(the fluff chapter)

Subaru opened his eyes and looked up at the stone block ceiling. He felt a brief sense of panic seeing the stone above where he slept, but then he remembered that he had been saved from that horrible place and was now back in the mansion, under constant guard by his friends and hired mercenaries. Though his contact with the outside world was limited and his emotions were fragile, he was able to keep himself together for the past seven days thanks to his new roommate.

Meili: "Mornin', Onii-san."

Subaru: "Mornin', Meili."

A young girl with dark blue hair in a braid popped out from the side of the bed to look down at him. He laid on a futon beside Meili's bed, the padding raised him off the ground enough to be comfortable, but Meili still loomed over him every time she poked out to check on him.

Meili: "You were pre~tty quiet last night. No nightmares?"

Subaru: "Nope! Looks like I managed to sleep through the night peacefully for once."

Meili: "Yeah, me too. Beatrice should be happy to hear about it."

Subaru: "Yeah, hopefully it'll put her mind at ease a little."

Meili's face scrunched up, scrutinizing his choice of words.

Meili: "You need to stop worrying about other people and start worrying about yourself, Onii-san. Everyone upstairs would tell you the same exact thing."

Subaru: "Look, let's just be happy we both managed to get a decent night's sleep and leave it at that, okay? Did you need the bathroom?"

Meili: "No, I already used it. I just crawled back into bed 'cause I'm la~zy. It's all yours."

Subaru: "Thanks."

The young knight sat up from his futon and stretched his arms over his head while leaning back, getting all the cracks he could get out before standing up. He took a neatly-folded stack of his day clothes from the top of their now shared dresser and made his way to the bathroom to change and freshen up for the day.

?: "Biishan!"

Subaru: "Oh, mornin' Shaula."

Shaula: *snip* *snip*

Behind the neat pile of clothes was where the tiny crimson scorpion had decided to sleep for the night, woken up by the sudden change in light when her cover was moved. Shaula always mingled with Meili's stuffed animals or Subaru's clothes when she wasn't adorning Meili's head like a decorative hairpiece, always mellow now that she was with an experienced mabeast tamer.

Though she lacked the same enthusiasm when they first met in the tower, Shaula still waved her pincers at him like she was waving him down with both pincers. He smirked at the mini-mabeast's attempt at a greeting, making Meili face light up. Then turned back around to enter the bathroom, his smiling melting away quickly once his face was no longer visible to either of them. He closed the door behind him, sighing loudly as he leaned back against the door, reminiscing on his situation before he started to change out of his pajamas.

One week ago the Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella Emerada Lugnica, infiltrated Roswaal's mansion and made a second attempt at abducting Subaru. While the Emilia Camp was able to successfully drive her off for the time being, they had since taken every precaution possible to keep Subaru safe.

For starters, they moved him straight to Meili's room the night of the incident, only after he had calmed down enough to stand and walk with some assistance. Meili understood the rumbling she heard come from above was another attack by Mama, and welcomed Subaru into her room without hesitation.

During the first few days, Rem and Beatrice took turns guarding the entrance to Meili's room. As the only two residents of the mansion that could smell the witch's scent, they were the most reliable ones to prevent another infiltration attempt, so they would rotate guard duty, checking each other's scent every rotation to make sure neither of them had been replaced.

Outside the mansion, there were lookouts from Crusch's faction stationed atop the mansion's highest points, keeping watch on the ground and the skies day and night. On the mansion's grounds and outer perimeter were additional soldiers, several skilled warriors with military equipment that littered the property with the very definition of the word 'security'. Between a few squadrons of experienced knights, a handful of experienced mages, and some of mana crystal cannons akin to the ones used against the White Whale, nothing short of a small army was going to break these defenses.

Members of the Iron Fang patrolled the surrounding area, keeping an eye on any living thing that looked like it may be heading towards the mansion. Even the smallest bird in the sky was scrutinized with suspicion until it changed course to fly somewhere else. Though nobody other than members of the Emilia Camp had the ability to smell miasma, many of the hired guards were in-tune enough with the local area to discern any people or wildlife that seemed out of place.

When the Margrave himself reached out for help to increase their defenses, neither Crusch nor Anastasia hesitated to show their support. They didn't have all the information as to what happened to Subaru, but based on their knights' faces when they returned from their successful rescue operation and the report on Subaru's condition upon recovery, they drew their own conclusions as to what happened. Both women had their debts to pay off to Natsuki Subaru, but they would have helped him regardless of obligation or settling favors. Rather, they were furious that their friend had been through hell and back, and the two royal candidates wanted to get back at the abomination responsible for this atrocious deed.

Felt could only respond with her condolences. It seemed that she was barred from dispatching Reinhard unless the enemy 'was a direct threat to the country as a whole', much to the knight and master duo's anger, entirely directed at Heinkel Astrea who instituted this rule. Priscilla responded with a similar message of condolences, but no reason was given as to why she wasn't getting involved directly. However, she did write how she wished for 'a fraction of her luck to be bestowed upon them', for whatever that was worth.

