Hesitation can be a deadly thing.

All it takes is one second and everything can be over.

I hesitated and my little brother died.

I hesitated and it caused me to die.

"Aren't you angry?!"

The other me turned in a fury to Dante and the mercenary who continued to morph into my little brother and mother before turning back to normal. The other me screamed, "They are killing him! They are killing my little brother! They are killing him!"

My eyes turned bloodshot as I started breathing heavily.

The other me cried, "They are killing him! I won't let you kill him!!!"

No more hesitation.

The other me turned and smiled maliciously. Her voice was devoid of affection, "No more hesitation."

My vision turned dark and I was completely controlled by my wrath. It felt as though I was no longer in control of my body. I could only watch as everything happened simultaneously...

The mercenary raised the sword, ready to cut off Dante's lowered head.

I threw my head to the side to avoid the gun. At the same time, I reached for the blade in my shoe and stabbed it in to the Sanki man behind me. With my other hand, I pushed his hand holding the gun directing it towards the unsuspecting mercenary to the left.

It all happened so quickly, no one was able to react.

All except for me who was in a frenzied rage.

The bullet was fired from the gun as a result and hit one of the mercenaries. He was dead on impact.

After I stabbed the Sanki man and knocked him over, I pulled out the blade and rushed forward with a deranged expression. The mercenary holding Dante's sword had heard the gunshot and turned to look. However, before he could make sense of the situation, I was already on top of him.

Stabbing repeatedly.

As if I was possessed by an otherworldly force, I continued to stab the man ignoring his screams... His gurgles... Even his hands that tried to push me off of him.

Eventually he stopped moving.

But I couldn't stop. I ignored the blood splattering on my face and clothes. I kept stabbing.

I stabbed him ten times...

This is for forcing me to grow up in that nasty home.

I stabbed him twenty times...

This is for killing my little brother.

I stabbed him thirty times...

This is for taking everything from me.

I stabbed him forty times...

This is for giving me false hope.

I stabbed him more and more until there was almost nothing left...

And this is for pretending to be my friends only to push me off a cliff.

Dante watched the scene in front of him shocked. He had fully prepared to die. Yet, not only was he alright, two of the captors were dead while one was badly injured and ran away. However, when he saw the manic me stabbing someone in front of him, he froze. He had never seen that expression on my face before. To him, I was like a different person.

Dante snapped out of his stupor and reached to grab me in a panic, "Seri."

I let out a growl and threw out my hand thinking that someone else was attacking. Dante winced silently while the blade grazed his cheek causing a small stream of blood to slowly drip down. I turned to him to attack again, but paused.

I smiled at him with a crazed expression, "I didn't hesitate. I didn't hesitate this time."

His face softened, "Seri..."

Hearing his soft voice, my bloodlust immediately disappeared. I looked at my hands covered in blood and holding a blade. I frowned in confusion. Just now... What was I doing?..

I looked up at Dante with a hazy expression. I dropped the knife in my hand and reached forward to caress Dante with both of my hands. I furrowed my brow as I looked at his cheek which was dropping with blood from a cut. As I rubbed his cheek with my thumb, I didn't even realize I was smearing blood on his face.

"D-Dante..."

He noticed that my eyes were no longer bloodshot and crazed. He raised his hand to gently stroke my hand which caressed his cheek. "Seri..."

I scrunched my eyebrows together and squeezed my eyes shut. I shook my head and then opened my eyes. I held him tighter, "You were going to leave me."

"I..." Dante met my eyes but could not defend himself.

My voice was strained, "You said you wouldn't leave me. But you were going to leave me." I bowed my head and chuckled, "No... No. You're not allowed to leave me. I won't let you."

"Seri..."

I began to peck him on the lips repeatedly while muttering, "You can't leave me. I won't let you. You're mine. Mine. Mine. Mine..."

Dante didn't fight back and allowed me to attack him with kisses. He embraced me and rubbed my back to soothe me. He answered calmly, "I'm here."

I nuzzled against him and breathed in his scent slowly. Each breath cleared my head more and more. I reopened my eyes and looked around in confusion, "Where... Am I?"

Dante looked at me with a complicated expression, "You don't remember?"

"Hmm." I mumbled and looked around. I saw two dead bodies, one with a lethal gunshot to the head and the other stabbed so much it looked more like a meat puppet. When I tried to remember what had happened, it felt like my mind was fighting back to prevent me from recalling anything specific.

I turned back to Dante, "I remember coming here... But then it gets hazy..."

I glanced at my bloody hand and frowned, "Did I kill them?"

Dante helped me stand up and spoke quickly, "Don't worry about it for now. We need to leave."

I spoke quietly, "Why?"

He rushed over and picked up his sword. After he attached it to his hip, he walked back to me. He started to lead me away and I let him.

