Lezard remembered screaming, the pleasure he had been about to experience instead being swallowed up by his terror. Her name had thundered out of him, seeming to echo mockingly in his ears. He couldn't believe what was happening, couldn't believe his Goddess was trying to kill him. Trying and succeeding, Lezard gasping desperately for breath. His hands let go of her body, fingers instead scrambling over the chain that dug into his throat. He couldn't get purchase on it, couldn't drag it free of his skin.

Their bodies were still entwined, still locked in that intimate embrace. But the pleasure was gone, terror making him go limp. Lenneth's face was before him, her eyes seeming half crazed with triumph. She thought she had already won, the Goddess so sure her nightmare was about to come to an end. He'd make a desperate, rasping sound, trying to speak. What was the purpose behind the sound? To beg for his life? Or to hiss and rage about how Lenneth would never be free of him? Even as he fought against the chain, trying to keep from choking to death, Lezard was unwavering in his determination that Lenneth belonged to him.

She was pulling on the chain, trying to crush his throat with it. Only his fingers feeble grip kept it from digging in any deeper. And still it wasn't enough to save him, Lezard making frantic, wheezing sounds. His lungs couldn't get enough air. He was rapidly going weak, rapidly dying. And yet he couldn't allow things to end this way. Not when he was so close to attaining everything!

He saw her lips part, her teeth bared in a feral hiss. He couldn't make out Lenneth's words, but knew they weren't pleasant entreaties. She wanted him dead. Might even now succeed. It would have been so easy to grant her that wish, but Lezard was ever selfish. He hung on, desperately cleaving to the one life he had left. Even as his body went limp, Lezard fought for the right to live. Just as Lenneth fought for her freedom, the Goddess riding his body down to the bed, never slackening the chain's grip around his throat.

She was beautiful even at her most murderous. Lezard stared up at her, thinking how badly he had always wanted her. How he still wanted her. Even as her face grew unfocused to his eyes, Lezard still craved to possess Lenneth with all of his being. To consume every inch of her, have her become as crazed for him as he was for her. Lezard had always wanted this, from the very first moment he had seen Lenneth, right up to this point where she was trying to choke the life out of him.

Every thought seemed to last an eternity, though in truth only seconds were going by. But the seconds counted, each one bringing Lezard closer to choking out his last attempt at breath. Flashes of his life were starting to play out before him, offering brief glimpses into the life he had led. He refused to be distracted by them, not even the ones with Lenneth could hold his attention for long.

His eyes were actually growing wet, another reaction to his body's torture. He couldn't remember ever truly crying, though Lenneth had done more than her fair share of tears these last few months. She wasn't crying now, too focused on him, on wringing out ever last bit of life from Lezard. He knew she'd never let go of the chain, not until she was sure he was dead. He'd have to hurt her to save himself. But did he have the strength left to focus on a spell?

He had to try! Hanging on to the chain with both hands, Lezard desperately tried to think of a subduing spell. Something that would hurt Lenneth enough to distract her. To do more than distract her, to render her immobile long enough for Lezard to recover. His vision was fading in and out, he might not have even seconds left to live! Words came to him, and were just as quickly dismissed, Lezard knowing fire would hurt Lenneth too greatly. He was reviewing spell after spell, dismissing them almost as quickly as they came to him. And then he found a spell, one he could use. One that would hurt Lenneth but not kill her.

He couldn't speak the spell out loud, choking on his every attempt at breath. But his lips moved all the same, wordlessly mouthing the words. He had to let go of the chain with one hand, actually wincing as it pulled just a little tighter in response. Lenneth stared at him, her expression twisted as he reached to touch her. She didn't even try to avoid his hand, didn't let it distract her from what she was attempting to do. But he felt the shudder go through her when his fingers touched the side of her face. She never suspected what he was trying to do, perhaps assuming he was trying for one last intimate caress. Certainly she was unaware what the meaning behind his lip's movement signified.

He felt the spell crackle to life, starting tingles in his fingertips that erupted into real power. Lezard would actually manage a broken smile, the lightning gearing up to attack Lenneth. She saw his smile, her own eyes losing their hatred to widen in surprise. It was too late, the lightning currents hitting her, causing Lenneth to jerk back violently. She screamed, though he could not hear it, his own breath too loud in his ears. But Lezard felt the chain slacken, Lenneth falling not only off of him, but off the bed.

Quickly jerking the chain free of his throat, Lezard lay back panting. Taking in grateful gulps of air. He never let go of the chain, conscious that Lenneth could recover at any time and resume it's use on him. The other end of the chain trailed off the bed, coils linking it to the manacle around Lenneth's right wrist. He could feel the chain moving, the former Goddess writhing on the floor in response to the lightning that still ran currents over her body.

Lezard relaxed just a margin, thinking Lenneth properly occupied with the spell he had unleashed against her. His one hand gingerly touched his throat, feeling the raw skin there, and how the chain links had embedded their imprint into it. Lezard was more than a little dazed, breathing heavily with unwanted tears streaming down his face. It felt so good just to be able to breathe, to still be alive. He'd actually start to laugh, a wicked sound of pure delight. It made Lenneth cringe to hear it, the woman letting out a whimper of pain. Lezard only laughed harder, hearing Lenneth start to break down in response to her failure.

To Be Continued...

Feels so strange to write something this short...but hey, it's a drabble series! Also, I thought about how in the first game, he killed his own body to become a spirit in the A ending. I thought about going that route, letting him die and possess one of the homunculi bodies mentioned in a previous drabble, but ultimately I found it to be too convoluted.

Hmm, it's been a few years since I last worked on Dark Drabble. My writing style has changed, evolved a little. I wasn't sure I should continue this, but always thought about it. For the longest time I thought it best to leave the ending the way 12 ended...with the readers deciding for themsevles if he survived or not. But I also got a few eager requests for it to be continued, and I did have some thoughts on how to do it...Let's just say tonight I found myself in a Dark Drabble mood, so here you go. I kinda thought about rewriting the series from chapter one, like fleshing it out more...but ultimately I like keeping this one as a series of short chapters. Course I can't promise that all the chapters will be short! But this one is! ^^''

Michelle

Floofal, thanks again! I did finally find my inspiration for this fic. Or maybe just got in the right mood. Here's hoping the next chapter comes sooner than a few years wait.

SavingTheGeneration, thank you so much! It makes me feel...well happy if I can convey emotions that well. Though I don't know how true to character I wrote Lenneth, since she's rather broken in this story. (From the months spent as Lezard's captive.) In my more recent stories, I've been trying to be as true as I can to Lenneth's character, but those stories haven't been of a nonconsensual nature except for Inescapable. Turthfully I feel I'm out of practice for non con stuff...*gets worried now and hides*

Nica, thank you. :) I thought your english was just fine. And yes, LezardLenneth is more suitable for dark fics. But some people tend to get upset about the dark nature of the relationship, so it kinda makes me nervous and scared to post the dark fics. I do write non dark fics for them to, but those are challenging in a different way to get them to work...

Mariagoner, thank you! Your words really made me happy. Sorry for a short reply, but I really don't know what else to say. Just happy! :)

MichiruxRyosuke, wow! You really like the thought of Lenneth suffering. ^^;; Ah, I doubt they would ever make any of this into an actual scene of the game. It'd be too x-rated then! XD

Princess of Doctors, thanks! I'm blushing over the expertly written comment. Thanks again!