A/N: Written for the gx_100 challenge, prompt #066 - the flame. Also written for the 100_poems challenge, poem 5/100 on day 2.

Abandoned for the Darkness

The darkness is like a sniper,
striking him before he could see
and he's caught
floundering
in empty space
burning with flame
unseen.

There's no wall –
no place to hold his back
from the world below,

Just heat
that not even the cold dragon
beyond his reach could cool.
The only dragon now
is one that burns cinder
and smoke-filled simmers
in a bottomless hole

And a little black mask
that struck a bitter sting
and led him recoil.

It was something he couldn't avoid
in three dimensions
nor four - but he didn't believe in
that fourth dimension anyway

And yet, he could feel cold steel
drifting away, beyond reach.
He stretches out; metallic scales –
that dragon, it's there, but going

And a paler, more transparent one
already too far away to reach

But he stretched his fingers anyway.
He had to; he couldn't take that mask
(and he didn't even know why)
Cyber End, Clear Vice –
Ryou, Fujiwara –
neither of them were here

And there was only one path before him
to escape the flame
and even if his heart screamed the other way,
to his friends,
he had no other choice
but to take that mask.

(He took that mask
and, as expected,
the fire was gone.)