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Ok, probably the worst chapter I have ever wrote. Sorry, I got no excuses. I'll probably come back one day and fix this mess. Anyways, enjoy it, or try to at least.
Gosh I sound so mean.
What was this?
Back tracking to around ten minutes ago, Subaru and Echidna were in the heat of their gaming session. For a being who knew all and everything, she could admit gaming wasn't her forte. Subaru hadn't went easy on her either, which made her try harder. All this was cut short when Kenichi had busted down the door.
Kenichi had came to tell them dinner was ready. Both had varying reactions to his entrance. Subaru was freaking out over the busted entryway and Echidna was almost tempted to get to know Kenichi after that. No one in her life, besides friends, rivals and enemies treated her presence with such a 'Meh' response.
At what could be best described as a table of mayo, the family sat on the three sides, each having a fork and knife in hand. Their faces downcast as curry sat in front of them, a bottle of mayo in the middle of everyone. No one said a thing, nor did they move.
It surprised her, for she expected Subaru to complain about his door.
The first one to do anything was Kenichi, who instead of going for the curry, he turned his head to his wife.
"Naoko, what is this?" Kenichi asked, his voice monotone even when asking a question. Naoko looked up from her own plate to stare her husband dead in the eyes.
"It is curry, dear." Naoko responded, her voice as monotone as his. Kenichi nodded his head.
"Ah. So what is it doing on our plates?" Kenichi asked, monotone still. It could have been interpreted as rude, but Naoko apparently didn't see it that way.
"It's our dinner for tonight, dear." Naoko answered. "I can't have our guest go through what our last guest did. It's became apparent that outside of our family Mayonnaise centered food isn't the appropriate meal."
Unknown to Echidna, Naoko was extremely dense. Light headed even, but that didn't stop her from learning from her mistakes. She disliked disappointing strangers heavily. So much so that she refined her skills to fix that mistake.
Kenichi and Subaru nodded in synch, huffing silently. The memory of the last guests disgust at their dinner imprinted in their mind.
"Ah. Subaru, son, I believe it is proper etiquette to introduce your parents to your… friend. Especially considering your circumstances." Kenichi said as Subaru turned to his father, his face shadowed, same as his family.
It was honestly unnerving Echidna.
"Oh? Father, are you implying that my friend and I are in some special kind of relationship?" Subaru questioned, monotone as the rest of his family. It was weird how just a few minutes ago Subaru and her were fighting over who would be the winner in their fighting game, to the now monotone Subaru. It was unnerving.
"Of course. Why else would a girl who isn't a relative enter our household? It can only be one thing, and one thing alone." Kenichi said as he leaned into Subaru's face. "You and your 'friend' have begun an intimate relationship in which she has been impregnated."
"Oh? And where is the proof?" Subaru asked as both if them looked at Echidna. For her part, she had a hand on her stomach which the family misinterpreted as evidence. In reality she was holding her stomach for hunger.
For clarification, Echidna didn't need to consume by ordinary means to sustain her form. Instead, she constantly consumed her Mana. But her body still craved food and drinks, even if she didn't need it to live.
Both Subaru and Kenichi looked at each other. Naoko looked between the two before getting up. One by one, she moved the dinner to an island table, away from the two along with a curious looking Echidna.
"See, your girlfriend is pregnant. Are you going to take responsibility or will I have to force you too?" Kenichi threatened before Subaru looked him in the eyes. Echidna finally understood why Naoko moved her from the table.
"Tsk. I expected more from you gramps! Empty threats are still empty threats!" Subaru said before upper cutting the older man who was still leaning into Subaru. Echidna couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand. Not in shock or disapproval, but in amusement.
The older man backed up a few paces before straightening himself out. Looking at Subaru, Kenichi twisted his body to face the side. One foot faced Subaru, the other to the side. One arm faced downward while the other was guarded his stomach.
Kenichi was in a a Kenpo stance.
Subaru, in response, loosened his body before twisting his body slightly away from his opponent. Both arms were brought up in a guard, one arm far from his body while the other was closer to his body. Compared to his father, it seemed like Subaru didn't know many stances, or any at all seeing how he was in a casual brawler stance.
A little disappointing if she had to say so.
