Chapter Text
Greed's Reward
"How long has it been since then…?" Subaru blinked as bright morning sun filtered in through the windows of his room, into his eyes.
It was another bright, early morning...another beautiful day, out of the thousands of other mornings he had already seen. Yet, despite being a morning just like the likely hundreds of others he had experienced...it still brought a smile to his face.
'You seem rather lively. I still don't believe that I'll ever understand how you can face these repetitive mornings as a new, enchanting experience each time.' A certain intrigued voice chimed into his head, a voice which only made the morning even brighter for him.
"You're saying that, but the reason for these mornings being so fresh is talking to me right now, you know?" Subaru shot back, as he slowly made his way out of the bed.
'To me, those responses of yours are the most interesting thing here...as ever, you simply don't cease to keep me amazed at that attitude of yours.'
He walked over towards his window, taking in a long, deep breath of the morning air.
"Again, it's all thanks to you, 'Dona. I wouldn't be able to face mornings this happy if I didn't have you by my side…" He chuckled at his words, looking down at the black crystal hanging around his neck.
His only response from the Witch was a short giggle. A giggle that she had only started developing recently, the more he spoke to her.
'It's the first day...the first day since we really achieved our 'happy ending' together, huh?'
Subaru lifted his gaze upwards, pulling aside the curtains covering his bedroom as he stared outside, out at the beautiful days that awaited them.
Outside was practically every camp with all their core members, all seemingly busy with their own activities outside.
Reinhard was having a huge training match along with Garfiel, Crusch, Ricardo, Mimi, and Julius. Wilhelm was also there, supervising the group with a watchful eye, and offering advice wherever he could. Felix stood beside the old butler, supervising the fight and standing by just in case anyone was harmed.
Anastasia was talking to Tivey and Otto, a lively expression on their faces. Knowing those two, they were probably discussing some sort of logistics or economics or something like that.
Ram was holding a mock class, with Hetaro, Petra, Felt, and Meili, of all people, sitting together. Felt and Meili seemed to be barely paying attention, but Petra was attentive as always. Hetaro, shy as always, just remained quiet as he looked on to the board Ram was teaching from.
Besides Meili, there was also even Shaula, surprisingly, who seemed to be eagerly joining in the lessons as well, though all she was doing was mostly annoying Ram with her incessant interruptions.
Speaking of Meili, her 'sister', Elsa, was somewhere around, as well. He didn't really like her, but by freeing the assassin of Mother, and guarding Meili, he had basically earned her eternal service. That, and he paid her extremely well, too.
There was also the fact that he had saved both her and the young assassin from the burning wreck of the Roswaal Mansion.
She never joined the main group for obvious reasons, but she was always but a call away. Even if she had been the reason for a lot of his suffering, Echidna had reminded him of just how useful her skills would be in the long run.
Beatrice, Emilia, and Puck were running around while blasting off some small magic spells while chasing each other around. The way those three just ended up bonding always brought a smile to his face.
Priscilla was just keeping to herself in a secluded in a part of the garden, relaxing and drinking some sort of cold drink while Al was working on massaging his feet. Well…
"Some people won't change, no matter what, I guess…" Priscilla was definitely a stubborn one. It was a miracle he even got her to be a part of things, but a few attempts had done the trick.
He heard Echidna clearing her throat. 'If I may offer a small correction...not a miracle, but a calculated effort. I will admit that she was quite the challenge, even for my knowledge, however. She was quite the interesting subject, herself…'
Subaru groaned, bringing a hand to his forehead. 'I'm gonna have to fix that habit you've got of calling people interesting 'subjects', like they're just a book for you to read...nah, considering your personality, that might actually be impossible.'
'I'm quite glad that you understand my nature so well. It helps to have an understanding contractor.' Echidna replied with an almost upbeat tone in her voice.
Frederica and Rem were out there too, moving to and fro while carrying supplies around the mansion. The two of them had nothing but bright smiles, enjoying their duties.
His eyes softened as he looked to the blue-haired maid. He watched her move along, his brown eyes trailing her with a certain warmth.
'Still feeling doubtful about that blue-haired maid, are you? Doubtful that she has been truly brought back?'
Subaru shook his head at Echidna's words, walking out onto the balcony and leaning against it.
"It's the opposite. I'm super thankful. I mean...we're here, aren't we? The ultimate happy ending. The Witch Cult is destroyed, we've prevented basically any wars from breaking out...honestly, it did take a lot of work, but...the fact that you actually helped me is the only reason I can stand here."
His words rang nothing but the truth. It had been a little over a year since he'd contracted with Echidna, but in that time, Subaru had achieved more than would have been seen as humanly possible for anyone else.
The Witch Cult was utterly and thoroughly destroyed – Sanctuary was peacefully freed, all the archbishops were dead, all of the great Mabeasts had been wiped from existence, Pandora was sealed away in some other dimension and stripped of her powers, Satella had been peacefully sent to the afterlife, the Tower had been conquered, and Lugunica had already chosen it's king...or, well, its' kings.
Breaking past the prophecy to forge their own futures – an unbreakable alliance had been formed between the five camps (in no small part thanks to some impossible efforts from Subaru) and now, they were more like one big conglomerate camp.
The five women who were once competing against one-another would instead now work as a council of sorts, focusing on improving the country with the specialties only they could bring to the table.
Officially, on paper, Felt was the 'true' king due to her birthright, but behind closed doors, the country was due to be run by the five of them. He figured in the future this would probably continue, with Felt's descendants ruling the throne and being advised by the descendants of everyone else.
It wasn't fully stable, but no government really was. For now, it would work for improving the country, and that was all that they needed.
There was only one issue – even with Satella being dead, Subaru had retained Return by Death. He and Echidna never figured out how it worked, but Echidna just rationalized it as Satella deciding to leave some final portion of her power with him, to keep him safe.
With the way things were moving ahead, Subaru could tell things would get busy soon enough, but he didn't really care too much. Enjoying these peaceful days, that was all that he desired...
There was a momentary lack of a response from the crystal...before Echidna's voice returned once more.
'...You truly do know what to say to a maiden, do you not? Perhaps all of this newfound confidence has led you to discover some part of yourself that I have yet to see? What is it called, again…? A 'womanizer'?'
