Sloth Chapter 1: A calming environment

Subaru looked around as he noticed that he was once again in a forest, making him feel a little annoyed since he preferred being somewhere that isn't a forest. His track record with forests was somewhere between shit and atrocious. He looked up for a moment at the blue sky, noting that it is a bit peaceful this time around. Unlike the forest he had been in from the previous world, it immediately felt more peaceful and calmer.

While he was feeling the entire place being much calmer than his world, Pride's world, or even the Purge King's world, he himself started to reflect on his moments with his counterparts and the memories he has of theirs. This caused him to fall to the floor with his back on the ground, looking at how horrible both versions were.

The Purge King would do good things from time to time but he did kill many innocent people for thinking that they would betray them. He threatened Frederica with Garfiel and Ryuzu's lives, he imprisoned both Ram and Emilia, and lastly he killed Beako without a second thought despite it being her that saved his life from Ram's wrath.

Although at first he understood and even had a bit of sympathy for that version of himself, seeing that he couldn't take his life and ran away from a place where he was hated, seen as the bad guy despite the fact that he was innocent yet having become a person who caused harm to others was something Subaru couldn't agree.

Then there was his first counterpart he met, the most insane version of himself, at least at this point. That one was probably worse than the Purge King, having died billions upon billions of times to try and create the outcome of having Emilia become king of Lugnica.

Even if that meant that she would get hurt in the end, that many innocent lives would be taken, even if the name Natsuki Subaru had gotten tarnished to the ground and had himself reduced to being a villain worse than the Witch of Envy in the process, he didn't hesitate to do what it took. Compared to the Purge King, the Sin Archbishop of Pride was an irredeemable bastard.

'Now that I think about it, maybe I could've convinced the Purge King me to stop...maybe...but then again...'

He recalled the memory of how The Purge King not only killed Beatrice but imprisoned Emilia, blackmailed Frederica, and killed many innocent people. This caused Subaru to get up from the ground and approach a tree to punch it, despite how that won't change anything except his fist hurting. While he did this, he recalled how his interactions with the two went:

("...fuck you! The fuck would they know what I had to go through! The fuck you know what I've been through! You can go to fucking hell, you stupid self righteous piece of shit!")

'Go to fucking hell, Sin Archbishop of Pride!' Subaru thought as he had an intense hatred for that version for himself due to how much hell he brought to those he cares about.

("Shame? For what? Wanting death? All I see is nothing but gray. A world of deception and liars who accused me for something I didn't even fucking do...and you think it is justified for Ram to still hate me...")

("This...this is all your fucking fault! I'm going to kill you, Natsuki Subaru!")

'...it's your fault, Purge King.' Subaru thinks this as he knows that everything he had done was cowardly. He couldn't kill himself to save Rem yet he had killed himself to get Cecilus and Halibel to join his side and even to save Ram's life from mana poisoning. This build up anger caused him to punch the tree once again, this time with enough force to cause his fist to bleed.

'I hate...I hate myself...'

Subaru's self-loathing had slowly been returning to him as he witnessed different versions of himself doing so much death and destruction in the name of their own twisted desires. This causes his mind to turn his attention into the possibility of this world's Subaru to be related to the term sloth.

("You don't need to worry, this world is like a 'slice of life' kind of world.")

("It's not the world that'll need help, it is the person there, the other Natsuki Subaru who needs help.")

'Hm...this feels like a version of me that just gave up...' Subaru thinks as he recalls the things the watcher had told him. '...Could this me...have run away?'

This was the only thing he could conclude before deciding to start walking in a random direction. Just as he started to walk, he sensed something was behind him which prompted the boy to turn to see a small light approaching him. Subaru stopped on his tracks and waited to see who his ally would be this time.

'If it is a slice of life kind of place...then please be Emilia-tan! I would love to spend time with her, especially in a setting like that.'

Subaru hoped for this sort of outcome since he had seen enough manga and anime of slice of life type genre to know that it would be the perfect romantic date setting for him and Emilia. The small ball of light got close to Subaru shining bright, blinding the boy for a second before returning the area the way it was. Subaru's eyes opened with hope before being filled with some disappointment. The boy's ally stood silent for a second before responding with her red eyes looking sternly at him:

"What are you looking at with those eyes? Scum of the earth, prostrate in front of Ram and apologize for despoiling me for Roswall-sama."

