A Day In The Fated Future
Location - Unknown
(Dazai Crowley's POV)
I'm alive.
Atleast, I think I am.
My senses are still cloudy, but I can see some sort of light at the end of a dark and lonely tunnel. As I rapidly grew closer to it, the light grew brighter, making it impossible to make out anything.
But, for some reason, I could tell that reality lied on the other side.
Suddenly, I was able to make out the vague face of a familiar person looking over me.
At first, I wasn't able to recognize who they were, but judging from this soft sensation on my forehead and neck, it appears I was on some sort of lap pillow.
Not going to lie, it actually felt rather comfortable, safe even. This warm and fuzzy feeling brought a sense of home and security. Something I didn't have the moment when I first woke up in this world.
Mother? Is that you?
At first, as impossible as it would have sounded, I couldn't help but think it was her. So I looked up towards the person who was looking over me, hoping to make out the details of the vague face.
But that was when one thing was made clear to me.
I did know this person, but not all that well. She was a woman whose intentions could be called into question. That's right. The person I cannot trust.
Blair.
Just seeing her face so close to me was enough to trigger my fight or flight response. Adrenaline rushed throughout my body, suddenly forcing my body to jerk upward at surprising speeds.
Seeing my movements, Blair thankfully slipped herself back, preventing our heads from crashing into each other.
"Glad to see you're finally awake, darling~" She replied.
But I didn't have the strength to respond right now, since I was too busy trying to breathe normally.
What the hell happened to me, anyways? Well, there was a lot that happened all at once. And in the heat of the moment, my erratic emotions wouldn't let me properly process everything that occured.
However, the moment I realized I safely returned "home", I was able to finally relax. Even if that meant ignoring the possible threat that was Blair.
In any case, the first thing I was able to recall was the source of the events that first triggered this chaotic sequence.
And that was the dreadful moment I touched that magical barrier on the bedroom door.
The memories of the pain itself was almost so vivid, I thought the aftereffects still lingered on even now.
Terrified of what had become of my body, I suddenly checked upon my hands and arms to see the damage I unintentionally caused to myself.
But to my surprise, there were no traces of any wounds. And I meant this to the highest extent possible. There were no scars or any type of physical markings resembling electrocution.
Although I know for sure that my blood was boiling and my muscles and nerves were torn to shreds, my arms showed no signs of being crippled. In fact, I think they were even stronger than the moment when I first woke up here.
T-this should be impossible, right? After going through pain so bad you wish you were rather dead, there was just no way I was this healthy. So what in the hell could have caused this miracle?
Then suddenly, my head turned to meet the only other person in this room.
"Y-you….y-you did this, didn't you?"
As if sensing the subtle terror in my eyes and voice, she only smiled in return.
"Of course I did, silly~ Whenever the husband gets injured at work, it's the wife's job to patch him up~" She replied in a rather cutesy, yet overbearing voice.
As she spoke, she materialized a piece of familiar and warm light in her right palm, as if showing me the tools of her trade.
It was the light of her Witness Affection spell.
At this point, I could no longer laugh, nor scoff at her annoying husband/wife comparisons. Instead, I was too busy being in absolute and utter shock.
Although I have witnessed her using incredible healing magic on several occasions, not once did I expect it to have been this potent. Was this perhaps the powers of that supposed "Godmother"?
Whatever it was, I was truly grateful.
"T-thank you….." I replied with a bit of a blush.
Saying that was incredibly difficult to say, especially since it was very hard to maintain eye contact with her.
"Aw!You're so very welcome, darling!!~"
Suddenly, she threw herself all over my back.
"Ack, get off me woman!"
"Oh c'mon! Let me have this, pwetty pwease!?"
"I said no! Now get off me!" I repeated, but this time more irritated than before.
Fed up, I finally shoved her off of me before walking elsewhere, just to put some space in between us.
"Tch, don't gotta be so mean about it….."
"Oh, don't start with me. Wasn't it your fault I got injured like this in the first place? All you did was clean up your own damn mess, so don't get ahead of yourself, okay?" I coldly announced, while crossing my arms with a rather unpleasant scowl.
Hearing my words, Blair could only clench her arm out of guilt. Her current expression seemed to show signs of natural regret with a bit of sadness on top.
"Mrgh….I guess you got a point there. But you gotta believe me. I didn't mean to cause you any har–...!?"
She tried to apologize and make up for what was already done, but frankly I wasn't having any of it.
"You're lying."
I spoke cruelly in a manner so viciously cold, it stopped Blair dead in her tracks. My choice of words were simple, but the impact it carried shattered her.
Or rather, the "facade" she hid behind.
"Even if it was only for a moment, I saw the way you smiled at me, Blair. You were looking forward to the second I touched that door, didn't you? Because somehow you knew of the damage it would cause to me, am I wrong?" I continued.
Blair flinched for a second as if left speechless as to how she should respond to me. As if being mentally broken, her eyes were filled with surprise.
It wasn't long until she casted her head down towards her lap out of guilt.
Then, out of nowhere, she asked me a single question….but this time, in a voice that completely contradicted everything she showed me up till now.
Her tone of speaking was a lot darker and more mature. It was nothing compared to the upbeat and childish voice she spoke in before.
It was like…
I was talking to a completely different person.
"Is that so? Then tell me, Dazai? What exactly would I gain from trying to harm you?"
Her "serious" voice was indeed frightening to hear, but I wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
Regardless, I shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, I don't know. You tell me. I may not have recognized it back then, but what I saw in that smile was nothing normal. In fact, it was something I knew all too well."
