The room was so white, so sterile, it felt alien to Todomatsu. The walls, the sheets, the machines, the bandages. So many bandages.
His head was covered with them, breathing tubes sticking out of them instead of nostrils. Even his hair was hardly visible between the strips of cloth covering the shattered skull. If Todomatsu wasn't previously aware of which brother lay in that bed, he wouldn't have known.
He tried to tune out the constant beeps of the monitors. He hated it. He hated everything about this. He hated that four out the six of them were in the hospital, half of them in comas.
Luckily, Choromatsu got away with only a broken leg and Jyushimatsu a concussion. Both were predicted to heal properly, although Choro could suffer from a limp. Karamatsu was stable, but with two broken ribs, ruptured kidney, concussion, and a scarred face, he wasn't coming home anytime soon. After speaking with the officers in charge of their court sentences, Choromatsu had devised a story to bring Kara's mental state into question.
"He's going to need help, anyway. I'd rather him be sent to an institution than jail," he had explained. Todomatsu had to agree with him. Choro, himself, wasn't given charges as he gave a half lie about being tricked into his job and threatened to keep his mouth shut.
In a stroke of luck, Ichimatsu had been pardoned for his crimes for his part in dismantling the local mafia. Ichi had admitted that it had nothing to do with that; he just wanted to save his brothers. Nothing was going to happen for Osomatsu until he woke from his coma, predicted to be anywhere between six months and a year. Although, Choromatsu was stubbornly certain they had no evidence of him in criminal activity. Atsushi apparently took extra care to keep his highest rankings out of prison. However, it seemed Jyushimatsu was most likely to serve his time in jail.
Todomatsu held his knees to his chest, "Did you ever wonder what it would have been like if Okā-san and Otō-san hadn't been in that accident? If they were still alive today? Do you think we'd be doing good things, instead of facing charges?"
Todomatsu lowered his chin to his knees, staring at the floor. He couldn't handle seeing the brother beside him look so vulnerable. "I'm sorry, Osomatsu-niisan. I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I'm sorry I almost let you die. If I hadn't…" Todomatsu knew if he had any more tears to shed they would be falling, but his heart was numb, eyes so tired. He didn't have the energy to cry anymore.
Light footsteps dragged on the linoleum floor. Todo looked up to see Ichimatsu approach. "He's not going to wake up any time soon. Choromatsu-niisan is asking about you. You should see him."
Todomatsu's gaze returned to the floor. "I don't know if I can."
"I already told you that no one blames you for anything except yourself. You're just being selfish now."
Todo gave an irritated pout, but Ichi was right. It was selfish of him not to see the only brother in the hospital that was awake. But Todomatsu couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to be close by the eldest brother. He needed Osomatsu to know he was sorry and that Todo believed in him. It just wasn't getting to him while he was unconscious.
"I talked to the doctor that's treating Jyushimatsu," Ichi continued awkwardly, "She said he should wake up any day now."
Todomatsu lifted his head to regard his brother more closely. "You haven't talked since…" Ichimatsu nodded ever so slightly. He was nervous about speaking to the fifth brother, especially after all that happened. When Todomatsu thought about it, his own concerns about leaving Oso's side felt like a raindrop in an ocean compared to Ichimatsu's. The fourth born had a lot to make up for when it came to Jyushi.
Todomatsu, without a home to go to anymore, took Choromatsu's place at his apartment and kept his eye on his recovering twin brother. Luckily, Ichimatsu had stayed clean almost completely on his own. He even went out to find his old cat friends while Todomatsu was at work. It was nice to see the fourth brother with a cat in his arms again.
Todo stood up from the chair beside Osomatsu's bed and took Ichimatsu's hand in his. "Let's go see Choromatsu-niisan."
"I was just there."
"Then you get to see him again. C'mon!"
"Uh…"
Todomatsu tugged lightly on his hand, expecting him to follow.
"Totty…" Ichimatsu hesitated. Todo blinked at him innocently, waiting for him to continue. "I want to have some time with Osomatsu-niisan… alone."
A flash of selfishness made Todo want to demand his brother join him so he didn't have to be with Choromatsu alone. However, he supposed it was only fair for Ichi have his time when he allowed Todomatsu to. The youngest nodded, releasing the hand.
Leaving two of his brothers behind, Todomatsu entered the hallway and glanced back and forth, trying to remember where Choromatsu was. All of his brothers were placed in different areas of the hospital based on their differing injuries. It was hard to find where each one was. One brother was one way and the other two were a different way. He just had to figure out which one was which.
