Oh god, no!

Even as she collapsed she could feel the ripping actions of her mutations leaving her. Her skin seemed to tighten as if she had been trapped in a freezer for hours, it was now inelastic and her body felt solid and weighed down, her grace was lost as gravity sucked her down. She hadn't realised how light she had once been. She couldn't sense her bones, nor her muscles or her organs and most importantly the shape of her skin as she had once been aware of. She couldn't perceive them on the edge of her consciousness the way she'd done so naturally, so effortlessly, for so many years, for the better part of her life! It had to be just a drug that played with her mind, it had to be something which paralysed her, but she knew that wasn't the case as she could still move. She tried to morph, tried because she thought perhaps her worst fears were thankfully wrong and she'd imagined it all, but nothing happened, and suddenly she was naked and cold and human, and more frightened than she'd ever been in her life.

"…Erik…!"

She felt so cold, and that wasn't simply because she was naked. It was because she now had half a life, and then even less than that as he walked away from her, the others, their special third, looking at him for a moment longer before he too followed Erik down the ramp and out of the truck.

She lay there for hours, not crying like someone else might do in her circumstance, but also hardly breathing. She was only human now...what use was she to anyone?

When she heard noises outside though, she ripped the clothes off one of the guards and dressed herself, a sudden surge of strength through her. She was now nothing but a human but she was still better than them by far. They were weak; she was not. Even now as Raven she was stronger and she wouldn't let them beat her down further. Everything was fighting against her though, even her own body. Without her scales, her skin felt soft and too tender, and she felt foreign to herself. She hated herself...but only because Erik did.

"You saved me," he said with little emotion, unable to say anything that could really show his appreciation. It wouldn't be appropriate for his character anyway. He was grateful, of course, that she hadn't even thought twice about her own life when she threw herself in front of the shot, risking her well-being for the greater good. He'd always loved that about her. She'd done what any true devotee should do when their leader is threatened, people like her are terribly hard to find. But he found it hard to express true appreciation when she was now beneath him. Even if she had remained worthy though, would he have been able to say it though?

Not in front of the others, certainly.

Yet, even though she hadn't died, he considered her current state a fate far worse than death. She simply wasn't one of them any longer, and that was unspeakable. He could barely stand to look at her as he stared down at her naked, cowering form. Some would call her gorgeous in that vision but she looked disgusting to him. So, he turned away from her, trying to shield his disgust—something he'd never quite mastered, because even though she was now apart of the enemy it didn't mean he wanted to hurt her. The poison from the dart ran through her veins, stripping her of everything that made her superior to the humans. She was no longer a mutant, losing the very thing that made her beautiful to him.

What could she do with her life now? What should she do with her life now? For the past years upon years she had always had direction in her life…and …now there was nothing.

She wandered about for days, pulling herself back together piece by piece as her mind regained control over her primitive body once more. It was strange that she could take any form she pleased and slip into them as easily as a well worn glove, and yet as soon as she was faced with her human form…she couldn't handle it at all, couldn't control it! It felt like she couldn't even feel herself, and she couldn't understand how anyone else could put up with living like this.

She couldn't imagine how she could put up with living like this.

Unless…

She could still help him. She went to the Government after ensuring she would give them information without being taken into custody. After all, she was harmless now, wasn't she? She led the Government to the wrong place so their first wave of the army could be wiped out, just as the plan had been. Then…she didn't know what else she could do.

She struggled her way back to the final place she had decided on. They (well, herself, Magneto and Pyro anyway) had stayed there for almost three months only a short while ago, so she would return to there. If Erik wanted her, he would know where to find her. She would sit there and wait, because it was all she could do, isn't it?

Raven Darkholme spent the first week settling in for the wait. She bought clothes which she now needed, and hated their scratchy fabric. Her old blue skin had been toughened by morph after morph, toughened by transformations and training and now her human form was supple and soft, not used to such harsh fabrics at all after almost a lifetime of not knowing such things. She hated it.

But then, at the end of the second week, she discovered a rash over her stomach…and it was blue, still smooth to the touch but rougher around the edges. Almost like her old scales. When she looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes were paling into the yellow hue she craved so much, and her breath caught in her throat. She could hardly believe it. She didn't want to let herself, if it would only get herself hurt again…but somehow she knew anyway…

The cure was only temporary.

