Chapter Twenty:

Robin walked into the infirmy, his look somewhat tight, his hair a little messed, but not much different from the every day. The room was quiet, monitors bleeped, but breathing was quiet, the room was almost deathly in a way it had never been before.

Standing beside the bed where Allen was laying; Raven stood darkly against the white backdrop. Her hood was down, a book held firmly in her hands as her look grew even more worried. It was an odd expression for her, Robin wasn't too used to it, but then no one ever was. Still, he approached his friend, giving her a small grin when she looked to him before stopping.

"What did you need?" He asked. Raven had called him on the T-com roughly fifteen minutes ago, telling him to meet her up here. "Did you figure anything out?"

"… I think so." Raven said carefully. Her eyes looked down to the book in her grasps, holding it out in front of her and resting it on her arm as she softly glided her fingers over the rough brown cover.

Robin raised the corner of his mask. "Think so?"

Raven sighed, pulling the book back to her chest as she used her spare hand to rub the lines from her forehead. "I can't be sure until he wakes up. "

Narrowing his eyes, Robin stared at her a little more intently. "Sure of what?"

Raven looked back to him, her hand returning to the book; before then opening and flipping through pages. "Here" She turned it around so Robin could see. As he walked closer though, Raven turned the book back facing her, and they both stared at the beautifully imprinted pages. Dark, tall figures dressed in black cloaks, and within a shroud of shadowy mists. Their eyes where colored in with thick black ink; and something about them was haunting, the image was like one from a nightmare, it left a blotch within the mind.

"What's this?" He asked slowly.

Frowning further, Raven took a moment before she said anything. "It's a Necromancer." She said curtly, her brows turning downwards on her face as the words rolled off her tongue.

Robin blinked, looking back up at his friend with a cocked look. He had heard of the term before, but he hadn't ever really known what it was, or… who they where, as rather fit. "A what?" He took a moment, and then rephrased himself. "What's that?"

"Someone with power of death, and the dead..." The words dripped down her lips, they had a stinging bitter taste to them, and the air changed from the poison. As Robin stared at her in a sort of confused and slightly shocked state, Raven quickly then flipped to the next page that showed more detailed descriptions. He looked down at the book, but the words where in a different language, and he didn't understand them. The illustration though was perfectly clear.

A tall man stood, cloaked by a satin blood red cloak, a skeleton standing next to him held a skull like wooden mask over the 'Necromancers' face. The backdrop was like a brick dungeon of a castle, was sketched in eerie black and blue inks, but the old print was otherwise unseen.

Not being able to tear his gaze away from the picture, Robin spoke; "What do you mean, 'power over the dead'?" He asked carefully. Something about it didn't feel right, it probably wasn't supposed too. If any of this was true and if Raven truly did believe this; then things where a bigger mess than he had originally thought.

"There are different types…" Raven said, her eyes shifting to Robin for a minute, before she backed away, holding the book close to her as she did so. "Most are just black magic users, but some are born with it… and they have… special abilities those fakes can't have."

Robin looked to Raven more cautiously. They both looked to Allen, where he was sleeping in his self induced coma. His pale skin had grown even icier in color; his black hair was sharp against it. His small body hardly moved, but overall he looked harmless, almost innocent. Perhaps he was… for now.

"And what where those?" He asked finally.

"Summoning human souls back to life… or away from it."

Robin waited a moment, studying Raven's serious face. "What makes you think all of this, anyways? I'm not doubting you… I just want to know."

She blinked slowly. "His mental power isn't like mine… it's not like anyone else's I've ever felt. It's too… void, dangerous." She said simply, but then Robin hadn't been expecting a long detailed answer from her anyways.

"You said he was born with it…" Robin started. "But the lab was testing on him, is it possible he got-"

"No." Raven cut flatly. "The only other way to gain these…. Powers… is through magic stronger than my own. He was born with necromancy, but the visions would be explained by any metagene experiments where done on him. It's possible… part of these visions could be from him draining life, without knowing about it. He would have their memories to deal with, probably just animals so far."

Robin grew quiet, feeling disturbed by it all. But this… this power, it was a disturbing one in its self; it wasn't one that could be accepted so easily. It was dangerous, and he felt the burden of it already. "Are there levels?"

