-Sanctuary Village Road-
"Thank goodness your safe Rem, are you certain you're feeling alright? You passed out, got unusually angry with Roswaal-sama, and then ran out in a panic upon hearing…that." Ram says to her sister.
Once Emilia, Rem, and Otto left the lattermost's house, Emilia said that they should go to Ram and report that Rem has been found. Rem somewhat wanted to oppose that decision, as she wanted to immediately go look for Subaru. However, she also didn't want her sister to worry about her, so she agreed to go. Along the way, any villagers they ran into were told that Rem was found. They eventually found Ram on one of the many roads with a lantern in hand.
"Yes, I'm feeling much better Nee-sama, thanks. Now is not the time to worry about me. Subaru-kun is out there somewhere all alone, right? We need to find him right away."
"Hold on a minute." Ram grabs a hold of her hand as she is about to take off, "You've had a very rough night. You should rest. We'll take care of looking for Barusu."
However, Rem shakes her head. "I cannot do that. I have some very important things to talk with him about."
"Can't that wait until tomorrow? You need to rest." She says sternly, but it's clear she's concerned.
"No." She states resolutely. "This cannot wait. Nee-sama, please don't stop me. I need to see him as soon as possible."
"We're all concerned about him." Emilia says. "If Rem is feeling alright about it, I see no reason to stop her from helping us."
"I stand by what Rem-san and Emilia-sama are saying. She needs to see him." Otto says.
Ram glances between all three of them. They care about Subaru so much that she'll never understand it. Eventually, she briefly closes her eyes and sighs, "I understand. Barusu will get an earful from me later about worrying everyone like this. Also Rem, it would be wise to apologize to Roswaal-sama for what you did earlier. That was both dangerous to do with how severely injured he is and unacceptable as one of his maids."
"What did she do to Roswaal?" Emilia asks.
"I'm going to refrain from saying what happened. However, I do not regret what I did to him, so I will not apologize. Also, I highly doubt Subaru-kun would worry about everyone like this on purpose, so do not criticize him, please."
Rem's response to Ram's sharp yet seemingly justified words surprises everyone. Not only did she clearly do something that would be considered unacceptable towards Roswaal and stand by that decision, she also stood up for Subaru more fervently than usual.
For a few moments there is nothing but pure silence between everyone. No one is quite sure what to say to words said with such sincerity. Eventually, Ram breaks the silence with, "Alright. Though after we find him, I want to speak with you about something Rem."
She nods in agreement. With that, everyone heads off in a different direction. Emilia to the north, Ram to the south, and Rem and Otto to the west.
-Forest-
Once they gain a bit of distance from everyone, Otto asks as they run, "How exactly are we going to find him?"
"I'm not certain…" She replies with a troubled tone, "I'm hoping I will be able to pick up a scent from him that he emanates rather strongly, but I would have to be rather close to him to detect it. I don't have Clairvoyance like Nee-sama does. Do you have any magic or divine protections that may help us locate him?"
"I can talk with animals, but…"
"Perfect!" Rem shouts with joy. "Perhaps one of the animals around here saw where Subaru-kun went! Since Garfiel-san said he went out into the forest somewhere."
It's strange. Rem thought to herself. Why would Subaru-kun go into the forest alone? Is he trying to return to the mansion? If so, why by himself? Wouldn't he ask me or Nee-sama to assist him?
Then she recalls that he did actually mention that he would need their help. Unfortunately, he mentioned the trials right before that, which triggered many traumatic memories within her mind. She frowns at this, Did I frighten him off by doing that? I'm so sorry. Subaru-kun, I promise that I will assist you in killing that assassin that killed you. I will not run away this time. That person will pay for ever laying a single finger on you.
With that thought, her eyes narrow considerably and a killing aura surrounds her. Otto notices and grits his teeth in fear. "I-I'll talk to them right away!"
"Hm?" Rem turns back and looks at Otto with slight confusion, unsure as to why he responded anxiously like that. However, he doesn't notice her and is instead looking at a bird that is sitting on a low branch nearby. He begins to chirp exactly like a bird.
"What are you doing?" Rem asks him, finding it odd that he's trying to talk with a bird. Though she does hear the bird chirping at him in response as well as pointing a wing to the north. Are they actually communicating and understanding each other somehow?
