Kiss Me, I'm Irish {An Artemis Fowl Fan Fiction}

Chapter 23: Up In Flames

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay! Got busy with school work and real work so I got no time to write. Unfortunately for my writing, school and my education comes first. And so does making money. Anyhow... this chapter was both fun and unnerving to write. =/ You'll see why soon enough. Hope you all enjoy anyways!

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Am I alive, or am I dead?

Artemis debated the question over in his head for several moments. He felt no pain, nor did he feel damp from the blood that should've been leaking out of the wound somewhere on his body. He felt perfectly fine; he still had a heart beat and he was still breathing. And that's when Artemis felt his heart sink. He wasn't dead; in fact he was far from it.

But he had missed.

Artemis wasted no more time lying about. He sat up, completely ignoring whatever else was going on around him as he tried to figure out if Diana was okay. The girl laid a few feet behind him, clutching at her chest where Artemis was only assuming she had been hit. The boy practically slid over to his friend, no longer caring about the condition of his suit; if it was scuffed or covered in dirt and blood, oh well. There were more important things to be worried about.

He gently lifted Diana, cradling her in his arms. Artemis stared down at her, in complete disbelief that the one time he decided to be heroic he ended up failing. He pushed the girl's hair from her face, and immediately regretted it. Diana's face was twisted in probably the single-most agonizing expression Artemis had ever laid eyes on. The girl's eyes finally opened, making contact with Artemis'.

"Artemis," she whispered. "I'm dying, aren't I?"

Artemis shook his head. "No, you're going to be fine," he attempted to assure, although he was entirely not sure about what was going to happen to her. Artemis did his best to correct the tremor in his voice before he spoke next. "I'm sorry Diana," he stated.

Before Diana could say anything, Artemis looked away from her as he heard a fight beginning to break out between the bodyguards. He disregarded that, knowing Butler and Juliet had the fight with Blunt easily taken care of. He looked back at Diana, who was still holding onto her chest.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked quietly.

"I failed you," Artemis answered. There was something that didn't happen very often. As soon as the words left his lips, Artemis realized exactly what he had said. He had failed. He gently moved Diana's hand away from her wound, and immediately regretted it. Blood gushed out of the hole only a few centimeters away from where her heart was. He felt that uncharacteristic lump in his throat again as he began to speak once more. "I never meant for this to happen-"

"-Artemis, shut up," Diana muttered. "You attempted, and that..." She paused for a moment, catching her breath. "...that's enough for me. Thank you." Before Artemis could respond, he noticed Holly standing on the other side of Diana, completely blowing her cover. Diana had noticed as well. "Artemis? Am I seeing things? There's... an elf standing next to me right now."

Artemis bit his tongue for a moment, not sure what to tell his friend. A reassuring look from Holly made him say, "You're not hallucinating. She's there, and she's going to help you. I'll explain everything later, if I can."

"Take care of Spiro," Holly stated. "I've got her."

Artemis nodded before gently handing Diana over to Holly. The boy stood, feeling himself beginning to shake. He took one last look at Diana before turning to face Spiro, who was seemingly unaware of Holly's presence still. The businessman smirked, pleased with the outcome he had received. Diana was in the process of dying, and soon Artemis was going to be as well- but not before succumbing to overwhelming grief. Upon seeing that smirk, Artemis felt his emotions do a one-eighty. While he was holding Diana, he was overwhelmed with a sadness he had only felt a few other times in his short lifetime; now, however as he faced the man guilty of the crime, Artemis felt a fire erupt in his veins.