" Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man. "

- Fedor Dostoevsky, "The Brothers Karamazov" -

The room was in shadows, barely lit by the brightness of the glaciers coming from the windows. It was the magical hour, the moment when storms started and the land got covered by a mist of apparently harmless snowflakes.

As harmless as the ones he could summon, so icy that they were able to cut through skin and bone and stop the blood current of a strong man with a mere gust.

It was the deadly hour, when doors were locked, fires were started and children would gather around their parents to hear stories about men who got lost in the storm and never returned.

Diamond Dust, the dwellers called it. A natural mirage of brightness and beauty able to lead anyone to certain death.

Anyone except him. For him, the snowstorm blowing outside... was inspiration.

A path to follow.

A symbol.

" I hate this... "

His life.

" It makes my head hurt "

Hyoga sighed, his eyes travelling to the nearest window. The snow was banging against it with fury, the shutters trembling with every howl of the wind. It would hold, though. It had held for years.

" It feels like a thousand voices in my head... "

He got up and walked to the corner of the room - the corner he tried to avoid, but somehow couldn't -. He cringed when the figure on the bed shook and trembled, fighting with the covers with heavy movements.

" Make it stop... "

" You know that I can't do that, Artemis... " he started, crouching by the side of the bed, all the time refusing to look at her bandaged arms and the fading bruises on her skin. At first it had been easy, she had been too broken as to see her as the being she was. Her arms, her legs, her wounds, they weren't really hers, not in his mind, they were detached items that had been broken and he had to fix. Yet now that she was actually healing, that the two women that had taken care of her all this time saw it fit not to come as often, that the danger for her life was no longer as close and the chances of surviving had grown; it was no longer asked of him to see for her wounds, but to see for her self. And her self he could not detach, he could not turn into a gash, a scar, a broken limb.

So in the end, it was better not to see.

" Please... "

He knew she was drifting again, then. She would have never begged if she hadn't.

" The Island hurts... "

So it was that. Her favourite nightmare. He knew them all already, knew more or less when to expect them, even knew how to deal with some of them. Of course, he wasn't sure of what was going on in her mind, what she was seeing. Some parts he could decipher, though. The worse the nightmare, the nearer it got to a vision, the closer it took her into consciousness... and into talking. And from her words, he had learnt.

And hated.

" Artemis..." he began, frowning when looking at her bruised face. It was hers already, though, no longer the monster that had attacked him when reaching the plains. Maybe that was why it bothered him even more. Wounds on a beast he could stand, wounds on her... At least they were just bruises now, fading ones. At least it was no longer death the one that marred her.

" ... and burns... " she whimpered softly, trying to stretch her arms towards whatever she was seeing. Her broken one remained still, though, twitching with the urgency of her muscles.

Hyoga sighed, ignoring the pain in his chest and mentally cursing the one that had left her like that. He then sat by the side of her bed, catching her failing arm by the wrist. The veins were pounding strongly under his fingers. He did not want to find out how fast her heart was beating.

" ... and screams... " Her eyes flung open; fear, despair, impotence and guilt -more than anything, guilt- shinning in her tired orbs.

" ... for me "

He kept her healing arm still, least she moved it and strained the muscles or the sealing bone, while keeping his hold on her other wrist in case she mistook him with whatever she was dreaming about and decided to slash at him.

It wouldn't have been the first time she did that.

Then he waited, letting her eyes grow used to the dimness of the room, letting her mind assimilate the surroundings and accept whatever she was seeing before as what it had been. Nothing but a dream.

" I woke you up "

Hyoga released her.

" I wasn't sleeping "

She nodded, then sat up, rubbing her eyes forcefully. A yawn escaped her lips, making her usually severe face look somewhat childish.

" I've always liked storms "; she said absently, eyes resting on the trembling shutters. " They sound like a howling pack " Artemis smiled, glancing at him, " Wolves "

" You and your damn wolves "

She pulled the covers closer, tightening them about her shoulders. The look in her eyes had darkened, her knuckles growing white around the covers.

" I... " He began, noticing his mistake. The last thing she needed was to be reminded of her damn wolf. "... I did not mean... "

" They... are strong " she interrupted him, her voice low. " Fierce... " Artemis' eyes shone, reflecting the light of the glaciers, " ... and loyal. That's why I like them " She chuckled, tugging a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, " Because they are everything that I am not and long to be "

She turned and leaned forward, her face just mere inches from his. He remained still, frowning slightly at the mischievous glitter in her eyes. She grinned. " I bet that's what you were hoping to hear, weren't you? Do have some faith in me, Hyoga " she added admonishingly " I am not that pathetic. Though I guess being bed-ridden does not help my case, does it? " she pouted, trying to lift her broken leg to prove her point.

Hyoga let out a sigh and shook his head. " Hopeless "

She beamed. " Much better "

For an instant, it all came back, the pain, the guilt, the need, all the feelings he somehow associated with her, and with them came the desires those feelings gave.

He still wasn't sure if he wanted them back or not. But...

" Talk to me. I've had enough of silence "

But what do you say when all words have been spoken?

" ... "

Artemis grinned. " A bed-time story? I promise I'll fall asleep afterwards "

But he did not want her to fall asleep. Sleep looked too much like death on her, and she had been near death for too long already.

" Fair " she sighed, biting her lower lip. She let herself fall back to the bed unceremoniously, covering her eyes with her left arm.

He placed his hand over hers, the contact making her move her arm just enough as to peek at him with a narrowed eye.

" No story, no touching "

" You do know that when you start to nag, you sound as if you were high or something? "

" Oh, yeah, is the soup you give me " she shook her head " I am certain the herbs you put in it are from a dubious nature, sir "

He smiled, fixing his eyes on hers. They looked so bright with the room in shadows... as if some inner light were making them shine.

Probably her cosmo.

Had to be that.

" Hyoga? " she asked, arching one of her brows. " Is something the matter? "

Artemis stretched her arm towards him, the tip of her fingers brushing his cheek like feathers.

He got up.

" I'll get you some water. You need it... then we'll talk "

He didn't want to see if she was disappointed or not. It was enough with seeing the way her arm had fallen over her eyes once again.

" Hyoga, wait "

He stopped.

" I did not mean to wake you up. I... I shouldn't keep you here... I wouldn't keep you here if... Damn. I just hope... you understand. I guess what I am trying to say is... that ... " he heard her sigh " Forget about it "

Hyoga closed his eyes, forcing himself to ignore her words and get into the kitchen instead of stay and ask. He didn't know whether to feel strong or not for leaving the room without pausing.

When he returned with the water, she was already asleep. He knew she wouldn't open up like that again.

Shunrei looked to the sky, allowing the soft, warm breeze to caress her face. She half-opened her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the sun. The bright rays made her wink; then they finally succeeded in making her close her eyes once again. She sighed, bowing her head, while her fingers laced mechanically with her hair, plaiting the dark waves and undoing the plait over and over again.

She was bored.

Every morning, she woke up with the firm intention of returning to Rhozan, of leaving Sanctuary and the gaunt faces of its inhabitants behind. She had never understood that, the grieve and pain that seemed to ooze from every saint she had met. They were serving a greater cause, a cause led by a Goddess of Wisdom, a warrior-maiden that only fought to accomplish peace. A Goddess that wanted their strength, as much as she wanted their happiness.

But they couldn't be happy. No matter how hard they tried.

That was why, just as she woke up with the determination of leaving Sanctuary, she always ended up postponing her departure. She had always thought that Dohko's and Shiryu's unhappiness had to do with their own dedicated personalities, by the knowledge and responsibility both of them had to carry on their shoulders. She had thought that, someday, when all the battles had ended and peace would have finally been achieved, their pain would somehow be lifted, and they would be able... to be happy.

But she wasn't sure about that anymore. The pain she saw on their faces, was the same she had seen, during her last weeks as a guest in Sanctuary, on the faces of every single saint, of every trainee.

They were the ones that got to her the most, though. The trainees. She sometimes felt like screaming at them, screaming why they suffered when they were threading a path that would place them among the stars, why they suffered when they were devoting their lives to a Goddess that gave nothing but love. She wanted to ask them if they would remain denying happiness once they got their clothes, once they shed their first blood for Her. She wanted to tell them to stop. To see the world that they were fighting for, to feel the feelings they were protecting. To see that being a Saint was a thing worth celebrating, not... mourning.

But she was no Saint, so they would not listen. She knew Dohko and Shiryu never had.

And for once in her life, Shunrei knew she wasn't helping them. Even when Dohko now wore a mask, she hadn't needed to see his face to know that he was worried over her.

And Shiryu...

Shiryu didn't even dare to look at her in the eyes.

As if she were a doll. A porcelain doll that would break if not kept away from all the dangers in the world.

Dangers like living.

Wasn't staying with them a proof of her strength? Resisting whenever they would leave her alone, waiting for them, dealing with their wounds, with their silences, never showing them her own pain, wasn't that a proof that she could not break?

Probably not, at least not for them.

For them she would always be the doll, not the warrior's daughter.

She sighed. Boredom was making her mind wander. Staying in the ill's ward was starting to get to her. There were so many things to take care of at Rhozan that each day that went by in Sanctuary seemed like torture to her.

But still she couldn't bring herself to leave. Even when her health had long recovered, even when she had no one to turn to in Sanctuary. Even when nothing really held her there.

No one.

