Hi everyone! Wow, this is the fastest I've updated ever! Be impressed, y'all! Anyway, have you noticed a steady progression of character development, because I promise you it's there. This chapter post is dedicated to MiniHouse, because your alert just popped up in my e-mail box and I was like, okay I guess I will post this tonight. Tell me if there are any spelling andd grammer mistakes because I will go back and fix them. To all of you who pointed out the mistake in chapter one, it is fixed now and I thank you all for taking the time to tell me I screwed up. Thanks a bunch! I like being able to fix my mistakes, and this is the reason I post this stuff for others to read it; so I can get their feedback.

Anyways...this is just a bit angsty, but I do promise a happy ending so stay tuned!

Four

Artemis's slow breathing filled the shuttle, slowly driving anyone who wasn't already crazy to the point of madness. The back room of the underwater shuttle was empty because most people had fled to the front of the ship, unable to bear the silent boy sitting in the corner. The gentle hum of the engines and the rocking of the shuttle mixed with the rasp of air being dragged in and out of tired lungs. While Artemis's breathing was fast from just barely holding back a panic attack, it was carefully and evenly mechanical. As was his finger tapping, his fingernail making perfect sets of five while his breathing counted perfect sets of ten. There would be ten shallow, rapid breaths, five steady finger taps, and then the boy would pause and start the cycle over again. This is what had driven everyone away, except for Butler outside the door (ensuring his master's privacy) and Holly in the seat in front of his.

Artemis sat with his elbows braced against his knees, back curved while his hands gently fisted in his hair. Holly could see the tension carried in his shoulders, his (rather small) muscles clearly defined through the thin white button-down shirt. Through the shield of his slightly messy hair, Holly could see his eyes were drawn in pain, the dark circles beneath them making his look wan and sick. As Holly watched, Artemis squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, a single bead of sweat dripping off of his nose. He looked, to her, both haunted and defeated.

Holly, unsure of what to do, moved over until she was sitting next to him on the bench. Gently, she started to rub the tense muscles of his back, trying to soothe him like she would have if he had been sick. "How are you doing, Arty?" asked Holly, trying to comfort him by letting warmth color her voice. Artemis trembled, jerking away from her hand a little before leaning into her touch. He shook his head back and forth, fists holding his hair tighter, seeming at war with himself.

"I am falling apart, Holly," said Artemis quietly. Holly winced. Five words. Artemis seemed to shake harder, and Holly was surprised he wasn't pulling his hair out by the roots. Through his screen of hair Holly saw his eyes go wide. "I feel so unstable, almost like I cannot trust the world around me to not move from underneath my feet." Holly grew concerned, seeing the white of his knuckles, so she took her hand from his back. She reached up and gently disentangled his fingers from his hair. Holly then took his hands and clasped them in hers.

"You're going to hurt yourself. Here, if you need to, squeeze my hands instead," Holly said quietly, looking down at the hands that were shaking in hers. Looking up, she saw Artemis turn on the bench to face her, the two of them now sitting so that their knees barely touched. His head still bowed, he barely looked up at her (for once, he was the one looking up), preferring to stare down at his knees instead. Artemis was breathing hard now, his teeth slightly bared as he shook, fighting for control. "Artemis!" Holly said sharply. His eyes flickered upward, and she gave him a look that told him trying to be brave was stupid and overrated. "Let me help you," she pleaded, almost begging him. She couldn't stand to see him hurting like this.

Artemis breathed out shakily, gripping Holly's hands so tight it was her fingers turning white this time. He was bent over now like someone had punched him in the stomach, his breathing so fast it was almost breaking out of his tight control of breathing in fives. In a second, Artemis's eyes went wide. "Holly, I…I can't stop," said Artemis softly, panic in his eyes. Then, Holly felt pure terror flow through her veins as Artemis's control broke, hyperventilating as she felt the pressure on her fingers increase.

