Chapter Text
Darkness.
Darkness was what he felt, and a soft sensation on his body. But a tickling sensation is what he feels, “H-hey… what's… going on…what is that feeling?” he groans, and then opens his eyes. The first thing he sees is a little blond haired girl who is licking him? “Hey there… you wouldn’t happen to know where I am right now?” Subaru asks, expecting a straight answer however.
“OOooooaaa” The blond haired little girl responds as if she’s trying to speak but couldn’t. “Oooooa” She latches onto his leg, which makes him look down with a confused look on his face. The little girl kept trying to say something however all she could make was her noises.
Subaru slowly gets up from the soft grass floor, the blond haired little girl jumps up and down, and then around Subaru, making him smile at her antics. “Hm, what about your parents? Maybe they’re around here.” Subaru examines his environment. It is a jungle, the heat is scorching hot, and he had to get up. “Well, the view looks nice!”
The little blond girl tugs on his arm, and another person comes into view, a blue-haired woman, laying down asleep on the grass. “Maybe she knows something?” Subaru walks towards the blue-haired woman, and shakes her, “Hey wake up, are you alright?”
Slowly opening her eyes, she adjusts to the brightness. Her legs feel weaker than usual, and she turns her head, “Subaru…-kun?” She opens her eyes and embraces him, “Subaru-kun!”
“Oh… uh… nice to meet you… miss?” He feels confused at the title of Subaru.
“Subaru-kun, Rem is finally awake! Wait where’s Nee-sama, and Emilia-sama? Maybe they’re around here somewhere and-” Subaru cuts her off.
“Slow down, slow down… but… Who’s Subaru?” Rem widens her eyes in shock and confusion. She looks to her side, seeing Louis Arneb.
“Louis Arneb!” Rem grabs Subaru, and pushes him behind her, while putting up her hands as if she is going to fist fight the little girl.
“Oooooa! Waaaah!” Louis wails, however Rem still doesn’t change her position.
“Subaru-kun stay behind Rem, there is a Sin Archbishop here!” Rem is about to pounce onto Louis, however Subaru manages to grab ahold of her.
“Hold on lady, this is a child, there’s no need to harm her! Alright so let's all just stay calm here…” Rem doesn’t budge, and she shakes her head.
“Rem is sorry, Subaru-kun but she cannot agree with this decision, that is Louis Arneb, she kept Rem’s memories hostage!” She glares at Louis, causing her to wail, and cry even more.
“Look what you did! You made her cry! Hey there… Louis, there's no need to cry, alright?” He pats her on the head to calm her down.
“Subaru-kun, please listen to Rem!” Subaru cuts her off, and speaks with his own mind.
“Who is Subaru?!” Rem continues to look shocked, and replies back with a saddened expression.
“You are? Subaru-kun… don’t tell Rem that…do you remember who Rem is?!” She begins to tear up, and soon he would respond with a question which shook her core.
Who is Rem? He asks,
“No…Subaru-kun… you… what did you do to Subaru-kun?” Rem darts her eyes at Louis, alerting Subaru.
“Hold on! I’m sure Louis didn’t do any harm! After all she is just a little girl.” Subaru says while trying to shield Louis.
“Subaru-kun, she isn’t just any little girl, she is Louis Arneb! A Witch Cult Sin Archbishop of Gluttony!” She tries to defend her actions, however Subaru doesn't care.
“Witch Cult?...” Subaru feels confused at the idea of a Cult, or a Witch, “What’s a Witch Cult?” He asks.
Rem sighs, and answers, “The Witch Cult is an organization that wants to bring back the Witch of Envy!” Louis comes in closer. However, she backs away from the violent stares Rem is giving her.
“Look, whatever this Witch Cult is, Louis doesn’t seem like a part of it, and even if she is… right now, we should look for a nearby town.” Rem glares at Louis, and reluctantly agrees.
“Rem will try to follow Subaru-kun’s plan, let Rem get up first.” Rem tries to get up, but she cannot; her legs are, “Rem can’t get up, her legs are too weak, she apologizes but will require assistance from Subaru-kun.”
Subaru looks reluctant, “I’ll carry you on my back, alright?” Rem nods, being picked up; “Rem would be fine anyway how her hero holds her.” Subaru feels perplexed by the title ‘hero’, “What’s wrong, Subaru-kun?” she asks.
“Nothing. Let's get going already.” Subaru looks at Louis, and motions a ‘follow me’. Louis smiles, but still backs away due to Rem. The three of them enter the dense jungle, they walk forward for around thirty minutes, the atmosphere is boring so Subaru initiates a conversation with Rem, while smiling at Louis looking at everything, and playing around.
“I don’t get why you would hate her, afterall Louis doesn’t seem the type to hurt others.” He states.
“Louis Arneb may not look like it, but she is dangerous, however Rem shall let her live because she believes that Louis Arneb is holding Subaru-kun’s memories.” Rem continues to dart glares at Louis, seeing that anger towards Louis, Subaru quickly changes the topic.
“So my name is Subaru… What am I like?” He nervously asks, Rem answers in a positive tone.
“Well, yes that's your name Subaru-kun, and you’re Rem’s hero!” She says enthusiastically, however, Subaru didn’t know what he did to earn the title ‘Hero’.
“This Subaru sure sounds like a great guy…” Subaru looks down in comparison to the type of Subaru Rem is saying.
Rem takes notice, and with a face of determination says, “Subaru-kun, Rem will try her best to get your memories back from Louis Arneb. She will regret keeping your memories.” Subaru continues to look down, however Rem gives him a hug, “Rem, was asleep for a while, but now she will care for Subaru-kun, until we return to Emilia-sama.”
Subaru blushes a bit, “So what is it that you do?”
Rem was about to answer, however their conversation is cut short. Sensing something afoul, she grabs Subaru’s neck and yanks it backwards, causing him to stumble back a bit. An arrow flies by the area Subaru would’ve just walked into had Rem not pulled him back.
“Watch out Subaru-kun!” A second arrow is shot, and manages to hit Subaru in the right shoulder. A third arrow is shot, and hits him in the kneecap, causing him to kneel. “Agh!”
A fourth arrow comes out, and heads straight towards Louis, she sees this, becomes frightened. However this fear is short lived. The fourth arrow manages to hit her in the chest pinning her to a tree. Subaru seeing this is shocked, and saddened. “Louis no!” blood drips from the bark of the tree, a fifth arrow is shot, hitting Rem in the back and making her fall to the ground, she summons her horn, but she’s still recovering from waking up, so it’s not very helpful. She crawls towards Subaru, “Subaru-kun…”
Subaru sees this and crawls to Rem, but Rem is the one who got there first, she stretches her hand to Subaru, but a sixth arrow is shot, and what Subaru seems is red on the floor soon after.
“No… " he says, with fear, glancing at Louis' body on the tree, and Rem on the grass, he stretches both of his hands towards the both of them, “If I had the power… I would save you…” a seventh and final arrow is shot and darkness is the last thing he sees.
Darkness was what he felt, and a soft sensation on his body. But a tickling sensation is what he feels, “Wait… this feels familiar.” He slowly opens his eyes, and takes in what just happened. He quickly processes Louis’ existence, and yells out.
“YOU’RE ALIVE!!!” This freaks out Louis, however he gives her a bear hug.
“Oh, Louis! I… I… wait, Rem!” He gets up, and looks for the sleeping blue haired woman, when he finds her, he shakes her. “Rem! Oh Rem! Wake up!”
She swallows her saliva, and soon says,
“Subaru…kun?”
None of them realized it then, but a long road lay ahead.