Shunrei shook her head and got up from the bench on which she had been sitting. The world seemed to change perspective when she opened her eyes and took the sight of the garden around her. The perfect recovery place for warriors, a garden made of colours and herbs. With no roses.

Roses seemed to have a bad meaning in Sanctuary.

From the garden, she could see the river where the women washed the warriors' clothes, the edges of the town's buildings.

From the garden, she could see everything that made Sanctuary what it was, and yet that wasn't Sanctuary at all.

She could see the lives of those that did not fight. Of wives, children, old men, rejected saints and weak trainees. Of fat merchants, beautiful maidens and exotic messengers.

She could see what Sanctuary strove to protect. What was expected from those that did not fight.

And even when every single soul had the love of their Goddess, none of them... had the love of her Saints.

None of them was a cause for their happiness.

" Already up? "

She started, surprised at being discovered in a place so far off from all the social spots of Sanctuary. But her initial reticence disappeared when meeting the amused eyes of the newcomer.

" I am used to waking up early " she answered, smiling shyly.

The being known as Ellie in the outside world and as Eris within the walls of Sanctuary nodded, following the girl's gaze to the little cottages and the mass of moving people. No heroes, no villains, no fate-changing beings among them. Nothing but mortals, living their daily lives, their routines. Trying to be happy.

She looked away.

They were not worth meddling with. They did not deserve the intervention of a Goddess.

They did not need it.

" We used to do the same thing. Waking up early, that is " she added, leaning against the ward's wall while toying with one of her blue-blonde locks with her index. A nymph made of gold, blue and heavy drapes. " We don't do that anymore, though " she added with a wink, making Shunrei blush. The woman in her felt empathy and an instant closeness to the Chinese girl. The Goddess in her felt pleased by her demure attitude and her timid yet fearless behaviour. Both of them found no reason not to pursue further conversations.

Both of them heard Shunrei agree.

" So it is true, isn't it? " the Goddess turned Mortal asked, leaning closer with a mischievous glitter in her ever-changing eyes, " You do think too loud "

The blush and the shy smile vanished from the girl's face, a paleness that did not fit her strong features replacing them.

" We are sorry, we did not mean to scare you " Ellie added genuinely " Or maybe we did. We are full of surprises " corrected Eris with another wink.

Shunrei couldn't but feel comfortable after such a contradictory statement. A part of her knew that the being talking to her had once been a threat to mankind, the same way it knew it had also been a young, harmless girl working at an orphanage. But that part of her self was going unheard, silenced by the feeling of comfort that the Goddess was providing her. For whatever the minds inside that body, the being was still a Goddess, and one she could relate to. One that was closer to her ideal, to her Athena. Strong, decided, caring and most of all, alive, incredibly alive.

Not bleeding and growing insane before her eyes.

" Glad to know you don't agree with the general opinion regarding us "

Shunrei lifted an eyebrow, puzzled.

" About us being mad " Eris completed while walking towards the bench on which the black-haired girl had been sitting minutes before. " We are not to blame for both of us having strong personalities "

And Shunrei was certain that she heard two women with the same voice curse the other after Eris had said that.

" What... what did you mean by that? The thing about my thoughts... Artemis said something like that to me, and I just can't ... " she frowned, her face reflecting the confusion she was feeling, " ... I can't understand "

Eris bent forwards, resting her elbows on her legs and her chin on her hands, " Do you feel comfortable asking for answers from us? You know and trust Athena a lot more than you know and trust us "

" So you ask us instead, because... " she fluttered her eyelashes, " ...we are cute and adorable? "

Shunrei sighed. Maybe they were mad after all " How do you do that? "

Eris blatantly faked surprise " What? "

" ...it is almost... as if you were able to read my mind. Artemis did the same... "

" We don't do a thing " Eris shook her index accusingly at her " You humans are all the same, blaming us for your own actions. You know, it shouldn't surprise you when one of us wants to kill you all. You are a constant source of headaches. And you still haven't answered our question. You are not even thinking about it, we feel hurt "

Shunrei was certain that if there was something Eris could not feel, was harm.

" Neither have you "

Eris laughed, patting the free space by her side so Shunrei could sit. " That is so improper, Shunrei! " The black-haired girl blushed furiously, immediately staring at the floor in shame. She had always been too blunt. " Mortals shouldn't demand answers from a God, that's not your place. But again... " Mischief shone once again in those bluish amber orbs, " We like that. Your words are as honest as your thoughts " Eris tilted her head, suddenly serious " It is funny, how Athena's underdogs are the creatures that we find fascinating... "

" So... "

" So you shall sit by our side and both listen and answer. You shall entertain us, for we are utterly bored and Athena's saints insist on either ignoring us or mistrusting us, and our own little broken one feels ignored and mistrusted himself, so our company is not the one he is enjoying the most. You shall stay with us this morning, and maybe we'll give you the answers you demand so forcefully " Eris' eyes narrowed, " But remember who you are talking to, Shunrei of Rhozan. We will never give you what Athena might. It is not in us to bring comfort, it is not in us to seek the most peaceful resolution to a problem "

::: We are the Deceiver, the Playful Monster, the War Bringer :::

" Don't expect anything but chaos from us "

She was, oddly enough, alone. It felt... eerie, somehow, the echoing silence that seemed to take over the room now that she was its only inhabitant. Maybe it was because her bed was made and looked utterly alien and out of place.

Cold.

She missed the company, the warmth of another body pressed close to her. She missed the little sounds, the life turned palpable that a person could bring.

She missed it, but did not long for it. For the absence of a man in her room was self-imposed, the same way that avoiding her son and her followers had been deliberate. Melaenis wanted to be by her own.

Just for the day. Just long enough to think and understand.

Long enough to decide.

She had believed that breaking what little was left from Artemis would be an easy task after what her son had done to her. It wasn't. It didn't take much to see that the one that had been broken had been him, and that the will she had thought had banished from the Huntress still burned, perhaps even higher than before.

And even when an assassin had been sent, she doubted the masked guardian would be able to accomplish his task.

For the Huntress had thought of that possibility, of her own hounds being sent after her trail, and had found herself a little shield of her own.

A Saint.

Marked and loved by Athena, a child of Justice, of Wisdom.

Of War.

A child whose death, if by the hands of one of her warriors, would mean an open attack against Sanctuary.

And even when Melaenis rarely allowed anything but instinct to rule her, she was not a fool. Specially not foolish enough as not to know that even when the Guardians were strong, even when Ortygia was the perfect fortress, there were no chances of Victory against the one that wielded Victory itself. No matter how much Fortune had decided to smile on her.

After all, there were no more warriors beyond the Guardians in the Island. And Athena had an army of stars under her command. Nine Monsters against eighty-eight Saints.

So Melaenis knew that the chances of ending Artemis' life were growing faint, as much as she knew that she now had her hatred as much as she had had her despite.

She didn't know, though, how things had got so out of hand so suddenly. Didn't know how the enmity between them, the little glares and minor revenges had turned into a matter of life or death.

All she had wanted... was to free the world.

No, that was secondary, that came with the position she found herself in.

She had wanted to show Artemis that there was more to her than what the Huntress saw.

That she wasn't just a whore she could look down on.

... She had wanted to throw her out of her heavenly perch, to force her to see that they were not as different.

That there were no reasons for her to feel so bloody perfect, so virtuous, that she did not have the right to judge her, to condemn her.

In the end, she had wanted to break her. She had wanted... to have her respect.

And as the unyielding bitch that Artemis was, she had left her no other choice but to prove it to her in the only way she understood.

To have her respect, she had been forced to turn Artemis into something that, to her eyes, was more pitiful and dirty than herself.

She had been forced to turn the high and mighty Huntress... into a shadow. Into a lie.

The world came second, the million lives beating in her heart. The freedom of the world from the hands of the Gods was something she desired...

She desired.

Melaenis frowned, a cold shiver running down her spine.

There were twelve Olympian Gods, bright and all-mighty. Unparalleled.

Unmatched.

Except when it came to facing a single creature. A being, young and old, familiar and strange, loved and blessed by the Fates. A being that had been born with one very special gift.

To be able to use his sting against all living creatures, from the lowest life-form... to the Gods themselves. No matter their power, no matter their rank among the Bright and Perfect.

And yes, she desired. To be accepted by those that looked down on her, not just the Huntress, but the Law-Giver and every single goddess that thought themselves above her just because she openly embraced the fact that being among the twelve did not stop her from being a woman. She desired the world to love her as devotedly during the day as they loved her during the night. And even if that meant freeing them from the Gods completely, then she was willing to pay that price. She desired to pay that price.

She desired so many things.

But had never acted upon them, had never had the urge, the feeling written so much over her skin.

She had loved and wanted to be loved. That had always been her sole... desire.

As much as Artemis had had her beliefs, something so precious to her, so sacred, that when her own desires acted against them... she let her have hers.

" What I am doing? " Melaenis whispered, dropping unceremoniously on the bed, her golden curls forming a fine web all over the perfumed sheets.

And Artemis knew that, that was why... she had let them go that far, she had let them... stop her.

From getting what the Huntress desired.

Even if that had meant letting them break her.

She took a deep breath, wishing to be able to see the future as much as the Olympic twins could, wishing to be able to look into the threads that made what was, would come... or might be.

She smiled. At least she could still believe in the might.

There were still chances. Even when her cards had already been played.

Love was her turf, and she had taken advantage over that ever since feeling the well-known burn in Artemis' heart.