After a few days had passed, Roswaal had the door to Meili's room modified to now lock from the inside as well as the outside, giving the two roommates the option to lock themselves in, should an emergency arise. With the door secured from the inside, Rem and Beatrice shifted to taking turns patrolling the inside and outside of the mansion, accompanying anyone who wanted to visit Subaru.

However, due to his most recent trauma, most conversations were done through the reinforced metal door to give him a sense of security, even if the words were always muffled and they would have to shout-talk to communicate. The maids were allowed to come in as far as the inner door to deliver meals and swap out clothing, but only Beatrice was allowed into the main room for Subaru's daily mana drain and what Beatrice called 'love-based therapy', which just meant she would spend as much time being as close to him as she could.

Meili: "Nii-san, breakfast is here! I'll be right ba~ck!"

Subaru: "Oka~y!"

Meili: "Don't mess with me, you!"

Subaru: "Haaaa."

Meili: "Don't go 'Haaaa'!"

Happy with their typical back & forth banter, Meili grabbed a small notebook and left their shared living space to enter the hallway that led to the gigantic vault-door of an entrance. She had gotten used to being the intermediary for Subaru, but she didn't mind. In fact, she saw this as the perfect opportunity to atone for giving up on Subaru when everyone else refused to lose hope. She would compensate for lack of faith by helping him however she could. Before she touched any of the locks to open the door, she opened the notebook and called out to her visitors.

Meili: "Who is it?"

Petra: "It's Petra and Beatrice, we're here with Subaru's breakfast!"

Beatrice: "And Betty needs her Subaru Time, in fact!"

Meili nodded at their voices. They certainly sounded like the real Petra and Beatrice, but the notebook she brought with help her be certain. She opened it and scanned the pages until she found one with the current date.

Meili: "What's today's password?"

Beatrice: "One-two-two-one. Now let Betty and the small maid in, I suppose."

Meili: "Hold on Beatrice, can you confirm tha-"

Beatrice: "Yes, Betty can confirm that this Petra beside her is the real Petra, in fact. May we come in now, I wonder?"

No matter how many layers of security were added, no matter what precautions were taken, Meili shared Subaru's paranoia of Mama sneaking in as one of their friends or loved ones, ready to kill Meili and kidnap Subaru in one fell swoop. Every day she had this fear in the back of her mind, and every day she had to ignore her personal worries and open the door when the criteria for entry was met.

After unlatching and unlocking the many mechanisms that kept the door shut, Meili used all the weight in her small body to shove the door open just enough for two equally-small figures to slip in. Petra squeezed through the narrow opening with her tray of twin breakfasts in hand, while Beatrice followed closely behind. The spirit girl grabbed the door handle and leaned back with all her might, closing and relocking the entrance behind her, just in case someone tried to slip in behind them. The trio of girls traversed the narrow hall back to the main room, the two visitors eager to check in on the young man they looked up to so much.

Meili held the door open for Beatrice to run to Subaru, who awaited her on his futon with open arms. He had changed out of his nightwear and into his tracksuit and scarf, still adamant about keeping his neck covered with too many people around. When Beatrice hopped into his lap, she immediately clung around his torso like she hadn't seen him in days, when it had really only been a single night. When she buried her face into his shoulder, Subaru wrapped his arms around her to keep her in place, sharing in the mutual sense of warmth and comfort they provided for each other.

While those two exchanged mana and reacquainted with each other, Petra handed the breakfast tray off to Meili to put aside and eat, then picked up the dinner tray from last night to take back to the kitchen. She sighed in disappointment at the fact that she wasn't allowed to get any closer, the only ones who were allowed were Meili and Beatrice to minimize Subaru's stress, not wanting him to endlessly worry about imposters trying to get close to him.

Before she turned to leave, Petra noticed that he had looked over Beatrice's head to give her a smile and a small wave. It seemed like he was reading her mind, as if the look on her face told him that he was being missed, so he gave her what attention he could. She returned the smile as best she could, bowed her head, then turned to leave with Meili so she could lock the vault door from the inside again.

Beatrice had made it a habit to stay with Subaru at least a couple hours a day, for the sake of her contract, her own self-satisfaction, and so that she could relieve the insistent questions she got from the others about Subaru's condition. As the only one who could both be close to Subaru and go upstairs, Beatrice was the only liaison between Subaru and everyone above ground, so naturally Beatrice had to give them something each day so that they would leave her be. Sometimes other camp members would come down to talk to him through the door, but he was usually very dismissive and gave out short, simple answers to any questions he was asked, so they would look to Beatrice for more honest information.

