-Trial Ruins-
Subaru has Returned by Death yet again.
He lays on the floor, unmoving. Not a single sound is uttered. That is, until a couple seconds later, when a finger begins to twitch. Then two, then three, and then his entire hand. Then his other hand, and finally his entire body as he struggles to upright himself.
"Agh…agh…" He pants over and over. Slowly and delicately, he runs his hands over his body, confirming everything is intact. It feels like they shouldn't exist. He got consumed wholly and completely by those rabbit devils. Not a bone remained within his body. He could feel himself being eaten alive in the worst way possible. Slowly being erased from this world. Except Return by Death made sure that would not come to pass.
"Aa…ah…AGH!" His breathing, erratic and sparse, gradually gets worse as he recalls more of what he just went through. And that girl, that blue-haired girl by his side. The one who failed to save herself and him from those devils.
"Rem…Rem…REM!" Having reminded himself of that girl who has stuck with him through thick and thin, no matter what, even during his last moments, is out there.
She's out there, having just experienced the exact same horror he did. He has to find her. He has to find her now. Immediately. He can't let her be alone for a second. He would absolutely sully his father's name if he wallowed in his own grievances right now.
Also, he desperately desires her presence and her warmth. He desires to hear her heart beating soundly, to hear her voice, and to see her beautiful sky-blue eyes. He'll do anything to see and feel those loveable traits of her again. So to do that:
He runs. He gets up and runs like a drunken man. All while shouting her name. Once he leaves, Emilia, who was next to him lying down until he left, having forgotten all about her, begins to stir.
"Mm…" Emilia slowly lifts herself using her hands. "Subaru…" she mumbles, feeling like she just heard his voice but isn't fully certain. Opening her eyes, she looks around to find she's all alone.
"Ah…" Her pupils shrink. "Puck!" She squeaks. "Puck! Puck! Please! Help me! Puck!" Her squeaks evolve into full blown screams.
-Ruin Entrance-
"Rem! Rem! Rem! I'm coming! Rem!" Subaru continues to try as he makes his way to Patrasche as fast as possible.
The three people who have been waiting for Subaru and Emilia to return, Ram, Otto, and Garfiel, stare at him with dumbfounded expressions.
"Natsuki-san?! What's wrong?" Otto is the first to break out of his stupor and shouts his concern for him.
"Barusu! Why are you calling my sister's name? Where's Emilia-sama? What happened?" Ram calls out to him too.
He responds to neither of them and keeps going, solely focused on one goal and one goal only.
Ram blocks his path in an attempt to force him to focus on her, but he simply pushes her out of the way. Normally she would retaliate against such an action, but that is the last thing she expected him to do.
With no one stopping him, he approaches Patrasche successfully, "East. Get to Rem. Now!"
The ground dragon steed can sense her master is not playing around and really means it when he says "now". He quickly unties her reins from the carriage she's attached to and in response lowers herself to make it easier for Subaru to get on.
"My amazin' self has a bad feelin' about this…" Garfiel says in a low and somewhat quiet voice as he observes Subaru taking his hasty leave.
"You and I both." Ram returns to the two and nods her head. "Otto, stay here and wait for Emilia-sama to return. Garf, come with me."
"Um…alright!" Otto nervously replies, not exactly sure how to take in the current situation.
"As ya wish miss!" Garfiel smiles, displaying his full set of sharpened tiger teeth. "If he's gonna do anythin' strange to your sis' I'm gonna be the first one to pummel at 'im!"
Ram shakes her head, "No, I'll be the first one to castrate Barusu should he be doing anything against her will. Let's go, or we'll lose him quickly."
Garfiel nods and the two take off, leaving Otto to await Emilia's return.
-Small Field-
"You're here, just as Onee-sama said."
Rem, initially standing up upon being teleported back in time, instantly collapses onto the ground. Her whole body trembles, in fear that it doesn't exist and it only looks like she has a full body.
She screams at seemingly random for a few seconds, having just recalled what happened to her mere seconds ago.
"Ah…" Finally gaining an understanding that her body may actually not be a pile of flesh and bones right now, she slowly moves her hands to her face and rubs it. Then her nose, her eyes, her ears, her mouth, and finally her hair.
"Ahaha…" Smiling in a crazed fashion, Rem proceeds to do the same with her chest, stomach, legs, feet, butt, and back as much as she's able to reach. Her breathing intensifies and her heart beats faster as she continues to check. She confirms that every square inch of her body is intact with not a wound in sight. And there is not a lick of pain anywhere anymore.
