Young Justice – The Temptation That Drives Us
Prologue
Inspiration: Within Temptation – Memories
Before she could even comprehend what was happening, a gushing sound tripped through her eardrums as an unknown object tore through her chest. The stench of something warm and metallic burst through her nostrils, her mind suddenly nauseous. Tilting her head down, she saw the tip of the protruding object. An evilly shining sword protruded from her midsection, the silver metal covered in dark crimson—her blood. She could feel her breath hitch upon the realization. She had been attacked.
Lost in her train of thought for only a few mere seconds was too costly a price. Without noticing the new grip on the sword, the blade was ripped out of the fleshy hole. Artemis screamed in pain. Another gut-wrenching scream followed seconds afterwards, when the blade was thrust into her being again, except the change in angle went after another target within her.
Numb, the young archer could feel the blood bursting from the beating organ, spilling the crimson inside of her and through the huge gashes. The pain became to unbearable, the nerves in her body became paralyzed to the point where when the blade was retracted again from the wound, there was only a blinding light before her knees gave out. Lying there on the chilling ground, the blonde struggled desperately to look at her attacker. But Death was a stubborn mischief, and using every last ounce of energy left, the young archer struggled to her dying breath to stay alive, to gasp one more breath of air.
The attacker looked down at her with looming eyes, ones void of emotion and full of darkness. "Your lover will be joining you in Hell soon enough. Good bye, Artemis Crock."
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"Artemis! ARTEMIS!"
The young blonde burst her eyes open, up in a sitting position quick as the speed of light. Heavy breaths heaved out of her mouth, her chest rising up and down profusely. Within her veins she could feel the adrenaline coursing throughout her body insanely, as if she were high. Her mind filled with millions of jumbled thoughts, all unclear and unable to comprehend. When a pair of warm hands gently caressed her shoulders, she jumped trying to adjust to combat mode, but when she saw the owner of the hands, she relaxed some.
"God Wally, you scared the living hell out of me!"
"You're welcome", he retorted with the smirk. But then his curved lips were replaced with a serious and concerned expression. "Artemis, are you okay?"
Artemis didn't answer at first. She decided to take a few deep breaths before replying to her former-boyfriend-now-fiancée. "Yeah, it was just a nightmare—a fucking vivid one. I…I was attacked by someone. I didn't know who it was. The person jabbed me with a sword and I ended up bleeding out. But before I 'died', he or she said that you would be next. That's all I can remember…" The super heroine buried her face into her hands, a heavy sigh escaping her shuttering lips. It had been so long since she's had a nightmare of this magnitude and it scared the living being out of her. It wasn't the part where she died. No, she was prepared to die on any occasion, because she was a member of the Justice League and the fate of the world depended on her. But it had been those last moments before "death"; the part where she would lose her love again.
As if reading her mind, Wally pulled his fiancée to his chest, embracing her warmly as she let the tears spill from her eyes. She couldn't lose Wally again. Losing him the first time was so painful, she struggled within her mind and with her body whether to continue living or not. If he were to die a second time, Artemis can't assure herself that she won't welcome death with open arms. But now that he was back in her life, and soon they would start a family together, she needed him more than ever. They needed each other more than ever. Death wasn't an option—not now, not ever.
The two lovers stayed that way for many moments, enjoying the warmth they bathed each other in. When Artemis's tears began to cease, they looked at each other eye-to-eye, seeing the passion instilled for the other in those obsidian and ocean blue orbs. Although the silence gripped them and no words were exchanged, the distance between the two lovers became shorter until their lips brushed against one another. Closing eyes, their lips met fully, breaths hitched, and hands intertwining. It wasn't long before they became passionate and later slept peacefully in each other's arms, all fear momentarily forgotten in the heat of love, trust, and happiness.