Unable to rely on memory, Todomatsu chose one way and began walking. He passed by other visitors and the occasional nurse and doctor on his way through the halls. Soon, the area seemed a little familiar and he realized he hadn't taken the way to Choromatsu, but to Karamatsu.
I may as well see him if I'm over here. Todo reasoned. As he neared the room, a loud, rapid beep traveled through the hall and two nurses rushed past him. They entered a room and Todomatsu felt his heart skip a beat.
They entered Kara's room.
Todomatsu hurried to the door and peeked inside. He couldn't tell what the nurses were doing behind the curtain draped around the bed, but he could see his brothers feet under the hospital blanket shaking violently. The bed itself creaked wildly, trying to support the seizuring man it held.
Todomatsu stepped back and around the door, his back hitting the wall. He brought his hands to his gaping mouth as he slid down to the floor. He sat in silence, listening to his twin brother and the nurses in the room behind him. It felt like seconds, and yet hours when Kara finally settled back down. His heart rate returned to normal and the nurses left the room. They paid Todo no head as they returned to their posts. Perhaps they didn't see him, or maybe there were just too tired to say anything. But Todomatsu couldn't help but fear what would happen if he allowed his brain to ponder too long. He feared for his brothers. For their lives. He feared being left alone. He needed all of his brothers. He couldn't see a world without even one.
He sat outside Karamatsu's room in silence, refusing his brain to think, until Ichimatsu came and brought him back to Choromatsu's apartment.
The clacking of crutches on the tiled floor sped through the halls, a pair of shoed feet loyally beside them. Choromatsu was panting by the time they arrived, but the excitement in his eyes masked his exhaustion. Although he was allowed to go home, the third brother was still easily fatigued by strenuous activity. Speeding across town and threw the hospital halls with a broken leg certainly qualified.
Todomatsu and Choromatsu slid into the room together, excited smiles on their faces. They were greeted by two equally as excited grins.
"Choromatsu-niisan! Totty!"
Todomatsu shot forward and embraced the recently awakened brother. "I'm so happy you're awake, niisan! I was worried you might not wake up. The doctor said you should have woken up days ago."
"I'm still tired…"
"Waah! Niisan! We just got here, don't fall asleep again!" Todomatsu hugged his brother tightly, begging him to stay awake with a pout.
Jyushimatsu returned the hug loosely, showing just how tired he really was. "Not yet. Ichimatsu-niisan hasn't finished the story! He was about to get to when he found-" Ichimatsu's hand shot down over the younger brothers mouth to silence him.
Todomatsu lifted his head to look at Ichi sitting in the chair beside Jyushimatsu's bed. Ichimatsu wore a relaxed grin, happier than Todo had seen him in a while. It must not have taken long for the two closest brothers to make up. With the effort the older had been making to stay clean of drugs and even smoking less, Todomatsu would have been surprised of Jyushi hadn't accepted his apologies.
Ichimatsu hesitated when their eyes met. He turned back to the fifth brother before speaking, "I'll finish later. I'm not coming home tonight." Ichimatsu sent the last bit towards the oldest brother. Choro nodded in understanding.
"How do you feel, Jyushimatsu-niisan?" Todomatsu redirected the conversation.
Mouth freed from the fourth brothers notoriously sweaty hand, Jyushi answered, "I feel good! Tired, but good! Ah, my head hurts a little. But I can still hustle hustle!" His arms lifted weakly above his head. His eyelids drooped slightly, almost resembling Ichimatsu's signature expression.
"What happened to your neck, Totty?"
Todo scuffled backwards a little, readjusting the scarf higher and tighter around his neck. A fresh wound split open inside him as the memory replayed in his head.
"Uh, Jyushimatsu! We sort of lost your bat, so we got you a new one. It's at my place, ready for when you're well enough to leave the hospital." Thank goodness for perceptive brothers.
"Booeh! Really? What happened to my old one?"
Ichimatsu whispered something to Jyushi, causing him to glance at Todomatsu. The youngest hid further in his scarf, his bottom lip starting to curl to the floor. A hammer pounded inside his chest, reminding him every few seconds of what put his brothers in the hospital in the first place, just in case he forgot.
The touch of a hand on his shoulder brought Todomatsu's thoughts to a pause for a second. Choromatsu pulled him closer, towards the door. "You look tired, Jyushimatsu. We'll come by again tomorrow. We should go check on Karamatsu-niisan and Osomatsu-niisan before we leave."