"Ahahaha…what…what…"
What just happened. Is what she wants to say, but her mind cannot articulate these words to her mouth to speak them. She had just been through the most horrific and tortuous pain she's ever felt in her life. Those rabbits chewed, gnawed, and gnashed at every single part of her body, including even her bones with no regard to how she felt. She could see her life flash before her eyes before actually dying.
"I…I…"
I died.
For the first time, Rem has died, went back in time, and remembered how she died. She remembers her previous loop perfectly. Everything up to her death. This actually isn't the first time she's died and remembered her past loop, but her last death was so quick and instant she barely felt like she died. She felt a sharp pain for but a brief moment. That was it. It was over after that. All she saw was black until she realized she was in that, or rather, this field again.
And now, she would feel a sharp pain again. Yet this time, it lingered.
Widening her eyes immensely and yelping, she quickly shifts her head to the right to see what in the world is causing her that terrible pain. A black dog looking creature comes into view. It has just taken a huge bite into the side of her chest.
"Wow, I thought you would make this difficult but you just collapsed and screamed all of a sudden. That's a big no-no to do in front of your enemies!" The girl that has stood here before Rem numerous times before, Meili says to her. "Even if you call for allies, it'll do you no good. As long as I have my pets, I will slaughter each and everyone who dares to interrupt my mission!"
"Y-You…" Rem tries to lift herself up, but is unable to find the strength in her arms to do so. The pain of having the side of her chest eaten, while not nearly as excruciatingly painful as being eaten by dozens of rabbits at once, still hurts an absolute ton. Not that it matters much in the end, as the phantom pain of being eaten by rabbits still very much persists.
"REM!" A howl can be heard in the distance. It then repeats, much louder this time. Then again.
Rem's heart flutters when that voice rings in her ears, belonging to no one but her beloved. She rolls over in order to see the face of that precious person.
"N-NO! Am I too late?!" Subaru, who pushed Patrasche to her utmost limits, instantly gets off of her and examines Rem's condition. He gasps upon seeing her wound. "No! Rem-rin! I'm so sorry! I was too slow!"
"S-Subaru-kun…" She gives him a strained smile, wanting to tell him she's going to be fine. But she couldn't. Her mouth refused to form the words for such a blatant lie.
"Get him!" Meili, keeping her distance in the back to make sure she's not seen, orders her next attack.
A Wagpig charges out from behind a tree it was hiding behind in the shadows of the night. Subaru notices a hair too late, yet he attempts to push away Rem at the last second, when:
"El Fura!"
A wind blade traveling at extremely high speeds comes and slices the head of the Wagpig like butter.
"Wah?!" Subaru quickly flips his head around, having missed the blade by mere inches himself, to see the Wagpig's body stumble and fall over, lifeless. Turning back around, he sees Ram and Garfiel approach.
"Hah…" Ram pants a little.
"Why the heck are there mabeasts prowlin' 'round out 'ere?! The barrier usually discourages any from approachin'!" Garfiel growls in irritation. Smelling the air around him, he notices there are more hiding away in the forest and pinpoints their location with accuracy. With a roar, he chases after them, deeming them the largest threat.
Ram kills a few Wolgarms that attempt to approach her, Subaru and Rem. Upon doing so she quickly kneels down to Rem's level. Subaru does the same.
"Rem! Can you hear me? We need to return you to Roswaal-sama right away!" Having seen her wound, she could automatically tell it was no minor wound. Blood continues to pour out, although the rate at which it is pouring has slowed down a bit.
"Ah…" Rem, having the look of a person who's been traumatized, slowly puts a hand back and clumsily places it over her wound. She flinches at the contact between the exposed flesh and her hand. A small white light shines over the wound, and soon said wound closes up, though it does take quite a bit out of her.
"Rem…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If I hadn't…well…you know…then you wouldn't have…" Subaru begins to regret telling her about Return by Death. Sure, he may have been unable to prevent what she had seen in her second trial, but it was totally his fault with everything he told her afterwards. Now, presumably as a result of knowing Return by Death, Rem is now capable of remembering past loops, including the unimaginably painful death.
Subaru has been through a lot of painful and horrific deaths up until this point. Being sliced open, jumping off a cliff, dying in his sleep due to a curse, having his body taken over by an archbishop, there's seemingly no end to the cruel and unique ways he's died. But this most recent one makes all the others laughably simple and easy by comparison. Being slowly eaten and consumed, piece by piece, until there is nothing left; all while feeling every part of his body being torn off and gnawed, that was a horror in and of itself. The pain and agony he felt as he died was something he could've never imagined, even if he tried. It was enough to nearly break him, even for all the "experience" he's had with death so far..
