Mind Breaking chapter 8 is HERE!
Artemis: Oh yay, yet another chance for you to kill me.
Me: I'm not going to kill you Artemis, just hurt you a lot!
Artemis: Do you enjoy hurting me?
Me: Arty torture makes me happy.
Artemis: You are…there isn't even a word to describe how…odd…you are.
Me: Hey it's better than being n-n-nooor….
Artemis: Normal….
Me: Yeah that word!
Reviewers!
Dark Dragoon 22: Thank you so much!
O.k. Artemis, will you please give the disclaimer?
Artemis: She doesn't own anything short of an egg timer…and don't sue her…she won't feel it I will!
Me: How right you are!
On with the story!
"What's all your fault?" Asked Artemis.
"I don't want to talk to you! Go away!" Yelled Aria.
Butler took the hint and led Artemis away from the scene to let them take care of their personal problems.
"What is it?" Asked Terra, bending down to look Aria in the eye.
Aria looked Terra straight in the eye and slapped her across the face sending a razor thin slice of wind that would sting later. "Stop treating me like a child!" She yelled.
"What is your problem?" Yelled Hiou. "All you ever do in whine and complain! Can't you just except the fact that you were the one who got us all locked up in the first place and deal with it! Everyone blames you so you just need to chill!"
Aria stared wide eyed at Hiou then looked to every one else. It was true. None of them could look her in the eye because what Hiou said was true.
"I don't feel that I should have to stay here with a bunch of people who can't trust me." Said Aria and began to walk in the general direction of Artemis and Butler.
Artemis was leaning on a tree with his arms folded and eyes cast downward. It was the closest he could get to meditating with out drawing unwanted attention. When he heard footsteps getting closer he looked up and around the tree to see Aria walking towards him.
She stopped in front of him and looked up at him. He looked generally concerned but weather it was for him or her she could not tell.
"I'm leaving," She said. "But before I do…." She hopped into the air and punched him square on the nose.
He stumbled backwards into Butler. By the time his head stopped spinning she was already almost out of site.
"What a BRAT!" Yelled Hiou, walking up to Artemis.
Terra ran up to Artemis and checked his nose for any bleeding or breaking. When she deduced that Artemis would live to a ripe old age she pulled back. "I'm not sure where she'd go. By today's standards we don't actually exist. So she can't legally get an apartment." Terra then began to babble about being worried about the little wind being.
"Will you SHUT UP already!" Yelled Hiou.
"I agree with Terra on this but I think we have much more important things to worry about." Said Mizuki.
"Like WHAT?" Shouted Terra.
"Like our two darling sisters Blanca and Ombra. They control the light and the dark. They can cast illusions using the element of light." Mizuki said.
Terra sighed and looked at Mizuki. "You're right we need to stay calm and alert."
Hiou looked thoughtful. "Hm, I'm wondering something here." She said.
"Like what?" Asked Mizuki.
"Have any of you actually met Blanca and Ombra?" She asked.
They all looked to each other confused. "No, I haven't now that you mention it." Said Terra.
"Me either," Mizuki said. "I don't even know what they look like."
"You've never met them?" Repeated Artemis.
"No." Said Hiou. "They were always with Frond, and we never met him either."
"Then how will we-?" Began Butler.
"Oh trust me," Said Terra. "We'll know."
Months passed and they hadn't seen hide nor hair of the mysterious Blanca or Ombra. Aria pretty much disappeared off the face of the Earth, and Terra had been training Artemis to understand his power. By the time she was done training him Hiou would mysteriously stub her toe every time she made a rude comment. Artemis's parents were not only getting used to all the company Artemis was having, but were thrilled by it. But when eight months had passed and not a peep from the two missing sisters the rest of them began to get anxious.
"Why haven't they shown up yet?" Asked Terra, more to herself than anything.
"Will you stop peeking out the window every five minutes? They probably don't want to mess with Arty and his new powers. OUCH!" She stubbed her toe yet again.
"I can look out the window if I want to!" Yelled Terra. "Oh and Artemis you have a visitor.
Everyone jumped up.
"No," said Terra. "It's just Holly." And she opened the window to let Holly in.
Everyone sat back down, relived.
"You all seem tense." Said Holly.
"It's been months." Said Mizuki. "We have not seen or heard a thing from the remaining two elementals."
