Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor Rifts ❯ Chapter 14: Luna and Artemis; Revelations ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sailor Moon/Rifts Crossover (Revised Edition) By Simon Woodington

Chapter 14: Luna and Artemis; Revelations

Luna awoke with a start, feeling a hand trace her hip roughly. Shock,
fear, and a feeling of loss brought her to panic. She got to her feet
quickly, immediately defensive, forcing down the feeling of panic,
along with the other emotions swelling inside of her. Slowly, the
panic subsided. Her gaze told her this was not home, that Mamoru had
accepted Akari and Yanei's offer, and that her nightmare of the last
month was indeed true. It also indicated to her the close proximity of
a very well-muscled human.

"So what's ya gonna do darlin'?" he taunted with a leer. The
realization that she was human, and that she was naked, brought the
panic back.

That is when she noticed Artemis. He was also unclothed, and
apparently unconscious. She felt someone reach up behind her and grab
her arms, holding their hands in a lock behind her head, with her arms
looped through. The man advanced on her, a dark expression on his
face. She gave with a whimper as the man before he drew his hand
across her face in a blur.

"Yer gonna take it nice 'n quiet bitch," he snarled, undoing his
pants. "Y' make a noise and I'll cut yer fuckin' tongue out."

Luna thrashed and twisted against her captor's grasp. His thick fist
smacked soundly against her cheek, leaving a dark bruise. Then, a
second collided with her stomach. Only the man holding kept her from
doubling over. He could not, nor cared to restrain the tears that
followed.

Time blurred with the violence that followed. Fortunately for Luna,
neither man had a taste for violence that did not involve guns.
Despite that, she was nearly numb by the time the first entered her.
The numbness helped little, for they where as forceful in their act of
rape as they had been in beating her. The smattering of violence and
evil that took Luna then was a clear personification of the state of
the world in which they now existed. What possessed passerbys beyond
the depth of the alley to not respond to her screams in violation she
could never know. Perhaps it was the fear of greater forces; the
Coalition. It was her sense of this beyond the agony of the attack
that frightened her the most.

On a conscious level she did not care about that. It was only a
calling in the back of her blurred mind. All she registered then, was
the attack of the men upon her. Even as the second took his liberties
of her, tears came forth as she had never known them to. Emotions
struck and crumbled. She pleaded, and was not heard.

Artemis' green eyes slowly crept open, and with them, a grasp rose to
his lips.

'Luna-chan,' he muttered. Abruptly aware of his change, he startled at
his own voice, his feelings, and his human form. Anger grew so sharply
within him that he moved to action before he was aware of it. One of
the two saw him move, and struck with a fist, sure that it would knock
him back. The white haired man ducked the strike easily, and returned
it, with such fury that the man flew against a far wall. He collapsed
to the ground unconscious, his chest collapsed. Artemis' fury only
grew. He turned towards Luna's assailant. The man regarded him,
stepping back from the pallid, beaten form of the young woman. Luna
dropped the ground like a pile of bricks, emotional agony writhing in
the core of her being as tears poured forth.

'Kaibutsu,' Artemis snarled in Japanese, vaguely aware that the man
only understood his rage. Such was it that he did not bother to
translate his words to English. He reached forward and grabbed the
scrawny man by the neck, holding him aloft. 'Bastard!'

"I..." he gagged at Artemis' iron-like grasp. Though he could barely
understand the indiscernible furious natter of the albino's native
tongue, he understood the straining blade of Morcanis. This guy must
be one of his!

"I..." he choked and struggled to swallow. "I don't have...' he
gasped, 'the money!"

'Curse you! You... you...' he stammered angrily, unable to retrieve
the words to meet the uncanny rage in his soul. 'I will kill you!'

Artemis pointed sharply to the bruise marked frame of Luna as he spoke
in short, biting lengths, and the man frightened further, paling
dramatically.

"Oh man! Hey, I din' know she was yers! I wouldn'da touched 'er if
I'da known!"

Thoughts flooded through his mind as heated fury threatened to
overtake him as it never had before. He should kill this man for
raping Luna. Then the rebuttal. Should he? Was it right for him to
take his life for hurting her? His emotion cried; hai, his reason
spoke; iye. He threw the man towards the other. Artemis paid little
attention to either of them, stepping over to the wan form of the
scathed young woman. He could not recall seeing her as human before,
and it hurt him that he must see her after being violated so. He
touched her cheek, feeling the drying tears upon it. As he did, her
eyes drifted slowly open. When they focused upon him, she began
sobbing again.