So for Rem to experience the exact same thing as him at only her second death, he couldn't imagine her successfully coping with it. And for that, his heart shatters, because she now has to live with the knowledge of what it feels like to have her body torn apart and eaten bit by bit. Knowledge that could very well torment her from here on out.
I know Rem-rin told me we'd go through our difficult journey together. But this…she should've never had to experience this. Especially now that she remembers what happened. I can't apologize enough. I'm sorry Rem…I wish I hadn't…
"Can you stand?" Ram asks her.
"Rabbits…hate them…Subaru-kun…I'm sorry I couldn't…" Rem mumbles, not hearing Ram's question.
"Why the hell are you apologizing?!" Subaru shouts at her. "You know that wasn't your fault!"
However, Subaru's words fall on deaf ears, as Rem passes out at that moment from exhaustion.
"Barusu, I thought you were going crazy when you were panicking and going after Rem. Yet your worries were somehow completely on point. You seem to know something about what happened to her. I can sense her emotions and I must admit, it is quite worrying to me what I'm feeling from her. I have a lot of questions for you. I sure hope you can answer them adequately." Ram's eyes narrow at Subaru. He can sense she is not playing around whatsoever.
He scoops Rem up onto his back and responds, "Ram…it's…very complicated."
"I have time. Explain on the way back."
"I mean like, it's so complicated I don't think I can explain it well at all."
"I don't see how this situation here is all that complicated. But if you insist, then explain what you can and I can ask Rem for the rest later."
At that moment, as Subaru plans his next move, Garfiel returns, "I've picked them all clean! Shouldn't hafta worry 'bout no more of those gnarly things hurtin' any of us. Apparently there was some girl commandin' them from the looks of it. My amazin' self tried to capture her, but she flew away like the wind on one of 'em mabeasts!"
Ram closes her eyes for a brief moment and nods to herself, "I see, it's unfortunate we were unable to capture that girl who dared to attack my sister, but at least you got a good look at her. Tell me what she looks like."
"Aight! Well, so ya see, she's like this tall and…" Garfiel proceeds to explain to Ram as much about Meili's appearance as he could. Subaru internally breathes a sigh of relief that the topic managed to switch to something else. Trying to explain what the rabbits did would mean talking about what occurred in the last loop, and he is unsure if he is permitted to do that by Satella.
Wishing to take the safe route, he keeps his mouth shut and lets Ram and Garfiel converse all the way back to Roswaal's house.
"Subaru-kun! No! I'll save you! El Huma!" Rem, having found herself surrounded by an army of white rabbits with a singular horn on their heads, attempts to protect a cowering Subaru with all her might. Many icicles appear and strike dozens of rabbits that are charging at them.
"Please Rem-rin! Please defeat them all! I can't…I can't get eaten by them again! I don't wanna die again!" He cries and begs, holding onto one of her legs.
Tears flow down her eyes, their situation growing graver by the second. For every rabbit defeated, it seems another ten appear in its place.
"El Huma! El Huma! El Huma!" She screams the attacks out, striking hundreds of rabbits. But it's not enough, they just keep coming with no end in sight.
Suddenly, Subaru screams bloody murder. Instantly looking down, she realizes one of the rabbits somehow escaped her icicles and arrived without her noticing.
"Awargh!" With a roar, Rem grabs the attacking rabbit and throws it off Subaru. Then she strikes it mercilessly with her Morningstar numerous times as payback for harming her precious hero.
Unfortunately, isolating her target to a single rabbit allowed countless others to arrive unopposed. In only a matter of seconds, the two are immediately consumed as morbidly as possible.
-Roswaal's House-
With a scream, Rem instantly awakens and pulls herself up in a bed she must've been put in.
"Rem-rin!" Subaru, sitting next to her on a chair, calls her name and grabs her hand.
She pulls his hand in and buries his head in her chest, crying. She exclaims, "Subaru-kun! Subaru-kun! You're alive! You're…hk…alive…"
Ram, standing off to the side, gives a mixture of a confused and a worried expression as she observes her sister. She says nothing. Garfiel, having told Subaru and Ram that there is something he needs to take care of, is not present.
