Hey guys. Something outta left field here I know, but I couldn't get this idea out of my head. Always liked the idea of something like this happening, or was curious about it, to say the least. And so here we have it. This will only be a one-shot since I have no idea where I'd go with this, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless! There are some references to the Rem IF side-story, but it's not required to understand this.

Rem would not consider herself to be incredibly smart or talented. In fact, to her sister, she was comparative to a small candle next to a raging inferno. However, even with her lesser intellect and ability compared to her late sister, her heightened senses as an oni were still as keen as any other. That was how she was able to smell the Witch's Miasma all over Subaru when he first arrived at the Roswaal Mansion all those years ago. Back then, she was held back from killing him by her more even-tempered sister. But now, she was not here, and now another stranger was here, with a Miasma that surrounded him that was either equal to or even greater to the one that used to surround her beloved Subaru.

Years after she and Subara fled from the capital of Lugnica, leaving everything behind in pursuit of a better life, the Miasma that surrounded Subaru began to wane.

Rem had long accepted it as a part of him. As long as it was him, she was able to stand it. But even so, it still bothered her. She would never say it to his face, or even behind his back. She long considered what gave him such a powerful stench, and what words were cut off when it became more intense at times. She could have only assumed that he had had a run-in with the cult. They'd done something horrible to him. To cause him to break down and have a connection to them…

The mere thought of it filled Rem with so much hatred that she was barely able to contain it.

Even so, the Miasma began to dissipate around year 5 of their running away. At that point, they had long left everything from their previous lives behind them. It was hard for Rem, to leave like that, when she could tell that something was very, very wrong. But Subaru needed her, and she would always be there for him. She noticed it very early on, a very slight difference in the day before. Rigel was a spunky 5 year-old, hot-headed and temperamental as so many young male oni usually are, or in this case, a half-oni, so she only had time to notice it when he went off to school.

After that, it vanished completely very quickly. A week at most. On the outside, Rem made no fuss. On the inside, however, she rejoiced. For all of them. The last vestiges of their old lives had seemingly fallen away. It felt like they were finally free, finally safe to live out their lives in their house in the country of Kararagi.

At least, that is how she felt before the stranger came.

He was tall, with black hair and eyes. He wore heavy-looking clothes, something not usually seen in the usually very warm country of Kararagi. His eyes were fierce, not unlike those of Subaru, although in her opinion Subaru's were more handsome.

The most distinctive feature, to her, at least, was the smell that came from him.

He reeked.

The Witch's Miasma covered him in droves. Rem almost vomited just from being in proximity of him.

He stood in the doorway, looking shaken and afraid, but he still managed a small, friendly-looking smile.

The smile sent hate-fueled shivers up Rem's spine.

"U-Umm… Hi!" He attempted a friendly greeting, but his stuttering and fidgeting showed how nervous he was.

"…What do you want?" Rem asked robotically. If it was anyone else, she would have given them proper courtesy, but this… this was different.

"I-I…" Either he was taken aback by her tone, or he was even more nervous than he appeared. He looked away, his black eyes looking around wildly for a few moments before turning their attention back on her. She felt the need to squirm underneath his hideous gaze. "I'm travelling, ya know? And-And I was wondering if I could… could stay here for the night? Just until sunrise! I don't need to stay here long…"

No. Leave here and never come back. Rem will not let Subaru be harmed by the Witch's Cult ever again.

What other explanation was there? She knew that Subaru was not part of the Witch's Cult. However, that was Subaru. This man was not Subaru, even if he somewhat looked like him. At least superficially. The Witch's Cult was not gone. And this man was a part of them, she was certain of that.

Again, without her sister's even-tempered rebuttal to this, her mind was left to wander.

She was about to close the door on the stranger's face, when footsteps from behind her caused her to wince slightly.

"Ah, Rem-rin, who's there? Is it those women from the mansion again? I swear, I told 'em not to come here so late!" The loud, boisterous voice of Subaru cut through the air.

She felt a bit better when Subaru called her that. Not much, but a little.

"Subaru-kun-!"

"Oh, who're you?" Subaru inquired, leaning on the doorway and sizing the man up.

"A-Ah…" The man was silent for a few moments before replying. "My name is Andy."

"Andy, eh? You a foreigner or somethin'?" Subaru asked.

This was just like Subaru. He could make friends with anyone, no matter how shallow or conceited they were. All it took was one conversation and it was likely that you'd call him a friend. Rem considered it one of his more admirable traits. One of the many that she fell in love with. But here… Here, it was going to be a problem.

"Uh, yes!" The man grasped onto the line Subaru threw him. "I am a foreigner! Heh, it was that obvious, huh?"

Subaru smiled that toothy grin she loved. Too bad it was aimed at that man.

"Ahah! Don't worry so much! Me and Rem here only got here around 5 years ago! Trust me, we know all about being a fish outta water!" Subaru laughed.

Over time, Subaru had begun adopting the Kararagi accent. She thought he sounded nice. Just one of the many things that changed when they arrived.

"Yeah, well… You see, I don't have any place to stay, and so I was wondering if I could… Stay here for the night? I don't have any money so I can't give you anything, so I'd be grateful if you could…"

"Say no more! We got an extra room! We've already had dinner, so sorry 'bout that!" Subaru said jovially.

