Chapter 67: New place, new rules
("Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here.")
("Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you.")
("Giving up already? Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that.")
("We'll find Kairi. Let's head back to Master Yen Sid. We can figure it out.")
("You're a whole pint by yourself, Sora.")
("We thought ya might be able to use a couple a' more half-pints.")
"Master Sora? Are you okay?"
"...huh?" Sora paused as he was remembering some of the things his friends had said to him only for Subaru to snap him back into reality. "Yeah, sorry about that. Let's get going."
Sora continued to walk forward, leaving Subaru a bit concern for his master yet knowing that he should also help scout around. The two had been scouting for a bit after the pair along with Kenichi and Naoko were walking for two hours around the woods of this unknown place. Subaru looked at Sora, seeing that he was still recovering his strength from his fight against the Witch of Envy, having used up every bit of strength to take her on.
"You should rest up, you know." Subaru said as he still didn't like seeing his master pushing himself to his very limit. Sora noticed this from his apprentice, appreciating the concern yet he protested by saying,
"We need to know where we are at. I can't help if I'm resting."
"I know Master Sora but you'll collapse if you keep going forward like this."
"...I know...but I want to help out. Now come on, we should keep looking for something or someone that can help us out."
Subaru watched again his master go in front of him, searching for something to help their situation. This caused him to look down for a brief moment before walking forward, following Sora's lead. As the pair of Keyblade wielders were searching through the woods, Subaru looked at his master once again to notice that he was too tired to keep going.
'This isn't good. Master Sora's in no shape to be doing this. Dang it, why did I let him join me on this when I could've had dad with me. He is good about these things...I should maybe say something...'
Subaru was worried for his master, knowing just how hard he works regardless if it's at his expense.
"Master Sora, you look extremely tired. Maybe you should go back and rest up."
Sora looked at Subaru for a moment, having noticed what he said and the concerned tone he had when speaking. This caused the keyblade master to pause himself for a moment before responding in a confident yet respectful manner,
"I understand your concern Subaru but I'll be okay, I promise."
"Hehe...you should make promises you can't keep. Emilia would scold you for this." Subaru said as he pictured how his future wife would have reacted if she were here. Sora could help but laugh at this, finding it funny as well.
"You make a point, Subaru. But seriously, I'll be alright."
Sora continued to push through as he was looking for some shelter or anybody that they could speak with while Subaru continued to follow his master, still concern for his safety. As they continued to see nothing but trees, Subaru had a thought in mind.
"You miss your friends, don't you Master Sora?" Subaru asks since he can tell that his master has been spacing out lately. Sora looked down for a bit before turning towards his apprentice, having a bit of a sad expression.
"...Yeah, I miss them a lot. I miss talking with Kairi. I miss competing with Riku. I miss having fun with Donald and Goofy. I miss them all." Sora said this as he started to look up at the sky, remembering his last moments with them while also remembering what he saw in the trial back in The Sanctuary.
Subaru was surprised by this since he hadn't thought about how his master has been missing his friends from the outside world. He turned around and looked up at the sky, seeing that it looks beautiful. They stayed like this for a bit with the two being silent for a bit before Subaru saying,
"I wish I could meet them, you know. Talk to your friends, those who got to know you more time than I. Maybe even learn more about you through them."
Sora couldn't help but think about how his friends would react to Subaru, thinking that they might get along. The two smiled before turning around and beginning their walk once again. As the pair walking for a few minutes, the two putting their guard up. At some point during the walk, Sora wanted to continue his talk with his apprentice and friend yet he wasn't sure what he could ask. He thought about the things that had happened recently and found something he could ask.
"So...how does it feel being engaged now?" As Sora asked this, Subaru's face turned red for a brief moment since he forgot that his master was there to see him propose to Emilia.
"Well..." Subaru paused as he himself didn't know how exactly what to say. He still feels like he is too young to be heading towards marriage yet he wasn't against it. After everything he had gone through with Emilia, how much love he has towards the silver haired half elf, he felt that at some point he was going to propose to his girlfriend, now fiancée. "...I love Emilia. She is just amazing yet I don't know if I'm ready for marriage..."
"...you doubt yourself?" The Keyblade Master asked as he noticed that his apprentice was a bit hesitant when thinking about the subject of being that close with Emilia. Subaru looked at his master before looking forward while responding to what he asked him with,
"It's not that...well maybe but I just don't know if I can stand next to Emilia-tan as her equal." As Subaru says this, he thinks on how he is Emilia's knight but one that still as a long way to go before he can consider himself worthy to stand side by side with the silver haired half elf. Sora took a moment to think before responding in a confident and positive manner,
"Don't doubt yourself, Subaru. Look at everything we have done, all that you have done for Emilia. You fought the Organization despite being outclassed. You won back your keyblade during the fight against the White Whale. You lead our group to victory against Roswaal's plans back in the Sanctuary. And from the book of the dead, I saw that you managed go through so much along with surviving in just one go on the events of Priestella. You are amazing, Subaru. You are worthy of standing next to Emilia has her equal."
Subaru was left silent and surprised as he didn't expect his own master to speak so highly of him. He looked down with a smile for a moment before his smile went away. Having remembered that his master knows about his looping, especially the trigger made him concern that Sora would worry about him more than before. Not only Sora but Rem too, making him say in a low tone,
"Master Sora...it is risky for you to know about...well..."
Subaru was struggling to mention Return By Death by name, still afraid that something bad could happen to Sora. The Keyblade Master crossed his arms for a moment before realizing what his apprentice and friend was trying to tell him. He lowered his arms while saying to Subaru,
"I know you're afraid but me and Rem will be okay. She won't tell anybody about well your ability. I also won't tell anybody...though you should tell your parents about this."
"No!" Subaru said instantly, having figured that his master would try to get him to tell his parents about an ability that shouldn't be spoken of. "They can never know, nobody can...well except you and Rem at this point."
"Subaru...you can't have this burden all on your own. I know you don't want Emilia to know but you should tell your parents at least."
"I'm sorry Master Sora but I'm not doing that. I refuse to let them know...the hell I've been through." Subaru said instinctively once again, not wanting anybody aside from those that know at this point to learn of this ability. Sora couldn't help but feel like this isn't the right mindset.
"But they can help you."
"I don't need it!" Subaru shouted as he did not want to tell his parents but after having done this, he looked down with some shame since he shouldn't have shouted at his master when he was just trying to help.
The two stood silent for a few minutes with Subaru with pure guilt since he knows that Sora was just giving some advice and him shouting was uncalled for. This eventually prompted the boy to apologize once again only to feel Sora's hand touch his arm. As Sora does this, he speaks to his apprentice and his friend in a serious yet determined manner,
"I know that you want to carry your own burdens. I understand that but I just want you to know that I will help you. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you don't ever suffer...d-death...not anymore. I will be by your side, fight by your side, and be your guardian! Rem will also do her part to help you. She has seen you as a close friend, both versions."
Subaru was surprised by this since he wasn't aware how Rem thought of him, both versions since he was always focused on Emilia. Hearing this made him smile yet he knew that his master wasn't don't speaking.
