"So that's the situation now, huh?" The morning sunshine seeps in through the window, bouncing off the polished floors, as Tokiya closes his eyes and shakes his head at the news. Though Cecil seems calm about it, something told me he was grieving heavily. He kept his eyes glued on the floor with a sad expression written across his face. When he heard that Syo was injured and recovering, he showed a look of worry, but when we said it was Satsuki that attacked him, he showed complete desolation. As of now, there are five werewolves in STARISH, while only two are human. With those odds, it makes it seem as if Cecil and Tokiya are the outcast now.

I look over to my left. Ren was standing off to the side, facing the window but keeping his eyes closed. Masato and Otoya, both in their usual loose clothing, sat on the couch, both glowering at the floors, while Cecil and Tokiya sat across from them on the opposite couch.

"Where are Syo and Natsuki right now?" Cecil asks, breaking the heavy silence.

"They're in their room." Otoya glances down the hall before returning his attention back to Cecil and Tokiya. "Even though it's almost noon, I haven't heard a single thing from them." He sighs and rubs his head.

"I'm not surprised." Ren looks over his shoulder at us. "After what happened last night, I think it's safe to assume that they need time to talk this over between each other, or at least let Syo recover and rest."

Though the rest of us nod our heads, Masato speaks up. "While I think that's true, we also need to find out the information behind it all. It might be a good idea for us to go talk to them at some point."

I point out to them. "They haven't eaten yet today. We could bring them something before we go talk to them."

"You don't think they'll mind us intruding?" Otoya ask.

I shake my head. "They might enjoy the company. They're our friends too, so we should try to be there for them."

Otoya grins and nods to me. "We should go make something for them then! Ren, Masa, could you guys help me with lunch?" Hesitantly, they nod and follow him towards the kitchen. I get up to follow them, but notice that Tokiya and Cecil aren't moving from their spots on the couch.

Turning around, I take a few steps closer to them. "Oh, are you guys coming?" They don't respond at first, and I tilt my head to the side. They shake their heads and stare down at the floor. "Eh? But, why not?"

Tokiya looks up. "It seems like this is more of a werewolf problem than a problem we can handle."

"What?" It's not just a werewolf problem, Syo is injured! "But don't you guys want to be there with Syo and Natsuki?"

"Don't get us wrong, Haruka." Cecil looks up as well. "We do want to be there with Syo and Natsuki, but it just kind of feels like we'd be… out of place there."

"Given the fact that more than half the members of STARISH are now werewolves, it seems like we're the ones who are out of the ordinary." Tokiya scoffs. "We might as well get bitten ourselves."

"Don't say that!" I step closer to them. "Ren, Masato, and Otoya are doing their best to keep you all from becoming werewolves! They don't want you all to go through what they have to suffer through!"

"Suffer?" Tokiya raises a brow. "They seem like they're closer than ever." He sighs. "I was thinking about this the other day. They think of us as pack, all of us. But what's a pack with five wolves and two humans?"

"I'm sure it's not like that! They care about you all enough to keep you from going through what they are. They're just trying to protect you all." Subconsciously, I hold my hands close to my heart.

A few moments of silence go by while Cecil and Tokiya shoot glances at each other. Abruptly, they stand up and move to leave down the hall. Cecil turns to me, a sad look in his eyes. "No one wants to suffer as much as them, we understand that. They care about us and they don't want us to go through their problems with them, but don't you think they might be happier if we were actually members of their pack, as werewolves?" They quickly walk out, leaving me standing alone in the great big room. Sighing, I turn around and make my way to the kitchen. Happier? As werewolves?

Our knocks echo in the great big halls, almost sounding out of place in the quiet building. I hold the tray in front of me; two sandwiches were neatly cut lying on simple plates and were next to two glasses of water.

Syo's voice comes through the door, "Come in." Ignoring the tiredness in his voice, I walk in to their room. Ren, Masato, and Otoya walking close behind.