The boy let out an exasperated sigh, turning so that his back rested against the railing. His brown eyes trailed upwards towards the sky.
Subconsciously, he ran a hand over his hair. He had let it grow a little, and even started taking proper care of it, foregoing his usual spiky look to leave it down. It was far from his usual style, but he didn't feel like going through the effort of putting his usual style together at the moment.
"No way, no way. I mean, could you really imagine someone like me becoming a guy like that? Not that your advice isn't already leaning me down that kind of path..." He grumbled, thinking over his own romantic troubles.
Emilia had long since confessed to him, and Rem had been in love with him long before anyone else. Roswaal had unfortunately passed away during one of the large battles, and he found himself getting oddly close to Ram. Crusch had started acting weird around him sometimes, too, and even the more aloof candidates like Priscilla and Anastasia seemed to be warming up to him, in a way far past their usual distanced relationships.
He even swore that he imagined Felix of all people looking at him with some suggestive glances. Subaru was pretty sure he didn't swing that way, but when Felix was attempting to flirt with him while looking like a cute catgirl 24/7, it was a little hard to resist.
Even Elsa – well, no, Elsa was weirdly sexual from the beginning, so that wasn't really anything odd.
With every one of these people, Echidna had subtly manipulated him to say just the right things, or do just the right things, or spend just the right amount of time with them, to the point where they'd start getting infatuated with him without him even noticing.
Basically, Echidna had, of all things, subtly manipulated him into becoming a popular 'casanova' kind of guy, a task which she took great pride in.
"I wish I didn't have to stand out so much while we were reaching here...now everyone looks up to me like I'm some sort of mega-hero. It gets sort of uncomfortable sometimes..."
Due to his deeds, Natsuki Subaru had become well respected as a hero across the whole world. The slayer of the Witch Cult, conqueror of the tower, destroyer of all the great mabeasts, the one who united the kingdom, and the one who had brought down Pandora, the leader of the cult.
He could faintly hear Echidna's amused chuckles from within his head.
'Consider it a short form of my revenge for so single-handedly forcing such a limited contract upon me. I may not be able to explore all possibilities, as I once wished...but in a way, exploring possibilities such as those are interesting as well. I truly didn't expect so many of them to fall for you, however...that, too, is a possibility that was interesting to see.'
"Man...I've known you for tons of years combined, if you're counting the loops, but I feel like I'm never gonna get used to that never-ending interest of yours."
Subaru could almost see the smirk on Echidna's face show, at his exasperated words. 'You may be dealing with the feelings of all of those women...but remember, it is only me that you truly belong to. Just as I belong to you. No matter how much of those women you respond to...I shall be the only one capable of satisfying that immense greed which led you to seek my help, and only you can satisfy mine...'
The boy couldn't hide a light flush from appearing on his face. He quickly walked back into his room, hiding from the eyes of the people outside. There was no way he could let them see him like that, blushing to himself.
"You always choose the worst moments to say the most embarrassing stuff...there's a reason why I had to start taking off the amulet when I went to bathroom, you know?"
Why? I don't believe you have anything to hide from me. In the true countless years we've spent together, through all of those loops...do you really think it's so wrong for me to continue being curious about your body? Expressing my greed for you – isn't that the purest form of love that I could express?'
Subaru almost wanted to facepalm at hear painfully blunt words. For all of her knowledge and intelligence, sometimes Echidna was painfully bad at reading the room. However, the semi-innocence and sincerity with which she spoke made up for it, in a way.
"Ugh...well, I guess not, it's just...decency, you know?! Decency!"
'Truly, I just can't wrap my mind around many of these decisions you continue to make. After marking the deepest part of me, and claiming me as your own, you're still so bashful ab-'
"Aaaaah, okay, okay, I got it! Geez...you didn't have to bring that up so suddenly!"
Every time Subaru thought about the day he had formed the contract with Echidna, he ended up feeling so embarrassed that he could die. She had seduced him, hook, line, and sinker, and he had let go of all his inhibitions just to leave everything to her.
He was smart enough to put official rules in place, and he couldn't have been more grateful for that decision.
Knowing Echidna, Subaru had no doubt that if he had given her absolute free reign over him, things would likely have been much different. Rather than helping him to get the true 'happy ending' he could already see that she probably would have just abused Return by Death.
'I am almost hurt. Thinking such horrible thoughts about me, it is enough to truly wound a lady…'
'Yeah, yeah, you know I don't mean it. Besides, what could have been doesn't really matter. Instead of some use-use relationship, we've become true partners now, haven't we?'
'...Yes, I suppose that we truly have.'
Indeed. that realization didn't lessen Subaru's care for the Witch at all. He already knew her nature as a Witch wasn't something he could just sidestep. Instead, he just accepted it. Echidna was his partner now, and that was just how it was.
Her 'love', as weird as it was, was something he always gratefully accepted. After all, he fully intended on making good on their deal.
'Anyways…' The boy let out a sigh, as he sat down on his bed. 'You must have wanted something, right? It's not like it's weird for us to talk, but unless you've got some quip or something, you don't usually start a long conversation like this.'
The crystal was silent for a few seconds, before Echidna's voice once more invaded his thoughts. 'I do suppose that you've come to know me rather well, despite my self-consideration as a rather mysterious wicked Witch. There, is, well...something I wish to confirm.'
'Something you wanted to test out?' Subaru raised an eyebrow. Echidna was never one to be shy about her desires, but the fact that she even asked in such a coy manner was the unusual part. 'Well...I don't mind. What is it?'
'I would like to have a tea party, where the two of us can discuss something. For a while now, I have been noticing an oddity...and of course, I wish to investigate it.'
The young man hummed his agreement, deciding to lay down proper on his bed. Entering the Castle of Dreams always left his physical body pretty much unconscious, so it was better to just find a spot to lay down, like this.
He closed his eyes, feeling that familiar sinking sensation overcome him.
While awaiting the momentary arrival of her partner, Echidna was thinking to herself about the odd feeling that had been bothering her over the past few years.
At first, she had simply regarded Subaru as nothing but a partner in her never-ending search for knowledge. She wasn't capable of fully making use of his ability, as she wished, but over time, that desire had begun to disappear from her.