'Artemis-kun, please...!' she whispered in faint and desperate
Japanese, hands held to her face.

He hushed her.

'They are gone. Do not speak.'

She did not seem to hear him. He grasped her wrists gently, prying
them from her face.

'Luna-chan! Please...! I will not hurt you.' Still, she did not
relent, holding back from him for the desperate passage of several
moments. Finally, she reached to him. He took her up against his chest
and let her cry. For some time her tears came forth. Artemis held
firmly to her, for she seemed to draw on his strength.

A voice behind him spoke clearly in Japanese:

'I can help you.'

Artemis gazed quickly about, eyes narrowed. He spied a young woman
with blue and silver hair. She wore a long dress of blue silk, and
watched with calm, warm eyes. Her jade eyes displayed concern, and
sympathy. Artemis could sense that she was not of evil intent. That,
he knew, meant little. Luna's rapists were not wholly evil, but it
made what they had done no less wrong.

'Come,' she continued, 'I will not harm you.'

'If I learn you are lying to me...' Artemis began as he stood slowly.

'Warning taken,' she replied. 'Will you be alright to walk,
Luna-chan?'

She regarded the young woman empathetically. Luna shook her head; no.
Artemis picked her up in his arms, holding her with the genteel of a
father, or a lover. Her eyes formed a question, though she did not
speak.

'Do not worry, just rest. Hai,' Artemis ordered. He then turned to
face the woman with a cold, stagnant expression on his face. 'How do
you know us?'

'I am very,' the woman started in reply, 'observant.' She glanced
about, looking wary. 'Come, we must hurry. Others will come soon.'

'If you saw what they did, then why did you not stop them?' he asked
as they began walking. She did not look back to what she knew would be
an angry glare.

'I only arrived at the last moment, and you had subdued them. I am
most sorry.'

Saying nothing, he merely gazed at Luna. They walked through the
alleyways, avoiding the street. Artemis noticed that any others they
encountered gave this strange woman plenty of space, while they
grinned and leered at the two who followed. At one point, however, a
rough hewn man dressed in denim and leather pulled out a switchblade
and strode directly towards her. The woman did not stop. He sneered
and blocked her path. Only then did she halt. She raised a hand. There
was a flash, and the man stumbled backwards like a handful of filthy
rags, falling into a nearby pile of trash, unmoving. Without comment,
she bid them proceed.

After a time of silence, Artemis asked, 'Do you have a name?'

She did not respond immediately.

'You may call me Katrin.'

The rest of the relatively short distance they covered lacked
conversation. There did not seem to be a need for it. Even so, Artemis
would not have known what to say to this strange woman.

'Luna-chan, how are you feeling?' he asked. If Katrin heard him, he
did not care. He was too concerned about Luna. She merely gazed at
him, saying nothing. In her face he read fear, pain, and other
emotions he knew choked her words. To some extent he could understand;
he was having a very difficult time knowing what to say, or how to
deal with what had happened. This, he realized, was negligible, when
compared to her emotional state. Not that he understood the faintest
hint about that. He was not going to pretend he had any idea what she
was feeling. As they walked, she clung to him. Artemis was not sure
why, again, she did, but was not about to question it. Nor was he
about to refuse her.

'We are here,' the woman announced softly.

'Where is here?' Artemis asked.

'My shoppe, and your sanctuary, if you care to accept it.'

Artemis nodded reluctantly. What choice was there, after all?

---

'So what brings you to England, Artemis-san?' Katrin asked, handing
him a drink. Luna had refused the offer of food, saying she was not
hungry. They were both dressed in loose fitting shirts, pants, and
robes of cotton. Luna in pale yellow, and Artemis in light blue.

Artemis looked somewhat offended.

'England?' he replied with undisguised shock. 'We are from Tokyo.'

Katrin merely shrugged. She was not one to waste words. Artemis shook
his head. Additional confusion, just what he wanted.

'A pair of demons from the NegaVerse.'

Whether or not she reacted to him, in surprise, or disbelief, Artemis
was not sure. He did know, however, that she was listening.

'But that doesn't matter. We need to find a friend.'

Katrin gazed at the sleeping form of Luna.

'She needs help,' she said softly. 'Medical attention, at the very
least.'

'I can help her. Mamoru can help her.'