"Guh...always with the insults, nee-sama. Such a blinding curse!"

Subaru was disappointed it was Ram but he felt sad since he recalls how the other two Rams he met, how they were thanks to his counterparts. Before he could think any further into this, Ram looked around and felt off since she recalled that she was in the watchtower a few seconds ago.

"Where exactly are we, Barusu?"

"Well...um..."

"Spit it out already!" Ram said in an annoyed tone.

"We aren't in our world per se."

Ram stood silent as she analyzed what the boy had said. After a few seconds, she hit Subaru in the head while saying:

"What nonsense are you spouting out now, Barusu?"

"Was that even necessary?" Subaru asked as he rubbed the top of his head.

"Yes, because it was that stupid. Now answer my question."

"Okay Okay. We aren't in our actual world, rather a different version of ours."

"Explain." She says this as she looks like she is prepared to hit him again.

"Think of it this way, there is a world that is like ours but with a different history...that's the best I can explain it without sounding insane!" Subaru exclaimed since it is hard enough to say this without sounding stupid or crazy while raising his hands to protect himself from another head slap. Ram speculated for a moment before lowering her hand, concluding that either Subaru has gone insane and is just denying it or he is telling the truth somehow.

She took a moment to look around for a bit, wanting to see what situation she got thrown into while Subaru just continued to feel guilty since he doesn't know if this world's Ram or Rem is suffering because of him.

'I'm sorry Ram...I caused you so much pain...you and Rem...'

After a few seconds of looking, Ram turned to look at Subaru only to catch that the boy was thinking bad of himself. This caused her to quickly slap him across the face. This stunned the boy since he wasn't expecting this, prompting him to say:

"What...What was that for?!" He said as he was both annoyed and flustered by this. Ram closed her eyes and responded in a calm manner:

"You were gloomy and brooding; it looks stupid on you." Subaru wanted to respond back yet flashes of memories of what the Purge King had done to Ram played in his mind for a moment. This caused him to stop himself from speaking while also being filled with despair. He lowered his head the second Ram opened her eyes, leaving her with a blank expression has he said to her:

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry Ram...I..." Subaru struggles to speak since all he can think is how he feels responsible for how Ram ended up in both Pride and Purge King's worlds. With the Sin Archbishop of Pride's, she ended up broken since Rem was killed the same way as the Purge King's world was.

The Purge King's world had Ram be locked up by his counterpart, leaving her with complete hatred for a few years straight. This was something he will have to live with, which is why he wants to apologize to his Ram.

"...I should've been stronger, to save Rem. Had I been stronger or even competent, then maybe she wouldn't be in deep sleep..."

...

...

...

"Barusu."

"...yes..."

Subaru slowly looked up to see Ram have a slightly annoyed expression, disliking what she sees in front of her.

"You are a complete moron." Ram said with a harsh tone, something that made Subaru have a small smile.

"Hehe...I know..."

"You were entrusted with Rem when she didn't return from the capital. The fact that you left her on her own is your fault." Ram said as she continued to be harsh towards Subaru, something that the boy accepted since it is his fault from his perspective.

"I know, I should've done more."

"...but, I don't blame you for what happened to her. You had to make a choice and you chose the one that saved the most lives. Even then, in the end that gluttony bastard got what he deserved." Ram says with a satisfied voice, since she managed to kill Lye Batenkaitos, the person responsible for leaving her sister in the state she is in. Subaru was unsure on what to say since he didn't expect this. Ram continued: "You have been doing your best, although pathetic. So when my sister wakes up, you better treat her with royalty, more than you do with Emilia-sama, you got that?"

"Understood..." Subaru said with a hesitant tone, something that caught Ram's attention. She gave him a stern look before closing her eyes to use her Clairvoyance. While she did this, Subaru looked up at the sky as he felt that this world was too peaceful. Having dealt with Bowel hunters, Witch cultists, Mabeasts, and many other threats he had a hard time believing that he would ever get something that resembled a break from all the fighting.