With this thought evident in her mind and her old self regaining its strength more and more every day, she dressed better now. Before she had been in cheap slacks and a nice-enough blouse, it had been scratchy and awkward, but that was what the life of a mere human had always been like anyway. Now though, it was enough of living a half life, the only life a human deserved. She bought herself an expensive suit outfit, the blouse underneath a soft yellow, one that matched her eyes well. Her real eyes anyway, not her boring blue ones. She leaned closer to the dirty smeared mirror and studied her real eyes closely. Yellow. Almost as strong as before. Her pupils were back to the colour she knew them as; they looked almost an oily green they were such a dark yellow. She smirked her blue lips at herself and touched her red hair lingeringly. She hadn't taken much care in her appearance before, not since she had been younger and training her powers to react quicker, be more spot-on. Now though after weeks of being without she realised how much she could miss herself. It was a strange thought and she quirked her eye at herself in amusement. Humans would raise an eyebrow, she thought in distain. She had no such thing in her real form.

A new plan now. Stronger. She moved onto a warehouse in the industrial part of town where they had stayed recently, her mind clearer now. She had fire in her gut now that she had her strength – her gift back now, she knew that if Magento was still alive (which he had to be, there was little doubt about that) then he would go to Warehouse number 18, and now he had no right to. It was leased out to her, (under the name of Leni Zauber anyway) and it had been a Brotherhood safe house. If Magneto was there she'd… well…she didn't know. She would though once the time came though, her actions on the moment always worked out best. She knew that she would cause him pain though. She had been by his side for decades and now for what? To be cast aside like used armour. She had saved his life, and he had left her in the cold for the consequence. She'd make him feel the same she'd felt, even though he deserved worse. Anyone by his side would get the same treatment as well, for the sake of fun if nothing else, Mystique didn't care which really.

She knew someone would come by, even if Erik didn't right away.

And so they did. Not even two days of lying in wait, so alive with her plan that it had absolutely flown past, there was a noise of someone approaching. She flexed back into her human form, the secret (if it was to the person entering) the cure hadn't worked could be a strength to her side. A secret weapon for her to bring out if she so needed. They were cocky. They didn't even try to hide their footsteps. There was light and she snarled a smile to the empty room, it wasn't hard to know who it was…

She moved quietly, the dirty floor, crusted with dirt and gravel from outside, wrappers from god knew what and the traditional broken glass…it didn't mean that she had to be noisy, she simply had to walk lightly. If there was something even her human form couldn't take away, it was how fluid her actions were. She had always had poise and elegance, and she used it now to knock the idiot boy clean out. And Erik had trusted this boy to be one of his main bodyguards? Please.

She checked his wrists and found his fire device was gone. A lighter was in his hands which she took and then disappeared out the door for a moment, in hunt of some rope. She knew she had forgotten something, too distracted by flexing through her reborn powers.

He wasn't out for long in the end, at least the boy wasn't a total dead loss. She had tied up his hands and then left him there, taking a seat in a chair with her jacket slung over the back so it wouldn't get hurt, it had cost too much to be ripped now, especially only on this small lackey. She flicked the lighter in the same almost annoying fashion he had. When they had been a team it hadn't been an annoyance, it had been a trait. But now it was an irritating habit because it showed his arrogance. She sat in front of him in her human form; not willing to give away the fact the 'cure' had only been temporary. If he had been sent by Magneto to 'put her out of her misery'…well…she wouldn't let him even breath one last breath before she ripped him apart.

He started fidgeting around like a fool. She automatically placed a mental note in her mind to teach him later to regain conscious without moving an inch, he brought too much attention to himself by moving around like that. If he stayed still and worked out what was going on before he acted, he'd have better chance of taking whomever it could be by surprise…but then she remembered with a jolt that he was the enemy now that she was hiding in her human form, and she got to her feet with cold hate in her eyes, holding the lit lighter in front of his face, just out of reach. Taunting him.

