Echidna was ecstatic.

She was so happy that when Subaru had nodded his head (in fear mind you), she had dragged him out of class. She could still hear the whistles of the class and the teacher yelling at them to come back as she ran down the hall with the biggest grin on her face.

Being at the top floor of the school building had its perks. Same with the bottom floor, there was two vending machines that greeted you if you were to walk up/down the stairs. One was mostly a tea machine while the other was a soda machine.

She had learned to enjoy the little things during her time in the loops.

Putting some yen into the Vending Machine, she pushed the button for Green Tea. She wasn't all that picky, for it was more of a pleasure than a necessity. Her body didn't need to consume nor did her body ingest it. She had found that it dissipated while traveling through her intestine. That was just one of the many perks to being a Witch.

"What would you like?" Echidna asked, to which Subaru failed to respond to. A response wasn't needed, she just found it to be more polite than anything. She already knew what he liked. Pushing the button for Black Tea, she waited for the cans to fall. Turning around, she gazed at the somber sight for just a moment.

Subaru sat with his back to the wall, staring emotionlessly at the ground. Apparently realizing that he actually did die hit harder than it should have. It made her wonder; What exactly happened that caused him to be so down?

'Oh, how I can't wait to find out!' She thought with glee, eager to talk about last loops ending.

"Here," She said, placing the Black Tea on his cheek. The cold sensation caused him to flinch. Glaring at her, he took the drink. Sitting next to him, she cracked open her own tea as did Subaru his. "See? Not so bad, right? I was able to learn about what you liked in one of the past loops, if you recall?"

It was a question.

"No, I don't 'recall.'" Subaru responded, his voice carrying with it a edge of disdain. Echidna didn't bother to look into it though; she already knew why. Drinking some more if the cold drink, he glared at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm guessing that's why the Bento tasted so good? Normally I wouldn't like Squid, but you somehow made it taste bearable."

"My, you do know how to flatter a girl." Echidna smiled, as always. Her smile annoyed Subaru now that he knew the reason behind it. "But as you can tell, I'm not any ordinary girl. You're gonna have to try harder than that to please me." She took another sip of her tea. "To answer your question, yes. During my time, I had found the sweet spot for every taste bud in that luscious mouth of yours."

"Don't call my mouth luscious." Subaru barked out bitterly, his anger flaring slightly. Taking a few seconds to calm himself down, he took another swig, savoring the bitter drink. Glancing at her, he could see that annoying smile as she watched him with the joy of a predator ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. "How many loops did it take you to learn those skills? Ten?"

"Give or take a thousand." She responded, causing Subaru to cough. She giggled, which would have sounded cute, but to Subaru it just grated on his rising annoyance and anger. "What? You expect me to learn how to cook for you in just a few days? You have to be a little bit more realistic than that."

"What I expect you to do is warn me that burglars are going to kill me!" Subaru grounded out. "I expect you to help me, each loop, and warn me of every occurrence in which I die!" Her smile just widened. "I expect you to defend me, witch!"

Her smile vanished.

Sighing, Echidna's anger being touched at the prospect of being called a 'Witch.' Normally, it wouldn't have bothered her since that's what she was- a Witch. But it was usually out of respect, not used as a derogatory term. Taking a drink, she forced herself to calm down.

"What good would it have done to warn you?" Echidna said, swirling the tea in its can. It had this calming effect Echidna couldn't put her finger on. "Tell me, what happened ten loops ago?"

What was this? Was she quizzing him on his own life? This was ridiculous!

"What does that have to do with anything!?" Subaru spoke louder, bordering a yell. Echidna glared at him for this, to which Subaru lowered the volume for his voice. "We are still in the same loop, with no way to leave until we deal with these pricks!"

"Just answer the question." She commanded. It was irritating to go through this every time. Subaru groaned, but followed her orders anyways.

"Well, I…" Subaru paused. What did happen ten loops ago? Didn't he get hit by a car? Was she even there? No, none of that happened. He couldn't remember what happened.

"Alright, a different question then." She rose two fingers up. "What happened two loops ago?"

The question was simple enough; recount something that happened prior a day or two ago. Yet as they sat there in silence, why was it that Subaru couldn't remember? Nothing, no matter how much he tried, Subaru could think of nothing of the past two days.

"Do you understand now?" Echidna asked in a 'I know everything' tone. "Final question, What would you have done if I told you, you could rewind time upon your death?"

Subaru kept silent, for the answer was obvious. He wouldn't have believed a word that came from her lips. He would have probably considered her a weirdo, or a chuunibyou or something of a equivalent.

"You and I both know how it would end, Subaru." Echidna sighed, her smile returning. "You would have called me nuts, ignored me, or laugh it off. Believe me, I have tried."

"Oh, and how can I believe that?" Subaru whispered bitterly. He had no reason, other than the fact that she let him die countless times, to distrust her, but it still stung knowing that she let him die.

"Have I lied to you, Subaru?" Echidna bit back, a little angry at his rudeness at which he spoke to her. "While I find your reasoning to hate me palatable, do not let your wrath cloud your judgment. I have no reason to lie to you, for I wish for these loops to end too."