Meili came back and closed the inner door shut behind her, jumping onto her bed to lay on her stomach, looking down off the side of the bed to admire the two goofballs enjoying each other's company. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't jealous that they both had someone to latch onto when they needed it. She used to have her mabeasts, then she had Elsa, but now…

Subaru's company this past week was nice, and they certainly had gotten closer after the events at the watchtower, but she still felt that their bond only improved because of Mama's meddling. If that monster had never interfered with his life, Meili would never have gotten as close to Subaru as she was now, but he would've been spared so much pain and suffering as a result.

She shook her head to dispel her thoughts about that terrifying woman, and instead refocused on the wholesome sight of the man who gave her hope toying with his spirit's fancy hair.

Meili: "What should we do now?"

Beatrice: "Subaru needs to eat, in fact! Petra and I worked hard to make breakfast extra special today, and Betty's contractor needs to build up his strength, I suppose."

Subaru: "Hold on, before we eat I wanted to show off something I've been working on in my down time."

Meili: "Onii-san, are you close to finishing it?"

Subaru: "Actually, I finished it last night after you went to bed. Here!"

Subaru scooted back a bit and opened one of the dresser drawers to pull out a small project he had been working on over the past few days to keep his mind occupied; A to-scale needle felt of Shaula in her current crimson-scorpion form. With Subaru's attention to detail and copious amounts of free time, the thread-based model was incredibly accurate to all her features, and even had an articulated tail that could be moved around like an action figure. Similar to the real Shaula, it fit in the palm of his hand, its little pincers up and tail facing forward in a dramatic pose.

Meili: "Woooow! It came out even better than I thought it would!"

Beatrice: "Hmph! Expect no less from Betty's Subaru, I suppose!"

Subaru: "Let's see what Shaula thinks!"

While Beatrice was being impressed with his skills as an artisan, Subaru placed the needle felting on the bed in front of Meili, who reached a hand out to the top of their dresser and allowed Shaula to crawl into her hand, then set her down in front of her fuzzy look-alike.

Meili: "What do you think, Shaula-chan?"

The crimson-red scorpion seemed perplexed but interested by her near-mirror image, like a celebrity going to a wax museum for the first time. Shaula tilted to her left and to her right to get better angles, looked up at Meili for a few seconds, then looked back at the model. Up at Meili, then at the model again.

Without warning, Shaula grabbed onto its forearms with her pincers and clipped them clean off! She reared up onto four of her eight legs, then plunged the tips of her claws into the top of the doll's imitation shell, opening it up down the middle to reveal its wool insides. After using one pincer to snip the base of its tail clean off, Shaula used the other claw still lodged in the dummy to throw its clawless, tailless, ripped-open 'body' at the prone Meili. Shaula threw her forearms up in a glorious display of victory.

Shaula: "Biishaaan!"

Meili: "Yes yes, you're the best scorpion of them all, I kno~w."

Beatrice: "How can you be so calm, I wonder? That ravenous mabeast just destroyed all of Subaru's hard work!"

Subaru: "I mean, if it was accurate enough to make Shaula feel threatened, then I guess that's a compliment in its own right. Right?"

Beatrice: "It's alright to be mad, I suppose."

Subaru: "But I'm not mad! If anything, I'm impressed at how mad she got! Almost like she was scared of being replaced."

Meili: "Dawww, just like naked onee-san used to get!"

A bittersweet mood befell the room. While this tiny scorpion was tiny and cute, it was also a reminder that they had lost a loyal comrade in order to secure Pleiades Watchtower. If the old Shaula was still in there, she wasn't showing it, but it was reassuring whenever she would do her cute little side-to-side scorpion dance for Meili whenever she tried to impress her.

Subaru: "Okay, now that all my hard work is ruined, let's eat!"

Beatrice: "So you were angry!"

Subaru: "Shoosh! Let's see what you and Petra came up with today."

While Shaula continued her little dance, Meili bounced up to get their breakfast tray for the morning and brought it back over to Subaru, who moved Beatrice to his side so he had room to eat. When she lifted the metal top, the smell of a warm, home-cooked meal made with care filled the room. While the aroma was amazing, when Subaru and Meili looked at the platter, they both gawked at the plate in front of them, scared and confused.

Beatrice: "Ta-da, in fact! We made you bunny-shaped omelettes! Petra said she got the idea from the snow sculpture you helped her make during the Snow Festival, I suppose."

Subaru: "Bunnies, huh…"

He looked down in a conflicted state, relieved that the thought of Capella was completely gone from his current mindset, but it had only been replaced by another trauma he had long put behind him. On the plate closest to him was an exceptionally decorated omelette over rice, little tomato sauce drops marked its eyes and nose, a few greens acted as its ears, and a little biscuit made a cottontail. It was like one of those little monsters themselves was right in front of him, just waiting to receive the same treatment Subaru got from them. Petra clearly worked hard on this one to remind him of such a nice time they had spent together, but even a nice gesture such as this had its downsides.

Meili: "If that's a bunny, then what is this one supposed to be?"

Beatrice: "What are you talking about? That's the bunny omelette Betty made, in fact!"