Raven nodded.

"Do you have any idea how strong it is yet?"

"Not enough to do humans, or any other race other than small animals harm."

"How long before it does?"

"I…" Raven looked back to Allen darkly, turning back to Robin within a short period of time before sighing. "I don't know."

"Fair enough," Robin sighed as well. His arms crossed tightly against his chest, he passed the boy another look, trying to comprehend the new mess they found themselves in.

--

--

The energy spent seemed lost now to her fingers. The drained feeling increased, but they were both safe for now. Terra wasn't sure where she had taken Red X and herself through the 'tunneling' part of her powers, but her strength seemed to be fighting against itself. The entire (short) flight, she had gritted her teeth, cringing and keeping back her moans of pain as she focused on the energy needed to control the earth around them.

After they had surfaced, something felt wrong… horribly wrong. Her stomach began to churn, and Terra placed her hands to it and cringed her forehead so that lines of wrinkles appeared. Her teeth then barred, as the pain continued her entire body then caught on. Every nerve shackled itself together, racking against her conscience state with a furious haste.

Terra screamed as she bent over, falling to her knees as her head bent down to the earth. Luminescent hair spilled around her, a taxed halo around her head as she let out a painful groan. She heard her name called, but the raking pain began to block other things around her out.

"Make it stop!" She sobbed to no one. From her forehead she felt the earth pouring energy into her from the contact to the ground. She was soaking it up, unable to stop the flow she felt over burdened and over loaded.

Soon hot tears began to pour down her face, she couldn't make it stop. Her skin burnt itself, her insides jumbled then pressed against each other in such a momentous pain, she was sure that they would implode.

Her head pounded, Terra cried out again as the loud BOOM-BOOM- BOOM- BOOM sound of her mental state, hay-wire and out of control, banged against her skull. The pain had all been so sudden, emitting right after her exhaustion, she felt over whelmed, uncertain and drowned in this new, unforgiving pain.

Every time she had ever used her powers, they hurt her, the energy she poured was like knives being thrown from within her, but this was that times ten. The earth began to rumble, tree's shook violently in the quake as the peaceful night became one of warning.

Someone was calling to her, shaking her shoulders, but she would not move away from the earth. Her head stayed bent, as behind closed eyes she saw yellow lines zooming around the landscape. Picking out the vibrations of the quake as it thundered louder, heavier, and faster. She saw someone bent in front of her, the boots that led to the knelt torso, all without lifting her head.

The earth began to split, lines creased then opened in a loud roar of unshackled life. Terra cried again, feeling as if her skin was ready to crack open itself. This time she lurched forward, her mouth open wide and her eyes closed tightly. She screamed louder, her hair beginning to pulse from the magnitude of the earth at work.

Terra felt her face hit something, and she quickly sobbed and buried her head within the cold sense, as if a prayer that it would make it all go away.

"Terra!" Red X's voice snapped loudly, her shoulders shaken harder. But the overload was too much, with a loud, rasped breath she fell out of conscience without full comprehension of what had happened. Things slipped into a dark comatose, the earth falling down with her.

--

--

Something was pounding against her mind; it rippled throughout her body with a feel that was so enormous, Terra slipped back into her sleep. She tried hiding from the grumbling power, but it bent around her, it held her, it became her. She shivered, her body trembling violently before twitching. Her nerves where still reacting, her fingers tapped restlessly against the earth, her curled body was all but at peace.

The cold air was nonexistent to her; the warm vibrant of the earth was like that of a wall, a building around her. She was blocked away from the outside world. The quarantine was making her nervous, inside she searched for the reasons for this sudden change. But as something pounded back at her, she recoiled from her own mind, choosing to slip into a corner, to hide, to be backed against a wall she did not find comfort in.

The next hours where slow in that sense. Her feelings where enlightened, but her heart was drenched. She was so confused, unsure, as if she hadn't enough problems, something was wrong with her powers. But what? What was making them act this way? She no longer felt in control, it was as if it was a whole other person, commanding that she did as told, instead of the other way around.

As the fresh moon began to rise, Terra flicked her eyes open. Her body was stalk still, but time had passed without her knowing. She felt it, but didn't at the same time. Her vision was blurry, and Terra curled then into a tighter ball on the earth. The pine needles rustled under her weight, and she felt a tree to her back.