"We both care for you and want you to succeed because you're our dearest friend. Seeing you having suffered horrible d-deaths...horrible fates...we will stop that. I won't let one of my closest friends suffer anymore!"
Subaru was at a pause as he could feel the strong aura of Sora's words hit him, making him be happy to have a close friend like Sora. He also begins to think about Rem, how regardless of having her memories or not, how she went to great lengths to help him out, even in the failed loops. He had a smile before saying to his master and friend,
"That is nice of you to say, Master Sora. Thank you. I know I'm stubborn...but I'll do my best to rely on you all."
Sora nodded before the two keyblade wielders continued their walk, both having a bit more confidence. As they walked for a few more minutes, the two eventually stopped when Sora put his hand on the nearest tree, taking this moment to catch his breath since he was starting to lose his remaining strength. This showed Subaru just how fatigue his master is, prompting the boy to say in a concerned tone of voice,
"Master Sora, you really should rest up. You don't look so good."
"I-It's okay Subaru...I'll be okay."
Subaru noticed Sora's positive attitude yet he can still tell that he was pushing his body far beyond its limits. This prompted the boy to look at his master with a concerned facial expression before telling him,
"Master Sora, you should rest up, I can handle the rest on my own."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah...plus, I'd want you to take care of mom and dad. Who knows what Louis might do when she wakes up."
"Subaru." Sora said his apprentices name with concern and somewhat an annoyed tone of voice, not liking how he has a grudge against Louis. "She isn't a bad person."
"I know what you are saying Master and I respect your opinion on her, but she is a sin archbishop. We literally took out her two brothers, her family."
"She isn't a bad person Subaru. Holding a grudge like that will allow darkness to enter your heart." Sora spoke with a calm yet sharp tone, not liking when Subaru speaks with such anger towards someone that he believes in. Subaru took a few seconds to think carefully before managing to calm down.
"...sorry Master Sora."
Subaru looked down a bit, knowing that he should keep his emotions in check, yet he can't help but feel a bit of resentment for that fact that she forced herself into becoming him and the damage she caused as an amnesia version of himself. He sighed before asking his master to go back and rest up. Sora was hesitant to comply, yet he could feel his body needing some rest, causing him to nod before making his way back towards Naoko and Kenichi's location. Before he headed off, Subaru asked in a concerned tone,
"How do you think the others are holding up?"
"I think they will be fine. Each of them is strong on their own right."
"Yeah...but we don't know. Hell, we don't even know where we are."
"That may be true, but we still got each other."
Subaru looked at his master and could see that despite how dangerous their situation is, he still has a smile on his face. That smile helped the boy a bit as he nodded at his master before seeing him go off to where his parents and Louis were located. Just as Sora left, Subaru took a moment to sit down and relax himself, wanting to process everything that had transpired in the last three hours.
'After that fight against the Witch of Envy, we have been trapped in this unknown forest. Although we haven't encountered danger, I'm starting to think that it's not a good thing.'
Subaru looked around for a moment as he felt that he was being watched. Each time he looked at his surroundings, he found nothing but trees and a couple of bushes. He continued to look around in hopes of finding someone or anything that could tell him where they are at but nothing.
This stressed him out since he hadn't found anything useful and he still felt that someone was watching him. Due to this, he took a deep breath to calm himself down, trying to let the paranoia side of him die off. While he was calming himself down, he thought to himself,
'Come on, Natsuki Subaru, if someone was watching us, Master Sora and I would've spotted them by now.'
Subaru thought this to reassure himself before choosing to return to the group, seeing that going alone isn't helping his mental state. As he was walking back towards his parents' location, he began to think on ways they could deal with Louis. Despite what his master was saying, he knows that they shouldn't keep their guards down. He recalls how nice she acted, how she even used his master's memories to get him angry, and even how she was manipulating his amnesia self despite that it was the other Louis.
("Well the~n, kill him! Let's kill him! Let's go ahead and kill him! You have to kill him! Do kill him! If you kill him! Let's end up killing him! Just kill him! End up killing him! If you can only kill him! If you kill and crush him!")
'After all the trouble she caused, she shouldn't be off the hook...especially after what she did to us, Master Sora.'
Subaru thought this as he was approaching his parents' location, seeing that they were talking in a calm manner while Sora was resting on a tree next to Louis, who was sound asleep. Although Subaru didn't like seeing Louis, he somehow found Sora petting the little gluttony a bit adorable.
'...It's only adorable because of Master Sora...'
Subaru thought this to make the excuse of ever seeing Louis in an adorable manner. As he had this thought process, he quickly returned his focus on his parents as he started to approach them. Once he was close by the two, he looked at the pair with a happy yet serious expression before going off to ask them,
"How are you two doing?"
"Your mother and I are alright, my amazing son. How are you holding up?"
"I'm alright dad...a bit fatigue but alright."
"Just don't push yourself too much, my baby boy."
"I won't, mother." Subaru said in a reassuring manner, not wanting to worry either of his parents. Both Kenichi and Naoko noticed what their son said, causing the two to be reassured with the way he answered. Kenichi took this opportunity to change subjects.
"My amazing son, did you find anything?"
"No, not yet. I still think that we should be careful, it is odd that we haven't bumped into anybody just yet."
"It is. I fear that something is wrong." Naoko said as she was skeptical of the situation they were in. Kenichi looked at his wife for a moment before turning back towards his son. He also finds the situation a bit odd if not suspicious yet there isn't much they can do. He stood silent for a few seconds before speaking his mind on the situation,
"We should rest but we should have one of us keep on guard, I don't like how quiet the woods have been since we arrived here." Kenichi spoke with some wariness in his voice, having a feeling that he is being watched similar to how Subaru feels.
"It's not just that but we haven't encountered any of Sora-san's enemies, those dark creatures, Mabeast, or even any of those witch cultists." Naoko pointed out as she knew that things were off that they haven't encountered any trouble.
"I agree dad, mom, we should be cautious. Master Sora, what do you think?" Sora looked at Subaru as he noticed the question he was asked. As he took note of this, he closed his eyes and thought about how quiet it had been since arriving to an unknown location.
He thought back to other worlds he had traveled such as Traverse Town, Twilight Town, Deep Jungle, Agrabah, and many others. He even thought about the 100-acre woods world, the most peaceful world he had been only to recall how it can still be attacked. Having thought back on the previous worlds, he eventually gave his opinion on the situation he along with Subaru, Naoko, and Kenichi find themselves in by answering with:
"It is a bit strange. No people. No heartless. No Organization. Something is wrong." Sora said as he also suspected that something is amiss while he was petting Louis' head. Seeing that the group agrees that something's wrong, Subaru was prompted to say that they should keep moving.
"We can't stay here for long. We can rest for like a couple of minutes, but it feels off staying here any longer."
"I understand your worries my baby boy, I also feel the same, but Sora-san needs to rest, you too." Naoko said in a concerned motherly manner, worried that not only her son but Sora will collapse or worse if they keep pushing themselves too far. Subaru quickly responded to what his mother had said by saying,
"I guess mom but...I just want to make sure we make it out safely, all of us."
"Including Louis?" Sora interjected as he noticed what Subaru had said. The boy turned towards his master with a blank facial expression, a bit annoyed at the question he was asked. His entire body wants to reject and leave Louis yet he knows that his master and his parents would be disappointed.