'Could he...be lying to me? Maybe make me believe that things will go well just to end up in a shitty situation.' Subaru thinks to himself since it wouldn't make sense to go into a world where everything is peaceful.

"You think I would do that?"

Subaru stepped back for a second as he was caught off guard by the sudden voice of the watcher speaking in his mind.

'Man, I will never get used to this.'

"True but still back on topic, you really think I would lie to you?" The watcher said as he was a bit curious on what the boy was speaking.

'Well, I don't know who you are so yes, I would think that you would lie to me so I can accomplish whatever goal you want completed.'

"That is fair but to clear up everything, I wasn't lying. This world is not as dangerous as you are thinking it is."

'Okay, then why send me here?'

"Because Natsuki Subaru, you and this version of yourself need some form of closure."

'What are you talking about?'

"You'll…" The Watcher began to explain before Subaru cut him off. 'What the hell does that mean?!' Subaru shouted in his mind as he wanted answers yet he received nothing, implying that the converhad had ended. This annoyed him since he didn't like how vague the watcher was being. As that conversation had finished, Ram opened her eyes as she managed to find what seems to be the closest city.

"Come on, Barusu. I know where to go."

"Okay."

Subaru followed Ram's lead as the two started to walk around the forest for a bit. While they started their journey towards the closest city, Subaru begins to think to himself on how his start in this world is similar to his previous two. He arrives in an unknown area for a bit before finding the problem which will ironically lead him towards his counterpart. The only difference here though is the amount of allies.

In his first world, the Pride world, he had both Garfiel and Julius backing him up. In the second world, the Wrath world, at first he had Wilhelm, Frederica and Petra up until a certain point when he broke down and managed to somehow convince the watcher to let Beatrice be with him not only as an ally but as someone he can find comfort in.

Seeing that in this world he only has one ally, this makes him a bit hesitant since he doesn't know whether that is a good or bad thing. It would be a bad thing if the watcher was lying and this Sloth world's version of himself was a threat to both himself and Ram.

Though if the watcher was telling the truth, then in a sense it is a good thing to have just Ram and himself. He will get the chance to redeem himself in a way for what the other two versions of the pink haired oni had to endure due to his two counterparts' actions.

"What do you think I should do? For Rem I mean when we wake her up."

"..."

Ram had no words to this, not only being caught off guard by this but also a question she doesn't know how to properly answer. The only thing that comes to mind is for Subaru to make her sister feel like she is a goddess that had just awakened from her beauty sleep. The two were silent as they continued walking through the forest until finally an answer was given to Natsuki Subaru:

"Make her happy, Barusu. After all, you saved her when she couldn't control her oni form. You helped her be more happy after that night. Though you are nothing more than a pathetic bug crawling along the ground, you still make her happy. Keep it that way...or else."

"I will...wait..."

Subaru had a moment to pause since something didn't add up. He noticed that Ram was able to talk about the events of Meili's attack as if she had lived it herself. This made him somewhat hesitant to ask yet he had to know.

"How do you still remember Rem?"

"..."

Ram stopped for a moment as she noticed the question she was asked. She turned around and slapped the boy once again, although not with a lot of force, it still stung a bit.

"What was that for?!"

"You are clearly an idiot and a fool, Barusu. Of course I would remember my sister. Just how stupid are you?"

"Wait but...how..."

'How does she...remember?'

Subaru was dumbfounded since this was new. He was always hoping someone else would remember Rem, hoping that at the very least that it would be Ram. Although that is true now, he feels happiness but confusion since how is it possible for the pink haired oni to remember her sister.

'Is it because we are in a world that Rem probably wasn't erased?'

"Not necessarily."

Subaru's eyes widened as he heard the watcher's voice once again, surprised that he would even speak now.

'What are you implying?'

"Should someone from your world, like Ram for example, talk to Rem before she met her fate by Ley, things wouldn't change since they won't have their memories of her back, even if they go to a world where she never fell under Gluttony's authority."

'Okay, so how is Ram able to remember her sister?' Subaru asked in his thoughts, wanting answers from the watcher.

"Well, you forget that I do have a lot of power over things, such as memories."