She had to get him to spill what he knew, knowledge made you strongest after all. Maybe Erik was nearby, maybe the whole Brotherhood was waiting outside to rip her apart for being the enemy and knowing too much…she shook her head from that one though. Erik would never do something so…animal.

She looked down at John – if she had to be named as a human, so would he here – and wrinkled her human nose in disgust at him.

"You're normal," she looked at him wish disgust, picking a fight with him so he'd talk.

"You're not," he shot back, always too quick tongued for his own mind, and she backhanded him as hard as she could, letting the flame die. She knew the distance at which he could pick it up from, she was safe. She had trained the silly boy after all, she knew his strengths, even though now he didn't have the first clue of hers.

"You left me," she provoked, trying to get him to spill Erik's secrets. She knew he'd mess up as soon as he began talking, he always spoke before he thought. He was distracted though, and she could see him start to work the ropes which bound his hands and almost rolled her eyes. He wasn't giving her much credit; he could at least try to hide what he was attempting.

"Where is he?" she demanded, annoyed that he wasn't talking. It was clear that his mind was everywhere except on her own words, he didn't find her to be a threat at all anymore… Why was he there then?

"I wouldn't have left you," he began. "If you'd asked… I would have stayed. Made them pay. I got the one who shot you." This surprised her somewhat. Did he actually expect her to believe a word he had said? What a fools joke. …How could she have asked any of them to have stayed? It would only be a weakness, and as she had shown a million times over…she was everything but weak.

"It doesn't change anything. You still left," she sneered. "You all left me." She held the lighter in her palm, showing it to Pyro. "Are your little toys broken?" she asked with malice.

He didn't seem to rise to her cold tone at all. "Untie me," he asked, finally giving up on the rope. "I'm not here to fight."

She didn't have to listen to this hopeless banter. She wanted real answers. She threw out a punch but at the contact the lighter was cast aside to the floor, followed by Pyro. He kicked out at Mystique, catching her ankles and tripped her. They tussled on the floor – he was stronger than she had remembered, or maybe she still wasn't used to moving in her human body, she suddenly wasn't as agile or slippery – and then somehow he had the lighter in his hands again and she was surrounded in flame, not willing to shiver through appearances to save herself from the pain as the flames rushed between the two ex-Brotherhood members; the mutant and the human. Acting as a human was as bad as being one Mystique cursed in her mind, moving away and therefore forfeiting.

"Untie me, now," repeated Pyro. As long as he had control of the flame he had control over Mystique. He left a threat hanging in the air…

Unwillingly, she stalked towards him and easily untied the knot, tugging one tie and then slipping it though a loop, then he was free. He maintained the fire though, and it was hot, hotter than she had remembered, or maybe her skin was tougher when she was Mystique. She felt the willing to melt into her mutant form, but controlled herself away from it. It didn't matter that it seemed like he was alone, just as she was. She wouldn't let him in on her prized secret so easily.

Rubbing his wrists to get the feeling back, he turned to face her. Each word was irritatingly punctuated with the clicking of his lighter.

"Aren't you going to thank me?" he smirked. "I might not have stayed, but I killed the one responsible for the way you are now Mystique." He was cocky already, and she felt the urge to slap him again, or maybe that was just the physical side of her. She had always been such a physical type…

"Raven," she corrected him. "My name is Raven." She saw him try (and fail to) hid his surprise at her use of the human name, and he was even less successful hiding at his scorn.

"Maybe I should've done what Magneto was supposed to do," he said, and she bristled at Erik's name, knowing she wouldn't like where this was going. A flame circled around his fingers. "If he'd had the guts to do it." He tilted his head to one side; "At least you wouldn't have to live like this, Raven."

She didn't dignify that with an answer. He wasn't going about it the right way if he was trying to convince her he wasn't here to kill her. He was still cocky, thinking he was a mark above her since he still had his powers.

"Do you know where he is? If he lived?" he demanded.

"He's alive," she answered automatically. "Erik wouldn't lay down his life for another," she couldn't hide the bitter trace through her words, and really, she didn't even bother to try.

"You've seen him?" Pyro eagerly latched onto her words. "Where? When?"

