Re:Zero - Reincarnated on a Co-op Route

Subaru ran with his heart pounding, his legs moving instinctively as his mind flooded with memories of his previous death.

"Now I understand how that thing split half my body open before..."

He thought as his feet stomped on dry branches and leaves. Adrenaline was pumping so fast through his system that he could barely feel the pain in his muscles.

Beside him, Kaoru ran with more speed, his movements more fluid and controlled thanks to the time he had spent training his body and his mana flow. While the difference wasn't huge, it was enough for Subaru to notice.

"No fair, how do you run faster than me?!"

Gasped Subaru between breaths as they both jumped over a small ravine and continued running frantically through the forest.

"I had more time to train than you, and you know it," Kaoru replied, also out of breath. "Besides... I'm good at sports..."

 As they both kept moving forward, dodging branches and roots sticking out of the ground.

But then, the forest abruptly opened up, and both boys found themselves facing a natural rock wall that was too high and steep to climb. Despair seized them as they realized they were trapped. They had fallen into a trap.

"Crap. This is bad..." said Kaoru, clicking his tongue as he looked around quickly, searching for a way out that didn't exist.

The two exchanged tense glances before turning back to the dark forest behind them. They knew they had no choice: They would have to fight.

Kaoru took a deep breath and, with a quick twist, drew his two long daggers from their sheaths. He moved into a fighting stance, his eyes fixed in the direction where the danger was coming from.

Subaru, on the other hand, took off his tracksuit and held it open with both hands, preparing it as a makeshift shield while holding the knife stolen from the kitchen in his other hand. His mind was on high alert, and even though fear was sweeping over him, his determination shone through.

"Come the hell over here!" shouted Subaru.

Kaoru, without looking away from the forest, muttered, "I'm lucky to have a rather convenient spell right now."

"What, a spell?"

Before Subaru could finish the sentence, a metallic sound cut through the air, and the thorn ball shot out in a straight line towards them.

Kaoru reacted in an instant, dodging the attack with a quick sideways movement, propelling herself with the tip of his foot as if it were a spring.

Subaru, on the other hand, raised his tracksuit instinctively, catching the iron ball with it while barely avoiding being hit squarely. However, the force of the impact was brutal. Although the jacket reduced some of the damage, his hands were ripped by the friction, and his body was thrown backwards, hitting the rock wall with a sharp impact.

"Agh!" grunted Subaru as the air escaped his lungs.

But when he looked up, he saw that the iron ball was locked against the rock, just as he had expected. He seized the moment and gripped the chain tightly, the knife in his other hand.

"Show yourself, you bastard! I've been through too much trouble to see your face!" shouted Subaru, gritting his teeth as his body trembled from the effort of keeping the chain immobilized.

Kaoru watched the situation tensely, her eyes roaming the long chain disappearing into the darkness of the forest.

"Shit, shit, shit..." 

And then, the sound of footsteps reached them. Branches rustled; dry leaves snapped under the weight of someone walking slowly toward them.

Finally, a figure emerged from the shadows. Subaru and Kaoru froze at the sight of the person holding the chain.

It was Rem.

The young blue-haired maid appeared with a neutral expression, as if what she was about to do was of no importance to her. She wore her typical maid's dress, but now that attire seemed completely out of place as she held the Morning Star, a weapon that did not fit her small stature.

The wind ruffled her blue hair as she tilted her head slightly, maintaining a calm but chilling look.

"If you don't resist, I can give you a quick end," She said in a formal, polite voice that was so out of place it was almost nauseating.

Kaoru swallowed saliva, beads of sweat running down his forehead.

"You've got to be kidding... Rem..." he muttered, his disbelief evident in his tone.

Subaru felt a shiver run down his spine. "Fuck me..." he muttered, his hands beginning to shake as he remembered the fragments of that night. That night when he was slaughtered. That night when the girl he was trying to protect ripped him apart without mercy. His mind filled with chaos.

"This is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong..."

"What the fuck should we do...?" thought Kaoru, looking at Rem and then at Subaru.

"She's easily stronger than both of us put together. The only option we have is to flee into the forest and pray that we can lose her."

"Was it Roswaal who ordered you to kill us?" asked Kaoru, trying to buy time as his mind worked at full speed.

"If you see anyone suspicious, eliminate them. Maid rules," Rem replied, her voice as calm as if she were talking about the weather.

"That doesn't answer my question, you stupid bitch..." thought Kaoru, growing increasingly nervous.

Subaru, his hands shaking, shouted, "Does Rem know about this?!"

"No," Rem replied, his voice still calm. "I intend to end this before Sister finds out."

"I will eliminate all who oppose Master Roswaal's wishes. You are merely one." 

"Man, Roswaal can't train his dogs not to bite people who are just passing by..."

But before Subaru could finish, Rem's chain swung like a whip, passing inches from his face. A red line appeared on his cheek, and the pain made him recoil.

"Do not insult Master Roswaal," exclaimed Rem, his tone now much colder.

Subaru gritted his teeth, holding the chain with all his might as he shouted, "Kaoru, do something!"

Kaoru didn't need to be repeated. "Shamak!" he shouted, and thick, dark smoke billowed from his body, enveloping Rem and several trees around him in a black cloud.

 Kaoru lunged at Rem with his daggers, aiming straight for her chest. But Rem, even without vision, reacted instantly. "Huma!" she shouted, and a barrier of ice formed in front of her. The dagger impacted against the ice, knocking shards out, but failed to pierce it.

"Tsk, shit!" growled Kaoru, quickly retreating back into the forest.

