Hi hi, Crimson here!
Welcome to an author's note with no problems!
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None of those!
We're a translation-free fic!
ONWARDS!
Lilith was ready to go before the sun rose.
Tugging on her mask, she slung a small backpack over her back, making sure to have everything on her before dropping down into her shadow.
She popped her head up from what she assumed was an abandoned street, making sure no one was around before pulling herself up and out. Taking a moment to breathe in the crisp air, she took a moment to appreciate the silence. She didn't have a swell of anxiety in the back of her head for once, happy to see that the empty road gave her mind some space to think without screaming.
Pulling her backpack up just a bit, Lilith made her way around the town, enjoying the peace while it lasted. For a moment, she imagined herself a tourist, of sorts. Granted, she doubted that anyone in their right mind would vacation here, but the thought stood regardless.
She couldn't help but walk down the street, making note of the small yet obvious changes. It looked like Old Man Marleigh finally fixed that hole in his room. And, huh, is that the old Blockbuster's? They were supposed to take that thing down her junior year.
She ignored the part of her that insisted this was stupid. The part of her mind that snickered at the thought of walking down the street and looking at what had changed.
She allowed those thoughts to meander about for a few extra seconds before dismissing them completely. She didn't need to think too hard on that right now. She didn't need to feel ashamed for wanting to take it easy, take it slow. God knew she couldn't do this often, but what was a few seconds in an eternity?
She could take a moment to just sit back and enjoy the small things, right?
The bus ride was nothing short of a complete nightmare.
At first, Dimitri took his lonely backseat as a sign of good things to come. No one else was in the back, so that meant that he could possibly get some shut eye.
Honestly, he should have known it wouldn't be that easy the moment that someone decided to sit down right next to him.
He nearly jumped out of his seat the moment this girl sat down right next to him.
In the back of the bus.
Next to someone.
When there were a million other open seats available.
He couldn't help but peek over the chair in front of him, just to make sure that the dead silence meant that no one else was on the bus yet. There were maybe three other people in the bus, all of which at respectable distances.
So, with that thought, Dimitri couldn't help but wonder the obvious.
What the HELL was this random GIRL doing sitting right next to him!?
Oh god, he could feel his palms getting sweaty. He looked over to the girl, noting how she kept her head down and earbuds in, most likely oblivious to the sheer panic rising up in his system.
God, does she really not realize what she had done? He did his best to keep his cool, hoping and praying to whoever would listen that this girl wouldn't notice how badly he was losing it.
He didn't even know this girl, so why did I matter to him whether she noticed him having a seizure or not? But, since he didn't know this person, didn't that just make the situation that much worse? Why did it feel weird to be panicking in front of a stranger? Why was he overthinking all of this!?
He didn't realize how he'd been furiously bouncing his leg until the girl next to him cleared her throat, glaring pointedly at his knee. Sheepishly, Dimitri offered a quiet apology before forcing his shoulder up against the bus, giving her as much space as possible.
God, this was going to be a hellish bus ride.
He did his best to ignore everything that was going on. He didn't notice the bus slowly filling up, nor did he notice how the bus had slowly but surely grown louder.
He did, however, notice the bus shaking aggressively.
"You've got to be kidding me," The girl next to him muttered, glaring out the window as the bus rolled to a halt, "This has got to be the worst day ever."
It took a lot of power for Dimitri to keep quiet.
He could barely hear the driver over the screaming and hollering of everyone on the bus, but from the way that students were beginning to get off, it looked like everyone would have to make the rest of the trip on foot.
"Oh my God, seriously?" The girl next to him scoffed, pulling her bag up as she got off of the seat, "This is fucking ridiculous."
Dimitri rolled his eyes, following everyone else off of the bus with a huff.
Surely that's where his bad luck would come to an end, right?
As if to mock him, the gods decided that he'd trip over his shoelaces at that very moment. If that wasn't bad enough, he had tripped on the very last step of the bus. Dimitri let out a manly yelp, his hands attempting to brace himself on the asphalt.
It did little to nothing, evident by how hard his face hit the ground.