"Hah, okay. Bye, Choromatsu-niisan. Bye, Totty," the tired voice trickled into Todomatsu's ears as Choro guided him out the room.
Once in the hall, Todo buried his face in his brother's chest, careful to keep them both upright as his body began to shake. "Are you okay?" Choromatsu asked with concern as he placed a hand and crutch against the younger back.
Todomatsu whimpered wetly, "I'm sorry! This is all my fault! You'd all be safe and-"
"Hey!" Todo's shoulder was pulled back enough to reveal his face to the stern eyes of Ichimatsu, "I told you it isn't your fault. You couldn't have known anything. Stop blaming yourself for things that you couldn't control."
"Ichimatsu, that's not helping," Choro noted softly.
Ichi opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came. He closed it in frustration, his grip tightening slightly on Todomatsu's shoulder.
"Totty…" The youngest peered up at his twin brother, the soft voice calming him. "Ichimatsu is right. You have nothing to blame yourself for. No one blames you for anything." Todo went to refute him but Choro quickly continued. "I know you're confused. We all are. We all blame ourselves for what happened. But we have to move on and remember we still have responsibilities to each other.
"We are here for you, and we need you to be here for us, too. It's not going to get better for a while, but we can make the best of it."
Todomatsu pondered his words. Of course he would be there for his brothers, and of course they would for him. It was hardly surprising that Choromatsu and Ichimatsu would blame themselves, too. Jyushimatsu perhaps as well, even. And no doubt apologies would fly when the eldest two awoke.
If they woke up.
Todomatsu shook his head to clear the thought and sniffed, pulling away from Choro, "I'm sorry. That's selfish of me."
"Yeah."
"Ichimatsu!"
"I'm not gonna lie to him. I think he's had enough of that."
Choromatsu huffed in response. Todo couldn't help but silently agree with the fourth brother. Choro returned his attention to the youngest, concern returning, "Are you okay?" With another sniff and a steadying breath, Todomatsu nodded. The oldest brother glanced towards the middle one, "Are you coming to see the others with us?"
"Yeah. Jyushimatsu's asleep."
"Already?"
Ichi grunted affirmative.
The sound of water trickled below, shining with the light of the sunset. That same light glittered off the silver and diamond within Todomatsu's fingers. His brows were furrowed as he examined it between his fingertips.
A hole still burned inside his heart, but the flames had died away, leaving smoking embers in their wake. Questions continued to plague his mind, however. Why had it all happened? Why was he chosen for this part? Was there anything he could have done to prevent all this pain?
He was right. I am shallow and desperate.
Atsushi's words stung in the aftermath of his betrayal. Or was it really betrayal, since it was all an act? Was it an act? What part of him was real and what was fake? Did he even like Todomatsu as a person? Or was he just a means to an end? Just a game?
He closed his eyes and slowly took a deep breath. No, he wasn't going to think about it anymore. He was here to let it all go.
But a part of him didn't want to let go. A part of him still loved the Atsushi he had known. They had shared such intimate moments together, spent so much time on each other. Todo missed the man he fell in love with. The person who currently sat in prison was not that man.
He knew he should have gotten rid of the ring long ago. It was only a reminder of what he once held so dear and only ended up as a farce. He even contemplated if the ring itself was even real. But Atsushi clearly had the money to make it all seem real. The clarity of the diamonds molded into the silver band proved its authenticity.
Todomatsu sighed, tearing his eyes away from the ring and up into the dusky sky. The sun had disappeared over the horizon, making way for the moon and stars. Karamatsu used to brag how he related to the moon, surrounded by all the stars as he was his Karamatsu Girls. Todomatsu used to scoff at him, roll his eyes at how poetically cringey his words were. Now, his doctor was delaying Karamatsu's coma another month. Jyushimatsu was released from the hospital, only to begin his three year jail sentence. At least Choromatsu's leg was healing on schedule and Ichimatsu was actively searching for a job. Osomatsu was healing physically, however his coma state remained the same.
It was strange that it all happened almost four months ago. Time seemed to fly by when the days didn't blend together. Todomatsu watched the moon rise and the stars find their places in the sky. Too soon, the sun went down completely, leaving the bridge to the mercy of moonlight and streetlights.
He needed to get back to his brothers.