"It's driving everyone crazy." Commented Hiou. "And Terra has not moved from that window for three months. I just wish they would show themselves already. I can't take much more of this." She said.
"I am inclined to agree with Hiou. It's nerve racking. I haven't been sleeping well and I get bad feelings from random people." Said Artemis. "Butler has not been well either. His hand is always in his jacket now. I don't think he's been sleeping well either."
"Speaking of the big guy, where is he?" Asked Holly.
"Down stairs making tea, why?" Asked Artemis.
"I have some information for you all. And Foaly thinks he's found a way to get your memories back."
"Well lets here it then." Said Butler, a tray of tea in hand.
They all gathered around Holly as she put a communicator from her pocket and set it in the middle of Artemis's bed.
"Can you here me Foaly?" She asked.
"Loud and clear Hol. How 'bout on your end?" Came Foaly's voice from the communicator.
"Loud and clear." Holly replied.
"Great, now then remember when I said that your memory loss was due to your powers?"
"Yes, I do." Said Artemis.
"Well apparently it wasn't. I watched the footage Holly got for me over and over again but I couldn't figure it out."
"Couldn't figure what out?" Asked Butler.
"What that light was. But I have a hunch. Mind you it's a real stretch. And I'm basing this hunch off of most of you humans' religious beliefs."
"Why would you do that?" Asked Artemis.
"I like to read human novels, they give me inspiration." Said Foaly.
"So what is this hunch?"
"I'm afraid that if I were to say it now Artemis would just faint again. Artemis you need to get down here now. I may have found a way to restore your memory."
Just then the sound of breaking glass and Angeline's scream was heard from down stairs. Artemis cringed.
"They're here." Said Terra. The rest of the elementals cringed as well. They could sense Blanca and Ombra's power.
Artemis got up and headed to the stairs, Butler following close behind.
"What's going on?" Asked Foaly.
"Later Foaly." Said Holly. "Later, right now Artemis may just be in trouble. And with that she pocketed the communicator and followed the rest of them after Artemis.
When they got down stairs they saw two twenty year old women. One had white hair and the other had black hair. The one with white hair was Blanca and the other would be Ombra. Blanca wore all black and Ombra, all white. Ombra had Artemis's mother by the throat and had lifted her off the ground.
Butler had his weapon drawn and finger on the trigger.
Blanca and Ombra both noticed Artemis at the same time. They had a satisfactory smile on their faces and than tossed Angeline by the throat at the wall. She slid to the floor in an unconscious heap.
"Mother!" Yelled Artemis, trying to wake her up. He was about to run to her when Blanca appeared in front of him. He just stood there, stunned. How had she gotten there that quick? How had he not noticed her coming? Was his mother alright? These things wound their way around Artemis's mind with almost strangling force. He found it incredibly hard to breath. Then he realized that Blanca had wrapped her hands around his throat and was giving it a hard squeeze. And, for the first time in many months, Artemis had no idea what he should do.
Artemis was almost unconscious when he heard many gun shots and a few neutrino blasts. Blanca let him go and he fell to the floor with a thump. He was immediately helped up by Terra and was dragged behind Butler and Holly.
"Are you ok?" Asked Mizuki.
"I think so…I need to…." Artemis tried to speak but was at a loss for words. He knew he needed to get to his mother as soon as possible. But when would that possibility arise? How could he get to her with out getting killed?
"You need to rest." Said Terra.
Artemis could only nod. His thoughts were still winding their way around his brain. He began to feel helpless.
Suddenly there came a shriek from Holly. Artemis looked up at her as she was attacked by a little black blob about the same size as she herself was. Then he got a good look at it as the thing got off of Holly and drew what looked like a silhouette of a neutrino. It was Holly. That thing that had Holly trapped was Holly herself. Artemis looked to Butler. But stopped when he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye. He looked down and saw that Butler's shadow was pulling itself out of the ground.
"Butler!" Artemis managed to yell just as the shadow thing was fully out of the ground.
Butler spun around and put about five rounds in to the shadow Butler. It fell to the ground but pulled itself back up again and the five bullets were left on the ground.
Holly and her shadow were dueling it out hand to hand. As the two Butler were pulling an action movie and ducking behind anything they could find and shooting at each other.
"Come on." Said Terra. "We have work to do."