It was only fair that Eros would be doing the same with her Desire. After all, it was there, a wish that was completely her own, even when she would have ignored it without him.

She stretched her hand towards the ceiling, her bright eyes following the cracks on the marble even when in her mind she was picturing every single mortal on earth.

" And I will free you all from the yoke that we have imposed on you, I will let you reign over your life, over your self... "

Because Fate decreed so. And she would show the Huntress that she was strong enough to do what she had failed to accomplish.

She would face it. And leave the choice of running away to the one that had always loved the chase.

" Oh, Artemis... be safe behind your shield, be safe behind the little cocoon you have hidden yourself into, the little walls and wards that you have cast around yourself to stay away from my touch... " she sat slowly, stretching her back as if she were a cat. Her hands closed over the sheets of the bed, clutching them forcefully, " Pretend you can stand my power if that is what you wish " Melaenis lowered her eyelids, her emerald eyes glittering behind the veil of her golden lashes. Glittering with cosmo.

" Because if I can't end you... if not even the assassin you trained so well can do so... then I will go for him. For your shield " Anger and despair slowly took over her delicate features as the pain of her nails digging into her own skin reached her nerves.

" And even if I can't end his life... then I will grasp his heart... the sea of feelings that burn inside his mortal heart and you will see what I am capable of "

She had first seen him when the dance started, a shadowy figure by the trees around the Temple.

When the fires began to burn, she lost sight of him and allowed herself to get caught by the rhythm of the drums instead, the words she had been taught to repeat escaping her red lips in a monotonous chant.

" Come hither foam-born Cyprian goddess, come... "

It was their nightly dance, one made under the stars and for their lovely Goddess' sake. Made to please Her, to celebrate Her... to ask for Her blessings and thank for Her gifts.

" And in golden goblets pour richest nectar... "

It was both orgiastic and unholy.

It was the most beautiful dance in the world, the purest form of adoration. The absolute surrender.

It was something that was banned, frown upon and found monstrous by most of the inhabitants of the Island.

Most... but not all. And even when Melaenis' followers, her lavish women of curves and scents were still the ones to perform that ritual in Ortygia... there were some of the Huntress' followers among the dancing figures, turned faceless thanks to the cover of the night and the flicking shadows of the bonfires.

No matter how strong the bonds of the islanders to their frigid Queen's values were, after her defeat by Eros' hands...they were already succumbing to Love.

In shame, in pain, in revenge.

But succumbing at last.

" All mixed in most ethereal perfection... "

And while she danced and chanted in ecstasy, a perfect little drugged puppet hanging from Melaenis' fingers, she reached for them, for the faceless creatures around her, for their warmth and their caresses.

But then she saw him again, still standing among the bushes, looking right into her eyes -no, through her eyes and into the very depths of her soul... -, the same man that had caught her attention before, the one she had wished to reach for when the dance started.

But it wasn't too late yet. The dance wasn't over and wouldn't be until the bonfires went down.

She could still go to him.

" ... thus to delight us "

And as if he had been reading her mind, he stretched his arm towards her, a hand that she was certain to be pale compelling her to follow him.

She leaped once. Twice. The drums still called to her, the beating still made her want to dance. Her eyes never left his, daring him to follow her instead.

Even when she wasn't able to make out his face in the dark, she was certain he had laughed.

So in the end she surrendered once again, not to the beating of the drums or the scents of the burning fire, but to that shadow that waited for her - only for her, not to any body that were to be close of his reach -.

He gave chase.

The woman laughed, holding her skirt and following the sound of his footsteps in leaps and jumps, wanting to catch him and be caught at the same time. She had expected the thrill, the run, she had expected it all but found that the rush was still greater than what she had thought.

But her head was dizzy and her movements were clumsy, so she stopped running to catch her breath, bending over while her chest rose and fell heavily.

" Do not run from me " she cooed, trying to find him between the shadows of the forest. " And rest with me instead " she added playfully, stretching her body in a faked yawn.

Laughter was once again her answer, deep and musical.

Mesmerising.

The part of her mind that wasn't still numbed and elated found pleasure in this. Harsh voices, grim smirks and derisive sneers had been the only things she had found in the Huntress' followers. But this one proved her wrong. This man's laughter reminded her of a warm breeze, of white sands and a lazy sun.

Reminded her of luscious passions and languid foreplay. Reminded her...

" Laugh, then, if that pleases you " she said to the wind, lying down on the ground.

" Laugh by my side... " the woman added , laughing herself when seeing his shadow closer. " Laugh with me " she continued, her fingers idly playing with the ribbons of her tunic.

" Once we are deeper into the forest "

She closed her eyes in delight. Blessed be Melaenis' aphrodisiacs and hallucinogens for messing around with her perception.

" No one will mind " she purred. In fact, no one did, not when it came to their purest form of devotion. The moans and howls coming from the bonfires were a proof of that.

" I will "

Their devotion, but not his. She nodded and got up, ready to follow him once again. Ortygia and Cyprus were different and she knew that, the same way she knew that her task, and her sisters', was to lessen that difference, to bring Cyprus into Ortygia. And if the hunter wanted to celebrate his goddess by laying with her in solitude in the forest, then she would yield and let him think that it was his goddess indeed, and not hers, the one they were cherishing.

It was her task, after all, and with time she would succeed.

To lessen the difference... until all was left was Cyprus.

To everyone's eyes and hearts and souls.

It was a task full of delight and pleasure, deprived of the violence and blood that the other realms preached about.

Something that felt so good just had to be right.

And slowly but surely, the ones that had been blind to Melaenis' ways, were starting to see that.

Just as her hunter.

The woman smiled and rushed after the man that had caught her attention so much.

Just as her prey.

Only when the drums were no longer heard, when the only sounds around them were the voices of the forest and the only light shinning on them was that of the waning moon over the trees, did he put an end to the chase and stopped.

She was glad for that. Her mind had started to clear up, and she did not want that to happen. There was something so utterly reassuring about leaving all her actions in the hands of her goddess that regaining the control of her actions gave her a sense of uneasiness.

" Far enough? " she whispered, swaying her way towards him. The shadow stopped being a shadow and the man she was chasing began to take form before her eyes.

He was beautiful, just as she had known he would be. A pale creature framed by a sea of black hair, dressed in gold and black. He was tall and slender, his features sharp, soften only by the fullness of his lips, which were curled in the shadow of a smile.

And his eyes... she was sure she had seen eyes like those before... so light, so blue... with sparkles of white fire making them shine like diamonds under the Ortygian night.

" Come " There was passion in his voice, there were silent promises of the heat she craved for so much.

There was love.

She nodded, undoing the knots that held her tunic together as she walked to his side. The falling silk was an arousing caress over her skin.

" Here I am... to celebrate and praise. For Love and Victory... " she purred, tracing his chest with an idle index. Where had she seen those eyes before...?

" Celebrate? " He held her still, strong hands closing around her shoulders. She was mildly surprised. She had not expected such strength in someone like him.

" She left... and we won " she bit her lips in anticipation, " Thus we celebrate. I know... it must disappoint you... but Melaenis has been trying to make you see it for so long... your Goddess is not to trust "

He let her go.

" She is not fair... she is not just... " she leaned closer, getting on tip-toes to whisper in his ear, " she is weak "

Those eyes...

" And she is gone? "

" Of the island, yes. Just as she left you before "

" What happened? "

" She attacked your own clan leaders. She attacked us. Our Gods just had to stop her... " She reached for his lips, a sigh of disappointment escaping her throat when he moved away. But the disappointment soon disappeared when he cupped her face in his hands -hands so warm, so soft... - and traced her lips with his index.

" Where is she now? "

" No one knows... probably dying. Unlike her, our lord is a strong one... But enough of that... " she bit his index teasingly, " and more of this. Let no sorrow fall upon you "

His eyes narrowed slightly, following the path his index was making over her lips, over her cheek, over her neck.

The sun seemed to live inside those eyes...

" You know nothing else, don't you? Even when you are one of Aphrodite's most trusted priestesses... a sacred whore that shares her trust and secrets, you still don't know where Artemis is... which can only mean that she does not know herself... does she? "

" Please, forget about that... at least tonight... I'll erase the pain... " she promised, her own hand reaching for his face. But his fingers around her wrist stopped her. Once again, his strength took her by surprise.

And despite the numbness, her hazed senses... she could feel them burning. Over her skin, into it. White fire eating her flesh.

She screamed when her wasted brain finally registered the pain.

" Let's start again, my lovely whore. Where is she? Artemis "

" Let go! " she shrieked, desperately trying to break free as she turned and twisted from the pain.

Slowly, the fading scent of the bonfires was being replaced by that of burnt flesh.

He lifted her by the arm, his eyes fixing on hers. " What did your Gods did to her? "

And she could no longer scream, could no longer speak, all she could do was fear and tremble. Because she had seen those eyes before... not with sparkles of light but with stains of darkness... but she had seen them.

From afar, and so many years before that she had almost forgotten about them. Almost.

After all, how could she forget a God? How could she forget her mistress' enemy?

" The fear that comes with enlightenment suits you... " he said dreamily, biting into her lips. Blood made the kiss both painful and sweet.

He licked his lips when he moved away, the bloodstains making them seem black under the eerie light of the moon. She broke down in tears.

