Hello peoples, I am back with another chaper - very soon I may add, don't get used to it! I will update regularly so long as writer's block doesn't make itself a nusance, I simply felt the need to update today as a thank you for all the follows, reviews and favourites. Hope you enjoy~

He was slowly becoming aware of figures standing above him – two – watching him, observing him, like he was laid out and restrained for the purpose of experimentation. What would they do today, cut him open, burn him, violate him in so many ways that he had forgotten what dignity was? He felt like he would be able to go out in public stark naked without breaking out a blush.

As his vision cleared, he made out the faces, of his mother with thin, unwashed hair tied back tightly into a ponytail, showing off the glint of her forehead and her heavily hooded eyes that remained dark like pits of evil. And, of course, that expression, of morbid and unsatisfiable curiosity. And his father, whose face he could barely stand to look at, which an unkempt beard and thin, cruel eyes. Not that it was a surprise to him, who was there. It was always them, those people who had meant to care for him reduced to 'that man' and 'that woman' whose presence marked the beginning of pain and abuse.

This time, that man held a household iron, his mother a wet towel, and he had been stripped half naked in his sleep, his pale chest rising and falling heavily in fear. Oh God, not again, he couldn't deal with it again, the heat and then the excruciating pain that tore through his body, ripped any nerves from him he felt had formerly been untouched, ripped his skin as the burning surface was lifted. The cruel contrast of the cold, rough towel rubbing and rubbing, peeling away what little was left of his sanity.

He screamed. His restrained body twisted and writhed in a hopeless battle to escape the torture. Involuntary tears escaped eyes squeezed shut, uncut nails cut into his palms, the lesser pain somehow soothing.

It went on for what felt like hours.

By the end of it, he could barely breathe. Desperately, he wished his gasps would stop, and his heart with them, allowing him to leave this body and escape to some far away place where pain didn't exist and he barely did.

Click.

Suddenly, the pain ended. It was not dissimilar to falling asleep, as an overwhelming sense of peace laid over him, letting him think clearly and breathe easily and live and smile and forget. The darkness caressed him, held him like the arms of a mother, like he was merely a babe again and worthy of the love and affecting he had been starved of. How sweet, how blissful this feeling was. How – in the life of him – had he survived for sixteen years without that feeling? It was like honey and milk and woollen blankets all at the same time…

The pain continued, even if those who had been causing it had stopped. This was the first time he had felt such torment. It was the first he felt of anything in this world, so it was both horrifying and normal at the same time. He was scared, he was terrified, he was furious all at the same time, the emotions festering in his mind and poisoning him with their wrath.

What a painful existence. Why had he discovered the earth in such a manner? Hopelessly, the boy struggled in his tethers, the leather straps biting in to his wrists and ankles, the hard, cold wood of the table pressing into his protruding bones. He didn't cry. Or shout. That wasn't his job, not yet. His job was to safely store the pain, to bear it like a martyr, for beliefs he didn't have.

Victoria mental ward, London

It was Tino who woke up in the straight jacket, his arms suffering pins and needles and his fingers and toes numbly cold after lack of use. The room was hot, yet he shivered, the dried sweat of terror and struggle sending a chill through his spine.

Awkwardly rolling over, he saw the room was padded and white, the harsh overhead lighting making him wonder how on earth the previous personality had fallen asleep. In fact, the man couldn't help but worry at the circumstances; he had kept himself tucked away in Lukas' mind as per the man's request. He had told Tino all about how he was grasping at straws, trying in vain to find a cure to this illness, and even though it pained Tino to hear that he was a hindrance, he understood and wanted only to help Lukas in any way possible.

So he had blocked himself off so completely that he hadn't been conscious to experience the plane ride, the initial appointment and whatever breakdown Lukas had had to end up in a padded cell, in a straight jacket, like some lunatic he wasn't. It would have taken a lot to rouse the Fin from his closed off state; Lukas must have needed him desperately.

Worriedly, Tino bit his lip, wondering what could have happened to shake Lukas or one of the others into becoming a danger to themselves and those around them. He needed answers. And fast.

"Ah, so you're awake now?" A voice, through a speaker located in a corner of the room, asked.

Tino looked expectantly at the door, "yes I am. Sorry, but this is really uncomfortable, I would hate to wonder how long we've been here. Could you let me out?"

There was a pause. "I am guessing that you're Tino?"

"Y-yes? How do you know?"

"Lukas had a session before he switched to Emil, who fainted and woke up screaming. We had to put you here for your own safety. Lukas had time to tell me about you before then."

Tino smiled sadly at the cruel irony of it. They were restraining him for his 'own' safety, yet the doctor meant Lukas and he knew it. Tino was simply an annoyance to be gotten rid of someone who was simply loaning Lukas' body. He ignored the pang of hurt and guilt in his stomach.

"I'll come in now," the doctor said.

It was only a few seconds before the door opened and Tino was faced with a kind, wild-haired doctor standing above him with a smile on his face. "Nice to meet you Tino, I'm Doctor Koler in case you didn't know, though I would prefer for you to call me Matthias."

"It's nice to meet you," Tino smiled, "I would shake your hand, but…" He cast an annoyed glance at the straight jacket.

"Oh yes," Matthias noticed, "well, I'll let you out of that now, and then to the room belonging to Lukas. You should unpack his stuff until lunch time. I'll stay with you for a more personal session, one where I can get to know you."

"Wouldn't you prefer to wait until Lukas is out? No doctor wants to know the alters."