"Where am I?" She groaned, closing her eyes again.

"A day and a half in the future." A voice hissed towards her.

Terra opened her eyes slightly, trying to peer past her lashes, but the darkness forbade her from making clear vision. Slowly, she tried sitting up, cramps formed all over her, and she groaned before hugging her stomach and leaning against the pine tree behind her. Breathing out, she opened her eyes again and looked ahead. Red X stood not too far, his arms where crossed, and his tattered cape around his legs; leaning against another tree and hidden from the poor light the cloudy night gave.

"What happened?"

"I'd like to know."

Terra creased her brows. "You don't have to be such an-.." she cringed again, taking in a deep breath and lowering her chin down to her breast bone. She didn't finish her sentence though, instead letting it hang emptily in the air.

The next minutes that passed where tense, she looked up at X a few times, but he refused to look at her. His posture was different, it wasn't his regular attitude, his disposition had changed into a tensed one, and she almost didn't understand it.

Sighing out, Terra lifted her face. "We need to get moving." She muttered, looking to the moon as blue clouds passed.

"You can't even stand up."

Terra narrowed her look at him, keeping one hand to her stomach as the other pressed against the tree. "Bet me."

"Terra-"

"They're going to find us if we stay here!" She snapped loudly, standing up as pain raked through her body again. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, trying to numb herself from the pain. But it wasn't working, she felt so heavy… so passed away and weary that it made it hard to breathe. What was happening? She didn't understand.

"And they'll catch up if we run," Red X hissed. "Either way, we're screwed."

Terra sighed, pressing herself against the tree as she forced herself to stay upright. "Why don't…" Terra looked to him solemnly as her breathing regulated from it's heavy labor. "Why don't you just go? I can protect myself."

"Not likely." He scoffed.

Gritting her teeth together, Terra glared towards him. Why did he have to pick now to be loyal?! Or… maybe just a bigger pain, maybe 'loyal' was too complimentary for someone like him. Now wasn't a time to think about those things though, and she quickly rushed the argument. "Look. If we separate, then we'll just have to worry about one of those guys coming. They separated for us last time; they'll probably do it again. Whatever they are… I don't think their human enough to change habits."

Red X stared at her, and she stared back. Both had harsh looks that glared to the other in their own stubborn ways. If she didn't know him better, she'd think he was worried… but that was just so away from his personal character… she couldn't believe that accusation. But at the same time, what was keeping him here then? For a minute, Terra dared herself to think that maybe he felt something too, the unwanted and much needed bond.

But it was just a thought.

"Just go. I'll be fine, and you can run faster anyways." She said, her voice softened a little.

There was a moment of quietness, things dulled as the air above them rumbled. The clouds where getting heavier, and the moisture in the air became apparent.; rain wasn't going to make anything better right now, so she didn't think about it and the cold misery she would probably have to endure again. Stupid rain.

Silently, Red X moved to the side, stepping away from the tree, he looked away from her and let his arms fall to his sides. A brief wind flapped his cape around his legs like a sharp shadow against the night's backdrop. As the moon peeked from the clouds, the light brightened the skull mask, making it glow briefly before the clouds took back k over. Terra shivered, and then looked away as well; sinking back down against the tree and closing her eyes; as she listened to his footsteps carry him away.

Everything became too cold and lonely, she shivered again, hugging her sides closer as the pain continued. Cramps tightened her muscles, while her stomach continued to twirl and tumble in its painful crashes against her sides. Terra cringed, hanging her head as she tried to ignore the sudden coldness that the night had become.

The full empathy of the night was turned into its entire chill. She hadn't recognized it in a long time, as she had become accustomed to the warmth of knowing there was someone else not too far away, now that seemed lost as well. It was a little haunting to her poor mind, its weakness was its constant state when left alone to ponder on itself.

Forcing herself to deal with it, Terra looked up and around. Her connection with the earth was strong, she felt the rumbles, but she felt no control. That alone made all the difference, she didn't want to reach into the spires of power beneath her, not without the harness of energy she used to puppet it and twist it to her will. Without control, her powers where useless… dangerous and deadly to more than just the ones around her. She knew they would absorb her, they would no longer be her powers, and now without her safety leash over the immense energy that flowed under the earth, she dared not try to awake it.