'Mamoru? Who is that?' she asked. Artemis described him, not
mentioning the part of Tuxedo Kamen. 'Is he a doctor? What does he
know about your situation?'

'Nothing, Katrin-sama, but it is all we have to go on.'

She nodded.

'You are new to this world.'

'To this time-line,' he agreed.

She arched a slight eyebrow.

'You are from the past?'

'Hai. A different past, I think,' he stated, gazing - a wash of anger
and pain touching him - at Luna's pale form.

'One past may turn out many futures,' Katrin observed. Her eyes
followed his gaze. 'She will survive, but not without you.'

Artemis looked at her, a painfully frustrated expression that
indicated he was at a complete loss.

Katrin was nigh painfully blunt; 'I know what is in your heart. She
is, and so is Minako.'

Artemis was again struck by two things, surprise, and uncertainty. The
latter he could do little about; back at home, he had control,
knowledge of what life was sure to have in store. Here, he did not
have that. All he had was Luna. The former, however, he discovered he
really was not interested in. So Katrin could read his mind. That did
not bother him. His helplessness in dealing with Luna, on the other
hand, troubled him deeply.

'Is there somewhere I can sleep?' he asked, getting to his feet
wearily. Katrin pointed to an adjacent room.

'Leave Luna-chan,' she said, 'she is safe there. In the morning, I
will have someone attend to her.'

'That would be best,' Artemis agreed, though not sure he trusted her
definition of 'safe.' He walked over to Luna, and stopped before
waking her. She looked so calm, at peace. Awake, she seemed vague, and
afraid. He found he could not gather the nerve to rouse her. He
glanced back at Katrin.

'After that, we will leave.'

The woman said nothing, she only nodded.

---

The morning came, and the parting soon after. Luna had suffered no
more than bruising, and some minor scarring. She had been, after all,
a virgin no more than minutes into her newly metamorphosed form. She
refused the offer of breakfast, insisting that she was not hungry,
again. Artemis spoke once, but kept his remaining unvoiced concerns
thereafter, while he ate. They had been provided with the most basic
of necessities for survival in this world. Some of these items
included garlic, wooden steaks, and mallets. The remaining two items
they were told were given for as much use with their tents as a way to
destroy vampires. Not that there were many vampires in the British
Isles, Katrin elaborated.

Artemis had feigned indifference. In truth, the blatant unknowns of
this world frightened him. He was finding it difficult to adjust to
the lack of a basic knowledge of the world around them.

They had been walking around in New Camelot for some hours, and were
surprised to learn of the existence of one King Arr'thuu, and others
who appeared to be the Knights of the Round Table. Artemis puzzled at
the use of new technology in an Age of Knights, and further still at
what that technology was. Luna expressed little interest in any of it,
speaking only when addressed, and sometimes not even then.

As they walked through the Open Market, one sun warmed day, she asked
a question that startled him.

"Have I troubled you greatly?" in heavily accented English, and at
that particular moment, her voice was even, and somewhat unemotional.

Artemis did not know what to say, so he said this: "I care about you."

"Then I have."

From her tone, Artemis was sure that she was quite serious in her
words. He was entirely lost in how to respond. Luna gazed at him for a
few moments, then returned to her wistful calmness.

It had only been two days, but Artemis was slowly becoming frustrated
with his inability to wrest some sense of control over their
situation. There was little point in talking to Luna. She offered the
least of assistance. Everything was a source of trouble, or rather,
unrest, for him. Whether it was Luna, Katrin, Mamoru, or the senshi,
Artemis did not have any answers. Luna was an emotional wreck, he was
sure, and the only way he knew to help her was to find some point of
familiarity; the senshi, and Mamoru. That led to his other problem. He
did not know where they were, or even if they were still alive. Katrin
might be able to help. She had offered her assistance, and that of her
husband, Randy. However, Artemis found himself still unable to trust
her, despite her apparent warmth and unmasked anxiousness in providing
what they needed most; sanctuary. It was partially related to
frustration he felt at not being able to protect her himself. Beyond
that, Mamoru was just as lost as the others, so that avenue led to as
much an unknown street as the rest.

Another day passed. No rumors about anyone who sounded like the
senshi. Artemis resorted to menial labor to provide for their limited
financial needs, while he struggled with the idea of going back and
taking Katrin up on her offer of sanctuary and assistance. They could
certainly do worse, he hoped. Luna just nodded when he mentioned this
to her. She offered little or no argument with what Artemis provided
for her.