"Artemis. Artemis!" Holly yelled, and his head shot up for the first time to look Holly square in her eyes. His hair, mussed and sticking up in clumps where he had grabbed it, obscured portions of his face. The wild light of panic shone in his eyes, and too many months of not eating right had left his face pale with sharp angles. He looked, in every sense, quite deranged. "It's okay!" shouted Holly. "Just…just keep listening to my voice. Focus on that, okay?" He gave a jerky nod, holding on to her fingers for dear life. She then proceeded to talk about anything that came into her mind, hoping the sound of her voice would calm him down. He was still clasping her hand in an iron grip, gentle tremors running through his body. It took five minutes before Artemis's breathing had calmed down to the point where she had settled back into his pattern of fives.

Finally, Artemis sighed, letting go of Holly's hands. "Thank you very much, Holly," he said quietly. He looked tired and worn.

"Don't you dare mention it," said Holly fiercely. "It's nothing, okay?"

"It's not nothing to me," said Artemis, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Holly's shoulder. She was surprised, seeing as the free expression of emotion for Artemis was as rare as seeing him frolicking in the sunlight. But she smiled slightly, running her fingers through his slightly-disarrayed hair before smoothing it a little. Against her shoulder, she felt and heard him mumble a little.

"What's wrong, Artemis?" Holly asked, worried there was another episode of some sort coming.

"Orion will not shut up," said Artemis, sounding cross. Holly felt a stab of worry. It could not be a good sign if the disorder had progressed to the point where Artemis was hearing voices.

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Holly, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I suppose there is something you can do for me," said Artemis slowly, whether from genuine hesitation or the fact that he was still counting his words. He pulled his head off her shoulder, giving her a small smile. To Holly, his eyes looked so, so tired, and her heart almost broke at the sight of him. He seemed lost, scared, and alone. She would have done anything to make that look in his eyes disappear like rain in the summer sun. So when he leaned in to touch his lips to hers, she moved to meet him, feeling his other hand reach up to grasp her shoulder. Artemis's kiss was slow, languid, as if he wanted to feel every inch of her lips like they were his own. Holly's head was spinning, her world narrowing down to just her and Artemis. Again, this kiss was different from the others. The first two had been light, having a slight feel of mischief to them and a total lack of any sort of long-term consequences. Both were events Holly could dismiss easily as Artemis being confounding, as usual. The third kiss had been the first thing to really give Holy pause. It had been electric, passionate, and filed with feelings Holly hadn't wanted to confront in Artemis or herself. This kiss, however, was slow and bittersweet. Holly could feel, for the first time, the words that Artemis could never say. His 'I love you' was sinking under her skin, igniting into fire that danced across their lips. Yet, Holly could almost taste Artemis's pain, the agony of wanting something you knew you could never have.

They broke apart slowly, both lingering near the other. Artemis, instead of pulling back and having to look her in the eyes, simply moved until his face was resting against her cheek. Holly was hesitant, wanting to comfort him but at the same time wanting to pull away. She was feeling so conflicted about so many things, feeling that any choice she made would kill them forever. A perfect catch-22. So she made no choice at all, staying in the moment.

Artemis breathed out shakily, not from holding back need this time but from holding back tears. "Orion is much quieter now," he said softly, and Holly felt his lone tear on her cheek, slipping down and disappearing as she felt him fracture in the silence.

Just letting you know that yes, all of Arty's dialogue is in fives. I cam eout of this chapter counting words whenever anyone said something. Oh no, I have the Atlantis Complex! Help! Not really...

So, btw, this is what Orion sounded like in Arty's head.

Orion: Kiss her, kiss her, she is such a lovely fair maiden I cannot understand how you cannot profess your undying love-

Artemis: Shut up! Seriously, I'm trying to have a moment out here.

Orion: Pretty please?

Artemis: sighs...Fine. Geez.

Orion: Yay!Yay!Yay!

Artemis: For the love of all that's holy be quiet so I can kiss her!

Orion: (whispers) Sorry!

Okayyyyy...I obviously need to go to bed. Review. Yeesh!