"Y-Yes...i-including her..." Subaru said reluctantly since he knew that his parents and his master would be disappointed if he said otherwise. Sora, Kenichi, and Naoko all three noticed his reluctance yet they let this slide since this is better than him saying nothing or saying flat out no. Kenichi and Naoko both looked at each other for a moment before nodding, both of them agreeing that they should have both keyblade wielders rest. Kenichi slowly got up while he said to his son,
"I know you are being cautious but rest for now. Your old man can protect you and your master in the meantime."
"Are you sure, dad?"
"Positive. Now go and rest. You've earned as much."
"...alright."
Subaru nodded at what his father said and quickly went towards the nearest tree to rest up, seeing that he has almost no magic abilities or mana left in him to assist in a fight. As he sat down, Kenichi pulled out his sword and just started to walk around for a bit, wanting to check the parameter. While he did that, Subaru allowed himself to doze off for a bit, wanting to take a quick nap before trying to get the others to start moving.
Just as he was going to fall into the darkness of sleep, he felt something off. He could sense that danger is nearby which caused him to quickly snap out of his dozy like state and to quickly get up. Both Naoko and Sora were caught off guard by this since they don't know what was going on until Sora himself felt something off as well. He slowly moved Louis away before getting up as well, summoning his Kingdom Key at the same time as Subaru summoned his Rebirth Keyblade.
"Did you also feel that, Master Sora?"
"Yes...Naoko, can you take care of Louis."
"Y-Yes!" Naoko nodded before going to Louis while Sora tries to go towards Kenichi's direction. Subaru noticed this and quickly stopped him by saying,
"Wait, Sora-san, you can't go in that condition. You need to rest."
"I have to agree with mom, Master Sora. You are barely able to keep up. Save your strength."
"...I'll be okay." Sora said in a calm manner, wanting to check out whatever he and his friend felt yet his friend gave him a concerned look.
"You keep pushing yourself too much, you'll end up hurting yourself. At the very least stay here to protect mom, she can't be here by herself."
Sora took a moment to think on what Subaru had asked him before accepting, seeing that someone should protect both Naoko and Louis. Subaru thanked Sora before going off to first locate his father, afraid that something bad might have happened to him. With the strength he could muster, he used his greed authority to try to see where his father is located. He took a few seconds before he was able to locate him with the lights he can see. As he noticed his father's location, he can tell that he was slowly losing energy.
'Don't worry dad, I'm coming to help you out!'
Once he had a strong resolve, he quickly started to run towards the direction his father was located. On his way towards his father, ten heartless appeared out of thin air which caught the boy with the key off guard.
'What the hell?! Heartless?!'
Subaru didn't have time to ask himself any more questions as he started to see more heartless appearing. This alerted him to the danger his father was in, causing him to hold his keyblade tightly before swinging away, trying to create a path so he can get to his father's location. Although his strength is pretty weak, his keyblade is strong enough to make up for it, allowing him to destroy the shadow heartless.
Once he was able to take down the heartless in front of him, he managed to create a path for him to get through before starting to run towards his father's direction. As he was getting closer and closer towards his father's location, the boy was able to feel that something is harming his father since he can feel the light of his getting weaker drastically.
'No! Dad! I'll get to you in time! I won't let you die!'
Subaru, now being afraid for his father's sake, begins to push his body beyond its limits as he was running with everything he had in him. He ran and ran and ran until finally he reached the location where his father was at, seeing just what kind of issue his father was dealing with. Kenichi was on the ground, his entire left arm damaged while he was still trying to fight a large heartless alongside two unknown warriors.
"Dad!"
"Subaru? Stand back! I can handle this!"
"Do you know him?" One of the two warriors asked.
"Yeah, that's my amazing son! Now, let's beat this monster."
"Agreed!" The other unknown warrior spoke as he held his axe with a tight grip. Subaru noticed that his father and the two warriors were clearly outmatched by the heartless, prompting him to quickly use the remaining mana left in his gate to cast Minya. As he created a couple of purple icicles around the giant heartless, Subaru with his remaining strength tossed his keyblade towards his father's direction.
Kenichi noticed this and quickly put his sword away to grab his son's keyblade. Once he grabs Rebirth, he quickly charges in towards the heartless with Subaru sending his icicle attacks to back his father up. The two warriors notice this and took the opportunity to attack as well, seeing that the dark monster is distracted. The one wielding the sword went to attack the leg while the one wielding the axe throw his weapon towards the head the first chance he got.
As he managed to land the hit, Kenichi gets close enough to deliver the finishing blow after Subaru's icicles did some critical damage. Once Kenichi landed the finishing hit on the heartless, the dark monster disappeared with a heart appearing for a moment before disappearing within seconds. The two warriors were a bit surprised by this since they've never seen anything like this before. Just as things seemed to be calm, a swarm of shadow and soldier type heartless surrounds the four.
"Of course...why not?" Subaru said in a sarcastic manner, annoyed at the situation he finds himself in. Kenichi and the two unknown warriors together start fighting the heartless with everything they got. Subaru noticed that his father was doing well with his keyblade, Rebirth, prompting him to summon Starlight once more. As he summoned his first keyblade, the two warriors noticed this yet they returned their focus on the fight ahead of them.
The warrior with short bright orange hair went to quickly take back his axe before using it to take down the heartless with ease and quickness. The other warrior with brute strength and a few swings of his sword was able to easily destroy many of the heartless, even managing to grab one from the head before smashing it to the ground with intense strength.
'Wow! He is strong!'
Subaru thought as he noticed the warrior managed to destroy the heartless with one grand slam to the ground. This motivated the boy to use his reserved strength to start taking down some heartless with his starlight keyblade. While Subaru was taking down the heartless, the two warriors noticed that when Subaru and Kenichi take down the heartless, hearts pop out for a moment before disappearing as well.
This caused the two to see that something is different with their allies yet they returned their focus on the remaining heartless. Subaru, Kenichi, and the two warriors managed to work together to eliminate the remaining heartless with Subaru and Kenichi being the ones to take down the remaining two. Just as the fight seems to be done, Subaru turned towards his father to check on him.
"You okay, dad?"
"I'll be fine, my amazing son. Just a scratch." Kenichi said as he brushed away his son's question, not wanting him to worry for his injured arm. Subaru crossed his arms as he was worried for his father's sake.
"You sure?"
"Y-Yeah, I should be fine. Just got to move carefully now."
"You should."
While Subaru and Kenichi were talking, the pair of warriors put their focus on the two Natsuki members, seeing them as a possible threat. The two were already suspicious of the two because of their weird attire but having seen them in combat and how the hearts appear for a few seconds before disappearing right after one of the dark creatures were taken down. Because of this, the one with the eyepatch over his right eye approached Kenichi before placing the sword on his neck.
"What the heck?!"
"Who are you and the kid? Ya two ain't from around here!"
"Jamal, calm down! We don't have time for—"
"No Todd, I won't calm down. Hell, these two could be the reason that these damn creatures are here."
"You might be right but we need to learn more of them. Doing this will only cause conflict."
"...fine!"