Otto smiles at the bird before turning to Rem, "I think I told you and Natsuki-san before, I have a divine protection called 'Soul Language' that lets me communicate with the animals. I was asking if it had seen Natsuki-san."
"Oh, right! You did. My apologies for having forgotten that." Rem says quickly, feeling a little guilty for having forgotten about something rather important. Though now that he has reminded her, she does recall that conversation.
"I think I saw the bird point that way." She points in the same direction as said bird, "Is it telling us Subaru-kun went that way?"
He nods. The two continue on their journey for a little while longer. As they have strayed from any sort of road, they have to step over a lot of small bushes and duck under some branches. Their outfits get a little torn due to this, but Rem states she is a good sewer so she'll mend them later.
Suddenly, Rem gasps.
"What is it?" Otto quickly asks.
"It's faint, but I think I can detect him now! This way!" She picks up the pace and heads northeast, towards the scent she detected.
"W-Wait up!" Otto cries out as he struggles to keep up with the blue-haired maid.
-Ruin-
About a minute later, they eventually come across what looks to be an abandoned ruin. It looks somewhat similar to the ruin the trials take place in. However, there is a lot more moss on the weathered old stone blocks making up the structure compared to the trial ruin. Additionally, there are dozens of tree branches hanging over the ruin from two large trees side-by-side to it. From how worn down it looks, Rem and Otto imagine it hasn't been used in decades. Possibly even hundreds of years.
"Is that where he is?" Otto wonders aloud as he sees a single open entryway into the ruin. There is no door, however the inside is completely dark so they cannot see inside to confirm.
"The scent is stronger here, so yes, it's likely. But why is he here? And why is Ryuzu-san here?"
To the left of the entrance to the ruin is Ryuzu. Rem can make out that long pink hair anywhere. Though what puzzles her a little is the fact that she is now wearing a white cloak rather than the black one she was wearing previously. She simply chalks that up her wishing to change clothing at some point.
Wishing to have an answer to these questions, Rem steps out and approaches Ryuzu. "Ryuzu-san? Sorry to bother you, but may I ask what you're doing out here?"
Ryuzu's eyes widen seeing Rem and Otto this far out in the forest. Regaining her composure, she responds, "I can ask the same of you. As for me, I'm simply attending to a few duties."
"We're looking for a black spiky-haired boy with nasty looking eyes by the name of Natsuki Subaru. Have you seen him by any chance out here?" Rem asks.
"You're looking for Young Su?" Her tone sounds a little disturbed. "No, I have not seen him."
"Are you sure? Garfiel-san said he was doing business out here in the forest somewhere, so he can't be that far from here."
"Yes, I'm certain my eyes do not deceive me."
Rem peers her eyes into the entrance and attempts to step forward. However, Ryuzu blocks her.
"Halt. Where do you think you're going?"
"I want to see if Subaru-kun is in the ruin. Please let me through."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow that."
"Why?"
"This is a restricted area, I cannot allow just anyone, especially outsiders like you two, to enter the ruin."
After Ryuzu gives her reason for denying their entrance, Rem and Otto hear what appear to be faint struggles inside the ruin. It sounds like there is quite a lot of banging against either the wall or the floor.
Rem's eyes widen significantly. With how strong the stench is now, along with the sounds of struggle, she's fairly convinced Subaru is in there.
"You locked him in there, didn't you?" Her tone abruptly shifts from neutral to tense and frosty. She attempts to step around Ryuzu and get inside.
Ryuzu likewise hears the struggles and internally sighs. With a stern expression, she points the staff at Rem and pushes her back, "On what basis do you believe that?"
"Don't play dumb. I can smell the miasma on him from out here. Now let me through."
However, Ryuzu keeps blocking her efforts, "You can detect that foul aroma as well? How interesting."
"As well?" Hearing that, Rem stops her movements. "Are you saying you can detect it too?"
She nods affirmingly.
"Huh? A foul aroma? Miasma? What are you two talking about?!" Otto begs to know what they are talking about. Unfortunately, his pleas fall on deaf ears.
With a grim expression, Rem says, "Let me guess, you believe that Subaru-kun is a witch cultist, don't you?"
Ryuzu stifles a gasp and observes Rem's face with increased intensity. "...How did you know I was contemplating that?"
