Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Artemis, the American Girl ❯ Trouble With Good-Bye ( Chapter 1 )

Trouble With Good-Bye

The motorbike was speeding along. Artemis watched it for a while then looked down at her watch.

`Quarter to three? Hm, not bad timing, jerk. I'm just starting to get tired of people following me. This is just another one of those people who want to kill me. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention to the public that I've got a temper.' She lowered the window and put her hand out into the wind. `Why did Lord KoEnma need to give me seven watchers? I only wanted two. Two girls, not three girls and four boys!' Mentally Artemis went all frustrated. `What were their names again? Genkai, Kikyo? Or was it Keiko? And what's her name? Shizu-something. Then there's Hiei, Yuske? Or was it Yusuku? And Suichi Minamino? And KUZMA Kuwabara? UGH! This has GOT to be the most horrendous day of my life. Oh, well, live with it.'

Artemis's hand suddenly caught fire.

`As for you, fly-boy. You've got a wind to sail!' She threw a fire ball at the front tire. The motorbike went spinning out of control and then the driver flew up into the air, screaming like a girl. `Happy sailing, fly-boy!'

"What did you do?" Genkai asked. Genkai was a 16-year-old girl with the attitude of a fully licensed driver. Her fashion was up-to-date with the rest of the world. She wore all black. Black bellbottom jeans, a sexy, skin-tight white shirt and her hair fashions were rad. Pink and stand out black ribbon to hold the silky pink strands up. She was on her knees, staring out the back window at the wreckage from the fire ball. She was so astounded.

"What? You don't know?" Artemis said. She was completely un-moved by what she'd just done. "I'm the Wind Magician of the band Magicians. My buddy's and I are all demons with our teenaged spunk, we rock this world with our Country music. We've also taken to rock-'n-roll, but never tried much else."

It was like an explosion. The whole ground shook, causing the driver to veer left and right. Then, Artemis's window was broken, several bullets were fired, then another huge shock, and it was over. The driver was breathing deeply. Artemis's arm was stabbed with bits of broken glass. She smirked and licked her fingers.

"They don't really get it, do they? Demons can't die. Oh, yes, I forgot, we never told them so. Guess they'll learn the hard way."

There was a ring from her pocket. She took out a cell phone.

"Artemis speaking. Daddy! Yeah."

Silence.

"Yes, we're heading home right now! Yes, daddy, I'm fine." Artemis's eyes suddenly looked heavy with grief. "Yes, sir. I understand. I'm sorry." She hung up.

Dead silence followed the rest of the way back. Genkai followed Artemis in. She snuck into Artemis's room and sat down to wait for the girl.

She emerged from her closet and gasped. "Genkai!" She had been crying. Her eyes were a bit pink. She whipped her eyes and then sat down next to Genkai.

"Tell me, why are you crying?"

"I've been with my father since I can remember! He's always been yelling at me. He used to always call me `sweet child' when I was really scared. Now he is forever calling me `Artemis' or other names. I can't make him smile, but ani can."

"Ani?"

"Not Elder Toguro, my older brother. His names Apollo. He's always here when I call for him. He's like my stepfather, only, he's about three years older than me." Artemis laid down. "Ani's been living with me since I was seven. Which was one year after I cam here."

"Imoto!"

"Ani!"

Artemis tore down the stairs and into the arms of her brother.

Apollo was a tall teenaged looking demon. He was about the same height of King Yomi of the Swamp Lands of Maikai. But his hair was un-matched. His hair was bright red with some strands of yellow or orange decking it here and there. His smile was bright and bore fangs that were from the top jaw to the bottom gums. He wore a school uniform. The uniform was a pair of dark brown pants, a plaid tie, white shirt, and dark green jacket. He was pale, like Artemis.

Genkai's eyes suddenly widened as she realized something. Artemis's hair was flung aside from her forehead for a brief moment before they were completely thrown aside to reveal an orange Jagan, glowing violet. Apollo smiled and placed his hand over the Jagan which closed and the hair fell back into place.

Apollo looked at Genkai. "And is this your guard?"

"Part of the SEVEN guards Lord KoEnma sent!" Artemis said grumpily. "Ani, they wont talk to me. They just stare. Can't you ask him to give me someone who likes me?"

"No."

"Why not? You work for him!"

"I can't, Imoto."

"Oh, all right. I guess I'm stuck with them." Artemis hopped down from his arms and walked over to Genkai. "This is Genkai."