She did not seem to care anymore.

---

The day was musky, warm, and a constantly soft breeze kept the weather
from being unbearable. They had been walking most of the day, as
Artemis had only reached his decision roughly a pair of hours ago. At
that point, they were still a fair distance away from Katrin's shoppe.
They were in the outskirts of New Camelot, and Artemis took scant
notice of others. One of the few he noticed, however, he felt
misgivings about. As usual, he did not consult Luna.

:Best not to let her be troubled by my apprehensions; he decided.
Artemis had first perceived this man when they had been in the Open
Market. He had been mulling about a fisher's stand, across from them,
buying assorted supplies. One of which he noted, was a rather sizable
fishing net.

Artemis had first become aware of the stalking when they had stopped
to buy lunch. Luna had started eating again, after almost two days,
and Artemis had only been too eager to provide. He recognized the dark
silk robe from earlier, his hood, and the distinct markings on the
sleeves, and neck of his apparel. Luna had not seemed to notice. He
guessed she had been too preoccupied with her food. Artemis hardly
argued. It was the most she had eaten in days.

Artemis was somehow struck by the idea that this man wanted him to
know that they were being followed. Why? He certainly was not playing
possum anymore, so there was hardly any question. In frustration,
Artemis grabbed Luna's arm and pulled them into an alley.

"Why did you do that?" Luna asked.

Artemis was glad to hear her voice again, even if she did sound
insecure.

"I'm pretty sure we're being followed."

"You mean the man in the black robe?" she replied. "I know."

Artemis looked surprised. Luna gazed at him, but remained silent.

"Bloody well took ya long enough aye," commented a voice with a light
celtic accent.

Artemis' form blurred as he turned on one foot. Directly in front of
him stood a man, roughly five feet in height, with black hair and
brown eyes. He looked like a hawk waiting for his kill. Without
thinking, Artemis reached for him. The man dodged easily, as if
expecting the grasp.

"Not smart," the man stated, drawing his hand out of his robe, and
pressing it to the white haired man's side. Artemis gasped and fell to
the ground, still, as if frozen. Luna cried out, and tried to dodge
the forthcoming attack. With a groan, she crumbled to the earthy
floor.

The man sighed.

"Mind ya, it's not as though you got a' choice..."

---

Reality blurred into a vague sense of focus. He felt nothing but a
dull pain in his ribs.

:What happened?; he asked himself.

It flooded back like the insistent wash of greyish surf. Luna was
depressed. They were both lost. He had decided to take them to Katrin,
who might be able to help them locate the Sailor Senshi. They had been
on their way there when he had realized they were being followed...

"Well, good ya finally joined us, aye?" a voice said calmly. Artemis
tried to shake the darkness from his mind. The fog persisted, keeping
him from thinking clearly. "Blimey, that was a disappointin' fight.
Next toim, if wanna win, you gotta play smart."

Though, something in the assuredness of his voice told Artemis that
this man was used to winning. He sounded comfortable in the knowledge
of it. Sluggishly, Artemis became aware of his predicament, and the
fact that he was alone.

"Luna-chan..." he mumbled faintly, sitting up in the cage.

The man chuckled.

"Yeah, you got't. She's yea," he paused, "mo'ivation. Me'n my huntas
'r track 'er down, 'n you too. Issa game y'see. O'ever lives, wins.
Real plain, see."

'I will kill you if you've hurt her!' Artemis snarled.

'Do itashimashite Artemis,' he replied casually in shoddy Japanese.
"Mind ya, that's all I know. But... y'see, that part'a why ya here. We
don' get game from Japan, ehm, 'specially Mind Mel'as." His pause
caused a faint intolerant glare to settle on the war scattered
features of the man's indentured face.

Artemis' green eyes followed the man as he approached a pair of grand
doors.

"Let's maike no mistaike, this ain' fair. Wouldn' be no fun that waiy.
Though, ehm, you do staind a great chance'a winnin' hea. So, ehm, good
luk." Before passed through the doors, he added: "Eoh. You go'
exactly..." he tapped a wristwatch raised to his lowered gaze, "...one
minute t' ge' out'a thea befo' it crushes yea."