Well, that made her a hypocrite. While did she wish for this loop to end, it wasn't like she was disliking it so much. She enjoyed the scenarios that played out in each loop, constantly changing, but she wished for it to end and move on.

Believe it or not, Echidna had seen enough of the same ending that it has become stale. She craved for a new setting.

Subaru let out a breath. He knew deep down that he should forgive her, but he couldn't. It was her fault that they were stuck in a loop to begin with. If she claimed she was a Witch, wouldn't she have some sort of power? Like cursing people?

"Say, how many loops have we been through?" Subaru asked. Echidna smiled, her cheer back if only a little.

"I lost track when we hit a million, but I can check The Book of Wisdom if you want?" Echidna offered. To say Subaru wasn't surprised would be the greatest understatement of the year.

Over a million loops? Over a million deaths, never to end because some girl let it happen. He didn't know if she had any abilities, but if she could remember each loop, wouldn't she have some will over the Scenario?

He felt like a puppet on strings.

"So you sat through each loop, watching and waiting for me to remember? All because you what, couldn't convince me?" Subaru wasn't sure how to feel anymore. On one hand she had let him die continuously. On the other, he hadn't even remembered until now, making him at fault too. Subaru was unsure if he should feel angry at her or disappointed at himself. "How had I not remembered any of them until now? Was there a curse in my mind?"

"Who said you hadn't remembered before?" Echidna scoffed. Subaru stared at her, unbelieving. "What? That's what happens when you do the same thing over and over again. It drives you mad. You have remembered almost every third loop, and each time you would die and die and die until you couldn't take it." She leaned into him, while he leaned out. "You would forget about it, and it would all restart. Each Scenario different, from burglars to Super Villains. From friendly fire to an accident in which your own mother burned you alive." She smiled, though this one of melancholy. "You died so many times, each time breaking until you were less than you were originally. I've seen the weakest side of you, to you in your prime." She leaned back. "There was even a loop in which you fell for me. I won't lie, I enjoyed that loop a little too much. Such a rarity has yet to transpire again though." She sighed though. "I just want it to end though."

"I just want you to be free."

The words stung Subaru more than it should have. Here was a girl who was in the same boat as him, watching the same events play out eternally. A never ending hell, in which he dragged her along, and what did he feel for her? Contempt, hatred, and guilt. Even when she claimed to want to set him free, he still hated her.

They sat there in silence- Subaru mulling over her words while doing his best to recognize his emotions, Echidna drinking her tea as she went over some notes in her head. This silence would last minutes, as both did there thing. This would end when Echidna clapped her hands, drawing his attention back to her.

"I suppose we must discuss the current loop then." Echidna spoke suddenly. Subaru nodded his head in response, signaling that he was listening. "From what I understand, you have burglars breaking and entering?" He nodded. "It sounds simple enough, but may I ask, how is it that you are dying?"

"I startled one of the pair when they were trying to break into my window. He had a gun and accidently shot me in the gut." He responded, shivering through his jacket at the memory. He still felt the phantom pain as the bullet was stuck in him, each breath drawing more out of him than the last. "I don't know how they broke in through my window, but they did."

"Good." Was all the Echidna responded with. Taking out a note pad, she started jotting down some notes. "You said it was a pair, correct?" A nod. "So I am going to assume they are both male and equally stronger than y-"

"One was female." Subaru interrupted, clarifying her mistake. "While they were speaking, one definitely sounded like a female. She even had the size of a small female too."

"But can you be sure?" Echidna asked, skeptical as to this form of information. "In my experience, I have dealt with plenty of injured individuals who mistake identities or whole memories based on their injuries."

"No, I'm pretty sure it was a she." Subaru responded, pushing at this. "It's a little unbelievable that I would mistake a she for a he."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Echidna giggled, to which Subaru glared. His anger for her yet to be liberated. "Fine, I'll assume one is a female. Could you distinguish their age? Or any defining features?"

"No, I was in too much pain to concentrate. Besides, they wore all black, so I couldn't see anything else besides their eyes."

"Hmm, this is less than preferable." Echidna said, tapping the pen on her chin. While she could have looked into The Book of Wisdom for answers, what would be the fin in that? "Alright, so what we can gather is that two complete strangers broke into your room, one female and one male, and tried to steal from you and your family." A nod. "One has a gun, but from the way you make it sound they didn't want to kill anyone." A nod. "Hmm. Well, from what I can infer, you would be able to overcome this if you set up an ambush."

"How can we do that?" Subaru questioned. "Should we hide out on the roof and wait for them to attempt to break in? I'm not so sure that will work."

With a sigh, Echidna got up. Chugging the last of her tea, she started her walk down the hallway. "I don't know, Subaru. While I may be extraordinarily smart, I do not intend to support you further from this point on."

"What!?" Subaru all but yelled. Getting up, he started following after her. "You just said you wanted to be free of these loops! What happened to that!?"

"Nothing happened to my want to be free, Subaru. I just seek for you to learn on your own." Echidna gave a shrug. "Or are you saying you're so helpless without the Witch of Greed? Maybe I might reconsider if you confess your undying love to me."

"I'll do that once hell freezes over." Subaru gritted his teeth. "And here I was beginning to like you. I guess we won't ever get along, will we?."