" Stop that " And it was a command, an order enhanced by his burning fingers around her wrist, " Because your fate is sealed. Fear and doubts are meaningless once hopes are erased "

If the pain over her torn lips hadn't been so great, she would have bitten them herself to stop the urge to scream.

" Why? "

Her question brought sorrow to his eyes, " You won't answer, will you? You'll remain faithful to your Goddess no matter what is to befall you "

She nodded.

" It is ironic... that her priestesses are as fierce in their loyalty as Artemis' guardians are in theirs. The differences between one and the other are not as great as they think " he released her hand and placed his arms around her waist instead.

" Do you still want to know why? " he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

" ... yes "

He sighed.

" Because we Love "

And he made her tilt her head and kissed her naked neck, with fangs and pain and tears. With blood - her own -, flowing like a cascade from her open jugular to his mouth and to the ground.

Fresh blood on the soil. The oldest libation of them all. A dying heart for those that Shone. Or maybe for those that had found their home in the Dark. After all, Death was Artemis' favourite present.

And by the bonfires, the drums still beat.

The sound of a breaking branch told him off. Or maybe he had just walked on it on purpose. He had been wishing to get caught since the moment he felt them entering his shrine.

The creature lifted his face from the carcass of the dead woman and stared right into his eyes.

Thyestes had to do his best not to break down in tears at the sight of those eyes.

This could be your fate, those eyes were telling him, if you want it to be

And even when a part of him would always want that, he shook his head and refused his threat of an offer.

The creature smirked. The urge to cry hit him once again. If was unfair, for Day to be so much like Night.

" Then I was right " he said, dropping the body unceremoniously on the ground. Thyestes tried to make out who the woman was, but there was too much blood over her face as to notice. " If there was one of you who still remained faithful, it had to be you. Her hunting hound "

Thyestes ignored the anger and pain that seemed to ooze from his voice and concentrated on checking his surroundings instead. The shrine remained empty, if not for the two of them and the dead girl.

" Because you are still faithful, aren't you? " he pressed on, the blood on his face -blood that was not his and never would - enhancing the silent threats that he left unsaid but not unheard.

Faithful. It was faith the one that had kept him going when all came crumbling down on him. It was faith the one that had led him there, to follow a goddess he had believed to be a myth.

It was the same faith in that goddess the one that had kept him from submitting to another when all seemed lost.

It was faith the one that was still keeping him from doing so.

Thyestes, Canes Venatici... the Hunting Hound... strong yet gentle, wise yet prone to committing mistakes, collected and composed unlike the more unstable members of the Nine, had always been a sucker for lost causes.

So it came almost like an insult to be asked where his loyalty was from a being that knew the answer already.

A being that could as well know it all.

" I would never betray my goddess " he answered, repeating the words he had told Narcissus the night Artemis returned to them to be vanquished.

" But I cannot but wonder who is that goddess of yours "

Not just devious but cunning... he should have expected that from him. Thyestes had avoided taking an open stand for years now, hiding in excuses and technicalities. He could live that way, a guardian and an inhabitant of the island that he believed his home. He could remain there, for the sake of the past and the lives that had made him what he was, for the sake of the future and the lives that were under his charge. He could live like that, having his conscience and his dreams stained with disgust and guilt, but his life untouched, unmarred. Still a follower of the Huntress in the island that belonged to Love.

He could live in the in-between.

But the creature would take none of that.

And he knew he would not be able to hide from him even if he tried. He looked too much like her as to do so. And even when the differences were there... they only helped to enhance the fact that they were siblings. Twins.

Night and Day. Sun and Moon.

Artemis and Apollo.

So different... yet so alike.

" I've always followed your sister and will follow no other " he said, walking closer to the place where the creature stood " Only Artemis has my loyalty "

And the Sun God smiled -not like her, not with mockery and teases, but with pleasure and approval - and accepted his stand, the threats banishing... or at least mellowing.

He could have his approval, but he would never gain his trust.

" And she came to you... "

" ... just to be crushed " Thyestes completed, willing to take his anger if that was what he decided to give him.

After all, he deserved it.

But Apollo did not leash out to him, did not show any sign of anger nor of pain. He just remained where he was, a perfect statue of marble and ivory with blood on his face and a broken doll by his feet.

" By Aphrodite? "

" I can't... " Apollo frowned " ...see her during the night. If she had come by day... " he shook his head " But she didn't. Because whatever happened to her, she did not want me to know. Yet... " his eyes fixed on Thyestes once again. The guardian was mildly amused to find them so bright when Artemis' had always possessed a veil of darkness " I felt her scream. It was strong enough to reach me even when her symbol was the one reigning on the sky "

He crossed the empty space that separated him from the guardian in two graceful steps and placed his hand over his shoulder. Thyestes had to fight the urge to move away " And now she closed her cosmo around her. I tried to get to her and all I found was this... wall against which I keep colliding and colliding "

" So tell me... was it Aphrodite? "

" It was Eros " And Thyestes knew he would have to say no more, for Apollo knew his sister lived, and knew that Eros had defeated her.

" And none of you... did anything? " Apollo frowned in anger, his lips curving dangerously. His hand suddenly started to feel warm... then hot, burning Thyestes' skin slowly. The Guardian did not move.

" ... She forbade it "

" And you are so faithful that you actually listened to that?! " he asked mockingly, tightening his hold over Thyestes' shoulder. " You should reconsider where your faith lies, hunting hound "

" One word. One sign. That's all that would have taken for me to go to her aid. For any of us. She gave us none, nothing but the promise of her hatred if we were to help her. And we can't take that " he pushed Apollo's hand away from his shoulder, " We are not Gods "

" We are her Guardians "

" But not her bodyguards... " Apollo said, taking no insult in Thyestes' words. The man was being honest, and that was what he had come to Ortygia for. The truth. Besides... he was already being punished. The guilt would never leave him " Guardians of the balance of our family feuds. I pity you "

He walked away and looked over his shoulder at the hill where Aphrodite's temple shone. He could stop hiding his cosmo... he could do that and burn everything to the ground, show them the power of the Sun. Show them his anger.

He wanted to.

But he would not.

" You know... my sister is a fool " he began, walking towards the dead woman. For a second, he felt sorry for not asking for her name. She had been a beautiful thing. If the situation had been different, he could have grown to love her. " She keeps this island... these traditions and rituals no one follows... she keeps you, her rabid hounds that are so dependent of her that can't even defend her in fear of her hatred... and expects to find no consequences "

" She would hate anyone that dared to destroy those she cares about. Would hate them more than what she already hates Eros and Melaenis... "

" After all, even their presence here is to keep you away from harm " he added, placing his foot firmly on top of the dead body and grabbing her burned hand.

" ... What do you mean by that? "

" My dear hunting hound, haven't you noticed yet? " Apollo pulled forcefully, tearing her arm apart in a single movement. " Aphrodite will never take you to war. While my sister... "

He threw the broken limb to Thyestes, who caught it without showing any sign of disgust.

" Peace cannot be kept by someone who desires something so much as to fuck on the consequences " And there was bitterness in his words and anger in his mind at his inability of hiding his displeasure. But there was little to do about it. He had never been one to hide what he felt. " Get rid of the arm "

Thyestes nodded and Apollo had no doubts that he would leave no traces of the torn limb.

" Hound... " he added " Aphrodite knows that. She knows that Artemis is a promise of war. She knows she'll return"

" But does she know where she is? "

The man nodded, running his fingers through his flame-like hair, " Somewhere in Siberia. She already sent one of us... but Artemis found herself a shield "

He lifted an eyebrow.

" An Agios " And Apollo could not but share the despise that the guardian had shown when pronouncing that word.

" You mortals... you want answers from us when we should be the ones making the questions... you are the reason of everything that befalls both you and us. Can't you see the way you plague us, the way you entice us? "

Apollo rubbed his temples in frustration and anger. He could not exact revenge against Eros inside Ortygia, he could not attack his sister's guardians, and he could not blame the saint she had hidden behind even when he wanted to. All doors were closed to him. All options were erased.

But he would find new ones. He would be her support. Because he knew that she loved her Island enough as to return to it even when getting what she desired. He knew that she loved it enough as to sacrifice all she had left for it.

And if there was something he would not allow, was her death.

No matter how much she would hate him for doing so.

" The festivities have ended " the guardian said, looking into the forest. " They'll come this way to get to Melaenis' temple "

Apollo nodded, staring into the sky. Damn waning moon.

" You know that even when Aphrodite will not take you to war, Artemis will bring war to you, don't you? "

" I know "

He nodded, finding no more need of staying in his sister's island, and turned to leave.

" Apollo... "

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at the guardian, slightly amused by being called by his name. He had thought the man wouldn't dare.

" If you find a way... then don't mind us "

" I will not let her die "

Thyestes smiled.

" Thank you "

He did not say another word and banished in a flash of light that left Thyestes blind for a few seconds. Somehow, the grief that had been plaguing the guardian's heart had been lifted. But he had no time to find reassurance in this. The festivities had ended and he had something to bury. The women would find the priestess' body and both Eros and Melaenis would know that it had been a wolf the one that killed her. After all, the forest was full of them, and they were not keen on Melaenis' worshipers.

And the bites and wounds Apollo had inflicted on the body were perfect. He was, in the end, brother to Ortygia's own Wolf. To their Queen.

But they could prove insufficient. The forest was full of wolves.

Of packs. And they always attacked together.

