Re:Zero - Reincarnated on a Co-op Route

Kaoru was breathing heavily. Each inhalation was a torment, as if he had blades piercing his lungs. The pain was excruciating. His side was still torn, and though Rem's healing magic had stopped some bleeding, it was clear he had no intention of healing it completely.

"This sadist has no intention of stopping...?" he thought, his mind clouded by suffering.

Rem, standing in front of him with the chain of her morning star still dripping blood, stared at him. Her expression was cold, almost indifferent.

"What do you want from me...?"

Gasped Kaoru in a broken voice, his eyes red and wet from the pain burning every fiber of his body. He could barely stay conscious; even breathing was difficult.

Rem tilted his head slightly, as if she were a machine calculating her next move. "You have the notebook with you, don't you?" he asked, his tone so calm it was chilling.

Kaoru let out a bitter laugh, though that simple gesture made the pain in his abdomen intensify.

"The notebook, huh? That's all you wanted?"

His laugh turned into a low, broken gasp, but before he could continue, Rem swung the chain with lethal precision.

*CRACK.*

The chain wrapped around his stomach and whipped him hard, tearing the already battered flesh even more. Kaoru groaned in pain, feeling hot blood gushing from his abdomen. His entire body jerked violently, and the notebook that had been tucked in the back pocket of his pants slid to the floor, stained with blood.

Rem tilted his head to the side, eyeing the notebook curiously. Without a word, he picked it up from the floor, holding it between his bloody fingers. He opened a page and frowned at the symbols he didn't understand.

"What is this writing? I don't understand anything," Rem said as she looked at Kaoru with a stern expression.

Kaoru, panting and with narrowed eyes, barely had the strength to respond.

"E-Emilia didn't tell you...? Our writing system is different"

*CRACK.*

Another whiplash. This time, the chain slammed into his abdomen again, ripping it open even more. Skin and flesh tore like wet paper, exposing torn muscles and blood flowing like a river. Kaoru screamed at the top of his lungs, but the pain was so overwhelming that he could only writhe on the ground, his tears mingling with the blood soaking the ground beneath him.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! REM, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?"

Shouted Subaru from the ground, his voice ragged as he tried to crawl towards them. His body was wracked, but the horror of what he was seeing forced him to move.

Rem, without even looking at Subaru, swung the chain once more. This time, the blow went straight to his face. The impact tore part of his cheek, leaving flesh and blood exposed, and threw him back to the ground. Blood stained the grass as Subaru let out a choked scream as he felt the skin on his face peel away.

"Stay where you are," Rem said coolly, before turning her attention back to Kaoru. She walked towards him, her steps slow and calculated.

"Are you working with any of Miss Emilia's rivals who claim the throne?" She asked, her voice so calm it seemed out of place in the midst of the carnage.

Kaoru looked up, his vision blurred by tears and pain. "No... we don't work for any of the contenders. I swear..." he gasped, trying to contain the tremor in his voice. But he knew his words didn't matter. Rem wouldn't believe him.

Without a word, Rem lifted the chain again and tossed it toward his chest.

*CRACK.*

The blow was devastating. The chain shredded the flesh of his chest, opening a deep wound that gave a glimpse of his sternum bone.** Kaoru screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the forest as the blood gushed uncontrollably. He was on the brink of death, and he knew it.

"This is the end..." thought Kaoru as his thoughts clouded over. "Subaru... I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you. I couldn't do anything..."

Rem spoke again, his voice cutting. "Who hired you and on what terms?" she asked, her gaze fixed on Kaoru.

Kaoru, gasping and feeling the life drain from his body, let out a bloody smile. He looked up at Rem, his eyes full of defiance. "I was hired...by the bitch of your mother," he spat, his words dripping with venom.

For an instant, Rem's expression changed. Her face, always neutral, contorted into a mixture of anger and disgust. The chain in her hand tightened, and it was clear she was preparing to deliver the final blow.

Kaoru saw it as his only chance.

With a last-ditch effort, Kaoru spat blood directly into Rem's eyes, momentarily blinding her.

"SHAMAK!" 

A thick, dark smoke enveloped everyone in a radius of several meters, covering the area in complete darkness. Rem, caught in the spell, lost her sight and was momentarily disoriented.

Kaoru, his body on the verge of collapse, pulled out his remaining dagger. With an explosive movement, he leapt to his feet, ignoring the excruciating pain that shot through him.

"DAMN YOU!"

He screamed as he plunged the dagger into Rem's throat. The blade pierced flesh, veins, and windpipe, and a gush of hot blood splattered across his face. But he didn't stop. With every ounce of strength he had left, Kaoru stabbed again and again, screaming in rage and despair.

Rem tried to react. The Morning Star fell from her hand, and her body jerked violently as she tried to stop Kaoru. But the repeated slashes to her throat caused her strength to quickly leave her. They both fell to the ground, Kaoru on top of her.

Subaru, still on the ground, watched as the smoke from the Shamak began to dissipate. His blurred vision took in the scene in front of him, and his mind could not process what he was seeing.

Kaoru and Rem were motionless. Kaoru's abdomen was wide open, and his warm intestines pressed against Rem's body; Rem, eyes open but lifeless, had her throat torn open, blood still dripping from the wounds.