"Yes I am…and you are too. That's all that matters right now." Tears flow down his face too as he weakly smiles. Usually he'd be super embarrassed being in this sort of position, with his face pressed against her breasts, but he's simply elated and relieved to be able to see, feel, and hear her again.
They stay like this for quite a while, content to be in each other's embrace again after their grisly and ghastly death. Eventually, they separate and wipe the tears from their faces.
"How are you feeling?" Ram asks her sister as she approaches and lifts a blanket to reveal the leg where she was bitten by the mabeast. "Thankfully you were able to heal the wound that was inflicted onto your leg. Still, I took some precautions and wrapped a cloth around just in case."
"I feel a little better now. I…had a lapse in judgement and got bitten, that's all."
Subaru frowns, knowing that was far from everything that happened. Unfortunately, he knew that Rem would not be able to talk about what happened to her in the last loop. Technically she could try to, but it's unknown whether Satella would attempt to intervene or not. Even if she didn't, there's no point. Ram would have no idea what she's talking about since the rabbits haven't come yet in this loop.
Haven't come yet… Subaru ponders over this last thought that comes through. They've been at the Sanctuary for longer periods of time in previous loops and the rabbits never came to kill them. Why did they come this time? What attracted them to the Sanctuary? And why was the last loop the only time it's ever snowed? Was it some sort of natural phenomenon that was triggered under some special circumstances Subaru doesn't know about. Or did someone summon that snowstorm?
When Puck had to release his mana, snow covered both the ins and outs of the mansion. Just like here. Did Puck somehow come back? I don't know…I would've seen him if that was the case. Either way, it'd take a stupid huge amount of mana to make something like that snowstorm appear…
As Subaru continues to mull over this new obstacle that is not only beyond terrifying, but is also a major roadblock towards achieving his goal of saving everyone and freeing the Sanctuary. He needs to get to the bottom of this, and fast. And to do that, one of the many things he needs to gain a better understanding of is:
"That book…" He unknowingly mutters this aloud.
"That book? What are you talking about Barusu?" Ram, who has just finished checking up on Rem's physical condition to make sure there are no other injuries, asks for clarification.
"Oh, uh…nothing." He sheepishly replies.
"Subaru-kun." Rem, knowing exactly what he means unlike her sister, calls his name and beckons him to come closer. Once he does, she whispers in his ear. "I believe you should ask Roswaal about it."
"Me? What about you? Don't you want to know?"
"Yes…but he won't tell me. If I'm there, he'll deny knowing about it. If you go, he may tell you."
"Why would he ever tell me about something that is likely precious to him?"
"I don't know, but ever since you've arrived he's been strangely interested in you. He's always had a strange amount of faith in you, and we heard that out of his own mouth recently. I feel like if you ask him, he'll tell you."
"Ok, but hide somewhere where you can listen in."
"Understood."
They then separate from each other. Subaru glances over to Ram, who's been giving him a rather sharp expression. No doubt she finds their whole exchange suspicious.
"Barusu, I can take care of Rem from here. Go check on Emilia-sama. I'm sure if she's not currently asleep that she'd like to see you."
"Oh!" He exclaims. When they were on their way back to Roswaal's home, Otto, was looking for them, informed them that Emilia was resting at the house she, him, Subaru, and Rem are staying at. "Sorry Rem-rin, but I need to go see if she's alright."
"Please don't apologize. As Nee-sama said, she'll stay with me for a little while. Go check on her."
"Thanks. Well I'll-"
"Wait Barusu. If Rem got bitten, then doesn't that mean she's been cursed by the mabeast? We need to take her to Beatrice-sama as soon as possible. Don't take too long with Emilia-sama."
Subaru's eyes widen in horror, "That's right! I need to take her to Beatrice right away!"
"No, it's alright Subaru-kun."
"But-" He attempts to refute her.
"I haven't felt any symptoms as of yet. Curses are slow acting, aren't they? One visit to Emilia-sama shouldn't hurt. Go see her and then we can discuss seeing Beatrice-sama."
"I…"
"Go." Rem says in a more stern voice.
"Alright." Subaru says in a defeated tone. He turns and leaves the room. Once he does, Ram faces her sister.
"Rem, I know you're still recovering, so I hate to be troublesome like this, but I have a lot of questions. First, what did you talk with Barusu about just now?" Making her way over to the chair Subaru was just sitting in, she takes a seat. "I don't know why you two had to whisper like that."
"Nee-sama…" Rem stares at her with a clear look of guilt etched on her face. "I…I can't tell you."