"I'm not so sure of that Subaru." She responded, cheer in her voice. "For me, this is just a test to see if you can find the solution on your own. Once you do, I wouldn't be so averse with helping you."

"Heh, like hell you would be able to help me. From what I've seen all you are good for is riding on my coattail and cooking food." That seemed to strike a cord with Echidna. Subaru grinned, he was going to enjoy this. "I would choose anyone else besides you, Echidna. How about the Witch of Wrath? I bet she could destroy a thousand buildings with one punch. Or Lust? Wouldn't she be able to enchant the users so she can bend them to her will? But no, I'm stuck with Greed. She's so selfish that she would rather see someone die than lift a finger to help. You're sounding more like Sloth than Greed!" This seemed to strike a major cord with her, seeing as her face was turning redder by the minute. Subaru wasn't even done, this felt good. "You know who would actually be better? The Witch of Pride! At least then she would lend a hand to help. Or better yet, how about The Witch of Env-"

Whatever he was about say was cut off by a punch to the gut from Echidna. Having been caught off guard caused Subaru to kneel. Echidna wasn't done, as Subaru was falling she kneed him in the nose. The force was great enough that he was sent in the air. She then used the length of her arm to pin Subaru to the wall.

Through cracked eyes, Subaru could see the look on Echidna's face. Like he had hoped, Echidna was furious, but not in the way he had hoped. Instead of just her yelling, she had used violence to her advantage. She was strong but he had a gut feeling she was holding back. That didn't worry him though. The way her eyes glowed a bright gold is what worried him.

"I will let you know this now, Subaru." She started, her voice but a mere whisper. A mere whisper that had his knees shaking. "I can tolerate many things; Being compared to my sister's, or even some use of profanity, even your constant rudeness in this loop I can deal with." She leaned in. "What I cannot tolerate is being compared to that mongrel that has the audacity to call herself a Witch." She leaned out, letting go of Subaru. "Envy is not a sister or even human. I consider her a mongrel, a pet and a liar. A betrayer and a crook. A puppet that couldn't comprehend love if she were to be confessed to. She killed all my friends when all we sought was to help her. So do not ever, in this world and the next, compare me to the Jealous Witch."

With that, Echidna left the coughing Subaru to his own devices. Subaru, for his part had heard all that he needed to, and while he knew it was wrong, he felt guilty. This mostly stemmed from him having belittled her like he did, while the other part was for what she had said.

All her friends were dead, and he was about to compared her to their murderer.

One could never say Subaru wasn't easily worried without being a shit faced liar. Subaru worried about a lot of things, namely life after High school, what other people thought of him and offending others. Those worries were easily brushed aside though. A real worry that would stick around with him until he remedied it was that of what just happened.

He was worried about having hurt someone that might've cared for him. As much as he was furious with her right now, he also understood where she was coming from. Who would believe him if he just proclaimed that they could survive dying? The only way to even test that out is if they died, and if they drew the short end of the stick that would be it. They died a fool.

"Crap." Subaru groaned, the pain finally getting to him. No doubt there will be bruises in the next hour. Sucking in a breath, he steeled himself for the walk back to class. "I'm probably going to have to go home early and prepare."

Unknown to both Subaru and Echidna, a lone female was one floor beneath them, listening intently. There would need to be a change in plans.

It wasn't that hard to convince the nurse to allow him to go home early with all the bruises that covered his body. Well, it wasn't hard after she slapped some bandages on him up, convinced some poor girl to walk him home, and gave his mother a call. These wounds sure did help him get home.

Subaru had to ask Echidna if this was her intention later.

After a heart felt apology of course.

"Again, I'm sorry that you had to do this!" Subaru apologized for what felt like the millionth time. The Girl, a short noirette with no visually defining features unlike Echidna, smiled nervously and nodded. The bounds of the conversation had just been Subaru apologizing and The shy girl apologizing. "If you want, you can head back now. We're almost there anyways and I doubt the Nurse is going to find out that you left me early."

"I-It's fine." The Girl said as she trudged through the snow. Subaru had to admit, she must have been pretty strong if she could keep up with him going up this slope. "I-I enjoy helping p-people so it's no problem."

"Huh, that's a good trait to have. I could say the same about myself for the most part." They were nearing his house. He could see it now. "Alright, there is my house. Are you sure you don't want to head back?"

"Y-yes." She responded, almost eagerly. That was weird, she must like hiking. Shrugging, they continued their walk. If she wanted to go to his house he wouldn't stop her. Arriving at the door, Subaru let out a breath of fresh air.

'Why did we get a house at the top of the damn slope!?'

"Well, here we are! Home sweet home!" Subaru said in glee. It always felt great to get home, especially after a difficult walk like that. Turning around, he saw the dark haired girl fidget nervously, a light blush on her face. "Hey, are you o- Wait! Don't tell me you were pushing yourself for my sake!" He bowed. "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it, Subaru."

"Huh? When did your voice sounded much older and threatening?" Subaru asked, as he looked at the girl who seemed to be a little more nervous. "Are you a ventriloquist?"

"Wrong Girl, Subaru."