Todo sighed again, reaching his closed fist out over the river. He swallowed in hesitation, his heart pleading one last time. He pushed the feeling away and spread his fingers out. Todomatsu didn't move until he was certain the ring had fallen. With a deep breath, he forced his feet to walk away, leaving the ring, and his attachment, behind for good.
BREAK
"Karamatsu-niisan!"
The recognizable head lifted from the table and his notebook, a smile spreading widely across his face when he met the youngest brothers eyes. "Totty!" he exclaimed happily as he stood to meet Todo's embrace. "I'm glad to see you. How have you been?"
Todomatsu took a chair beside his brother, ignoring the other people in the room, "Good. I just started my new position as manager last week! It's a lot tougher than I thought it would be."
Kara chuckled, "I bet. What about our brothers? Any news on Osomatsu?"
"No," Todomatsu answered gloomily, "He's still deep in his coma. The doctor isn't certain if he'll wake up at all. But we can't give up on him. Right?"
Karamatsu smiled sadly, "Right. What about the others? Is Choromatsu still working with that friend of Otō-san's?"
Todomatsu nodded and hummed, "Thanks to him, we might have enough money to have Jyushimatsu home for Christmas. It will be nice to have another face around the house."
"House?"
Todomatsu hummed again, "Choromatsu-niisan's apartment is a little too small for three people. So we're renting a house. It feels so big after being in that apartment for two years. Oh! And Ichimatsu-niisan finally got a job! It's just a cat café, but I think it really does suit him. He gets to be with cats all day and it's helping him get used to talking to people normally again. Not that he was ever good and that." Todo laughed at his own joke. He noticed Karamatsu didn't laugh with him, instead looking away with furrowed brows and a small frown. Todo sighed inwardly, feeling a little awkward, "Still working on it, huh?"
Karamatsu sighed in reply, sounding tired, "I try to feel differently. I just can't seem to get over it. I still feel like he…" Kara swallowed and sent his fingers through his shaggy hair. The man needed a haircut. "I'm sorry. You're here to visit. I need to work on it on my own time."
"Niisan, you can talk to me about it. You don't have to keep me out of it."
Karamatsu shook his head, "No, I do. It's my problem. It's what keeps me here, besides my paranoia. I need to figure out how to solve it."
"Has he come to visit you?"
Karamatsu glanced back at the younger in confusion, "No, why? Why would he, after what I did to him?"
Todomatsu rolled his eyes, irritation setting in, "I told him to come visit you. He's still hung up on it, too. One day you're going to come home and the two of you are going to cause problems."
A light flickered in the elder brother's eyes, "You think I'll come home? You believe in me that much?"
"Of course I do. And of course you're going to come home. You'll still have your medicine so you won't have to worry freaking out most of the time. And once you get over your… thing with Ichimatsu-niisan, then everything will be fine."
Karamatsu looked doubtful, but his brain was whirring behind his worries. He nodded in agreement. "Alright. I will work harder to overcome my flaws. I- I'm not sure if I'm ready to see Ichimatsu yet, but I want him to trust me again. I want to trust him again."
Todomatsu grinned at the determined words. Their lives would never be the same as they once were, but things were starting to look up.
7:24
Where is he? I told him I have to work!
Todomatsu growled to himself, waiting for Jyushimatsu to come and take his place at Osomatsu's bedside. For anything else, Todo would have left already. But the gentle, steady breathing beside him made him stay and wait.
Five weeks prior, Oso's doctor finally brought the news they were looking for after three years: he was ready to wake up. Although the doctor advised the four brothers not to get too excited, as it could take a while before Osomatsu did so, they were elated anyway. Choromatsu suggested someone stay with Osomatsu at all times, so that when he did wake up, a brother would be there to greet him. Todomatsu was on board instantly, Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu agreeing as well.
And so, Todomatsu sat, staring at his brother, the eldest's eyes fluttering slightly…
The chair almost flew back as Todo stood, his left hand resting on Osomatsu's right shoulder. "Osomatsu-niisan?"
The whites of his eyes shone at the edges, giving the youngest the hope he needed to call his brother back to the waking world.
"Osomatsu-niisan! It's me! Todomatsu!"
Half lidded, unfocused eyes appeared. They flicked back and forth, eyebrows displaying confusion.
"You're at the hospital. You're fine. Healthy, even. Niisan?"
Osomatsu's eyes finally rested on Todomatsu, but they still seemed distant. Todo smiled at him as his eyes squinted, then widened in recognition.