Without any warning, the two started exchanging shots. Subaru would mostly be on the defensive, being pushed back and getting pummeled. Kenichi seemed to be more of an upfront guy, going in for soft taps rather than full on punches, which seemed very effective. It wasn't to say that Subaru wasn't getting any punches in. In fact, Subaru got a surprising amount on his father, who seemed like an expert martial artist.
Unlike his father, Subaru seemed to be more cunning and brutal in his deliveries. Subaru utilized his smaller frame more often by dodging more than blocking, going in for quick jabs at soft spots and using feints a lot more. It also didn't help that Subaru was completely unpredictable.
That was the problem with fighting those who didn't use a style and was used to fighting. Unless you were a master, and sometimes even then, a complete novice could overpower them.
It reminded Echidna of a saying: "The best swordsman doesn't fear the second best, he fears the worst swordsman for the worst is unpredictable."
"Does that happen often?" Echidna asked. She could already tell what the answer was.
"Yeah, but Kenichi has a lot of money, so we don't need to worry. It's just a chore to clean everything up and replace it all." Echidna absentmindedly nodded her head.
Echidna, while watching this scene, couldn't help but compare it to her own adopted family. In many ways, this could be seen as the same thing. While they didn't have mock fights, they did argue and disagree a lot. Minerva reprimanding Typhon on how she unfairly judged people, before healing what Typhon had damaged (for those who were innocent of course). Carmilla and Sekhmet both staying silent, one too timid to speak and the other to lazy too. Then her and Daphne discussing on possibilities in curing her endless hunger.
Even though they never met alive, Echidna missed them.
She missed those days.
Echidna shook her head. This would definitely be the last loop if she continued thinking like that.
Then it started.
Slowly but surely, Subaru started to pit more pressure on Kenichi. His movements went from slow to fast in a blink, and before Echidna could count to ten, Kenichi had been punched in the chin.
"Subar-Win!" Naoko announced before moving the plates back to the table.
It was silent before a low chuckle broke the still air. Everyone looked and saw Echidna trying to cover her mouth from everyone. Calming down, Echidna smiled at everyone before giving a deep bow.
"My Name is Echidna, and I am in your care."
Dinner after the show Echidna had been shown was great, in her opinion. Naoko had been a pleasant breath fresh of air to be around since starting this nightmare. While some topics fell flat on their face between the two, those that didn't prospered like an unending river. One such topic came in the form of Subaru.
Said boy had shut them up quickly (or tried to at least). Kenichi had intervened and Echidna got all the juicy, embarrassing secrets about Subaru. Like how he didn't stop sleeping with his parents until he was thirteen. Subaru got them to stop after that, but Naoko told her to visit later if she wished to hear more, and to see his baby pictures, which Echidna gladly agreed too.
Kenichi had a much more tense atmosphere around him. Like he was constantly judging anything and everything. Assessing everything to see which was and was not a threat. Including her.
Something about Kenichi set her on edge slightly. Like he put on an air of ignorance but knew more than he let on. Much, much more. Echidna made a note to check her Book of Wisdom on him later. Maybe. She did enjoy uncovering secrets on her own after all.
Subaru was… Subaru. This was a side of him that she hadn't seen since the first loop. His smile joyful and genuine. His laughter when he had won happy, and not strained. It filled her with nostalgia and pride at the memory of the first Subaru.
She would shape him in that image.
"Echidna, I forgot to ask, is it alright for you to be out this late?" Kenichi asked as Subaru barked at him for a insult Kenichi had given him. Kenichi just held up a hand in a stopping motion, that didn't even have any effect. "You must have a curfew, right? Especially if you're visiting your boyfriends house. Do you need a ride home?"
"She's not my girlfriend!" Subaru denied. Kenichi looked at him disapprovingly.
"It's alright, Mr. Natsuki." Echidna said, ignoring the boyfriend remark. It would help if Subaru's family believed that they were together to get them out of the house. "My family is exceedingly lenient with what I do in my spare time. All that they ask of me is do well in school and stay out of trouble."
"Well if you say so." Kenichi said as before he took another bite of the curry. Wincing at the spicy flavor it contained, he swallowed. "Still, it wouldn't be in good conscience to leave a maiden to walk home alone. I'll drive you home tonight."
