AN: A new, separate POV has been added to the end of the Prologue
"So you're saying that Subawu just started acting really strange all of a sudden?"
"It is as you say, Master Ferris… While he does have a tendency to act rather unpredictably, this shift in behavior was especially drastic. And I can attest that I have never seen him do something close to… that before."
Rem grimaced as she remembered how Subaru, after continuously ignoring her, had started mumbling something to himself before falling to his knees with a look of total despair on his face and screaming at the top of his lungs. Naturally, everyone around had come to see what all the commotion was about and not even the stoic Rem could avoid blushing out of sheer embarrassment. Subaru's yelling had continued even as she'd picked him up and dashed back to the Karsten Manor. Even as Subaru's voice had given out, Rem had still been able to feel the vibrations of his silent screams. Fortunately, they seemed to have ceased not long before Rem brought Subaru to be examined by Ferris. From then, Subaru had just been staring into space while breathing heavily. What kind of unfathomable horrors could drive a man to such a wretched state?
"Witch…" Rem gnashed her teeth in anger, just barely able to hold back the demon horn trying to burst out of her forehead.
"Hmmmmm? Did you say something, meow?"
"Merely pondering something, Master Ferris. I apologize for interrupting your diagnosis."
Though she brushed it off as nothing, Rem couldn't shake the feeling that the Witch really was involved in the abrupt change to Subaru's demeanor. Not least because both times that Subaru began acting abnormally in front of Kadomon's shop had been preceded by a drastic increase in the Witch's foul stench. But if that were the case, there was nothing that Ferris would be able to do.
As if sensing that something was amiss, Ferris' cat ears twitched and he looked quizzically at Rem. She was determined not to let anything slip, lest it lead others to stigmatize Subaru for some supposed connection to the Witch. Rem maintained a neutral expression throughout. She believed Subaru had called it a 'poker face' at some point, though she still wasn't sure exactly what kind of animal a 'poker' was supposed to be.
"Ferri is done checking Subawu's mana flow…"
"And?!" The possibility of an alternate, more fixable, cause for Subaru's condition excited Rem too much to restrain herself.
"Nyothing to be concerned about! Other than the known problem with his Gate, everything is functioning normally. Subawu's physical condition is also as it should be, aside from him being a weakling. But that's nyot something any healer can fix." Neither Rem nor Subaru responded to the thinly-veiled insult. "Anyway, doesn't seem to be anything unusual here. Are you sure there aren't any more details you wanted to add, meow?"
The healer's cat ears fluttered in expectation. Rem, meanwhile, made no attempt to hide her disappointment with this lackluster assessment of Subaru's condition.
"I see… It seems the stories regarding your talents have been somewhat exaggerated…" Rem hid a cheeky smirk, knowing that the prideful Ferris would stop at nothing to disprove this underestimation of his healing ability. So if he had been lax in his first examination of Subaru, he would quickly rectify that for his second.
"Nyow wait a minute! Ferri's skills as a healer are unrivalled!" Ferris yelled in indignation, shaking his head. "Good grief... I can fix any physical or mana-related ailment as long as the patient is still alive… What I canyot fix is emotional or mental distress. And good luck finding a healer capable of that! Even Ferri can only be so close to perfect, meow?" He emphasized the rhetorical question by playfully winking and sticking his tongue out.
Rem admittedly couldn't deny the possibility that emotional turmoil brought about by recent events had ultimately led to Subaru's damaged state. That in itself didn't particularly concern her. What did concern her was the spontaneity of Subaru's unusual behaviors and the overpowering Miasma that had emanated from him immediately before them.
"My deepest apologies for doubting you, Master Ferris. I do truly appreciate you taking the time to thoroughly examine Subaru" Rem curtseyed elegantly. She hesitated briefly before deciding to ask another question. "Even if you cannot fix emotional distress, would you still be able to assist in dealing with it?
"See? Isn't it soooo much better to be a little gracious to Ferri and praise his unyique talents~?" Ferris beamed. "It might be possible to help with that too, but it depends. Do you have any idea what could have caused it? Reinhard's visit perhaps...?"
"I do not think so, Master Ferris" Rem vigorously shook her head. "Subaru was acting normally up until the moment he got back from examining the Royal Candidate posters with Mister Kadomon. Apparently, a lot of people were saying some especially nasty things about Lady Emilia and that seems to have deeply affected Subaru's mood. But even so…"
"Even so, he would more likely challenge them to a fight for Lady Emilia's honor and get beaten to a pulp, meow?"
Rem said nothing in response but the coldness of her eyes was still more than enough to convey to Ferris that she took umbrage at his tactless statement. Ferris' cat ears drooped dejectedly.
"Ugh, fine! Ferri is sorry for joking about that. Honestly though, it sure would be better if you and Subawu weren't so nyeedlessly sensitive… Anyway, the point was that hearing people insult Lady Emilia wouldn't make him freak out like that. If anything, it would probably give Subawu the motivation to prove all those people wrong! So I'm afraid even that isn't a sufficient explanyation."
Rem nodded thoughtfully. It wasn't the answer she was hoping for but it was certainly the one she needed to hear. In truth, she'd known all along that the slander against Emilia couldn't possibly have been the reason for Subaru's behavior. After all, he'd continued to act normally even after returning to Kadomon's shop and greeting Rem who'd been watching over it. Then, without warning, a blank expression as if his mind had gone elsewhere.