This time, the voice was more clear. Turning around, he bore witness to the ever blank expression on his mother's face. For Subaru and his Dad though, they were able to tell the slight changes in her face. Right now, she was worried.

"Are you ok Mom?" Subaru asked, slightly worried about his mother. She was a kind woman, if not a little dense, but it was rare to see her worried.

"Of course I am, although I am a little bothered by what to make tonight. But enough about me, what about you?" Naoko spoke a little quicker than usual. In what seemed like a flash, she grabbed his face, moving it around. "All you have is a broken nose, so your face won't be that damaged. We will need to check under each bandage too to see if anything is fractured."

"Hey, Mom!" Subaru softly slapped his Moms offending hand. "I got checked out by the school nurse! I'm sure she would be able to tell if I broke anything!"

"School Shmuul! Those wannabe doctors wouldn't be able to tell dead from alive if it hit them!" Naoko responded. She didn't doubt the knowledge of a nurse, but the last time she was in high school, one of her friends suffered from a broken rib for a day because the nurse was too stupid to tell the difference between a broken rib from a intact one. "Besides, it's the mother's job to overly worry so get your ass inside right now before I have to drag you in!"

"U-Um!" A voice spoke behind Subaru. Turning around, the girl was still behind him, much to the surprise of Subaru. He would have expected her to run off by now. "I-I'm not sure if removing Subaru's bandages would be a good idea."

"Oh? They sent a girl with you Subaru?" Naoko asked, before she smiled. "Or is this your friend? Wait! Friend. Girl. Friend-Girl!?"

"I think you mean girlfriend and no!" Subaru practically yelled. His mom's sly grin wouldn't leave though. "What're you thinking?"

"Oh, you know, stuff." Her smile didn't leave her face, as she leaned into the poor girl. "Hey, when are you and Subaru gonna have kids?"

"Ok! That's enough!" Grabbing the smiling woman, he shoved her inside. Turning around, "I'm sorry to have trouble you!" and he slammed the door.

The Shy girl was left standing there, slightly flustered and cold. This was not how she expected this to go down. In her head, she imagined getting here, requesting to use the phone to call her parents and go back to school/home. Not be questioned on her activities in baby making.

With a sigh, she turned on her heel, and started her long walk back to school.

It hadn't taken long to convince his mother to not undo the patches where the bruises resided. Subaru knew that she wanted to still uncover them, but convinced her not to on the prospect that he was tired. That was enough to let him go and get the privacy he needed. He had went straight to bed after that.

Well, not without first grabbing his Dads gun.

Getting his hand on the weapon wasn't that difficult either. His dad owned multiple guns. One he carried with him whenever he left the household. Two, the rifle, was kept away in a safe in the garage. The last one was hidden under one of his dressers. Slipping in there and grabbing the weapon wasn't that difficult seeing as the room was across from his. His mother usually stayed on the first floor, doing whatever she could to pass the time.

His dad legally was allowed to wield guns in and out of the household. Owning one rifle, and two handguns, Subaru had hoped that it would never come in handy despite his daily day dreams of being a superhero. Subaru saw guns as a last resort, something that was used to kill should never be a first resort. This was probably the reason for why it was so strict in Japan to wield a gun besides more evident reasons.

Yet as he sat at his desk staring at the weapon that could make or break this loop, he sincerely hoped that there would be no need to pull the trigger. As optimistic as it was, he hoped to catch them off guard, have them surrender, and call the cops. That was about it.

Deep down he knew it wouldn't end like he hoped.

As much as Subaru wished for something supernatural to happen in his life, he was starting to regret it. He wished for powers like Spider-Man, telekinesis or to control over Space-time, hell even hard skin would be better than this. To die and return to some random checkpoint in time just to redo it over again? Sure, that brought tactical advantages but what about encounters with opponents that were to strong or to fast for him to catch up?

All he had was knowledge and a gun. Both useful, and both deadly. Subaru didn't want to kill, and deep down he didn't truly wish to fight. But this pair had shot him, by accident or not didn't matter. They shot him, what would stop then from killing his family? This was why he had to fight, to keep them safe.

The coming confrontation made his knees shake in fear.

Now was the time to plan though. He didn't have time to worry about the inevitable.

Subaru's current plan was simple. Rest until they tried to break in, once they do he would be "asleep" and wait as they passed by him, if they didn't plan to kill him, catch them by surprise. Use one as a shield and the other would have no choice but to surrender. Simple, yet, to him at least, effective.

The signal for this plan to commence would be when his dad left for his jog. During the last loop everything went down after he left, so it should make things easier to pinpoint exactly when he should get to bed.

A sudden slam shook him out of his stupor. With a speed Subaru didn't know he had, he hid the gun in one of the drawers of his desk. Apparently his dad had decided to go for a jog.

A jog up the stairs and to his room more like.

"Subaru!" Kenichi yelled, stomping into his room. Subaru nervously looked up at him from his chair. Kenichi looked pissed, and not in the 'You messed with me' kind of pissed. It seemed more like 'Are you serious' kind of pissed. Kenichi slammed his hand on Subaru's desk, startling him even more. "What is this I here about you getting beat up!? And what about your new girlfriend that I wasn't told about!?" Kenichi leaned into Subaru. "Did you do the DEED?"