"Ah... aaaa... AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Cried Subaru, his voice filled with horror as he realized what had happened. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably. "NOOOOOOOO! AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Why... why is this happening...?"

Muttered Subaru weakly, his body trembling as he tried to crawl towards the inert bodies. But before he could get there, a figure appeared through the trees.

It was Ram.

Ram, her eyes wide open, surveyed the scene in front of her. **Kaoru had killed Rem but had taken his own life in the process.** Ram's face contorted in rage as he looked at Subaru, tears glistening in his eyes.

"You... cursed ones of the Witch cult..."

She muttered in a trembling voice, slowly advancing towards Subaru.

"I hate them... I HATE YOU..."

"Ra... Ram..." muttered Subaru, looking up in horror. But before he could say anything else, a **sharp wind** slashed across his neck.

Subaru felt the heat of his own blood and closed his eyes as death claimed him.

Everything went black.

---

Subaru was not aware of the exact moment he regained consciousness. Everything was a blur. His mind struggled to process what was happening; it was as if he was caught between dream and reality, navigating a limbo that felt so cruelly familiar.

sounds of footsteps buzzed in his ears, constant, heavy, like a drum beating directly into his skull. His vision flickered between deep red and blinding white, as if his eyes couldn't decide which world they were seeing.

The world around him seemed bent and distorted, a distorted echo of what should be reality.

He tried to move, but his body was unresponsive. Unable to feel his arms or legs, he let out a thick, anguished cry, a guttural sound that seemed to come straight from the depths of his soul. It was as if someone was twisting his intestines with their bare hands, squeezing them as if they were wet clothes. The sensation was so indescribably horrible that he could only squirm, every fiber of his being screaming in incomprehension.

"What...what's going on?"

He thought as his thoughts crashed against each other like waves against a rock. The confusion was an overwhelming weight. 

The searing pain of his leg being cut off, the wrenching impact of the chain against his body, the gaping, bleeding wounds... all was gone. But the ghost of that suffering remained, an echo so real he could feel it in every cell of his body.

He had lost his blood. He had felt his life slipping away. He had died.

He had died.

The certainty hit him like a sledgehammer. Fear and despair gripped him as he remembered.

"I didn't want to die... I didn't want to die."

He repeated it in his mind over and over again, as if it were a desperate mantra. He hated the pain, the suffering, the sadness, the fear... all of it. Everything he had experienced in that hellish forest. "I want to push it all away... I want it all to go away."

Then, he opened his eyes fully. The first thing he noticed was the elegant ceiling above him. A familiar ceiling. The calmness of the place contrasted brutally with the chaos of his thoughts. However, something was wrong. There was something disturbing about the calm, something that made him feel like he was trapped in an invisible cage.

He realized that he was lying on his back on a bed. A soft bed. His body was no longer mangled, no longer bleeding, no longer feeling the open wounds that had tortured him moments before. His breathing was heavy but steady. The pain was gone, yes, but his memories were not. 

Finally, he exhaled. A long, shaky exhale as the strength drained from his rigid body. He tried to calm himself, to convince himself that what had happened was just a bad dream, that maybe he was hallucinating, that—.

"Dear Guest, Dear Guest. Have you finally calmed down?" 

The voice froze him. 

"Dear Guest, Dear Guest, Have you finally stopped stirring?" 

Another voice, just as familiar. 

The instant his ears caught the two familiar voices, an absolute terror came over him. His eyes snapped open, his body rigid as a board. "No... it can't be."

He slowly turned his head, panic gripping every fiber of his being. **And there they were.

Rem and Ram.

Both were standing next to his bed. Their expressions were expressionless, but there was something... strange in their eyes. Something that made him feel like he was being judged, like he was an insect about to be squashed. 

Subaru opened his mouth to speak, to scream, but no sound came out. His throat was dry, as if the air had been ripped from his lungs. 

"What... what's going on?" He managed to mumble, his voice shaky, barely audible. 

Rem bowed his head slightly, his face as calm as ever.

"Are you comfortable, Dear Guest? You look like you had a bad dream." 

Ram, in the same neutral tone, added,

"You should relax. After all, you have our undivided attention." 

The tone of their voices was cold, distant. But there was something else hidden in them, something that made him feel as if he was being watched by predators toying with their prey before killing it. 

Subaru instinctively backed away, pushing himself against the headboard of the bed. His breathing became erratic as memories of the forest hit him like an avalanche. The sound of the chain, the wrenching pain, Kaoru's laughter, Rem's words, the clash of his dagger against her throat, the dark smoke of the Shamak... and then... death.

"Kaoru..." he thought, his mind flooding with images of his friend. "Kaoru died... he died protecting me. And I... I died too."

"This can't be happening..." he said in a choked whisper, his body shaking uncontrollably. 

Rem took a step forward, her gaze fixed on Subaru. "Dear Guest, you seem to be confused. Allow me to help you remember." 

The smile that accompanied his words was small, but just enough to send a shiver down to Subaru's core. 

Ram, seeing her reaction, cocked her head, seemingly curious. "Sister, it seems our guest is not entirely calm. Perhaps we should give him a reason to calm down." 

Rem nodded slightly. "That would be wise. We don't want him to get too agitated. He might... hurt himself." 

Subaru was shaking like a leaf. 

Subaru couldn't respond. His mind was on the verge of collapse. 

Panic consumed him, and a piercing scream escaped his throat. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"