"Again, it's fine." Echidna denied, waving her hand. "In honesty, I would prefer it if Subaru walked me home. It may sound selfish, but I would feel safer if he were to accompany me."
"That sounds fair." Kenichi agreed, to which Subaru's mouth dropped. "Subaru needs the exercise anyways!"
"Wait!" Subaru interrupted. "I'm not gonna walk her home! She can take care of herself! Besides, if she wants me to go With her, why don't we both ride in the car?"
"Subaru! That's rude!" Kenichi said before wacking Subaru in the back of the head. Subaru rubbed his sore spot. "You shouldn't say stuff like that about your girlfriend! I thought I raised you better than this!"
"She isn't my girlfriend!" Subaru said, a little frustrated. While the conversation in his room and gaming had calmed him down a little from his initial hate of Echidna, but it was still there. If only a little, he was repulsed by the idea that she was his anything.
"Ah. That does hurt more than it should, Subaru." Echidna said, while pretending to wipe away tears. "I understand that you may be embarrassed by the suddenness of my confession and it may take time for you to accept me, but I hope you one day do."
"Oh, you poor thing." Naoko said, holding the acting Echidna in her arms. "If Subaru doesn't accept you, we sure will."
"That's right, honey!" Kenichi said as he grabbed Subaru in a headlock. He started giving Subaru a noogie. "Now Subaru, look what you did! You made the poor girl cry!"
"I didn't, she's acting! See! She isn't even crying!"
"Oh? So she had to cry to get an apology from her lover! God, you're vile!"
"I'm not! And stop messing with my head! It's annoying!"
"Not until you apologize to Echidna here!"
"It's fine, Mr. Natsuki." Echidna interrupted. She gave Subaru a set smile. "Subaru is shy, so I have no doubt he will show affection to me once we're alone. Either way, I forgive him for his insults and shortcomings! I'll always be by his side, even through his multiple rejections!"
"I never rejected you! And stop insulting me and twisting the situation in your favor!" Subaru said before the noogie intensified.
"Shut it Subaru! Echidna, I'm sorry that my Bastard of a sons words! He usually isn't like this, I swear!" Kenichi said, trying to cover up for his sons unusual behavior. "If you ever need anything, just tell us! I'll have Subaru here help you with whatever you need!"
"Aye! I'm not some slave you can whip into submission to do your dirty work!" Subaru rebuked, but his father didn't listen. "You can't do this to me!"
"Thank you for your offer, but I would rather not burden anyone with my requests." Echidna turned down the offer, much to the surprise to the family. "Just being near Subaru is enough for me. If I were to be honest, his insults don't even deject me that much. Knowing that he's thinking of me, in ill or light, brings me comfort."
'Oh, she's a keeper!' Both Kenichi and Naoko both thought. Shaking his head, Kenichi released Subaru, much to the latter's relief. Naoko, acting out of character, leaned into Echidna's face, an excited glint in her eyes.
"We insist, Echidna. If you need anything, we'll be more than happy to assist you." Naoko monotone voice spoke to her. Echidna acted sheepishly.
"Ah, well there might be something." Echidna said, rubbing her hands together between her legs, acting shy. Subaru gave her a look, but nobody paid him any attention. "As selfish as it is, I have something to discuss with Subaru that is really important to me. I would rather be alone when discussing this topic."
"That's fine, right Subaru?" Kenichi said, laughing and slapping Subaru repeatedly on the back, much to Subaru's frustration. "After dinner, you and Subaru are welcomed to go back to his room and discuss whatever!"
"Not to be rude, Mr. Natsuki, but I would rather not risk any eavesdroppers. This is an extremely personal matter and if this gets out to anyone, I fear I may be a little more than perturbed." Echidna clarified. Kenichi was nodding along, but after a second of silence, Kenichi stood up.
"Hey, are you suggestin' that my wife and I leave our home so you can have some secret conversation!?" Kenichi asked. By the tone of his voice, Echidna could deduce that Kenichi was against the idea. Echidna simply just nodded. "No! No way I'm gonna leave my house just bec-"
"Shut it, dear." Naoko interrupted.
"Yes mam." Kenichi said as he straightened himself out. Kenichi was a strict man, a kind man, but most of all, a ladies man. Specifically his wife's man. Naoko set down her spoon that she was using to eat curry with, and gave Echidna a small smile which said girl returned.