The one named Jamal lowered his sword with annoyance while the one named Todd approached Subaru, assisting him in getting back up on his feet. Subaru felt off about the two yet he knew this wasn't the time to be distrustful. He looked at Todd and started to say,
"Thanks...who are you people?"
"Mind if you tell us first your names?" Todd asked with his eyes looking sharply at the boy with the key, leaving him silent at first before he responded in a confident manner.
"The name is Natsuki Subaru. And that there is my father, the great Natsuki Kenichi." As Subaru said this, Kenichi couldn't help but have a smile on his face when he hears the way his son speaks of him, the respect and admiration. Todd and Jamal both noticed this, causing the two to look at each other for a moment before they turned towards the boy.
"Pleasure to meet you, Natsuki Subaru. The name is Todd Fang. That there is my brother-in-law, Jamal Aurelie."
As Todd said this, he and Subaru shook hands, showing a bit of respect from both parties. After the handshake, Subaru and Kenichi both turned towards Jamal to see that he is still hostile towards the two. Before anything can be said, Kenichi asked if he could talk to his son for a moment in private to which Todd allowed. Subaru and Kenichi went a few feet away from the two warriors before they were able to speak in private.
"You okay, dad?" Subaru asked as he can feel the atmosphere change into a serious one.
"Yeah, I'm alright my son..."
"You sure? You seem a bit tense."
"That's because whoever these two are shouldn't be trusted." Kenichi spoke with a sharp like tone, something that did caught Subaru off guard. Subaru looked at the two warriors briefly before looking back at his father.
"How come?"
"It's just...something feels wrong with the one named Todd."
"What do you mean? He seems nice."
Kenichi for a moment had a smile has he saw the kindhearted nature his son, similar to Sora but that kindness can lead into problems. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes with his smile fading away. He paid close attention to the way Todd spoke to his son and the way he responded. He began to answer his son's question,
"Todd was it? He doesn't sit right with me, my amazing son."
"What do you mean?" Subaru asked once more as he was unsure on what his father meant by this. Kenichi noticed this and quickly thought on what he could say to help his son see what he means. After a moment of thinking, he responded to the question by answering with,
"Just...the way he talks seems...fake. As if he is only speaking in a kind manner to gather information."
"I think I can see what you mean..." Subaru said hesitantly, seeing what his father said yet, "...though what information would he want?"
"Hm...there's too many things he could want, my amazing son. All we can do is keep our guard up."
"...Understood dad. I'll keep my guard up but we should really get back to mom and Master Sora. I have a bad feeling."
"Agreed. Considering that those creatures are around here, they might be in trouble. Let's get going."
Subaru and Kenichi nodded at each other before they began to make their way back. Just as the pair were about to leave, Jamal noticed this which caused him to quickly say in a hostile manner,
"Where do ya think you're going?"
"We got...other members to look for." Subaru said as he wanted to keep the peaceful atmosphere. Jamal quickly responded to what Subaru said by saying,
"So do we. Those creatures separated us from our group."
"Do you happen to know why these creatures are even here in Vollachia?" Todd said as he suspected the two might be involved with the dark creatures arriving to Vollachia. Subaru and Kenichi looked at each other for a moment before Kenichi responded to Todd's question.
"My family and I have been on the move yet we keep bumping into those creatures."
"Where exactly do you originate?"
"My father was Vollachia, I was born here as well but moved to Kararagi where I met my wife. Eventually we moved back here and are now being attacked by these creatures."
Subaru turned towards his father with a surprised facial expression, caught off guard on how his father lied the whole time. Todd looked at Kenichi with a critical eye, trying to see if he was being lied to but before he could even fully analyze, more heartless appear.
"These damn creatures are fucking annoying!" Jamal shouts with pure anger, prompting him to grab one of the shadow heartless by its head before smashing it to the ground with intense force, successfully taking the heartless down. Todd noticed this and knew that his partner being angry isn't going to help the situation.
"Calm down, Jamal. We can take them!"
"Yeah but what 'bout them?!"
Jamal pointed his sword towards the two Natsuki members, both of them looking with caution. Before anything else can be said, the heartless all start attacking the four warriors. Jamal and Todd both started their offensive attacks against the heartless with Jamal attempting to reach Subaru and Kenichi's position.
Father and Son noticed this and quickly started to fight off the heartless as best they can, trying to break through the crowd of heartless to eventually make a run for it, both not wanting to get involved with the two warriors. As Subaru and Kenichi were doing their best to create a path, Subaru himself started to feel extremely fatigued.
'Damn...my body is at its limit.'
Subaru realized that since he didn't get a chance to rest and having just used a lot more strength than what he is capable of, he is becoming a liability. The boy was losing consciousness yet he forced his mind and body to keep going, his motivation was wanting to see Sora and his mother alive and well. This helped as he was able to use every bit of strength to cut down the heartless nearby him and his father. As the two did this for a bit, they managed to see an opening which allowed them to start running back to Naoko and Sora's position.
"Hey! Get back here!"
As Jamal yelled this out, Todd looked to see that the two Natsuki members were running away from the fight. This caused him and Jamal to react by quickly trying to reach them yet the swarm of heartless blocked off their path, forcing the two to focus on them rather than on the two Natsuki members. Subaru and Kenichi both ran and ran for a bit, the two confident that they have escaped the two warriors.
"We got lucky, didn't we?" Subaru asked.
"We did, my amazing son. Those two may have saved my life but something was off with the one known as Todd." Subaru was still uncertain on what his father meant by this since he didn't see Todd as a threat. Regardless, he was curious to know about his father's opinion on the other warrior.
"What about Jamal?" Kenichi looked at his son for a moment, hearing the question he was asked. He thought for a bit before answering with,
"Well, he reminds me of a bunch of dumbasses in Japan, always wanting to prove that they are the best. Though he is a very strong fellow, he can be easily outwitted."
"Understood, dad."
Subaru and Kenichi ran for a bit before arriving at the location where they last left Naoko, Sora, and Louis only to find it abandoned. The pair at first thought that they might have made the wrong turn until they observed the location thoroughly to see that they were in the right place.
"Where are they?" Subaru said with a concerned tone of voice, worried that Louis might have done something since she had been asleep since they arrived at this foreign land. Kenichi looked at his son, noticing that he is worried for Sora and Naoko's sake. Wanting to cheer him up, he patted him in the back while saying in an excited like manner,
"If anything my amazing son, your master is probably protecting your mother and Louis."
"Ha! Probably, knowing him."
Subaru had a smile on his face as he thought of this for a moment before losing it with his face showing fear. The two lowered their weapons for a moment to see if there is any evidence on where Sora, Naoko, and Louis could've gone. As the two looked around for any more clues, Subaru noticed something odd on the floor. He slowly went to pick it up and noticed that it was the neckless that Sora always wears on his neck.
"Wait, this is...what's this doing here?"
Subaru spoke while having a bad feeling in his gut. With this feeling in his gut, he gets out his keyblade, preparing himself for a possible fight even if he is at the lowest of strengths. While his guard is up, he suddenly felt something off at first before noticing that his chest was burning.
'Why does my chest hurt...? This doesn't...'
