Osomatsu was panicking. His heartbeat was deafening and his mind was having trouble in processing everything. And yet he was still trying to stay calm, focus and think because the more his heart beat, the more blood gushed out of the open flesh of his palm.
He was still holding on to the knife, using his full strength to stop Choromatsu as he pushed forward to him. Choromatsu was never this strong, but then again Choromatsu never wanted to harm him this way.
His own flesh blood was really determined to kill him.
But even so, Osomatsu somehow knew that it was not Choromatsu's fault, and it was all the more the reason why he needed to calm down. He needed to save Choromatsu from whatever was happening to him.
"Choromatsu!" He called out, but even as he talked to his brother it did not work. This was not like Jyushimatsu's case.
Osomatsu calmed down. For now, he needed to overpower Choromatsu in whatever strength he had inside himself.
"I'm sorry Choromatsu."
Osomatsu bent his knees and tried to kick Choromatsu's body with all he could. He released the knife and just let Choromatsu fly back with the force of the kick. His younger brother hit the wall and ended up being unconscious. Osomatsu instantly sat up and grabbed the knife from Choromatsu's hand, he instantly tossed it aside; far away from both of them.
"We're home!" Osomatsu heard from the door. It was Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu. He could instantly tell from the voices.
"Guys! Come quick! Choromatsu fell down!" Osomatsu shouted.
The next thing he heard was the sound of hurried footsteps stomping towards the kitchen. Osomatsu had to check Choromatsu first before he decided that he would be ok with those two coming to help him.
Osomatsu then ran away towards the bathroom and locked himself inside.
The two finally arrived at the kitchen and was shocked to see what happened. Karamatsu ran to Choromatsu to check on him while Jyushimatsu scoured the cupboards for the first aid kit in the kitchen. When he found it, he placed it beside Karamatsu and let the older brother take over.
Karamatsu was silently talking to Choromatsu hoping he'd come to. He looked at the worried Jyushimatsu. "Choromatsu doesn't look like he has any wounds. He's just knocked out."
"Then this is Osomatsu-niisan's?" Jyushimatsu asked pointing towards the spots of blood scattered on the floor.
Karamatsu followed the trail of blood with his eyes, the last one led outside the kitchen.
"Jyushimatsu." Karamatsu gave the order.
"Roger!"
Jyushimatsu ran outside the kitchen and sniffed the air like a dog tracking his brother's scent.
"Osomatsu-niisan!" Jyushimatsu called.
Silky sheets of fresh red blood ran down the drain as Osomatsu cleaned the long and deep gash on his hand. It stung him so he just bit his lip to suppress the sound that his throat wanted to do.
There was also a first aid kit inside the bathroom; living with six rowdy boys pushed their mother to put first aid kits virtually everywhere inside this house. Osomatsu was silently thankful for that.
After cleaning, Osomatsu wrapped the wound in bandages and made sure that there was no blood staining the whiteness of the gauze. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to know about this.
"Osomatsu-niisan!" Jyushimatsu was knocking outside the door. He had finally pinpointed his older brother.
"Yes?" Osomatsu asked. "Is Choromatsu ok now?"
"Karamatsu-niisan said he's coming to. Are you ok in there?"
Osomatsu looked at his bandaged hand. "I'm ok. I just needed to take a dump."
Osomatsu slowly opened the door and gave a smile to his little brother. He pulled his arm inside the sleeves and waved his hands it in front of Jyushimatsu.
"See? I'm ok! Tentacle~ tentacle~"
Jyushimatsu smiled wide and waved his arms as well. "Tentacle~~"
"Let's check on Choromatsu!" Osomatsu said happily.
"Let's!"
The two brothers ran towards the kitchen with sleeves waving in the air. Osomatsu stole a glance at Jyushimatsu, the younger had no clue at all; and that made him glad.
"How are you Chorofappsky?" Osomatsu asked when he saw his brother.
Choromatsu looked fine. No broken bones nor concussion nor any sign of injury. Osomatsu tried his best for it to not show in his face but he was very much relieved.
"What happened Osomatsu-niisan?" Choromatsu asked.
Osomatsu shoved his hand inside the front pocket of his hoodie, quick enough for anyone to notice.
"I dunno. I had this bad stomach ache. You fell down while I was running to the bathroom."
"But there were blood all over the floor. Is that yours buraza?" Karamatsu asked quite suspicious.
Osomatsu shook his head. "I have no idea. I didn't think I was shitting blood…. Just normal shit."
Choromatsu sighed, "you're disgusting. Good thing Karamatsu-niisan and Jyushimatsu arrived. You didn't even help me."