"What? Why is that? I'm your older sister. We lived together, played together, and survived through that terrible night together. We've faithfully served Roswaal-sama all these years. And we've even been in sync with our words. I'm sure there's a handful of things we've kept from one another, but we're family. If something is bothering you, you can tell me. You don't have to only tell Barusu."
"Listen Nee-sama, it's not like I don't want to tell you. It's…extremely complicated."
"I have time to listen." Ram gives a small smile as she leans in, expecting to hear Rem explain everything.
Rem looks down and frowns, twiddling her fingers. She's silent for a little while before responding with, "...I'm sorry. This…is a secret between me and Subaru-kun. I cannot tell anyone else about it. Not even you."
Ram clicks her tongue a little and mumbles, "Is that so?"
"Yes. …Please, don't ask any further about it."
"...At least answer me this. Is Barusu making you do something dangerous?"
Rem subconsciously turns her head and refuses to answer. Unfortunately for her, silence in and of itself is an answer.
"I see. That little…" Lowering her eyebrows, Ram gets up from the chair.
"Nee-sama, it's not what you're thinking! Subaru-kun is not at fault for any of this. I chose this path for myself."
"What do you mean by that? You're intending to stand by Barusu's side? Even if that means putting yourself in danger?"
In a soft voice, she replies, "Yes. Exactly. Anyone who dares to harm Subaru-kun, I will make sure they fully regret it. He's been through so much already."
"Rem, as much as it annoys me to say it, the only thing that ever really went wrong for Barusu is that time he got cursed by the mabeasts and you recklessly went out and attacked them in an attempt to remove the curse."
Hearing just how ignorant Ram is of Subaru's suffering, regardless of the fact she'd have no way of knowing what happened in his failed loops, makes her grit her teeth and clench her fists. "You have no idea."
"What?"
"I said you have no idea!" Suddenly, Rem raises her voice at her twin sister, causing her to flinch and widen her eyes. "You have absolutely no idea of what Subaru-kun has suffered through! Have you taken nearly as much time to get to know him as I have? No, no you haven't! So don't speak as if you know everything about him!"
"Yes, that is true. I haven't spent nearly as much time with him because I quite frankly don't want nor care to. But Rem, don't you think you're sticking to him and spoiling him way too much?"
"Huh?"
She sighs, "Ever since that mabeast incident, I've found that rarely a day has gone by where you don't stick to him like glue. Constantly asking his opinion of various things, doing whatever he asks of you, provided it didn't clash with what Roswaal-sama or Emilia-sama ordered, always praising him, even when his talents are largely unimpressive. And one time, I heard from Roswaal-sama that you snuck into his room and fell asleep in a chair by his bed.
"W-What?! How did he figure that out?" Rem is somewhat mortified at having been found out by her master. Coughing, she resumes, "A-Anyway. Yes, I won't deny any of what you said. I did all that because I believed he deserved it, not because I wanted to spoil him. Well…" Her face blushes slightly, "Ok, I do want to spoil him, but that's not the primary reason. If Subaru-kun ever did anything he wasn't supposed to, you have my word I would take the necessary actions to right the behavior. As my hero, he deserves at least that much from me."
"You're sounding more like his mother than anything right now." Ram says. "And I highly doubt Barusu wants that."
Rem shakes her head, "I believe myself to be his attendant. Roswaal…sama had ordered me to look after Subaru-kun back when we arrived at the capital as his attendant. He has never officially retracted the order. As such, it is still my duty to look after him."
Now including an official reason for why Rem has been serving and assisting Subaru, Ram found it harder to refute her words. Of course she still largely believes her sister is acting the way she is with Subaru simply because she wants to. But she's right, until Roswaal rescinds that command or gives her a new one to replace it, she's to continue looking after Subaru.
After all, Roswaal-sama had also asked me to assist Barusu if necessary. But if Rem can fulfill that….and also, why did she stall on Roswaal-sama's title?
"I see. Then I have nothing more to say on that. But please be mindful of how you conduct yourself around him. We don't want to cause any unnecessary problems for him nor Roswaal-sama. Speaking of Roswaal-sama, I should check in on him. His bandages may need changing. I'll be back later to check in on you. But for now, rest up."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Nee-sama."
Ram leaves the room.