After a long pause, she replies slowly in a somber tone, "...Because I once believed he was one too. However, I can assure you with the utmost confidence and reassurance that he is not a witch cultist. He never has, and he never will be."
"W-W-Wait, you thought Natsuki-san was one of those reprehensible beings?!" Otto blurts out in shock. Having been captured by them for a small period of time before being rescued, he's had a small glimpse of just how crazy and deranged they are.
Rem turns to him and frowns deeply before slowly nodding. "...Yes. Unfortunately, I didn't know him well enough at the time and the witch's scent was so strong on him I really believed he was one for a time. It may sound like I'm making excuses, but I'm telling the truth. I truly regret ever believing he was one of those disgusting cultists. It is one of the most disgraceful things I've ever done in my life."
Because if I didn't suspect him, he would have never went through all of that at my hand… She muses sorrowfully. If she had just taken the time to get to know and understand him, especially in the previous loops she's forgotten, then she would've never done those horrible things to him.
While Rem and Otto's exchange was going on, Ryuzu slowly closed her eyes and mused over what Rem was saying. Figuring there is no point in lying any further, she says, "I understand what you're saying, and I don't doubt your words. However, even if we were to ignore that, Young Su has shown that there is reason to be suspicious of his activities."
"What do you mean he's suspicious?!" She shouts.
"Despite not being a mixed-blood, Young Su has shown that he is capable of instigating and concluding the trials. Never has such a feat been observed before. Additionally, he wishes to instigate and complete the trials in Young Emilia's place."
"He…wants to take them in her place?" The expression of pure shock could not be hidden from her face. Didn't he say the exact opposite thing in the previous loop? Didn't he want to respect her efforts to pass the trials and allow her to gain credit for completing them so she could stand a better chance in the Royal Selection? She finds Ryuzu's words hard to believe. Still, if she is telling the truth, she believes Subaru must have a good reason for completely changing his stance on the issue.
"Yes, now do you understand why he is suspicious?"
"No, not really." She admits. "Regardless of whether you suspect him or not due to the witch's miasma or whatever he's done so far, I don't care. If you imprisoned him in there, it is my duty as his attendant to free him."
"I cannot let you through." Ryuzu states resolutely and knocks the base of her staff on the ground once to show she will not budge on that. "We will free Young Su depending on how Young Emilia takes things from here."
"Depending on what Emilia-sama does, huh?" Rem is not pleased whatsoever with this answer. Who did Ryuzu think she was, to forcefully lock up Subaru and keep him hostage away from everyone simply because they are suspicious of him? And now they have to rely on Emilia for whether he gets released or not? Not only that, but she didn't bother to clarify even a little bit what exactly Emilia needs to do to let him be released.
Oh no. There's no way Rem will let this fly. Not only that, but there was one other little bit of information Ryuzu said that bothers her.
"What do you mean, 'we'?" She asks with newfound hostility.
Ryuzu's eyes snap wide open. She hurriedly explains, "It was a slip of the tongue, don't mind it."
"Back to lying huh? Fine then. I'm tired of dragging this out." With that, Rem brings out her Morningstar.
"Huh?!" Otto gasps and jumps back at seeing the weapon appear out of nowhere, now at Rem's side. "Where did that even come from?! And what are you planning?!" He fears for the worst case scenario. Is she really going to kill Ryuzu?
"Relax." Rem assures him with a smile. Then, running back several feet and telling Otto to get out of the way, she throws her Morningstar towards Ryuzu. She attempts to run away. However, the chains quickly wrap themselves around Ryuzu's small body and completely restrict her movement. Pulling on the chains, Rem forces Ryuzu to approach her.
"Are you going to kill me?" She asks in a disturbingly calm manner considering the situation she is currently in. However, Rem shakes her head.
"Considering you only locked up Subaru-kun rather than murder him for presuming he's a witch cultist or that he may have something sinister planned, I'll extend my mercy this time. Otto-san?"
"Y-Yes?" He stutters his reply. He was really afraid for a moment that Rem would kill Ryuzu when she brought out her Morningstar and is still recovering from that initial shock. He makes a mental note to never incur her wrath in the future.
"Please keep an eye on her while I go and retrieve Subaru-kun. The chains are tightly bound around her so she shouldn't be able to escape. Though if she does somehow, let me know immediately."