"W-What!?" Subaru nervously asked as his Dad aggressively grab him by the shirt. "W-w-what do you mean g-girlfriend! D-do you mean Echidna!? There is no way I would go out with that witch, let alone do the deed!"

"Echidna is her name huh!? Already on a first-name basis?" Kenichi leaned in further, their noses touching. "You also called her a Witch, when what I heard was the opposite of what a Witch would do. She walked you home for gods sake Subaru! Would a Witch do that? To waste her time with you!?"

"W-what!?" Subaru questioned. Echidna didn't walk him home. He wasn't sure That she had an ounce of That kindness. "That wasn't Echidna! I don't even know that girl, she was forced by the school to help me!"

"Oh." Kenichi responded dumbly, letting Subaru drop back into his chair. "So what's this with your mother saying you have a girlfriend?"

"Mom just overreacted." Subaru tersely responded. Barging into his room and accusing him of his personal life was a pet peeve of his… well, mostly just barging into his room. He couldn't tell how many times his own mother walked in on him. "The school asked if she could do it, and she agreed. She didn't even really talk to me all that much on the way up here; just nodding was mostly her response."

Kenichi glanced over at Subaru, before sitting down on his bed across the room. A Kotatsu in-between them. "Alright, I can see what happened now. You got here, she jumped to conclusions and you didn't properly explain the situation?" Kenichi asked to which Subaru nodded in response. He sighed, crossing his arms. "You really need to take into consideration that Naoko isn't really the brightest of the bunch, Subaru. You've seen how she acts- One time she thought I was cheating because I was talking to her Mother. That was a hell of a day, I tell you."

"Yeah, you told me that story. How she locked you out of the house for a whole day before you convinced her that you were just asking for her parents blessing?" Subaru smiled, one of melancholy. "I know I should have explained, but I just…" Subaru glanced over to the drawer holding the gun. Kenichi picked up on this.

"What's wrong Subaru?" Kenichi worriedly asked. His son had a lot of problems, but usually he was better at hiding them. If Subaru was so troubled that it bore through his mask, that was something to be concerned about. "You know you can talk to me, right Subaru? Your mom and I are here for a reason, you know?"

"I know, it's just…" Subaru groaned, leaning back in his chair. "I really don't want to talk about it right now, Dad. I'll tell you tomorrow, is that fine?"

Kenichi sighed, running a hand through his hair. Ever since High school began, his son had been like this. Each day that passed Subaru became more and more reclusive. Some nights he didn't even eat dinner with him and Naoko. Let alone talk to them about his problems. Kenichi would be lying if he said it didn't hurt having his son ignore them like this.

"Fine, but I'm holding it to you to explain by tomorrow morning. You know what happens when you don't hold up your end of the bargain, or do you need a reminder?" Subaru shivered. The last time he didn't hold up his end his dad had made him skip school and run all day. "Now, who is this Echidna?"

"Huh? You don't rem-" Oh, right… reset. For a second, Subaru had forgotten everyone besides him and Echidna forgot about the loops. That was another downside in his eyes. "Right, sorry. I thought I told you guys."

"You have been locked in your room all day, there's no way in hell you told us who this Echidna girl is." Kenichi said. Sometimes his son was almost as dumb as his wife… not that she's dumb though. "So, who is she?"

"Mostly a pain in my ass." Subaru responded sarcastically, spinning in his chair. Kenichi smiled, a girl who grinded his sons gears was something that was rare. "She's a self centered girl who only cares about what entertains to her. I'm not even sure if she even cares what happens to her as long as she is entertained."

"Ah, sounds like a keeper." Kenichi teased, much to the annoyance to the still spinning Subaru. He sent a glare to Kenichi, who laughed in kind. "Just kidding. She sounds like a piece of work though, but I'm sensing there is more to this story?"

"Yeah. But I really don't want to talk about it." Subaru sighed, feeling slightly bad for not telling him. But how do you tell someone you insulted another by comparing them to their friends murderer? Sure he could lie, but Subaru wasn't a liar. "I will tell you tomorrow dad. I'm sorry, but can I be alone for now? I just want to rest."

All Kenichi did was sigh and get up. He knew that pressuring his son wouldn't lead to anywhere except to argument. It hurt being rejected like this, but at least Subaru would talk to him tomorrow. Walking to the door, Kenichi hesitated once more.

"Subaru, get some rest alright? Your mother was worried about you when you earlier, and no doubt she still is. I'll convince her to leave you alone for tonight, but you'll have to come up with something convincing to ease her mind." Kenichi started to walk out, but stopped once again. "There's still food in the kitchen if you're hungry?"

"I'm fine, Thanks dad." Subaru wouldn't have been able to eat with what was about to go down. With that, Kenichi left the room, closing the door softly.

Subaru sighed as he sunk into his chair. He always felt bad brushing them off like that, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't easy talking about his problems and his faults. It was like acknowledging that he was a problem.

He truly did feel guilty about what happened with Echidna, but he didn't know what to do. Maybe he should apologize to her tomorrow after all this was done? She did deny helping him though, which could potentially continue the loop eternally if he could never beat this.

