsa."
"Huh?"
Both Elsa and Meili turned towards Subaru, having noticed what he said which caught the two assassin sisters off guard. The others all turned towards Subaru as he continues on what he said,
"Once we are all gathered together, we will deal with the final threat as a group."
Kishida, Sora, Emilia, Beatrice, Rem, Ram, Elsa, and Meili all agree to what Subaru said, seeing that this threat requires the combined strength of the group while Shaula just looked happy seeing her master be a leader.
Once the group arrives, Naoko and Anastasia both turned to see Patrasche, Frufoo, and the Mabeasts bringing Subaru, Sora, and the others. Subaru's group looked at Anastasia's group to notice that his father and Julius were both facing off Reid. Kenichi and Julius coordinate their attacks to push Reid back only for the stick swinger to easily deflect each and everyone without breaking a sweat.
"Th's th'best ya got? Pathetic."
"Don't underestimate us!"
Kenichi dropped his sword to charge at the stick swinger with his bare hands. Reid was caught off guard by this for only a second before curious to know what Kenichi is going to do. He swings his sticks towards Kenichi only for the father of Subaru to be able to use some of his earthly skills to dodge a couple of attacks before managing to land a powerful punch to Reid's face. As Kenichi pulls this off, Julius swings his sword towards Reid's direction yet this failed once Reid finally took the fight seriously. He not only deflected Julius' attack but also within a second he send the knight flying of with one swift and powerful hit to the chest. As he does this, he turns towards Kenichi and with a few swift hits, knocking the man down.
"Yer a skilled fighter, but against me, yer nothin'."
Kenichi and Julius both looked up at Reid to see him looking at the two with a cocky facial expression. Anastasia went to check on Julius while Naoko went to check on Kenichi while Subaru's group arrived to see the two knights lose the Reid trial. They all got off their ride before going over to check on Kenichi and Julius meanwhile Elsa and Meili both look to see how far the shadows are. As the two look at the stairs, they hear a loud sound of ice breaking which caused the shadows to start increasing in their presence before seeing a figure starting to appear. The two returned to the group to informed them of what they just saw.
"We don't have very long. A threat is making their way here and fast."
"Don't worry Meili, we will deal with this together."
Subaru says this as he pulls out his Starlight Keyblade, knowing that even if he is very weak compared to the true Natsuki Subaru, he will still do his best to fight alongside everyone else. Sora noticed this and quickly stood by his side with Kingdom Key in hand, ready to also do his best in the fight coming up. Everyone else eventually stood side by side with the two keyblade wielders while Emilia quickly healed Kenichi and Julius' wounds. While she did this, Reid would be the last one out of the warriors to stand by their side, catching the curiosity of the others while Shaula grabbed Subaru's arm since she didn't like being near Reid. Subaru looked at Shaula for a brief moment before turning his attention to Reid to ask,
"Y-You are joining us?"
"Ya, I wanna see th's threat'n show off my amazin' skills to th'ladies."
Reid says this as he looks at Emilia, Elsa, Naoko, and Anastasia which only angers Kenichi, Julius, Anastasia, Naoko, and Elsa. Emilia didn't think much about it and Subaru just ignored this since his mind was more focused on the threat approaching them. Naoko, Meili, Beatrice, and Anastasia stepped back since they didn't have any strength to help out. As the four stood back, Meili looked around to see Beatrice asking Subaru to step back yet the boy was stubborn.
"You will be killed, I suppose!"
"Don't worry Beatrice, my father and Shaula are both by my side. I promise that we will make it together in the end."
"Y-You better, in fact!"
Subaru patted Beatrice on the head before seeing her join Meili and the others. As the four girls together watched the group of warriors preparing themselves for the fight, the area feels dark with the shadows beginning to cover the only entrance to the room they find themselves in. As the shadows cover the entrance, a woman in dark robes appears which causes Reid and Shaula to look at this person with some seriousness. Meili looked at the woman and all she could feel is fear with even the control she had on the Gabaou being extremely tough. The Mabeasts eventually couldn't control themselves due to the strong witch's scent that they smell and quickly they charged at the woman in dark robes only to be cut down within seconds. Rem covered her nose as the witch's scent was more than she can handle, causing her to only breath through her mouth to avoid losing her strength. Meili could see this and wanted to advice the blue haired oni to stand down but before anything could be said, Reid charged at the threat which started the fight.
Reid was doing his best to hold off the shadows thrown towards his direction yet he would've been overwhelmed had Elsa and Shaula not done anything. Meili looked at her assassin sister jump into the fight and provide some assistance to the stick swinger by cutting all of the shadows down while Shaula quickly fired her Hell's snipe ability towards the woman in a hope to end this quickly yet none of her attacks landed. Subaru and the others all jumped in to help Reid and Elsa while Emilia and Ram joined Shaula by attacking from long distance with Emilia using her Ul Huma ability and Ram using her Al Fura ability to help Shaula's Hell's snipe ability to break through the shadows protecting the woman in dark robes. Meili at first could see that this was a good thing since Emilia, Ram, and Shaula seemed that they were actually pushing the woman in black robes' shadows back meanwhile Reid and his group seemed to be getting closer and closer towards the woman with dark robes location.
'They are really doing this! We are going to win!'
Meili thought this as she had a smile on her face, yet something had change when all of a sudden the shadows were shooting at all directions. Emilia was able to catch this and quickly created an ice barrier to stop the shadows from reaching them. As the silver haired half elf did this, they couldn't see what was going on, causing the group to worry while Emilia pulled Ram and Shaula away from the barrier with Ram worried for Rem's sake and Shaula worried for Subaru's sake. As all the girls were together, the ice barrier broke when Subaru and Sora's bodies were thrown harshly while the shadows were closing in on them.
"Master!"
"Subaru!"
Emilia and Shaula shouted in unison before they went to help Subaru only for the shadows to be thrown towards their direction. Meili wanted to do something but in the end, she could see that no matter what, they were all trapped and doomed to be consumed by the shadows. Subaru looked up and both Meili and Subaru's eyes made contact. Meili looked sad while Subaru looked more determined which caught Meili's attention. Having had the one year in the run, Elsa taught her to learn how to read people's emotions with just their eyes. Meili knew that they were going to die yet Subaru's eyes looked determined, as if death is just the beginning. Regardless, she knew that the boy has something in his sleeve to save them all from their situation. Once the shadows were covering them and swallowing them, the last thought Meili had was towards Subaru,
'Onii-san, I trust you...please save us.'
Author's Note:
1. Although this chapter wasn't as long as the previous one, it did serve a purpose. It told a different perspective since Meili hasn't had a chance to shine.
2. Although Sora hasn't been focus on, don't forget Subaru is also a key character in this story. That doesn't mean that he won't get a focused chapter on him.
3. Strength wise, Sora KH 1 is stronger than Subaru (Amnesia) but not by too much.
Next chapter is a focused Subaru chapter and one that is needed for him. Hopefully you all enjoy it.