On the plate closest to her, Meili looked at what could only be described as a catastrophe. While it was obviously cooked all the way, the mass of half-mixed egg and rice hardly represented a rabbit. Only two large tomato globs for eyes and two pieces of salad sticking out the top gave it any indication as to what it was intended to be.

Subaru couldn't stand the sight of Petra's, and Meili couldn't bring herself to eat the one Beatrice made. The two looked up at each other and nodded in mutual understanding, swapping out the breakfast plates' around so that Subaru would eat Beatrice's and Meili would eat Petra's. Subaru and Meili ate their meals happily, enjoying their own unique brand of flavors as they ate their preferred versions of what was given to them.

Beatrice was just happy to see these two enjoy themselves, but she was extra happy that Subaru seemed to prefer her dish over Petra's admittedly better-looking version. They had both been acting jumpy and afraid since Subaru had moved in, almost as if they were rebounding off each other's fear, but today was one of the first days where they both seemed to be improving. The others upstairs would be happy to hear about this when they would eventually bother Beatrice later tonight.

The rest of the morning and entire afternoon went by in a similar fashion to the last few days; Subaru, Meili, and Beatrice spent their time gossiping about other people within and outside the Emilia Camp, while Subaru worked on several new dolls and plushies for the two girls. Meili got more mabeasts he remembered seeing at the Watchtower and in Vollachia, and Beatrice got several variations of Subaru in different outfits for her to hug all at once. Beatrice claimed that the others from upstairs liked the Subaru dolls Beatrice had been receiving and wanted ones of their own, so he had made some extra to give out. As much as it pained him to make so many copies of his own visage over and over again, he was happy that it was making his friends happy.

As he worked on his craft, Beatrice would inform them of the minor events they had missed out on. Otto had accidentally ordered 100 writing quills instead of just 10, Frederica had knocked a vase over for the first time in her career as a maid, and Emilia had continued to practice her Ice Brand Arts every day, further honing her skills for when she would need to use them again. That last part worried Subaru somewhat, but Beatrice assured him that Garfiel and Rem were helping her stay focused in her training and not over-exert herself. However, the fact that the two most battle-ready members in the camp were the only ones keeping Emilia from overdoing it only made him worry more. Apparently even Petra was taking her magic training with Ram more seriously, asking to learn more combat-focused techniques for attacking and self-defense. The last thing Subaru wanted was for a sweet girl like her to get involved with this mess of his…

A knock at the iron door interrupted those thoughts of concern, reminding him how late it was getting. Beatrice reluctantly let go of his hand and hopped out of his lap so she could go answer the door and assist in retrieving dinner. That is, once she verified the one on the other side wasn't a Sin Archbishop in disguise.

He watched her scurry along in a rush, probably thinking that the sooner she could collect the meal, the warmer it would be for him. He couldn't help but smile at the heartwarming thought of his contracted spirit caring so much from him, his cheeks hurt from the strain of holding such an unnatural shape for so long.

Meili: "You doing alright Onii-san?"

Subaru: "Huh? Yeah I'm fine, why?"

Meili: "You were staring at the door and grinning like a pervert."

Subaru: "Can you not call the face I make when I'm having pure thoughts perverted!? I'm already self-conscious enough as it is! Damn!"

Meili: "Ha-ha!"

Subaru: "Don't just go 'ha-ha' and walk away like nothing happened!"

He looked ready to argue more, but Meili's keen hearing picked up twin footsteps walking towards their door, along with the familiar jingling of silverware. She rolled off the end of her bed to stand up, then grabbed their empty breakfast tray to exchange. Subaru felt bad that he was subjecting Meili to be the one to carry out these trade-offs, but she would always insist that he stay put and let her handle everything.

Right when Meili brought the platter over to the front of the room, the door opened to reveal Beatrice and the dinner-delivery maid for the night.

Ram: "Good evening Barusu, Meili-san. Ram hopes you two are in the mood for steamed sweet potatoes. These tender morsels were hand-selected at the market and boiled by Ram herself, so quality and satisfaction are assured."

Subaru: "Thanks, Nee-sama…"

Meili: "Yeah, thanks Onee-sama…"

Ram: "Eh? Why do you two sound so dejected? Didn't you hear Ram's guarantee? You two should be rejoicing to receive such blessings."

Beatrice: "Just give them the tray already, I suppose. The food will be cold by the time you're all done talking, in fact!"

Ram: "Of course, Lady Beatrice. Besides, Rem has been working hard on her patrols today. She could use the relief."

Beatrice: "*sigh* Betty's night shift starts now, I suppose."

Ram: "There you go, saying strange things again. Barusu's influence is scary up close."

After her usual quips, Ram swaps out meal trays with Meili, who brought their dinner and set it on their dresser. Meili then ran up to the front of the room to accompany those who were leaving so she could lock up behind them for the night.

Beatrice: "Good night, Subaru."

Ram: "Yes, rest well Barusu."

