A/N: Hey guys! To be honest, I'm not actually sure what this is. It was for a prompt for the what-if challenge and the more I wrote it, the weirder it got. Please interpret it any way you want to. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Death.
Death was cold.
Death was scary.
He was timeless. He couldn't die.
Ryo always lived. Therefore, so would he.
Even in the body of a whelp dragon, he would live. He had to stay with Ryo, he had to be with Ryo. That was the only thing that mattered.
But why was he dead? Why was Ryo dead? It wasn't fair. They had so many matches to play together, so much love to explore. Why was his partner dead?
He would be born again. He would be found again. Then they could fight again, dance again.
He could love Ryo again.
He would. He could.
A voice.
A voice, two voices, three, many. Many voices. Calling over a duality of consciousness. None were his Ryo, so he didn't care.
No, there was one. There was the one and it was calling so brightly, with anger. Not enough anger, not the same fury that had chased him through time even though he had forgotten everything. (Except him, Ryo could never truly forget him. They were one, always and forever one.)
Then he heard one, one screaming rage and love and power and it was his Ryo.
Did a many-formed being have a heart? Tears with which to cry? Vocal chords to laugh with?
He desired them. Desired them as when in the beginning, he called for new lungs to breathe, claws to kill with, anything that would bring him closer to his one, his only-
And then they were his.
Roaring triumph, roaring relief and joy to a storm, it was everything he dreamed of because he could smell it, the scent of tears and clotting blood and-
Yes, there he was, looking at him with the familiar rage, the anger that was the only way Ryo answered him and ever could answer him without murder.
Their love was through blood.
Why was that stupid gold creature in the way? Didn't it understand? Didn't it care who was going to smack it down?
How was it able to push him aside?
He would devour it. No, not it, them. Those pests, insignificant bugs! They were not going to get in his way. He would reach him. He would fight him.
Ryo belonged to him!
Forgotten. Again. It wasn't fair, it wasn't allowed, how could he? How could his partner forget war and love, all of the love they had professed each other?
It was that little golden one's fault! Or was it red?
Was his memory failing him now?
Not as badly as Ryo's.
"Why? Why have you forgotten me? Haven't we always been together?"
Why are we not together anymore?
Why do you always leave me?
I can't grab you now. In this floating space that's full of noise, can't bring you to remember me.
Why do you never know who I am, when I always know your face?
Even though we are always meant for each other, why don't you look at me the way I look at you?
Why are we partners when you hate me?
Why don't you listen to me, Ryo?
Why are you trying to kill me now? When you know you can't, when there's no point to trying?
It hurts. You're really hurting me now.
You're really, really killing me now.
But it's okay. I'll find you again. And again. And again.
And this time, I'll kill you. I'll eat you and then we'll always be together. Always and forever.
Because that's just the way we are. That's just the way partners are.