"Well, I guess I'm a first," Matthias laughed, undoing the buckles and sliding the jacket off. Tino stretched his arms out in glee, "by the way, I have never met an alter who seems so self aware that they're an alter."

"We all know it, I think, though it is hard to communicate with the others," Tino pondered, "if I'm honest, I feel guilty for being here, but I know that I have helped Lukas in the past, even if I am unwanted now. But… even if I know I'm not real, it doesn't stop me from feeling real, and wanting to stay. I will go for Lukas, though. It would be unfair any other way."

The doctor's eyes were lit up with curiosity and interest, observing the words carefully as they exited Tino's mouth. The man shifted uncomfortably underneath his gaze until Matthias stood suddenly, holding out a hand for Tino, who took it gratefully and shakily, standing himself.

Lukas' room was small and minimal, though had a more homely feel than the impersonal hospital wards back in Norway. While Tino set out carefully placing Lukas' clothes in the drawers, Matthias sat on the bed, talking to Tino as if he were a friend.

At first, Tino felt uneasy with the continued interaction. Living as an alter of DID, he wasn't the most capable of going out in public. He held a part of Lukas' pain that the man had been incapable of bearing himself, like a dark secret for only him to bear alone. That sort of pain prevented him from seeking the company of other humans; partly because he know the evil of some and partly because the sheer amount of 'normal' people out there made him feel so much more fake.

God, Tino longed to be able to live his own life without hindering that of others. He loved people, but being starved of that contact had made him painfully awkward. However, if Matthias had been counselling him on social interaction and confidence he would have improved greatly. The man made conversation easy, and prompted thought and contribution from Tino like he was an individual. As time when by, Tino found himself liking the man, driving discussion himself, from serious topics to the more light-hearted chatter.

This must be what it was like to be normal, he pondered. He felt such a longing in his stomach, a sadness and somewhere hidden deep down anger at how unfair to be given a consciousness that he was told was not valid. He guessed he must make the most of it while he had it. There was much happiness to be gained from mere hours.

The clothes long put away, Tino sat beside Matthias, laughing and sharing the time with him as an equal would. He liked the doctor, really liked him. It was unexplainable, yet a really nice feeling that made him blush and try to hide it. Matthias appeared to like him to, which sent a thrill through his body.

The mood quickly changed, however, once Matthias steered the topic to Lukas' DID. "So Tino, how long have you existed for? Do you remember when you first appeared to Lukas?"

"I… um…" Tino stalled, "I don't know, really. I have been here a lifetime, it's not like it was just created out of nothing."

"Is that so?" Matthias looked like he wanted to take notes, but luckily he restrained himself.

"Emil was the first. And Berwald was after me. That's all I know."

"I think you know more than that," Matthias chided, and Tino felt all warmth fade from his belly, as if Matthias had challenged him. He restrained it, as he had done in the past, though it was harder than it had ever been now that it was being provoked.

"You don't trust me?" He asked, struggling to keep the hurt out of his voice.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Tino, you have to understand that I am here to help Lukas in any way possible. If you are keeping things from me that only prolongs his suffering – your suffering, actually, since you are part of his personality."

"B-but, I feel… so… so real…" Tino struggled, choking on the words like they had more substance than air. "I…"

As tears welled up, he was quick to stand. "I want for Lukas to live a happy life, and I know that means a life without me, or Emil or Berwald. But at the same time, I am selfish, and now you're here I realise that my time may be short and it makes me angry and scared and so selfish… I'm sorry, okay." He hurriedly left the room, unsure as of where he was going, unsure why he had said such intimate things, unsure – and confused.

He didn't have long to wander. Matthias, with his concerned pout that seemed far to juvenile for a hospital and caring, concerned eyes that burned like hot coals caught up with him quickly, and led the man back to the room, leaving him there to give him the time he so desperately needed alone.

Inwardly, Tino cursed that the little happiness he had experienced had been tainted and that he'd allowed such overwhelming emotions to consume him. He was the happy one, the safe one, who knew how to deal with everything. At least, he thought, Lukas wasn't awake to suffer through it.

Suddenly he felt so alone, misunderstood and trapped. He scrambled for a pencil and paper, writing a note which extended to a letter, to someone who may be able to understand him.

Berwald and Emil,

This is Tino, the other of Lukas' alters. You must know by now that he is getting treatment from a man who seems to know very much about how to treat him, and I don't know about you but I am happy that Lukas is finally getting help. Though I am also scared at what happens to us when we are forced out. For a short period of time, it felt like Matthias was helping me as well, but now I realise that everything he says is to cure Lukas, every question he asks is not as a friend would – to discover more about us as individuals – but to find out about how Lukas can be cured from the disease that we are.

Why have we not written to each other before? Surely we can understand each other more than anyone else in the world, and right now I desperately need someone else. I want to help you too, especially you Emil, since I see you are having a hard time dealing with this. We all are, but you mostly, and all I want to do is be here for you.

Tino

He debated whether he should put kisses on the end, but decided against it. It was strange how much like strangers they felt to him even after sharing a body and in part a mind for years.

Straightening the creases from the note, he placed it under the pillow, hoping beyond hope that it was not Lucas who found it. He didn't want the man to feel like he was trying to stop him from getting proper treatment, driven by his own selfish desires for life. Because he wasn't. He didn't plan to hinder any such treatment; he simply longed for someone to be with him during the time that he disappeared.