Subaru: "Good night you two! Tell everyone upstairs I said hello!"

With a final wave goodbye the three girls turned and left, allowing Subaru to drop his chipper expression once the door closed shut. Holding a happy face for too long took a toll on his facial muscles, no matter how many times he practiced, so he rubbed his cheeks to get some of the soreness out. He forgot to practice his smiling this morning, and it showed.

Later into the night, Subaru laid awake on his futon unable to sleep. He lightly scratched at his neck, which he kept uncovered when he slept at night, lightly grazing over the parts he had been scratching raw over the past week or so. He knew that it didn't do anything to the tattoos, but they felt so gross beneath his skin that he couldn't help but to be irritated by it sometimes. The indent the collar had left was thankfully starting to heal, the discomfort from swallowing and breathing was almost entirely gone now, but the tell-tale red ring remained around his neck as a constant reminder whenever he looked in the mirror.

It almost made him want to punch his own reflection, but it wasn't worth scaring Meili and having one of the maids sweep up his mess. He already felt bad enough that Meili had to learn about what happened to him from Petra of all people, and the fact that he sometimes left his neck uncovered around her (even though she had expressed many times that she didn't mind) still made him feel uneasy at times. He didn't want to add to her list of reasons to pity him.

Meili: "Hey, Onii-san."

Subaru: "-!"

Subaru was surprised. Usually Meili never made a peep after the lights went out, save for a dim light crystal on her nightstand. But tonight she spoke up, while still laying in her bed.

Subaru: "Hm? What's up?"

Meili: "I was just wondering… how long do you plan on staying down here?"

Subaru: "..."

To be fair, Subaru had been asking himself a similar question over the course of the last week. He pondered his options between staying here and hiding or retaliating and fighting back. If it were anyone else, any other Sin Archbishop, he would dig in his heels and trudge forward with his friends by his side to defeat the evil, regardless of the dangers it posed. But with this one, with Capella… a shudder crept up his arms at the thought of those cruel, blood-red eyes sizing him up as if he were livestock, ready to leap across the room and claim him for herself once again.

He shook those thoughts out of his head before he got too absorbed into his own mind. He knew that dwelling on the idea for too long would only worsen his mental state.

Subaru: "I don't have any plans to get back at her right now, if that's what you're asking. Sorry, that's probably not what you want to hear, I know you probably want your space back, I've just been-"

Meili: "No no no! It's fine, really! Please, Onii-san, stay here as long as you need to! I was just asking because I was curious, please don't feel like I'm forcing you out!"

Subaru: "I don't feel that way at all! I was just about to apologize for not coming up with anything yet!"

Meili: "Nii-saaaan! You're not supposed to be scheming, you're supposed to be focused on getting better!"

Meili grabbed the corner of one of her pillows, and slammed it down off the side of her bed where Subaru was with her final word. Though it was soft, the amount of force she put behind it caused Subaru to lose his breath when it struck him square in the chest.

Instantly seeking vengeance in both action and conversation, Subaru grabbed the pillow on his chest and primed himself to return it to her.

Subaru: "How can I get better if I know Capella is still out there somewhere? I can't stay down here forever!"

On his final syllable, Subaru lobbed the pillow high into the air with hopes that it would land on top of Meili, but it fell short and just hit the empty space of her mattress. She took this chance to jump onto the pillow and latch onto it so he couldn't try again, pressing the side of her face into it for comfort.

Meili: "You're still recovering though!"

He rubbed his neck with his other hand, fingertips tracing the rim of his collar scar.

Subaru: "I know… But I have a life upstairs that I want to get back to. I don't want what she did to me to weigh me down forever. I didn't know how much happiness I had in me until it was taken away by her… and I want that happiness back. I'm not going to let some unsightly scars and some heavy memories stop me from taking back what's mine."

Meili: "But Nii-san, it's not safe up there! Not for us…"

Subaru: "Of course it isn't, but it's part of my job as Emilia-tan's knight is to fix these problems so that no more good people have to get hurt!"

Meili: "You're a good person and you're hurt! Why can't you understand that!?"

Subaru sat up, poking his head over the side of her mattress to leer at Meili, who was still hugging her pillow.

Subaru: "I DO understand that! But I'm the only one who has the power to fight back against her, I'm the only one who can do this! I need to do this so that everyone she's ever hurt, every soul she's ever tainted-!... We can all finally start the healing process and try to live out the rest of their lives! I can do this!"

Meili: "WELL I CAN'T!"

Meili took her face out of her pillow and yelled back at Subaru, rising to her knees so that she could look down on the normally bigger person.

Meili: "Onii-sa-... Subaru… I can't do what you do…"

Subaru: "Meili, that's fine! You can stay here, you don't have to come with me!"

Meili: "But I don't want to be all alone again!"

Subaru's expression softened.