She was taken back a little, but hide that over a filthy look. "I haven't seen him. Haven't heard anything from, or about, him." She paused, needing to check her suspicions. "He didn't send you here?"

"Would I be asking where he was if he'd sent me?" he replied laconically. Pyro ceased flicking the lighter, though he still kept flames coursing around his right hand. "I said I wasn't here to fight you." Cocky once more. He was like a flame, growing stronger and flickering around at all times, building up on himself and then fading a little, only to build up more the next time. She wanted to put him in his place, but she couldn't without revealing the fact the cure had failed…

She watched though, as he let the flame die out, and finally agreed with herself that he wasn't there on Erik's comment. He was simply a lost boy who needed her to be the hunter, and track down their old leader. He put the lighter into his jacket pocket and she relaxed a little, but remained silent. She would let him speak first.

"If it's any consolation; and it probably isn't, he left me too," Pyro confessed. "That's why I'm trying to find him."

She raised an eyebrow at him. Why would he try to find Erik like a snivelling dog to an owner? "To rejoin the Brotherhood," Raven said, lips curling in disgust.

"What Brotherhood?" snapped Pyro, letting emotion take charge of his head once more. "They're all dead, or imprisoned. He left us all to die!"

"Some of us were left sooner," She replied coolly. "Or did you think you weren't as easily expendable as I?" Her words hung in the air like breath on snow, as if her body was still wrapped in ice, as they'd left her.

Pyro shrugged, and she rolled her eyes inwardly. He was only a mere child, Erik had plans to breed him up to something amazing, that was true, but he was still too young to be anything Erik would count as …special.

She waited, considering her next words. "You were looking for me, weren't you?" she questioned casually, and Pyro nodded. She carried on speaking, slowly knotting a plan up in her mind piece by piece. "If you want to find him, you'll need my help." She pointed out, there was no sense in hiding the truth which they both knew.

He looked at her eagerly, and she smirked to herself in her mind. Even under the façade as an ordinary human, she still had the power over him. She held up a hand to silence him before he could say anything.

"I'm helping you on my terms John," she laced her words with the taste of something elite happily. "You may still have your abilities, but I'm the one in charge. No funny business…" She thought for a moment that she could be overdoing her jabs at herself of being powerless, but then shrugged that thought off. He wouldn't guess for a moment hers had returned, surly… "And I wouldn't think of taking Erik on single-handedly if I were you." She narrowed her icy eyes at him, stifling the retort Pyro had prepared. "Agreed?" She held out a hand; and Pyro shook it: "Agreed."

Pyro joined her in the warehouse permanently after that; 'Raven' had made herself a temporary home towards the back of the building in what must have once been an office, and she helped Pyro gather what they could for him to settle into the office across from hers. The initial entrance was left as it was; giving the impression of a derelict building to avoid unwanted contact.

The unwanted contact seemed to arrive quite fast considering their extra steps to remain unbothered. She had noticed her for a day or so before she told Pyro, who set out and found Husk, a peculiar little mutant lurking around the warehouse.

She wouldn't be much trouble, so Mystique left her to Pyro for a while until she bothered to join them in the entrance of the warehouse, it was clear that Pyro was just dying to push around someone less worthy than he after finding his place was once again beneath Mystique, even if she was without her powers or not.

Looking almost bored, Mystique stepped quietly up behind the weak younger female, just in time to hear Pyro say, "Got anything to say, say it," he snapped, adding "Or go."

"I've seen him." The younger mutant babbled. "Magneto. Exactly how he looked on TV," Husk babbled. Pyro snapped to attention as did Mystique in the shadows; if she was telling the truth, and she wasn't smart enough to figure out a lie - then this was their opportunity to find him.

"Where?" 'Raven' revealed herself to be behind Husk; feeling the time draw near to return to her proper form, graceful and elegantly powerful. She stood with a regal poise and glared down on a startled Husk with distain.

Pyro flicked his lighter shut sharply to gain Mystique's attention. She met her eyes with his, and he quirked an eyebrow. She could read him easily, just like before, it was almost like nothing had ever changed between them. Did she think Husk was lying?

She observed the young girl for a short moment, and then moved her head in the slightest move to indicate that no, she wasn't.

