Slowly, my eyes fluttered open.

This time, I was the one who woke up first; I was greeted by the serene sight of Crimson lying right in front of me. She was still sleeping, with her lips slightly parted, and her breath soft, each exhale causing her chest to rise and fall in a soothing and almost hypnotizing motion.

Interestingly enough, she almost seemed a harmless girl in her sleep. Even inviting... But, unlike her, I didn't stay there watching as she kept sleeping; not a creep.

So, I carefully made my way out of the tent, making sure my rustling wouldn't wake her up.

"Good morning, Lady Argenta," Leonard softly greeted me as I emerged out of the tent.

"Good morning. Didn't you sleep at all?" I asked. It was still pretty early to call it a morning, really; the sun was barely rising.

He shook his head. "I stood watch."

"Go get some rest. I'll take care of it," I proposed.

He stood silent for a moment, as if thinking about it. "Very well... I'll take advantage of the offer and sleep for a bit," he then replied, directing his foot inside a tent.

I yawned as I stretched my body to push the stiffness out of my body. The morning breeze felt extremely fresh and good against my skin; a truly beautiful sensation after everything my body went through lately...

I took some fresh water, drinking some of it and splashing the rest on my face, attentively rubbing my eyes to bid goodbye to the last of my leftover drowsiness.

Then, relaxing my nerves, I exhaled deeply, and brought some clarity inside my mind. Of course, the demon was nowhere to be seen... it surely must have vanished while I was asleep. And I had to test my spells, but I couldn't in these circumstances. Then, I had to clear the doubts about my mother, my death, myself... And then maybe, since I'm at it, I'll also tackle world hunger, because things can't really get much worse...

So many things to handle, I couldn't help but groan at the mere thought of it.

Still, despite everything, it was a surprisingly peaceful morning... or so I thought.

"That wasn't very nice of you." Crimson's voice snapped me to attention from behind; she was stepping out of the tent.

I turned, noticing her dissatisfied expression. "What wasn't?" I asked her, tilting my head.

Without warning, she reached for my wrist, abruptly pulling me into an embrace so tight I couldn't breathe. "Are you taking this seriously?" she demanded with furious eyes as she tightened the grip. "Do you think it's nice to leave your girlfriend alone after what she did for you?"

"I just didn't want to wake you up!" I immediately blurted out, wincing as my back bent under the pressure of her hold.

"Answer my first question." Her grip tightened even further, lifting my feet off the ground as I let out gasps of pain. Any more, and my back could very well have broken.

"I am! I am, Crimson!"

"Then why weren't you there when I opened my eyes?" She leaned in, our foreheads meeting. "And don't give me such a weak excuse like you didn't want to wake me up. You don't wake someone up by standing by their side."

How do I get myself out of this?!

Thinking about the most logical answer that would make her happy, I clenched my teeth. "Do you think it was easy for me to restrain myself seeing you like that?! Your stupid long, seductive lashes; your lips! I went outside to calm myself and not wake you up!"

A white lie, perhaps. Or a half-truth. Even my mind couldn't quite understand; a rather common occurrence lately. But, luckily, it worked; after a tense moment of silence, she released me, and I collapsed to the ground, gulping in air as I tried to ease the pain in my back.

"That's a better answer," she said, the tone of her voice haughty, just like she usually speaks with everyone. "But you should've just done what you felt like doing."

"I feel like killing you right now."

She scoffed. "Try it. I'll make sure to put you in your place."

I ignored her, breathing in and out to calm myself down. That's right; I had voluntarily chosen to be a couple with this possessive bitch, so I guess I had it coming. And, in a way, this felt like the first fight as one...

I shook my head. I hated to admit it, but she seemed more serious than I was about this relationship; and this would explain why she showed her true colors just now. I had to focus on this commitment...

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I washed my face once again, and went on with the day...

"Good job," Crimson said to me. "You didn't tremble at all today."

Indeed, I'd been in the Dynamic Zone for quite some time already. The sun was still high, and I decided to leave that state until necessary once again. We were about to rest and replenish our energies; already a routine now. The clearing of the area was proceeding quite smoothly, and my body was slowly getting used to seeing monsters once again. Keeping this up, I'll surely be able to face monsters normally, and even before the upcoming dungeon.

Yet... my mind continued to be troubled, with myriads of doubts swirling inside me, and even my mother's words...

"Crimson..." I approached her, grasping her hand. She turned towards me, and once I'd made sure I got her attention, I continued. "Could we talk in private?"

She faintly nodded. "Sure."

While Leonard and Caligo took care of the rest, Crimson and I slipped away between the trees, which slowly closed around us, granting the solitude I desperately needed. I guided her, never letting go of her hand. The crunch of leaves underfoot was the only sound accompanying our steps; it brought some quiet inside my mind and, somehow, it was even comical, beside being oddly satisfying.

