You Never Understood Me; You Never Really Tried. (for <lj site="livejournal.com" user="defyingprophe

[syncopath]

"Couldn't you have brought us anywhere a bit more interesting?"

By 'more interesting', the Master really meant a planet with anything at all he could use to hide or escape from the Doctor. This one, with fields of purple grass as far even a Time Lord eye could see, did not fit that criteria. There was also the larger problem that the planet's atmosphere was not breathable. The two of them were lying in that grass in an atmosphere created by the TARDIS' extending its defense shields, although the Master had insisted on keeping a considerable distance from the Doctor. They were supposed to be cloudgazing-- Kelboros-5 was famous for its semi-sentient cloud formations manifesting a low-level psychic field, which would metamorphose them in response to faint psychic cues from the minds of visitors. Those with a bit of telepathic skill could control these clouds, to some extent, and it was considered an art in some cultures.

But the Master's eyes were continually drawn to the TARDIS. It was locked up, of course; else-wise the Master would have been long gone from this planet by now, and the Doctor would be asphyxiating slowly. The idea thrilled him.

Above their heads, the clouds morphed into a cruel-beaked bird swooping down on a snake, catching it in its talons and shaking fiercely.

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[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

His hands were under his head and a smile appeared upon his face as he looked up at the clouds forming above them. He loved this, relaxing on the grass and looking up at the clouds, it was a good pasttime. Glancing over at the Master he watched and wondered how he was holding up, after the episode in Jacks room, he felt a little tense at times.

But it all seemed calm, at the moment.

As he watched the clouds he gave a soft "ooooh," whe he stopped the picture of a cow being milked, "Reminds me, we're out of milk for tea."

[syncopath]

The Master sighed. "We are not going back to the milk planet." He had bad memories from that place now, from the mental indigestion its inhabitants had given him. He hadn't had nearly as many problems since feeding off the Doctor's mind-- no gaps in the memory, no residual pain, and when he blurted out the occasional odd thing he at least was aware of it. It was a marked improvement, but if they returned to Riskorst he would definitely set the whole place ablaze.

And as if to emphasize his position, the cow suddenly morphed into a plate of prime cut steak and then, for good measure, burst into 'flames'.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

"Oh no, goats milk in tea?" He pulled a face at that, "No, you have to get that from cows, tastes better if you do." And the Doctor watched as the cow turned into a steak and then burst into flames. So the Doctor changed it to be on a plate with some chips and mushy peas. Mmmm, yummy!

Oh look, there's another cloud formation changing. It's a memory from their past, a memory from before, from when they were friends.

[syncopath]

He had to snort at the Doctor's persistent optimism, changing every challenge the Master thought up into something positive, innocuous even. It was awful, being cancelled out, even as he intuitively understood that the balance was necessary. He'd be lost without it, but acknowledging that just made things worse.

The Master shifted uncomfortably as the clouds began to suspiciously resemble two young boys running and tumbling down a grassy hill. Worse yet, he wasn't even entirely sure which of the Time Lords the clouds were responding to.

He thought hard, willing the clouds to change, and soon one boy was pushing the other off of a cliff. He glanced at the Doctor, looking the slightest bit smug.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

The Doctor watched the clouds with a smile on his face, the two boys running and tumbling was such a good memory. The old days when things were simpler, when this man laying with him was his friend, a good friend. But how times had changed, the worst of enemies and still under it all friends. At least in the Doctor's eyes.

As one boy seemed to push the other off the cliff, a cloud seemed to catch him and stop him from falling, they hovered there and reached out a hand, tugging the other boy up too.

[syncopath]

The Master sucked in a hissing breath as the clouds changed again, feeling nauseated and looking quickly away.

"I want to go back in the TARDIS," he muttered, his voice the tiniest bit unsteady. Oh, how he had hoped he'd never have to say those words and actually mean them.

In the sky, one boy began strangling the other.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

Sighing softly the Doctor moved to sit up, he was actually enjoying himself out here watching the cloud. As he noticed one boy strangling the other and frowned a little before the image changed to ice creams. Oh, he wouldn't mind some ice cream.

So, in the end the Doctor got to his feet and headed towards the TARDIS, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. The words 'Kill joy' might have appeared in the clouds, but the Doctor didn't see them. "Right then, "he opened the door and headed inside."

[syncopath]

He was already on his feet, but rather than bolting immediately for the TARDIS, the Master had turned away and was staring out over the fields. Carefully he stepped to the perimeter of the TARDIS' defense shields, where the air had just begun to thin out, and closed his eyes, listening to the pulse in his head. The thing he'd never be rid of no matter how hard he tried-- the reminder of his own betrayal and manipulation. For a moment he had an insane urge to run across those fields, as fast and far as he could, even if it would eventually kill him.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

The Doctor looked back at the Master as he held the door open and he sighed softly, " Are you coming inside or not?" But not waiting for him to reply, the Doctor headed inside and left the door on the latch so the Master could come in when he was ready. So, while he was waiting, the Doctor started to fiddle with the console, humming to himself.