Of course, she had expected this. Her greed, her love, was insatiable by nature. It was only a given that even with the greatest gift placed into her lap, she would eventually become dissatisfied with it, and move on.
However, that was when Subaru began to 'visit' her. Rather than keeping his pain within him, and letting it build up how much their countless loops towards the perfect route was...he always came to her.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year, he would come to the Castle of Dreams of his own regard, just to speak to her, to say hi to her, to have smalltalk with her, or to just learn more about her.
What she remembered rather vividly, however, were the days when he would completely break, and come to her for comfort as if desperately seeking warmth in a bone-chillingly cold blizzard.
Looking back on her memory, the amount of times she'd had to comfort him and lift him back up was innumerable.
"That was the first time…" Her voice softly echoed throughout the empty Castle of Dreams, an unreadable look coming over the Witch of Greed's eyes.
It was the first time that anyone had ever treated her that way. In her lifetime, Echidna remembered many people treating her many different ways. Some came to her for her help due to their own desires. Some idolized her, or saw her as something of a patron. Some just saw her as a Witch who couldn't be trusted.
However, she'd never had someone treat her like this. She'd never been relied on in such an...emotional way.
She had been admired, loved, hated, respected, feared, lusted after...but nobody in the entirety of her extremely long lifetime had treated her as an equal, who they trusted enough to simply give their feelings and themselves over to.
Beatrice's feelings were something more of a child's connection towards their mother...Roswaal was a deeply infatuated boy who couldn't let go of his crush, and Lewes was just a girl who was grateful to her for saving her.
Subaru's care, however, seemed to go into something deeper than words – something even she couldn't even properly decipher. Despite having access to his memory, and being able to perfectly read his emotions and thoughts...she had no frame of reference to understand it.
At first, she figured that she would use it to manipulate him, preying on his feelings of trust to truly bring him under her control, and to convince him to change the contract to be much more favorable to her goals. However, every time she thought about that...she oddly found herself unable to do so.
She'd first done it just to keep him stable. After all, she couldn't have him breaking on her so easily, when he still had so more to give her. As more and more time passed, however, her intentions began to change.
Her thoughts on manipulating him slowly left her consciousness, her words and gestures between him became more genuine than she ever thought they would have been, and somewhere along the line, she stopped recognizing the boy she was contracted to as a simple tool to satiate her greed.
A feeling was born in her heart, a feeling she had never quite experienced before. It was different from her greed, yet it felt oddly similar. The more it grew, the more she began to enjoy the time she spent with Subaru...enjoying it…
"What is this feeling within me?" Echidna brought a hand over her heart, narrowing her eyes down at it. She needed to know. She needed to discover all she could related to it, find everything out about it, and truly understand it.
She...wanted to feel him claim her again...
"Hey, Dona."
The Witch looked up at the sound of Subaru's voice, no surprise showing on her face, as she had long detected his arrival. A small smirk showed on her face as the boy took a seat at the table.
"I see that you are as casual about entering here as always...I suppose that it is somewhat refreshing that this part of you hasn't changed."
The boy rolled his eyes, reaching his hand over to the teacup. He stared down at the liquid inside, before bringing it up to his lips, swigging it down in one fell swoop before placing it back onto the table.
Echidna chuckled at his almost eager-seeming motion, bringing a finger up to his lips. "To think that you would keep happily drinking down my body fluids, too...perhaps you have acquired a slight perversion, as well?"
"Oh, shut up!" Subaru huffed, looking off to the side with red cheeks. "I remember what's it's made of, but you're the one who made the rule about having to drink the stuff!"
"Hmm? You remember what it's made of, yet you only protest after swallowing it? I'm not sure how I should feel about such forward words…" Echidna pressed her legs together, feigning a shy expression on her face.
"Dang it, how do I keep falling for these tricks every single time?" The raven haired boy groaned, ruffling his hair with both of his hands. The white-haired Witch just looked on fondly, her ever-present thin smile remaining.
Subaru caught her gaze, raising an eyebrow at the woman. "Something on my face?"
"To be blunt...I've simply come to enjoy looking at you. Rather, it has become something of an interesting past time to me, whenever we have these tea parties." Echidna admitted, bringing her own teacup to her lips.
"Definitely like you to pick up some weird new habit like that...so, what did you call me here for? Is there something that we still need to discuss? If I remember right, there aren't any currently pending issues on the table." Subaru's eyes took on a suddenly serious look – a look which stirred the Witch's heart.
She remembered it well, as it was the look of determination that crossed his face whenever he was presented with a threat to overcome. A look which had broken past her expectations and advice many times…
The look that comprised the essence of the man who could always break past her expectations – the sole person who could exceed her knowledge every single time. It almost pained her to have to disarm that gaze with her own words.
"Sadly, I don't have any such news to give you. My intentions this time are solely based in my own desires. I'm sure that you won't have any objections to that, will you?"
The young man was silent for a while...before eventually nodding, his expression easing into a much more relaxed one.
"Sure. But still, it's odd to get such a formal request from you. Usually you'd just blurt out whatever you wanted into my mind, regardless of the situation. Or subtly try to lead me through it through some sly words."
The woman showed a pout, folding her arms close to her chest. "How truly heartless of you. Again and again, you continue to wound my heart with such words, you know? A maiden's delicate, fragile heart isn't meant for such teasing words…"
Subaru gave her a blank gaze, remaining completely silent. His utter lack of a response let an awkward silence bleed into the surrounding hills, a silence which was eventually broken by Echidna letting out a sigh.
"I suppose it's only fair to express my true thoughts to you. Especially if you're going to give such a cold reaction…" The Witch moved her hands across the table, her eyes slowly trailing up to meet Subaru's. He wasn't sure what she was doing...until she felt her hands atop his. "Now that we have achieved the 'happy end' you so desired...don't you believe that a celebration is in order?"
"A...celebration?" Subaru questioned, his face slowly beginning to take on a shade of red. Yet, despite his embarrassment, his hands did not move from hers.
"Yes…" Echidna connected her fingers with Subaru's, holding his hand up so that their palms pressed together. Her hand was impossibly soft, almost as if an otherworldly smoothness was caressing Subaru's hand. "A celebration. A proper congratulation for our efforts, all that we have achieved together so far...and to commemorate what we will continue to do in the future."