The great oak doors closed, and silence suddenly became quite
overwhelming. He fell into a trance, knowing the only way out was to
risk teleportation. He knew he could get himself killed, teleporting
without a preset destination, but he did not have any other
alternative. Luna's life was at stake. Letting his mind focus onto the
trace of Luna's aura felt, while the energy coalesced within him, he
prayed he had enough time.

He felt the cool musky air of the outside world around him. He opened
his eyes. A forest? Perhaps he had a chance after all.

:Now; he thought, to focus on Luna. :Where are you my love?:

---

He had been running for what felt like hours, with no favorable
results. His powers helped little, he discovered. Jumping was no good.
A short leap had revealed him to one hunter who had seemed to be quite
the marksman. Limping made already cumbersome two-legged travel even
more so. He almost hated being human. As a cat, he would have had no
trouble negotiating the hundreds of slightly unearthed roots. On the
other hand, being human had a number of advantages. The most obvious
of which to him at that point were combat abilities. He doubted he
would have been able to defeat that hunter in his feline form, or wear
his armor.

He held the hunter's energy weapon, not knowing how to use it, other
than by relying on the obvious method; pulling the rather
self-apparent trigger. Better to risk not being able to use the weapon
to full effectiveness rather than being unarmed.

His enhanced strength - by which he was most satisfactorily impressed
- had proved to be worthless as well. What good were a few uprooted
trees? The trees proved to be little help in anything but hiding.
There were plenty of them, but nowhere to go. Artemis was quickly
becoming annoyed by the presence of trees. He hobbled onward, still
reaching out for Luna's psychic presence.

---

She felt him. He was nearby. She struggled to her feet, cursing at the
pains which wracked her body. There was a guttural growl.

"Don't move," a slightly muffled voice commanded. Luna felt a very
primal anger rise within her. Her mind began to clear. The frustration
and pain fled as she thought of Artemis, as she realized the nature of
the creature standing in her way.

She hissed, "I will move if I want to." Her blue eyes narrowed, her
hackles risen. "Get out of my way!"

The dog-faced humanoid regarded the woman warily, teeth bared.

"No."

She paused for a moment.

"What did you just say?"

"No!" There was an undeniable nervousness in the creature's voice. For
a moment the young woman did not know what to do. She reeled slightly,
an unreasoning fear gripping her. She cried out angrily at this.

:Enough!; her mind screamed. :I will not be a...: "victim any longer!"

The hound faced male took several steps back at her outcry.

"Stupid dog! Don't you talk to me that way!" she snapped harshly,
neither impressed nor intimidated.

"I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!" the dog boy replied fearfully. "Master
just told me to watch you!" He raised his gauntleted hands
protectively.

Luna's voice was quiet when she spoke.

"That's better. He did? Well..." she hesitated. "You can watch me if
you want to. I'm going to find Artemis." She turned away from the dog.
He walked around to stand in front of her.

"I'm not supposed to let you do that."

She snarled at him potently, her entire sore body tensing. He
recoiled.

"I'm sorry! But I don't want Master to get mad at me!"

"Right now I'd worry more about me being mad at you, I think."

He backed away from her, indicating that he clearly did. She started
to leave, then something occurred to her.

"Give me your knife," she ordered, palm open.

He faltered.

"Now!"

Abruptly the weapon moved from his scabbard to her hand. She smiled
falsely. "Good boy."

He simply looked scared. She turned around and followed the sense of
Artemis. The humanoid dog did indeed follow her, evidently trying to
keep to his master's orders. Luna barely noticed him. She was too
preoccupied with the fading psionic trace of Artemis. She wanted to
run, but knew she was in no shape to do it. Cavell had not been
terribly gentle in his explanations. She shut her mind from that,
doing her best not to recall the unpleasant experience.

Eventually, her mind wandered back to the presence of the strange dog
creature. He stood tall like a human, but was built much like a dog.
His haunches kept him from standing completely upright. His body was
completely fur-covered, as far as Luna cared to discern. She dwelt on
him. He was nice, basically. He was merely trying to obey his master.
What was wrong with that? Everything, as she saw it. His master wanted
to keep her from Artemis. Luna was not about to put up with it. It was
a good thing the dog was a basset hound. With any other breed she
might have had trouble.

"Do you have a name?"

He glanced at her, not quite sure how to respond.

"Thomas," he replied uneasily. She nodded and smiled.

"Thomas. I'm not going to hurt you. You're a good boy, Thomas. It's
alright." He appeared to be pleased by this resolution. It was clear
to her that Thomas did not desire to hurt anyone. He only wanted to
please whomever he was with.

