(Rem x Reader) Re:Reader - Starting YOUR New Life in Another World

Chapter 12: Heads Will Roll

After arriving back at the mansion, later then last time, YN and Subaru had both settled in and after supper, were supposed to be getting their respective tutoring sessions, however Ram had decided to retire for the night before visiting Subaru, allowing Emilia to take over his evening lesson.

YN and Rem had an un-noteworthy study time. Rem had once again returned to her cold tone and attitude, leaving YN feeling vacant on the inside.

She keeps flipping in-between the two, being herself and being distant with me. The derail really must not have worked. She knows I'm acting strange, but how can I not? It's not like I can tell her about Return—

YN hadn't really seriously considered telling anyone about Return By Death. It wasn't like anyone would believe him. YN contemplated seriously letting Rem in on the "secret".

I would have to tell her about it probably being Subaru's doing, and that we just don't know yet at this juncture. But I can keep it at that. I won't tell her more then I need to on that. She can just ask Subaru if she has any other questions about it, I think he would understand at this juncture.

Around this time, Emilia had just finished helping Subaru study, leaving it earlier then Ram would have, letting Subaru prepare for bed.

But in reality, Subaru was focusing on staying awake to figure out just what had happened this same night, last retry. He was determined to see the night through.

YN, meanwhile, had given a yawn while writing his next line of repeated words on his parchment paper.

I went Rem to trust me. YN thought. I just need to find an opportunity to tell her... Sooner the better—

Rem: YN is tired. Perhaps we should wrap up for tonight.

With Rem cutting off his thoughts, in stead of fighting it, YN decided to put it off and just let Rem retire for evening. Provided they get past tonight, "telling her will be my reward" he told himself.

Capping his ink well and closing the books he had open, he was surprised to notice that Rem hadn't left yet.

Turning around in his chair, YN saw Rem standing by the door, as if she had went to leave and decided not to. The gaze she had was unlike her normal, cold, formal attitude. This gaze was... predatory.

YN felt a chill run up his spine when him and Rem locked eyes.

Rem: Can YN answer a few questions?

Swallowing the lump in his throat, YN croaked out his response, fear building in his voice from the atmosphere Rem was emitting.

YN: S-sure, Rem. Anything you wanna know.

Feeling the atmosphere lighten ever so little with his complying answer, Rem poised her question.

Rem: Yesterday, when YN helped wash the bath, Nee-sama asked you if you had completed the tasks she had set aside for you to complete. How did you know that was the extent of tasks she had for you that day?

Confused by the question, YN had an easy answer to it.

YN: That's because she told me about them before. She listed them—

Rem: Which brings Rem to her real question. Nee-sama told Rem that you knew your tasks before she had finished listing them when she gave them to YN.

Gulping, YN knew he had messed up. He recalled exactly what he'd done.

Ram: NY I took the liberty of writing down tomorrow's duties for you that need doing, like cutting the grass—

YN: Edging the walkway, trimming the shrubs, and sweeping the back porch.

Ram looked up at her note, moderately surprised that he knew exactly what she had listed.

Rem took a few more steps towards YN, the threatening atmosphere returning in force.

Rem: And just how did you know that Nee-sama and Rem's workload was more then usual, and that dinner was going to be late?

YN: Well, I—

Rem: YN has only been here for three days, there's no way it was a guess...

Taking more steps to YN, it was as if every unsatisfactory answer got her closet to him, and the more threatening she became.

Rem: And Subaru.

Slightly caught off guard by her next prompt, YN almost slightly relaxed, as if she had changed the subject of her anger now.

Rem: Subaru had broken a vase. While Rem was upset he could be so careless with Roswaal-sama's property, he is new at his job, it is to be expected.

Rem had said this, eyes closed, as if containing herself. But as she continued, her eyes opened back up, her thoughts directed right at YN.

Rem: But Subaru had replaced it with a new vase, trying to keep his mistake hidden. Meaning Subaru knew where the extras were. When Rem asked Subaru how he knew where they were, does YN know what Subaru said?

Still turned around in his chair, YN shook his head.

Rem: He was shown by YN.

Another chill ran down YN's spine from another overlooked detail. Of course he wasn't the one who perpetrated it, but he should have been more thorough with remembering to cover all his bases, including Subaru.

Rem: Rem is also curious about one last thing.

At this point she was halfway across the room. Step after slow step, her head tilted down and her eyes looking forward at YN.

Rem: YN had asked Subaru about the injury on his hand when we were returning to the mansion.

Oh shit, she had noticed! The derail didn't work.

Rem: Subaru distinctly said it 'happened again' to YN. Do you know what Rem finds odd about that?

His mouth began filling with cotton, YN couldn't possibly choke out an answer for her. The best be could do is shake his head for her.

Rem: Rem had asked Subaru if he had ever been to the village, before YN showed up, out of breath trying to catch up before we left. Subaru said he had never been to the village before.

Another blunder. What else had Rem noticed? Why was she taking into account ever little mismatched detail? What had the two of them done differently this time around to make her this suspicious?