He did his best to get up as quickly as he could, ignoring how his face was slowly heating up, as well as all the snickering and giggles. He did his best to dust himself off, a sheepish smile on his face as he walked off as quickly as socially acceptable.
He pulled his backpack up as he hurried off, pulling his hood over his head as he did so. God, this day could NOT get any worse. He walked on towards school, watching as most people took the main road, before turning right down a different street.
Who cared if it would take a little longer, the less human interaction he had right now, the better. Besides, with his luck, this was probably the best course of action.
His life was either Murphy's Law incarnate, or a running gag from a malevolent god. Regardless, Dimitri couldn't help but feel a bit empty inside when he felt someone shoulder check him.
"Hey, watch where you're going, retard!"
As if to make it worse, he has little to no control over what came out of his mouth:
"You shouldn't be saying words like that."
He had little to no time to realize that those words had, in fact, come out of his mouth. Next thing he knew, he was pushed up against the dirty alley wall, nose wrinkling at the scent of this kid's foul breath, "Excuse me?"
"I m-mean, w-w-well," Dimitri stuttered, as if explaining himself would help him in a situation like this, "I'm just s-saying, that in this day and age, it isn't r-really socially acceptable to say t-that kind of word. You k-know, like how it's k-kinda w-w-w-wrong to call someone a f-faggot and a-a-all that?"
In hindsight, there was probably no worse way that he could have phrased that.
Dimitri couldn't help but suddenly feel chilled to the bone, the air around them somehow growing darker. He fought the urge to shiver, his eyes watering ever so slightly as the grip on his hoodie tightened.
Before either of them could react, a bit of his shadow crept up his leg, keeping him stuck in place, "W-what!?"
He had a few more seconds to thrash before he was lifted up, the shadow tilting backwards before throwing him down the alleyway, right into a trash can.
Dimitri slid down the wall, eyes wide as he held a hand to his neck, struggling to breathe.
"Y-you could have said something."
"It's not like anything I would have said could change his mind," Lilith shrugged, kicking the guy's leg, before walking on, "Besides, even if I had something to say, you think that would have stopped him from choking you out? Cause, if so, you're more naive than I thought."
Dimitri opened his mouth to speak, only to close it. Words hadn't helped him earlier, and with how Lilith was, he doubted they would help him now.
"Wow, am I really getting the silent treatment from you? Jeez, someone's feeling a bit ballsy, huh?"
Dimitri couldn't help but grin, anything to hide the grimace on his face, "S-sorry, I, umm, haven't been having the best day so far." Lilith hummed, mask giving away little to nothing when it came to thoughts, "So, is there a reason that you're here, or…?"
It almost looked like a bit of the wall had leaned off of itself, encircling Dimitri in wisps of black and dark grey, "First off, I'm gonna ask that you keep it down, Dimi." Lilith growled lowly, mask almost touching his nose with how close she was, "Second off, you're gonna do what you normally do."
Dimitri waited, confused. Surely there was something else she was going to add, right? She wouldn't have come around without a good reason, right? Maybe she wanted him to do a blood sacrifice to prove his loyalty, or she wanted him to begin a ritual that would surely end the world-
"-Mitri? Did you hear a single word I just said?"
"H-huh?" Dimitri muttered, doing his best not to cower too much at Lilith's obvious irritance, "S-s-sorry, I was… I was just… Yeah."
"How eloquent." Dimitri really wasn't sure if Lilith could change the temperature or not, but after seeing all the other things she could do, he really wasn't going to think too hard on it, "Well, it's probably better if you didn't know what I was about to do…"
Before Dimitri could ask, a cold hand grasped his face, fingers digging into his cheeks. He felt as if the mask inhaled, a sort of dark aura surrounding him for just a second. He couldn't help but feel as if he were choking, but the moment he opened his eyes, he was alone.
Confused, he took a step forward, one hand against the wall while the other held his face. It still felt as if Lilith was holding him there, his body temperature feeling a few degrees lower than normal.
"Now then, your part of this is simple."