Mizuki and Hiou nodded to each other and they all left Artemis on the stairs.
"Why did you wait so long to come?" Asked Terra.
"You have no idea about how we live, do you?" Asked Blanca.
"What are you talking about?"
"It's really very simple. Do you know what happens after eight months has passed and we have not been broken?"
"Something happens?" Asked Hiou.
"Yes, why do you think we were sealed away?" Asked Ombra.
"We were developing personalities right? Frond couldn't control us anymore." Said Hiou.
"You silly girl." Said Blanca. "We have always had personalities. We were sealed away because our power was too unstable. After eight months of exposure to the outside world we lose control."
"So why would you want to continue this. If we're broken the elements will stay in control. Why would you risk the fate of the entire world so you can just run around?" Asked Hiou.
"Do you know what would happen if we are all broken?" Asked Ombra.
They all shook their heads no.
"We return to that limbo Frond locked us away in. We return until another idiot releases us and it will all start over again. We risk this world because that is not how we want to live. In a continues circle of freedom and near madness."
During their conversation Artemis had made his way over to his mother. He felt her forehead and found a small trail of blood coming from a small gash on her temple.
"Mother," He whispered. "Mother please get up." He held her head up and brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face. "Please wake up Mother." He lightly touched the gash on her forehead and it healed and left no scar. The bruises that were on her neck also left with out a trace.
"But I thought that it only worked with the elementals." He thought. He was brought back from his thoughts when his mother groaned and shifted in his arms.
"Arty dear, what's going on?" She asked in a groggy sort of voice.
Artemis smiled at his mother and said, "Everything will be alright just don't worry."
"So this cycle will just go on forever?" Terra asked.
"Exactly." Said Ombra.
Mizuki had a look of realization of his face. "Did Aria know about this? Is that the real reason why she got so upset and left?"
"Mizuki, what are you talking about?" Terra asked.
"In the park, when she got upset. It wasn't because she thought that we didn't like her. She knew why we were really locked up. But she didn't want us to find out the real reason she was upset."
"But why?" Asked Hiou.
"I think that she respects Artemis. She knew that we never would have been able to beat her with out his plan. And you know how she is with fighting. She respects Artemis because he was able to beat her. And she knew that we would not like it that we be returned to the 'limbo' as Blanca and Ombra described it. And knew that if we did find out that we would not be so keen to help Master Artemis."
"But how could she have known?" Asked Terra.
"We told her." Said Blanca and Ombra in unison.
Terra looked over at Artemis. He was talking to his mother, trying to calm her down.
"So," she said. "What now?"
"What?" Ask Hiou.
"Do we chose to continue to fight with the one that will ultimately seal us away again? Or do we sit back and watch him die?"
"I don't want to be sealed again." Said Hiou. "But I must admit, I've kind of grown attached to him." She looked over at Artemis who was now hugging his mother and rubbing her back as she took all that she saw in.
"I agree. But it's not just Artemis we have to think about." Said Mizuki. "Just think about it. If we are to just let nature take it's course every one who lives on or under this Earth will not be able to survive. I know by her actions that Aria most definitely agrees with 'our lives for theirs'."
"So it's settled." Said Terra. "We knock the stuffing out of those two." She summoned a large piece of Earth from under the manor and tossed it in the direction of Blanca and Ombra.
Blanca stepped in front of Ombra and created a shield of light. And the battle went on. One of the three broken elementals would attack and Blanca would defend. Then Ombra would attack and the other three had no defense. For hours not a soul mover as they watched the fight. Holly and Butler and their shadows paused to watch this fight. Artemis was completely still he held onto his mother the entire time, trying to give both his mover and his little team of elementals strength. Day turned to night and no one was giving up.
It was nearly ten and Terra, Hiou, and Mizuki were on their last legs. Blanca and Ombra had hardly a scratch on them.
"This is getting bad."
Sorry people I have to end it here.
Arty: You nearly killed Mother you-!
Me: (covers Arty's mouth) Sh-Arty no swearing!
Butler: (draws gun) But you DID almost kill her and Artemis.
Me: That wasn't me! It was Blanca and Ombra! Go kill them!
Arty: They aren't writing the fan fiction.
Me: Well duh! They aren't really!
Arty: Neither are we!
Me: SHUT UP! You are too!