So Thyestes buried the woman's arm hurriedly on the ground, thanking the blood for turning the earth into mud and making it easier to erase the tracks, and went to the place where the body was, rolling it on its back and straddling it. It only took a faint surge of his cosmo to turn his hands into claws.

And with calculated, cold movements he slashed her stomach open and tore her guts. Movements that soon were full of anger, then full of despair.

And pain and sorrow and an overwhelming helplessness.

He cried all the way through it.

He never dared to look inside himself to find out why, though. In the end, he was just another monster.

And monsters never cry.

Egeria could watch the comings and goings of the sea forever. She attributed it to her childhood; long games and lazy naps by the shore were among her fondest memories.

She started to cry.

It was unfair, that her memories of happiness would always end up stained by the fact that there were no chances to further the feeling.

Any possibility had been deprived to her the day the World let her sister die.

She rubbed her eyes forcefully, sneering.

She would never get over it, not until satisfying her sister's memory. She would have to carry with her ghost and with her pain until finding a way to appease her.

" But I will, my dear sister, I will " she purred, running to the sea, digging her claws under the water and splashing everywhere. Meeting the waves just to run away from them soon after.

Just like a child when first seeing the ocean.

" Let's dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues, let's dance to the songs they are playing on the radio... "

The Harpy grinned like a cat and looked around her eagerly when hearing that voice. Happiness could have been deprived from her, but she could still pretend.

And without really trying all that hard, she believed in that lie, or at least she did so when catching the glimpses of bright green skirts reflecting the morning's light.

" Let's sway, while colour lights up your face, let's sway, sway through the crowd to an empty space " The girl waved at her, smiling. Egeria couldn't but smile back, even when it was obvious that the nasty wound on the younger guardian had worsened and that was making her heart bleed. Every day was the same; she hoped that the night would bring some improvement to the girl's wound, but when the sun rose, all hopes disappeared.

She ran towards her with the same enthusiasm she had shown when running towards the sea.

If she had been a dog, she would be waging her tail and letting her tongue hang.

Though the picture wasn't all that different.

The Harpy knew that the rest of the Guardians saw her only as Iphigeneia's pet, just as they had once seen her as the Traitor's. The same way Eros and Melaenis saw her. As the Unicorn's little dog.

But she couldn't care less.

"If you say run, I'll run with you, if you say hide, we'll hide " the girl went on, skipping her way through the sand and stretching her hands dramatically towards her. " Because my love for you would break my heart in two if you should fall into my arms... "

As long as she had her songs and her company, her friendship and her love, she would not care. And to prove that to the voices in her head, she jumped to her waiting arms and made her fall down due to her weight.

" ... and tremble like a flower " Iphigeneia finished with a giggle, kissing the tip of her nose and pushing her off her. Egeria rolled to her side, rubbing her nose with her fingers while the clear sounds of laughter escaped her throat.

Iphigeneia had always had the ability to make her laugh.

" A girl was killed by wolves at the den's ruins during the night. Thyestes was so angry when one of Melaenis' girls suggested that we should eradicate them from the island " Iphigeneia rested her head on Egeria's stomach and gave her a knowing look, " But I know that's not the real reason he got angry "

" You do? " She asked, absently petting the girl's hair with her twisted fingers. The girl would always drop things like that on her, all the little rumours, little deaths.

" Yeap " Iphigeneia beamed, nodding forcefully, " Because... " she added in a whisper, her eyes glittering with mischief, " The girl was not killed by wolves "

" Really? "

That wound... she would never forgive Artemis for that wound...

" Of course really, I wouldn't be telling you if it weren't so! " The girl retorted, hitting the older woman playfully on the head.

Egeria laughed. " So who killed her then? "

" It was a griffin. I think I should kill it. Do you want to come? "

The Harpy shook her head. " Sorry, but I can't "

The Unicorn blinked, surprised. They always tried to catch mythological beasts together, it was one of their weekly rituals. Last week it had been Typhoon. Of course, they had never caught one -not even seen one-, and would return with baskets full of rabbits instead, but that never stopped them from keeping their hopes high. " I sharpened my arrows and all. Even made one especially for you. Is blue and has this huuuuuge pointy tip. Would work great against the griffin " she added, nodding emphatically

Egeria felt tempted, and bit her lip while considering her choices.

" Nope, sorry Iphi " she finally grimaced, sitting up and pushing the girl gently off her lap to be able to scratch her legs. The sand had stuck to the salty water and it made her legs itch.

" Why? " Iphigeneia asked, crossing her arms before her chest and frowning like a spoilt child.

" I felt it again. The Queen "

" Oh! " the girl let out, opening her hazel eyes wide, making them seem larger than what they already were, " You have a plan? "

Egeria looked around, checking her surroundings. Then she motioned Iphigeneia to move closer to her and whispered in her ear.

" A good one "

Iphigeneia giggled.

" Tell, tell! "

" Promise not to tell anyone? " she asked, conspicuous. It wasn't that he mistrusted Iphigeneia, though. But it was the need of secrecy what compelled her. This was her plan, her masterpiece.

Her vengeance.

She needed reassurance.

And the girl gave it to her by jumping on top of her and throwing her to the ground instead. " Cross my heart and hope to die! " she beamed, kissing her index. Iphigeneia had always had a thing for popular knowledge. It was somewhat odd, considering she hadn't left the island all that much.

Yet odd or not, it was enough for the Harpy.

Anything coming from the lips of the youngest Guardian would have been enough.

" Queen's fire, and so is her sister, right? "

" The nest " Iphigeneia added, satisfied with herself. She had take it as a personal task to learn all there was to know about Egeria and what she wanted and had had. For a lunatic, the Harpy had the most interesting thoughts in her raving mind. " The island where he sleeps "

" Now. Where he sleeps now " And just as she was mad, she was also angry, vengeful and unforgiving. And hungry, extremely hungry ever since she had been deprived of Eros' blood. She longed for power, for raw, burning cosmo.

And there was one she had been longing for since her awakening.

Iphigeneia looked at her with her huge -innocent- hazel eyes, then clapped enthusiastically.

" Can we kill him? "

" You won't even ask me how I found out? "

The girl smiled and shook her head. Egeria would never understand that she wasn't mad like her and she could make things out by herself. " Queen told you. Queen runs through your veins, Queen is made of fire, just like you are. Nest is Queen's sister, and in Nest he sleeps. In fire, just like you would be able to if Queen had not been put to sleep into the depths herself. See? " she asked, placing her hand over her chest " I know things "

Egeria couldn't but stare at the girl in adoration.

" And now he is there " The Harpy went on, excited. " Unsure whether he should mourn or not a dead man he both hated and cared about. His mind is a twirl of things he refuses to comprehend because he can't accept them as his own, and is hoping that the fire will bring him peace " she frowned, her fuchsia eyes shinning, " But the fire is mine "

" Just like Queen? "

" Yes! Just like Queen! " Egeria's smile dropped and she tilted her head, thoughtful " How did you know? "

" Because Queen is fire and the fire is yours " Iphigeneia tapped her forehead, " Plain logic, Eria "

Egeria sighed in devotion at the Unicorn's brightness.

" Mine to wake up. And Queen will wake the bird in the Nest "

" And you'll eat them both? "

" And each one of them "

Iphigeneia clapped once again.

" That's wonderful, Eria! But... Melaenis might not like it "

Egeria shook her head. " She won't know it was me. No one will. I will leave no trace behind me "

" Just fire and ashes? "

She grinned. " Just a burning volcano "

The Unicorn pouted. " I wish I could go with you "

The Harpy shook her head, " No, you cover me, ok? And get the griffin "

The Unicorn smiled. " You'll get the Phoenix? "

The Harpy kissed the girl's forehead. " Of course I will "

The Unicorn was pleased with the answer and stayed with the Harpy until it was time for her to leave. Once alone, she made herself the promise of finding the griffin by the time she was back. Or maybe she would make her a flower-crown.

Either would be a good present to celebrate the death of a murderer.

" But pain has always been around you, hasn't it? "

Ikki stirred in his sleep. No one could reach him in his volcano, he was safe there. Alone.

" You were never quite able to escape from it "

That voice...

" Not even here "

He opened his eyes, a cold shiver running through his spine despite the heat of the lava flowing over him.

And she was there, the owner of that voice, made of fire and molten core.

Esmeralda.

" The same way you will not be able to escape from me "

And she moved closer, her breath burning his skin.

" Ashes to ashes, Phoenix... I am waiting "

" Wait! " he cried out, stretching his arms towards the already dissolving figure, catching nothing but fire and debris.

::: I am back, Phoenix... Ikki... I am home :::

He looked around, trying to find her once again, but all that was around him was the blinding light of the core of the volcano. He was certain it was some enemy. None of them had ever got so close as to revive the memory of Esmeralda, but some had got close enough. It would not hurt him to worry.

For him and for others.

If someone had reached him inside the volcano, then that person was more than able of reaching the town that guarded it.

Because he could not believe that Esmeralda's ghost was plaguing him. He hadn't survived all those years by believing in ghosts.

So he summoned his cosmo around him, unfolded the layers of fire that made his wings, and with a shriek that was not human, he took flight and climbed from the very pits of Hell to the clouds of sulphur and ashes that caressed the sky.

The Phoenix was awake.

And oddly enough, the town was not burning, nor screams could be heard. The small village that had dedicated itself to the near-worship of the Phoenix Cloth was as peaceful as it had always been.

Except for the fact that it was empty.