The boy looked down to his chest area to see the tip of a blade piercing through him. As he noticed this, he started to cough up some blood.
'S-Shit! Shit! Shit! This isn't good...this isn't good at all...fuck...!'
Subaru wanted to do something about this, yet he was already fatigue prior to this and the injury itself was already too fatal for him to do anything. Once the blade was pulled out of his chest area by the unknown attacker, Subaru fell to the ground while saying,
"F-Fuck...!"
"Son!"
Kenichi noticed this as he heard his son curse, causing him to try and use his son's keyblade to do something yet the second he attempted to fight, the sword that pierced Subaru's chest was pulled out and quickly clashed with Kenichi's weapon for a moment. Subaru stood up on his feet for only a moment before falling face first onto the grassy ground. As he fell, he could see his father trying to put up a fight only to be slaughtered within seconds.
"N-No...f-f-father..."
Subaru said weakly as tears were running down his cheeks as he could see his father falling to the ground, both of them bleeding to death. Subaru tried to see who the attacker was but he was too weak to even move.
'D-Damn it! How did this happened? I should've been more careful! Damn it...I...I don't want to...die...'
Subaru's vision was beginning to blur a bit, starting to lose all color until everything eventually fading into black.
"Hm...it seems you aren't worthy enough."
A voice spoke as his conscious was leaving his body, leaving Subaru to ponder who was speaking only for something else to catch his attention.
'Father...Mother...Master Sora...I-I'm sorry...'
The last thing on his mind was on his parents and his master, wondering if the two were attacked or if they even survived while he went to help his father while also feeling guilt that he couldn't save himself or his father.
Everything felt numb for the boy since he was trying to see where his checkpoint is, afraid that the checkpoint would be back in the watchtower, back when Louis was the amnesia version of himself. Once he was able to look around, he found himself in a place he doesn't recall. As he was in an unknown dark place, he could hear a faint voice say to him,
"I love you."
"Huh?"
"I love you."
Subaru looks at himself, noticing that he isn't fully complete. Before he can try to figure anything out, a couple of voices started to speak.
"Yes! Yes! You are treasured by her! By her love! Jealous! Jealous! DESU!" A madman spoke as he held his hands on his head.
"Yes, loved by that bitch! That horrible horrible horrible horrible witch!" A madwoman spoke as she was speaking with pure hatred.
"How dare you appear here?! How dare you show yourself to me?! After all the trouble you caused me! Are you here to mock me?! To annoy me?! How dare you! How dare you make a fool out of me by having me here with these disgusting low-level scums. Do you not respect my rights?! Obnoxious, annoying, irritating, infuriating, vexing, dirty, unsightly scum. I've always always been doing well, for years, decades, centuries, this way for all that time, I have been faithfully serving as a Sin Archbishop more than anyone. When I was first chosen as a sin archbishop and received this witch factor, I killed them all, the father who despite his poor earnings was plagued with bad drinking habits, the mother who prattled on endlessly complaining day and night, and the greedy brothers who used to ravenously eye the portion that rightfully belonged to me, were all killed by me, the villagers who looked at me like I'm an idiot too, the people of the town who pushed me and my house into that hopeless village too, the inept heads of the country who carelessly abandoned the village and the town to that state in the first place too, I tore them all apart into bits and pieces, and when everything was gone I finally noticed a way I could live! I don't need anything. Everything is just annoying." An asshole spoke with a hostile manner, annoyed of the situation he finds himself in.
"We are hungry. We are very very hungry!" One of two twin looking shadows spoke, showing a desire of hunger.
"You really are gourmet. We will enjoy this feast~TSU!" The other twin shadow spoke, also having a strong desire of hunger.
"Wh-What is going on?" Subaru said as he was confused yet he turned towards the shadow figure of Satella, noticing how she is approaching him.
"I love you. I love you. I love you."
"I...I love you too."
Subaru said this as he was completely overwhelmed by the emotion of love from the woman in front of him. His entire heart filled with her love, her affection towards him. He stood up and wanted to say more to her, wanted to comfort her by holding her tightly, wanting to show his love for her by repeating the words she had been saying to him, only this time directed towards her.
The closer she got to him, the more he felt her love. Just as it seemed like he was able to get kissed by the shadow figure, suddenly Subaru's heart started to shine, brightening what one would call a shadow garden. With this light, Subaru was able for a moment get back his sense of self. He looked around and noticed that he was in a white void now, the light having cleared out the shadow garden.
In this white void, he noticed that all the people he cared about were there, standing by his side. Ranging from Emilia to Sora to Rem to Otto to Reinhard to Crusch to his parents to Felt to Old Man Rom and more. As he looked at the friends he made in this new world, he knew that the two most important to him is Sora and Emilia. Sora for having not only made him stronger but also being a dear friend while Emilia was the first and only girl he loved with all of his heart.
Those two had helped him in his darkest of times and brighten his best days, making him feel warmth in his heart. As memories of them played in his mind, he smiled. With that smile, he looked at the people he cares about, those who not only put their faith in him but also care for him before saying confidently,
"I promise...I'll do my best to save all of us, including myself, and reach a future we can all be happy."
As he said that, he felt his mind finally fading away from the place with one more person appearing there, Satella herself. Seeing the Witch of Envy among the many people he cares about reminded Subaru of the promise he and his master made in the last tea party. With the last remaining strength he could muster in the void, he said confidently,
"Don't worry Satella, I haven't forgotten what I said...I'm still...am going...to save...you..."
Subaru's vision was slowly returning to the boy has he saw that his checkpoint had indeed moved from the watchtower to the forest when he was going to rest up. As he was getting his senses back, Subaru recalled the pain he felt on his previous death along with the darkness he sensed when the heartless started to attack.
'Damn it...! I've went back! Aside from Louis' fuck ups, I ended up dying without learning anything other than the heartless are here! Damn it!'
Subaru curses himself since he was pissed off at how easily he went down yet he knew that this wasn't the time. Before hating on himself more, he recalled the last words he heard from an unknown person.
("Hm...it seems you aren't worthy enough.")
'Who was that? He didn't sound like Todd or Jamal...could he be one of their acquaintances? Or is he just another threat I have to deal with?'
He started to puzzle the issues he has to deal with yet he hadn't realized how far his Return By Death ability has taken him. He looked at his surrounding to see that he has little time since he notices his checkpoint has shifted to somewhere within 20 minutes, being the worst amount of time for him to have.
With his mind now trying to solve everything that had transpired, he began to feel the darkness he sensed in the last loop. This prompted the boy to get up quickly with his Rebirth keyblade summoned, something that Sora and Naoko noticed.
"You felt that too, right?" Sora asked as he also felt something off yet he knew his apprentice was acting off. Subaru took a moment to think carefully before responding to what his master had said.
"Y-Yeah. We...we need to go get my father."
"If what we felt is right, we better do something before its too late."
"...yeah..."
Subaru was hesitant since he doesn't know what exactly he needs to do to save not only his father but his mother and his master. Before the two can move, Naoko quickly got in front of the two while saying to them,
"You two need to rest."
"Mom, we can't. Not when dad is in danger."
"Your father can take care of himself. He wouldn't want you two risking your lives!"