Osomatsu grinned and rubbed his nose with the unscathed hand "Sorry." He said with a light-hearted chuckle.
.
.
Osomatsu observed Choromatsu and Jyushimatsu for the next couple of days, both of them had no recollection of what happened.
The incidents did not stop after that, unfortunately. And the victims did not end with just the two.
The next incident was with Todomatsu.
They were in the bathhouse that night and the five of them, including Osomatsu finished earlier than Totty.
"I'll get him." Osomatsu volunteered since he still had not put his clothes on. He was actually thinking of pulling a prank or scaring his brother once he saw him.
Todomatsu was not inside though when he went back in. Osomatsu looked for him in one of the baths, because maybe he was still in the water.
"Totty!" Osomatsu called, "you still here? Your skin will peel off if you stay too long!"
His voice echoed back from the tiles and bounced from the walls. All he could hear was himself. They went to the bathhouse too late that night that even the other regulars had already left before them.
Osomatsu leaned over one of the baths and submerged his face in the lukewarm water. Who knows, maybe Totty was diving as well.
When Todomatsu wasn't there, Osomatsu started to pull himself up. He was almost out of air.
However, that was when someone pushed his head down.
Osomatsu struggled but the hand was firmly pushing his head on the water. Osomatsu closed his mouth shut and tried to reach behind his head to yank the hand, but his arm was just swatted away.
Osomatsu finally had to let go of the air in his lungs and had to hold in as to not breathe water. But it was futile. He was drowning.
Suddenly he felt the hand freeing his head and he instantly pulled away and sat on the cold tiles on the floor.
"What is the meaning of this zansu?"
Osomatsu was still coughing out water when he saw Iyami holding an unconscious Todomatsu in his arms.
"Iyami…." Osomatsu then coughed again. "We're just playing around… thanks for that."
"Playing around my ass. Ichimatsu was trying to drown you."
Osomatsu stood up and breathed. It still hurts and had to cough out more but he was already better now.
"He's Todomatsu..." Osomatsu had to correct the older man.
"Whatever-zansu. He was still killing you. Is this how you play with each other?"
Osomatsu took Todomatsu from him and carried the youngest Matsuno on his back. "Yep. This is how we play around? Scary huh."
Osomatsu walked away leaving Iyami confused and a little doubtful.
Todomatsu never learned what happened. The last thing he could remember was fainting while in the bath. Osomatsu said that it was just the heat of the water.
Those things happen, and good thing Osomatsu could easily come up with excuses.
.
.
.
There were nights when Osomatsu could not sleep. He worried about Choromatsu and Todmatsu beside him. Jyushimatsu was also near and could easily strangle him. Sometimes he caught himself too aware of where they were or what they were doing.
The cut had healed and did not leave a mark but somehow Osomatsu knew that there might be more wounds his brothers could cause him.
He turned to his side and saw Todomatsu's sleeping face. Unconsciously he smiled as he listened to the gentle quiet snoring of his youngest brother. Totty looked so peaceful at night when he's asleep, unlike the sly dry monster he was when he's awake and unlike the dangerous creature that tried to drown him in the bathhouse.
Osomatsu knew that there might be a time when the others would witness one of their own try to kill him. That there might come a time that he would run out of excuse. But could he really put a such a burden on his brothers?
"Of course not. What kind of eldest brother I am if I do that." He whispered so gently as he patted Todomatsu.
The younger one just muttered in his sleep and turned to face the other way. Osomatsu silently laughed.
So Osomatsu tried his best to not let that bother him. Three out of five, and all attempts failed, surely this would soon end. If it was a spirit or an alien or even a parasite then it must be tired by now.
Osomatsu was always optimistic. Sometimes even for his own good.
That was why when the next few days had became quiet, he let his guard down.
.
.
Karamatsu and Osomatsu went out for pachinko that day. It was so nice to spend time with your brother who did not try to kill you for the past few days.
When the sun started to set and the sky glowed orange to red, the two eldest of the brothers started to head home.
"Maaaan. I can't believe how unlucky we are." Osomatsu whined having lost all his pocket money.
"I used to be lucky… how could I lost so much?" Karamatsu was shaking in despair.
"Goodness Karamatsu. This is all your fault!"
"Why me buraza? Whenever I'm not with you I actually win!" Karamatsu shouted.
Osomatsu stopped. "Oh?" He then smirked and swung his arm over Karamatsu's shoulders. "You won eh? When was that?"
Karamatsu gulped. He could not believe that he just divulged a very dangerous secret to none other than Osomatsu!