Meili: "I know you can't live here with me forever, but I didn't think it would end so soon… I thought I'd have more time to play, and talk, and share meals with you. But I was secretly hoping that you would stay longer, not just because I wanted company, but… so that I could use you as an excuse… to be afraid."

Meili shook as she hugged her pillow to her chest, looking down at her knees instead of at Subaru.

Meili: "Maybe you have the courage to stand back up and face Mama, but I don't! Subaru… I'm not some natural-born hero like you are. I was abandoned by my own parents because of my Divine Protection, I lived among the mabeasts for most of my life, and it was only a few years ago that Elsa came to find me on Mama's orders. Ever since then I've just been doing worse and worse things, with all the killing, lying, stealing, more killing… I think I might be too far gone to be a good person anymore. I'm not the hero type, and I don't think ever will be. That's why I was so happy to have a real hero like you stay down here… with someone naturally evil like me…"

Tears dropped from her cheeks and were soaked up instantly by her pillowcase. She was trembling now, laying her feelings bare and her heart open. In doing so, she allowed Subaru to see the entire picture as to why Meili was so eager to help, but so reluctant to let him go.

She was 'taken in' by Capella only so she could abuse and misuse her Divine Protection for her own nefarious purposes, manipulating her in both body and mind to nurture traits that suited her needs and smother the ones that didn't. Then she forced her to tail a serial murderer so that she would imitate her actions and menerisms in hopes to make her a similar killing machine. She had lived so much of her life imitating the actions and mannerisms of those around her, that when it came to having a sense of individuality or personal identity, Meili was at a complete loss as to who she was, or who she wanted to become. He always knew Meili feared her Mama, and he had all her memories since the Watchtower, but he didn't completely put them together until just this moment.

Meili wasn't just one of Capella's former 'children'. She was also one of her victims.

As she continued to cry into her pillow that she was clutching onto for dear life, Meili felt some weight give on the side of the bed closest to her. When she lifted her head to look up, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her torso, bringing her body into the whole-hearted embrace of someone who truly cared for her. Subaru was atop her mattress on his knees, hugging her into his pajama-clad chest, letting the side of her head rest just above his heart. She kept her arms around her pillow, but she welcomed the closeness of someone she considered trustworthy.

Subaru: "We have a lot in common, Meili."

Meili: "No we don't!"

She looked off to the side in thought for a few moments, sniffling back a few tears.

Meili: "And never ever say that again!"

Subaru: "Why? Afraid it's true?"

Meili: "No, because that's the biggest lie I've ever heard! We're nothing alike! You were born to be a hero, I was born to be the kind of person someone like you would end up taking down! Ever since the day I was born I've been a bad person, and I always will be!"

Subaru: "Do you won't!"

Meili: "You don't know that!"

Subaru: "Yes, I do!"

Meili: "No, you don't!"

Subaru: "I do!"

Meili: "How!?"

She shoved herself out of his chest and out of his grasp, slamming her fists into the pillow in her lap, looking up at him with angry tears in her jade-green eyes.

Meili: "How can you know what it's like to be desired only for your Divine Protection!? How can you know what it's like to be the defective child that nobody wants!? You can't possibly know who I really am on the inside! I don't even know!"

Subaru: "Know you? You dumb brat, I've been you!"

Meili: "... Huh?"

Subaru yelled back at her when she started to raise her voice, but what he said just made her confused. He took a deep breath in and sighed, then looked into Meili's tear-filled eyes.

Subaru: "You keep talking about me like I've always been this amazing guy that can miraculously save the day at any time, but that was never who I was. Hell, that's not even who I am now! I've always been this rotten, selfish, troublemaker, that used to terrorize the neighborhood I grew up in."

Meili: "Nuh-uh!"

Subaru: "Yeah-huh! I may not have killed people when I was a kid, but nobody ever forced me to do anything! Every dumb action I ever took was my choice that I made! I used to jump fences and break into swimming pools at night, I would paint on the sides of buildings and bridges, I climbed up high places in town I wasn't supposed to, I set off small explosives in the park, I'd fight off stray dogs with a stick, and this one time I stole a road marker and ran it aaaall across town! Oh, and right before I came to Lugnica, I dropped out of school."

Meili: "Gee~z Subaru! You're a menace!"

Subaru: "Hey! You are the last person I want to hear that from!"

Meili: "Hee-hee!"

Subaru: "Don't just go-! Ah who cares, laugh all you want."

The room was dimly lit from a single weak desk light, but Subaru could still see Meili crack a small smile on her otherwise sad and gloomy face. Instead of calling her out on her teasing, Subaru preferred to encourage her laughter rather than stifle it, so she giggled away at the cold, hard, embarrassing truth of Natsuki Subaru's past.

Subaru: "The only reason I ended up that way was because I wanted to be just like my dad, who was this great guy that everyone in town knew and loved. But when it started to become clear that I couldn't become like him, I just did whatever would get me the most attention. Even now, when I thrust my finger into the air and proudly state my name, it's just a way for me to stand out and seem interesting enough for people to talk to."