I feel…if that conversation went even a little bit differently, a major fight would've broken out. I wanted to ask her about the Tome of Wisdom but… Rem is unsure whether it's because she didn't trust Ram enough to not tell Roswaal about it, or if she was too afraid to ask. Afraid that she's going to reveal something rather unpleasant that she's known about Roswaal or that book or perhaps both for years and has neglected to tell her all this time. If such a dark secret exists, she doesn't know what she'll do. Although, she finds it hard to imagine anything topping being eaten alive by dozens of white rabbits as the worst thing she's ever experienced in her life. The only things she can think of that would be even more devastating would be losing either Ram or Subaru permanently.
Wishing to forget about that horrible death in its entirety, she tosses and turns back and forth while whimpering in an attempt to get some sleep.
-Emilia's Room-
"Thanks for coming, Subaru." Emilia welcomes Subaru's visit. "Also, thanks for staying with me Otto-kun. I'm sorry to have troubled you like this."
Otto, who's been sitting in a chair near the bed to keep Emilia company, shakes his head, "It's no problem Emilia-sama. I knew Natsuki-san would come eventually to see you. And now that he has, I'll leave you two be."
"For being a merchant, you're quite useful Otto." Subaru smiles at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" He asks in offense.
He laughs a little, "Sorry, sorry. That was a joke. I'm really grateful to you. If you weren't there, no one would have been with Emilia-tan. I'll treat ya to something later, alright?"
"O-oh…ok!" Otto rubs the back of his green merchant cap nervously. "If you're sure, then I accept! Now then, I'm gonna go!"
Otto swiftly sneaks around Subaru and closes the door, trying to keep his face hidden from Subaru the whole time.
Subaru approaches Emilia and sits in the chair Otto was in moments ago, "I'm sorry for leaving you like that Emilia-tan."
"You were in that ruin too? But how? I thought only half-bloods could enter."
"I guess I got a special entry or something. But anyway! Enough about me. How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling better now. But I find it really strange."
"What's strange?"
"Puck…he still hasn't been responding to my calls all evening. I know I'm being reeeaally selfish since this is usually when he sleeps. But…he hasn't responded to me for a few days now and I don't know what's going on. I can usually call him out at any time when it's an emergency. This time…"
"No luck huh?" Subaru frowns. I really feel bad for Emilia-tan but at the same time it might be better if he doesn't come out.
He quite possibly could've been the cause of that snowstorm that attracted all the cold blood killing machines. If so, he wanted to avoid that outcome at all costs. There's also the fact that Rem abhors him now, so he'd like the two to avoid meeting. At least for the time being. Rem is often able to keep her temper in place, especially during diplomatic or political meetings, but she does sometimes react purely on her emotions. That is one of the many things he loves about her, but it could also prove troublesome.
"Yes…" Emilia frowns and touches the green crystal that the cat-like spirit resides in. No reaction occurs when she presses her finger against the shiny material. "Did I do something to upset him? Something so bad to where he won't talk to me? If so, I want to make it right! I can't stand the silence."
"No, I doubt that. He cares way too much about you to up and abandon you for no reason. We just don't know what's happening with him. Can I ask you a favor?"
"What is it?"
"I'd like to ask you to not bring up Puck around Rem."
"Huh? Why? I don't think they ever talked much, but their relationship isn't bad."
"It's a really complicated situation that I don't want to get into right now. I just wanted to tell you because I know you care a lot about other people's feelings."
"I do care about her feelings. Speaking of her, how is she? I only heard a little from Otto, as he didn't seem to know much himself, but I think she maybe in trouble?"
He nods, "Yeah, but don't worry, she's fine now. Just a little attack from some mabeasts that could be repelled. Though they did end up biting one of her legs. Thankfully she-"
"What?!" Emilia shouts, horrified, "Doesn't that mean she's cursed?!"
"We're going to see Beako as soon as we can! I wanted to check on you before we head off! I can't go without knowing Emilia-tan is safe and in good health."
"Subaru…" Emilia is very touched by his words, placing a hand to her chest. She then shakes her head, "I'm fine! I'll be alright. You need to go see Rem and make sure she gets to Beatrice! Now shoo, shoo!" She flicks a hand towards the door a couple times before she pauses, "Unless I can help in some way. Sadly I can't exactly go with you to the mansion…"
Subaru laughs a little, "Emilia-tan is so cute when she tries to get me to leave like that."
She puffs out her cheeks in irritation, "You're not taking me seriously!"
"No I am! It's just…you always put me at ease when we get to talk. Don't worry, all I need from you is that angelic smile of yours and that'll raise my spirits instantly. Anyway, I'll be going back now, see you later!"
