Hey everybody! Thanks to Elementalflame, harryrulesmyworld, Adiatu, topazchick08, & Beaumont's Lament for the great reviews! Here's chapter 16!

Irma: KaNdRaKaRgrl fortunately does not own W.I.T.C.H.

On with the show!

Chapter 16

Black & Silver

"IRMA! HAY LIN!" Will's broken screams were lost in the night as she reached out to the spot where her friends had been standing just seconds earlier, swallowed up by who knows what. She turned to Cornelia and Taranee, trying and failing miserably to hide her glazing eyes. For a moment no one spoke; digesting all that had just happened was like trying to gulp down the Sheffield cafeteria food with Taranee's appetite for it.

"What are you waiting for?" Taranee choked, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "GET THE HEART OF CANDRACAR AND FIND THEM!" Fire had the reigns over her sadness, and Will just nodded numbly as she called the pink jewel to the surface.

"We'll find them," she whispered. "I promise." And with a brilliant flash of pink, Heatherfield's park stood empty once again.

(Meanwhile, with Irma & Hay Lin…)

"IRMA!" Hay Lin was terrified, and she obviously wasn't afraid to show it. Eyes shut tight, she braced herself against the searing pain snaking across her palm. It was the symbol of the air, black as midnight, tattooing itself onto her delicate skin. She could only feel herself falling, the rush of transformation capturing her senses, only terror mixing with euphoria as a power she never knew she possessed gripped her every bit of being.

Once upon a time, the sky filled the world. Time was young then. There were no rivers or lakes on Earth. Only the great Eastern Sea. And DRAGONS.

The words echoed through Hay Lin's mind, her grandmother's voice melding with her mother's as the tale sprung to life before her now-opened eyes.

Dragons who chased each other through the air. Of all the dragons, the bravest were the red dragon, the yellow dragon, the black, and the pearl dragons.

Hay Lin's mind matched dragon to guardian so fast she hadn't had time to blink. And the rest of the story flowed along quite nicely…until the red and black dragons darted off together toward the sky to bring water to the clouds.

'Hold the clouds,' the red dragon commanded, water spiraling toward the fluff of white.

The black dragon did as was told, steadying the children of the air as its friend gave them life. And so the people were given their rain. The black dragon knew that the emperor would be far from pleased, so he took aside his friend while dragons of yellow and pearl continued to clear the clouds.

'You know that we will surely be punished,' he said, and the red dragon nodded somberly, head still held high.

'It is of no use to the world for all of us to be locked away. I will step up and take the blame.'

The black dragon's eyes widened, fear illuminating orbs of black. 'I can't let you. You won't live to see the light of day again. We must fight him. We cannot allow ourselves to be imprisoned for simply bringing justice where it was due.'

'Fighting gets no one anywhere,' the red dragon said, looking out at the beaming faces of the villagers.

'What has happened to you?' the black dragon asked. 'You used to be alight with rage, the very essence of what we stood for. You used to fight for what you wanted. You never gave up. Why now? Why this?'

'All dragons do not stand for rage. A fire in one is weaker in another. Not all of us can fly freely anymore. That is why you three must remain. I can't have the world suffer because of justice. That's what will happen if you aren't here.'

'Don't you understand?' The black dragon cried out impatiently. 'We have more power than that emperor ever will! We can save ourselves!'

'At whose expense? That creature they call an emperor might deserve the blow we could deliver, but is it right to do so?'

The red dragon turned to leave for the emperor's palace, but the black dragon caught him by the tail, claws sinking into scales so that blood gasped for air on the surface. The red dragon turned, and in a flurry of fangs and claws, the two dragons fell out of the air, tumbling through one element and crashing into another, deeper and deeper they went into the frothing waves of the sea.

The red dragon broke away from his friend, gliding through the water so that he could escape to the emperor's palace and confess before the others could stop him. But he didn't know was that the black dragon couldn't swim for his life, air being his only friend and subject. Water mastered him, leaving him drowning until the emperor's guards hauled him to the surface to face the punishment that the red dragon couldn't prevent.

And then the three other dragons found themselves standing before the emperor, their friend now a lonely mountain standing in the emperor's landscape. 'He left me alone,' he thought. 'He left me alone…my best friend…forever…'

Soon they stood beside the lone little mountain, until Xin Jing's magic turned them into rivers, into water, the source of all of the black dragon's pain. And so he vowed his revenge on the water, vowed that he would destroy what had destroyed his world. 'The sky won't cry again,' he thought. 'THE SKY WON'T CRY AGAIN!'

"IIIIIIIRRRRRRRRMMMMMAAAA! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

Irma snapped out of the memories, the part of the legend she had never heard before. Hay Lin was so close, but she couldn't see anything but white, that purely ugly color that mocked you with its perfection. She reached out in front of her, calling out to nobody in particular.