A scrambled, pitiful attempt at speech tumbled from the eldest's lips. Todo half shrugged in response, "The doctor said with your head injury it will take some therapy to regain full control of your body and speak properly. You don't need to talk right now. I'm just glad you're finally awake."
"WHOOAA! Osomatsu-niisan is awake!" Jyushimatsu hopped onto the bed to make himself seen. "Good morning, Osomatsu-niisan!"
"Jyushimatsu-niisan! Get off the bed! You'll get in trouble!"
Osomatsu eyes widened at the second youngest brother, a question bumbling through his lips. His arm shakily moved up to touch the scar to the left of Jyushi's eye. The fifth brother almost looked teary eyed at the touch and placed his own hand atop Oso's. "I'm okay, niisan. We're all okay."
Osomatsu looked between his brothers in awe, as if it was the first time he'd ever seen them. His eyes began to water and tears trickled down his face, but his lips quirked into an awkward grin.
"I'm going to call Choromatsu-niisan and Ichimatsu-niisan quick. Keep him company, Jyushimatsu-niisan."
Jyushi grunted, crawling forward to give the eldest a careful hug.
Todomatsu broke himself away and into the hall to make some calls. He wasn't showing up at work today.
Nine hours later, both Choro and Ichi had arrived and reunited with Osomatsu. The doctor was alerted and stopped in to examine the recently awakened man. She was pleased with her results and wished the brothers well. Todomatsu now sat beside Jyushimatsu on the sofa chair, Ichimatsu standing to the side, as Choro sat on the bedside and recounted what had happened and everything since then for the eldest. Osomatsu listened to every word, grunting every now and then to request clarification or for the last bit to be repeated. His mind was still clearly foggy, but he was intent on getting every detail given to him.
It was hard, listening to Choromatsu talk about the initial circumstance that put Osomatsu where he was currently. Todo had held onto Jyushi's hand tightly, drawing strength from his previously incarcerated brother.
"And Karamatsu-niisan only has another ten months-"
"Nine months, two weeks, and five days," Ichimatsu corrected. It made Todomatsu smile knowing Ichi and Kara had made up enough for the fourth brother to be counting down the days to his release.
"Right," Choro continued, "And then we'll all be together again. This is actually a good time to tell all of you something." The third brother glanced around the room, excitement in his eyes. "Otō-san and Okā-san's house went up for sale. I bought it. We can move back into our old house. We can go home again!"
The room went silent, the brothers processing his words.
"You mean… you actually…?" Ichimatsu stammered, trying to get the words out.
Choromatsu nodded excitedly, "Yes! I own the house now. It's our home again."
"Yahoo! Choromatsu-niisan hit a king sized home run! Hustle, hustle! Muscle, muscle!"
Todomatsu laughed, getting caught up in the happiness filling the room. Behind Jyushi, Ichi was turned away, hiding his face in the collar of his coat. Todo noticed a faint glimmer of light reflecting off his cheeks. He didn't doubt a smile was hidden away, free from the teasing jabs from his brothers about how happy he was to have their childhood home back in their hands. On the bed, Choromatsu grinned widely, conversing with Jyushimatsu about how he found the house on the market in the first place, and Osomatsu smiling as well as he was able, clearly happy to have his brothers surrounding him.
One of six was still missing, however. But that was alright for now. Soon, the six of them would be together again.
And nothing was going to separate them.
Several months later, Osomatsu's control over his body was improving rapidly. He wasn't able to walk, but he could stand with support for a short while. Unsurprisingly of the talkative eldest brother, his speech therapy swiftly brought Oso from a grumbling gremlin to a mere stuttering idiot. Well, the idiot part was nothing new.
Todomatsu sat alone in the hospital room with Osomatsu, chatting together happily.
"You should have seen Choromatsu-niisan's face when he walked in, drenched from head to toe, and carrying a litter of kittens in his arms!" Osomatsu laughed at the image Todo set for him. "He was so upset, Ichimatsu-niisan actually scolded him for speaking vulgar language in front of the kittens!"
"He cl-clear-ly wasn't too ang-gry if he let Ichimatsu keep the kitten-s." Although he was getting better, his speech was still slow and he had trouble forming some syllables. The doctors explained that it was expected, and he would most likely have issues with it the rest of his life. But Todomatsu himself didn't mind. He had his big brother back, and that's all that mattered to him.