"We would be glad if you discussed what you need to after dinner. My husband and I will go for a walk to there is no need to worry about any eavesdroppers." Naoko offered, to which Echidna genuinely nodded gratefully for.
"Wait! Honey, we can't do that! This is our house, and we have a right to decline this! No, never mind that! Two teens alone in the house spells disaster!"
"And she is our guest. I believe it would be kinder to leave Subaru and Echidna alone than sending them out in the cold. Is there something wrong with that?" Naoko said, to which Kenichi exaggerated a shocked expression. "Besides, even if they planned to step up their relationship in a sexual way, what's to say they hadn't done it before?"
"Wha-" Kenichi stammered stupidly and Subaru blushed heavily. Kenichi was stupefied at the prospect of his son getting laid at a younger age than him, but it should have been obvious. Subaru was a looker at his age, but awkward. Subaru blushed for obvious reasons.
"Subaru! Is this true!" Kenichi yelled.
"What!? No! I never had sex with Echidna! We aren't even dating! Right, Echidn- why are you acting like you're embarrassed! We never had sex! Stop acting so sheepish!"
Dinner had settled down after that, going into a normal pace that Subaru couldn't say he enjoyed. He continued to deny sexual relations with Echidna, Echidna would act like she was embarrassed, Kenichi would abuse his son, and Naoko acted like it was a normal day.
Well, guess normal wouldn't really be applied here. More like excessive abuse on Subaru's part.
Afterwards, Naoko and Kenichi had left them alone, and Subaru with the task of cleaning the dishes. It was here that Echidna finally dropped the act of an innocent girl.
"Phew! I must admit, your family sure is a handful." Echidna said, giving Subaru a wry smile. Subaru just grumbled in response. "Oh, my apologize. I guess I should have taken your feelings on the matter into consideration. Although, it was a necessity. I hope you understand."
"I understand, but you could have at least toned it down a bit." Subaru grumbled while washing the dishes. "Having my parents lecture me on the birds and the bees is the last thing I want. I bet you they're scheming to teach me of the consequences right now!"
"Ah, I do apologize for that. Although it was a necessity." Echidna said as she got up and move next to Subaru. "Do you wish for me to help? I could get the dishes done faster so you could prepare for the ambush."
"Oh, almost forgot about that." Subaru honestly said. He out the last dish in the dish washer and closed it. "But it's fine. I already finished, besides knowing you, you probably haven't touched a dish in a millennium."
"Well, that isn't a lie." Echidna admitted. Being in an endless loop in which consequences didn't matter gave her some leeway in avoiding dishes. "Onto another matter, shouldn't you prepare yourself for the ambush?" She urged.
"Yeah, I should." Subaru spoke in monotone. He was extremely worried, but wasn't really good on expressing that emotion. "I'll go get it, then we'll start."
Echidna nodded in confirmation. Watching as Subaru walked towards an unknown part of the house. She could hear a door open and close, leaving her alone to her thoughts.
It was weird. For Subaru, who in just a few loops, went from a kind but awkward kid, to a man wanting nothing but to see his enemies at his feet. Echidna couldn't help but feel proud that he had changed his mind. But that brought up, why? Why did he change his mind?
In every loop that had a scenario of him having the bloodlust of a mass shooter, there had never been a change in him. He never went to her for guidance, nor brought her along. After the loop where he realized her identity, he treated her like an outcast. There was no exception.
Well, he still did treat her badly, but it seemed like he was slowly warming up to her. She understood where he came from, but again, what was with the change of heart? Echidna couldn't accept the he could be swayed to the right side, especially after witnessing the murder of a loved one.
It reminded her of a loop, in another world, with a blue haired devil. Even in those loops, he relentlessly killed the accusers. It didn't matter to him if they had lives outside of their job or if they were being forced into it, he killed them all.
It might be hypocritical to say this, but killing isn't the answer.
"Alright, I'm ready." Echidna would have jumped if she wasn't so in control of her emotions. Looking at Subaru, she noticed nothing about him had really changed, except for the gun in his right hand. Echidna couldn't help but stare at it. "What? It's a gun, you've heard about them right?"
"Of course I heard about them, I'm just curious about how you intend to use it after all." Echidna said, leaning on her left hand, giving him a bored expression. Subaru gave her a look, then looked at the gun in his hand.
