"So, what? I'm not good enough for you, short-ass?" The taller blonde boy gripped his friend's throat with one hand and steadied himself with the other. "Every night I try to be nice, and you throw it back in my face. Ungrateful little fuck…"

Syo writhed beneath him, pulling on the hand at his throat. "C-Cut it out, Satsuki! I said no and that means – "

Satsuki foisted another unwanted kiss on the shorter boy; he gnawed and sucked on Syo's lips with such tremendous force that it would leave bruises. Not that he cared.

"It means nothing," sneered the older boy against Syo's ear. He rose above his friend and glowered down at him, smirking some. "I need to teach you a lesson, ne?" His fingers curled around the waistband of Syo's shorts and he yanked them down, tearing the seams and popping the fly's button off.

Syo watched him like a wary animal pinned beneath a predator. This was the worse he'd seen from Satsuki, his childhood friend's uglier half, and he wasn't about to give in. Satsuki moved to slip out of his own khakis and that's when Syo spotted an opening; he jerked and twisted one leg free, and swung upwards with it, hitting Satsuki right between the legs.

"Argh! You little…!" grunted his attacker, holding himself.

"When I say no, I mean no!" Syo sat up in his bed and scrambled against the headboard. A panicked gasp escaped him when he realized that Natsuki's glasses were nowhere in sight. He dodged a grab for his waist by rolling over, and that's when he accidentally kicked Satsuki in the head, knocking him off the bed to the floor. "Oh, God!" He peered over the bed's edge.

Much to Syo's surprise and shock, Satsuki was gone; goofy, bleary-eyed Natsuki staggered away from the carpet with blood running down the side of his head and streaming out his nose. Tears sprang to his eyes when he met Syo's frightened gaze. He parted his lips to say something, utter an apology maybe, but all that came out were garbled sobs.

He hurt Syo.

"N-Natsuki…" Syo felt himself getting teary and he inched closer to his friend, reaching for him. "But your glasses…How? I…"

Natsuki hurt his precious friend. His first love. The only person really willing to put up with him.

Oh God, he tried to rape Syo?

He was never conscious during Satsuki's rampages before, so why now? It was like he saw the whole thing…Like watching a movie. The alternate ego he left behind when he vanished as a small child rejoined his collective conscience again? When? What? Why?

"S-Syo-chan…" he blubbered and held his aching head, backing away from the other boy. "Sorry…I-I'm sorry that he…T-That he…"

Then it hit him like a meteor: Satsuki and Natsuki were the same person.

Syo reached towards him and shouted, "Wait! Come back!"

Natsuki slammed the bathroom door shut behind him and secured the bolt. His head throbbed with the pain of his wound, and his initial confusion slowly melted into anger and self-loathing as he stared back at himself in the mirror. There he was: Satsuki, the boy who bullied him as a small child, sneering at him.

"Leave me alone!" he screamed and beat on the mirror with his fists. "Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away!" Cracks formed in the reflective surface and buckled beneath the next blow dealt it, shattering. Blood ran in tiny rivers down Natsuki's arms, but Satsuki still laughed at him through the shards of glass at his feet and on the sink.

"You're not worth shit without me."

Natsuki clamped his sodden hands over his ears and wailed, "Stop it! Stop it!"

"Open the door!" called a familiar voice suddenly. "Please, Natsuki! Open up!" Syo pounded on the door from outside.

"Yeah, Natsuki, open the door. I still haven't had my fun with our little friend."

"I hate you! Go away!" Natsuki sat in a corner of the bathroom and beat his ears repeatedly. The sounds in the room became muffled, and Syo's voice faded into silence. Something shuffled around outside, but Natsuki only heard one thing in his head. It repeated like a mantra:

"You can't get rid of me."

"I'll always be here."

"Why?"

"Because we're one and the same, Natsuki."

A loud crash resounded throughout the dorm as the door came tumbling down. Natsuki stopped beating his ears and lifted his eyes to see Ren standing in the doorway with a chair in his hands. Masato stood behind him with Syo in his arms, trying to keep him calm.

"Natsuki!" The small blonde fled from the safety of his friend's arms to kneel by Natsuki's side. When he moved to touch the taller boy's face, Natsuki shrank away from him. "It's okay. I-I'm not afraid of you."

"I'll call an ambulance," said Masato, walking out of the room and pulling his cell phone out. His roommate stayed just outside the door in case Satsuki were to make another appearance. He watched Syo and Natsuki closely but silently.

"I hurt you…I…" Natsuki sniffled and shivered as Syo stroked his hair. "H-He told me…He…" Realization struck him again. His eyes brightened a little. "I can't hear him anymore…"

Syo smiled. "That's because we're here. Right, Ren?"

Masato's boyfriend and roommate nodded with a wry grin. "You're all right now, Nacchan. No one wants to hurt you or make you do anything against your will."

"We love you," continued Syo in a gentle voice, "and I know you love us, too; you'd never do anything to hurt me intentionally. What happened back there…" His voice trailed off. "What happened wasn't your fault. You just have a problem."

Ren stepped over broken glass and stood beside them. "A problem we'd all like to help you overcome. Ne?"

"The ambulance is on its way." Masato rejoined them and took his place beside Ren. "Syo explained everything to us, and we understand. Don't blame yourself." He touched Natsuki's shoulder.

Syo chimed in again, "You don't have to listen to Satsuki anymore. You're your own person." A sigh escaped him as Natsuki snuggled closer, burying his bloody, tear-stained face in Syo's t-shirt. "And it's like they said, we'll all pitch in to help. You'll get better in no time!"

Natsuki still felt shaken, but not hearing Satsuki's voice anymore and being surrounded by his friends put him at ease finally. If there was a chance to rid himself of Satsuki for good then he wanted it; even if it meant sacrificing part of who he was, he clung to that hope.

"I-I love you, Syo-chan…" he murmured.

Ren put his arm around Masato's shoulders and pulled him closer, smiling. Syo sniffed and tried to keep his tears at bay. He bent down and kissed the top of Natsuki's head, whispering to him, "I love you, too…all of you."