'Of course you are the cause of this.' Subaru thinks to himself while also saying this to the watcher, feeling stupid for not having thought that the watcher could've been a cause for this. 'Why did you do it anyway?'

"Because you'll need it. I can't tell you more but just trust in that."

'Trust in that, how? You are still unknown to me, how can I ask to trust someone that won't tell me who they are or what their goals are?' As Subaru finished this thought in his mind, the watcher didn't respond. This annoyed the boy once again since he is still going in blind in this world, not knowing what kind of version of himself he will be dealing with. As Subaru was lost in thought, reality hit him hard as he received another slap by Ram.

"Barusu, have you lost your mind or what?"

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For looking stupid. Come on, let's get to civilization before you drive me insane as well."

"I'm not insane!"

Ram smiled at how flustered she made her friend before continuing on in their path towards civilization. Subaru looked annoyed at first before a smile was formed, happy that he can still have his usual banter with Ram before following her.

While the two were walking through the forest, someone was watching in the background, wearing a cloak. He observed Ram first, noticing that she looks oddly familiar before turning towards Subaru's direction, noticing that he looks too familiar.

"He looks like..."

The person in the shadows paused itself before continuing to follow the two, curious on who they are since it recognizes them.

After an hour of walking, both Ram and Subaru arrive at a city that reminds the two of Priestella. With that in mind, the two eventually realized that they were in Kararagi, seeing that too many people spoke in a similar manner to the way Anastasia speaks.

"So Barusu, care to explain how we ended up here?" Ram said as she suspects it is Barusu's fault.

"And why did you come to this conclusion that I somehow brought us both here?" Subaru questioned as he knows for a fact that all of this wasn't his fault.

"Since you know what is going on, it is the best conclusion that it's all your fault Barusu. Now shut up and let me think."

As Ram said this, she looked around to see if she could pinpoint exactly where in Kararagi they were. While she was doing this, Subaru couldn't help but be amazed by the city, having reminders of his own hometown and some cities of Japan.

'So this is Kararagi...man, imagine if I had been teleported here instead of Lungica...'

Subaru was left thinking of all the things he would do in the city though he doesn't regret having been transported to Lugnica. He had been saved by Emilia, given a second chance to make things right, became Rem's hero, found two best friends with Garfiel Tinsel and Otto Suwen, and became an important person than he would ever be back at home.

While his mind was focused on what things Kararagi had in store for him, something caused him to pause.

'Wait. What would my counterpart of this world be doing in Kararagi? Could he actually have just ran away from everything? But if so, then why?'

This was a question he would need to solve if he wants to understand what exactly he is getting into yet his mind was completely caught off guard when he received a slap to the face.

"Stay focused, Barusu!"

"Ow! Stop that!"

"Then stop losing focus."

"Okay..."

"...follow me."

Subaru nodded before following Ram around the city, trusting that she can help him find either his counterpart or the possible source that caused his counterpart to have decided to go to Kararagi. While the two walked for a bit, Subaru started to have some flashes in his mind of when he went to the city with his parents.

'...those were the good old days...I wonder...what are they doing now?'

While Subaru thought this, Ram stopped all of a sudden which caught the boy's attention. He waited for a moment before asking her:

"Is something wrong?"

"...I haven't eaten. Let's get some food."

"Food? With what money?" Subaru said since despite also being hungry himself, they don't have any money. Ram stood silent before walking towards one of the stores without warning, catching Subaru off guard.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Subaru quickly followed the pink haired oni into one of the stores nearby, noticing that it is a noodle-like place.

"This looks...oddly familiar."

"What are you talking about?" Ram said sharply as she took notice of what the boy had said.

"This place gives me this feeling of being back at home."

"Back home?" Ram asked with a little curiosity, all things considered when it came to Subaru at least. The pink haired oni has known the boy for a while and yet she has no knowledge of his past or hometown. So hearing this caught her attention for once since this is information she wouldn't normally hear from the boy.

"Yeah...Sorry, I guess my homeland wouldn't interest you."

"It would be best to know what they are like so I can understand why you are such trash, Barusu."

"Okay, no need to be like that. Let's just get some food."