Harsh hours passed, the sky continued to rumble, thunder arose with its hungry roars, and Terra only took in deep breaths and tried to stay alert. She didn't know how she was going to protect herself, but she would somehow…

She had too, what other choice was there, short of disobeying her natural, primal instinct for survival?

A rustle erupted from somewhere behind her, and Terra tensed her shoulders as her eyes narrowed. Somewhere within her, the power rumbled again, but Terra eagerly pushed it away and resided to betting herself to the pain of moving, rather than the fear of losing control.

She pushed her hands softly into the soft dirt under her. The pine needles, being mixed in it, prickled under her delicate touch. Eyes narrow, Terra caught her breath and leaned against the tree trunk, feeling as the bark bristled past her coat and against her skin. She summoned her strength together, refusing to let weakness cloud her in her struggle for survival.

Terra looked up as pine needles fell on her head, and as the lightning suddenly flashed, she saw the black blue outline ahead before it jumped towards her. Terra rolled quickly to the side, feeling the dirt push against her clothing as she landed in a perfectly aligned low bent stance. Her blond hair flapped against her face as another wind pulsed against her. The cliff, to which she had noticed earlier, to her right, was looming, and she took it into note.

The girl had returned, her hair now tucked away into a mask that covered her entire head. Emotionless eyes peered like warped crystals in the dark and looming midnight. With a sharp yank from her belt, the short fighting sword returned, and Terra curled her lips at the challenge.

Earth rumble within her, powers screaming to be set free from her pressure, to do their own bidding, to ignore her and see what they thought right to be carried. Terra suppressed them, feeling a string of pain in the act.

When the girl charged, Terra's pain was numbed by instinct and adrenaline. Things swirled away from her as she threw her hands out and grabbed the sword hold hand and pushed it up. The girl's stomach was temporally open, and Terra quickly tucked her feet into her gut and pushed the girl over her head. Terra rolled completely over, standing to her feet and turning to face her in time to duck then move to the side from another knife charge.

Wind pulsed harder, and Terra's hair then pushed around her face, her clothing rippled around her, but it did not hinder her as she was forced to take more evasive action. The knife was twirled dangerously close to the geomancers neck as she leaned away from it. Midair, Terra brought her leg up and slammed it down against the offending weapon hand, forcing the girl to back away. The bone cracking spit like sound was sickening, and Terra watched as the hand limped down; it had been broken.

With a quick movement, the girl pushed the knife into her other hand and offended towards Terra again. Growling against the persistence, Terra folded her open palms together outwards, forming a triangle-butterfly like shape as she cupped her attackers wrist and pushed it up, but this time the girl had caught onto Terra's fighting thread, and brought her own leg up and kicked the blond to the ground.

Terra skidded down to the earth, letting out a surprised scream from it as she jammed her eyes shut on impact. It knocked her breath out of her, and pain began to ache back into her with all of its unforgiving threat.

Opening her eyes, Terra looked up as lightning flashed in a bright display, lighting the entire cliff side in bright blue, and enhancing the shadow of the girl who stood over Terra with her pale stance. Rain poured, it impacted with a suddency that took them both by surprise. Hammering down with a loud ripple of sound, Terra took the moment to force herself back up. The mud firmed under her feet, her powers leaking out and unknowingly to her, enhancing her own movement. Terra cried out as she pulsed her fist forward, only to have it blocked, as a sharp kick threw her to the side.

Her body ached again, her spirit worn. But Terra opened her eyes again, letting them narrow behind the curtain of hair. She kicked her leg out, slamming against the girls knees, thus giving her no choice but the crumple down to the ground.

Lying on the ground, Terra took in heavy breaths, her shoulders heaving as her eyes glared forward. Bright in the cold and wet night, they glowed in a vibrant blue shade, her powers trying too hard to leak out that already they where enhancing her.

The girl began to raise herself, her back arching up in a hump before her head lifted and shot towards Terra a cold glare. But it was then caught off, a sharp object sliced over the girls face, pushing her back down to the side as blood trickled down her cheek.