That brought up the question 'Why?' though. Why would she deny helping him when she herself claimed to hold all the world's knowledge? What would bring her to risk continuing this torment?

He had a feeling her excuse for entertainment was a cover up.

The way she acted hinted that there was more behind the scenes than simply 'wanting him to get it right.' What did that mean anyways? Get what right? If she wanted to get it right, wouldn't helping him succeed in that?

What was Echidna hiding?

A sudden slam drew his attention once again. Instead of it being his door though, it was the front door. Feeling the vibrations as his dad closed the door, Subaru opened the drawer and went to the sliding glass door. He saw his dad running down the street, his breath visible because of the cold. "Wish me luck, Dad."

Unlocking the door, he made sure the burglars had easy access in. It wouldn't do if they had to go through another way, which would undermine the point of acting to sleep. Walking to the door, he flipped the switch off before heading to bed.

Laying there was nerve racking. Even though nothing had happened in the five minutes that Subaru laid there, it still made him anxious. While he did a ton of mental training for this in the hours prior to his Dads confrontation, it did nothing for him. He still felt anxious and worry for the bad end of this route.

What if he failed? Would he die again? Would it be more painful than the last? Would his family get injured?

Hopefully none of that would come to pass.

As soon as he thought that, a sudden shift in temperature drew his attention. The almost silent sound of the door sliding opening made him stiffen. It continued before stopping. Two silent taps, that could have sounded like thunder to him, echoed in the dark room. The door slid again, shutting with a silent "click."

It was silent after that. No soft tap of footsteps making their way across his room. No shuffling as the burglar looked through his stuff. Just complete and udder silence. After a minute of this silence, Subaru started thinking that it was all in his head. That the worry had gotten to his head.

That false hope was dashed away as a hand decided to lay itself on his forehead. This came as a shock to Subaru, shocking enough that he had to will himself not to flinch out of shock and fear, which he failed at. Luckily for him his would be murderer didn't think much of it. He heard a few more taps before a lengthy sigh.

"Looks like our employer had some false intel, this kid is just sick. He's as hot as a sauna. There's no way he's going to be fighting us in his condition." A female voice said as a few more taps echoed in his room. "This kid has some snazzy stuff. You should see it later. To bad we didn't come here for his stuff."

What? They weren't burglars?

That didn't matter though, they intruded into his house and killed him. That was enough for him to beat them half to death. A few more seconds passed before he cracked open his eyes. It was dark, but due to the street lights he could still make out the silhouette of a female. Her back was turned to him.

Now was the time.

Sitting up slowly, he did his best to make sure his bed didn't creak. Having springs in the bed was horrible, especially now. He sat up, slowly standing in a crouch with the gun in his right hand. Making his way to behind her was a test in silence. His feet touching the cold floor boards practically made his legs shiver.

Subaru would later question why he didn't just point the gun at her from afar and threaten her.

He did the same though, but at a closer range. Pointing the gun from behind her head, he did his best to calm his trembling hand.

"Stop." Subaru whispered. Mentally he hit himself over the head. Who says 'Stop' when threatening someone. It was stupid. Either way, it seemed to work as the girl stopped moving. She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes barely visible to him.

"Crap." Was all she could mutter before raising her hands up. When Subaru saw this, he could feel his courage gather. Slowly he walked closer to her, putting the gun at the back of her head. Gulping, he pushed on her head.

"Kneel, and put your hands behind your back." Subaru ordered nervously. The Girl glared at him from behind his mask before leaning forward. As soon as Subaru felt like he could relax, she leaned back, hitting his already broken nose. "Gah!"

He tried pulling the trigger, but it wouldn't budge. The Girl hit the hand holding onto the gun to the side, loosening his grip on the weapon. Falling back on his bed, he barely had a chance to roll out of the way of a drop kick she had, which shattered the bedding.

The girl wouldn't let up. As soon as he had dodged the kick, he forced himself up. His gun loosely hanging in his grip, Subaru did his best to point it at her. Succeeding in that, he pulled the trigger. Once again, instead of a loud bang, the trigger wouldn't even budge.

"What th-" He was interrupted as the girl kicked him across the face. Subaru was quick to back step from the punch to his side. It hurt, more than any normal kick should, but it was soft compared to Echidna's punch. She tried to kick him again, but Subaru wouldn't fall for it again.

Planting his foot on the makeshift table, he hopped over it. The Girl made to follow him, but as soon as she put her feet on the table, Subaru turned and Kicked the table. The table in turn caused the girl to lose balance. Grabbing under the table, Subaru pushed the girl to the window.

Unexpectedly, for Subaru at least, the force behind the push sent them through the glass door. He could hear the girl scream as some broken glass cut her back, no doubt some fragments piercing her body.

Pushing her against the Rail bared some fruit however. As soon as she was shoved against it, she seemed a little out of it. Subaru wasn't sure how to put it, but as he watched her face when they made contact to the rail, it seemed like her eyes clouded over. Her head started spinning before she regained consciousness of the situation.

"You little piece of s-" She didn't get to finish that sentence as Subaru, with his gun in his hand, slammed it across her face. She let out a cry of pain before pushing with all her might against the table that pinned her. "Let go of me!"