Meili: "Subaru…"

Subaru: "But when you don't feel good enough, when you feel like you're not living up to anyone's expectations, that's when you start to withdraw from everything. You shut yourself off somewhere safe, where you think the rest of the world can't get to you, tucked away so that you think that you're nobody's problem."

Meili: "That's-!"

Subaru: "But that's when you start to become your own worst enemy. Enough time will pass when you'll forget why you started to isolate yourself this way, and you'll begin to believe that you actually deserved it to begin with. It's a slippery slope that I stumbled down many, many times, trying to figure out why I had always felt this way, and I don't want to see you go through that if I can help it."

Subaru put his hands to Meili's soft cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away some of the tears from her eyes.

Subaru: "But after meeting you and everyone else, I see now that I just needed another chance to be the best me I could be. And I want to give you that same chance, Meili."

Meili: "S-Subaru~u!"

Meili threw the pillow she had a death-grip on and tossed it against the headboard, then went straight to Subaru and hugged him as hard as she could, the tears on her face were being absorbed by his pajama shirt. He moved one hand to her back and one to her head, reassuring her that at this moment, he wasn't going anywhere.

Meili sobbed her heart out into his shirt, overwhelmed with a mixed bag of joy, sadness, and regret upon hearing that she and Subaru viewed themselves in a similar fashion. She had always assumed that once a criminal, always a criminal. But Subaru was a horrid little devil child like her, and now everyone likes him and is even regarded as a national hero! If someone who chose to be trouble could turn around his life into someone people like, then maybe it was possible for someone who was forced to become trouble to be someone people would like too!

Meili: "*sniff*... Got any advice?"

Subaru: "Hmmm… For now, let's focus on redirecting some of that troublemaker instinct into something more constructive! If it's in your nature to cause havoc and mayhem, then cause havoc and mayhem for the people that deserve it the most! That's pretty much what I do! We'll call this the first homework assignment from me to you!"

Meili: "People that deserve it the most… Like Mama?"

Subaru: "Yeah, like her…"

Subaru zoned out for a moment at the mention of her alias, almost forgetting how this conversation started, how he ended up down here, how Meili ended up down here. If it wasn't for Capella, Meili would have been spared from the life-altering experiences she suffered under her watch, and he would've been able to retain his first time for the girl he had set his heart on.

Meili: "I know you'll be a much better parent, Subaru."

Subaru: "-!"

Unintentionally bringing him out of his daze, Meili's words snapped Subaru back into the current moment.

Subaru: "... You remembered what I asked you back at the Watchtower?"

Meili pulled her head back and beamed, smiling ear to ear despite her red face and tear-stained cheeks.

Meili: "Of course I remembered! It's not like it's everyday that someone asks for me to be their daughter... You were serious about that, right?"

Subaru matched her grin, his chest feeling several times lighter as he cocked his head back and laughed, much to Meili's displeased pouting.

Subaru: "Bahahahahaha! I obviously meant it! I'm not gonna say something that serious on a whim! I want you to have a good role model to look up to, and- well, I mean, I'm not the best example in the world, but I'm pretty sure I can help you find the right path! You'll also have an Auntie Beako to rely on! Oh, and I know that I might be a single dad for now, but I'll be hard at work trying to marry Emilia-tan so that you can have a real mother figure in your life. I don't know what Emilia-tan thinks about marrying guys who already have kids, but I have a feeling she might make an exception for us!"

Subaru finished that last part with a wink and a thumbs up, comforting her with the promise of a bright future. One where she was part of a loving, caring family, one that wants to see her happy and enjoy her life to the fullest. The corners of her wobbling lips couldn't stop pointing upward, she hadn't been this happy to be alive since before she had lost Elsa. The promise she had made with Subaru and Emilia in the Watchtower was a good starting point to her path of moving away from villainy, but this was something more personal to the core of who she was and what she wanted out of life.

A place where she could belong and happily live in the company of those who loved her.

Meili: "I-Is that… really fine with you? You're really alright with adopting someone like me… just like that?"

Subaru snapped his fingers.

Subaru: "Just like that!"

Meili blushed at his response, proud to be the future daughter of one of Lugnica's most up and coming heroes, and possibly the husband of the future ruler of the country! Would that make her a princess? She hoped so, she would be able to buy Petra and Beatrice all the sweets in the world if she could.

Subaru: "Meili… It's gonna be impossible for us to move on with Capella still on the loose. So long as the possibility of her dropping in on us at any time still exists, we're always going to be afraid."

Meili: "Yeah…"

Subaru: "So this is my resolve: First, we take Capella down for good. We'll make sure she's gone from this world for good, with no possible way or returning. Then, I'll have Otto requisition some adoption papers from the capital. Does that sound good to you?"

Meili just looked at him dumbfounded. He proposed something as ridiculous as killing a Sin Archbishop, let alone Mama of all people, like it was a casual, normal thing to say.