Dimitri jumped, a shrill scream shooting right out of his mouth as he did so. He whipped around, eyes narrowed as he searched. Where had that come from.
"You're going to go about your day. Just do as you normally do."
Finally, he looked down, nearly jumping from the red buggy eyes that seemed attached to his shadow.
"Well, what are you waiting for? I've told you what to do, did I not?"
"A-a-ah, yes, ma'am!" Dimitri squeaked, hefting up his backpack before making his way towards school. God knew that his steps felt heavier than usual, but he couldn't think on it too hard. He didn't want to think about how he felt cold shivers with every step, nor did he want to think about how he wasn't sure if his shadow was really staring at him or not.
Regardless, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, and quite honestly, knowing who was watching him was doing very little to help him right now.
"Pick it up a bit, would you? I'd hate to see what happens if you're late."
With that pleasant thought, Dimitri staggered off towards high school, lower lip trembling ever so slightly.
He wanted to say that this day couldn't get any worse, but he was too scared to at this point.
Out of all of his wrong predictions, it felt a little nice to be right for once.
Granted, being right about the rest of his day being complete and utter crap wasn't the best, but at this point, he was willing to take it.
He already had a hard time concentrating normally, so with this added heaviness to his shoulders, paying attention was near impossible. For what it was worth, it seemed as if he didn't exist to anyone today. No one came up to talk to him, no one shoulder checked him, hell, the teacher had straight up ignored him when taking roll.
He wasn't sure if he could attribute it to the black rolling off of his shoulders, but honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if he was just going crazy.
He all but dragged himself into the library, finding some place quiet and secluded before plopping his bag down.
He opened up the first dictionary he found, opening it to a random page, before shoving his face into it. He did his best not to screech into the pages, instead groaning in what he could only explain as "despair".
Honestly, he felt a little melodramatic, but he felt as if he had a decent reason.
He'd been holding his pee for the last three classes, and quite honestly, he was about to explode. But, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to even step close to the bathroom.
Why, you ask?
Well, it be a bit hard to pee when you knew someone you couldn't see was watching you.
That, and honestly, he really didn't want to think about what would happen. Would she get irritated with being brought to the bathroom? But, if she really wanted to, couldn't she just kinda "detach" until he was done, or something? Wouldn't it be kinda weird if she decides to stick around and watch, especially assuming that she could just leave?
God, this train of thought really wasn't doing much good to his mind, was it?
He felt as if he was nothing but a spectator, at this point. He didn't want to leave when the free period ended, but he did. He didn't want to sit down in his math class, but here he was. He didn't want to listen to the teacher ramble on about the y-axis or whatever, but his notes provided otherwise.
He wondered if, maybe, he wasn't in control. Maybe he was just like Lilith right now, a shadow watching the main show. Or maybe Lilith had slowly but surely taken control, taking hold of his body before she could take his mind-
"Do you normally stare off into space, or is today a special day?"
He ignored the sudden need to yip like a scared puppy, instead stabbing his pencil into his paper. He ignored the soft snickers from behind him, instead opting to stare straight ahead. His eyes locked onto the whiteboard, as if it were all he had left in this futile existence.
He jotted down a few more notes, his hands stupidly sweaty to the point where his pencil nearly slipped from his grip.
Dear god, he didn't like this in the slightest.
He didn't feel like he was in danger, but the feeling of being watched was just that much worse. If he thought it over too hard, he'd go insane. But he couldn't just ignore it, especially with the cold shudders that ran down his spine, right into his shadow.
Or, was it her shadow? Was Lilith his shadow right now? Or, was he her body?
Before he could think longer on it, the bell rang.
Something about eating lunch helped to calm him a bit. Yep, he was just walking to the cafeteria, no more and no less. He was just going to walk in, buy something small, find somewhere quiet and lonely to eat, and enjoy his time to himself.
With that false thought, he pushed the swinging doors open, legs on autopilot as they took his to the lunch line. While the smell wasn't always the best, he felt that it hit him a lot harder than normal, as if he hadn't smell anything up until now. Why did certain senses feel heightened? Why did he feel like he could smell colors, and touch smells?
