-TEST OF RESOLVE-

"Fight me."

That statement made everyone at the breakfast table look up at Shadowcobra. He was looking intently at Draco when he said this meaning the statement was directed to the Dragon Knight.

"Nani?" Draco responded, blinking, wondering if he'd heard right.

"Fight me," Shadowcobra repeated.

"Woah, woah," said Pluto as he looked between his two comrades. "Shadow, what's gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into me is that I've noticed a decline in the strength of Draco's resolve and I want to test him just to be sure," Shadowcobra answered.

Robin interjected, "Well, if you're looking for a spar then-"

"Not a spar," Shadowcobra interjected before putting his Zodiac Deck on the tabletop to demonstrate how serious he was. "A straight out fight. Now, Draco, I want you to fight me."

"No," Draco denied.

"No?" Shadowcobra repeated.

"I won't fight a friend, not again," Draco elaborated. "There's nothing to gain."

Shadowcobra knew Draco wouldn't fight him unless someone he cared about was in danger and he knew that doing something like that would provoke Draco, like how Copycat had kidnapped Jinx. Draco never fought for himself. He always fought for others. It was a trait that Shadowcobra found noble yet bewildering. It went against everything he believed in humanity. He believed them to be selfish yet Draco was the least selfish person he knew.

But Shadowcobra had a trump card to play that he knew could convince Draco to fight him.

"Zodiac Knight Draco, by the Code of the Zodiac Knights I challenge you to a duel," declared Shadowcobra. He knew the Code through and through and that an official challenge could not be declined without penalty. Declining a challenge was the same as forfeiting one's life for a Knight and Shadowcobra was banking on Draco's self-preservation to be stronger than his principles.

And he was right.

"I accept," Draco responded, taking out his Zodiac Deck. The two glared at each other before standing up.

"Shadow, what do you think you're doing?" Raven demanded. She didn't get an answer from him as he and Draco stood in front of the window and they thrust their decks out in front of them to the reflective surface, summoning their belts.

"Zodiac Force!" the two called out as they activated their transformations.

As the two Knights entered the window to head straight to the Mirror World, the Titans eyes were on Pluto who was biting into a piece of toast. "What?" he responded.

"Why did you not try and stop them?" Starfire questioned.

"It's out of my hands," said Pluto. "I can't interfere and you guys shouldn't as well. A Zodiac Duel isn't a game. It's a fight where both Knights stake their lives on."

Raven slammed her palms onto the table, showing a hint of emotion. Anger. She was angry at what was going on. It just wasn't right. Shadowcobra and Draco were friends, weren't they?

"So, you can't make them stop," Robin concluded.

"That's something I don't want to get in the middle of. Those two going all out is a scary thought," said Pluto.

"Today's friend is tomorrow's enemy," Jinx quoted. She was worried about Draco and mad at Shadowcobra, but even she knew a fight between them was unavoidable.

"See? She gets it," Pluto pointed out. "You guys shouldn't worry. I doubt Shadow will kill Draco."

"Kill?" Beast Boy gaped.

"Did I say kill? Well, it happens in these fights, believe me," said Pluto.

Draco and Shadowcobra stood next to their Knightriders and drew their Sword Vent cards before activating them. Once armed, Shadowcobra was the first to make his move and without hesitation attacked. Sparks flew as his Snake Coil Saber met with the Dragon Flame Saber and then the two Knights began to clash furiously.

"So Friend Shadow will kill Friend Draco?" gasped Starfire. "We must stop them!"

"We can't," Pluto denied, "This isn't any of your business."

"But they are friends!" insisted Starfire.

"Even more reason for them to resolve this between themselves," retorted Pluto sternly. He was rarely serious but the Zodiac War was serious business. "We're Zodiac Knights. We must fight, and fight and fight, and all for the sake of survival."

"And you're OK with that?" asked Terra.

"I took the deck, didn't I?" Pluto responded, showing his own Zodiac Deck. "Do you know how we're chosen?"

"How?" asked Raven, humoring Pluto.

"It's all about desire."

Draco was sent tumbling and then drew out a card before activating it. Shadowcobra, seeing this, drew out his own card in order to counter Draco's next move. With his Shoot Vent activated, Draco aimed his dragon-shaped cannon at Shadowcobra and fired. The fireballs exploded but did no harm to Shadowcobra as he'd blocked it with his shield which was shaped like a cobra's hood. Shadowcobra then retaliated as he summoned up balls of shadow matter and they shot at Draco like bullets. Draco rolled away and returned fire.

"Desire?" Cyborg asked.

"Yes, desire," said Pluto. "Each of the Knights is driven to win by desire. Think about it. The prize is a wish for ANYTHING. We are only limited by our imagination. Put yourself in our shoes. If you could get a chance wish for anything in the universe wouldn't you want it?" He was looking at all the Titans. "Well? Isn't there something you want more than anything in this world?" He knew they did. Heck, he and Cyborg even talked about it once. Cyborg wanted his old human body back. "That is what we Knights are all after and we were chosen because we're willing to do anything to reach that goal."

"Even kill?" Robin asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Pluto confirmed. "I was even prepared to kill Draco once he became a Knight, Shadow was too, but then we found out that Draco wasn't like us. He wasn't chosen because of his desire. He just picked up his Zodiac Deck and has no desire for the prize at all."

