AN: It's official. As of now I enjoy writing Rem's side of the story more than I do of Subaru's side. But now that things are picking up on his side I think I'll have more fun with him. Ewwww don't think like that, weirdos. Maybe I should reword that... Nahhhhh it's fine...I hope.

Also, I don't say this enough but I would like to give a big thanks to all my readers that look forward to my next chapter. With already 3,500 views on my 12 other chapters it make me feel more accomplished as a writer. I of course have help from JDUBZ so it wouldn't be the same without him. For all I know he's probably reading this AN right now and noticing mistakes I don't see. (I usually don't send him the chapter with the AN in it.) LOVE YA!

This chapter has been approved by Beta Reader: JDUBZ...Thanks!

Chapter 13: Ram

"I'm going to the Sanctuary."

Rem turned and walked back towards the mansion. As she walked towards Oki and Ken they stepped aside for her to walk past.

After defeating the three witch cultists, Rem had found out that they had accidentally let someone escape the mansion a year ago. Rem hoped it was Beatrice, the mansion's former Guardian of the Forbidden Library. The spirit had a vast knowledge of everything's existence. She was the key to finding Rem's Subaru.

From behind her Rem heard Ken yell, "Hey! Wait up!"

Looking behind, Rem saw Oki coming up close and Ken jogging a few feet behind. Rem felt she had taken them far enough, it was too dangerous for them to continue. The forest was filled with monsters and if they were with her they would surely perish.

While Ken may have had the same ice abilities as Rem, he obviously wasn't as used to using them in combat as she was. Rem had practiced for years, preparing to fulfill the promise she made with her sister many years ago; to kill all the witch cultists. None of them deserved to live after what they did to her people, her family, her sister.

"Please do not follow Rem. You will only get hurt or die." Rem showed her concern for the two. They had came with her all the way from Kararagi to support her and when the witch cultists came, Oki didn't back down and Ken incapacitated the lone cultist. They had gained her close trust and friendship. Seeing them die would only hurt her more.

Oki shook his head and stuck his hand out to Rem, "No can do lil lady. I'm not leaving you until I personally see you are back with Subaru." Oki then gave Rem his biggest smile and crossed his arms, "So whether you like it or not Rem, I'm coming."

Rem smiled. To her, Oki was a big man with a big heart. If she knew him better, she might've classified him as her father figure. Rem hugged Oki.

Oki was surprised when he felt Rem hugging his gut. Feeling flustered, he bent down and wrapped one arm around her while the other patted her head. She's just like Sarah.

Rem broke the hug and looked to Ken who was standing off to the side. Ken had been touching the tips of his index fingers together, waiting for the two to stop hugging. Rem addressed him, "Will Ken be coming as well?"

Ken looked at Rem with uncertain eyes, "Of course! I'm already in this deep, why not finishing the rest, right?" Ken tried to convince Rem of his decision by giving her a nervous smile, complete with teeth.

Oki came over to Ken and wrapped and arm around him, rocking him side to side, "Awwwwww…. That's alright, Kenny! You can tell Rem that you'll just miss me if I leave you!"

"That's not my reason ya' big ape!" Ken removed Oki's arm and lightly hit Oki's chest.

Rem wasn't too convinced about Ken's decision, but since Oki was happy about his decision, she was happy too.

Rem looked up to the sky, it was getting dark, "The Sanctuary is just a few miles east of the mansion, if we leave now we'll make it by nightfall." Rem turned and kept walking. When Rem got to the carriage she hopped into the driver's seat, "Rem will drive, is that OK with Ken?"

Ken walked over to the driver's side and waved a hand at Rem, "By all means, go ahead. You're the one that knows the way." Ken saw Oki start to climb into the back and followed him. Opening up the back tarp, Ken signaled for Oki to get out, "Ah ah ah, you're up front big guy. I don't want you drinking anymore of the beer." Oki looked at Ken with a guilty smile. "Out."

Oki exited the carriage and went to sit next to Rem. When Ken was ready to go he knocked the front of the carriage and then Rem whipped the reins. The dragon began to walk forward.

After 5 minutes of silence, Oki remembered an important question he wanted to ask Rem. Without looking at Rem, Oki shifted in his seat and asked "Rem, what is the Sanctuary?"

Rem had to think about what to say about it because even she didn't know everything that it had to offer, "The Sanctuary is a village. It is supposedly the site where the Witch of Greed was buried."

"Woah." Oki turned to Rem and held his palms out. His face showed excitement, "Are you telling me that an actual witch is there?"

From the inside of the carriage, Rem and Oki heard Ken yell, "Yes, idiot! If ya' listen then ya' wouldn't have to ask!"