[syncopath]

The Master scarcely heard him, lost as he was in his own dark tangle of thoughts. He truly had nowhere to go. Heading back into the TARDIS felt too much like defeat. Running would mean almost certain death.

He sighed. And what if he said no? Put his foot down, refused to budge, insisted on staying behind? The Doctor would likely settle down right on this spot and expect them to cohabitate on this planet. Or he'd do what he'd done on Earth and attempt to drag him into the TARDIS.

Perhaps it would be better if he ran, now. At least then he'd no longer be a 'beacon for Rassilon'. Or weak enough to require the Doctor's help. The Master took a step outside the bounds of the TARDIS shields.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

"Oh come on, what are you..." And the Doctor stopped when he saw the Master step out of the shield and his eyes went wide, "What are you? What is wrong with you?"

He ran towards the edge of the shield, his eyes watching the Master, "Come on, please. You don't have to do this. We can work something out. Please." The thought of being alone, it scared the shit out of him, completely.

[syncopath]

He listened to the Doctor babble at him for a while, faintly, before he deigned to turn around, a look of contempt on his face. Of course the Doctor would come after him. Couldn't even let him face the end with a scrap of dignity.

When he caught sight of the Doctor's expression, though, he burst out laughing. And when he was unable to pull in any air to sustain that any longer, he just stood there, arms folded, watching to see what he'd try next.

He estimated he could last another five minutes while the Doctor attempted to negotiate. This should be entertaining, at the very least.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

"You can't, you don't want to die like this." The Doctor looked at him, his eyes still wide and he hovered around the edge of the shield, "Do you really want to die like this?"

He didn't know what else to do or say, the only other thing he could do would be to step out of the shield and probably get them both killed. And how his self preservation kicked in.

[syncopath]

The Master stared at him evenly, shaking his head with disdain. Is that it? That's your solution? Perhaps you'd rather have me die in your arms again? Would that be a fitting death?

Three minutes to go. What would the Doctor do about it? Would he try to save him? Or would he put his own survival first, as he had before? He raised his arm and tapped his wrist, smiling a little, though he was beginning to feel a little faint, his body panicking due to its rapidly depleting oxygen stores.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

Oh, what to do, what to do. The Doctor stood there watching him, rolling back and forth on his feet. What could he do to persuade him to come back?

With a sigh, the Doctor took a deep breath before heading out of the shield in hopes to grab the Master and drag him back.

[syncopath]

The Master's smile was gone in a flash as the Doctor did act, finally. He took several steps backward, and then several more, preparing to run. Despite his intentions when he'd first stepped outside the shields, it was still something of a surprise when his feet fell out from under him, the ground suddenly far too close.

Perhaps five minutes hadn't been conservative enough an estimate.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

"Woah," And the Doctor was at his side, arm going around him as he tugged him up to his feet, "Not exactly a clever move there, was it."

He reached over and dragged the Master back into the shielded area,

[syncopath]

He fought with all he had, but it simply wasn't enough, and it wasn't long until he was on his hands and knees, gulping in huge breaths of air not far from the TARDIS.

The currently left open door of the TARDIS.

The Master went still for a moment, grinning, before he clambered to his feet and bolted for the ship.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

Sighing softly the Doctor held up his hand and clicked his fingers, the door to the TARDIS swinging closed before the Master could get inside.

Sighing softly he shook his head, "Nice try, but not fast enough."

[syncopath]

The Master thudded against the closed doors, unable to stop himself. He began pummeling them out of pure frustration before sagging against them, panting. The Doctor couldn't have... He whipped himself around, his back to the TARDIS doors, a look of defeat mixed with horror on his face. There was something very familiar about all of this, but it didn't surprise him. Their altercations always seemed to end similarly.

"I see you've picked up some new tricks," he said acidly, once he'd gotten his breath back.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

"What? That old thing?" He looked at the Master and shrugged his shoulders, "That's nothing really, just a fun little thing I can do."

Slowly the Doctor walked towards him, a slightly smug smile upon his face. He moved to the door and held it open, waiting for the Master to join them inside the TARDIS.

[syncopath]

He considered, briefly, remaining where he was. But he didn't much want a repeat of what had occurred last time he'd refused to go in the TARDIS. So the Master got up, grumbling, and trudged over the threshold.

"This isn't going to last, you realize." He'd escape, sooner or later. The Doctor had to know that.

[defyingprophecy.livejournal.com]

With a sigh the Doctor nodded. Of course he knew that this wouldn't last, but he could hope that it would, couldn't he? With a soft sigh he followed the Master into the TARDIS, closing the door behind them.

"Right, well I need to get milk, we've run out." So Earth bound they were.