Subaru and Sora were both caught off guard by this with Sora still wanting to help out Kenichi while Subaru thought back on the previous loop. He knew his father would eventually encounter both Todd and Jamal, two warriors that his father distrusted. He wasn't sure whether the two warriors were even untrustworthy since Jamal was hot headed but that was his only flaw the boy saw in him while he took a moment to think on Todd.
The two met during battle with Todd having some caution towards himself and his father but he still assisted them. He then kept Jamal from doing anything to the two and was even kind, making Subaru think that he can be trustworthy until he two ran away, leaving the two warriors to fend for themselves. At that point, Subaru feels like his father and him made themselves look like the enemy which is justified to see both warriors looking deadly at them.
'Still, why would father say that they are dangerous, especially Todd? I mean they are warriors, so it would be understandable and expected for them to be wary but Todd wasn't like Jamal. He was calm and collected, he was even respectful and kind. I wonder what father saw that made him see Todd as a threat? I mean he isn't stubborn, if anything, father is very smart. I suppose I will trust his judgement but for now...'
"...We still need someone to go save dad." Subaru spoke out with determination, knowing that he needs to make sure his father is safe from not just the heartless but from the two warriors as well. Sora and Naoko both noticed this but before either of them could say anything, Subaru turned towards Sora to ask him,
"How much strength to you have, Master?"
"...enough to fight..."
"Alright then, think you can go help father?"
"I think I can...do you know where he went exactly?"
"Yeah, he went that way." Subaru pointed towards the direction he found his father, having confidence that his master can find him. Naoko noticed this and quickly said,
"Hold on, Sora-san needs to rest."
"I know mother but all I ask is if you can trust me on this. Please."
Naoko was hesitant at first since she doesn't want either her son or Sora to push themselves beyond what they can muster but she did have a lot of trust on what her son is up to. After seeing firsthand how her son was able to handle the most stressful of situations in the Pleiades Watchtower, she trusts his judgement.
"Please be careful, Sora-san."
"I will!"
Sora nodded after having spoken before heading off to find Kenichi. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped on his tracks to which both Naoko and Subaru noticed. The keyblade master slowly turned towards his apprentice in a concerned manner.
"Subaru?"
"Yes Master Sora?" Subaru asked with concern as well, not sure what his master is going to ask him. Sora was hesitant to ask yet he knew this was something he needed to know.
"What...loop...are we...in?" There was some hesitation from the two. For Sora, he had just vowed to protect Subaru from death, meaning that if Subaru had looped back then he failed as a friend and a master. Subaru was tempted to lie to his master, wanting to reassure him yet he couldn't lie to someone he trusts dearly.
"...second..." Subaru answered reluctantly, knowing that his master would be more concerned if he didn't give an answer and he possibly wouldn't believe a lie. Sora didn't felt happy when he heard this since it confirms that his apprentice had been killed. He looked down briefly with sheer disappointment at first, disappointed in himself since he wasn't able to stop Subaru from being killed. He felt like this for a brief few seconds before having a bit of relief since it has only been one failed loop. This motivated him more to go off and rescue Kenichi to prevent Subaru from being killed again.
'I'll make sure that this time you make it out, Subaru. I promise you that.'
As Sora went off on his own to find Kenichi with Subaru's instructions, Subaru turned towards his mother and quickly said,
"We should go into hiding, just in case."
"Okay."
Naoko nodded at this, thinking that this is a good idea since she doesn't want her son to fight when he is already too tired to do much, and she knows that she can't do much in a fight. She quickly goes to carry Louis to which Subaru finds annoying since he doesn't trust her. Once Naoko held Louis in her arms, the two quickly went looking around the area for a place to hold out with Subaru having his Rebirth keyblade ready, just in case.
As the two moves around a bit, Subaru used Cor Leonis to check on his father and on his master. Once he activated his greed authority, he could see that Sora's light was weak yet still there, probably due to him not being at full strength. He then checked on his father's light and could see that he is doing fine for now. This made Subaru think that he hasn't encountered Todd and Jamal just yet.
'Okay, this is good. Once Master Sora arrives within good timing compared to me, then dad will be fine.'
Subaru smiled as he had faith in his master being there for his father, saving him where he couldn't. As he turned off his greed authority, he could feel something close by, a dark and twisted power. This caused him to be wary since he isn't sure if this was the thing that got him killed in the last loop.
He stopped on his tracks alongside Naoko, as she was following her son's lead. As he stopped on is tracks, he continued to look around the forest, hoping to find something until he eventually noticed an odd-looking hole on the ground. Naoko noticed this hole as well and was tempted to go towards it, yet Subaru stopped her.
"Hold on mom, let me check it out first."
"Just be careful my baby boy, I don't want anything bad happening to you."
"I'll be okay mom...just...if anything bad happens, run." Subaru said with a serious voice, trying to hide behind a tough act to which his mother was able to see right through. She sighed for a moment before approaching her son.
"There is no need to be afraid my baby boy, I'll go with you." Naoko said in a confident manner, something that Subaru took note of.
"But mom...I don't want anything bad to happen to you..." Subaru had a lot of doubt in him. Although he has grown stronger, in his current form, he is back to being a weakling, something he dislikes. Naoko could tell that her son needs a bit of motivation to push away his doubts, prompting her to say in a kind manner,
"I'll be okay, my baby boy. I know you'll protect your mother."
"...yeah." Subaru was hesitant when he said this since he doesn't even know if he is strong enough to face the threat that killed his father and him in the previous loop. Although his fear of failure is there, he knows that he cannot keep these thoughts up since his mother is giving her trust in him that he will protect the two. Naoko and Subaru both approached the hole with caution before seeing that it is nothing but just a crater.
"It's...just a crater." Subaru said in a calm manner, happy that it wasn't something that could kill him. Naoko approached the crater and inspected it for a moment.
"That isn't a normal crater." Naoko spoke with confidence, catching Subaru's attention.
"Hm? What do you mean, mom?"
"I'm not an expert on this but I can tell that this was made by some fight."
"You might be right, mom. I can feel something off by this crater..."
Subaru starts thinking on how the moment him and his master had sensed the intense darkness, everything started to go chaotic with the amount of heartless appearing.
'There has to be some kind of connection, between this feeling I'm getting here and all of the random heartless appearing.'
Subaru crosses his arms and goes into deep thinking, wanting to puzzle this together.
'First thing to take care of is finding out who is responsible of bring this amount of heartless here.'
Has he started his thinking on the one who could be responsible for summoning the heartless, his first thoughts go towards Organization XIII, having a feeling that they could be involve regarding the heartless attacking his group. As he put them as the top suspects, he also can tell that they only attack when they want something.
'I don't think they know we are here. If I recall from Master Sora's stories, they like to make their presence known for some reason but seeing that they are not here, this could mean two things. Either they aren't aware of our presence here or they aren't responsible for this. If it's the latter, then...who is causing this?'
With Subaru wondering of this, another thought came to mind.
'Wait, I was stabbed with a sword. Who in the Organization XIII wields a sword? The only one I know is that prick Riku but I don't know about the others...'