Rem was unsure what else there was to tell about the Sanctuary Oki and Ken would need to know. "Rem does not know everything other than what Master Roswaal had told her about it." Rem paid her attention back to the road ahead.

Oki stayed silent. Where are you, Subaru?

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After an hour of doing nothing but chatting and listening to the sounds of the forest, they finally came to a split road. Rem looked on in confusion as to why there was a split road. Roswaal had never informed her of one being on the way to the Sanctuary. He had specifically told her that this road would not end until she hit the village.

Oki noticed Rem's uncertainty, "Umm, Rem? Are you lost?"

Rem shook her head. Her blue eyes scanned each road, looking for any marker that may tell her where to go. "No, Rem is not lost, just…..confused."

From inside the carriage, Ken again gave his own words, "You do know that confusion can lead to us getting lost, right?"

Rem replied to Ken's comment, "We are not lost!" In a whisper she said, "Yet."

Ken got out of the back and came around to Rem's side, to see for himself what the obstacle was. "Well what do you suppose we do, Rem? I could walk down one path and see what I find. I'll come ba-."

Suddenly Rem understood, "No, this is a charm." Rem was no expert on casting spells and charms, but she did see Lady Beatrice cast some around the mansion before. This confirmed it, "Lady Beatrice is alive."

Ken looked at Rem with an eyebrow raised, "Who now? Are-are we supposed to know who that is or are ya' gonna tell us?" Ken was referring to Oki and himself.

Rem didn't feel like giving them a full description of Lady Beatrice. Night was falling fast and soon the Demon Beasts would be on them. "Lady Beatrice is a…..friend?" Rem wasn't sure if Lady Beatrice could really be classified as her friend.

"Oh that makes me feel so much better."

Rem noted that Ken was making a lot more witty comments now. Something Subaru would do.

Rem knew for a fact that charms could be broken by a password of the caster's choosing. She had only one idea and hoped it worked, "Bairabaira Bellow Gullimoor!"

"Nonsense words will not help here."

Oki, who had stayed silent during Ken and Rem's bickering, smiled at Ken's comment. It amused him so see Ken start to warm up to Rem. Since Ken grew up with a tough childhood he expressed his liking to people through sarcasm or jocular comments.

Rem's words began to unravel the charm. Slowly the pathway on the right disappeared, replacing it with trees and boulders which bordered the path on the left. Oki and Ken looked on in wonder at the process.

"Amazing," was the only thing Oki had to say about this.

"How did ya' know?" Ken's question was answered by a brief explanation by Rem, who described how the it was a password to let a guardian know that they are friendlier when they pass the barrier of the Sanctuary. "So we're almost there?"

"Now it's your turn to listen, Ken!" Oki looked at Ken with a smug smile. "Rem said this was a charm, but the password is for the barrier. So obviously we're not there since we haven't crossed that point yet."

"You're right, and when you're right, you're right." Ken walked towards the back of the carriage, all the while he was holding his hand and moved it in a talking motion, as if mocking Oki.

Finally back on the road, Rem informed her two friends that they should only have one mile to go.

After a half mile, 20 minutes later, the stars began to come out. Rem stared up at them. Months ago, Subaru had pointed out a constellation that looked like a heart. Rem found it among the lights and smiled at the memories. She wondered if Subaru was looking at the stars too.

While Rem was looking up at the sky, Oki noticed someone small was walking down the road towards them. He tapped Rem on her shoulder and pointed at the figure that was now not too far away.

The little person had huge blonde, drills tipped with pink going down each side of her head. She wore a red frilled dress with white trimmings and a big, pink ribbon.

Rem looked into her eyes, blue met blue.

"You should be dead, I suppose."

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The Sanctuary was only a village that looked poorly maintained. Located in a clearing in the middle of the forest, not much was done here except for working to survive. Not many villagers were around, at most there were 75.

Beatrice led Rem to one of the many houses, telling Oki and Ken to not intrude. Ken and Oki had just looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and decided to walk around and check out the place.

Rem questions to ask Beatrice that she refused to answer until they had made it to the Sanctuary. As soon as the door to the house shut behind her, Rem asked her first question, "What happened at the mansion?"

Beatrice huffed, looking at Rem she blatantly said, "It was burnt to the ground by the Witch's Cult. Did you not hear about it a year ago, I suppose?"

Rem sat down at a nearby table, "No, Rem only heard of this 4 days ago when Subaru-kun told her. I believe the….witch controlled him to led me out of Lugnica so the cult could attack. Subaru-kun kept the news of it away from Rem to protect me."

Beatrice didn't have time for talking about what people acted and how it affected their emotions. "Then what was it you wish to know?" Her blue eyes only showed boredom.