Meili: "You say that like it's easy!"

Subaru: "Killing a Sin Archbishop? Easy? Ha, I wish! No, if we're gonna take out Lust we need to plan ahead, we don't have the luxury of our enemy being a moron. Capella is a deranged psychopath for sure, but she's not an idiot. I have a couple of ideas, plus something else Emilia-tan told me about after I came back from Vollachia that might work, but I'm going to need to start brainstorming ideas in the morning. If you'd like to contribute in any way, I'd welcome the help if you feel comfortable!"

Meili wiped her eyes and nodded.

Meili: "Of course! After all, I did have one or two things in reserve that might be able to help!"

Subaru: "In reserve? You were holding out on us all this time? I thought we were cool!"

Meili: "No no, not like that! I've just been working on a few things in the time that I was down here by myself, but I haven't been practicing since you moved in. I didn't want to stress you out with things that could potentially kill you."

Subaru: "Practicing? Ho-ho, got some new never before seen technique in the works, do ya?"

Meili: "Ma~ybe!"

Subaru: "*tch* Giving me sass already, huh? You really are my kid."

Meili: "Haha! Hey, that reminds me, should I start calling you Papa now?"

Subaru: "Ehhhh I think 'Papa' is a little too old school for my taste."

Meili: "Hmm, what about Daddy?"

Subaru: "OH MY GOD THAT'S SO MUCH WORSE."

Meili: "Geez, fine then! What do you want me to call you?"

Subaru furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin in thought, not at all prepared for this conversation topic.

Subaru: "I mean, you started calling me by my first name earlier. Maybe start with that, then try calling me 'Dad' when you feel comfortable with it. How does that sound?"

Meili: "*sniff* Sounds like a plan!"

Their eyes met in mutual affirmation. The two most 'evil' residents of Roswaal's mansion had made a bond of tears, respect, and a mutual goal, and nothing was going to shatter their determination to see it through to the end.

Subaru: "Ha, alright then! This has been great, but also super exhausting, so I think we should probably go to sleep for real now."

Meili: "Wait!"

Subaru motioned to get off her bed and back into his futon, but he grabbed his sleeve to stop him.

Meili: "Tonight, if it's alright with you… I mean, it's alright if you don't wanna but, after everything we just talked about, I thought that maybe…"

She was twiddling her thumbs and looking away from him while breaking into a poorly whistled tune, obviously trying to avoid saying what she was thinking. Subaru rolled his eyes, chalking up 'avoiding things we want to say' to the ever growing list of what he and his future daughter had in common.

Subaru: "Meili, do you want me to keep you company tonight?"

She perked her head up with an elated expression, quickly closing the gap between them with a bearhug around his torso, pressing her forehead into the center of his chest and holding herself there. Subaru returned her embrace and brought them both down to lay parallel to each other, resting his head on her pillow while she snuggled against his arm and into his chest.

Subaru: "Good night, Meili Natsuki-Portroute."

Subaru felt proud when he heard a sharp gasp come from her, snickering to himself a little. He wasn't sure if she would want to keep her old last name or not, but throwing 'Natsuki' in there must've thrown her for a loop.

Unbeknownst to him though, Meili herself was grinning devilishly under the guise of shock.

Meili: "Good night, Dad."

His heart did a backflip. A sense of paternity spiked within Subaru. The number one priority in his mind was now this girl's safety and happiness, he didn't care what obstacles stood in his way. As Meili's breathing slowed to a sleeping pace, resting her weary head in her arms, he made a vow to himself to take Capella down.

For the people of Pristella, transformed into grotesque monsters, frozen in time until a way to reverse the damage could be found.

For Crusch Karsten, a sworn friend and comrade who not only lost her memories, but also had her body invaded and crippled, bedridden by the very same blood that plagued him.

For Meili, the girl originally sent to kill him, who turned out to be a misunderstood child who had her life strung along by the very same woman who tormented him.

And finally, he would do this for himself. That monster broke into his home, took him against his will, violated him in ways that only a twisted savage could stoop to, and stole the forms of his loved ones to toy with his heart. She drove him to become a recluse, to fear his own friends, to self-harm even further than he already was, and he knew that she was still out there somewhere, plotting the best time to strike again.

But Subaru refused to live that way of life. He refused to stay in one place, to let everything he had worked so hard to achieve fade away just because he didn't have the courage to persevere. He would create a future where he and this girl in his arms could live a happy life, without fear of a shapeshifting megalomaniac descending from the sky to kill/abduct them.

So in order for that future to happen, the Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult representing Lust, Capella Emerada Lugnica, had to die.

And Natsuki Subaru vowed to see to it that she does.

Next chapter is the last one! It'll have drama, action, suspense, and that satisfying ending I know you're all hoping for!

I don't want to rush what could be a really cool fight, so imma take my time with the final chapter, but look forward to it!

Thank you for reading!