"Well, in the last loop I had planned on using it for self defense, and keeping them at a distance. Stupidly I thought I could knock them out with it, so I screwed up. This time I'm going to use it as a threat, since I have more questions I want answered." Subaru said.
"Ah, but what about when their usefulness comes to an end?" Echidna asked, subtly implying that she believed he would kill them.
"I don't know? Knock them out? Make them sit and wait as the cops get here? I'll decide after everything is said and done." Subaru answered as he gave a shrug. Echidna gave him a hard stare, before sighing and looking away. She knew that accusing him would just put her in a bad light again. She would just have to trust that he would choose the right path.
"Reasonable. I'm going to go to your room and wait. I suggest you do the same." Echidna said, to which Subaru nodded too, absentmindedly inspecting the gun. Echidna noticed the safety was on, but didn't say anything. If he really wanted to kill them, he would have to use that brain of his.
Subaru watched as Echidna walked up the steps to his room. As soon as she was out of sight, he glanced back at the pistol, then to where she had left. Right then and there, he made a promise; to keep her safe from harm.
He had realized it, but in all honesty didn't want to admit it. Deep down he held some feelings for her. It wasn't love, but a sort of admiration and… kinship? It was hard to describe, but he felt drawn to her. Like a moth to a flame.
A very, very dangerous flame.
Sighing, he decided it was time to get a move on. Looking around the house, he looked for a place to hide. It wasn't that hard to find, seeing as the living room was spacious.
Making his way over to the front door, he took a right and opened another door. Looking inside, there were a row of suits and jackets hung, for convenience.
It was the living room closet.
It was a great place to hide, for him at least. When he was a kid, Subaru used to play hide and seek a ton. He was always small enough to fit inside the tiniest of spaces. Subaru could have hidden anywhere in the house, but he always went to this closet. He was always found because of this.
Subaru gave a low chuckle. It was funny how 13 years later he would come back to the same place.
It alm-
Click*
'What was that?' Subaru thought. It was hard to hear, but it was distinct. It was like there was a scratching noise, but constantly making clicks alongside it. Looking at the door, he couldn't help but jump when he saw the lock twitch, ever so slightly. Slowly, it moved, as did the clicking became more prominent. It took only a second for Subaru to realize what was going on. 'Crap!'
Subaru hurriedly shoved himself in the closet. He closed the door as quickly as he could, paying mind to keep silent. He couldn't stop the slight creak it gave though as it closed, and the snap as it locked itself in place. It caused Subaru no small amount of stress as the sound was reverberating in his ears.
There was nothing he could do now though, as the clicking sound came to a sudden stop. Subaru held his breath in anticipation as the Front door slowly creaked open, the hinge having already passed its time and was in dire need of replacement. Being able to see through the blinds was also a huge help (and stress receiver). Slowly, almost as if purposefully aiming to cause Subaru stress, the door opened. As the outside frame passed his view, he was able to see the assailants hand.
Then the arm came into view, followed by the shoulder. Another hand came into view, this one with a gun. The rest of the body followed through.
Standing there, in a crouched position, was the intruder from the last two loops. He wore the same black clothing and mask that withheld any sight of skin from him beside his eyes.
Subaru twitched. His eyes constricted, his palms started shaking and sweat began to pour from each core on his body. His knees buckled with a sudden weight as he tried to keep himself upright.
Fear wasn't the cause of these reactions. No, if it was that, Subaru knew he would have been able to at least laugh half of that off. No, this was something that he didn't have control over, and would come despise himself over later.
It was blinding hot rage.
Later, Subaru would regret not being able to hold himself back, for as soon as he saw the hidden face of the intruder, he gave a sharp kick to the door. The door broke open with a loud crack. Not given the time to evade, the door swung and hit the intruder in the shoulder. An unexpected crack was heard, but Subaru paid no heed to the sound, only the intruder.
"Tomoe!" Another voice yelled out, which Subaru didn't even here. The intruder seemed to be reeling from the shock of the door smashing his arm. For Subaru this was perfect. There was no wasted movements as Subaru kneed the man's chin, pushing the intruder back to the wall. Subaru raised the firearm and smashed it against the intruders face. Part of the mask fell off, revealing a pained face. "Stop it!"