"Is your master nice to you?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Reluctantly, he replied, "I-i guess."

Her eyebrows knitted.

"You mean you're not sure?"

"Sometimes Master hits me... but he says it's because I'm bad." His
ears drooped slightly. "If I wasn't bad he wouldn't have to hit me."

Luna suddenly felt badly for him. He mistreated Thomas like he had
her.

"Why does he say you're bad?"

He was reluctant again.

"He wants me to hurt humans, and other dees. I don't want to. When I
don't obey he..."

"Dees?"

"Like you. Dimenson... um, diamon..." he stumbled over a few variants
of the word before Luna stopped him.

"You mean 'dimension,' right? Dimensional beings?"

He nodded. "Dees, and humans."

"All of them?" she inquired, prodding gently.

"No. Just the ones he doesn't like."

She started to ask him another question.

"Wait," he said, ears perking slightly. "I hear something."

She cursed her human hearing as her eyes searched about. It was
Artemis, he was close... so close. A figure in what appeared to be
body armor jumped out from a thick of brush to their right. In one
hand it awkwardly held what seemed to be a futuristic style rifle as
it limped slightly towards them. Thomas growled menacingly, and
stepped up in front of Luna, who balked, confused and panicked.

"Luna...?" The voice was unsteady, tired and rough. Luna's eyes
widened, and Thomas' growl deepened.

"Thomas... it's alright," she issued faintly as she ran up to Artemis,
emotions sparking within, making her eyes burn with tears. Slipping
off his helmet, he accepted her to his arms, like a blessing.
Empathetically, Luna whispered; "Ssh."

Thomas paced as the two embraced, unsure of what to do with himself.

"Luna?" he asked uncertainly. She looked at him, her head on Artemis'
padded shoulder.

"The other hunters might come. Master will come for sure!"

Luna and Artemis broke their embrace, hands remaining joined.

"Why?"

Thomas did not answer, looking somewhat sheepish.

"Tell me," she said firmly.

"You're not dead." He looked upset merely to speak it.

Luna bowed her head.

"Why can't he just leave us alone?" Her voice was hushed and weak.

Artemis took her shoulders in his hands.

"We will find a way out of here, Luna-chan. I refuse to give up." He
looked at the dog boy. "Do you know of something that can get us off
this island?"

Thomas spent a few moments in obvious consideration.

"Master has a whirly-chopter at the house."

Artemis nodded.

"A helicopter. Good." He looked at Luna, finding her head still bowed.
He took her chin in his hands. Hesitantly, her eyes met his in gaze.

"We've made it this far. Luna-chan... are you with me?"

She swallowed, then nodded.

"Hai, Artemis-kun."

"We will survive this," he proclaimed. For several moments his gaze
set in hers. "For the princess."

"Let's go, Artemis," Luna said in hushed tones.

---

The trek to the castle was surprisingly short. Artemis surmised that
he must have been traveling in circles. Perhaps the island was not as
big as he had thought. Only two problems, rather, hunters, presented
themselves. Artemis and Thomas handled the first with little trouble.
Superhuman strength apparently overwhelmed the endurance of body armor
in rather short order. The second, however, presented more of a
problem, delaying them a full six minutes longer than they both
expected. He was, after all, a mentally bereft Crazy.

Luna stayed out of the way on both occasions, avoiding battle. Artemis
refused to let himself worry about it. His solitary concern was her
safety. If she did not want to fight, he was not going to argue. After
the third obstacle finally fell, they entered the chamber which Thomas
indicated led to the helicopter. Inside, they found a silver encrusted
throne, the back of which displayed a poetically beautiful serpentine
dragon. The dragon was also reflected on the great wall behind the
throne, carved strenuously in black marble. The work would have
brought awe to the onlookers, who barely noticed the magnificent work
for the man below it.

"Well, I say, didn't 'xactly expect this," said Cavell calmly, "but,
ehm, I'm very impressed, yea. Ownly one go' this far. Mind ya, she
din' win 'ither."

He turned on the raised steps of the throne, and walked off to one
side, towards a delicately detailed collection of runes embedded in a
square section of wall, like a three-dimensional painting.

"So I stuck 'er in thea."

:Eternal entrapment! He is lying; Luna rasped in thought. :That can't
be!:

Even as these thoughts surfaced, she felt a presence within the
intricate red-grey stones. Fear, hatred, and pain caused her to reel,
and tears to well in the back of her eyes.