Ikki frowned. For how long had he slept? The last thing he could remember was hearing of Tatsumi's death. That had angered him so much that Sanctuary had turned unbearable. Everything had.

So he returned to his cloth's home in search for peace... but now... there was nothing.

Inside the houses, traces of daily life could still be found left around. Carelessly, as if its owners had just decided to go outside.

And maybe they had.

" Ikki! "

He turned, ready to strike at whoever was hurting her. It had been years since the last time he had heard her scream, and he was not going to allow pain to reach the volcanic island again.

But all he found was the girl, staring at him with puzzlement in her clear eyes.

" Helen..."

" I am sorry... I thought you slept "

" What happened? Where is everyone? "

The girl's puzzlement was now mixed with excitement and fear.

" Somehow... I mean, I know it is impossible... but... "

He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her, her eyes fixing on his at the sense of reality he was giving her.

Since her grandfather's death, Helen, the survivor of the attack of Shaka's followers, the chosen of the Phoenix, had been the unofficial authority of the island. A leader before reaching the age of ten, just because the Gods favoured her. Favoured her so much as to have her deprived of her grandfather and have her town destroyed by Shiva and Aghora, Virgo's minions.

Favoured her so much as to throw her into a volcano. But she had survived, and survival had always been accepted as the most widespread recognition of the Gods' blessings.

No matter the sacrifices that surviving involved.

It was that very mark, that survival of the fittest, that had turned the girl, now on the brink of womanhood, into a cold, methodical creature, decided to fulfil her role towards the island and towards the saint that protected them in exchange of them protecting his resting place.

Feelings had slowly but surely left her, only her blind love for the volcanic island remained.

That was why her fearful enthusiasm worried him. He had never seen so many emotions on the girl that had once saved him.

" The island " she finally said, regaining her composure. " It's back "

He frowned, unable to understand her.

" It rose from the ocean... I can't understand how, or why, but it is there "

" Everyone went to the shore to see it. We thought it was a mirage... an illusion... but some of the fishermen went there and said it's real. They didn't dare to disembark, though "

Ikki looked over his shoulder, at the path that led to the shore.

" ... Because of the ghosts? "

Helen nodded.

" Because of the dead "

It didn't take him long to get to the island that had been his Hell. Its fire called to him like the light to a moth, making his blood boil as it ran through his veins.

He hadn't expected to feel so nervous as he approached her, a piece of land that should no longer be yet that it was. But the knots in his stomach and the fear at the back of his neck as the miles of water shortened and grew closer to the few patches of land grew stronger at the sole thought of returning to Her.

To Deathqueen, the island of shadows, of ghosts, Sanctuary's hidden dark side.

A side that had been erased by the power of the volcano that burned in its centre, by the creaks and failures that spread throughout the arid land. Since its creation, the island had been meant to die. Only the determination and strength of its foundations had made her last so long... yet even that hadn't been enough to stop the lava from destroying it.

He had even seen it sink. Drown in the depths of the ocean that were to turn into its deathbed. He had been there when it had happened, and would have died with it if Athena had not saved him.

She had drowned with the island, though. No one had saved her, she had always been beyond salvation, a victim since birth, a victim till death.

Just like Deathqueen, her home, her pride. Ikki would have gladly followed her. But Athena loved him and for that she saved him. To live in her name, in the name of the one he had lost.

In the name of his own personal ghost, even when all the years without her presence couldn't but prove to him that ghosts did not exist.

Yet now that Deathqueen had returned -for he could not doubt that when the soil felt strong under his feet, when the overpowering figure of the volcano covered most of his eyesight, and the unmistakable and painfully familiar smell of sulphur hung heavily in the air - the hopes and fears had returned with it.

For what could have brought the island back? Islands sunk, they did not just rise out of the ocean for no apparent reason.

Who could have had the power to bring back that which was gone?

Or was it all an invitation?

But it couldn't be that. The Phoenix cloth had been sleeping in Deathqueen before he had acquired it, yet its home was the dormant volcano at the neighbouring island. That was... its nest.

Only him, Ikki, the warrior, the man... the child that he had once been, had ties with Hell.

And why would Hell claim him? He had never really left it...

::: Because I... always dreamt of seeing you :::

He frowned. It was the voice again, hers, reaching him -his mind- from a place he couldn't quite make out.

But that was... impossible.

::: Seeing your face... :::

It had to be impossible.

::: The face... :::

A petal danced before him, fluttering like a butterfly. He watched it, enthralled, and soon saw many more. All of them floating on the hot breeze of the volcanic island. He followed them, to the only place they could be coming from.

:: Of the man who ended my world :::

He followed them in tears.

It took him only a few minutes to reach her favourite place, her pure and unblemished garden. Years crumbled with the past the moment he set foot on it, taking him back to the day she had shown it to him.

If he hadn't loved her so, he would have cursed the tomb that crowned the garden for forcing him to remember that the past had left and was no longer his.

So he accepted the present with pain in his heart and climbed the steep rocks that led to the grave of the only being he had truly loved. He fell on his knees in repentance while his mind tried to find an answer for Deathqueen's return as much as his soul found itself facing once again the grief of all that had been lost and would never return, no matter how many islands were to climb back from the depths of the ocean.

Her ghost could have called out to him, but it was for nothing than for another goodbye.

" I've been waiting for you "

He froze. This time the voice was not in his head, but it was ringing clearly in his ears.

" Wanting to see you for so long "

And fear seized him once again, the same coldness he had felt when she had died in his arms taking hold of his senses.

" You've been the only thing in my mind ever since you left this island "

He turned around. Her grave was before him and he would not believe, not in a voice that could as well be a product of his beaten mind.

Ikki got up clumsily, eyes fixed on the figure cloaked in blue standing in the centre of the garden. He would not believe... but how could he not?

For the face staring back at him was that of an angel, as pure and beautiful as he remembered it to be, framed by heavy locks of golden silk shimmering under the Sun. It was the face of a woman, the woman she would have become if death had not snatched her away from him.

It was Esmeralda. The one he had dreamed of, the one he had lived for. The one he loved.

" This... can't be... " he muttered, walking towards her with trembling steps. But it was, there was no other answer. The island was a proof of that, the flowers under his feet, the petals floating around them... the woman, staring right into his soul.

" I've waited so long for this " Her voice again, so heavenly, so sweet... never had it sounded as perfect to him as it now did.

" You... "

" Ikki "

He thought he would die when she mentioned his name.

" This has to be a dream... "

She smiled.

" But it is real... as real as you and me "

Ikki stopped before reaching her, fearing any closeness would make her disappear, fearing his touch would hurt her as much as his recklessness had. A gloved hand reached for his cheek, the velvety back caressing his skin. " See? "

He couldn't take it any longer and placed his arms around her, pulling her close and welcoming whatever dangers the island could have stored for him in exchange of that precious gift that was standing before him. She went stiff under his arms, but slowly gave in, tentatively placing her own arms around him.

He held her tighter when feeling her heartbeats next to his.

" ... Call my name "

Ikki whispered it over the soft waves of her hair. She hid her face against the curve of his neck and moved her arms around his neck. He looked at her, then closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy that moment, the image of her smile and the shine of her fuchsia eyes running over and over in his mind.

" Ikki..." she pleaded in his ear, her breath caressing his neck.

" Hmm? "

" I just... want to kiss you "

The fire was warm, but he knew that the heat he was feeling was not due to the burning red tongues dancing in the fireplace. It was something simpler, more animalistic than that. It was almost an instinct, that grew within his body and spread, spread over his skin, over the small hairs on his arms, and stretched through the room, meeting her own glowing heat, her own spreading warm. He knew that, and so did she.

He reached for her first, but met nothing but air on the place where she had been. Her laughter followed, teasing and hurting with every note. Wounds, daggers and more fuel to ignite an already all-consuming fire.

She touched him first, her fingers leaving a path of sensations that he knew were forbidden -that he knew were heretic- on their trail down his arms.

And of all the things he could and could have not said, he chose the most stupid, the most absurd, the one he did not want to voice and voiced anyway.

" Why are you doing this? "

Of course, she laughed again.

" Don't you want me to? " And she was behind him, her hands on his shoulders, on his neck, playing with his hair, " I can always stop "

So she did.

" I asked why " he found himself moaning to his surprise, " Not to stop "

::: Because I see that you want this in your heart :::

::: Because I see it in your body :::

::: I see it in your soul :::

The words flooded his mind, clouded it as her fingers returned to their idle caresses. He could feel her warm breath against the nape of his neck, and couldn't but feel surprised at the speed of her breathing. It was probably as fast as his.

He had no idea how things had come to this. He could faintly remember a discussion - something about words unspoken, about strength and pride and all those things that had drove them apart. He had sat by the fire afterwards... But then there came the haze, the mist in his head that did not allow him to see anything else but those small fragments... and the present.

He could so get used to that present.

" Since when does it matter what I want? "

Damn his brain for still being able to think, damn his mouth for obeying.

" Since it turned into what I want "

And his brain was no more, or at least his body was too taken by other things as to care about the doubts and questions that might still remain. Her hands sliding over his chest, her wet mouth finding a home in the curve of his neck, the caresses of her hair against his cheek, everything was a perfect drug to numb his mind and enhance his senses.

He grunted her name and she whispered his as an answer, her caresses turning daring as her fingers left his chest and rested over his groin.