"Understood!"
-Inside the Ruin-
Leaving Ryuzu in Otto's hands, Rem proceeds into the ruin to look for Subaru. She first comes upon a small empty room with nothing of note within it. Right in front of her only a handful of feet from the first entrance is a second entrance to the deeper part of the ruin. Except this time this entrance has a proper door separating this room and the next. The door is simply made up of numerous metal bars that go both horizontally and vertically.
She attempts to push the door open, however that doesn't work. She tries pulling it with the same results. She then tries to slide it open from right to left. That too doesn't work.
Frustrated, she shouts, "Ul Huma!". Three fairly large ice spears materialize into thin air. Once they appear, she commands them to collide with the door at high speeds. The three do so and the force of them colliding with the metal bars is so intense that the door is taken off its hinges and flies across the next room before hitting a wall.
An extremely muffled shout of distress comes immediately after that attack. Rem rushes in and looks around frantically, trying to adjust her vision to the level of darkness in this room.
"Subaru-kun? Are you in here? If you are, please shout as loud as you can!" She shouts to hopefully ensure that he hears her voice.
Another muffled cry reaches her ears.
"Subaru-kun!" Rushing over towards the sound, he slowly comes into view as she peers at the floor. Kneeling down, she sees all the ropes that are currently fully restricting his movement. "I'll untie you right away!"
First she unties the rope around his mouth, allowing him to speak properly.
"Rem-tan! I'm so happy to see you." He feels like he's about to cry. He had no idea how long he was going to be locked up in here before someone would find him.
"As am I, Subaru-kun. I'm so sorry for taking so long to find you. Please wait just a moment as I finish undoing all these ropes."
"N-No! You're fine. Honestly, I wasn't expecting anyone to find me this quickly, or even notice I was gone." He hurriedly tries to not make her feel bad.
Unfortunately for him, this has the opposite effect, "Are you saying that you think you're so worthless that no one would care if you were gone?" Rem asks with some irritation.
"N-No! All I'm saying is that wouldn't it take a while for someone to think I'd gone missing instead of presuming I went to do some sort of task or taking a leisurely walk in the forest?"
Rem unties the final rope that was keeping his legs bound. Now Subaru has free control over his body again. He sits himself up. Rem says, "I understand what you're saying. I'm sorry Subaru-kun, I know I must have been acting really strangely to you and everyone else this evening. It's just…I…"
"No need to apologize, Rem-tan. I can't say I fully understand what's going on but I know it'd be rude of me to try to pry for details. I just want to know, are you feeling better now?"
"Compared to earlier, yes, I'm calmer now. As for the details, it's not rude at all to ask me for them. I'll share absolutely everything with you. I'll tell you why I reacted the way I did when you mentioned the trials. I'll also tell you why things turned out differently than you…probably expected them to."
"W-Woah! This is all sounding really deep! I'm not sure my heart is prepared for all of this. Plus there's so much that needs to be done…"
And so much to figure out. He adds on in his mind. He wanted to take the trials in Emilia's place, but Garfiel and Ryuzu Shima are completely against the idea, finding him way too suspicious and dangerous to do such a thing. They even went as far as to kidnap and imprison him! Garfiel mentioned being able to detect the witch's miasma off of him. If what he is saying is true, convincing him that his intentions are not malicious is going to be that much harder now. Then there's Ryuzu Shima. Why did she look exactly the same as Ryuzu Bilma? Are they twins? Why do they view him in completely different lights?
That's not even mentioning the fact Meili is after Rem's life due to being ordered to kill her. Then there's the whole ordeal of Elsa arriving at the mansion for some mission. Considering she makes a career out of cutting out the bowels of her victims, it's very likely to be an assassination mission of some sort.
"I understand there's a lot to be done. I really do. However, I'd humbly like to ask you to make our talk the priority for now. Frankly, there's so much I wish to discuss with you. It quite honestly may take us all night to do so."
"All night?!" Subaru is shocked at such a large timeframe being suggested. He initially presumes that she's exaggerating. However, he's able to make out her stern expression on her face that indicates she's being dead serious. "W-Will it really take that long? Don't get me wrong! I'd love to talk with you for hours on end if I could Rem-tan, but there's something I need to prepare for in the morning."