"We brought you lunch." I force a smile to him. Syo was lying in his bed; the bandages around his shoulder had blood soaking through them. Strangely enough, Natsuki was still in his wolf form and lying on the ground, near the foot of Syo's bed. His head was lying on his front paws and he whimpered slightly when we walked in. Though it looks like most of the blood was washed out of his fur, it still had a tint of red to it. I glance over at the coffee table and notice the first aid kit sitting there, specks of blood coated the corners and handle. Shuddering, I do my best to ignore it and place the tray on the table near the bed.

Masato moves to the first aid kit on the coffee table and opens it quickly as some of the bloods chips off onto the table. Masato pulls out the rest of the bandage wraps and goes to the bathroom, returning with a wet wash cloth. He walks up to Syo and tells him, "I need to change the bandages and check to see if you're healing correctly." Natsuki raises his head before getting up and slowly slinking over to lie down on the couch.

Syo slowly sits up, wincing and touching his shoulder. Masato sits on the bed next to him, grabbing the bloody bandages and removing them. He cleans around the stitches and dabs up the few specks of blood on him. Running his hands over the stitches, Syo flinches under his touch. "See, it's already healing remarkably well. It should be a lot better in a few days." He places the dirty bandages on the table next to the bed and rewraps the new ones. Syo winces with every movement and sighs in relief when Masato finally stops.

"Thanks." Syo whispers to him. He shifts in bed and leans against the headboard, careful to avoid his injuries. I hand him a plate with a sandwich on it which he gratefully accepts, forcing a smile at me. He cast a quick glance at Natsuki before taking a small bite of his food. After a few bites, he turns to us with a serious look. "You're here to talk to us, right?" We nod our heads.

Ren takes a step closer to the bed. "We need to know what happened last night. It could be useful information in the future." We smile reassuringly at him, though Syo seems unsure of it. He fidgeted uncomfortably under the blanket, placing his sandwich on the plate and putting it down on the table.

"I don't think there's much to tell. Satsuki was bitten; he became a werewolf, and then attacked me. That's it."

"The whole story; from start to finish." Ren demanded.

Syo sighs and, casting a quick glance in Natsuki's direction, starts, "Last night, hours after we went to sleep, I woke up to a sound in our room. I remember Natsuki saying he didn't feel well before bed; I thought a good night's sleep would make him feel better. I woke up an hour or two later and open my eyes to see Natsuki hunched over on the floor, groaning in pain. I asked him what was wrong and he looks back at me like he didn't even know me." He pauses. "…It was a few seconds later, he was a full wolf and snarling at me. And I figured out what was happening; Natsuki was now a werewolf, but Satsuki was in control. I figured that putting his glasses back on would bring him back. When I reached for them he started growling even more and started walking closer. If I tried to run and escape, he would attack me, and if I stayed there in bed, he would still attack me. I grabbed his glasses as quickly as I could and barely dodged him… At first, I kind of just moved around him while waiting for an opening, but he never gave me the chance, so I tried going on the offensive side. I ran to him but he knocked me down before I had the chance. The glasses were knocked under the bed and he bit down on my shoulder." Syo raises a hand to lightly touch his shoulder, wincing when his fingers brush it. "And about a minute or so later, Haruka came in."

I continue where Syo leaves off, "Before you all came there, Satsuki was attacking Syo but stopped when I walked into the room. He would've attacked me if Syo hadn't fought back and kept him from coming after me. I got his glasses out from under the bed and slipped them on. And… Well, you know the rest." My hands shake at the memory of the scene; all the blood, the pained screams of Syo and the murderous intent in Satsuki's eyes.

The blonde idol turns to the others and asks, "Hey, this might seem out of the blue, but how long do you guys usually stay as wolves?"

Otoya tilts his head to the side and responded, "Well, we usually change back while we're sleeping I guess."

Masato nods and continues, "We spend the night as them until we go to sleep, and when we wake up we're human. Why do you ask?"

Syo looks down sorrowfully. "Well… It's just that, Natsuki has been a wolf the whole time I've been awake. He hasn't changed back to human yet, even though it's noon now. I was wondering why he hasn't turned back."

They seem to ponder it carefully, before Ren tells him, "I think the best guess is that he simply doesn't want to talk about it."