" Hard already? "

" Damn you " he let out, closing his hand around her wrist and pulling her over him. She fell unceremoniously on his lap, a mess of pale limbs, unruly black hair and teasing eyes.

" Hard and harsh... " she smirked, freeing herself with a swift movement and straddling his waist. The old wooden chair complained under their weight. " Wonder if cold too? "

Yet before she could kiss him to find out, he grabbed her from the hair and stopped her.

" Stop playing with me " he muttered, inches from her teasing lips.

" Who is playing? " she asked instead, grinding her body against his slowly, her eyes -damn their wicked glint - catching his in a spell.

He kissed her then. Held her hips still against his body, her warmth making his hard-on increase, then tilted her head and forced her to open her mouth to silence her with his own, to stop her need to be in control of every single thing.

To show her he would not play her games.

And he got his reward when she placed her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with the same unguarded passion he had shown her.

" Two out of three... not bad " she said against his lips, her breathing fast and laboured.

A part of him kept telling him that what was happening could not be possible, that she would never act like that, that she would never give herself to him so easily... yet the rest was too elated as to consider the improbability.

So once again his mind went unheard and his body took control. He kissed her again, finding her warm, wet mouth welcoming, as his hands stopped holding her in place to caress her instead.

Caress her thighs, her back, her trembling body...

But then she was no longer on top of him, but sitting on the bed. A statue made of ice, clothed by the shadows of the flicking flames.

She was perfect, in the way only inhuman creatures could be, and in her perfection she beckoned him to her. She laid down on the bed languidly, her black hair pooling over the pillows. And her legs opening invitingly as he approached.

He took her then, penetrated her slowly, loving the feeling of her warm body under his, of her willingness to be possessed...

(Yet since when had possessing her been so important to him? He could remember the need, the desire... the feelings he kept forcing himself to ignore... but not that overpowering and animalistic urge to break her...)

... she moaned and whispered incoherent words that he took as his name while he thrust forcefully into her. He loved the softness of her skin, the vulnerability of her swan-like neck, the tightness with which she clenched around him... and he leaned over her to kiss her swollen lips, to take whatever there was left to take from the flushed body under him. Warm fingers caressed his cheek with loving softness; he caught them and took them into his mouth, making her catch her breath. He laughed and pulled her hands over her head...

(Shouldn't there be something wrong with her hands? A mark of sorts... a wound... something that made her... real. Human. Something they shared)

He tried to ask her, to call her name and ask her what had happened with the wounds on her hands, but no words escaped from his lips. He tried to stop.

But he kept plunging into her with a strength that he knew was hurting her, he kept doing so even when she was starting to fight him, to try to get away.

He didn't stop when she began to cry.

(But he wanted to stop, he wanted to stop so badly... as much as he wanted to fuck her, to make her scream, to make her come...)

And then she was dying... bleeding and broken and with so many wounds that he couldn't but wonder why she hadn't died already, her claw-like fingers clutching the sheets so tightly that her knuckles had gone white.

And that did not stop him.

(He wanted to puke from the disgust and the shame and the impotence of not being able to put an end to this. He wanted to tear his eyes out, to take his heart out and do anything to make it stop -make his body stop-... but he wanted her and she was there, and she was his, his alone, a broken doll for his own personal enjoyment)

Her face was the expression of anger, of shame, of pain and he did not mind and did not care.

All he cared about was ending his hunger for her, and even when she had turned into a limp figure under him, when the strength to fight had drained from her body even when the defiance would never leave her eyes, he would not -could not- stop.

He sunk into her and kissed her, bit into her lips and cut them opened. He drank from her and found the taste of her blood was sweet. He caught fistfuls of her hair, black silk -golden, golden waves of locks...- caressing the inside of his hands, he stared into her dying eyes full of a cold anger -and a loving warmth shinning in every emerald glitter...-, anger that would never die, would never mellow...

Anger he would never be able to take.

(He had to stop, had to try, but his body seemed to have a mind of its own, and his body was enjoying it, enjoying it all...)

Anger he would not take.

(No!)

So he sat on top of her and caressed her face -golden-skinned and oval and so perfect... -.

" Out of sight, out of heart..."

And plucked her eyes out. He would not have that which he would not take.

Hyoga woke up with a scream. His skin was covered with cold sweat and he was shaking.

He crossed his legs in shame and repulsion when seeing the bulge between them.

For once, he thanked the ever-present darkness of the room for being there, and closed his arms around his body in a primal attempt to calm down, to ignore the images that were still imprinted in his brain.

He let out a sob and fought the urge to cry by biting his tongue. The bittersweet taste of his blood mixed with that of bile.

Ever since Ikki had used the genma ken on him, Hyoga had had recurrent nightmares. He had grown used to them and with time he had learnt to deal with them.

But this time it was different... this time, no matter how much he had wanted to stop... he hadn't been able to.

He cursed himself. He wanted to curl up and rock himself to sleep... but he feared whatever his mind had stored for him, so he got up instead.

His legs almost failed him.

With trembling steps, he reached the fireplace and fixed his eyes on the flames, hoping their hypnotic dance would make his mind go blank, at least for enough time as to regain control over his body.

But he heard it again. The scream. A cold shiver ran down his spine. It hadn't been his own scream the one to wake him up. It had been hers.

Hyoga found her curled up on the bathroom's floor, hidden inside the shower cubicle. The cabinet's mirror was broken, a zillion little glass-shards covering the tiles and the washbasin. He just stared at her, reality having too much in common with his nightmare as for him to be able to react.

She shook when noticing him there, her shoulders twitching. Waking him up had not been a part of her plans.

He had expected something like that to happen sooner or later. He had expected she would break the moment the reality of what had happened to her would dawn on her.

But even when he had thought himself ready to handle that, he found that he couldn't. Everything reminded him of the violence inflicted upon her, and violence just led him once again to the images that were still freshly imprinted in his brain.

He felt like running away.

" Artemis... " he began, stretching his arms towards her. But he backed away when seeing the bruises and bandages over her body, the relief that they had previously given him turning into a reminder of what her wounds had been like.

A reminder of her body, limp and dying under his, her blood staining him while he did not mind it, not minded it at all...

She chuckled darkly, a tired orb fixing on him from behind a veil of messy black hair. " Disgusted? "

" You shouldn't be " she added, her hands pulling the hem of her pyjamas over her legs nervously. The pants were discarded some inches from her, next to the toilet. " I let this happen... I... " she smirked, " I won "

Her eyes were full of despair and pain and need and so many things he could not mend. " I gave him...this " she went on, repulsion oozing from her broken voice, " In exchange of victory... it was a fair price, don't you think? " Artemis covered her eyes with her hands and pulled her legs against her chest, " So fucking fair... but I won and that is what matters... I won, no matter what the world might think, no matter what history might say... I... didn't... "

" I didn't let them have what they wanted... so that has to mean that I won... has to mean that... "

Hyoga looked at the mixture of bruises, wounds and bandages that was talking to him. That was what she was, a broken thing that had never been perfect.

A broken thing he had failed to heal.

" You shouldn't have tried to walk on your own " he let out, unable to say anything else.

And as he had expected, his evasions found home. Artemis just stared at him for a second, then laughed. With all the cruelty she could muster.

" What should I've done? Wake you up and tell you that I needed help to take a pee?! "

" I... "

" Get out " she growled, her voice growing fierce.

" Don't be stupid "

" Get out! "

And her anger awoke his.

" You are the one that is getting out of there " he said, walking to the cubicle. He felt like killing whoever had left her like that when she backed away.

She had never feared him before.

" Go away "

" Stop this " he pleaded, placing his hands on her shoulders to help her get up.

She panicked. And in the turmoil of fear and anger that her mind had become, she said the words he knew she would say and knew he would not be able to take.

" Don't touch me!! "

And that which he wouldn't take, he wouldn't have.

" You don't even want to " Artemis whispered, staring into his troubled eyes. " You wanted nothing of this... "

She had not expected to awake him. She had forbidden herself to do so, after their little talk that had ended in nothing. Even when she hadn't had the nerve to tell him, she had been sorry for that. She still was. So she went to the bathroom by her own. Artemis could take Hyoga taking care of her wounds, she could take him helping her with her meals, with the herbs and medications the two women that had taken care of her had insisted she should take.

But she wouldn't take his pity. And proving him her helplessness would earn her just that.

She hadn't expected to break, though. It was just... that seeing the bruises on her thighs... brought it all back. The broken ribs, the healing leg, the twisted arm... all were battle-wounds. They were things she could recognise and live with.

The bruises on her thighs were a different matter. They had nothing to do with battles, yet had so much to do with war...

No, they had to do with desires, and with what desires could bring.

The bruises had too much to do with her.

Air had left her then, when seeing them there and remembering their cause. The world around her had melted and turned into something she hoped not to see again. Into a white perfect temple made of marble and stained with her blood.

Her reflection on the mirror had not helped.

So she had to scream then, scream and break the image of that broken woman that she would not recognise as herself, hoping the memories would disappear with her.

She had not considered the consequences.

She never did.

" Go away, Hyoga "

He remained still, though, his eyes fixed on his own hands.

" Go away!!! " she repeated, pushing him. She didn't need him, didn't want him... or she just needed him too much as to allow him to see her that way.

... don't go

" What do you want from me? " he let out, standing up.

Artemis pretended not to hear. What could she tell him? She had... freaked out... but it would go away, it always did. She just needed some time by herself to let the fear wash away. She needed... she had no idea what she needed.