"Where'd you see him?" Pyro demanded suddenly.

But of course Husk had her reason she had this news for them. "Only if I can stay here. With you two," she replied. "You've got all this space to yourselves, and I'm out there on my own. I'll tell you if you let me stay," she added, pleading.

Mystique let Pyro handle this, she knew that he was well taught in how to react after all. There was no way they would let this annoying little creature stay anywhere near them.

Nodding, Pyro agreed. They needed to know where Magneto was now… Husk could be dealt with later which would be fun. Neither of them had any intention of allowing her to track down Magneto with them of course, that would simply be cruel for Husk herself, as Erik wouldn't want the slightest thing to do with the girl, and they simply couldn't let her feelings be hurt like that.

Mystique rolled her eyes at Husk's turned back, wondering if they'd have to beat the information out of this girl.

"He's staying in Sycamore Street – he was in the park and I saw him, and followed him." Husk was becoming frantic, tripping up over her words. "I wanted to know… needed to be sure it was him. Can't blame a girl for being curious, right?"

"What number?" asked Mystique coolly, sounding bored with the girl already.

"Uh… 590, I think, I'm not really sure," stuttered Husk.

"Be sure," ordered Pyro, flicking open his lighter.

"592! 592 – That's what number house," she yelled. In panic, the skin of the girl suddenly fell away, revealing a body made of – was that glass? – beneath. Her chosen name made sense now, and her inexperience of her power was made clear as she swore loudly at having changed form.

"Can I stay with you now? Please?" she asked, glass eyes turning to Pyro for an answer. "I know that's the house number, and I promise I'm not like this all the time, I can look normal-," at this Mystique's eyes narrowed, why should they ever have to hide? "-and it's not always glass… normally it's metal and I can help you guys out, I really can, I just don't know how to control this… this thing."

"You know, you should be grateful you're not one of them," said Pyro calmly, as Mystique stepped her way casually closer to Husk – who still had her back to the 'ex-mutant'. Mystique deliberately stepped on a wrapping of plastic, making a sound, and still the inexperienced mutant didn't turn around. Maybe it was the fact that Husk wasn't being aware of the danger behind her back as she should be, which made Mystique narrow her human blue eyes and flick her black hair behind her ear once more. She may look human now, but it obviously meant nothing. Never judge a book by its cover…this was especially true alongside Mystiques gift.

"I died to protect the power of another," sniped 'Raven' from behind her. "You're not worthy of yours." She fixed her hands around Husk's head and then tightened them, squeezing in and down until the head shattered, all happening in mere seconds, so fast that the young girl didn't even have time to scream. Her useless body fell to the floor and disintegrated into a thousand or more fragments as it hit the floor, looking akin to ice shards. Mystique looked up and met Pyro's eyes, her disgust at the young girl disappearing as she blinked coolly, regaining her composure.

"We have an address," she said.

"We have a visit to make," replied Pyro. "Seems like the wrong mutants had their 'cure'."

She figured now would be as good a time as to any to let him in on her secret, he had proved his worth enough anyway. Her eyes flashed yellow as she replied, fire coursing through her veins that the hunt could now be spurred forward. "Their so-called cure," she smirked. Blue scales reappeared over her body, easy to see even in the dim light of the warehouse, and she morphed mockingly into Husk's glass-shelled body, and then returned to her natural blue, scaled state, feeling at home once again.

"We have a revenge to wreak."

This is a challenge for FictionNET ( http / sycotic . org / fnet ) If you're looking for a nifty (mostly based on Harry Potter) writing forum, join Fnet and say that Keladryie sent you. It's seriously worth it.

This is written for the challenge: Alternate Fandom Challenge 05 - Elemental Interests

Under these guidelines: We are all clear as to what the main elements are, right? Earth, Wind, Fire, Water.

Write about these in some way in fandom. No original work is allowed, nor is Harry Potter. Think about how they're used in...Captain Planet say, or A Song of Fire and Ice, or in those books by Eddings about the gods? shrugs

Either way: Elements + Fandom (thats not HP)

All entries must be longer than 1500 words.

Go wild!