Leaving the room, Emilia shakes her head and smiles to herself. "Subaru is such a dunderhead sometimes." Still, his presence did make her feel a lot better.
"I hope Rem will be alright." She mutters as she lays down and attempts to get some sleep, giving up on calling out Puck tonight. She plans to try again in the morning.
What does Rem have against him? Did he do something bad that I don't know of? Mulling over those thoughts, she also plans to ask Puck if anything happened between him and Rem.
-Rem's Room-
"D-D-Deep breaths…deep breaths…come on Rem, you're a strong girl." Sitting up in her bed and trembling, Rem attempts to steady her breathing to calm herself down. "Forget about the r-rabbits…forget the horrible, mind-bending, unbearable pain-"
She is interrupted by a knock on the door. "C-Come in."
"I'm back Rem-rin." Subaru says upon entering and closing the door behind him. He looks around the room, "Where's Ram?"
"Oh…she had to attend to Roswaal. So I'm by myself right now."
"While you're like this?" Subaru asks, astonished Ram would leave her like this when it's clear beyond a shadow of a doubt she's not doing that well. After asking this, he sits down in the chair.
Noticing his shift of tone, Rem responds, "I think you told me once before that you don't like to show your weak and pathetic side to Emilia-sama, right? Well, I'm the same way with Nee-sama. I really don't like appearing as a weak and unreliable younger sister. I've caused her so much trouble back when we lived at the village and even when we moved into the mansion."
"Rem." Subaru furrows his brows in slight frustration, "I thought we've been over this about your sister. She's happy just the way you are."
"I know. I know. It's just…old habits die hard, you know? I'm not trying to aspire to be like Nee-sama anymore, but I still don't want to disappoint her."
"I get it, and I agree with you on that, but don't undermine your own self-worth in the process. Then it'll just all be for nothing."
"I see, thanks Subaru-kun." She gives a slight nod and a smile. "Hey…sorry to ask, but can I hold your hand?"
He chuckles a little, "Gladly." He offers his right and she takes it with her left. Silence befalls the two for a little as they take in the warmth of each other's hand until Subaru speaks up again, "Rem-rin, I…about what happened…"
"Stop." Rem replies sternly, "Not another word. It's not your fault. It was beyond our control. Frankly I…don't know if I can ever forget it. I doubt you will be able to either. But what I do know…is that as long as I have you by my side, I can make it through anything without going insane."
Subaru is silent for a little while, until the curves of his lips turn upward and he says, "Same."
Rem gestures for him to come onto the bed, to which he complies. Then, she leans onto his back and begins to apply a sort of magic that is intended to calm the nerves and relax the body of the target.
"Rem-rin…I…I can't accept this if I'm the only one feeling good from this magic."
"It's alright." She reassures, "Doing this puts me at ease too. And besides, a little bit of the magic flows back to me after traveling through you. So, we're both experiencing the same thing."
"I-I see…" Subaru blushes a little at the thought of the same magic flowing through both of their bodies. As if their bodies had become one.
"Heh." Rem smirks, "Did you think of something naughty?"
"W-What?! N-No I-"
"It's fine. I'd be happy to do whatever you want Subaru-kun."
"S-Stop teasing! All that stuff is a long way off anyway. You know…till marriage and stuff…"
"So you'd consider doing it all after marriage?"
"I-I guess…"
Rem smiles widely and wraps her arms around his neck, "Then I will gleefully await that day!"
"Nothing's set in stone yet!" Subaru says, still not having fully dedicated himself to marrying Rem yet. Of course he deeply loves her. In fact, his feelings for Rem are quite likely stronger than his feelings for Emilia now after everything they've been through together. Still, his lingering feelings for Emilia have not gone away. Until he's able to sort out those feelings, he will remain unable to give Rem a straight answer.
The serene time they spend together greatly helps calm their souls, which were deeply scarred by their deaths to the Great Rabbit. Sadly, that time would soon have to come to an end. They discuss their next plan of action. Due to Rem having been very likely cursed by the Wolgarm earlier, they will have to make a visit to Beatrice as soon as possible.
It could be possible the curse no longer resides within Rem. Garfiel did kill a number of mabeasts and he may have killed the Wolgarm that bit Rem, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Since they both know it took Subaru about half a day or so for his curse to kick in, the sooner they get there, the better.
"Are you sure we should leave right now? We wanted to ask Roswaal about the book, remember?"
