Artemis burst into a room without light. Five familiar people sat circularly around the objects he himself had gathered earlier. All with their eyes shut tightly. The candles have obviously been burning for awhile now, because the fifty or so of them were melting onto each other, creating a horridly beautiful sensation of a lighted waterfall. The most disturbing was the fact that they were all circled around what looked like a terribly mangled doll. Which he figured was supposed to be him.

"Artemis-" Qwan called into the darkness almost questioning his entrance. "Are you with us?"

Artemis snarled at Trouble. "Bloody tart-" he mumbled.

Holly turned. "Manners, boy" she scolded lowly.

"Is he with us?" Qwan asked excitingly- lids still closed, "and shut your eyes, child"

Holly closed her eyes. "He's here-"

"Artemis," Qwan instructed, "I need you to sit on top of yourself. Go on now."

Artemis shuffled into the center and laid on top of the body.

For all that is good and holy, why am I here? Artemis and Trouble thought simultaneously.

Artemis glanced at Butler and began to wonder why he hadn't snapped Trouble's neck. He glanced at the burly elf seated beside Holly. They were all holding hands- so naturally Trouble's hand had been in Holly's. Disgusting… thought Artemis sickly.

Trouble's eyes spontaneously opened and, almost as if he could see Artemis, which he no doubtingly couldn't, smirked mockingly at the boy. Well, smirked at the wall behind him. "Ugh-" groaned Artemis staring accusingly at Butler, "kill him, sweet Jesus, KILL him."

Qwan began muttering, beginning the ritual and Artemis' thoughts strayed.

The room darkened as if on command and Artemis began to feel light-headed. In actuality, it was the candles that were slowly flickering- and dying. Soon the room was left with very little light… and faces of the four he loved- and one he, well- did not, became distorted and unfamiliar.

Dark figures crawled out of the picture frames Qwan had kept on his bureau, leaving nothing but an empty frame behind. The doors shut quietly, the figures whispering, and a wind had pressed heavily onto his chest forcing him down into the body. He protested greatly. Just when he thought he couldn't fight it any longer- Qwan began to speak, facing Holly.

"You are the mother of light.
I am the father of darkness.
Let us come together.
Let us be one.
Life...return to thee.
Life...bestow to thee.
Life...from me to thee.


Life...from us to thee.
Life...from all to thee."

There was a deathening silence. The book he was holding began to converse with them. "A life- for a life" it groaned.

"A sacrifice?" Qwan whispered, "We promise. Just give us time."

"Let be done as you have commanded. You have until moonset- or the life you have borrowed for the boy will be taken as quickly as it has been given. You have been warned."

xxxxxx

Artemis awoke feeling rather sore.

He ran his fingers through a brown head of hair. He licked his dry lips and tenderly rubbed his arm and what felt like a stitching. He sat up and saw Holly standing directly at his feet.

Holly searched for her words before she spoke them, "You, er-, don't look like you did before, Artemis."

Artemis sat silent, wide-eyed, thinking of the possibilities. His eyes fluttered around the room.

Artemis didn't know what to say, so he did what he did best. Blamed someone else. "Well, Holly, who was it, exactly that was placed in charge of how I was supposed to look? If memory serves, it was you. You can't rightfully blame me for your mistake now can you?"

Holly narrowed her lids, staring daggers at the adolescent. "Thank you, Holly" she said mimicking a certain someone's Irish dialect, "for giving me back my life."

"I suppose thanks are owed," he said his mood returning to normal, "thanks for ruining my natural man-beauty and turning me into whatever the hell I look like as of now."

Holly ground her teeth and led the mud boy into a nearby mirror- letting him catch view of himself for the first time. She had never said he looked badly. In fact, she just so happened to omit the part she liked him better now- than she did before.

xxxxxx

Artemis shuddered as he felt Holly's grasp on his arm. It had been too long since he had felt. Needless to say, he would never suggest taking the sensation of touch for granted. Holly led him into the bathroom and blocked the mirror with her frame.

"Let's be mature about this, m'kay child?" Holly spoke condescendingly only when she was trying to distract him. "No yelling or fussing of the sort."

Artemis chuckled nervously, with no hint of nervousness in the laugh. "I'll try to control myself."

Holly nodded and stepped aside, allowing him to see. His hair was dark brown- his eyes unnaturally grey. The only thing that remained was his pallor. He was as bloodless before as he was now, aside from some color that marked his checks, making him look as though he had been struck. Holly thought it made him look like he was blushing- but whatever. His slightly plump lips matching the same color his cheeks possessed. What he hadn't known was that his features now were a mix of his original's (black ad blue) and his spirit's (light brown and light-blue).

He hid a satisfied smirk. Instead, he feigned a sigh and faked a look of disappointment.

"What's the matter?" Holly asked, not seeing why anyone would be upset with such an unusually beautiful mix.

"I just- wasn't expect this, is all."

Artemis ended his pity parade when he noticed the stitches running across some of his extremities. His arms, legs, finger…

He pulled curiously at a lose thread.

"No!" Holly scolded, "All I need is for you to fall apart again." She tucked the loose thread into a stitch. "I'm not exactly the best at sewing," she admitted.

Artemis tingled again as she touched him. He may have had a pretty face, but his body was certainly not going to do anything to attract her.

"I'm hideous," he said frustrated.

"I wouldn't say that-"

"Yes! I would! Look at my body, Hol-…what the hell!"

"Hey," she said sadly, "I really did try, Artemis

"No- it's. You did a lovely job and all, but- I mean, I won't being doing any underwear modeling is all I'm saying…"

She placed an arm around him, "I'm sorry to have ruined your chances of becoming a sculpted model, Artemis. Though, to be quite honest I don't see ass-showcasing as a line of work you would enjoy."



Holly shivered at privilege of being able to touch him again. She was a big girl, though, she could control herself…

Artemis lifted his shirt and glared at his pale stomach, lined with stitches. He traced his finger along his what he figured was disfigured body. He looked on in repulse. Holly looked on with interest. Under his sewn flesh was a sculpted abdomen, which he for some reason failed to see. All he saw was scars.

"Oh stop. You seemed quite pleased with your face."

"My face isn't ridden with scars," he said pouting, never glancing up.

He poked at an injury, "I would expect, having me back, you'd at least be affectionate. A hug or a kiss on the cheek would have sufficed, you know," He finally looked up and smiled sadly, "but I understand you being a tad turned off."

Unable to control herself any longer, Holly lunged at him pinning him against the bathroom wall bringing her lips hard against his cheek. She placed a palm to his firm belly, covering a stitch he had been prodding. "Stop bothering with them," she whispered sternly, "besides, they make you look tough." Artemis smirked at this. Tough, had never been a word used to describe him before. Holly pulled of his cheek and retracted a hand that had been exactly where it wasn't supposed to. On top of Artemis. Artemis softened at Holly's innocence. Holly stilled, leaving them both remaining a mess of limbs against the wall.

"I'm not cold," she realized.

Artemis cocked a brow, "…I'm glad."

Holly kissed him fully and Artemis smirked into the kiss returning it.

The door knob turned. Coincidently; old men have small bladders. Hence, in walked Qwan, bladder full, witnessing a relationship he himself specifically forbade.

Author's Note

Errr! –pokes head- Severe writer's block! Suggestions welcome :X

Leena: You dirty old man! You ruin everything.

Qwan: Stop using this conversation as an excuse to procrastinate writing the next chapter.

Leena:…..Your accent is fake.

Qwan: Whatever. Keep this up and I'm gonna tell Artemis you like him.

Leena:blinks

Qwan: He'll never be with you. He loves Holly.



Leena: I am Holly.