A/N: Not the longest and most interesting chapter in the world, but I've had it down on paper for a while, and decided to finally type it up. Hope this craves satisfaction for a little while. It probably won't, but I do try. T^T

Satoshi cringed, unable to finish his sentence. Krad was fighting again. "I want out of this body!" he growled. Satoshi should have felt his growing agitation, but had been too caught up in the goings on with Niwa to notice. "This damn prison!"

Satoshi grabbed at his chest as it surged in pain. It was sickening the way that Daisuke yelled his name in panic, stepping toward him. And with every step, Niwa was bringing Krad and Dark nearer together. "Don't come any closer!" Satoshi warned. He could already feel Krad taking over, his other half's blinding triumph as he gained possession over Satoshi's weakened body. Through the pain of those huge white wings burst from the skin on his back, Satoshi did not even notice himself throw his glasses to the floor. Agony ripped through him, even as he tried to stay calm, tried to stay focused. Satoshi struggled to regain control, knowing full well that it was already too late.

Krad was going to kill Niwa.

Darkness enveloped him, and Satoshi was shoved into the farthest corners of his own mind.

...

He did not gain consciousness of what was going on again until... well, he wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed, but he felt stronger now, and he would use that to his advantage. There was no cold inside his mind - for the moment, he had no body to be pained.

Through Krad's yellow eyes, he could see Dark standing there in Niwa's shredded school uniform, rushing Krad's way, and Satoshi's other half was gathering his power. "That's the Dark I know," the blonde demon remarked, and raised one single white feather.

"Enough!" Satoshi screamed inside his mind, pushing himself out the way that he felt Krad always doing to him. "You're going to have to take control of my body some other day." He watched, elated, as the white feather in Krad's hand dissolved into nothing.

"You let your guard down!" And Dark was suddenly there, his sudden attack surprising both Krad and Satoshi.

With the last of his strength, Satoshi mentally pushed, and shoved himself back into his own body once again. Krad let up, just a little... and seemed satisfied enough with his exploits with Dark to retreat, and even as he slid back into his own self, Satoshi lost consciousness once more.

Awareness faded sickeningly in and out for a while - the sudden sense of having full control of his body again hit him hard. It was back to feeling every pain, every stab of the cold, and a headache coming on, too. Someone was touching him now, moving him around, and someone else was saying something.

Only three little, tiny words came clearly through the fog of Satoshi's mind - Niwa's strained and quiet voice, asking, "How is Hiwatari?"

Someone was picking Satoshi up, and Satoshi himself didn't get to hear the reply to Niwa's question. However, the redhead's voice stayed with him in the troubled dreams that were to follow, haunting him with those honest, concerned red eyes.

A day or two had passed - Satoshi was losing track of time, but he felt better. Krad was behaving himself for the most part, and didn't talk as much anymore. That, at least, was a relief.

Somewhat bitterly depressed, Satoshi watched as the train left the station. He'd tried to catch Niwa on his way to school, but it was too late. He'd already missed him.

...or had he? Niwa himself suddenly rushed out of the station, surprising him. The redhead looked a little panicked. "Hey, you need a ride?" Satoshi called, forcing his voice to come out sounding pleasant. He'd done... a lot of thinking, in the time that had passed since that time spent in the freezer. When he reflected back on everything, it made some sense that Niwa had not known about Krad before. It wasn't that the redhead had been trying to be sly or deceiving about it at all - really, Satoshi should have known, Niwa was too dense for such things. His face was too honest, and his emotions only ever flickered across his features anyway.

But then... that also meant that Niwa had truly wanted to be friends with him. He'd been accepting of Hiwatari, not in a confusing "I know we're born rivals, let's be nice to one another anyway" kind of way. When he'd been concerned before, he'd honestly been concerned. When he'd wanted to talk to Satoshi or get close to Satoshi, it had been out of the sheer desire to do so - it had had nothing to do with the secret they shared.

Niwa smiled a little at Satoshi's offer, looking rather relieved, and also a little anxious, as he climbed into the limo with him.

"I told them the freezer incident was due to a malfunction in the cooling system," Satoshi explained on their way to drop Niwa off at school. The other boy's eyes were worried, examining Satoshi closely for any sign that anything might be wrong. It made Satoshi a little self-conscious. Even now that Niwa knew they were rivals...? Daisuke Niwa was a strange boy indeed.

"Um... good," Niwa replied. "But how are you doing?"

"Fine," Satoshi replied simply, and suddenly everything seemed a little bit surreal. He wasn't used to being on such a personal level with people. He wasn't used to those questioning, worried eyes, and pleasant conversations. Now that he and Niwa were finally being open with one another, actually acknowledging the fact that there was a deeper connection between the two of them than just simple schoolmates, Satoshi felt far too exposed... somehow. "Anyway, I have to leave for a while."

"What?" Niwa asked quietly.

"My plan got a little bit... out of hand. But irregardless of that, well see... there's something I must do. I think it's better if I stay away."

Satoshi didn't watch Niwa's reaction. He couldn't bear it any longer. Those eyes... he felt like they saw too much, asked too much of him. Satoshi just couldn't do it. This was his decision. He'd already planned it all out.

When they arrived at the school, and Niwa got out, Satoshi simply rolled his window down to say goodbye. No. He would not be attending school with Niwa this day - or any day for a good while. "So..." he said.

"Well, thanks," Niwa said quietly, and those eyes of his were sad again. It truly did feel as if they were saying goodbye - they would be leaving something behind this day. Everything was about to get much more serious.

"We'll meet again soon," Satoshi reminded him. He still didn't know if Niwa was aware of his intentions. Probably not. Though Satoshi had done everything but tell him flat out, could Niwa guess that his one goal in life was to capture and kill Dark Mousey?

"Yeah. Right."

The limo pulled away, but Satoshi asked the driver to stop not far away, so that he could still see the entrance of the school. In complete silence, Satoshi watched his only friend's retreating back as the redhead walked away. "Drive," he said bluntly, once the redhead had fully disappeared within the crowd. From this point on, things between he and Daisuke Niwa could never be the same.