"The man with the gun managed to get away while you were...." He trailed off then changed his words, "We need to leave before he brings back more people or has a chance to reload his gun."

When we walked outside, I noticed the sky was turning dark. Soon it would be night. Dante led me to a nearby town, then went to a house. He looked around before kicking the door open. The doorknob broke and the door flew open sending pieces of wood in the distance. My mouth was wide as I followed him inside.

"Did you just break into a house?"

Dante spoke casually, "No one lives here."

"... Not the point." I shrugged and looked around. The house was older and I could smell the dust in the air. Although there was furniture and items left behind, the house was obviously empty for a while. It made me wonder who it had belonged to.

Well at least it wasn't that one house which belonged to that creepy demon.

I swiped my finger along a table and looked at it. It was incredibly dusty. I scrunched my nose and wiped my finger on my dress. When I did so, I realized that I was covered in blood. Good thing I didn't run into anyone on the way here....

Dante noticed me looking at my bloodied clothes and spoke, "There was a well out back. I will go heat up some water for you to take a bath."

I glanced up at him, "Wait. You should take care of that cut first."

Dante shook his head, "It's fine. It already stopped bleeding."

"But..."

"Do not worry about it. Just look for a change of clothes. We will have to stay here tonight, but it should be safe."

I relented, "Then I will go and prepare somewhere to sleep."

Dante walked out and began to prepare the bath. I wandered the house and explored a few rooms. I noticed the master bedroom and walked inside. I cleaned off the bed and got the dust off of the blankets. After tidying up, I opened the dresser drawers in curiosity. Despite the layer of dust, there were some nice old fashioned clothes inside. I pulled out a dress and held it up.

Dante spoke in the doorway, "That should fit."

I jumped and looked at him with a guilty expression, "But doesn't it look a bit old fashioned?"

Dante glanced at my current dress, "Better than that one."

My face twitched, "Good point..."

"The bath has been prepared."

I grabbed a nightgown, "Thank you..."

He nodded, "I will keep watch outside the door."

"Is that really necessary?"

He smirked at me, "I could stay inside instead."

I blushed and moved past him to the bathroom, "No need."

I shut the door behind me and looked at the smaller bathroom. It was definitely not as spectacular as the one I was accustomed to, but it was not bad either. I made sure the door was shut before I started stripping. I entered the bath and let out a sigh of relief as I lowered my body into the hot water.

After the time I had these past few days, I could really use a hot bath.

I looked down and noticed the water turned pinkish. I washed my skin and hair and realized that none of the blood that was on me had actually belonged to me. It was all from that other man... Now that I had time to calm down, I could remember everything I had just done. I held my head in shame and embarrassment as I recalled how psychotic I became... Not to mention I hurt Dante...

I really should do something special for him. I can't let him escape my grasp now that I have him. There's no way I will let him leave me.

I splashed in the water and paused.

Wait... Dante and I... Under the same roof... Completely alone... And I'm taking a bath?!

Isn't this like a love hotel situation?!

I grasped my blushing face and squealed excitedly.

No! There's no way we could do... That. Isn't it too soon? I mean... We are dating now... But we aren't married... When is it acceptable for a couple do the deed? I've never dated and I definitely have never gotten married. This matter is completely foreign to me.

I giggled while I twirled a piece of my hair around my finger. I seem to recall a younger Dante getting excited when I showed him my naked thigh before... Maybe I should let him see it again? And then, whatever happens after that is just what happens.

I hastily got out of the bath and dried off. I paused when I looked at my legs. Well... They certainly aren't nice since they are covered in scars... Dante likes scars, right?

I paced inside the room as I tried to think. I have no idea if Dante will think I look attractive or not... On one hand, he must like something about me because he seems to enjoy kissing me. But on the other hand, he has never seen my naked thigh since I was a child. He may not like it anymore.

In the end, I chickened out and put on the nightgown. It was a few sizes too big so one of the sleeves draped down my arm showing my shoulder. Maybe Dante will like this?

I stepped outside wanting to attack Dante. However, I immediately noticed that he sat in a chair next to the door and didn't react. I walked over and looked in his face. He was sleeping.

Well that's a bit of a disappointment. Oh well, I could tell that there was something off about him earlier. He must not have gotten good sleep while I've been missing. I wonder just how long I was gone.

I sighed and picked him up. I grunted as I struggled to carry him to the bed. When I threw him down, he opened his eyes. He looked straight into my soul with those sharp golden eyes. He reached out and pulled me into his embrace. Then he closed his eyes once more.

I blinked with a blank expression as I was pressed against him on the bed. I glanced up at his sleeping face and smiled.

Well, this isn't bad either.

I grabbed his hand and pulled up my nightgown slightly to reveal my upper thigh. I placed his hand on my naked thigh and giggled. I snuggled into his embrace.

There. I win.