To Subaru, her smile seemed more devilish than it ever had. Echidna was the sort of person who consistently radiated a troublesome aura, like she could completely destroy one's life if she so pleased...however, to him, her smile was nothing but beautiful.
She was beauty. An almost alien beauty that he had still barely comprehend.
"So, I concluded that if there's anything that I could give you, it would be...the lap pillows that you love so much." The Witch got up from her seat, detaching her hands from Subaru's.
"A...lap pillow?" Subaru looked at her in surprise, feeling a bit of relief at her seemingly simple suggestion. However, he also felt a small twinge of disappointment. In a way, he had almost hoped that the suggestive tone underlying her words were implying something else…
To be honest, they hadn't really had a lot of physical intimacy since the first time they had, well...'consummated' their contract, other than light touches on the palm, maybe hugs, some stroking of the head, if it got really bad…
But all this time, he and Echidna had really been too busy with their goals to think about anything like that.
However, now that he was alone in the Castle of Dreams with her, no worries on their minds, and nothing but him and her, and this empty world around them...it was like every bit of repressed lust he'd had towards Echidna's stunningly beautiful,
Echidna nodded, taking a seat on the soft grass that adorned the rolling hills surrounding them. She straightened out her dress, bringing a finger up to curl around a lock of her pure white hair.
"You heard me correctly. I do believe that today is a special occasion, is it not? And to be quite frank, I believe that I have been receiving rather underwhelming attention from you...I offered up my body to you so readily, but you barely even made use of it...this maiden's confidence is truly wounded."
Subaru huffed, jumping up from his seat. "Alright, alright, you don't have to tease me!" He slowly got down besides Echidna and laid down, gently resting her head atop his lap. She let out a pleased hum, bringing her hand down to slowly stroke Subaru's head.
"...How many loops do you think it's been since we got here?" The boy asked, eyes closed as he surrendered to the Witch's touch.
"Who knows? At this point, is that truly important? After all, we long gave up on the notion of using the loops as tools...it just so happens that many hardships awaited us that forced you to use that ability of yours. While I have kept track of the loops to the best of my ability, does it truly matter?" Echidna replied, sidestepping about his question in her usual roundabout method of talking.
Still, it was uncharacteristic of her. Usually, Echidna was always keen to engage in discussions about the possibilities of his abilities, and the feats that they had, and could continue to accomplish. However, he trusted her words.
"Yeah…" Subaru looked to the side, out at the infinitely spreading expanse that was the Castle of Dreams. "I think I've said it a lot, but...I really am thankful to you, Echidna." The Witch tilted her head at his words, affixing her gaze on him.
"You've never been shy in expressing your feelings towards me...but what brings this on all of a sudden? Sentimentality arising now that we have reached the end of what we set out to achieve?"
"In a way, yeah...I mean, I've been forced to learn a lot during the time we spent together. I had to learn to stop seeing myself the way I used to...I had to learn to accept the places where I was deficient, and let others help me, learn how to support people's natural growth without just trying to take on their burdens...it's been a long, long road." He sighed.
"And only you and I will remember that. Is that what is bothering you?"
The boy shook his head at Echidna's question, eyes looking down to the grass below them. "No, it's fine. After all, even if we are the only ones who remember all of that...that's enough. I mean, when I was down, and I couldn't take it anymore...the one who was always there for me wasn't Emilia-tan, or Rem, or Otto, or anyone else...it was you, Echidna."
The Witch was shocked into silence by his words, unable to form a proper response for a few seconds, as that incomprehensible feeling began to worm its' way into her heart once more.
"Well…" She cleared her throat, a light cough escaping from her lips. "I am thankful that you have remembered my accomplishments in helping you along to your goal." The Witch ran her fingers through his hair. "However, don't you believe that a reward would be in order for me, as well? I believe that as partners, it's only fair enough to offer one another equal compensation."
Subaru hummed, moving himself to turn over onto his back again, so that his eyes were now looking up, directly at Echidna's doll-like features. Still, even directly facing her gaze, he didn't feel much embarrassment this time. Instead, he could only feel himself appreciating her beauty even more.
"Sure. I am a little afraid of what you would consider 'equal compensation' for all of this...but what have you got on your mind?"
At his confirmation of his willingness, Echidna's smile spread slightly wider across her face, her sharp black eyes looking directly into his scary brown eyes. She leaned down, bringing her lips right next to his ear, and then speaking in a soft, warm voice that made Subaru's hair raise up on its' end.
"I have been thinking...perhaps we should properly renew our contract?"
Resisting the urge to shudder and show how much her sudden closeness had affected him, Subaru immediately replied, ignoring the way her hot breath felt against his ear.
"R-Renew our contract? But, well, it's not like it got broken or anything, right?"
Echidna lifted her head, bringing her finger to trail slowly down Subaru's face, stopping at the bridge of his nose.
"That is correct. However, your portion of the contract has already been fulfilled. Meaning that the connection between us has somewhat weakened. With my portion of the contract being so vague...it is possible that I could disappear nearly any day."
Subaru's eyes widened, the meaning of Echidna's words sinking into him uncomfortably. "You...disappearing…? I...I don't want you to just go like that, 'Dona... I mean, I get that our deal might technically be coming to an end, but, I need you. Just like I need Emilia, or Rem, or Beatrice...no, even beyond that. You're...irreplaceable to me."
The woman chuckled at his almost needy-sounding words, her mischievous smile changing into one of fondness. Every time he expressed how much he needed her, it made her almost giddy. The object of her greed, the one who could satiate her insatiable desires acknowledging her necessity to him made her feel that wonderful feeling that continued tugging at her heartstrings.
"Now, now, you don't need to worry about me going anywhere. After all, this problem does have a rather simple solution. You simply need to renew your contract with me, under different conditions. And to renew a contract..." She explained, her finger now trailing down his neck, sliding down his chest, before eventually settling over his groin. "Well, I'm sure that you remember how we accomplished that task in the first place, do you not?"
Subaru's cheeks nearly turned as red as a tomato, with the both the feeling of her feather-soft touch over his groin, and her words activating a feeling within him that lied dormant since the time they had come up with this contract.