"I have no intention to prohibit you from what you're planning to do. I believe we'll be finished once morning arrives. Before we do, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, what is it?"
"Was Ryuzu-san the one who tied you up and threw you in here?"
"I thought I heard some voices outside, so Ryuzu-san was guarding the entrance in here, huh?" Subaru frowns at this revelation, but it's not that surprising that someone would guard the entrance to what is basically a prison cell.
"Yes. I restrained her so she should pose no more complications in regards to exiting from here." Rem confirms his hypothesis.
"Wow, you really pull no punches do you…" He is once more amazed by Rem's brutality. He has no idea what Ryuzu, or specifically, Ryuzu Shima's strength level is. Though since Rem was able to restrain her, he can safely assume Ryuzu Shima is weaker than her. "Anyway, no, she's not the one who threw me in here. I'm not sure you'll believe me but Garfiel was the one who did that. He lured me out into an open field with only him and Ryuzu-san with the intention to talk. Well, we did actually talk, but he eventually choked me out and the next thing I knew, I was in here."
"So, he was the one who did this to you, huh…" Her tone grows eerily dark.
"R-Rem-tan?" Subaru's body begins to involuntary shake as he sweats a little all over due to the dark aura she's emanating.
"Alright." She stands up and offers Subaru a hand to get up as well. He takes it. "Let's go outside, I don't want to be in here any longer than needed. I'm sure you also wish to leave, right?"
He nods, "Yeah. I wonder if this is only here to lock up people like this. But still, you'd think they'd provide some basic facilities if it was made for that purpose. Like a toilet or a bed at the very least."
"Sorry, I don't really know what this building was originally supposed to be." Rem admits somberly.
"No worries. Come on, let's get out of here." Then, to the absolute shock of Rem, Subaru grabs her hand and leads her out of the ruin.
N-N-No way! Subaru-kun is actually holding my hand?! Why? Why now?! Is…is this really alright? Am I allowed to enjoy the pleasant sensation of his smooth skin and the muscular tone of his hands? Rem wonders, internally freaking out. Ultimately she makes no effort to try to separate from him. If this is what he wants, she has little reason to refuse.
-Outside Ruin-
"Natsuki-san! You're safe!" Otto expresses his relief upon seeing them exit the ruin.
"H-Huh? You're here too Otto? How long have you been there?"
"Um, not very long. Everyone has been looking for you after Emilia-sama realized you hadn't returned in a while. I came with Rem-san to help search for you."
"Woah hold on." Subaru shakes his hands frantically. He has so many questions he doesn't even know where to start. "So Emilia-tan was worried about me?! It makes me really happy to hear that, but at the same time I wish I didn't cause her unnecessary concern. Though why is she up now? Wasn't she sleeping? Well, anyway, perhaps my biggest question is why did you help Rem-tan in searching for me? I don't understand."
"Is it really that strange for a friend to help out a fellow friend when he's in trouble?" Otto asks with a frown.
"Huh? Friends?"
"Y-Yeah!" Otto blushes, "D-Don't make me spell it out for you!"
"But we barely know each other! Besides, didn't you just come here so Roswaal could pay you for the oil?"
"I'll admit, I did partially come here with those intentions. But Natsuki-san, I owe you a lot as well. I mean, when you and Rem-san offered to buy that oil I couldn't get rid of otherwise, it was a literal miracle! I was seriously going to go bankrupt and lose my job as a merchant forever if you two hadn't come by at that time! Then your group saved me from the Witch's Cult when they captured me. I seriously thought I was going to die! Then you even agreed to allow me to have a personal audience with Roswaal-sama just so I could ensure I would get paid for the oil. Seriously, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me. But still, even if none of that ever happened, I really do think of you as a friend Natsuki-san. You tease me more than I'd like you to, but I think that's just how it is when friends are really close with each other.
"Otto…" Subaru is struck speechless at his speech. Were these really his true feelings?
"If you have any doubts about his words at all Subaru-kun, I'll personally vouch for him as he said the same thing about you to me. I believe he really means everything he says." Rem says. Having seen Otto's heartfelt feelings twice now, she really wants him and Subaru to get along as close friends from now on. He could use as many allies as he can get.
Suddenly, Subaru starts to laugh loudly.