Or she knew and wouldn't say it. She owed it to him.

After all, she had ruined his life so much already, that she didn't feel the right to ask for that. She doubted she would have the courage to ask either. After all, her pride, albeit wounded and broken, was the only thing she had left. And she needed to find herself again, to close the little wounds in her mind as much as the ones on her body were already healing. She needed to take control over her feelings, to bury them in a place where neither Melaenis nor Eros could reach them.

" I want you to leave me alone " she whispered, clutching her legs to feel the warmth.

He grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. She was too surprised as to fight him.

" That's what you want? "

" ... "

" You are driving me insane, Huntress " he muttered, and he meant it, meant it with all his heart, with all his soul. She wished she could help him -she even tried, her hand stretching towards him, but the hem of her shirt lifted at the movement and the fear of him seeing those bruises made her return it to its previous place - but found she was not ready to do so.

" That makes two of us " Artemis whispered sadly, pushing his hand away. Hyoga wished she hadn't. The feeling of her skin under his fingers made her real... made her stop being the broken thing from his dreams and turned her once again into a woman - a goddess, he corrected himself, able to end his life with a movement of her hands -

He wanted to feel her heart beating, wanted to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be all right, for both of them, for those they cared about.

But there was no point in that. She would only mock him and push him away. She always did so.

She always would.

" Things are just... " she went on, getting up by leaning against the walls, " so... "

... difficult

Hyoga knew better than trying to help her.

" Is just that no one... understands "

" Understand what? " he found himself asking, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get to her.

She sighed and pushed herself away from the wall, waving her left hand dismissively.

" Just... leave, Hyoga... there is no point in you staying here... "

... The difference is that I won't be able to fight Melaenis and Eros

" I want you to leave me alone "

Artemis rubbed her eyes and got out of the cubicle, a ghost walking past Hyoga. Her steps were groggy and slow. She was so... tired.

Hyoga couldn't but let her go, watch her limp her way to the door; the feeling of losing her returning more palpable than ever. But she lived, and breathed, and was not bleeding... yet she had bled before.

She had been a broken doll, for him to possess and do what he pleased.

But when he turned, thinking she had left already, he found her standing at the doorway, her back to him.

" Hyoga... "

Cold, dead eyes fixed on his.

" What the fuck do you want now?! " he snapped, tired of her indecision, still mad at himself for the nightmare.

" Whatever you dreamed... it was Aphrodite "

His eyes widened at her words, and she smiled faintly in return, " I can feel her cosmo all around you... and she can't reach me. So it was just a matter of time before she went after you "

" She just grabs your feelings... all the little things in your heart... " she frowned, " and twists them with that which you don't want to see. She can't change what you are... but she can push it so it turns into that which you hate "

Artemis closed her eyes.

" Whatever you saw, it wasn't you "

" ... I saw you, Artemis " he said, staring at the glass-wall before him.

Her hands tightened into fists.

" I don't want to know... " And her voice broke, because she knew already. Melaenis would only hit where it hurt the most.

" In the dream, I raped you " he added coldly, keeping his gaze on hers " I took your eyes out and raped you. How do you explain that, Huntress? "

Artemis sighed, her hands shaking slightly, " That's easy " she said, her voice a whisper, " She pushed you until you turned to... Eros. Or at least what he... felt. What you saw... was me through him. Desire... is a dangerous thing. Anyone can be a monster if pushed over the edge "

Her ravenous smile returned, unforgiving as it had always been. " And trust me, Hyoga. I pushed him "

" ... I enjoyed it " he went on, the repulsion that the knowledge gave him shining through his words.

Artemis pretended not to listen. She couldn't deal with that now. She couldn't deal with anything. What good could her words bring? She was mad and weak and angry, unable to give comfort to anyone -she couldn't even find comfort for herself-. She could have told him about the dreams Melaenis made her have, the ones were she killed her loved ones, the ones where she was killed by them.

She could tell him the things she had done to him in her dreams.

She could even tell him she had come during some of them.

But it wouldn't have a point. Her words would not be there for him when the dreams returned; in the end, it would always be something he would have to face alone.

" But you hated it too. You wouldn't be repelled by me if you hadn't " she finally said, her smile softening, " If you leave, they'll stop. The dreams "

Hyoga frowned " You've been having them too, right? For how long... "

" Since I left Ortygia to her "

He cursed. God, them, himself. Artemis couldn't but feel amused at how the being he loved the most was the one he cursed more frequently. It was so... christian of him.

" Now go. Staying is pointless "

" Return to Sanctuary and leave me be "

Artemis didn't wait for an answer and limped her way out of the bathroom instead, feeling still cold and empty. Alone. The almost perfect darkness of the room did not help, nor did the flickering flames of the fire. Outside, the wind was still howling, the razor-sharp diamond dust colliding against the cottage.

She closed her eyes tightly and placed her arms over her head so she wouldn't listen. The pain from her wounds only increased with the weather, making her all the more conscious about what had happened to her. She wanted to hide under the covers and sleep through the storm, through the pain, through Hyoga leaving the cottage. But she was too scared and in shock as to move from the middle of the room, a trembling figure highlighted by the crackling fire.

The creaking sound of the bathroom's door made her start, and she looked the other way, determined not to give him a reason to stay -nor she would to ask. She would not ask him to stay- and knowing she would not be able to see him leave, not with the turmoil that her mind had become. His every step brought screams into her mind, but still she remained motionless.

And couldn't but let out a strangled sob when he placed his arms around her shoulders from behind.

" Artemis... " he whispered huskily in her ear as he rested his face against the curve of her neck. She shivered and cursed herself for being unable to stop the tears. Hyoga went silent and tightened his hold around her, frowning deeply at the pain they both shared.

" I... " he went on, his voice showing his fear and his certainty " I will hurt you "

She sighed and leaned backwards, resting her weight against him. The room did not feel so cold next to the warmth of his body.

Tentatively, she placed her hand over his arms. He caught it and traced the path of the scar on her palm, apparently mesmerised by the way it had never healed.

" That's fine " Artemis finally answered, slowly finding a temporary calm in his embrace. " I want you to hurt me "

He nodded sadly, lacing his fingers with hers. She turned to one side and rested her head against his shoulder.

The storm went on for hours. But when they thought it would last forever, it stopped.

SE FINNI

#########################################################################

Derre's Blah Blah: Woo-ho! I bet you thought I wasn't going to finish this story *grins* As usual, sorry for the big delay -which was huge this time-, yet have no doubts that The Fall will be written to completion. RL might not allow me to be the fastest writer in the fandom, and certainly my little breakdowns and mood swings do not help, but I am determined to finish this story -and I am already on the way to do so, yaaay!-

As for the usual ramblings... Apollo appeared! I sooooo wanted him to be a part of the story, but his scene kept being delayed, and delayed... up to now! Hope you like him ^_^. The dream sequence ended up being a lot frightening than I had first expected, and it made me reconsider my decision of not placing warnings for the story. If this chapter ended up being so sick and gloomy, I have no idea what will happen to the rest (ok, so I *do* know, but as sure as hell I am not telling) Seems the whole expect the unexpected thingie can be maintained even after 13 chapters -and still so many to go... O_O-

C&C are more than welcomed, same with any mails of encouragement, flames, praises, flames, blah-blah, flames, and so on and on. Nice mails will be eventually answered; flames might, depending on bitch mood's levels.

What else, what else... I think that's it. Not many references on this chapter, but the few that appeared will be listed a tad below. As for the dedication, this chapter is dedicated to Mariana aka Luna de Hiedra, whose wonderful drawing made the inspiration spark come back to life (thanks a lot! -wonder if the holding back part went bye bye on this chapter? ^_~ -)

That's it. Love, tickles and naughty thoughts *smooch*

And The Fall is 397 pages long and counting!

(Short list this time)

• Iphi is singing ''Let's Dance'' by David Bowie (*THE* ultimate bishie). Full lyrics follow. And yes, I love making the cutie brat sing:

Let's dance

Let's dance

Let's dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues

Let's dance, to the song they're playin' on the radio

Let's sway, while colour lights up your face

Let's sway, sway through the crowd to an empty space

If you say run, I'll run with you

And if you say hide, we'll hide

Because my love for you

Would break my heart in two

If you should fall

Into my arms

And tremble like a flower

Let's dance

Let's dance

Let's dance, for fear your grace should fall

Let's dance, for fear tonight is all

Let's sway, you could look into my eyes

Let's sway, under the moonlight, this serious moonlight

And if you say run, I'll run with you

And if you say hide, we'll hide

Because my love for you

Would break my heart in two

If you should fall

Into my arms

And tremble like a flower

Let's dance

Let's dance

Let's dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues

Let's dance, to the song we're playing

Let's sway

Let's sway, under the moonlight, this serious moonlight

Let's dance

Let's Let's

Let's

Let's sway

Let's

Let's dance Let's dance Let's dance Let's dance Let's dance Let's dance

Let's sway

Let's sway

Let's dance Let's dance Let's dance Let's dance Let's dance Let's dance

Let's dance

• Nest: I have no idea how Helen's island is called. So Nest is the name Eria and Iphi will refer to it from now on (as in... Phoenix' nest. Yes, I have no imagination) And yesss, I like obscure characters, and Helen is kewl as kewlness and her design was nice. If any of you remember the real name -if it had any-, do let me know