Draco screamed as Shadowcobra sent him flying with a telekinetic blast, crashing into a wall violently. Draco retaliated with his own telekinetic blast, shoving Shadowcobra back several feet. It became a battle of wills as psychic forces collided and the one with the strongest will would win.

"Draco, unlike us, became a Knight to fight for others while we Knights were only meant to fight for ourselves. That's what convinced me and Shadow to join up with him. Draco's selfless, but that's a bad thing right now," said Pluto.

"How can being selfless be bad?" asked Terra. Personally, such a trait was noble.

"Jinx, how did Draco save you from Copycat?" Pluto asked the pink-haired girl who flinched under his gaze before she recalled the incident.

"He shielded me," Jinx answered.

"With his own body," Pluto added. "He could've died too. Does that tell you anything?" He didn't get a reply and then answered, "He did it because the Draco you all know now has no will to live."

Foregoing weapons and powers, the two Knights clashed again in hand-to-hand. Draco and Shadowcobra fought violently as blows were exchanged and they weren't the only ones fighting. Genosnaker and Dragonzer were also fighting. Both reptilian monsters exchanged growls and hissed before lashing out at each other like their masters were doing.

"No will to live?" Starfire asked, horrified.

"Raven, you've noticed it too, haven't you?" asked Shadowcobra.

"I sensed something in his emotions but he's really good at hiding it," said Raven.

"Wait, that doesn't make sense. How can he have no will to live if he fights so hard?" asked Beast Boy.

"That's because his lack of a will to live is countered by his will to fight," Pluto answered. "Draco fights for others and it's this willingness to fight for others which prevents him from ending his own life. However, that doesn't mean he won't give his own life for others."

"Why is he like this?" Robin asked.

"Something happened a while back," Pluto said. "Draco lost someone important to him and it changed him. After what happened, he concluded that his life was not as important as the life of others. He became more reckless in his fights, like he didn't care whether he lived or died. Then it just became too much for him and he ran away. That's the Draco you met. He may have worn a smile but in his heart he was hurting."

Draco was struggling to get up as Shadowcobra looked down on him. "You're pathetic," he commented as he clenched his fists. "Look at you. He'd be rolling in his grave now if he saw what you'd become."

"Don't…talk about him…like that…" Draco warned as he shakily got to his feet.

"I can't believe he gave up his life so you could live. You're wasting the sacrifice he made and it disgusts me," said Shadowcobra.

"It should've been me!" Draco snapped.

"He didn't think so and he thought you were worth protecting. Clearly he made an error," said Shadowcobra. "Maybe you should've died."

"You don't think I know that!-? Every single day since he died I keep thinking why it had to happen that way!"

"What Shadowcobra is trying to do is to show Draco that his life means something," said Pluto. "You can say it's tough love."

"Tough love?" Robin repeated. He didn't think Shadowcobra was capable of that.

"He doesn't show it but he cares, and he respects Draco's ideals, but he doesn't like the type of person Draco has become, which is the type who would just throw away his life like it was nothing."

"I don't know if I have anything to live for!" Draco threw a punch at Shadowcobra who caught it. Shadowcobra could feel the intense heat as smoke rose from his hand but he endured the pain.

"But you do have something to live for. You have friends and family. Think about what they would feel if you died! You know the pain well and I believe you don't want to put them through that," Shadowcobra countered. "There are people who love you. Are you that cruel to want to put them through that pain?"

"I…" Draco trembled. "I…"

"Strengthen that resolve of yours. Fight not just for others but for yourself. How can you be a hero if you die? How can you save others if you die? You have to fight and keep on fighting to keep your place in the world," Shadowcobra said to him. "What happened to those ideals you kept spouting out? What happened to that person who dreamed of becoming a true Kamen Rider? Did he really die? Then if he did it's time for him to be reborn." He drew his Final Vent card and showed it to Draco.

"You…can't be serious," Draco uttered and then he saw Shadowcobra slot the card into his scepter. He was serious so Draco did the only thing he could.

He drew his own Final Vent and slotted it into the gauntlet on his left forearm. Their Zodiac Beasts helped to set up their finishers before launching them. A blazing flying kick met with a venomous bicycle kick and an explosion was the result.

"So Shadowcobra's gonna remind Draco that his life is just as precious as everyone else's and is worth preserving," Pluto finished. He then heard the ringing. "They're coming back."

Draco and Shadowcobra both exited the Mirror World and then banished their armors. The two didn't meet each other's gazes but Pluto knew that Shadowcobra had somehow gotten through to Draco. The Dragon and Snake Knights had both sustained some minor injuries but nothing too serious. The Titans were just glad nobody was killed.

"So, who won?" asked Pluto.

"It was…" Draco began.

"A draw," Shadowcobra finished. He gave Draco a stare and he nodded in agreement.

"Hai, a draw," Draco affirmed.

"Real men can only really talk with their fists," Pluto quoted. "That is how a man can touch another man's soul."

"That sounded gay," Cyborg remarked.

"It was supposed to be poetic," Pluto glared.

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: It's just something I decided to write to see how Shadowcobra will deal with Draco's lack of a will to live. Having the will to fight but not the will to live is a dangerous combo, so Shadowcobra decided to take matters into his own hands.