"What happened at the mansion? How did Nee-sama die?" Tears started to form as she dread the answer to the last question.

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Ram was kicked onto her back. Her side was burning, literally. Earlier she had barely missed being struck by a fireball. The effect of having it skin her left a nasty burn. The grass that she laid on in front of the mansion was soaking with blood.

Many dead cultists lay before her; split in half, decapitated, and sliced open, their efforts of taking on Ram led to their deaths.

Now after having finally been taken down, Ram was at the mercy of the Witch's Cult. Her pink hair was covered in blood, both her own and of her enemies. The stump on her head, where her horn should have been, was bleeding from overuse. The blood trailed down her face, giving her an evil look. Her bloodshot eyes were constantly trying to blink back the blood rushing towards them.

A cultist grabbed Ram, pulled her up, and forced her to her knees.

At the time, the mansion was not yet on fire. Cultists had gone inside to look for a special package needed by the cult; Emilia. What they wanted Emilia for was unknown to Ram.

5 cultists surrounded Ram with their swords drawn, advancing towards her. One of the swords began to slowly pierce her throat, drawing blood.

Ram felt the blade and moved her neck away from the tip. Using what little mana she had left, Ram created a whirling storm of bladed winds around her. The winds cut through everything in its path. The witch cultists' swords dropped to the ground along with their amputated hands and decapitated heads. One unlucky cultist only had his abdomen sliced open, his intestines spilling onto the grass, steaming.

Completely out of mana, Ram grabbed one of the dropped swords and forced the hand that was latched to it to open. Ram couldn't run but she forced herself to. Wobbling towards the mansion's front gates, her side still burning, making Ram clench her teeth in pain. Ram knew she wouldn't get far, once outside she would have to hide. When the cultists leave she'll make her way to the Sanctuary and meet Emilia there. Assuming she made it there alive. Looking back, Ram saw that no cultists were outside to chase her because the rest were inside looking for Emilia.

The gates were only 30 feet away. I can do it. I can make it.

20 feet.

15 feet.

10 feet.

Suddenly, an immense pain traveled up her leg. Ram fell to the ground and onto her shoulder. Sitting up, she saw that a large knife was embedded in the back of her thigh. No, not now.

From pools of shadows, 5 witch cultists materialized in front of the mansion's gate.

Ram wasn't going to give up despite the odds being against her. Pulling the knife from her leg, Ram got up, trying desperately to ignore the immense pain coming from her leg. She threw the knife at one cultist, completely missing her target. With all other options exhausted, Ram raised her sword, and limped pathetically towards the cultists with all her remaining strength. One of the cultists rose their hand, a force expelled from it and pushed Ram back. Ram flew 10 feet, hitting the ground with painful thump. The sword fell out of reach.

Her body screaming in pain, Ram got to her knees and looked up to see the tip of a blade. The witch cultist's sword's tip was rested right between her eyes. However, Ram's eyes showed no fear, only hatred.

Ram's blood covered face contorted into anger, "WITCH CULTISTS!" Spit flew from her mouth. Ram was at her peak. If she could, she would tear them limb from limb.

The cultist withdrew the sword from Ram's face and slapped her across the face. Ram fell to her side, clenching her teeth from the pain. She tasted blood in her mouth.

"The feeling of pain." The cultist that slapped Ram had a voice that was hoarse and slow. He held up his hand to his hood, inspecting it. "It's something I haven't felt in a long, long time. It was," the cultist removed his hood, "...fascinating." His feature were that of a middle aged man. Nothing was off about his appearance. Aside from the inhumane smile on his face, he looked as normal as any person you would pass by on the street.

Ram again got to her knees and tried to get on her feet, "AHH!" The second she tried to put pressure on her hurt leg she collapsed to her knees, unable to support herself with such low of a mana level.

The man tilted his head with a curious look, "You are dying, yet you still choose to fight. What is it you are trying to accomplish?"

Ram could only think of one thing. Through pained breaths, Ram said, "Killing….all of….you."

Once again, the man displayed an insane smile, showing his yellow teeth. Slowly the smile grew and grew until the man couldn't hold back. Throwing his head back as much as it could possibly go, the man laughed, "Hehe hehehe hahaha Haha HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Tears of joy began to fall from his demonic eyes.

His laugh shook Ram to the bone, but she did not show how fearful she truly felt. Instead, only glaring at the man with her pink eyes.

"HAHAHA hahaha hehe he…" Slowly the man began to compose himself again. His smile never left his him as he bent towards Ram's bloody face and whispered in a happy voice, "And just how will you do that?"