As Subaru says this, he takes the lead and begins to order some ramen for both Ram and himself. After the hell he has gone though in the last two worlds, he deserves this break. The two sit down at a two chaired table and wait for the food. As they wait, Subaru looks at Ram's direction for a brief moment only to see Rem there, dressed in a kimono with long hair.

'What is...going on?'

Subaru was completely caught off guard by this look, since he did find Rem attractive. Though that also had him starting to think about Emilia, wanting to see her in a kimono as well. While dozing off, he received another slap to the face by Ram, which Subaru figured since he was staring at her direction for a while. A few seconds passed by with Subaru rubbing his bruised cheek while Ram turned away with her eyes closed and her hands crossed.

"Don't look at me with those perverted eyes, Barusu. You brought this on yourself."

"...my bad..."

"Hmph."

The two stood silent for a bit until their ramen bowls were given to them. Subaru and Ram looked at the food with Subaru having a bit of nostalgia while Ram was curious on what she was seeing.

'I've seen this before...' Ram thought as she tried to pinpoint where exactly she saw this. Subaru began to eat after thanking the waiter for giving them their food, feeling somewhat calm for once. While the two began to eat, a person with grey robes and a hood entered the ramen shop.

Some of the people inside noticed the tall looking teenager yet they paid no mind to him as they went on with their business. The mysterious boy sat near Subaru and Ram after having ordered some ramen himself, wanting to listen in on what they had to say. As the boy sat down, Subaru eventually broke the silence between himself and Ram.

"How is the ramen?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...come on, say something."

"You are a moron."

"Not exactly what I was thinking but that is something." Subaru said as he ignored the insult thrown towards him. Ram continued to eat her ramen while keeping a blank facial expression, not wanting to give any expression to Subaru. While she continued to eat, she was left intrigued by how good the food was despite it coming from Barusu's hometown. She continued to eat for a bit before finally managing to finish her bowl of ramen. She sets her plate down and just glares at Subaru.

"What?"

"Hurry up, you are wasting my time."

"Fine. Fine. I'll finish up. Just give me a minute."

"Hmph."

Ram crossed her arms and turned away while Subaru looked back at his ramen bowl, trying to enjoy it as best as he could. The mysterious boy just looked at the two and couldn't help but find the situation a bit amusing though he was still curious about the two, especially Subaru himself. He along with Ram waited for Subaru to eventually finish up his ramen bowl. Subaru set his bowl down and was about to say something only to be slapped once again.

"Damn it, what the hell?! My cheeks are gonna be red and swollen at this rate!"

"You took too long!"

"I was enjoying my food."

"I don't care."

Subaru just glared for a moment before looking at the waiter approaching them, wondering whether or not Ram had some plan in paying for the food they just ate. He looked at her for a brief moment before asking:

"Okay, who is paying?"

"You."

"...excuse me, what?" Subaru had a moment of pause as he processed what Ram had said. After a few seconds, Subaru retorted this by saying:

"With what money?! I told you I didn't have any money!"

"Well, then figure this out."

"You little—"

Subaru was annoyed by this before turning his attention to the waiter, trying to think of what he could do to avoid any trouble. Just as he was coming up with a plan, he noticed a mysterious boy get in front of him.

"Huh?"

"Allow me."

Subaru and Ram both looked at each other for a moment, both of them being skeptical of the boy right in front of them. As they turn towards this unknown person, they can hear him with a fake deep voice say:

"I'm paying for these two as well."

The waiter nodded at this boy as they received the payment for the ramen before turning their attention towards something else. While the waiter left, the mysterious boy looked at Subaru and Ram.

"Could you two follow me?"

"...um, okay?" Subaru said as he doesn't want to start any trouble in a foreign land right off the bat. Ram stood up as well, having a blank expression as she was very skeptical of this but not wanting to show anything on her own face. She quickly moved in between both Subaru and the mysterious boy while asking in a sharp tone:

"Who are you?"

The stranger looked at Ram for a moment, keeping himself calm despite the hostile tone Ram was saying. There was a moment of silence before the stranger responded with:

"...that will be revealed later. Now come with me please."

"No, we won't." Ram spoke as she didn't trust this person. Many people looked at the three which caused Subaru and even the stranger to notice that they were getting attention.