She knew why he was doing this. He thought of the man as being a lot like him, and not just appearance wise. They were new here, not too long ago. It was only by the graces of a wolfman demihuman named Halibel that they were able to get anywhere in this far away land. Perhaps her Subaru was being kind. Too kind. She had to remind herself that he was only human. He couldn't smell the foul scent that clung to every inch of Andy's being. She would have to get this man away from Subaru, lest he hurt him like she was sure he had been hurt before.

She would not allow Subaru to be harmed by them again. And this man, who she was certain was a part of the Witch's Cult now, would have to be disposed of.

It was late at night, later than when the covered stranger Andy first arrived, that she made her move. She left her and Subaru's shared bed, and kissed him on the cheek, whispering a small goodbye before she padded out of their room. She thought she heard Subaru mumble, but she ignored it. She had a job to do.

She retrieved her morning star. The points that covered the ball were all still in fine condition. Ready to brutalize anyone that dared to harm what she considered precious to her. She walked quietly through the halls, making sure to not wake the sleeping Rigel, otherwise she'd have a whole host of problems on her hands. Coming upon the stranger's room, she opened the door, ready to end this as quietly as she could.

All that was there was the smell of the Witch's miasma, and an open window.

She cursed under her breath, but it didn't worry her all too much. She could still smell him. Rem would find him. If he had not completely left, and was still nearby, she would kill him. That's what he deserved for being in such close proximity to one that he and his associates had already wronged.

Neglecting to put on anything other than her nightgown and shoes, she ran out into the night.

He hadn't gone far, when she found him. He was crouched next to a tree, silently listening to the night. Unfortunately for him, her heightened senses as an oni made it child's play to hear him breathing heavily. Mixed in with the Witch's Miasma, she could almost taste the sweat that coated him. As stealthily as she could, she approached him from the shadows, morning star in hand. When she was in position, she let the ball go free, and began to gather momentum, ready to swing it and crush the disgusting man.

Unfortunately, even a human's ears could hear the sound of the chains that held the ball of the morning star, and he was able to roll to the side just in time to avoid the spiky ball of death that would have annihilated him. The tree splintered and cracked underneath the massive force.

The man pulled out a small knife, glaring in the direction of the chain.

"I know who you are!" The man shrieked hysterically. "I've already been killed by you, over and over again! Come out! Come out you goddamn coward! I'll separate your head from your body!"

Rem frowned. This is not how it was supposed to go. Fine, if the man wanted to see the face of his righteous attacker, then who was she to refuse? He was going to die anyway.

Stepping out of the shadows, pulling the morning star out of the destroyed trunk of the tree, Rem made sure that the man saw her.

And his reaction was not one she expected.

"It… It was you!? This whole time!?" He croaked.

"…Rem does not know what you mean, but you will not harm Subaru again." She stated, her voice monotone.

The man was clearly mad, just like many of those who served the Witch's Cult. It was not unexpected that he would start speaking gibberish.

"I…I…!" Andy looked like he wanted to say something, but at the last moment he began sprinting away.

Rem could only guess that he was trying to run in the direction of the village, but he had failed at that. He was running in the opposite direction. In response to his attempt at fleeing, she sent her morning star forward, hitting the man square in the back. The sickening sound of bone shattering filled the night, along with the man's pained shrieks and screams. He writhed around, holding his injured back as his legs were still, completely limp.

Rem was upon him in an instant, her cold blue gaze driving holes into Andy's face.

"Rem does not know why a member of the Witch's Cult like you would come for Subaru again, but she will find out." Rem said, holding the morning star up threateningly. The man's fate was already sealed, but she wouldn't let him know that yet. "Why have you come here?"

"I-I told you! I had nowhere else to g- Arahagragh!"

The morning star crushed the man's ribs, and a small trail of blood escaped his lips. Rem was already losing what little patience she had for this fool's games.

"Rem does not like lies." She told him, as the man continued to scream for another few moments. "What are your intentions with Subaru?"

"I-I… Why?" The man asked weakly.

Rem was perplexed, and her face clearly showed this.

"Why? Why would you do this to me!?" Andy whined. "I've done nothing to you! Nothing! So why-!?"

"Shut up!"

Her shout silenced the man.

"Shut up! I will not let your cult hurt Subaru again! You have no idea what you even did to him, do you!? You did not see the way he cried in Rem's arms at having to face you! I will not let anything like that happen to him ever again! I will stop whatever plan you are trying to enact to harm him again!"

The man's eyes were wide, looking at the furious expression on Rem's face. At that, he began to tear up. It was strange, but not enough for Rem not to prepare the final blow. It was becoming tiresome. She would get nothing out of him. She could only hope whatever conspiracy that the Witch's Cult ended here. If it didn't, then she would kill them too.

"Ya know, when I first came upon your house, and that Subaru guy, I thought you guys were… pretty cool! I thought, ever since I came to this world, that I finally had someone I could talk to! But then today, you came and attacked me… You… You hate me, don't you? Just for existing? What was I supposed to do!? Run away? If I did, I'd just starve to death and come back again! I really liked you guys-"

The morning star came down, crushing Andy's skull and silencing his insane ramblings. Rem breathed a sigh of relief.

It was over.

She returned home, and fell asleep by her beloved Subaru, safe in the knowledge that her family was hopefully safe from whatever machinations the Witch's Cult had tried that night.

How was that? Hopefully it as pretty good. I watched Re:Zero a long time ago at this point, and I read some of the Light and Web novels. I might do something more for this fandom at some point, but for now we have this. Hoped you enjoyed!

Good Night!