Work Text:
Sleeping anywhere else than in his flower-room was just not an option anymore. For some reason Salamander was calmer there. Not quiet, he was never really quiet, but at least he wasn´t banging and pounding against the walls of his skull all the time. The servants didn´t ask any questions when he ordered them to lay out his futon in his work-room; they only smiled and bowed their heads. Suoh had to control himself really hard to stop himself from laughing; his laughter probably would have come out very loud and very ugly. It was the pure irony of the situation that got to him. Even when his sanity was on thin ice, when his body felt like it didn´t even belong to him anymore, even then his word still reigned supreme in the house.
And because of that, he now lay here, alone in the massive estate, and listened to the sound of his own breathing. He didn´t switch off the lamps completely, he just dimmed them down. Being alone was bad enough, being alone in pitch-black darkness was just unbearable. The reddish, blood-filled darkness behind his eyelids was already enough.
Oh, you poor thing, purred Salamander. But you are not alone.
The bey laid a few meters away from Suoh on his workdesk, half hidden behind a bunch of weeping willow branches, but he didn´t need to touch it anymore, he didn´t even need to see it to hear its voice. Salamander was already a part of him, wrapped around his spine, seeped into his marrow and tainted his blood.
Get out of my head. I don´t need you.
Sure. And what are you going to do without me? Face it: without me, Fubuki is going to leave you in the dust.
“That´s not true”, said Suoh quietly. His own voice sounded rough and strange in the silence of the room. “I´m stronger than Fubuki, I will always be stronger than him!”
You will be. I will take care of that. You can have everything you want, Suoh. You just need to accept me.
“Never.”
Well, then have it your way. But you made a mistake today.
Pain shot through Suohs right arm, and he drew it involuntary to his chest, pressed it against his ribcage and held it there. He held back the pained sound that wanted to escape his lips and took a deep breath instead
You allowed him to see you weak. You allowed him so see you lose control. This is inacceptable.
“But he just wanted to help me! Also, you are the reason I´m in this situation anyway!”
Suoh sat up and crossed his legs, his hands on his thighs. The blood on the bandages had dried down to the color of rust.
Well, then answer me a question. Who are the people who need help?
“Weak people”, answered Suoh. His lips felt numb. The air in the flower-room was cool, and the fine hairs on Suohs arms and necks were raised. He could see Salamander on his desk, glowing in a sickly shade of pink. The bey was beautiful, in the same way a well-made weapon was beautiful, and Suoh knew how painful the bite of Salamanders blades could be.
“I´m not weak, I don´t need help…”, whispered Suoh.
You do not need help from an outsider, corrected him Salamander. But I am here for you. I waited all this years for someone like you. For someone to free me from my prison.
“The dragon-fang?”
Yes. You have amazing potential, Suoh. You just need somebody to give you a push in the right direction. You can be strong. You can be the strongest.
Suoh nodded, hypnotized by Salamanders words. But one thought broke the sweet smelling fog that the bey spun around his brain and woke him up.
“What about Fubuki?”
What about him? When you are the champion, you can just take him.
“What? Take him?”, repeated Suoh, unsure if he heard Salamander right.
Yes. That is it what you truly desire, is it not? I can see in your heart, do not forget that. I know what you want.
Suoh felt his cheeks heat up, and he looked down at his lap. “That’s not true, I… I don´t want Fubuki this way! He is my best friend!”
He may be. But here you are. Alone.
Suoh shook his head and pressed his palms against his temples; he could hear the blood rushing through his ears. “I don´t want to think about it!”
Well, lie to yourself all you want. But you still need me. You need me to beat Fubuki. After all, he is just
“A wilted flower”, completed Suoh the sentence.
Yes. Yes, he is. But you can have him. You can groom him to his full bloom again. You do not need to be alone.
“No! Shut up!” Suoh tore at the bandages until his injured arm lay bare once again. His fingernails were short, but they did the job as he clawed at his cuts. The scabs broke, fresh blood trickled down his skin. The pink glow vanished, Salamanders presence vanished, leaving only the sound of Suohs labored breathing to fill the silence.
A single petal fell down from one of the lilies and landed right beside the bey.