YN: Rem, don't you think that—

Rem: How did Subaru know where the children were playing? How did he get along with them so well and know all their names?

Rem was only an arms length away from YN now where she had stopped. This was optimal for her. Close enough to keep her options open, far enough to evade from YN should he have some sort of ace up his sleeve.

Rem: Do you know what Rem thinks? That was a lie. YN knew Subaru had slipped up, and tried his best to distract Rem from thinking about it.

A bolt of fear ran though YN's mind. Things were falling to pieces quickly.

Rem: That expression let's Rem know all she needs to know.

The glint in Rem's eyes had turned. They had turned to something different. Something more, wrathful.
Not wishing to see such things, YN closed his eyes in response, almost flinching at her very expression and dark aura she was omitting.

*Thud* *Thud*

Hearing two footsteps right in front of him, YN opened his eyes back up. Keeping his head at the same angle it was when looking at her right before closing them, right in front of his eyes was a black and white apron.

Slowly moving his vision up, he realized just what the thuds had been.

In the time he had had his eyes shut, Rem had closed the gap between them almost entirely, spare only enough space to not be intimately close.

His vision crossing her chest, and finally making eye to eye contact, looking almost directly up at Rem.
Peering down at YN, her eyes pointing downward as if looking at trash, she asked her final question, with anger on her lips.

Rem: What do you have to say, YN?

Closing his eyes and lowering his head back down, he wracked his brain for answers.

What can I say? Deflect? No. If derailing didn't work, deflection won't... I can't lie, It would just be putting myself into a larger hole. The only thing left is—

He could only come to one conclusion.

Why is he going at this alone? Why was Subaru his only confidant? What if he just came out and said it?

YN: Rem... I—.

Rem: — — — —

YN could not see it, but Rem was holding herself back, keeping only her scowl of disgust pinned down on him as she waited for YN to give his plea.

YN: Me... and Subaru, we can... a-and you're probably not going to believe me when I say this but... in a way we can...

Rem: — — — —

Opening his eyes back up and looking up, past her chest again, and to her eyes filled with anger and contempt, YN tightly shut his eyes and got to his confession.

YN: Subaru and I can Return by D—!!

He couldn't finish. He hadn't stopped himself, rather he was cut off by something he didn't understand.

Opening his eyes once more, he still found Rem glaring down at him. He couldn't move his mouth to make a sound, or move his arms, or any part of his body, not even close his eyes once again.

Was this Rem's doing? No. She wasn't moving either. She wasn't blinking or breathing either. Just how long had she been stuck for? Had she even been listening to YN try to tell her before he too was cut off?

Then, YN noticed it.

A black mist started to envelope the room. While everything else was forced to remain frozen, YN could see this mist of darkness begin to cover the room. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, all clad in a black cloud, leaving him and Rem stranded.

Just as it had arrived, the cloud behind Rem had parted, and a black figure made it's way through.

It's expression was hidden behind Rem from the angle YN was sitting at, he could not make out just what the phantom was doing.

It appeared as if it were reaching for Rem, but just as YN had noticed, his attention was taken back to Rem's chest.

Through her chest, a black spectral hand made its way through, continuing as if Rem herself was not even there.

The hand continued down into YN's own chest. Despite it appearing as if it would have no feeling should it pass through him and it did Rem, he could feel the hand itself working its way through his chest.

Past his shirt, past his skin, past his ribs, and stopping right as it got to his heart.

He could feel the hand caress his vital organ, beating as it squirmed in the phantoms hand.

A squeeze was felt. It was painful. Very, very painful.

YN wanted to yell out, to rip the hand from his chest, and grab himself, and breathe in a deep long breath, but he was powerless to do so. Is this was drowning felt like? Or maybe this was more like a heart attack? YN sincerely didn't know.

He only wanted to breathe, to empty his lungs and fill them once more.

His eyes could not even water for the feeling of his heart or the need to breath, he was utterly and truly at the constriction of the black mist and the phantom's hand.

Finally, after having what felt like an eternity of pain and desperation engraved into his very soul itself, the phantom's hand retreated, leaving his chest, and going back out its own way through Rem's. The phantom's hand retreated back into the dark fog, leaving with the phantom. As soon as the last bit of darkness retreated, it was if time began to tick again.

His eyes immediately burst into a bloodshot image and tears welling up, his arms also spasmed their way to his chest.

YN, taking the smallest amount of consideration as he could, leaned back, away from Rem, keeping his arms from frantically crashing into her figure, as they reached for his chest. His hand trying desperately to dig their way into his chest, YN expelled his breath and brought more wind back into his lungs, all as fast and as much as he could muster in a split second.

Time began to move for Rem as well, as she was unaware of the phantom that had reached through her, or the black mist, YNs sudden lean back and gasp for air was entirely unprovoked.

Rem continued to look down on YN as he sent himself into a caught fit, wildly clutching his shirt on his chest.

It was only when she began to wonder just what had promoted this, that she smelled it. She smelled that.

That very first thing she smelled when YN had woken back up in the guest room.