"What? Did I say something about winning? I think you're hearing things buraza?"
Osomatsu's smirk grew wider. Osomatsu was actually enjoying this.
"Nope. Heard you loud and clear. I do wonder why I didn't know anything about you winning?"
Karamatsu looked around nervously, trying his best to find something that could divert his brother's attention away from this topic.
"Look burazaaa!" Karamatsu pointed to a building they were about to pass by. "Do you remember how we used to play there?"
Osomatsu actually took the bait this time, half of him was starting to pity Karamatsu's efforts of denying the whole thing. Besides, Osomatsu thought it would be funnier if he brought this up at home with the others to back him up.
"Yes… I do. I remember that was just an empty lot back then."
"Do you remember? We used to play baseball there." Karamatsu recalled.
"Yes. Those days were fun. We all went home dirty and tired and mom would scold us."
"Do you remember when we used to bully Chibita there?"
"Bully is such a strong word Karamatsu. We were just joking… even until now."
Osomatsu finally let go of Karamatsu and just gazed at the building. He could still see it from his memory, the empty space with patches of green and the cement tubes where they could easily hide inside. They were really happy with such simple things.
'So nostalgic… but we better go back now.' Osomatsu thought with a sigh, as he noticed how dark the sky was slowly turning.
"So Osomatsu… do you remember that time Tougou dragged you out here in the middle of the night because you were going to tell Mom and Dad about him?"
Osomatsu found that question a little bit alarming but he still answered it.
"Yes. I guess it was there where it happened…" Osomatsu then laughed, "that was so long ago I could barely remember."
Osomatsu then froze.
It was not something he ever told any of his brothers. After Tougou was taken by the police they never talked about him or the incident ever again. The whole ordeal was so frightening to him that as much as he could, he did not want to recall any of it even when they grew older. In the end, most of the details of what happened to him and Tougou were kept secretly by Osomatsu.
So no one could know that information. Well... no one aside from him and —
Osomatsu slowly turned to Karamatsu, eyes already wide and heart starting to feel fear.
"It has been a while…" Karamatsu's voice was different. Karamatsu's eyes looked at Osomatsu differently from the way his younger brother usually looked at him.
Osomatsu swallowed hard as if fear itself manifested and turned into a rock that was stuck in his throat. He stared at the person with him. Even if they were not Karamatsu's eyes, he knew deep inside who these eyes belonged to.
"Osomatsu-kun."
His name sounded poisonous in Karamatsu's tongue.
"Tougou-san?" Dread laced Osomatsu's voice when he spoke his name out loud.
"I am glad that you still remember me, because I never forgot you. How a mere child like you turned me in and how my life started to plummet to hell after that very incident. I remember it clearly... It was all your fault."
It was agonizing to see Karamatsu acting like that in front of him. This was not his brother. His brother, his Karamatsu, would never exude such malice and hate for him.
"Say, Osomatsu-kun? I wonder what you would feel if this precious brother of yours kill you right here, right now. Can you kill him first before I kill you?"
'Of course not.' Osomatsu thought, biting his lip, 'you think I could hurt Karamatsu to save myself?'
Osomatsu looked at Karamatsu's face and felt that it was no longer the same as his. He could clearly see it, the man who hated him until after his death. But somehow, more than pain or fear, Osomatsu was starting to feel something else.
It was anger.
"Let go of him." Osomatsu was barely whispering, his rage shook his body but he could not do anything about it. He could not endanger Karamatsu any further.
"I will." Karamatsu then suddenly stepped closed to Osomatsu, wrapping his fingers around the older brother's neck. "After you join me in hell."
Osomatsu gripped Karamatsu's arms. "Kara—" he said in a voice so thin it barely went out. "-ma—-"
Osomatsu saw that despicable grin he hated ever since he was young. This was not his brother's smile.
Karamatsu lifted Osomatsu until his shoes barely touched the floor. Osomatsu struggled for air even more but the choke just went tighter.
He was almost losing consciousness. He was failing to comprehend what was before him because of lack of air. To die in Karamatsu's hands was the last thing he wanted, to put the burden of his blood on his guilt was something someone like Karamatsu would never be able to live with.
'Karamatsu…' Osomatsu thought, 'it's not your fault...'
Osomatsu weakly lifted up his hands and placed it on Karamatsu's head.
Even if his mouth just wanted air the whole time, he still managed to pull his lips in a small smile, his eyes followed suit as well to show a smile to his brother.
'It's not your fault.'
The world then dimmed and Osomatsu slowly lost consciousness.