As he was thinking on this question, he eventually knew that this should be talked to with Sora, figuring that his master could probably find the answer to these two questions. He looked around once again only to see that there were some heartless off on the distance. This prompted the boy to quickly have his keyblade ready for the fight ahead, knowing that he must do everything in his power to protect his mother and by extension, Louis herself.
"Mom, go to safety. Allow me to handle these heartless."
Naoko looked at her son and could see the determination in his eyes. Those were the same eyes she saw in her husband back when he bailed her out of trouble.
("You'll leave this beautiful girl alone. She's with me.")
Those words along with the way her son spoke with that same confident, causing her to smile at her young boy while also giving him a nod, showing that she understands before making some distance from her son while also carrying Louis in her arms.
'Don't worry little one, I'll protect you.'
She thought this as she took a moment to look at the sleeping teenage blond-haired girl, seeing that she has been in a deep sleep for a while. Naoko was worried for the girl's sake since she hasn't awakened from her sleep yet she knew she had to return her focus on getting herself and Louis to safety.
She picked Louis up and turned towards Subaru, seeing that he is prepared for his fight against the large amount of heartless approaching them. She looked with concern at first before having a confident look and voice,
"Please be okay, my baby boy."
"Don't worry mother. My name is Natsuki Subaru, son of you and Natsuki Kenichi. I won't fall here! Now get to safety."
Naoko smiled once again at this before turning around, starting her route in taking Louis and herself to safety, away from the heartless. While Naoko went off, the shadow heartless kept appearing while they were slowly approaching Subaru's position.
The boy looked at his keyblade, still feeling weak from the fight against the Witch of Envy while also still feeling mentally weak from the previous loop burdening him. Despite this, he reminded himself that he is in a new loop, one he should make count since he doesn't want his master or his parents to be killed in any loop. He held his keyblade with a tight grip before smiling with a cocky look.
"I'm not at full strength, if anything, I feel like I ended up back to zero...but I won't give up!"
Subaru at his highest of resolves, charges at the heartless despite each second he is using his remaining stamina, the more chances he could end up collapsing to the ground and dying by the heartless. As he was charging at them, he could hear a voice speak to him,
(You are pathetic.)
"Huh?!"
Subaru stopped on his tracks, confused by this voice since he has heard it before in the Watchtower. Although it was brief and one sentence, he has heard this voice before. As he was looking around, three heartless tried to sneak attack him yet Subaru was able to take them down with one swing of his Rebirth keyblade.
"Trying to get me from behind...nice try!" Subaru said this with such high confidence but this only lasted a moment.
(Shut up already, arrogant keyblade wielder.)
"Okay...who the hell is talking?!" Subaru shouts as he hears the voice once again, prompting him to quickly turn towards his back side, only noticing a couple of soldier type heartless approaching him. At first, he was hesitant since he was wondering on the voice speaking to him, yet he set that aside as he saw that he should focus on the fight. He took a moment to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths, wanting to keep his mind calm before charging at the heartless, going on the offense first.
As he swung his keyblade at two of the heartless, he easily took them down before turning his attention at the ones charging in for an attack. He moves his keyblade at his chest area to block off the attack, managing to succeed on this only to realize that blocking two attacks at once left him out of strength temporarily. This left him open for one of the soldier type heartless to spin around until it eventually landed a hit on the boy's face, sending him to the ground with little strength.
"F-Fuck!" Subaru shouted as he tried to shake off the attack.
(My, that looks like it hurts. This is beyond pathetic at this point.)
'Wait...what was...?'
(Can't you do anything that isn't pathetic?!)
'Who...is talking?'
(Finally you've decide to talk to me, I was beginning to get bored in your mind.)
Subaru was shocked when he realized that he did have a voice in his mind, like how Louis had Meili in her mind when she was his amnesia self. He thought for a moment who was speaking, knowing that the voice was familiar only to be reminded that he is in the middle of a battle when a couple of shadow heartless try to jump him from four different location.
The boy closed his eyes for a second, thinking about Emilia and the kiss they had shared a few times. This helped push his body to move, allowing him to quickly slice all four heartless, destroying them with ease thanks to the strength of his keyblade. After having done this, he slowly gets back on his feet, feeling his body wanting to give up on him each second he is on his feet.
'Fuck! My body is killing me! Why the hell did my checkpoint had to be when I'm freaking tired out?!'
(Sucks for you, idiot.)
Subaru was annoyed by this voice in his head, reminding him of someone yet he couldn't put his finger on it. Despite wanting to find this out, he put his focus on the fight ahead as he needed to keep taking on the heartless. As he was swinging around his keyblade for a bit, he noticed that he was surrounded by heartless with majority of them being the shadow type.
Subaru knew that this was probably the end and yet he didn't back down. He was ready to fight right until the end. He swung his keyblade a few times, taking down as many heartless as possible yet he did reach the point where he was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of numbers the heartless. Subaru could only smile in defeat, accepting his fate in this loop until he suddenly heard a voice shout,
"El Minya!"
"Huh?!"
Before Subaru could process who shouted that phrase, a barrage of purple icicles attacked the heartless closing in on him, saving the boy's life. He looked at the direction of the voice to see that it was his mother that did this.
'Mom?! But when?!'
Subaru was dumbfounded as he never expected his mother to be able to do yin magic like him, making him question if his father can also do yin magic. As he thought of this and on when his mother could've possibly learned such magic, he brushed these thoughts to the side when he noticed Naoko shaking, struggling to stand.
"M-Mother!"
Subaru with newfound determination started to run towards his mother's location, knowing that he needs to help her out before the heartless get to her. As he was running, he felt the dark energy from before. This made Subaru wary, prompting him to run faster towards his mother's position as he feared that whatever caused the crater the saw earlier is closing in on them. Once he got near his mother's position, he quickly took down the three shadow heartless trying to attack her before turning towards her direction.
"Mother! Can you walk?"
"J-Just a little." Naoko said weakly, not wanting to worry her son. Subaru was silent for a second before quickly saying,
"Well then, come on."
Subaru helped his mother walk while having his keyblade on his right hand, knowing that he still needs to fend off the heartless approaching them. The boy looked down for a moment, trying to think carefully before having an idea.
He pointed his Rebirth keyblade at the heartless approaching them and quickly casted Mega Flare, knowing that this could help his situation out. As the small fireball was approaching the heartless, it eventually caused a large explosion which set the forest on fire. Both Subaru and Naoko looked at the fire spread quickly, leaving Subaru completely dumbfounded.
'Well...shit...'
"We should get moving." Naoko spoke as their situation just got more dire.
"Agreed." Subaru nodded as he said this, seeing that this was his chance to get his mother to safety with the heartless distracted by the fire. With both Subaru and Naoko doing their best to move since they were both exhausted. The boy was a bit more curious on how his mother was able to use yin magic.
"Mother...how did you learn that ability?"
"Ah well you see, when you spend all your time training with Sora-san, Beatrice-san said that your father and I also had yin affinity. So she had taught me and your father a few tricks."
"Of course...that would make sense..." Subaru says this as he figured that his contracted spirit would do something like this, considering how close she had gotten with his parents.
