"Suki!"

Darkon blurts out the name almost instinctively. How might he be motivated? Suki! His dearly beloved! Gods, he would move the world for her. He would bring down kingdoms just to see her face one last time. All of this was for Suki, his whole life as a prince, then this miserable existence between life and death in his crimson garden. Everything he had done was done for her. Everything he would do, he would do for her.

Darkon sits up and bares his teeth, shaking off the vestigial pain of his heart being split in two, then knitted back together. The physical rending of his heart was no more painful than the day Suki died. Would The Dragon give her back? He was certainly capable of it...

But The Hero... he's not a force for good. He's not here to help me. He probably just wants to torture me.

"Another Loverboy. I see..."

The Dragon's voice is bored. Scornful.

"Ya' know, you're a dime a dozen." His voice raises into an falsetto. He rolls his eyes.

"I fight for my beautiful bride, with passion in my heart and blah blah blah. This whole destroying my world business was exciting, and I applaud you - but the motivation was love? Really?"

The Dragon yawns, his too-red lip splitting too wide, revealing too sharp teeth. He leans back to stare at his fingernails. His eyes are brooding. He thinks for a long while - and whilst he does, Darkon wonders if he shouldn't have asked for Suki right away.

No... The Dragon knows what I want... there's no use in lying to him... ggh! How dare he play me like this! Does he want me to beg?

The shame! The indignance! But... but if he could get Suki back, then he would happily bear all the shame in the world for her sake. The Hero wanted excitement? Did he want his ego stroked? Did he want a Prince to grovel at his feet? Did he want Darkon to kiss his boots? At this point, he might just do it. If he was about to destroy the world to be with Suki again, he certainly wasn't above begging the Deities.

"Fuck! Hero, Please! Just let me see her! I'll fight you. I'll give you the best fight of your entire fucking life - just bring her to me! I'm begging you!"

"Hahaha!"

The Hero's pensive expression snapped into a look of cruel delight. Those dreadful eyes suddenly came alight with malicious joy - as if he were only now realizing something. Darkon's heartfelt plea stirred no sympathy in The Dragon's stony heart, and instead seemed to fill him with all sorts of terrible ideas. Darkon... shouldn't have expected anything less. As far as he was aware, The Dragon was the very embodiment of evil. One that took delight in strife and misery.

But I cannot fight him... I would be throwing away my life...

"Okay! Okay let's do that! Come Little Prince, Come with me! You blame me for Suki's death? That I didn't allow the world to be perfect, and thus this is my fault? Fine. Let's go-"

He hopped off his dragon-form's snout and strode across the expanse of nothingness towards the place where Darkon was crouched. He was still covered head to foot in dragon saliva when he held out his hand, gesturing as if to help Darkon to his feet. His demeanor was positively giddy.

"Up, Up on your feet, little Prince! Come on now!"

Darkon regarded him with equal parts suspicion and dread. His brain spun as he wondered what The Dragon would do to him... or, heavens forbid, to Suki.

Still, he could not refuse. Would The Dragon let him see her again? He must take that chance. Even though he trembled as he reached up and grabbed the slimy hand and was hauled to his feet, that hope kept him going. The Dragon's eyes were fixed on him and nigh sparkling in some sort of sick anticipation. Darkon knew he was soon need to fight for his life... but if he could see Suki again, it might be worth it.

The Dragon cackled at him.

"Thinking about your bride, Little Prince? Taking a stroll down memory lane?"

The Dragon grinned unpleasantly. Darkon glared at him, grinding out his answer from between tightly clenched teeth. He tried to dislodge his hand from within the Dragon's, but those claws grip him tight.

"What is it to you, Dragon?"

The Dragon laughs. A rough gutteral laugh.

"Because you're about to travel memory lane with me. And I don't stroll. I don't run either. We're about to fly, so grab your weapon and hold on tight!"