Syo glares down at his blanket. "I want to talk to him about it. I've asked him to change back but he refuses."

We all look in Natsuki's direction, the couch blocked a clear view of him, but we knew he was still lying on the couch ignoring us. Otoya walks over to him and leans closer. He forces a smile and asks, "Natsuki, don't you think that maybe it's time to turn to your human form?" Natsuki lifts his head to meet his gaze before putting his head on his paws again. "Come on, please?" He doesn't move. Otoya looks back at us for some ideas but was met with several shrugs.

"Natsuki," Syo moves to get out of bed but stops and grips his shoulder, teeth grinding together. He glares at Natsuki and growls "Change back. We need to talk about this." The wolf raises his head, but otherwise doesn't move from his spot. Syo gives a 'hmph' before moving back to his original sitting position.

Otoya sighs and walks back over to us. "If Natsuki doesn't want to change back then there's not much we can do." Rubbing the back of his neck, he casts a sorrowful glance in Natsuki's direction.

Glancing at the others, I notice Masato place a hand on his chin and furrow his brow in concentration, obviously thinking of something to help. Following his lead, I try to think of a way to get Natsuki to talk. I hum softly before an idea pops into my head. But it's too cruel to mention it to Natsuki. A quick glance in Masato's direction tells me he's thinking the same thing as me, but is also reluctant to say it. He shares a look with Ren and Otoya. Both of them seem to realize what he's implying but are also reluctant to say it. But it seemed we all had the same thought; would bringing up the attack cause him to change back and defend himself? Another quick glance at Syo tells me he's realized what the others are thinking as well. Syo, please don't!

"Natsuki," Syo forces a glare at the other, who chooses to ignore him. He clears his throat and starts again. "Natsuki... Why are you afraid to talk to me about this?" Natsuki's ears twitch at the words, but he only lifts his head to glance at us. "What do you have to be so afraid of? I told you at least a hundred times that it wasn't your fault, but here you are blaming yourself for this whole incident." The werewolf turns to look at us. He wore an unreadable expression, even for a wolf. Glaring at the ground for a moment, Natsuki shifts to hide further away from our views. "Why do you have to hide away from the more important matter at hand? Why are you trying to avoid me and everyone else so much?" Syo sighs before continuing. "I don't get why you're being so reluctant to-"

"I didn't ask for this." Natsuki's human form slowly rises up on the couch, bare shoulders and back turned to us. His hair was an unruly mess and it masked his face.

Though he appeared astonished at the words, Syo quickly recomposed himself. "Whether you asked for it or not is not the only problem here. I think we need to address the very root of this problem and-"

"It's me… Everything that happened to you was because of me." Natsuki still doesn't move to look at us, and kept his gaze on the opposite side of the room. I keep my mouth in a straight line to keep myself from talking and the others seem to follow my lead. There's nothing we can say in this situation.

"I told you, it's not your fault."

"Yes, it was. It was all my fault. Everything that happened to you was because of me."

"I think you're-"

"You didn't see it through my eyes!" Natsuki glares back at him. His blood stained lips were raised in a snarl; the edges of his gums were still red with blood. Syo flinches at him and, realizing what he's doing, Natsuki frowns, looking away. "How would you react if you suddenly woke up to see your closest friends flesh in your mouth? How their blood stained your skin and how much damage you had done to them!" Natsuki starts to growl again, but immediately puts a stop to it. He looks down shamefully. "I don't remember anything after I took off my glasses to go to sleep. I just suddenly woke up with blood in my mouth and you under my body. I…" Natsuki closes his mouth forcefully and raises a hand to his lips. He turns to share a quick look with his roommate. Syo gestures for the other to continue, a clear look of fear written across his face. "I… remember how your blood pooled in my mouth. For the first few seconds, I thought it was disgusting, but then… I-I thought… to myself; it was kind of nice to have you there in my jaws." His face breaks out into a grin as Syo's eyes go wide and he leans farther away from Natsuki, as do the rest of us. I notice the other werewolves take an offensive stance. Natsuki growls again, tears streams down his face, pulling some of the dried blood along with them. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He hunches over his knees and snarls harshly at the wall in front of him. Glancing back at Syo and noticing the fear in his eyes, Natsuki stops growling and looks down in sorrow. "I never asked to be a werewolf... I never asked to hurt you… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…" Hs words fall into hushed whispers as tears continue to roll down his face.