"Yeah. It didn't really help that whenever he tried to kick them out, Ichimatsu-niisan was there to keep him from doing so."
Osomatsu chuckled and Todo smiled wider. He missed that laugh so much. He missed a lot of things about his brother. A question from the back of Todomatsu's mind surfaced, causing the younger brother to hesitate.
"You okay?"
Todomatsu met his brothers eyes, calm concern displayed within. "Why didn't you visit me?"
"Ah…" Oso looked down into his lap, avoiding Todo's gaze. "I fi-figured you w-would ask that at som-me point." He grew quiet, and Todomatsu waited patiently for him to speak again. When he did, it was slow and concise, determined to sound clear. "I didn't want you to see me as someone you couldn't rel-ly on. I wanted to take down Ats-s-sush-shi myself. I wanted to free us all from his influence. I wanted to come home and tell you… you didn't need to worry about us-s anym-more.
I wanted to be your hero."
At first, Todomatsu wanted to refute the claim that he was reliable in any way. The shitty eldest brother was never reliable. But then Oso kept going, and the confession hit the youngest brother hard.
"You said it had nothing to do with me. But it was about me. It was always about me."
Osomatsu chuckled softly, "Yeah."
Then Karamatsu was right all along. They were still close. They still cared deeply about each other, even when they hadn't seen each other for years at a time. They always had.
But one last thing bothered him.
"Then how come you didn't just explain about Atsushi when you came back?"
Osomatsu burst into laughter so hard he took several minutes to recover. Todomatsu pouted in irritation, not very amused. Oso finally met his brothers eyes again, the light returned to his features. "I was s-scared out of my mind. After what you saw, I'm-m s-sure you under-stan-d why. You know me. Not good with-th words when I'm preocc-cupied." He ran his finger beneath his nose, giving that imfamously innocent grin.
Todomatsu grinned back, stood from the chair, and wrapped his arms around his brother. Oso awkwardly returned the hug. "W-what's with-th th-this?"
Todomatsu brought his lips close to Osomatsu ear, "After everything we've been through, you are my hero."
He felt the shock travel through Oso's body as his words hit him. The eldest tightened his hold, bringing the youngest closer and hide in his shoulder. He wasn't able to hide soft sobs he gave, however.
Todomatsu bit his lip as he waited for the doors to open. Three of his brothers surrounded him, Osomatsu in a wheelchair. The eldest was finally let out of the hospital a month ago and was quickly reintegration back into their lives. He needed a lot of care, not being able to do many things alone, but none of them minded.
"Here he comes!" Jyushimatsu called excitedly, barely able to keep it contained. Not that he had much experience doing so.
Two shadows appeared through the glass doors before one opened, revealing a grinning Choromatsu guiding a happy, yet somewhat disappointed Karamatsu.
He wasn't going to be disappointed for long.
"NIISAN!" Jyushi launched forward, barreling into the second brother and sending him to the ground. Todomatsu ran after him, falling to his knees beside them. Karamatsu looked at him in surprise that turned into shock when Ichimatsu rolled Osomatsu over to see him as well. Tears instantly rolled into Kara's eyes and he laughed as they fell, hugging Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu close to him. Both youngest brothers embraced him in return.
Once Karamatsu recollected himself enough to stand again, he was greeted by Ichimatsu, a tight and warm embrace between the previously conflicted brothers. And finally, Karamatsu and Osomatsu reunited, separated by years of medical treatments. They both cried a little, happy to be with each other once again.
However, Choromatsu was quick to remind them all that they had one more place to visit. Todo and Ichi flanked Kara's sides, Choro left in the rear as Jyushi sped past with Osomatsu via the wheelchair, as they made their way to Choro's van. It surprised Karamatsu that they actually had a vehicle, but was easily explained away with Choro's well paying job. When asked why he chose a van rather than a car, Choromatsu told them he wanted a way for all of them to go places together easily if they wanted to.
Their destination was a bit of a long drive, and Todomatsu was surprised Choromatsu hadn't turned the car around to go home halfway there with Osomatsu and Jyushimatsu constantly asking if they were there yet and he and Karamatsu singing obnoxiously to the radio.
And yet, they made it, pulling into the small parking area. Together the sextuplets traversed through the rows and columns until the arrived at a familiar set of names:
Matsuyo & Matsuzo Matsuno
It was years ago that they last visited their parents together. So long ago, that the stone had still looked freshly polished. The brothers held themselves in silence before the grave.