"What are you waiting for, you idiot?! ¡RUN AWAY!"

Subaru, still dazed from the previous blow, heard Kaoru's words and started running, ignoring the pain in his body. They both disappeared into the forest, leaving Rem in the cloud of smoke, praying that it was enough of a distraction to escape.

Subaru wanted to run towards the mansion. "There's Emilia..." he thought, his mind torn between fear and despair. "If anyone can help me, it's her." But there was a problem: if Roswaal shared the same intentions as Rem, they would be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Regardless, Emilia's thought shone in his mind like a beacon of hope. "She... she has to understand. She can't be like them." But his heart was broken. His mind, devastated. Every step he took was a reminder that he was running for his life, pursued by one of the people he was trying to protect.

"I was too proud...too naive. Now here I am, running like a coward."

He had gathered information, yes. But the price had been his mental health.

---

Both boys stopped abruptly after what seemed like miles of running. Their breaths were erratic, as if their lungs were about to collapse. Kaoru dropped to her knees, panting, while Subaru collapsed face down on the ground, clutching his chest.

"Fuck..." gasped Kaoru, his chest rising and falling frantically. "Did we lose her...?"

Subaru didn't answer right away. He was on his knees, shoulders shaking, staring at the ground as if he wanted it to swallow him up. Puffs of air were coming out of his mouth, but they didn't seem to calm his mind. "This has got to be a joke," he thought as he pressed his fingernails into the ground. "I was supposed to save them...not that they wanted to kill me."

Tears began to fall down his face. "I'm so pathetic..." he muttered, his voice choked with the emotional pain that consumed him.

Kaoru, seeing Subaru's state, reached out to his shoulder.

"Subaru, hey..."

His voice was softer, trying to comfort him. But before he could touch him, everything changed in an instant.

A sharp, focused slash of wind sliced through the air, striking Kaoru. The invisible blade slid from his tricep to his bicep, slicing flesh and bone in a second. The impact threw him backwards as if he were a rag doll. 

"AAGHH!"

shouted Kaoru, his piercing voice echoing through the forest. His body bounced off the ground with brutal force, losing his balance as he rolled over sharp rocks. As he stopped, an indescribable pain shot through him as one of those rocks tore into the side of his ribs. His shoulder hit the ground with a thud, but that wasn't what knocked the wind out of him.

It was when he saw his own severed arm, thrown into the thicket of the forest. A gush of fresh blood stained the ground a dark red, accompanying the wet, grotesque sound of the liquid pouring out of his body. 

Kaoru screamed, a visceral scream filled with agony and horror. The pain was so intense that it shot through his mind like an electric shock. His entire body trembled as tears ran freely down his face. He tried to bring his remaining hand to his side, pressing on the wound to stop the flow of blood, but it was useless. "This can't be happening..." he thought frantically.

Subaru, watching his friend being torn apart, was paralyzed with fear. His heart was pounding, and his mind was screaming that he should move, but his body was unresponsive. Then, a second slash of air impacted directly on his right leg.

"AAAAAGH!"

Subaru's scream mingled with the sound of flesh tearing. The force of the impact threw him through the air, sending him rolling violently across the ground. His nose split with a dry crunch as he landed, and the pain blinded him for an instant.

Pieces of his leg crashed into nearby trees, leaving dark bloodstains and bits of torn flesh before falling to the ground with a wet sound. Subaru rolled onto his back, desperately trying to clutch what was left of his leg. 

"It hurts... it hurts... IT HURTS TOO MUCH!"

Cried Subaru, his voice cracking as he clawed at the ground in desperation. The pain was so intense that it seemed to burn every vein in his body. He tried to squeeze the wound, but the blood kept gushing out, staining the ground beneath him a dark red.

Both boys lay on the ground, losing blood rapidly. Life was slipping away from them with each passing second.

---

Kaoru, trembling and clenching his wound in desperation, looked up and saw Rem slowly approaching. Her figure seemed calm, almost nonchalant, as she walked towards Subaru. 

"Water Mana, grant healing," Rem said in a serene voice as she bent over Subaru. She placed a hand on his amputated leg, and a pale light enveloped the limb.

Subaru, unable to move, felt the warm magical energy entering his body. The pain did not disappear completely, but the sting of the magical healing allowed him to think more clearly. However, his relief faded as he heard Rem's words.

"I won't be able to ask you anything if I let you die so easily."

Subaru felt a shiver run down his spine. "Torture? Is she going to torture us?" he thought frantically, his mind panicking. There was no escape. This was worse than dying.

Kaoru, who was still conscious though on the verge of collapse, watched as Rem approached him. His heart sank when he heard her words.

"You're the one who always carries that notebook with you. I'll start with you," Rem said, her tone cold and cutting. She reached out her hand to Kaoru's severed arm, and the same pale light began to envelop it, closing the wound so that it would stop bleeding.

"No..." muttered Subaru hoarsely, crawling on the ground like a worm. "Leave him... he had nothing to do with it... It's all my fault..."

Rem ignored him completely. But when Subaru tried to insist, a chain blast hit him squarely in the torso. The impact made him spit blood, and his choked scream echoed through the forest.

"Wait your turn patiently," Rem said without even looking at him, her tone cold as ice. Then she turned her gaze back to Kaoru, her blue eyes glowing with a merciless intensity.

Kaoru shivered as he looked at Rem. His voice was barely a whisper between gasps of pain. "This can't be happening..."

Rem bowed his head slightly, her expression neutral but terrified. "Now... tell me what I need to know."

"You... psycho.."