"No!" she whispered. "You bastard..." she stepped back into Artemis'
arms, and fought her tears.

"You," Cavell snapped, pointing towards the suddenly scared dog boy.
"Not impressed. No. You screwed up, 'n betraiyed me. For tha', I cast
ya outta 'm pack."

Thomas looked already crushed.

"Master... no..."

"Yea! I trusted you! Wuha' I get? Betrayul!" He looked fiercely angry.
"No toleraten' tha'."

Thomas stepped back, emotionally torn.

"You don't mean that."

"The 'ell I don'!"

Thomas turned away, but refused to leave. Cavell turned his attention
back to the now sobbing Luna, and savage looking Artemis.

"Y'know, this ain' been worth i'. I'll hava kill you, jus' t' braike
even."

"Break even?!" Luna broke free abruptly from Artemis' warm hold. The
intensity in her voice startled both the white and black haired men
alike. It was the only thing they would ever share, aside from their
humanity. Cavell snatched his energy pistol from the holster on his
leg and pointed it at her.

"You took someone veiry dear to mie. I loved 'im loike a son."

Luna's anger boiled.

"You believe that? Have you seen the way he trembles when yelled at?
How he whimpers when he speaks of you?" She felt every muscle in her
body tense. Only once before had she ever felt so strongly for anyone.
It was that person she missed more than her innocence.

"It's ova fo' ya," a hiss trailed behind her words as they ended,
burning in his ears. "An you cain' stop mie!"

He raised the weapon. Abruptly the seemingly listless Thomas moved
with a speed Luna had not thought possible. He jumped at his former
master, death in his eyes. Cavell pulled the trigger desperately as
Thomas dug his claws into his throat, tearing it out. He gurgled, and
died in a crimson splash. Thomas gave with a canine whimper and
collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

"Thomas!" she cried as she bolted to Thomas.

"Why did you defend me? No one ever did that before," he uttered
faintly as she cradled his head in her lap.

Artemis moved up beside them as they spoke.

"You remind me of a friend I care a great deal about," she said
softly, in calm, mother-like tones.

"Luna..."

"I feel tired," Thomas muttered, the stain of crimson trailing over
his arm and stomach. "I'm sorry Luna."

"No... it's okay. Don't."

'Luna-chan, let me see him, please?' Artemis requested gently. Luna
nodded, and moved aside as Artemis attempted to gauge the damage done.
A grave expression rested firmly upon his face as he stood from the
limp creature.

"Artemis-san...?" Luna pleaded.

"I don't know. It looks bad," he said. "We need to get him back to
Katrin, fast..."

---

Several hours later, they were aboard the helicopter. Luna's tears had
dried. Thomas rest on a stretcher, holding his bandaged stomach, while
a well set white cloth held his shoulder. After a great matter of
fuddling with the controls, Artemis and Luna discovered both a manual
(a miracle, to be sure), and a marked map indicating a path to the
British Isles. Collaboratiion with Thomas (who had learned to read
maps as part of the hunting game Cavell had entertained) gave Artemis
the necessary information to make the trip.

"Luna, did that man do anything do you?" Artemis asked tentatively.
"How did you know about Thomas?"

She was silent, eyes intent, locked upon the shallow breathing of her
newfound friend.

"Luna?"

'Hai?' She was still caught in the grip of grief. It amazed her to
feel so much for someone she had known for a very brief amount of
time. Perhaps it was because she identified with him so strongly. He
had been abused, and so had she.

"How did you know?"

"He did the same to me," Luna stated evenly. The loss of control still
scared her, but she felt that she was starting to come to terms with
it. She had Artemis. Thomas, until their meeting, really had no one.

Artemis found himself lost for words again, and thus breathed a
frustrated sigh.

"I feel bloody useless."

"That's not true! I wouldn't be alive now if not for you."

"Do you think they would have..."

She cut him off with a gesture.

"That's not what I meant. You've been here for me. Even when I
wouldn't eat, or speak. You haven't left me alone, Artemis-san." She
stood up and walked up behind the pilot's seat. "I've learned... I...
I don't ever want to be alone again."

Artemis smiled.

"Are you sure, Luna-san? I mean... It's going to be a rough ride,
pretty kitty."

"Since when has that ever stopped me?" she said with sly smile,
wrapping her arms around his neck gently and kissing his forehead.