"W-What?" Otto is scared he said something weird to incite this sort of reaction.
"Subaru-kun?" Rem looks at him curiously. A smile slowly forms on her face as her heart warms at seeing him laughing like a child. This is the first time she's seen him genuinely happy in quite some time.
"Hahahahaha!" He wipes a few tears away from his face from laughing so hard. "O-Oh. Sorry! It's just…Otto just wanted to be friends with me!" He pats Otto's shoulder roughly a few times while continuing to laugh, but not as intensely as before.
"Ow! That hurts!" Otto complains, still super embarrassed by his reaction. "Dang it! I never should've said anything if you were going to react like this!" He pouts and turns his head while crossing his arms.
This only causes Subaru to bellow in laughter once more. "Hahahaha! I-I'm so s-sorry, it's not you. I'm just floored at how stupid I was to not realize it earlier! I promise, you're not crazy or anything! I'm so exasperated with myself I have to laugh!"
"S-Subaru-kun…" Now that Rem understands the true reason for his laughter, she's conflicted on whether she should feel happy or sorry for him.
Once Subaru calms himself down, he lets out a giant sigh to release the last bit of pent up laughter within himself. He then says, "Sorry. But man, that felt good! Thanks for letting me laugh like that." Placing a hand on Otto's shoulder, he says with newfound seriousness, "You really are my friend Otto. Thanks for coming with Rem-tan to save me. I really do appreciate that."
He initially stares at Subaru with a dumbfounded look on his face. Eventually that turns into a wide smile, "You're very welcome Natsuki-san!"
"Interesting…" A young female voice rings out to everyone, clearly intrigued. Everyone quickly turns towards the source and finds a short pink-haired girl wearing a white robe tied up in chains lying on the floor.
"Hold up! Ryuzu Shima was here the whole time?!" Subaru shouts in shock at the girl who's been listening in on the conversation the whole time without saying a word.
"I'm sorry Subaru-kun! I thought you already saw her when we came out, so I didn't say anything."
"Um…you're not planning to do anything crazy with her, right?" Subaru nervously asks. Because while she and Garfiel are the ones responsible for kidnapping and imprisoning him, he couldn't really blame them that much for their suspicion. He didn't really understand why they were so against him taking the trials in Emilia's place. However, he could understand their apprehension due to the miasma oozing out of him.
She shakes her head, "No. I won't do something you disapprove of Subaru-kun. She simply locked you…no, she was a partner in crime in locking and tying you up. She's merely getting what she deserves by now being tied up herself. I'd like to question her but that'll have to wait. Otto-san, please take her back to the village and bring her to Nee-sama. Tell her what happened here tonight and that an eye needs to be kept on her. Try to not run into Garfiel-san on the way back."
"Um…are you certain this is the best idea?" Otto asks. "What would happen if we did run into him?"
"Sorry, but I don't have any better ideas right now. At the very least, I don't think it's safe for you to be here alone with her. I would head back with you but…"
Otto smiles, "I know, you need to talk with him. Well, I'll do the best I can then. She seems light enough to carry."
He goes over to Ryuzu who has been silently listening to the conversation. She lets out a small gasp upon being picked up all of a sudden. "Yep, light as a feather. Well, we're off, don't take forever now!"
"Thank you." Rem gives a small bow of appreciation to him. She's a little surprised Ryuzu put forth no resistance in being taken away. Perhaps she knew it was fruitless from the start to resist.
Once they get a considerable distance away, Rem turns to Subaru. "Subaru-kun."
"Y-Yes?" He stifles his response a little. Throughout the past few minutes he's been thoroughly surprised by how Rem has behaved. She's always been a dutiful and diligent person who is capable of leading others and performing various tasks masterfully. Tonight though, while she's as dutiful and diligent as ever, Subaru thought that her actions were more aggressive and assertive than usual.
"How…how do I start this…um…" She fidgets her hair. Now Rem's firm persona has completely melted away as if it never existed.
"Rem-tan...has your head been bleeding?" Subaru notices the dried blood on her scalp. He didn't see it earlier due to being in such a dark room and focusing on his conversation with Otto.
"Oh! Um…" She had completely forgotten about it. "Yeah, it did earlier, but it stopped a while ago."
"What happened?"