The usual awkward silence rolls by and we move uncomfortably in it. I can tell the others want to say something, as do I, but we all know it's a conversation between Syo and Natsuki. No one moves for the longest of time, until Syo lets out a heavy sigh and, shifting uncertainly in his bed, moves to the edge. "Natsuki, I know you feel terrible about what you've done, but you didn't do any of that to me. I know for a fact that you wouldn't."

Natsuki doesn't say anything for what seems like hours to me, but was really just a few seconds. Breaking the eerie silence, he whispers, "I was thinking about it all last night… The one who protects me, is the one that attacked you… I'm right, aren't I?" Though Syo nods his head, Natsuki doesn't bother looking back at him. "... I get it. I know I didn't, and wouldn't, do those things to you, but it doesn't change the fact that I tasted your blood. And it doesn't change what I first thought of it." The room started to fill with an awkward and suffocating tension. I look to the others but they already had the same idea.

"We should be going now, don't you guys think so?" Otoya forces a grin toward us.

Nodding my head enthusiastically, I force out, "O-Of course. We wouldn't want to be a bother!"

We move for the door in a rush, but Syo calls out before we can fully leave. "Hey," We freeze. "Anything I… We… Should know tonight?" He rubs the back of his neck and looks away.

Masato and Ren furrow their brows in concentration, before Masato informs him, "You still need time to heal, or we would take you both outside tonight."

"For tonight," Ren interrupts him. "Stay inside. And on top of that, tonight's a full moon, so don't do anything we wouldn't."

"I didn't think that full moon thing would mean anything." Syo moves back under the covers of his bed. "You must have mentioned it for a reason though."

Ren frowns at the response. "... Under the full moon, our willpower to remain human is considerably weaker."

Masato nods "Don't fight the transformation. It will only cause you more pain."

Otoya continues, "And no matter what your wolf tells you; don't listen to it." Syo's eyes widen at the facts. He shakes his head before giving a soft 'hmph' and waving his hand at us. I look to Natsuki, waiting for him to say something, but he's turned his back to the door. From the looks of it, he was sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest. I'm sorry Natsuki. I wish I could have prevented all of this. We take our leave, closing the door softly behind us as the 'click' echoes off the floor and walls.

Sighing in relief of escaping the tension, I turn to the others, "Now that we're out of there, I've been meaning to ask you something." They look up with curious expressions. "It's just that… Well, you're all going out tonight, right?" They nod their heads. "Well, tonight, none of our seniors or teachers will be here, so you all could stay in if you wanted to right?"

Masato answered, "Whether or not other people are here doesn't change the fact that we'll be going outside tonight."

"Eh? But I always thought that-"

"That we go out to avoid being seen?" Ren chuckles lightly. "That's only part of the reason. While that was true before, its different now."

"For one," Otoya chimes in. "Tonight's the full moon. We think everyone would be safer if we were farther away."

"Like we said," Ren interrupts him. "Our wills are weaker at night, and with the full moon so close, our wolves have been… talking a lot more." Ren rubs the back of his neck and looks away.

Masato nods in agreement. "We'd rather not take the risk of what our wolves might do." I nod silently as we start to walk down the hall. I don't say anything after that but instead choose to carefully monitor their faces as we move down the hall. Otoya looked down though his lips were raised into a small smile. Masato kept his usual straight face while Ren had a small smirk written across his. Tokiya and Cecil's words from before float into my mind, and nothing stops the words from my mouth, but I came to instantly regret it when they did.

"Are you… Are you glad that Syo and Natsuki are werewolves now?"

Some of you might have noticed, but my weekly updates have changed to every week and a half because I'm a little behind in writing new chapters. If I find myself ahead, I'll be sure to update weekly again.

Anyway, please review and fvaorite if you liked the story! I look forward to hearing what you all have to say!