Stronger then even before, Rem was infuriated by the smell.

This smell, which had been what had brought her and her sisters lives nearly to their end, absolutely infuriated her, and with it this strong, it was making her finally lose her temper.

Kill.

She must kill. End the source of this smell. She couldn't contain it any longer.

YN was just finally getting his coughing under control. He hadn't fully understood what had just happened, but he understood one thing.

Do not tell others of Return By Death.

YN: Rem, *huff* did you see the *cough* the—

YN's words were cut off by the strong shock of a sudden jerk.

Seeing his surroundings sudden move with a fuzz, he found himself face to face with Rem.

She had grabbed him with such strength, her fist wrapped in his shirts collar, that it felt as if the chair he sat on had tipped him toward her. Speaking through her clenched teeth, Rem's anger fizzed out as she spoke.

Rem: Why...... It's just like when YN first arrived in here... in the guest room...

Finally realizing the position he found himself in, YN ignored the feeling of being raised up, and could on focus on the emotion in the single eye of Rem's he could see.

It was murder. An utter, and complete will to kill.

Rem: Why do you reek? Why do you reek of the Witch!?

The Witch?! YNs mind answered. Don't tell me... That blackness was the Witch, and Rem can—

Rem: Answer me!

Shaking YN while still in her grasp, in her interrogation of him, he went completely limp.

YN: Rem! I have no idea—!

Cutting off the words he was choking out, was what sounded like a vase being broken down the hall, outside YN's door.

Though the sound was small, all of Rem's senses were on full red alert. Snapping her head in the direction of the sound outside the door, Rem spun her head back around to YN and shook his already limp body by the collar of his shirt once more.

Rem: What are you two planning? What is Subaru up to?!

YN was confused as to what Rem was asking. When had Subaru gone back to being the subject of Rem's questions?

Another speechless moment passed before another muffled sound found its way into the room.

???: Someone....

Rem's head spun around again. This time, even YN could hear just what the sound exactly was. It was a familiar voice, just down the hallway.

Subaru (muffled): Someone... please... help me.

Rem looked back at YN one more time, an even more murderous glint in her eye.

With one last look into her eye, Rem threw YN to the side, just hard enough to hit the wall but not to crash through.

Landing back on his bed, YN's was in a state of shock. What in the world was going on? How did this situation go from one to one-hundred in less then ten minutes?

Holding his head and shoulder, YN opened his eyes back up and saw just the final moments of Rem leaving his room.

YN: R-Rem?

YN's mind was a flurry of questions with no answers, just was going on?

There was crash, Subaru calling for help... It's the fourth night...

YN: —Hk!

The thing that happens! It might be a killer. Someone entered the mansion and is— Rem!

It was possible with Rem leaving the room that she was in just as much danger as Subaru was in. With Subaru more then likely being alive still since the world hadn't reset, YN knew he still had time to act.

Getting up off the bed and nearly falling over from the pains in his back from hitting the wall, YN stumbled to the door and looked in the direction Rem had gone.

Catching just the tail bit of her rounding the corner to head to the next hallway, YN called out and hobbled after her.

YN: Rem! Wait! It's not safe!

Upon reaching the corner she had just rounded, YN looked down as his foot had stepped in something.

Lifting his shoe up, it was a yellow liquid. One wiff told him everything he needed to know.

Vomit.

YN: Eck, what the hell?

Not wanting to lose Rem, YN continued down the hall as fast he could, only right before he rounded the next corner to get to the main hallway, that's when he heard another unfamiliar sound.

The image of what sounded like iron pipes being drug across the floor by chains filled his ears.

YN spun around to the other direction of the hallway of the corner he was looking out from.

The sound had come from the opposite direction he believed Rem had gone.

I've gotta find out what that is. I haven't heard of this one yet. It has to be related to the events that are set to happen tonight.

Fumbling down the hall and past another corner, YN swore he saw Rem rounding the corner on the opposite side of that hallway.

YN: Rem!

Hearing what sounded like more chains and pipes coming from the same direction, YN picked up his pace.

Getting almost halfway down the hallway at his still slow speed, he stopped when he heard another sound, this time coming from the direction he had just came from.

Subaru (distant): AAAGGGHHHHH! AHHHHHHH!

Spinning around so quickly he nearly fell over, YN hobbled towards the screams of Subaru, pain filling them as they echoed throughout the mansion.

Just as he arrived to the end of the hallway and went to turn to investigate the sound just around the corner, something made a large sound, like a melon being crushed, a large splat.

Stopping for a moment with a new sound being heard, YN saw it roll towards him from around the corner.

A small white ball, almost like a golf ball.

Barely crossing the corner to be in YN's line of sight, it stopped at an almost comically good spot.

It was no golf ball.

But an eyeball.

Only one person he knew had eyes like that, piercing and mean looking at times.

That was Subaru's eyeball. Out of his head, rolling along the floor.

If that's his eye ball! Then that means—!

His thoughts cut off, his vision went blank. No sounds, no images, no feelings. Nothing.

Only a weightless feeling in a field of darkness.