Echidna watched him with an amused expression, wondering how much she would need to convince him to go through with forming the contract this way, once more. Of course, her words on the 'renewal' of their contract were something of a lie. But, Echidna had always been the type to play tricks such as this, especially when it came to achieving what she wanted.
She knew that if she could experience that feeling he had given her when they first pressed themselves together that first time, when they had explored each others' minds and feelings through their bodies, uniting their souls through their physical and mental union, that she would understand this odd feeling in her heart.
This feeling, that seemed to overpower even her all-consuming greed. No, perhaps it was better to call it a feeling that made her desires even stronger than they naturally were.
However, the boy's next words greatly surprised her.
"...Yeah." A smile came to his face, the flushed expression he had slowly fading away, into some mysterious look that she recalled having seen on him. The same look that he had when he looked at that cursed half-elf, or the blue-haired maid… "If it's to stay with you for just a little bit longer, then I wouldn't mind doing anything, Echidna."
His assured, oddly confident words nearly made the white-haired Witch do a double-take. She had expected the shy, nervous feelings he had before, where she had to gently coax him into indulging in her body, however, she hadn't expected him to just...agree with her words.
After all, as much as Echidna understood about people, and as much as she understood her contractor, Natsuki Subaru...she was never too good with understanding, or even experiencing many regular human emotions for herself. So, many times, the intricate changes in Subaru's decisions, mood, and attitude...it could catch her off guard. Especially when it came to the feeling he expressed towards those girls with that gaze.
That gaze that showed nothing but care and endless love for whoever he was talking to.
"W-Well!" Without even realizing that she was blushing, herself, the Witch quickly regained her composure, lightly pressing her entire palm down onto his groin. "What are you waiting for? My body is right here for you, just as it always has been…"
Subaru didn't need to be told twice, and immediately reached his hands up. Echidna prepared herself for him going right to her breasts...but instead, he gently took hold of her face, bringing it down bit by bit. She didn't even have time to question his decision, any of her words being muffled as their lips pressed together, both of their eyes closing as they surrendered to the soft sensations that now began to overcome them.
Without even thinking of it, Echidna's hand moved to deftly unzip his pants, reaching into his pants to fish out his still-soft length, her fingers tenderly wrapping around it. She began to move her hand up and down, stroking him to hardness, with her focus still being on connecting her lips to Subaru's.
They disconnected for only a moment, with Echidna panting due to the intense moment having left her out of breath. She gave his shaft a gentle squeeze, eliciting a sharp breath from him.
"It seems that you have become much bolder since the last time we did this...I wonder just how much further you can take that newfound boldness, hmm?"
"Well, I'm a guy who doesn't like to disappoint, so…!" With one more slightly forceful movement, their lips were brought together once more, Subaru's hands trailing down Echidna's body before resting on her breasts. He still remembered just how she liked it, roughly fondling her sizable chest together with his palms, while the tips of his fingers would ever-so-slightly brush over her nipples every now and then.
Echidna almost let out a moan into his mouth, but even that was silenced as Subaru's tongue invaded her lips, easily dominating Echidna's with one movement. She couldn't even fight back against it – or perhaps, it was more like, she didn't wish to. Her body was one that was easily taken over by the pleasure that only Subaru could provide to her, his fingers so aware of her sensitivity, and how easy he could get her to give in.
This sensation of being completely dominated by his hands, her body helpless at his fingers, with only a limited option to fight back...it honestly made her excited. Nothing made her more satisfied than feeling her greed, her overwhelming desires being returned in kind like this.
Her own pleasure left her hands moving even more quickly, with Subaru's dick slowly growing to full size at the touch of her hands. It was as if she were stroking him to his full length.
As soon as he was fully hard, Echidna once more moved her lips from Subaru's, a moan escaping her lips as he gave both her nipples a particularly hard squeeze through the fabric of her black dress.
"T-Truly, you've learned how to tame even a witch under your spell, with those devious fingers you have…" She murmured, shuddering as she felt a particularly strong jolt of pleasure run through her body.
"Of course. What sorta partner would I be if I couldn't satisfy you, right? Not that you aren't pretty easy to please, 'Dona!" Subaru grinned, his words causing the Witch in question to frown at his overconfidence.
"I see that you've become a little too confident, in the presence of one you should be treating with respect...I suppose I shall have to teach you a lesson." Echidna replied, her ominous words leaving Subaru nervous at what she was going to do. The Witch moved his head from atop her lap, wiggling off her dress to leave only her underwear on.
The sight of her pale-white, inhumanly fair skin made Subaru's heart skip a beat. How her black underwear contrasted against her only made it even more of a picturesque sight.
'She's really so beautiful…' The young man thought, hopelessly enraptured by her otherworldly charms.
"I'm pleased that you find looking at me so exciting...however, there is much more that I have to do rather than serve as a feast for your eyes." The Witch positioned herself over Subaru, so that her face was now by his groin, and her crotch was now right up to his face. Subaru could smell the arousal coming off of the Witch, the tangible scent coming from behind the fancy-looking panties that she was wearing.
Echidna pressed her cheek against the side of Subaru's shaft, giving it a slow, long lick up its' length. The young man shuddered, letting out an unstoppable groan at the feeling of the beautiful Witch's soft, wet tongue running along his dick.
"W-What, what are you doing? This position is sort of...mmm...you know…" Subaru just couldn't keep his eyes off of Echidna's body. She had a smaller, yet perfectly rounded ass, and resting his hands on the insides of her thighs...his fingers were sinking in, pressing into the plump skin as if it was play-dough or something. It was a supreme softness that felt almost impossible from human skin.
"Hmm? No, I don't know...I suppose you'll have to tell me in detail just what you are meaning, my dearest partner…" Echidna replied, lowering her hips down so that his face pressed further into her rear, continuing to run her tongue along his hard rod. From top to bottom, around the shaft, to the tip, and then teasingly drawing it across his balls, every inch of his groin was explored by the Witch's eager tongue, leaving no part untouched.
The raven-haired boy was helpless to her sudden show of skill, only able to groan, resisting the absolute desire to buck his hips up into her mouth through nothing but sheer willpower alone. If he knew most of Echidna's general weak-spots, she perfectly knew all of his. Now that their memories had been connected for so long, she had gotten to explore every inch of his mind, as meticulously as her tongue that was running over his dick.