Ram looked at the man with hatred, but said nothing. Noticing this, the man straightened his posture and walked quickly in a small circle. "You see, we were sent to retrieve someone. Someone very important to us that we must, must, MUST have in our possession," The man stopped walking and looked at Ram, his smile had disappeared, "but now she's gone. Do you have any idea of where she may be?"

Ram only glared at the man. She was looking for an opening to run, but none ever came. "If you tell me where I can find the girl I can give you this," the man reached into his robes and retrieved a black book, shoving it into Ram's line of sight, "the gospel. Read this and accept Satella, then I will let you live. An easy bargain wouldn't you say, hmmmmmm?"

Ram stared at the little black book, wanting to tear it to shreds. She knew there was no way they would ever let her live, an oni like her was good as dead to them. "Fuck your gospel!" Ram then spit blood onto it.

"EEEAAAAAHHHHHH AH AH AH AH AH!" The man shriek in terror. Using his robes, he began to clean off the blood that was on its cover. When it was clean the man hurriedly replace the book back into his robes. A crazed look was in his eyes. "SUCH A PITY! YOU REALLY WOULD HAVE DONE WELL AMONG US! BUT IF YOU REFUSE THEN WE HAVE NO REASON TO KEEP YOU!"

Ram sensed she was in more danger now. She tried to run, but fell as soon as she got up.

The man's voice had returned to normal, "Running will get you nowhere." He looked at the 4 other cultists, "Hold her down, I want to savor this moment."

"NO! NO!" Ram tried to kick away, but the cultists got hold of her arms and legs, holding her still. Ram could do nothing in her weakened state. Her eyes finally showed fear, she was going to die, she could feel it. Please, not like this.

The man pulled a knife from his robe and, while skipping, advanced towards Ram.

Ram could only think of one thing as her life flashed before her eyes. The one person she spent all of her life with, "REM!" Ram screamed as loud as she could, hoping her baby sister would hear her cries as tears fell down her face. "REM! HELP ME, REM!" She didn't know that Rem was hundreds of miles away. "REM!"

The man straddled Ram and squeezed her cheeks together with one hand while his index finger shushed her lips. "Shhhhh shhhh. It's OK, this'll only take a second," the man smiled again, his glimmering eyes stared into Ram's fearful ones, "...or more." The man removed his hand from Ram's face. The man moved his hand that had the knife across his body, ready to swipe. All the while, Ram struggled to get free, but was no closer to it then when she started. Her eyes cloudy from the tears continuously falling down the sides of her head.

"REM! REM! HELP! PLEASE!" Ram continued to scream, hoping, praying for a miracle. None ever came.

The man rose his head to the sky at the sound of Ram's screams, "YES, YES! SCREAM LOUDER SO MY SACRIFICE CAN BE HEARD BY SATELLA! AFTER THIS SHE WILL SURELY MAKE ME THE NEW ARCHBISHOP!" He looked back down at the broken girl beneath him.

"REM! REM! NO!" The man swiped his arm. "RE-," the grass was painted with blood.

For just a second the winds blowing through the forest trees stopped. Ram's eyes were wide open, unfocused, staring at the blue sky above. Slowly, the beauty that was once found in her eyes faded.

The man looked down at the motionless Ram, his face now sprayed with her blood, "How slothful…"

Thus ended the life of the sweet and bitter Ram.

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Rem was found in the Sanctuary's cemetery, hugging a tombstone. Neatly carved into the tombstone was one word:

RAM

Rem's arms were wrapped tightly around the stone with her legs tucked under her. Her cries and tears didn't stop, unlike her sisters heart.

Ram was dead and Rem was sad she wasn't there to die with her. For the longest time nothing in this world mattered to her other than her sister, that was until Subaru came. Then she had two people to look forward to seeing everyday.

Subaru was now the only thing keeping her alive. The thought that her Subaru-kun was out there possibly being tormented by the witch hurt her. If he died, Rem did too, she would be the one to make sure of that.

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Ken and Oki had been watching Rem crying. Unsure of what to do or how to do it. Because of his history, Oki decided he should be the one to approach Rem. He started to walk forward, but was stopped by Ken's outstretched hand. Oki looked down at Ken.

Ken didn't look at Oki, "She's not ready yet. I know you are, but she isn't."

Looking back at Rem, Oki only saw Sarah's terrified, tearful face.

Rem's cries echoed throughout the graveyard for the rest of the night.

AN: To all you Ram Lovers: Please don't hate me. It, it, it's part of the story, you know?...Please, I have a kid.

No I don't. That was a lie. I only have a waffle maker...his name is Trevor.



Changed the rating of the story to M for obvious reasons. See ya'll in the next chapter! :D