Although this did come useful and could be even more useful in the future, he makes a mental note in his mind to speak to Beako about this since she never mentioned anything about her teaching his parents yin magic to him. While he thought of the many ways he will question Beatrice, the two walked for a bit before Subaru turned around to see that the heartless were starting to catch up to him and his mother.
(Seems like your luck ran out.)
"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Subaru spoke with anger since he was getting annoyed of the heartless causing him trouble. Yet before he knew it, he received a slap to the face by his mother. After doing this, she started to scold her son with a sharp like tone,
"You shouldn't talk like that! I raised a proper boy, not a delinquent." The sharpness in her voice caused the boy to humble himself. He had forgotten that his mother really hates when he speaks like this.
"S-Sorry mother...w-where did you took Louis?" Subaru said as he wanted to take away the attention from him to Louis. Naoko noticed this and figured that she could correct her son's cursing at a later point when all the dark creatures have been dealt with.
She pointed at the direction she took Louis, prompting Subaru to walk with his mother towards there while he had his Rebirth keyblade pulled out in the case he needs to fight the heartless off. As the two were walking as fast as possible, Subaru looked back to see the heartless rapidly approaching their position.
'Damn, I need to think of something and fast!'
Subaru tried to think of all the things he can do, hoping that something in his arsenal of skills can help him and his mother at this very moment. He thought and thought until something did came in mind. He closed his eyes to focus on the remaining mana he had in his gate, trying to summon it all out for one of his classic and most useful abilities. Once he was prepared, he opened his eyes before shouting,
"Shamak!"
The second Subaru said this, the entire area was covered with a dark cloud which caused the heartless to lose their sense of awareness. This allowed Subaru and Naoko to move as fast as they could away from the danger and towards a safe place. As they walked slowly with both of their strengths at their limit, Subaru used Cor Leonis once again to check on his master and his father, worried for the two.
Once he activated his greed authority, he completely was worried when he couldn't find Sora or Kenichi's light. Subaru tried to expand his authority, hoping that the reason he can't find his father and his master was due to being out of range.
That's all he could think of since he refused to believe that something bad may have happened to the two. Naoko looked at her son as she could tell that he has a worried facial expression. Seeing this caused her to get close to her son and give him a hug while they walked slowly, wanting to help calm her son down.
"Don't worry my baby boy, your father and Sora-san will be alright. They are both strong." Naoko said in a calm manner which Subaru caught on, seeing that her mother was not only right about that but also trying to keep him from losing hope. He made a weak smile while also nodding at his mother, showing that he will be fine before the two arrive to a cave nearby where Subaru spotted the sleeping Louis. Once he spotted her, he along with Naoko made their way towards the cave. While they were speed walking, Subaru sensed the darkness from before closing in on them in rapid speed.
'This is bad! This is bad! I have to get mom to safety. As long as she is safe from whatever the hell this thing approaching us is, I'll be okay.'
At this point, Subaru knows that he might end up dying since he can't fight off the heartless on his own with the strength he has left, a new threat is approaching them, and he doesn't know if his father and master are alright.
He looked at his keyblade for a moment, debating on whether he should make a stand which would lead him to possible death or try to reach to safety with his mother despite how the threat would probably reach them before they can get inside.
The boy debated his choice for a brief moment before deciding to go with his mother, knowing that he shouldn't let himself be killed and lead into another failed loop without learning anything. As both Subaru and Naoko were quickly making their way towards the cave, Subaru turned around to see some trees being destroyed in rapid speed.
'Shit, we better hurry!'
Subaru put away his keyblade and quickly used every bit of motivation to gain strength in order for him and his mother to reach the cave. The two got closer and closer to the cave but just as it seemed like they were going to get to safety, the threat had arrived near the two with a couple of trees nearby being destroyed. Subaru looked at his mother and with a serious and determined voice he said,
"Get to safety mother, allow me to take on whoever is approaching us." Naoko looked at her son with a worried facial expression, afraid that something bad could happen to him. She tried to protest:
"But Subaru—!"
"Mom...please...trust me on this..." Naoko was silent at first but eventually nodded at her son, understanding that he wants her to be safe. She hugs him while telling him to be careful before using her remaining strength to reach the cave. While she did this, Subaru turned around to meet the person that could've been responsible for his death in the previous loop.
Once he got the chance to look at the threat in front of him, he was completely amazed but also horrified by what he saw. He saw a man with distinctive long silver hair with long bangs that frame his face, dresses in a black leather coat, a large navy blue wing on his right shoulder, and lastly wielding the Masamune, a very large kitana. Subaru looked at the weapon and was not only dumbfounded but also surprised by its length, making him fear the opponent in front of him.
"Wh-Who are you?" The boy spoke with little confidence. The man looked at Subaru at first with nothing but a blank expression before taking a notice on the keyblade the boy was wielding. As he noticed this, he pointed his long weapon towards the boy's neck, leaving the boy in shock for a brief moment before he registered what was going on. This caused him to jump back while holding his Rebirth keyblade in fighting position. While he was in his fighting position, he began to speak in a serious tone,
"Who are you? What are you?"
"...why do you wield such a weapon? You don't look anything important." The man spoke with a disappointed yet serious tone, leaving Subaru annoyed since someone else is looking down on him. His facial expression changed into an angrier one while he speaking with an angry tone of voice,
"You haven't answered my question, who are you?!"
The second Subaru finished his sentence, he noticed the man trying to attack him with the long sword. Subaru barely managed to dodge the attack, falling on his back side as he avoiding the long sword from slicing his throat area.
'Shit! That was too close!'
While he was on the ground, Subaru quickly knew that he needed to do something if he wanted to cause some damage to his opponent. He thought closely and knew that he was out of mana, he has no magic strength to summon anymore fireballs, and his physical strength is at its limit. The only thing he has left in his arsenal was using the sloth witch factor since it was the only thing that could surprise attack this dangerous foe.
'I don't like using this but it is the best thing I got left to use.'
Subaru focus everything he had in his Invisible Providence, picturing the unseen hand shooting from his chest and reaching towards the dangerous man's position to land a critical hit.
Once he pictured it, the unseen hand was fired from his chest area and started to make his way towards the man's direction. The man continued to look with a blank expression before easily eliminating the invisible providence.
Seeing this caused Subaru to realize that this opponent is way more dangerous than he perceived him to be. The man slowly walked towards the boy's direction while saying,
"Any last words?"
"Sh-Shit...I-I don't even know your name...at least tell me who exactly is ending me..."
The man paused himself for a moment, a bit intrigued by the last words he got from the boy in front of him. He had a surprised facial expression for a brief moment before shifting it into one of a smile.
"I am..." The man without hesitation stabs Subaru in the chest, causing the boy to be in terrible pain as he relives the same thing that killed him in the previous loop. The boy coughed up some blood out before falling to the ground on his back side, seeing his vision slowly fade away into nothingness with the last words in this loop being, "...Se—th"
Author's note:
Honestly, I was going to wait before posting this but after the Super Smash Bros Ultimate reveal, I just couldn't help myself but have this chapter posted. The next one will take a bit since it is a slow process now, expecially with a third story being created with a friend, but hopefully you all enjoy the start of the 7th arc.
Also go to GreenWarrio291 channel to check out my fresh thoughts on the reveal.