"Well I…" She didn't exactly want to admit she had been pulling out her hair due to her panic attack earlier. Nevertheless, she did say that she'd tell him everything. So she shall, "I pulled so hard on my hair earlier that it ripped out and the skin along with it, causing it to bleed."
"Was it because…because of what I said back in Roswaal's room? If so, I'm so sorry. I was being selfish, wishing that-"
"Subaru-kun." She grips his hand and gives it a tight squeeze. He looks into her eyes, or more specifically her left eye. Her beautiful light blue eye has such a mysterious charm to it yet it shows much courageousness. "You were not being selfish. You had a perfectly reasonable desire and I know you had my feelings in mind when you said you wanted my and Nee-sama's help. I can't say for Nee-sama, but as for me, I'll happily help you with whatever it is you wish to accomplish."
"Thank you Rem, you're really reliable, you know that?" He rubs her head affectionately while giving a large grin."
"I don't know about that, with how I behaved earlier…"
"Please forget I ever said that. I had no idea it'd make you so upset. If you could somehow forget that…"
"NO!" She shouts, her rebuttal being much louder than she ever intended it to be. She brings her hands to her mouth for a moment in shock. Then, in a normal voice, "I'm so sorry for my outburst! It's just…I don't want to forget what happens between us, not anymore."
"Rem-tan?" Subaru calls her name perplexingly, not fully sure what she's implying.
"The trials…I'll tell you why I freaked out when you mentioned them. It…it all started with the second trial…"
"The second trial? But you haven't taken that one, or the first for that matter." Subaru says.
It seems like a fairly normal reply to her words, but Rem could detect a tiny quiver in his voice.
"T-Technically…no…I haven't." She draws out her words as she tries to ease her way into the main topic, and the reason she wants, no, needs to talk with him in the first place. Her heart pounds as she tries to find the right words to say that will both not trigger the taboo to occur that causes Emilia to die and that will allow Subaru to slowly realize what she knows about his deep dark secret. If she's being honest with herself, she's feeling a little hesitant to talk about this at all as she is afraid of how he will respond to her newfound knowledge. But she presses on, "But um…I feel like I have."
"You…feel like you have?" He repeats. Before I died, that's definitely what she was doing. I have no doubt about that. But why is she feeling like she has? Does she…does she somehow…remember? No, there's no way that could be the case. When has anyone ever remembered my failed loops? He asks, "Was it like a dream?"
"It felt too real to be a dream." She admits in a rather soft and somber voice. "It felt way too real…"
"What…what happened in that second trial?" He slowly asks. The level of adrenaline flowing throughout his body skyrockets as he feels what Rem is trying to say is way more serious than he ever thought it was going to be.
"I…um…" Sweat begins to form on her forehead, trying to formulate an appropriate response to his question. "The trial was about us Subaru-kun. It was showing many adventures we had together."
"Really? Oh! Like the time we made mayo together? Or the time we giggled like idiots all throughout the night talking about mundane things? Oh! Maybe it showed our recent fight with the White Whale! That was really epic!" Subaru brings up many of the happy and precious memories he and Rem shared together. Partially because he loves to recall them, and partially to help lighten the mood."
"Those were all wonderful things. I'm so happy I got to do all of that with you." She agrees with him. "However, that's…not exactly what I saw in that trial."
Sensing the mood having gone sullen once more, Subaru unconsciously straightens his neck preparing for whatever she is going to say next. "What did you see if it wasn't those things?"
"I…saw us doing things I didn't recognize. I saw us doing things that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember them. It was…really strange."
N-No way. It can't be… Subaru gulps. "What…what did you see exactly?"
Will…will one example do it? Rem wonders. She tilts her head down as has trouble facing Subaru head on to answer his question. "One of the things I saw was…it was you, me, and Otto-san. We…we were riding a carriage. And then, the White Whale attack us, and then…" She can't bring herself to continue any further as tears begin to flow down her face.
That's more than enough for Subaru to realize what exactly she saw. If he wasn't wrong in his deduction, then she saw the loop where Otto left him to die and the White Whale's fog erased Rem from everyone's memories. He tried to tell Emilia about his Return by Death ability only to have her die in front of his very eyes. Since then, he had sworn to never attempt to bring up Return by Death with anyone ever again. The witch clearly didn't want anyone to know about this curse-like ability of his.