Subaru didn't respond verbally, but physically. Feeling the girls force pushing on him, he thought quick and slammed the table with his shoulder. An audible gasp emitted from the girl, her strength weakening. Taking no chances, he did it again and the same result occurred.

With haste Subaru raised the gun in his hand and slammed it across her face once again. This time it had much more of a noticeable effect. Her eyes glazed over before going limp. Seeing this, Subaru let out a few puffs of air as he slunk back. The Girl, table and Subaru all fell down- one from exhaustion and the other from being unable to remain conscious.

Subaru took this time to take a mouth full of oxygen. Over and over again, as he laid on his back he did his best to calm himself down.

Only then did the realization of what had happened set in.

He had done it.

"Hell yeah!" Subaru yelled as he threw his fist into the air before letting it fall onto the ground. He had actually done it. Repeatedly the mantra of 'I did it' echoed in his head. Subaru could barely believe it himself.

He wasn't going to lie; the instant when she had first made contact scared the hell out of him. He practically shit his pants when she broke the bed too. Speaking of which, why was she so strong? Her kick had been strong enough to break his bed, which would take more effort to do than break a desk. And if she was so strong, why couldn't she push back against him? Not to mention being knocked out by two hits to the face?

Maybe it was due to the fact she got pushed through the window? Subaru didn't know, and honestly he didn't care as long as he survived.

As the adrenaline wore off, he started to feel a slight sting on his hand. Looking at it, he took notice that it was cut. No doubt from the glass. Sitting up with a hiss, he started to notice his body was sore. Probably from the beating he took all day.

Looking at the girl, he noticed that she had some shards of glass sticking out if her. That was probably the reason why she knocked out; due to the pain. Standing up, he made his way over to her. He needed to patch her up. She may be an enemy, but she didn't need to die. That's what a Superhero would do, right?

Before he did though, he took notice of something. Something that should have been there, but wasn't. Something that could have contributed to this girls victory if he was here.

Where was her partner?

A sudden scream caught his attention. His eyes widened. Grabbing the gun, he ran. Adrenaline pumped through his blood, cutting off all senses of pain that told him to stop. Through his door and down the stairs, he ran, with the hope that he was just hearing things.

Yet as he emerged from the staircase he cold practically feel his blood run cold. Fear gripping him as the second burglar glared at him from across the room, a gun pointed at Naoko's head. Even from here Subaru could see the guy looked unsure, his knees buckling in what Subaru presumed was worry.

This just made him more unpredictable. One slip of the finger and his Moms life would come to a premature end. He didn't want that, looping power or not it didn't sit well for him to see someone he loved die.

Glancing at his weapon, Subaru raised it. So far it had failed him, but his enemy didn't know that. Doing his best to look tough, he glared at the intruder.

"Let her go." Subaru commanded. The man seemed to consider it for a second, out of fear most likely, before pushing the pistols barrel against her head roughly. The man placed his finger on the trigger, a move that told him "If you fire at me, she dies."

"No." The man said sternly. Now that he didn't have a bullet in his gut, he could hear him clearly. His voice was rough, indicating that he was a little older than him. Or he smoked a lot. "Y-You aren't in the position to be telling me what to do." He put a hand over Naoko's mouth, a move that angered Subaru. "You so much as twitch and you can say goodbye to your mom." Masked Man looked at Naoko, an unsure expression before his will resolved itself. He gave a glare to Subaru. "If you want me to release her, then you will have to follow my commands."

The man was right. Subaru was in no position to command him. Subaru had a useless gun (Burglar didn't know about) and the Masked Man had a working gun and his mother. What good would it do to risk his mom?

Subaru had no choice but to play along.

"We'll give you what you want, just don't hurt her." Subaru pleaded. The man seemed to get some courage with that, seeing as he stopped shaking. His mother looked worried, and he knew it wasn't for herself. She was too selfless for that.

"Good. First, I want you to drop the gun. Slowly." Subaru nodded, leaning down to place the gun on the ground. Not once did he turn his gaze from the intruder. Getting back up, Subaru rose his hands in the air. "Now kick it over to me." Subaru hesitated for a second when he said this. This action would take away any tactical advantage he had on the intruder. Mentally he hit himself over the head for this; He was already obeying his commands, and the gun was useless anyway. Kicking it over to him, the man kicked it further behind him. "Alright. Now, tell me where the Catalyst is."

A uncomfortable silence took over the room. Naoko looked worriedly at Subaru. Subaru looked at the man like he grew a fifth head. The man looked at Subaru like he had all the answers to this world's questions.

The man wasn't far off hence Echidna.

"What?" Subaru asked as calmly as he could. It was hard, dealing with the guy who continued to threaten his Moms life. Apparently he didn't speak softly enough for the man shoved the gun into her ear. Subaru took a calming breath. "What… is this Catalyst?"

"What?" It was the man's turn to be stupefied. "You should know what I'm talking about!" He waved the gun around, still pointing at Naoko. "I was told that everyone in this damn household knows about it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Subaru spoke truthfully. He had never heard of something called 'The Catalyst.' He heard of 'a' Catalyst, but nothing that pointed directly at a specific something. "Maybe… Maybe you got the wrong house?"

