After about two minutes it became evident to the Master that the TARDIS was not going to allow him to find the wardrobe easily, or quickly. It led him in circles and backwards, and twice, he almost fell into a large pit he was sure he'd never seen in any other model. At one point, he passed a room full of mirrors, and in each one, the same girl was reflected, though she wasn't in the room at all. She had a rather sad expression, with one hand against the glass.
"Master!"
"Finally," The Master muttered "Your stupid ship has it out for me."
"And whose fault is that?" The Doctor asked "Yours."
"Is not. She's hated me since the beginning." The Master insisted. And he didn't understand the amused look the Doctor had. "What?"
"Nothing. The wardrobe is this way."
"I'll say it again, out of all this, you picked tweed?"
"I like it."
The Master sighed, when it came to clothing there was really no point arguing. It was better at least, than the clown suit he used to have. The Doctor had left him alone as soon as they'd gotten to the wardrobe. Every so often the room shuddered, making it clear that they were in flight again. Even though he wouldn't have known if the Doctor would turn on the stabilizers.
"Where are you taking me then. It's not like it matters. You'll never really get rid of me."
The Doctor looked up from the console, he had been watching one of the little blinking lights very intently. "Not trying to get rid of you. Never have been. And you would think you would realize that."
"So what, your just going to fly me around until I'm all sunshine and unicorns like you?" The Master asked "Not going to happen."
The Doctor was ignoring him now, eyes fixed back on the blinking green light. "When did they stop?"
A jolt close to that of an electric shock ran through the Master. Did he mean the drums? No, impossible, how would he know.
"What?" He asked, a little two sharply.
"When did the drumming stop? When you regenerated, or as soon as you made the decision to help me send Gallifrey back to the war?"
"How did you- Forget it. As soon as I made the decision. And I didn't do it for your benefit!"
"No, of course not. Can't have people thinking you did something nice can we." Even though his head was still down, the Master could see that the Doctor was smiling.
"Shut up, find some uninhabited planet, drop me there, and go running back to your ginger pet."
"No. And don't call her a pet. She's got a name."
"Amy then. Doesn't matter. How long do you think it'll take for you to ruin her life too?"
"Stop it-" The Doctor's smile had vanished, there was a note in his voice that suggested pain.
"Oh just admit it, you're as bad as me. You destroy people. You make them destroy themselves."
"I am not, like you, you are insane Koschei!"
"You're just touchy now aren't you. Lot more anger than you've had in a while." The Master grinned, enjoying this game, of how far he could go in terms of insulting the Doctor until he was finally angry enough to kick him out. Of course that would never happen. "And I'm not insane. I just like to win. Is that such an awful thing?"
"Winning isn't always good."
And of course he said that. Because he was the Doctor and the Doctor had had his own fair share of winning. Gallifrey being one of the worst victories he'd ever had to face. But all the Master knew was losing. The short victories he'd had, were the moments when he felt most content. When he knew he was in control.
"Maybe not for you. You spend too much time with humans to like winning. Everything is about your precious Earth and the human race. Do you ever stop to think that maybe they can get on by themselves?"
"I know they can. I'm just- Why am I telling you, why do you want to know?"
"You're just what?" The Master asked, not answering the Doctor's question "Lonely? You could be lonely surrounded by people. You've been that way forever."
"Koschei?"
The older boy twitched in his sleep "Go to bed Theta..." He muttered, barely awake "Why are you in here?"
"I was lonely..."
"It's almost morning Theta...Go to bed."
"I'm not tired."
Koschei sat up in bed "Okay, fine you've done it, I'm awake, what do you want?"
"I told you, I was lonely."
"Lonely? You were asleep."
"I wasn't sleeping. I couldn't. I had this...Emptiness. It was cold, and it was lonely, I just wanted to see another person." There was a weight at the foot of the bed, Theta had sat down. Koschei made to turn on the lamp, but Theta stopped him
"No, don't, I like the dark in the morning."
Right. Theta Sigma. The kid who'd been afraid of the dark as long as Koschei had known him. Which, considering they were only seven, wasn't very long.
"Fine. How do we fix your loneliness then?"