"Are you just going to stand there, or do you plan to order something?"
In an effort to keep from jumping, Dimitri slammed his hands down on the counter, transferring his fear to the lunch lady, "Hello, I will have the chicken alfredo today!"
God, the smile on his face felt so stretched out, he was sure his cheeks were going to deflate on his or something.
He paid quickly, walking away just as fast while trying to hide his face. He nearly forgot to take his change back in the process.
Finally, he found a quiet seat to himself in a corner, taking it before anyone else could. He sat down, throwing his backpack down next to him, before staring at his plate. God, why did it feel like he had forgotten how to use his hands? He was trying to get them to move, but it felt as if they weren't responding.
Oh wait, no, they were just numb.
Wait, why were they numb?
Why the hell were his hands numb right now?
What was wrong with him right now!?
"I don't blame you for not eating it, I'm pretty sure that it has more diseases than the head cheerleader."
Wow, normally her voice threw him into a whole different reality, so it was kinda weird to have it ground him for once.
Huh, how weird.
"Hey, do something for me."
Those words forced his body to shoot straight up, as if his body was already ready to serve.
God that felt so wrong to think.
"Go to room 214, in J building. I need to check something."
Dimitri did his best not to look too suspicious as he stood up, taking his bag with him before leaving. He didn't think about the tray he had left behind him, too busy with his mission.
"Make it quick, would you? It would be a shame if someone noticed you missing from class."
Was that a threat? He honestly couldn't tell, but regardless, Dimitri didn't like it. What happened if he didn't get there in time? Did he really have a time limit? What happened if he didn't get there in time?
What was he going to find in this room?
"Hey, I think you missed your turn back there."
That got Dimitri to U-turn real quick, his panic taking over any real common sense in his head. Yep, that was it, fear was dictating his movements now. The walk seemed longer than normal, footsteps heavy before he finally arrived in front of the classroom.
J-214.
Dimitri placed a hand on the door, doing his best to ignore how badly his fingers were shaking. He nudged it ever so slightly, noting how, for some reason, the door was unlocked and just a little ajar. Why was the room open? Was someone in there? Was this a horrible idea? He was going to open the door, and a demon or something was going to come out, isn't it? Oh dear god, is it too late for him to-.
He pushed the door open, unwilling to waste anymore time.
Granted, the other panicky part of his was screaming, but at the moment, he could ignore it in favor of getting this over with.
With a deep inhale, Dimitri stepped into the room, eyes squeezed shut in imminent fear…
"Huh, not much has changed while I was gone."
That got Dimitri to think twice. He looked around the classroom, feeling just a bit… Let down. Here he was, standing in this dark classroom, expecting something… More.
"Walk over to the window for me."
Dimitri crossed the room, nearly slipping on a piece of paper before he got there, "So, umm, what are you looking for?"
"Nothing much, really. I'm just wanna… reminisce for a bit."
"Reminisce?" Dimitri muttered, one hand landing on the desk behind him while the other held his forehead, "Wait, you use to come here?"
"...You're going to be late. Get to class and finish your day up."
Why did Dimitri feel uncomfortable with that answer? Was it because she was dancing around the question. But, assuming that she grew up in his area, there would be no other high school for her to go to. So, with that deductive reasoning, the only real answer would be that, for some reason, she didn't want to bring it up.
Was she hiding something?
"With all due respect, Mr. Hart, you're not supposed to be trying to dissect my life right now. Last I checked, you have two minutes to get to class on time."
"O-oh course!" Dimitri yelped, moving to compose himself.
That little bit of composure, however, went right out the open window the moment someone behind him cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry, but are you looking for someone?"
Dimitri felt as if the cold hand of death had clasped around his spine, holding him by the base of his neck before whipping him around, "A-ah, no, I'm really s-s-sorry, I was just a l-little turned a-around, is all!"
The teacher before him stared at him with mistrust, eyes shifting about as if to find evidence he didn't want to, "...If that's the case, I believe that class is going to begin soon. Do close the door on your way out."