"No… No we got the right house!" He yelled. He was throwing a temper tantrum. "We checked and double checked! A two story house, on a hill, with a family of three!"

"They're a lot of households like that in Nishinomiya. This household isn't that special." Subaru spoke truth. He was beyond pissed at this man now. They broke in, killed him (tried to) and threatened his mom because of some information like that? "I suggest you leave. I called the cops before coming down here to whisk away your friend. If you hurry, you could probably take your friend and get away."

Bluffing at its finest.

"No… NO! We got the right house! Two story, family of three at –"

He was interrupted by a loud bang.

A deafening bang, not that different than the one from the past loop.

Through shocked eyes, Subaru watched as blood splattered the wall from the bullet hole of his now deceased mother. Her blank eyes stared at him, no emotion could be read from them.

Subaru felt his blood run cold, as he saw his mother fall. He could feel the bile that threatened to escape his throat.

"Ah…" Subaru weakly squeaked. This couldn't be happening. He had done everything perfectly. He beat the girl, he almost reasoned with the man. So why? Why was his mother lying in a pool of her own blood.

'This can't be happening.'

Subaru couldn't keep it in anymore. Vomit came out of his mouth. His already weak knees buckled under him as he fell. He continued to let out the contents of his stomach, tears falling with each painful bile.

'This can't be happening!'

Yet when he looked up, his mom was still there on her side. Blood was still pooling under her head. Her dead eyes were still looking at him, forever expressionless.

"Oh my god! I-I didn't mean too! I swear! It was an accident!"

And her murderer was standing over her.

Swallowing his grief, he focused all his attention on the masked man. Grief turned to anger, and anger into wrath.

This man was going to die.

The man saw this, and he felt fear. Pure and utter fear. What he saw wasn't a teen in grief. Not a teen who had just lost his mother in an unfortunate accident. Not a teen who cried that none of this was real.

He saw an animal out for his blood.

Subaru charged, fist raised in preparation for the beating he was about to deal. He didn't know when he would stop, and right now he didn't care. All he wanted was to see this intruder bleed. Bleed enough for his veins to be hollow. Bleed until his heart couldn't pump enough blood to keep him alive. Bleed until he was a g-

A loud shot fired.

Time seemed to lag for Subaru. He could see, could hear the bullet coming at him. Yet as much as he tried to move out of the way, he couldn't. Fear once again gripped his heart as the bullet soared. He could feel his neck twist as the bullet traveled through it.

Pain flared through him as he gripped his neck. The bullet escaped through the back of his neck, pushing him backwards with enough force for him to suddenly find himself on the ground.

He tried to get up, tried to breathe, tried anything but it was all for nothing. He was drowning in his own blood, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He faintly heard the man apologize, but Subaru wasn't going to forgive him. He killed Subaru twice, and now killed his mother. This man will die.

With that, the story of Subaru Natsuki came to a premature end.

Subaru fell, for a third time, out of his chair.

This time however he wasn't filled with embarrassment or shock. He felt pure, uncontrolled hate.

His teacher looked at him, before letting him go. She knew not to mess with an angry student. Subaru stood before calmly, or as calm as he could, sat down. His hands shopping in uncontrollable rage.

Looking outside, he could see snow pile on top of each other. A serene beauty that couldn't be compared to anything. A peacefulness that had been interrupted by two murderers gunning for him and his family.

Right then and there, Subaru made a vow.

'All of them will die.'

Well, I'm highly considering the Young Justice x Ultimate Marvel x Zero now. I admit I'm indecisive when it comes to fanfics crossovers, but it sounds fun. Zero would be a good way to introduce DC and Marvel from Subaru's perspective. The universes would be Earth 16 (DC) and Earth 1610 (Marvel). I have arcs containing the two together too.

But, again, I wish to hear your opinion. Would you guys dislike it? I mean I'm generally a crossover purist, but one of my favorite fanfics is Dark Souls x Familiar of Zero with Legacy of Kain in the mix and that's pretty well done. So again, what's your opinions?

In other news, I'm horrible at writing fight scenes. I've been trying to keep it believable but it's hard when you can't SHOW your fight. Also, you could practically tell I was struggling with the hostage situation. Ugh, I need to continue working on my craft.

.Also, if anyone is concerned about Subaru's anger in that last bit, don't worry. Subaru had just witnessed someone dying for the first time, and his mother to boot. In this timeline, Subaru cared very much for them, so to see one of them die would sent him a little over the edge. I'm not going to rip off the shows story. Not to say he isn't as mad as he was then, but this isn't the goal of this arc.

It's to set up the coming arc where morals clash. This is just a set up for his foundation.

Anyways, criticism is always appreciated! I won't get butthurt over you calling me bad, a little teary eyed but that's about it. I hope you can further educate me on writing!If you have any questions on the story, feel free to ask! As long as it isn't spoiler I will most definitely answer. Even then I'll give you a heads up.

Reviews-

Shirosaki Kizuro- Thanks for the heads up! I'm most likely going to start rereading (tedious) and editing it so everything flows. Hopefully I get it right. Also, I have a feeling you have been with this fic for a long time, right? Thank you either way! I hope for your continued support and criticism, and I hope I don't disappoint you!