She stopped for a single moment to allow some drool to spill past her lips, coating him in her spit, before she brought her hands back, stroking him incredibly slowly.
"It seems as if you've become a little quiet...perhaps I have shown you how to have a little more mann-ah~!"
The Witch's words were halted midway as she felt yet another sudden jolt run through her. It was the distinct sensation of something entering her, something short, thick and wet.
Behind her, Subaru had slid aside the Witch's panties, driving his tongue as deep into her as he could, licking all along her walls, and her entrance.
"M-Mhn...i-it seems that you do still have quite the f-fight left in you...I suppose that I will have to put forth just a bit more effort to assert my n-ngh~! Power...it wouldn't set a g-good example to the other witches to be conquered so easily..." Echidna spoke these words as if she were eager to put the boy behind her back into his 'place' below her, as a Witch.
However, on the inside, she was enjoying this more than anything else. Something about this just felt...right, to her. The artificial physical distance they had been keeping all of this time was unneeded. From the beginning, they should have been like this – exploring each others' bodies, pleasing one another, forcing their greed onto one another...this was what brought her happiness.
Blushing like a maiden deeply in love, Echidna turned her dark eyes to the boy's throbbing, thick cock in front of her...and bobbed her head down, slowly taking it into her mouth, bit by bit. She felt Subaru's tongue tremble inside of her as her soft lips enveloped his shaft, her spit trailing down onto his balls with each inch that she took herself down.
Instead of taking it to the base, however, the Witch took it only halfway, and began to work herself into a steady rhythm, bobbing her head up and down. She felt his girth – the most impressive feature of his otherwise slightly above average length – spreading her lips apart, forcing her to take a great deal of effort just to keep him in her mouth.
Faintly, she could feel him murmuring her name against her entrance, which only made her feel even further pleasure. She began to gently grind her hips against his face, encouraging his tongue to spread her out and lick her even more. The pressure of his hands digging deeply into her plump thighs, his face against her rear, and his tongue buried deep inside her...all of it was driving her even more wild than she had thought.
'This is it…' Echidna thought, pausing for a moment to let her tongue run all the way around Subaru's shaft. 'Him, taking in every portion of me, while I take in every portion of him. Both of us completely possessing and using one another...who would have thought that I could accomplish it in this way, too?'
She felt her low stamina affecting her, making her slightly tired at all of this movement she was doing. It annoyed her, knowing how much she was enjoying indulging herself in Subaru's body, and enjoying herself being indulged...but that was fine.
Teasingly, she pulled her lips up off of his dick, causing a barely audible popping sound due to how tight her lips had been wrapped around him.
"M-Mhm…." Echidna let out a soft moan, feeling that despite her pausing her movement, Subaru was still frantically licking her, even going as far as to lap up every bit of moisture that was building up inside of her. "That's it, Subaru…satisfy me...satisfy the greed within me...satisfy this feeling within my heart...only you can be the one that satisfies me, Subaru…"
Hearing the Witch use his proper name – a truly rare thing, considering that she mostly referred to him either as 'partner' or 'you', drove the boy even further over the edge. Almost purposefully, he began to rub his face against her wet mound, unknowingly having his nose press into Echidna's weakest point – her extremely sensitive clit.
"O-Oooough~! A-Ah...y-yes, r-right t-theeere~!"
She could barely form sentences as she began to become completely taken over by the pleasure Subaru was giving her. It had been building since he started fondling her breasts, but she felt it now like an endless waterfall – the orgasm that she had been holding back, leaving her weak and panting as her head fell into the boy's groin.
Her eyes on his shaft, she began to lick it again, letting out small whimpers and moans each time he pressed into her clit, yet seemingly using that pleasure as a driving force to press herself even more to the boy's cock.
As soon as she began to feel the salty precum rolling down the sides of his dick, she brought her head up once more, and slowly took him into her warm and waiting mouth.
They were now stuck in a cycle of pleasure like this, with Echidna's mouth greedily swallowing every bit of his dick she could, her tongue masterfully licking every single spot the boy liked the most. In response, Subaru continued to eagerly lick away at Echidna's constantly pulsating walls, entirely overwhelming her with pleasure every time her clit pressed against him.
It wasn't soon before Echidna felt Subaru's shaft pulsating too, growing against her mouth. She could barely hear a muffled noise coming from behind her, probably his attempt at warning her...but the Witch, at the sign of his impending orgasm, just pressed herself down as deeply as she could, properly taking him all the way into her throat.
'Let it out...give it all to the one who owns both your body and soul…' The Witch, as she always did, wanted everything from him.
With the feeling of her throat constricting him, massaging the entirety of his length, Subaru couldn't hold himself back any longer. Spurt after spurt of his hot, thick cum shot its' way up into Echidna's throat, and despite that, she didn't move at all. Instead, she ever-so-slightly bobbed her head, purposefully tightening her throat around him as if milking every last bit of his sperm out of him.
He shuddered, letting out an uncontrollable groan at the over-stimulation after his strong orgasm. However, even then, Echidna wouldn't hear any of his complaints, only forcing his face even deeper into her pussy to silence him, and force him to take down some of her fluids. She kept sucking and sucking, and all Subaru could do was gulp down her own salty fluids and give himself over to her all-consuming mouth.
He knew – she was taking absolutely everything she could out of him.
Just as it began to feel almost unbearable for her to keep moving, her lips separated from his dick, finally leaving him relief from her almost supernaturally pleasurable lips. He couldn't see her face, but he heard an audible gulp, as she swallowed down every bit of sperm that had entered her mouth.
The thought of that ever-refined, ever-beautiful, always prepared Witch happily swallowing down his seed...something about the thought of that visual alone left him wanting more.
"So thick…" Almost disappointingly, Echidna's hips lifted from his face, finally leaving him free to speak again, should he wish. "This is the first time that I am tasting it...but, it seems that your seed is rather thick…" She smiled, an odd feeling of superiority coming over the Witch. "I am the first one that was allowed to taste it. Not the half-elf, not the Oni, and not any of those other girls…"
The Witch gave his shaft one last lick, her tongue pulling a small bead of semen that had been running down the side. "...Do you understand, my contractor? Your body, your soul, your mind, your seed...this wicked Witch has greedily stolen all of it."