"Hullo, Genkai," Apollo said. His voice mentally came into her mind. `What are you doing here?'

`My job! What else! Besides, she misses Sakyo. He yelled at her over the phone and she was crying over it when we got back.'

`Is that so? Sakyo almost NEVER yells at her, especially over the phone. He normally is quite sweet to her. She's never cried before. Must not be so serious.' "Papa said he talked to you when he called me. What'd he say?" `I'll get to the bottom of this.'

"He-he just sorta told me to lay off with the daddy stuff."

Apollo's eyes widened and he bent down a bit. "Artemis……"

"I feel so lost."

"Don't be sad. I'm sure dad didn't mean that." `What've you done Sakyo? You LOVED Artemis. What did you say to make her like this? Did you hear, Genkai-chan?'

`Heard what he said? Yeah. He told her not to EVER take to long doing something called Jodo, then he told her not to call him `Daddy' ever.'

Artemis turned and ran into her room, locking the door behind her.

"Told ya so."

"Shut up, Genkai! My sister's feelings are hurt. Hey, by the way, weren't Jin and Touya supposed to meet you here?"

"Good point."

~@~

Artemis stared at the locket.

Inside of it was a portrait of Sakyo on one side and a picture of the family on the other side. Artemis's tear gems fell into her palms as the locket lay on the floor.

Every painful memory was flooding into her mind. The papers, the new families, the lies, the cheats, everything. It was going to replay itself into her eyes.

It was always the same. She found a home, she'd live there, then they'd turn her out. She'd be stuck in the adoption center with all the kids teasing her, making her feel even worse.

She laid down on her belly and stared at her pillow. The bear Sakyo'd given her was in the trash can near the door. It was no longer laying on her bed, where it used to be.

It was a white teddy bear with her tear gems for eyes. There were three buttons that were made from one of Sakyo's, Apollo's, and her tear gem. All were black but with a different flame. The bear used to be something Artemis was proud of, now she was just sick of it.

She buried her face into the pillow, weeping her heart out. She was going back to New York. Back to her past. Back to where she came from. It was like a movie she couldn't stop repeating.

~@~

Genkai sat there, waiting for Artemis to AT LEAST unlock the door. She silently slipped next to the door and pressed her ear to it.

What she heard astounded her ears. She'd never thought of this, even after she'd met this child.

"Sakyo. Daddy, why can't you just see that I'm lonely and take me with you? Why can't you see that I love you? What have I done to be so self-conscious to be this lazy to your eyes? Why do you want me to be perfect? You know I'm not perfect! I'll never be perfect. I'm just a stubborn child with no real parents, aren't I? Aren't I just a stubborn person in you way? Am I what's holding you from releasing your anger? Is that why you slapped me the day before we left? Is that why you yelled at me? Why can't I be your daughter?"

Genkai's steps became uneven as she raced down the hall to Sakyo's room. She was digging through the countless books he had. Then she found it. A digital hologram book. She opened it and saw the chips. She found a computer near the bed and opened it. She placed the chip in and was watching past memories that had been recorded. They were like two happy campers. Then it showed the car accident. The girl lay there, bandaged, breathing off oxygen machines. Her brother was mostly well, except for his leg was broken, and his face, it was a tid bit scratched. It was like a nightmare, and Sakyo was there, reassuring the girl to keep breathing.

"I see you found the memory chips father made."

"Apollo, is this real?"

"All of it. The car accident took Artemis's entire strength to recover. She wasn't given a second thought when she was taken to the hospital. She was just ignored. Nothing was wrong with her body until the crash. Artemis's heart and lungs stopped working fourteen years ago. She's been living without them for, uh, about thirteen years. It's a miracle in it's self that she's made it this far, with so little going against her. I think that's why Sakyo's ready to give her up. She's a dead person walking in this world."

"That's really mean."
"Well, he IS our father, so I wouldn't be surprised if he just threw both of us out. He's never had a soft spot for ANYONE, then here comes this sweet child who wants a home and she's given a home. It was like a happy moment in time. Artemis was only five, but she called Sakyo `sir' until the adoption was final."

"So, now what?"

"Artemis is gonna have to make it on her own, without anyone to help support her. She's been left in the cold before. Now she's defenseless, homeless, and love absorbed. I'm grieving her loss already. She's supposed to eat twice a day, but she hasn't eaten her second meal. I'm scared that she'll need something more that Sakyo to cling to."