"O-oh course, I apologize, sir!" Dimitri gave a small nod of thanks, did a few salutes just to be safe, before finally walking out of the room. He didn't breathe until he'd closed the door, taking a few steps away before throwing himself against the wall.
He felt like he was gonna throw up.
"Huh, he seems more or less the same."
For some reason, Lilith's voice didn't do much to help his stomach.
"Not to be that person, but you have half a minute to get to the other side of the school."
"R-right." Dimitri managed, holding a hand over his mouth before urging himself on, each step only adding to his quite literal inner turmoil. He felt sick, and he wasn't too sure why. Honestly, at this point, he felt like they only way he'd get to class without throwing up would be through some sort of Will of god.
And that was assuming that he made it to class.
He couldn't help but feel a brief sensation of tranquility when the final bell rang. He shot up and out of his seat, nearly pushing over the chair as he did so. Granted, he could not have cared any less, especially with how he apprehension was making him feel sicker by the second, but regardless.
He all but pushed the front doors open, making a mad dash past the bus stop and down the familiar street. Fuck waiting for the bus, that would be fifteen minutes of trying not to look suspicious.
Dimitri hiked up his bag and walked on, unwilling to stop for anything. He didn't have time to think about the people giving him weird looks, and honestly, he didn't really care.
He just needed to get home.
Of course, it didn't help when Lilith found it necessary to comment on every little random thing.
"That kid over there keeps looking over at you. I wonder, how suspicious is she? Hmm, I might have you kill her later on."
He wasn't sure what made him more uncomfortable: the fact that she said it with relative ease, or the idea that she could totally force him to kill a child.
"Are you really going to fret over the murder of children? And here I thought you were willing to do anything to live."
"Please don't make me," Dimitri whispered to himself, eyes darting from left to right. His hands shook as he gripped his backpack, making sure to walk past anyone as quickly as possible.
He didn't like the silence that followed his plea, but honestly, this was probably the best answer he was going to get right now.
He all but ran the moment his house came into view, nearly tripping on his shoelaces as he did so. He reached into his hoodie pocket, fumbling for the keys as he made his way up the stairs. He missed the keyhole twice before finally getting it, jiggling the doorknob open before slipping in. The moment he closed the door behind him, he couldn't help the sudden spike of fear in his system.
He had brought an otherworldly demon into his house. Where his mom was.
...Where was his mom?
Before he could spiral down into a whole other storm of panic, he noticed the note on the sink. Picking it up, he felt a sudden wave of relief passed over him. That's right, Uncle Vic was taking her grocery shopping today. She'd be out of the house.
Sure, that meant that he'd be alone with Lilith, but it wasn't like his plan was to hide behind his mom or something.
"Go to your room. We need to talk."
Why was Lilith inhumanly good at replacing his relief with fear?
He nearly tripped over the first step, all but pulling himself up the stairs by the handle. He couldn't help but groan, thinking that he'd used up his bad luck for the day already.
Finally, he got to the top of the stairs, walking into his bedroom before closing the door behind him. He tried to ignore the shivers running through his body, only to jump a bit when… Something filled the air.
He couldn't help but feel as if a ghost were whispering down his neck, a sort or haunting chant filling his ears. He watched as his shadow shuddered, almost violently shaking. He felt as if Lilith was frothing, furious. He felt like his shadow would open up like the maw of a beast, ready to devour him whole.
But… Wait, that didn't sound like growling, nor did it sound like an animalistic snarl. No, it sounded like… Laughing.
He stared at his shadow, watching as its shoulders shook, another short giggling fit coming from it, "...Wait, are you… Are you laughing?"
His response was his shadow exploding.
He screamed, scrambling backwards onto his bed, as if the pillows wound defend him. He watched as the black materialized into a hunched over form, shoulders shaking as the same ethereal sound came from her.
"Sorry," Lilith seemed to choke out, almost struggling to stand up as she turned to face him, "It's just that, well, I haven't had a reason to laugh that hard in a while."
"...Excuse me?" Dimitri wasn't sure which emotion hit first: fear, confusion, or slight anger.