"H-Heh…" Subaru took a moment to catch his breath, before responding to Echidna's provocative words. "You know...you know I don't mind if it's you, Echidna. I mean...that was part of the deal, right? Besides...Witch or not, I don't see you as wicked."
Despite how often she liked to call herself a 'wicked witch', and while she had some habits that truly showed that incomprehensible, completely alien side of her...Subaru had bore witness to how truly nice the woman could be.
She'd comforted him when he fell to his lowest, over and over again...she always helped him to find the routes that would cause himself and the others around him the least amount of pain, when possible, at least. Not once did she ever break the contract, or force anything harmful on him.
There was a moment of silence from the front, before Echidna's body began to slowly slide off of him. He hadn't been expecting it – but then, the woman spoke.
"Truly...you're incomprehensible, aren't you? Even more incomprehensible than a Witch, herself."
He couldn't see her face...but her voice, it was the softest and most vulnerable he had ever heard her. She often joked about being a 'shy maiden', but hearing her voice, and seeing the redness spread across her utterly pale skin...she really seemed like a delicate flower, out in the wind.
Rather than a doll...Echidna was something like a lone flower, in a field that nobody dared to touch. Yet, knowing her true nature, the true beauty that she could possess, if only someone were to nurture her...Subaru had been the one to pick her up.
No, it was rather like they had helped one another grow. Consistently ironing out each other's mistakes, having conversations that went beyond the simple terms of their contract...before knowing it, they had become essential to one another.
They needed each other.
The young man smiled, remaining in place as Echidna sat herself down in his lap, straddling him in an almost loving way, They were now facing one another, their eyes looking at each other as if they could see past them, into their souls.
Echidna had never felt odd being close to the boy before, but under the context of the odd feeling that was growing inside of her, she felt almost embarrassed to be so close to him.
"So...I mean...do we have to do anything special to renew the contract other than, well, you know?" Subaru asked, chuckling lightly at this newfound closeness between the two of them. Echidna shook her head, bringing her hands up to Subaru's shoulder to support herself.
"There isn't much that we have to do other than once more retread the steps that were taken when the contract was initially formed. However, as the contract is being renewed under different conditions...those new conditions do need to be stated." The white-haired witch explained, bringing her legs to press tightly together, almost playfully squeezing Subaru's length between her soft thighs.
"And...I have to admit it...I want you, Natsuki Subaru." Echidna murmured, her eyes closing. "I can't explain why I suddenly came to feel this way, or why I am even this interested in a singular person like this. Even to me, it is utterly incomprehensible that I would forego so much just for you...but that impossibility itself is why I can't let you go. You accomplish impossible tasks in ways even my advice could not accomplish, you have even changed me slightly, again, a task that even I considered foolish."
She let out a soft sigh. "Even if your ability fades...I still wish to be by your side, as your partner. Especially if it means keeping you away from truly belonging to anyone else. They may have your body, and your love and care within the physical world...but here, in the place where your mind and soul meet...you will only ever truly belong to me. That is what I desire."
Subaru blinked at her words, seeming taken aback at Echidna's statement. "Is...is that your version of a confession?"
The woman let out a sigh at his tactless question, her eyes suddenly gaining that sharp purplish glint to them that they always had whenever she was planning something. "Making a pure maiden specify her words...I see that I'll once more have to teach you a lesson, my insensitive contractor."
Without any warning, Echidna lifted her hips, before sinking them down, taking the entirety of his large dick inside of her in one go.
"M-Mmmh~!" The Witch let out a happy moan, seemingly enjoying the suddenness of having him inside of her. As always, it wasn't his length that left her so shocked, but his thickness...the way he spread her already tight pussy out, to make her fit so much more snugly around him. "Now...let's begin the lesson, shall we?"
"Ngh..! I-I didn't even get to say my part ye-gah..!"
Subaru didn't even have a chance to voice his complaint as Echidna suddenly took his lips to hers, beginning to move her hips up and down in a slow, sensual motion. He felt every fold inside of her caress and pull at his dick, with the wetness that she had already accumulated helping them along even more.
For some reason, Subaru didn't even resist against the sudden sensations that she had practically forced onto him. Instead, he just tried to think on what it was he wanted.
Having her slowly riding him, grinding her hips into his lap as she only deepened their kiss, leaving nothing to be be heard in the world around them but their passionate kissing and the lewd, audible sounds of their lovemaking.
Subaru wondered what it was he wanted from this exchange between their bodies and hearts? Did he simply want a physical comfort, to find pleasure in both of their bodies? An emotional or mental comfort, just to have someone to keep leaning on? Was he still in need of her help, to combat whatever dangers or troubles might face him in the future?
Feeling her delicate, yet sensual body moving atop him, pressing against him, Subaru realized that he wanted all of these things.
However, he knew that those weren't the true answer. Anyone could have come up with those after thinking for a while.
"Having trouble, mmh...deciding...on your answer…?" Echidna spoke, as she separated his lips from his, a thin trail of saliva linking the two. "Even after this maiden spilled her..mm-mh~, heart out...to you?"
He opened his lips to speak, but every time he did, Echidna would just quicken her pace and take his lips again, silencing him with pleasure. From an outside perspective, it was like she was teasing him in a coy, roundabout way...however, to both of them, they knew the true reason.
Echidna was much as unsure of what she wanted to hear from the boy in front of her, as he was unsure of what he was going to say. The Witch had finally made it to the point where she felt she'd taken over his heart, to the point where they were fully intertwined into one another...but, now that she was here, she had no idea what to say.
She wanted to discover more about him, but had no idea how to go about it. Discover more about this odd feeling, this connection that had built itself between them without her even acknowledging it.
The worst part was that Echidna likely already knew what this emotion was called...but had just never experienced it for herself.
As experienced as she was...not even the greatest genius could properly describe a concept they could not even recognize.
Yet, as she felt herself grip tightly onto his hard dick, she realized something – that overthinking did not matter at this moment. No, at this moment, thoughts didn't matter at all. There wasn't any room for deep pondering, or considering her next move, or wondering what to do…
His lips against hers, his chest pressed to her chest, and their bodies connected below...that was all that mattered…
All that mattered right now, was them, expressing their utmost feelings to one another, through the only way they could right now.