"Then…why…" He mumbles out. Why was Rem shown a scene from one of his failed loops? What exactly did Echidna wish for her to see in that trial? Wait a minute. If Echidna showed Rem a scene from one of his failed loops:
"Does Echidna…know?" He whispers out, unable to fathom that someone other than him and the witch would know about his ability.
Rem barely hears his whisper. A few moments later, she slowly nods and whispers back, "Yes. And…I know too."
His heart feels like it stops beating upon hearing those words. Rem knows? What? How? Why? Is that even possible? This is unbelievable. He must be dreaming. He must be. This can't be real. He'll wake up soon, right?
"...what?"
Rem's tears pour down like a waterfall as she nods once more. It takes a lot of willpower within her, but she manages to say it once more. "I know…I know about that."
"How…?" By this point, Subaru's brain is not really cognitively functioning anymore. It was way too fantastical. Rem actually knowing about his ability without suffering any consequences? Please, he could come up with way more realistic but still unbelievable fantasies.
Rem grips his hands, "I…I know you're confused as to how or why I know. Even I don't fully understand it. We can't discuss it here…but I know where we can. Subaru-kun, I'm sorry for dropping something major like this on you but…I promise that just like on that day, you'll be able to pour your heart out to me if you wish to. I'll listen to absolutely everything you have to say."
Then…you will decide if you want me to remain by your side, or if you want to cast me away forever. I'll be fine with either answer.
Standing up and helping Subaru to his feet, who is still very much out of it, she looks towards her next destination. To the west is the initial ruin Subaru and Rem found in the Sanctuary and it is where they first met Echidna.
"We have a disgusting tea party to attend." Rem declares as she and Subaru begin walking towards their destination.
-Author's Corner-
A/N: Wow! Chapter 20 already! Thank you so much to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this fanfic up to this point! Each and every one of them is greatly appreciated!
As for the chapter itself, I don't have that much to say this time. It's time for Subaru and Rem's major talk. I'm not sure how long it will be, but that will likely be most of if not the entire focus of the next chapter.
I found Rem and Ryuzu's conversation to be rather interesting to write about. I feel like the Ryuzu clones in general more or less tend to go with the flow (well, I know the ones with no personality go with the flow completely, but I'm talking about the ones with personalities) and don't put up a lot of direct resistance.
Arkadian97: Yes. Rem can remember the loop that she took the second trial in along with any future loops.
danielsantiago4545: Thank you! Indeed, Otto is a great bro! Hehe yep, Rem ain't all that happy to learn Garfiel is also behind this!
demon god noir: Thanks! Yeah, I find it really strange that Otto doesn't show up whatsoever. Rem at least would make sense since she technically was supposed to be consumed by Gluttony but Subaru stopped that from happening. Glad you enjoyed Rem and Otto's conversation! Yeah, it's definitely Subaru's decision to make regarding whether Rem should stay by his side or not. Otto helped her understand that. As for the scent, Rem can't smell him from incredibly long distances but if she's close enough, she can most definitely track him as she did here.
Dovahking2023: Haha yeah I suppose it's something like that! Rem could easily turn the tide any which way! As for a big reveal…well, just wait and see.
Maximum Rhapsody: Yeah, we'll have to wait for a little while longer for a proper conflict between them. Otto and Frederica huh…might be worth looking into! But yeah, lots of stuff going on! Let's see how Rem navigates through it all.
Jason 4Rever: Thank you! I'm very happy to hear that. Roswaal may start getting more direct with his methods soon. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Spidergy: Thank you! You're right that Rem and Subaru are very similar. I didn't realize when I initially wrote the last chapter that Subaru and Otto have a somewhat similar conversation later on. So that was an interesting parallel! I'll keep what you said about Subaru in mind. While I do think Subaru thinks more highly of himself here compared to his canon equivalent at this point in the story, he still loathes himself quite a bit, always feeling he could do better than he currently is. Yeah, Subaru isn't going to confront Roswaal for right now. His and Rem's conversation takes high priority. And like you said, he hasn't figured out that Beatrice has a Tome of Wisdom. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Iseepandas: Thank you very much! I'm really glad Rem's inclusion in arc 4 doesn't feel unnatural or forced. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!