She must've been confused by my behavior, and I couldn't blame her; I would be lying if I said everything was under my control. Nothing inside my mind was under my control anymore; even I had trouble recognizing myself. But as usual, I aimed to make my life easier, and if I couldn't erase my doubts, I at least wanted to make them bearable.

Once we were far enough, I stopped, letting her hand go. However, I couldn't face her yet.

"What's wrong?" she asked me.

"I'm gathering my thoughts," I replied.

She stood silently after that. I kept looking ahead, though I wasn't really observing anything, really. Then, I took a deep breath, the cool forest air filling my lungs. Finally, I turned toward her. She was staring at me, her head slightly tilted, one hand on her waist, and the other relaxed. "I'm listening," she reassured.

"You're right, Crimson," I started. "I'm a complicated girl... I know nothing about my mother, really... She rarely told me anything about her life, and she teased me, constantly, about it. Yet, despite everything, I know something for sure..."

I stepped closer, taking her hand and resting it over my chest as I looked into her eyes. "There's always been something instilled inside my mind... something that I may hide, and which I don't really talk about. Yet, they're always, and in any case, there... my mother's teachings."

I took another deep breath, squeezing her hand tighter. "She loved me more than anything else in this world, and imparted to me part of her knowledge to live in it. And it's all I have..."

I averted my gaze, before meeting her eyes once again. "Whenever I think about her love for me, whenever I remember her words, I feel protected. Aware of the fact that, as long as I'll follow them, I'll always be safe, no matter what. She only ever wanted my safety and happiness."

Thinking about her smile warmed my heart to the point I stopped talking to cherish the sensation. Crimson noticed my silence. "Snowflake, I... I don't understand your point."

"I've already told you that I want to feel what she felt," I continued, pressing her hand closer to my chest. "Her heart always beat loudly whenever her eyes fell upon me... I was her joy, and I always wanted to feel my heart beat just like hers. However, she once told me that she couldn't teach me something like this, and that I would've to discover it for myself. And I did; I've already talked to you about this once: danger..."

Crimson's eyes narrowed slightly for a moment, as if trying to understand me better.

"But... what if I'm mistaken?" I then murmured, my voice faintly trembling; Crimson's eyes now relaxing. "What if I'm wrong and my mother was talking about something else? What if I misunderstood her words? Because, lately... whenever we share a moment together, I feel... weird; I feel a strange connection between us, and I can't help but think there might be something else, something I have not considered. Maybe this is what she was talking about; maybe this is what she felt, at some point, along the way. And for some absurd reason... you remind me of her; your heartbeat reminds me of hers, and mine, too, is not so different lately..."

Crimson continued listening to me with a soft smile; a smile that kept reassuring me as I let my heart do the talking, for once.

"I don't know if what we share is love," I added. "I don't really know if you truly love me, or if you're just obsessed with my snowy hair or skin."

She chuckled.

"Just like I'm not sure I love you, either," I continued. "But I think you might've been right... I may have been the one who wasn't serious about it. Because, deep down... I'm afraid. And I'm not just talking about the scar behind my back. I have no clue how I should act when faced with these emotions. Yet, my mother appeared so confident about them, about love... and I want to be like her," I stopped, taking in a deep breath, only to release it all in a sigh. "And as absurd as it may sound... I want to explore this; I want to try this... with you."

After a little moment of silence, Crimson gently grasped my shoulders. "I've told you already; you're not alone in this..."

Apparently, she struggled to understand her own emotions almost as much as I did.

I looked deeply into her eyes, catching my breath as I felt my heart faintly racing. "You, with your ever-cryptic nature... your demeanor, your irrational strength, the way you tease me, the way you see right through me... I hate you so much for being just like her."

"Oh, you hate me now?" she quipped with a grin.

"Oh, I never stopped hating you," I remarked with a smile. "You know... my mother once also said that... when two people get into a fight, they talk about it instead of killing each other, and their bond deepens. I suppose this is what happened now."

"Hm? When did we fight?" she asked.

"... Some hours ago?"

"Snowflake... that was barely a discussion," she said with a little chuckle, waving her hand.

"You call that a discussion? You almost broke my back!"

"Whose's fault is it that you're just as fragile as snow?"

"I'll kill you, Crimson..." I deadpanned.

She laughed.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Anyway..." I murmured, facing her once again. "That's all I wanted to say. I wanted to clear my mind, and let my heart speak... for once. With you... I think."

"You think?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow, amused.

"I think..."

She chuckled. "I'm glad you talked about it. But like I said, you overthink too much!" she remarked, slightly raising her hands. "What are you going to do if we get into a real fight?"

"Well, I'll stop overthinking."

"I can't see that ever happening..." she commented with a mocking grin.

"Since I want to take this seriously..." I slowly rose on tiptoe, leaning in to close the gap between us, "I'll prove you wrong right now," I whispered, finally shutting her up with a kiss.