The stranger stood still for a moment, silent and calm as he thought for a moment before turning around to look at the pink haired oni. As he looked at her, he began to say:

"We should take this outside. I'm not causing these people here any trouble."

"Yeah. Come on, Ram. We don't want to start causing a scene and get too much unwanted attention." Subaru said as he agreed with the boy that they should take this outside. Ram stood silent for a few seconds before agreeing to this.

"Hmph. Seems like you're finally getting smarter, Barusu."

Subaru could only glare at her before the three left the ramen shop, with Subaru and Ram both having their guard since they don't know who this person in front of them is.

The three walked around the city for a bit with Ram paying close attention towards the stranger, having an odd feeling about him while Subaru continued to look around the city, feeling nostalgic.

'If my counterpart really lives here, then maybe I might really get a break for once...'

Subaru closed his eyes for a brief moment as he felt that something was amiss in this world. Seeing that this city is calm and doesn't seem like a farce, it makes him curious to know if the stranger knows his counterpart.

"Hey, do you know someone named Natsuki Subaru?"

"..."

There was no response yet Ram gave Subaru a look of confusion yet a stern one, causing Subaru to stay silent for the remainder of the walk.

After a couple of minutes had passed, they eventually reached a road where not a lot of people were walking around.

Ram and Subaru both look around and could tell that something is fishy here.

These prompted the two to keep their guards up. After a few minutes, the stranger stopped in the middle of a road with a few bystanders walking by.

Seeing this increased Ram's distrust towards the stranger, causing her to slowly move to grab her wand in the case a fight breaks out meanwhile Subaru looks around for a moment, observing the place they are at.

As he was distracted by this, he started to see his parents for some reason, causing him to freeze for a moment before his mind got back into reality.

He saw that the stranger pulled out a kunai which caused the boy to prepare his whip, also ready for a fight to break loose. The stranger analyzed the two for a brief moment before asking his question for them.

"What are your names?"

"...why do you want to know that?" Ram asked with a hostile manner.

"This is your one chance to avoid a fight with me. Who are you two?"

Ram looked with an angry facial expression, preparing her mana for a wind attack. Just as she was going to attack the stranger, Subaru got in front of her in hopes of calming the oni down while also wanting answers himself.

"You never answered my question. Do you know someone named Natsuki Subaru?"

"Barusu, why are you asking such a stupid question? Have you lost your mind?" Ram said as she was more cautious than before. Subaru looked at her as he was going to respond to her question only for the stranger to answer him first.

"That is something I won't answer until you two answer my question first."

"Like hell we will." As Ram said this, she fired a powerful wind attack towards the stranger, prompting him to quickly evade the attack. Subaru was surprised by this while Ram continued to have a blank face. The stranger looked at Ram's direction while saying:

"I suppose if I want answers...I'll have to beat them out of you."

As the stranger finished saying this, he stepped to the side and from where he once was, a perfect replica of himself stood there like it had been in that space all along.

"My mother said I should have been one set of a pair of twins." The first said.

"Nah, that's a lie." The second one interjected before it stepped to the right.

Just like before, a third version of himself stood in the spot where the other had walked away from.

"I think that we should've been triplets." The second sardonically stated.

"That would be a lie too." The third said with a long suffering sigh before it stepped back, allowing a fourth clone to take its spot.

"Now then…" The fourth started to say, before all of them had a familiar, to Subaru, weapon appeared in their hands.

"YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE TO ANSWER PEACEFULLY. NOW WE DO THIS THE HARD WAY." Every single clone stated in perfect unison.

'The hell? He can...clone himself?!'

Subaru was stunned for a second since he has seen this ability before in some show he once watched. Before he could think more on it, the fight broke out with Ram charging towards the three clones and leaving himself to deal with the real deal.

"Well...shit. So much for this being peaceful." He muttered as he took his whip out and gave it a test crack.

Author's note:

I have to thank Cloud Link Zero for helping me with this chapter. This will be a more like a break for Natsuki Subaru before the true hellish fight begins (that being Aganau, Greed, and Gluttony). Also go take a look at Re: Rigel Starting From Zero from my friend, Cloud Link Zero, since there is a connection with my story here. Aside from that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.