"Hay Lin! HAY LIN! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Right behind you."

The water girl spun around, and there she really was. Hay Lin stood behind her, in guardian uniform and all, only purple and turquoise had long since left it. Her top was black, skirt silver, and her leggings piled both one on top of the other in a perfect pattern. And it all clicked into place for Irma. They were the colors of the black dragon. Its spirit held her now.

"Hay Lin," she said, cautiously stepping up to her friend. "Come on, I know you're in there."

Her friend's lips just twisted into a smile, and with a quick raising of her hands, a gust of wind gathered up, knocking Irma into the air, where the red dragon's essence made itself known, red and sapphire blue dying her guardian uniform as she was shoved back into a corner of her mind. She felt her body heaving off the floor, water spurting in flurries from her outstretched hands, the splash as they hit their mark a distant echo.

We're only bodies, she thought. The only ways they could destroy what caused them so much disaster years ago. They've reborn their feud through us, destroying us to destroy our elements. She spoke into her mind, trying to coax the dragon into submission, but no luck came to her or to Hay Lin. Punches flew, water flowed, air soared. The girls could feel the blood, could feel the pain shooting through their beings as if they were the ones controlling their feelings.

There has to be a way to beat them, Irma thought. What did the red dragon do to try and stop pain long ago…he…he…he gave up! Irma knew what she had to do so that Hay Lin could live. A part of her hated it, but her other half didn't care, and that half won out. I'm sorry, red dragon, but I can't let this go on anymore. By losing you've won. I just hope it's enough…

Closing her eyes, Irma imagined Candracar and the Oracle, concentrating fiercely on her words to him. Oracle, I give you back what you gave to me. I give you back the power of water, I give you back my guardianship. So there you go…I GIVE UP.

And up in Candracar, the Oracle felt the energy of the oceans return to him as Irma resigned her post so that her best friend could stay. He smiled sadly. The girl had finally seen a light. She was growing up. Her three friends stood behind him, tears brimming at their eyes as he held them there, detaining them so that destiny could take its course. They fought him, they voiced their hate, but he would not let them go further. He could not interfere with fate...he would not interfere with this.

Irma felt control return to her, the red dragon's spirit finally free to rest. But the black dragon didn't stop. Hay Lin's body closed in on hers, now clad in the outfit she had worn to the park, her guardian clothes a distant memory. "Hay Lin…" she pleaded weakly, but knuckles crashed against her skin anyway. "Please, Hay Lin, don't…" The air guardian's foot crashed into her stomach, and Irma couldn't help but let a whimper of pain pass through her lips. Hay Lin just smiled, the black dragon's spirit simply feeding upon the young girl's pain.

What can I do to make you see…? Irma thought as she felt a gust of wind tear across her skin like a knife, blood crying out of her skin. Cut after cut, pain after pain, her vision started to blur. So this is how it ends…Irma thought. So this is how it ends…And she felt herself begin to cry, tears of turquoise spilling from her eyes as her element left her.

Hay Lin could see through her eyes, feel through her hands…the only thing she lacked was control. And then she saw Irma, lying on her back in front of her, water no longer her friend. No…my vision…no…no…NO! You got your revenge; she called to the dragon's spirit. NOW LEAVE ME!

And with the force of three simple words, the dragon did, spirit finally put to rest. She felt herself fall out of the air at Irma's side. "No," she murmured, running her hand through her best friend's blood-caked hair. "No, no, no," she shook her head as tears came out. A groan reached her ears, and she looked to find Irma opening her eyes. The air princess gasped. They were the lightest gray she had ever seen…almost white, even.

"Hay Lin," Irma murmured, reaching up to touch her best friend's hand one more time. "I'm so sorry." Her voice died into a whisper.

'NO! IRMA YOU CAN'T! YOU WON'T!"

"Hay Lin!"

The air girl turned around. Cornelia, Will and Taranee, in guardian uniform and all, were at her side in a matter of seconds. "What happened?" Will asked softly as Cornelia knelt down beside Irma, feeling for a pulse.

"It's…all…my…fault," Hay Lin choked. Taranee wrapped Hay Lin in a hug, rocking her gently back and forth. "Why…why didn't you get here…sooner?"

"The Oracle wouldn't let us," Will answered sadly. "We tried but…he's stronger than we are."

Cornelia stood up. "She's still alive, but…" Cornelia trailed off, looking down at the white expanse beneath her. "We should get her to Candracar," she murmured simply. Will took the Heart, voiced her plea, and the five left limbo to itself.

Sorry if that was a tad bit confusing. Irma & Hay Lin were transported to a sort of limbo-type place. No, it doesn't have a name. Leave any questions you might have in a review (DON'T personal message, because my e-mail's going to be down for a while) The next chapter is the last, and any loose ends left will be tied up there. 83 reviews until I update. Hit that magic go button! You know you want to!