Suddenly Subaru was tackled to the ground. The shock of it caused Subaru to flinch, and the pain of being thrown to the ground caused him to gasp. The female held Subaru there, locking his arms in a hug. Subaru tried to pry out of her hold, but her strength was surprisingly strong.
"Tomoe! Kill this f-" She didn't finish for Subaru bounced himself off the ground. It wasn't enough to get her off though. "Tomoe!"
"B-b-but we weren't hired to kill anyone!" The guy now known as Tomoe yelled back. Holding the gun close to his chest, he appeared hesitant. "B-B-Besides! Killing is wrong! We shouldn-"
"We don't have time for that!" She yelled, her voice muffled by the fabric around her mouth. "Shoot him in the foot or something! I don't care! This guy is out to kill, and I can't hold him forever!"
This wasn't going to fly with Subaru. Desperately, he prepared himself for what would happen next. Opening his mouth as wide as he could, he brought it to her neck and-
She screamed in pain as Subaru let go. Letting go of his arms in favor of her now bleeding neck, Subaru was instantly on her. Using the firearm as a melee weapon again, he slammed it across her face. The impact caused her to scream in pain. The shock caused her to fall over, to which Subaru wasted no time in using it for his advantage.
Getting on top of her, he started to relentlessly beat her face in. Punch after punch caused her to scream in pain. She tried to stop him, but when she did he grabbed her hand and slammed the firearm into it, making one of them give a bone crunching snap. Judging by how the bloodied girl seemed to gasp in pain, it was most definitely her.
By the time he was done she had stopped moving. Her face was a bloodied mess. Her hand was beginning to bruise. And she was painfully wheezing, trying to get in the much needed oxygen.
Looking at her, Subaru felt… nothing except a burning hot rage. He felt no sympathy for those that took his mother's life, and would probably never feel regret for this. This was their punishment, and he was the judge and executioner. They would pay.
"S-s-s-stop!" Tomoe croaked behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Subaru could see that the intruder had a gun to his head, his finger on the trigger.
For some reason, Subaru couldn't bring himself to care.
Looking back at the girl, he stared at her pathetic form before glancing at the bloodied firearm in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he made his decision. Slowly, he put the gun against her head. Subaru could practically feel Tomoe tense.
"I'm going to kill her." Subaru said, not looking back. He gave the girl a long stare before putting his finger on the trigger. Subaru looked back at the man, whose nose was running a dark red. "Then I'm going to kill you."
The fear in on the man's face made him feel satisfied. Subaru couldn't describe it, but the sight that he saw gave him a pleasure that could only be described in ecstasy.
In reality, Subaru probably wasn't going to kill them. The gun didn't work, and when he thought about it, after having beat the woman's face in, it didn't feel right. Just the thought of it caused him to gag.
The reason he said it though was to scare him stiff. The man was a wreck. In each loop, the man had been shaking in his boots, even the first one. Tomoe had shot him because he yelled outside, then shot his mother because his finger slipped. For Subaru, if he could scare him enough to where Tomoe wouldn't pull that trigger, then he would have won.
If only everything had went like that, then Subaru wouldn't have felt the guilt he felt to this very day.
"N-No! I won't allow that!" Tomoe yelled, as he pulled the trigger.
Time seemed to lag for Subaru once again. The bullet left its chamber and flew through the air. Spinning rapidly, as if mocking him, it sailed right to his eye.
This time however was different. Instead of penetrating him and causing his insides to become mush, a bright light forced him to look away. A few seconds passed, he turned back.
Whatever happened had done two things. Obviously, the bullet hadn't killed him, so there was that. Then there was the intruder. He seemed to have a shocked look, before toppling over.
"W-what happened?" Subaru asked our loud, removing himself from atop of the girl. He couldn't help but trip as he did so, his legs being numb. Sitting besides the girl, he gave Tomoe another look over.
"He's dead."
The voice startled him. It came out calm and delicate, but with a obvious tinge of distaste mixed in. Looking over, Echidna walked down the steps of the stairs. Her face was true to her voice, in which it looked obviously displeased. Looking over the body again, she gave a puff.
"What?" Subaru asked.
"Are you deaf? I said he's dead." Echidna repeated. Subaru flinched at the intensity of her voice, and stared at the now unmoving corpse of Tomoe. It wasn't as if he was shocked or shaken by his death, but it just… didn't feel right.