"How do I say this without sounding too… derogatory?" Lilith mumbled, placing a finger to the chin of her mask, "Well, take this as you will… There is nothing funnier than saying something and watching you slowly fall into your own anxiety."
Dimitri didn't really know how to respond to that. So, of course, his mouth had to open up before he had time to really think about the words, "Is my mental suffering funny to you?"
"Hilarious, yes."
He really wished that he could stop right then and there. He wished that he could stomp his foot down, grab himself by the throat, and throw himself in the opposite direction.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Alas, of course he couldn't.
He watched as Lilith went dead silent, eyeing the lamp on his nightstand as if it would save him from her wrath. It wasn't like he'd have time to get to it, but still, it was a nice thought.
He expected to get destroyed. He didn't know exactly how, but with how Lilith was, he assumed it would be something between being thrown out the window to sinking into his own shadow.
So, when Lilith laughed harder, he didn't know what to do.
"God, you're funnier that I thought!" Lilith snickered, walking over to pat him on the back. Dimitri couldn't help but jump slightly, "There's something funny about seeing the apprehensive guy finally fighting back. There's hope for you yet, Mr. Hart."
That got Dimitri. He honestly didn't know how to take any of this. Was he supposed to be complimented? Honored? Angered?
He really didn't know.
"Sure."
"As eloquent as usual." Lilith said, tugging at her hoodie sleeves before looking around, "As much fun as it would be to continue to observe you, I think I'll take my leave now. I have a lot to do tomorrow, and if I'm being completely honest, today has served its purpose as a stress reliever."
Dimitri had half a mind to smack her. He didn't like that that was one of the first thoughts to come to mind, but honestly, he didn't think it wasn't unwarranted, but he wasn't stupid enough to think he'd get away with something like that. But damn if he wasn't just a bit irritated.
"I'll be taking my leave now," Lilith sighed, stretching out her arm a bit before flexing her fingers, "It's nice to know that, even if you are my proxy, I can still play and joke with you as if we've been friends for years."
"Of course." God, that was just his default phrase, wasn't it?
"Ah, forgive me, I think I worded that wrong," Lilith muttered, wisps of smoke trailing off of her, "I didn't mean to insinuate that you'd do something to attempt to backstab me in anyway. You're too obedient to pull a stunt like that, isn't that right?"
"O-of c-c-course."
Dimitri really didn't like that giggle, nor did he like the way that Lilith tilted her head to the side almost coyly, "Well, you keep doing what you're doing, I'll be back with something for you to do eventually. Till then."
With that, Lilith melted into the ground, disappearing completely.
It was only then that Dimitri noticed the way that his eyes were watering up, nearly growing faint from how he hadn't taken a breath for the past minute or so. He threw his fist against his own chest, as if trying to force his lungs to take in air.
He always knew that Lilith was scary, but that… That was a whole other level.
Something in the back of his head told him he should have known that already. He should have known that a creature like her would feel no remorse, see him as nothing more than a toy. He was an idiot to even attempt to humanize her, and in doing so, fell deeper into a trap he was only now seeing.
He clawed at his throat, choking yet breathing. Drowning yet floating. Alive yet dead. He laughed lightly, the sound as hollow and toneless.
He couldn't help but wonder if begging for his life was really worth it.
I think I finally fix the problem.
Er, I mean, THERE WAS NO PROBLEM TO FIX I'M JUST SPEWING NONSENSE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Azazel: Yeah, good thing that whole problem was fixed!
ME: WHAT. PROBLEM. AZAZEL?
Azazel: Oh, you know, that whole translation エラーはすべて固定されています！
私 : くそったれ、アザゼル！
アザゼル : あなたはそれを見て、今私の名前は日本語です！
私 : そして今、日本人は壊れています。 くそっ！私は今、章をカットする必要があります。 おかげでたくさん、アザゼル.
アザゼル : 私は私がほしい何でも言うことができほとんどの人々はそれを知らない! 私はpokephileです！ ファック、なぜそれは英語です！? ああ、なぜ私は今エイミーのように聞こえるのですか？?
私 : グレート、修正するための別の問題...