Terra gasped out of surprise, her head lifting further as she looked to her left to see a thin shadow emerge out of the backdrop.

"You alright?" He asked, not looking towards her as his figure loomed in the cold rain.

"I thought-"

"Yeah well, you still need babysitting." Red X cocked a look towards her.

Terra opened her mouth to protest, but X was quickly taken aside when the girl rose again. Her black figure was seen as the rain pelted around her and formed a thin white line. Red X flicked his fists out, and the sharp knives appeared over the upper side of his hand. Bending over, he met her in the hand-to-hand combat with an eager demeanor.

Terra could only watch, their quick and agilities fight left her no room to interfere, and as the pain returned to her legs, she didn't think she could anyways. Red X had a tactical advantage, as both his hands worked fine, while as Terra had injured the girls other one

With the rain pouring down, it made it hard to see anything, but the sound was there, eventually they came closer enough for Terra to see, and Terra noticed that the girl was fighting Red X harder than she had been towards her. It flocked a curiosity in her, what had made her so different?

The girl kicked Red X in the throat, managing to get past his well protected barriers, and it knocked him back in a moment of breathlessness. With that time, she put her hands to her chest and lowered her chin, eyes still fixed on X. Her lips began to move, quietly chanting as her fingers trembled, and Terra knew what was coming next.

Pushing herself past exhaustion and painful sparks within her legs and stomach, Terra threw herself to her feet and gave into a powerful instinct she had been holding back. With a loud scream of pain, she threw her hands forward and let her fingers quake into her power.

The earth roared with delight, as it then pulsed through in a giant roll, as if something where burying under the earth and rampaged towards the girl. With hungry power, it then made a sink like hole in under her, trying to swallow her. The girl reacted quickly, stopping her chant as she plunged her knife into the ground and lifted her foot to it then jumped out of the way and landing in a roll; all in one fluent movement. With a sharp flick of her hands, a burst of breathless air pulsed into Terra before she could move, and instantly the oxygen around her ceased, making her grip her throat and fall back to her knee's coughing.

Red X had recovered and rushed back to the girl, swinging his knives towards her upper chest. The girl faced him and pushed her arms out and into the knives, blocking and holding them as her cuplets protected her skin. Terra could barely watch, as her cramps started all over again, making her back began to ache from the pressure, and dragging her further down.

It was when another figure joined the scene, that Terra tried gathering herself back to rejoin. But when the slim, long legged figure attacked the girl, Terra became confused and instinctively looked to Red X. He had backed away, staring as the figure took over the fight for him.

"What-" He began, having to yell to be heard of the loud rain.

"Just get her out of here!" A female voice cried. (Assuming it was a girl) Terra thought she saw a wave of white brush out around the figure, but the rain was turning all outlines white against the darkness, so no distinctive detail could be told.

Terra watched in surprise as Red X listened (well… he never listens, so yeah.) and turned to her as the knives withdrew into his hands. "Can you walk?" He cried over the rain.

Cringing against efforts, Terra pushed herself to her feet and nodded. "Who is that?" She yelled, feeling a chill as another wind brushed against her, pushing the rain over her as her hair clung to her face.

"Just c'mon," Red X said lowly, walking past her quickly. Terra looked back to the fight, trying to get a better look, she didn't feel right leaving. But as her name was sharply called to hurry up, she swallowed and followed.

NO, Terra is not just having a bad PMS. I know what all you girls where thinking. LOL!

Omg, that was like.... a really quick update O_o and this chapter is longer than my previous three, so YEY! Sorry if I missed any grammer errors, or wrote a scene that didn't make sense, I am like... SOO hyper off four cups of coffee right now -eye twitches-

Omg, I am having so much fun with this. I think I might have given away too easily who the new character is... eh, all well. I had fun with the fight scene, wrote it after I watch somed "Avatar" LOL so yeah. Hopefully it wasn't too boring.

Going to have some fun with Allen's powers too. Been trying to plot them out for awhile now, I even did actual research -crowd of plot bunnies gasp in horror-

If all goes to plan... the next chapter is going to be... 'interesting' and... well I can't say much more without giving it away. heehee. There is a reason this is rated "T", mufu.

Thanks fer reading 8D