"Why?" Subaru asked as he pushed himself so he was leaning on the couch. Echidna gave him a once over, before looking at Tomoe and then the beaten girl.
"Because that's what usually happens when something travels into the brain if a living organism. I guess there are those rare cases where they survive, but are never the same."
"That's not what I mean. I'm asking why did you kill him?"
"Because if I hadn't, you would have." Echidna answered as she sat on the head of the couch.
"I wasn't planning on killing him."
"Of course, but in reality nothing works out as planned." Echidna responded. "I admit, I do have my fair share of successful plans, but in the end the result is always different from what was truly intended. This might even happen now. If we're speaking of intention though, then I must say I'm proud that you thought that way."
"Huh." Subaru huffed, too weak to speak. Looking over at the corpse again, he felt like something wasn't right again. 'What is it? What is this feeling?'
"But I also killed him for another reason." Echidna said as she glanced at the back of his head. "This reason I hope you would agree with me on. I don't think you would be able to handle the pressure of taking a life."
"I would." Subaru responded solemnly. 'Seriously, what is this feeling?'
"Are you sure?" Echidna asked as she squared in front of him, making sure to keep everything between her legs from his view. She cupped his cheek. "If you're so sure, why are you crying?"
"Crying? What do you-" He brushed his eyes before feeling something wet. Looking down, he could see the salty water that fell from his eyes. "W-why am I-I crying?"
He glanced over Echidna to the unmoving body of Tomoe. As soon as he saw it, he instantly knew the feeling that resided in him.
Guilt.
"W-Why do I feel Guilty? I-I didn't d-do anything wrong!" Subaru cried through hiccups. Echidna smiled before leaning in and hugging him, pushing his head into her chest. "I-I didn't do a-a-anything wrong! I-I-I just wanted to save mom! T-To keep her safe! So w-why do I feel this pain!"
"Shh~, shh~. It's ok, Subaru. It's not your fault. It's all the big bad Witches fault. Cry as much as you need to. I'm here for you." Echidna whispered to Subaru.
"Are you feeling better now?"
Subaru jumped. It had been well over an hour after that… ahem, incident, and the authorities had already made their way to his household. They shipped Tomoe and the girl to… somewhere. One to the Morgue and the other to the E.R. perhaps. The cops that Echidna had called had taken them into questioning, luckily in the same household. Their stories had more or less matched up, but for the authorities they still wanted to investigate. That meant they had been removed from the household.
Sitting in the back of a cop car, watching as snow fell slowly to the ground only to mingle with its million other flakes. It felt calming and distracted him from reality.
So it was reasonable that when a voice spoke up next to him, it would more or less give him a fright. Sitting next to him was the always cool headed Echidna, her smile still absent from her face. She stared out her side of the car, leaning on her hand.
Subaru looked away from her. He could still see the face of Tomoe as he fell to the ground.
"Yeah. I'm feeling better, thank you."
They sat in silence, both thinking of their own issues for a few seconds before Echidna gave a puff of agitation.
Whatever Subaru had expected out of Echidna, he hadn't expected to feel her head lay itself on his shoulder. Flinching, he couldn't help the small blush that crept up on his face. He opened his mouth to-
"Shh. Not right now Subaru. Let me just enjoy this moment, please." Echidna begged. Subaru opened his mouth, but closed it. It wasn't like this was a bad thing, just unexpected. Besides, she felt incredibly warm. Did her magic have something to do with that?
Can she even use magic?
They sat in silence for a bit longer. Subaru trying his best to make his shoulder as comfortable as possible while Echidna kept snuggling closer and closer to him. It too awhile, but Subaru finally got in a position where he and (hopefully) Echidna were comfortable. Subaru stared out the window while Echidna kept her eyes closed in content.
"Hey, Subaru?" Echidna spoke, gaining his attention.
"Hmm?"
"Remember the deal we made earlier? About how if I help you, you have to do whatever I say?" Subaru couldn't help but stiffen when she said this. Where was she going with this?
"Yeah? What about it?"
"Well, forget about it." Echidna commanded. Subaru couldn't help but jump a little, but relaxed himself some more.