Seemingly coming to the same realization as her, Subaru's hands wrapped around Echidna's hips, holding her just as her already-limited stamina began to run out. And...he picked up the pace almost immediately, roughly thrusting his hips into her to drive himself as deep into her as he could.
Her large breasts jiggled with the force he was sending through her body, she felt herself becoming weak, her arms tightening around his back and legs tightening around his waist to keep herself steady on top of him. If she wasn't holding onto him like this, she imagined that he probably would have lifted her hips up with the amount of strength he was putting into it.
Yet, the rough pace didn't hurt her. Feeling him spread her out, the slickness of both their juices combining only allowing him to force himself deeper and deeper even faster, the way his tongue wrestled hers, pinning it down with ease...she loved this feeling of being close to him.
She knew part of it was just her natural greed to want to possess this boy who she had come to be so interested in, but there was something else...something that just left her...happy to be so close to him.
'More...I need more…! More...of Subaru…!'
As if sensing Echidna's rising desire, the boy began to change the way he was moving inside of her, making sure that his dick was pressing against her clit as much as it could with each and every movement. Almost immediately, he felt the change, as she began to let out countless loose moans against his lips, her walls convulsing madly around his shaft.
It had become incredibly messy, with each thrust practically forcing out a glob of their mixed juices. If their connection had been easy to hear before, the slippery, wet noises that sounded throughout the hills only made it even more obvious.
And with each movement deeper into her, each press into her, each audible, sloppy thrust, Subaru felt it more and more. He was nearing his edge, unable to hold on for that much longer against Echidna's constantly tightening pussy, her waves of pleasure beginning to affect him more, as well.
Yet, he still didn't have an answer...he still didn't kno-
"Say it! Say it...I want to hear you say it, Subaru…!" Echidna's voice, suddenly loud, woke him up from his thoughts. The woman had moved from him, her dark black eyes looking into his with a desperation she had never seen before. "I need to hear you say it...or I'll never be...satisfied…!"
Hearing the Witch of Greed herself so desperate, seeing that look in her eyes that made him realize that deep down, past the factors that made her a Witch...Echidna was much of a regular girl. A girl, that was waiting for his answer.
"Echidna...I...I love you! I wanna keep being by your side! I don't want to leave you, or have to give up this contract with you, or have you go anywhere...I...I need you!"
It was the culmination of hundreds, possibly thousands of loops worth of feelings. Hardships, struggles, breakdowns, hate, despair, friendship, support, strength, weakness...it was the sum of everything that they had worked together to build up over this impossible length of time.
A feeling that nobody else on that planet could possibly come to understand, but the two of them, who had been there with each other through it all.
Just hearing those words, combined with the other sensations she had, made Echidna go over the edge, and with her, Subaru followed. He felt Echidna hold onto him tightly as spurt after spurt of his warm seed emptied into her, shooting right into her womb, which greedily accepted it.
It was much shorter than his first orgasm, but Subaru felt like he had let out just as much, if not even more. The both of them panted, left out of breath as they finally finished what they had both started in one-another's embrace.
A wide smile on the Witch of Greed showed, a blush adorning her face as she looked into his eyes. Subaru had always thought Echidna was beautiful, but now, he thought she was absolutely radiant.
"Our contract has been renewed, Natsuki Subaru...and I will never leave your side. As will you never leave mine. You and I are now eternally bound."
With that final sentence, the two shared one last kiss, basking in the afterglow of the feelings they had just allowed to flow out.
"Well...I'll see you when I come next!" Subaru waved at Echidna, standing at the door that allowed him to move in and out of this world, conjured up by the mind.
The Witch returned a wave, watching him go with a certain fondness, and newfound light within her eyes.
These sort of goodbyes were pretty pointless, considering the fact that she was already with him practically 24/7, but there was something intimate about it that the Witch appreciated.
Intruding on his thoughts was one thing, but speaking in the privacy of this world meant only for the two of them was yet another.
"And…" He stopped, just short of exiting the world. "I meant every bit of what I said, alright? So...I want you to think about it for a while. I'll wait for however long it takes."
Subaru knew that he had practically no chance of getting a positive answer of love from Echidna. After all, the biggest space in her heart was for her greed and curiosity, not for him…
Before she could even respond to his words, the boy departed from the realm, leaving the Witch garbed in black behind, sitting alone, at that table of hers again.
"Hmm," Echidna hummed, staring down at the teacup that sat in front of her. "This feeling…" She brought a hand to rest over her chest, once again feeling that odd sensation that always made itself known throughout her body.
She had always felt disappointed watching the boy leave, but she never felt this way about it. Rather than wishing for him to spend more time here, she wanted to walk through that door with him, into the world beyond.
However, noticing the feeling, Echidna couldn't help but smirk. After all, in part to that 'renewal', and due to his passion-filled words...she had recognized what she had to have been experiencing.
"A feeling different from the greed I present, one different from that which I show to objects of my curiosity or attention…"
She shook her head, feeling almost silly that she hadn't been able to decipher such a simple emotion. It wasn't surprising, considering how absentminded she could be, at times.
"This...must be love."
A feeling that she had never truly experienced for herself before, permeating her entire being. Her infinitely wandering mind holding only the thoughts of the one boy who had managed to capture it.
Love, different from the 'love' she granted to objects of her greed.
Love, in its purest and truest form.
"To think that you would make even someone like me fall into this…" Echidna's gaze turned to the side, into the infinite distance ahead. "I truly can't let go of you, Natsuki Subaru. Even if my greed has been satisfied...it seems that I have come to require you even beyond that. Truly, I believe that...I...love, you, as well."
The Witch wasn't sure of her words, and, still needed more time to think over just what she was truly feeling. After all, such a large change to her nature, the way she handled her feelings and emotions would not come so easily.
If there was one thing Echidna was sure of, however, it was just one simple fact.
The boy who had come to her for help, but ended up changing her in ways that she couldn't have imagined. The boy who had captured her heart beyond her greed, and continued to shatter her preconceptions over and over again.
His ability was not the true gift that she had earned.
No, Natsuki Subaru himself, was her greed's reward.