WARNING: Do NOT read if you haven't read "Devil May Cry"...screw it--read it anyway.

Dark Hunter Novels

Sailor Moon

"Ancient Rhapsody"

Temple of Artemis, Didymos, Greece 9528 BC

Night had fallen and Acheron was hurting. He was in so much pain and Artemis wouldn't help him. It broke his heart and shattered his soul. All he had left was his pain and suffering. It wasn't fair. It was not fair. What did he do to deserve all this?

The fresh scent of night rain, of wisteria, of roses, of jasmine filled the air, filling his lungs, making his head spin. A noble woman, here at the temple, at this hour? When would they be done with him?

"By the will of Mother Heaven…" A beautiful soft voice gasped. The sound of quick but graceful feet running to him soon gave Acheron a beautiful vision. She knelt in front of him, her skirts gathered up in her lap. Her hands gently cradled his jaw, causing him to hiss in pain. "Oh, forgive me…please, forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you…this is inhumane…how could they do this to someone so innocent, so pure?"

Acheron lifted his head the best he could and saw what a true goddess should look like. Her thick peplos was a light purple and it was tight against her body before a lavender tunic with long draping sleeves was secured to her waist by a stunning belt of silver and amethyst studded coins on silver chains. The tunic billowed around her like a cloud but it only accented her beauty. Her lips were purple and her black hair was passed her knees and tightly braided, tied with a silver cord. Her skin was porcelain colored and her nails were long. Her amethyst eyes stole his breath away and the white oval stone on her forehead drove him to respect her. And her ears were host to long dangles of silver and amethysts. Even her neck, wrists and long delicate fingers bore the same amethyst baring silver jewelry.

"You poor soul." Her breathed, brushing his hair tenderly out of his face. She bit the edge of her lower lip as she tried to think of what to do. "I'll be right back. I'll bring you food and water…and I will come back, I promise."

"No…please, don't go." Acheron begged as she stood slowly. She ran away as Acheron dropped his head, letting tears fall from his mercury eyes. Her footsteps returned and soon his vision was back in front of him and she didn't come empty handed.

"My word is my bond." She told him gently, taking a jar of water from the basket she had brought. She scooped out a cup of water and brought it to his lips. Acheron swallowed it greedily, grateful to finally have his parched throat and mouth wet again. "Easy, easy-if you drink to fast, you'll choke." And she was right. He choked and spat water all over her lovely clothing, coughing. He expected her to smack him but she just started laughing softly and wiped his mouth and chin with her skirts. "Didn't I warn you that you'd choke? But I can understand how you feel. Now, let's try this again and this time, you must try drinking slower."

Acheron weakly nodded and once the cup touched his lips again, he forced himself to drink slowly. She filled the cup four more times until his thirst was quenched. And then she gave him pieces of food to build his strength back up. Each time he took a bite of food, the tips of her fingers entered his mouth too but she didn't do anything more than smile kindly and ready the next bite.

He just watched this young woman who was so tenderly caring for him so openly. She was risking her own life to care for him. If she was caught, she would be killed but for some reason, it was like she didn't concern herself with that possibility. She just took very gentle care of him, like a mother would for her child.

As he took the last bite of food from her fingers and swallowed another cup full of water, Acheron watched her pour water into a bowl and mixed in medicinal herbs and oils before taking off her tunic. She took off the jeweled pins that kept the sleeves and shoulders into place on her body. To Acheron's surprise, she ripped the expensive garment in half and dipped half of it in the solution in the bowl.

"Be warned, this might hurt." His helping hand warned as she wrung out the excess liquid. She touched his face gingerly, cupping his other cheek with her other hand, and tenderly cleaned his wounds and dried blood, sweat and tears off his face. Yeah, it stung but it also felt so good, just like his savior's touch.

From his face, she washed his neck, arms, hands, torso, legs, feet and back. She dunked and wrung out her garment each time she moved on to a different part of his body. The first half of her tunic was officially ruined beyond repair but that didn't mean she wouldn't repeat the entire process again with the 2nd half.

When she was done with cleaning his wounds, she took a small jar from the basket and uncorked it, letting the scent of healing herbs and cleansing spices fill Acheron's lungs along with her perfume. The jar contained a special ointment that she tenderly rubbed on his bruises and swellings then gingerly rubbed it into the cut and wounds that had been bleeding. This too burned but also soothed. Gods, she knew just how to take of every pain his physical body had but his heart-that she couldn't heal with anything.

"Sleep…I need to sleep…" Acheron mumbled, only to be surprised when she kissed his forehead. She gently caressed his cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Then I will help in that as well." She promised him, taking a phial out of the basket, being wrapped in a quick bundle of linen. "This…this is called Lotus serum. One drop is enough to help you fall to sleep. And while you sleep, your body will begin to heal."

"Will…will you come again?" He asked weakly looking at her with sorrow filled eyes. She smiled tenderly at him and nodded gracefully. She uncorked the phial and dipped her finger into the serum, letting him suck it off her finger. She caressed his cheek again as his mind began to fog over.

"Sweet dreams, Pure Heart." She murmured, kissing his forehead again. Acheron dropped off for a moment or perhaps even longer because when he woke up, the young woman in light purple was gone. His treated wounds weren't just a dream so he really knew she had been there, even her perfume still hung in the air. And then he heard footsteps coming closer to him. Had she come back?

"Always meddling in the affairs of gods." A different older feminine voice said with a heavy sigh. "Her bleeding heart has cost us enough trouble and thus her greatest act of mercy and kindness shall be forgotten by even the receiver of her kindness." A woman with dark red hair tilted his chin up and trickled something down his throat. Her hand covered his mouth so Acheron couldn't spit the bitter fluid out. He swallowed it and felt a different fog coat his mind. "Sleep, Acheron of Didymos. Sleep and forget."

It seems that the Greeks don't like it when someone helps another in need.