"W-what?" Subaru asked. This was the Witch of GREED. How could she be selfless? There had to be an ulterior motive.
"Just as I said, forget about it. You don't owe me a thing." Echidna said, a small smile upon her face. "But if you could, could you spare me one request? You can deny it, for I know it's a lot to ask for, but just hear me out."
"…Sure." Subaru responded. There was no reason to deny her that at least.
It was silent after this, which made Subaru think she knocked out, but the feeling of his jacket being tugged on tightly made him believe otherwise. Was she nervous? No, it couldn't be.
"Run away with me."
So, the worst chapter I have ever written has come to pass. Hopefully this will be the last, but I'm unsure. I've a very indecisive person, so while this arc has for the most part ended up how I wanted it, it felt poorly done. Like when you have an image in your head, but your fingers won't draw what you want.
So, about what went wrong this chapter. Again I'm very indecisive, and I kept jumping from a light hearted story with dark undertones to very dark story with physiological aspects. I could decide, so I am now forcing myself to choose one. I'm mostly heading for a half and half.
What I mean is that this story will be dark. Oh, if the next arc won't be enough dark for you, then the third will. From there it just gets darker. So to remedy this so the cast doesn't feel like cutting themselves, I'm going to keep it light hearted until scenes like above. Maybe not even then. I'm not very good with jokes, but I'm gonna try my best. Wish me luck.
So, for those who care to know why this is so late. I've been rereading manga from my childhood. You see, I've been having trouble with how I should end arc 3 because it's like a mystery arc. I'm not good with long lasting arcs so I've reread stuff that might inspire me.
I read Gantz and I'm halfway through Negima!(I cry ever time because I miss that cast). Gantz was good at inspiring me to layout a foundation and teaching me how each character COULD be used in a meaningful manner. Negima did a bit of the same, but taught me that one arc could be 10 different arcs in one. Literally one Arc lasted 3 days in there while the whole of it was over 100 chapters (Gantz did over 100 in one night, but Negima jumped between fights and character progression while making it feel meaningful and realistic).
Seriously, Negima does a good job at handling characters in a realistic manner. They made characters feel alive and their ambitions feel real. Threats feel like actual threats because they aren't just OP characters that just want to kill. They have wishes they strive for too, like any other human. There was one character, not saying who because spoiler, but she had an ambition she saw so great that she desperately clung to it because she had worked so hard for. Even when her mind was changed, she felt it was wrong just to drop it. Another character hated how her life was getting turned upside down so much, while everyone else fought to strive for this fantasy world.
It shows how the characters actually differ in thoughts and skills. It isn't "My laser beam is stronger, die." It's "My laser beam is stronger, so it needs to take more time to charge. This will leave me open, so I need to think of a strategy to overcome this fault."
Sorry. Negima hits me straight in the nostalgia gut so I get a little emotional. It will always hold a place in my heart and I thank the author for the characters. 3-A FOREVER (Oh the cringe).
REVIEWS!
nexus0093- Thanks! I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the best since I'm still a novice in writing, I have a ton to work on, but it makes me really happy to know you think that. I do try my best to study characters as much as I can, but I can tell at times they get a little OOC. Since its hard to get dialogue from Echidna due to current translations, I just use Puck as a medium, since they both speak the same.
While I'm not really looking at relationships between characters right now, it has crossed my mind at times. Hell, the reason I started with Echidna was because I liked her a lot at the time, and that was the main ship in my mind. Obviously that has changed, but I wouldn't be too upset to go back on that track. We'll see how their relationship progresses and see if there's an opening.
Also, I'm not hating on Rem here, but I don't think she's a candidate for affection currently. It has to do with this story, which you'll find out later.
Also, the whole other Witches thing for Subaru is just a wild guess. For Subaru, he's very observant. He pieced together that Emilia wanted to keep Subaru away when they first met because she didn't want to harm him. In the WN he pieced together that no matter how many loops he went back, he couldn't save a certain someone. It was either them, or everyone else.
Also, Echidna introduced herself as the Witch of Greed. It wouldn't be so hard for him to piece together that with his observation skills.
Nerf585- Eh? I wouldn't say that she was necessarily tricking him. More like Manipulating? While it isn't out of the realm of possibility that she could be tricking, it's more likely that she's manipulating to get what she wants. She's sly like that.