"Oh? Well then, do tell me, what was it that you saw?~" Still maintaining that terrifying voice, Blair asked me out of pleasant yet sinister curiosity.
"It was one that carried ulterior motives. The smile of….a mastermind."
As if considering what to say next, "Blair" fell silent.
But, not even a moment later, she tilted her head upward towards the ceiling with one palm covering her eyes.
"Mastermind, huh. Heh~, now this is just rich. Although you weren't able to understand why, you were still able to see right through me. How intriguing. Well, I suppose that'll suffice for now."
I raised my eyebrow.
"Suffice?"
Suddenly, she threw her hands in the air in a surrendering manner.
"Congratulations, Dazai. You caught me red-handed. Everything you said was right. I knew of the dangers the barrier would cause if you had interacted with it. Despite that though, I willingly chose to incite you into doing so. All in hopes of achieving "one thing" in particular."
Her purple eyes had a dark and shady gaze sharp enough to pierce right through my soul. Her smile was bewitching but dangerous all the same. And despite her words, her attitude was remarkably calm and composed, even haughty in a sense.
This was much more than just a genuine confession to her "crimes".
At long last, she was finally showing me her "true colors".
I kept my arms crossed and eyebrows peeled, but my guard was up and, if the need ever arose, I had every intention of fighting to the death. Plus, with the help of the pendant I recently reacquired, I was more than prepared to confidently handle a battle.
"And what was it? What was it that you could possibly have hoped to gain from my suffering?"
Blair's smile perked upwards even more, in a manner frighteningly similar to a devil.
And then suddenly, she spoke of her true intentions.
"Brownie points!~"
.
.
.
"...What?"
Silence filled the air.
"Brownie points!~" She repeated again, except this time in a happier and more excited tone.
"No, I think I heard you fine the first time… I just don't know what the hell you're talking about..."
Suddenly, in a manner of mere seconds, "Blair" transitioned back into her usual self. The voice, the cutesy demeanor and everything else that came from my first impression of her resurfaced yet again. Leaving me utterly unsure how to respond.
The speed in which she did so was enough to give me whiplash. Pair that with the answer she gave me, I'm starting to question if she was mentally insane.
"It's pretty simple to be honest. All I really wanted was for you to injure yourself pretty badly. And then, right when you're busy writhing in pain, your lovely and sexy wife will swoop right in and save the day!~ You would be so happy with my act of heroism that you'll start to madly fall in love with me and begin to cherish me more, and boom!~ We get to fuck!~"
I'm….. I'm just speechless. Honestly, there really is no word in the human dictionary I could possibly use to convey the emotions I'm feeling right now.
Actually, wait, no, there is one.
"Bullshit."
All of a sudden though, Blair immediately channeled her more serious, "other side" of herself, and whispered to me in a devilish manner.
"Heh, what's the matter? Can't handle the truth even when it's placed right in front of you?~ How sad~"
"Can I punch you now?"
"Hey, I may be a masochist, but that's a step too far, don't you think? You are free to tie me up though~"
"I didn't mean it like that!!"
"Hehe!~" She stuck her tongue out in a teasing manner.
I quit. I fucking quit with this woman! There is just no damn way there is a person like her who is this much of a troll! I refuse! Is this seriously what I came back for!? Screw this!!
*....Sigh….*
Calm down, Dazai. Don't get riled up. You'll just be playing into her trap. Well, whatever it may be….
….Or she really could just be horny…..
"Ah~, it really feels good just to fuck around with you like this. Your expressions are just so damn adorable~" Blair said, sounding rather refreshed.
"Just leave me alone….."
The very idea of just talking to this woman alone was so exhausting, I had to take a seat on the floor before I actually collapsed.
In any case, one thing I seem to notice is that the "serious" version of Blair prefers to curse a lot more than her regular, more cutesy self.
"Heh~, well it's not all that bad, you know?"
"Oh, yeah? And why do you say that?"
"Just look behind you~....."
"Screw that. Like hell I'm listening to another word you say!"
"I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine by me. I don't mind just staying here for all of eternity with you, darling~ But you on the other hand…. I'm sure you have more precedent matters you want to attend to? Like, hmm, say I don't know? Wanting to see what lies outside this bedroom?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
But Blair refused to verbally elaborate.
Instead, she only pointed to the same door as before, with nothing more to add.
I swear to God, if this is another tra—....
Oh.
I have no clue when, how or even why, but for some strange reason, the magical barrier that once guarded the door with its life, was all but gone, leaving behind a regular, unprotected door.
"How…..?"
I glanced back towards Blair, but she shook her head dismissively and shoulders before I could even ask.
"Don't look at me. I'm just as confused as you are. Still a pleasant surprise though am I right?~" She replied, while standing up.
"I-I guess….?"
"Then what are we waiting for!? C'mon!"
"H-hey! W-wait!!"
As she told me that, she quickly became a little too eager to open the door and try dragging me outside.
Again, I wasn't even sure as to how I should have responded. It was actually frustrating how none of this made any damn sense.
Regardless, for whatever reason as it may be, this world suddenly allowed us the right to proceed forward with our lives. And I wasn't going to waste this one chance I got to explore.
Since the very beginning, I already planned on gathering the lost fragments of my past.
No matter what happens, there will be nothing in this world strong enough in stopping me from learning the truth about myself and the one who dared proclaim to stand at my side, Blair.
.
.
.
.
But little did I know at the time, that by doing so, I would reopen the old wounds of the times long past, and relive my very first steps towards "tragedy".