"Your health and well-being is way more important than some stupid book. Besides, Beako has a copy of it too. If we could somehow get her to agree to cooperate with us and tell us about the book…"
Flashback Start
Only about a minute into the ride, Ram calls for Subaru to come to the back.
"What is it?" He asks her.
"Hopefully it won't come to this, but if we run into Meili and the tides turn against us, there is someone we can turn to for assistance."
"Wait, really? Who?"
"Beatrice-sama."
Out of all the names he could've possibly expected to hear, Beatrice's was not one of them.
"Hold up, Beako? Really? Isn't she like a shut-in NEET with all those books she reads? Why would she help?"
She sighs, "Your usage of unfamiliar words irritates me, but yes. Roswaal-sama wanted me to give you this message. If you find yourself in a tight spot, turn to Beatrice-sama. Once you find her, tell her this, 'Roswaal said to ask the question'."
"Question?"
"I don't know the details, but when Beatrice-sama hears those exact words, everything will change. At least, according to Roswaal-sama."
"I see…" Subaru lowers his head and closes his eyes thoughtfully. What is this question Roswaal is talking about?
With that thought, he returns to the driver's seat.
Flashback End
"Subaru-kun…" Rem feels very touched at how much Subaru prioritizes her health and well-being.
"Wait! I got it!" He suddenly stands, surprising Rem a little.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Beako! I think I know a way to get her to help us!"
"How?"
"I'll explain on the way! Can you stand? Or should I carry you?"
"I can walk, a-although…" Her cheeks begin to blush a little.
Subaru smiles and slowly shakes his head to himself. Leaning down, he picks her up princess style.
"S-Subaru-kun?!" Her cheeks redden even more, though Subaru can't see them very well due to the room only being lit by a single candle.
"It's written all over your face. Besides, doing it like this will make less noise." With that the two quietly leave the room. While what Subaru said is indeed true, that's not the full story. He also picked her up simply because he wanted to. Being in close contact with her makes him feel more at ease. And if Rem's expressions and behavior is any indication, she feels the exact same way as him.
Without informing a single soul, the two find Patrasche and silently set out for Roswaal's mansion with the intent of both curing Rem from the curse and figuring out more about the Tome of Wisdom from Beatrice.
I prey I'm not forgetting anything important… Subaru thinks to himself, etching a small frown onto his face as they travel through the forest.
-Author's Corner-
A/N: Wow, so it's uh…been a month! Been difficult to figure out exactly how I wanted this chapter to play out, but I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. I hope the wait was worth it. I will say I didn't expect to write as much Subaru and Rem fluff for this chapter as I did. Though after what they went through with the rabbits, I'd say they deserve it.
I hope the character interactions are still satisfactory. I'll admit I was a little more worried than usual about how they'd turn out this chapter, especially Rem and Ram's talk. I have more conversations with them planned down the line.
Dovahking2023: Again, it's my headcanon. But yeah, I think it's a pretty good theory as well and one that's fun and interesting to explore. Haha, I'm sorry I had to make you read through that horrific death with the Great Rabbit, but it was necessary! I wanted Subaru and Rem to share something like that together. I believe it'll help make their bond stronger than ever, since Rem can now directly relate to Subaru in terms of his suffering. The only thing is to hope they don't become overly emotionally reliant on each other.
codywhite162: Thank you very much! I agree that the rabbit death was among the most disturbing in Re:Zero. However, I fear this will not be the last we'll see of disturbing deaths (in canon). Anyway, yes, I was quite happy to see that evil Great Rabbit get locked up in an entire freaking dimension of its own. Beatrice and Subaru can really use quite powerful magic when they have the mana for it.
Deathenglegamers1144: More Roswaal to come. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
demon god noir: Yikes indeed. And yeah, Rem is likely not gonna be all that happy if/when she figures out he ordered the assassins to come.
lancehol144: Cute, yet very deadly.
Maximum Rhapsody: This is definitely the worst experience Subaru and Rem have had so far. As for Rem joining the contract with Subaru and Beatrice, that will be impossible. First, Rem has no affinity with spirits as far as I know. Second, even if she did, I don't know of any instances of a spirit being contracted with multiple people. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's very likely that Beatrice can only contract to one person at a time. To answer about Subaru's gate, I'm not entirely sure but didn't canon say it's broken beyond repair? The only way he can expel mana now is through Beatrice.
danielsantiago4545: I don't know if I'm worthy of such praise, but thank you so much! I hope to continue providing quality chapters!
TheEndBoss: Thank you for your input about Rem-tan or Rem-rin! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!