Keeping all of that in mind, her original theory still seemed to hold the most water. But if that really was the truth of the situation…
"For Subaru…" she whispered softly into her beloved's ear. "…Rem would fight against even the Witch herself."
This seemed to have some effect on Subaru as he stopped his heavy breathing and proceeded to mutter panickily.
"Witch…?! No! Please! Don't hurt them! Don't take them away! Give them back!"
Then Subaru began reciting a list of names. Supposedly the names of those he wanted given back.
"Halibel… Tia… Rigel… Spica… Rem…"
And again.
"Halibel… Tia… Rigel… Spica… Rem…"
And again.
"Halibel… Tia… Rigel… Spica… Rem…"
And again and again and again and again. Nonstop. In the same order. Just those five names over and over and over again. As if Subaru needed to repeat them in order to not forget them.
Rem was naturally honored to be included in this list of names, though she didn't recognize any of the others. Unless 'Halibel' was supposed to be referring to Kararagi's legendary shinobi, 'Halibel the Admirer'. But that wouldn't make any sense as there was no possibility Subaru could ever have met him. As far as she was aware, Subaru hadn't even known what Kararagi was before Sister had taught him geography. It also admittedly bothered Rem that Subaru was asking for her to be 'given back' despite her being right in front of him.
"Well, at least that's one less thing to worry about, meow."
"What do you mean by that, Master Ferris?" Rem raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You really didn't nyotice?" Ferris shook his head. "All those nyames and nyot one single mention of Lady Emilia! It appears that Subawu might well and truly have gotten over her at last. And it looks like he only has eyes for you nyow, Rem~." Ferris winked teasingly at the blushing Rem.
Rem gently slapped her reddening cheeks to keep herself grounded. Having Subaru's attention directed solely at her was a dream come true. And yet… something felt wrong. The way he said her name, the way Subaru was reciting all of the names, was devoid of any emotion. It came across as more of an inventory for one's property or a list of stolen goods following a burglary. In other words, she felt like Subaru was treating her as an object. It was an awful, terrible thing for her to believe about the one she loved but she couldn't help but feel that way.
Rem also had mixed feelings about how Subaru had supposedly forgotten all about Lady Emilia and his feelings for her. Partly because it concerned Rem that she would likewise be forgotten by Subaru one day. And partly because… As much as Rem hated to admit it, the Subaru that she loved the most was the one who dedicated himself to the pursuit of romance with Lady Emilia. She couldn't quite explain it but there was something about loving Lady Emilia that brought out the very best in Subaru.
Though Rem doubted Ferris was interested in learning the intricate nuances of the relationship between Rem and her romantic rival, so she just smiled and curtseyed gracefully in the direction of the cat-eared healer as he left the room.
Now that she and Subaru were all alone, Rem knelt down on the bed and lifted Subaru's head to rest on her thighs.
"Halibel… Tia… Rigel… Spica… Rem…"
"Rem is right here, Subaru." She murmured as she stroked his hair. "This is Rem's lap pillow."
"Rem… Rem… Rem…" Subaru was now focused only on her name.
"Yes, Subaru, Rem is here for you."
"Rem… Where is Rem?"
"Here, Subaru. Rem is here."
"Rem!"
"Yes, this is Rem."
Subaru finally looked up at her, though he still seemed suspicious of what he was seeing.
"Rem?"
"Yes, this is Rem." Rem repeated.
"Rem? It's really Rem?!"
"Yes, this is Rem."
"Rem! Rem! Rem! My Rem!"
"Yes, this is Subaru's Rem."
Without warning, Subaru wrapped his arms around Rem's back and buried his head in her stomach, bawling loudly. Tears, drool, and phlegm soon covered the front of Rem's previously spotless maid outfit but she didn't mind paying that price if it meant getting Subaru back to normal.
"My love, Rem! My everything, Rem! My reason for living, Rem!"
"…"
His words nearly made Rem cry herself. To think that Subaru would ever say such things about her… She'd had no idea she meant that much to him. She wasn't sure how to reply to such a powerful confession of love. Not least because of how breathless Subaru's words had left her. Her whole body was aflame with passion. It was perhaps fortunate that Subaru couldn't see how red Rem's face had turned as that would only make her blush even more. Rem took a deep breath to calm herself down before finally replying.
"Yes, this is Subaru's Rem." It was the only thing she could muster in response to such intense feelings.
Rem didn't know how long she and Subaru stayed in that position, him clinging to her and her gently stroking his hair, but she wished it could last forever. Feeling the warmth of his body snuggled up against hers, nothing else mattered. It was just Rem and her love. Her love who finally loved her back.
"Rem…?" Rem could feel Subaru's hesitation as he trembled in her lap. "I need to talk to you about something very important."
"…As you wish, Subaru"
Upon hearing her response, Subaru sat up and the precious moment between the two came to an end. Rem waited anxiously to hear what it was that Subaru needed to tell her so urgently with that deadly serious expression on his face. She hoped for the best but also prepared herself for the worst.
"Rem…" Subaru began, taking deep breaths as his body continued to shake all over.
"…"
"Let's run away together."