The night came and there was still no sign of their brother. Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu went home dead tired from scouring the city. If only all their efforts were not in vain the fatigue would have been worth it.

They looked for Osomatsu everywhere; the places he would go to, the places he would never go to and the places even he didn't know.

He was never there.

Their parents went to the police and filed a missing person report. They went home with no Osomatsu and tears on their eyes.

Choromatsu stayed with Todomatsu at home the whole day and manned the phones. Choromatsu and Todomatsu called everyone they knew, even their co-workers and friends online.

Todomatsu, on a regular day, would never let his co-workers know of his brother's existence, but this was an emergency and they need all the help they could get.

At the end of the day, everyone was exhausted, worried and just miserable.

.

.

"Five more minutes!" Jyushimatsu suddenly shouted as his body spread flat on the floor, "Five minutes and I'll go look for Osomatsu-niisan again!"

Their brother looked like he came rolling down the mountain with all that dirt easily visible on his yellow clothes. Choromatsu frowned with disapproval.

"No, Jyushimatsu. It's already late and you're already tired. It's time to rest." Choromatsu reminded.

"I agree with Jyushimatsu. Osomatsu-niisan is out there alone in the cold darkness of the night." Karamatsu added.

"Not you too." Choromatsu sighed and shook his head, "we shall continue searching tomorrow. I'll join you as well. I already asked Mom and Dad to stay home just in case Osomatsu-niisan decides to come back here… besides, I don't want them to get tired running around too."

"So you two go wash your faces at least and let's prepare to sleep." Choromatsu said picking Jyushimatsu up from the floor.

"No. NO! I will look for Osomatsu-niisan! I'm just resting a bit." Jyushimatsu whined.

"You don't even have the energy left to pull away. You are tired." Choromatsu nagged.

Karamatsu watched as Choromatsu dragged Jyushimatsu towards the door. Karamatsu looked around and saw Todomatsu in one corner silently staring at his phone. His fingers weren't even moving, he was just staring blankly at his phone.

"Todomatsu," Karamatsu called worriedly, "are you ok?"

Todomatsu looked up and nodded a bit.

"Totty? What's wrong?" Jyushimatsu noticed as well. He then easily wiggled out of Choromatsu's hand and quickly crawled towards Todomatsu.

"I'm ok Jyushimatsu-niisan."

"You're not." Jyushimatsu realized. "You've been quiet ever since we arrived."

"Are you still upset about what happened?" Choromatsu asked.

"What is this?" Karamatsu did not really learn what happened here, he was downstairs when Osomatsu made a run for it.

"Totty was pushed by Osomatsu-niisan when he ran away." Choromatsu narrated. "I'm really sorry that I didn't help. I was too shocked."

"That's not it Choromatsu-niisan." Todomatsu whispered. "I wasn't upset about that at all."

Jyushimatsu's eyes then started to look worried as Todomatsu's expression changed in front of him. Todomatsu's eyes widened as his lips shook. He gripped his hair and stared hard at the floor.

"Just when I thought I was finally a part of Osomatsu-niisan's world… he suddenly pushed me away. I thought I got to reach him, but he just didn't want me."

Karamatsu went near Todomatsu as well, while Choromatsu just looked down.

"You know it's not like that Totty. Osomatsu is just confused right now so..." Karamatsu tried to console him.

"You should've seen how he looked at me!" But Todomatsu snapped and grabbed Karamatsu's collar. "Like I'm repulsive! Like I'm not something he should see."

Todomatsu's hands shook as he let go of his older brother. He then retreated back and pulled his legs towards him.

"Karamatsu-niisan do you think I shouldn't had been born? That I shouldn't exist at all?" Todomatsu looked at Choromatsu, "you said it so right Choromatsu-niisan? I shouldn't exist."

"Totty. I'm terribly sorry. You know I didn't mean it." Choromatsu apologized instantly.

"We're just joking back then!" Jyushimatsu said worriedly. "I don't want us to be quintuplets! We would always be sextuplets. Always!"

"Todomatsu, listen…" Karamatsu pulled Todomatsu by the shoulders to face him. He had failed to help Osomatsu before, he would not let that mistake happen with their youngest.

"...even in Osomatsu's delirium you exist. In whatever alternate universe, in whatever lifetime, you are still our youngest brother and that would not... I mean… should never change." Karamatsu assured.

Jyushimatsu then wrapped his arms around Todomatsu and he just let him. The warmth of Jyushimatsu's body felt temptingly comfortable that Todomatsu could not help but lean on his older brother.

As the warmth spread to him slowly, he calmed down.

"I am them, and they are me." Choromatsu suddenly said.

Todomatsu looked up and Jyushimatsu pulled away and nodded vigorously in agreement to Choromatsu.

"We'll always be a part of each other." Karamatsu smiled.

"Besides, Osomatsu-niisan only started to freak out when he saw this." Jyushimatsu pulled his long sleeves back. That was the first time he revealed his injury to them.

Instantly, the three brothers were surprised. Todomatsu instantly forgot about himself just to check his brother's hand.

Choromatsu quickly ran towards Jyushimatsu, "When did this happen? Did mom or dad know?"

Jyushimatsu nodded, "Dr. Dekapan told mom. She even visited me right after this happened."

"Buraza… this looks bad. What happened?" Karamatsu was beyond himself with worry.

"It was an accident. A big box came crushing down on me, I thought I could handle it but it was so heavy." Jyushimatsu laughed, "How would I know that there was a refrigerator inside that." His empty laughed went out again.

"You should say these things to us as soon as possible!" Choromatsu reprimanded.

"I'm sorry." Jyushimatsu looked down, "You were all worried about Osomatsu-niisan. I don't want to be a burden."

"You are not a burden." Karamatsu's voice was louder but he was not shouting. The statement felt so powerful and so true, even Choromatsu paused and turned his gaze to Karamatsu.

Karamatsu opened his arms wide and enveloped inside it the two youngest siblings. Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu embraced him back, clinging to him as they hung on to his strength.

Choromatsu sighed, "We all are really hopeless. Karamatsu-niisan and I blame ourselves, Jyushimatsu thinks he's a burden and Todomatsu feels like he shouldn't exist…."

"...and Osomatsu-niisan wants to die." Karamatsu finished.

"Wai- Karamatsu-niisan!" Choromatsu tried to stop him.

"What is the point of keeping this from them? They need to know too."

"What is this? What happened?" Todomatsu asked, he knew something was up. He knew it the moment he went home this morning.

Against Choromatsu's will Karamatsu narrated the events that happened last night. At first Karamatsu was still calm, but when he had to repeat Osomatsu's words and the images from last night, the strength wavered and he crumbled into tears. Choromatsu asked for him to stop but Karamatsu put on his sunglasses and continued.

Jyushimatsu bit his lips in order to stop himself from crying as well. Todomatsu however was a bit angry that the two wanted to keep this from them.

After hearing something like that no one was surprised to see Jyushimatsu more eager to continue the search than before. As if all traces of fatigue gone, Jyushimatsu stood up.

However, Choromatsu still stood in his way.

Todomatsu stood up as well. "I'm sorry Choromatsu-niisan, but I'll be coming too."

Choromatsu looked at Todomatsu, his eyes eager to go as well.

"I am not a dry monster. I actually care about what happens to Osomatsu-niisan even more than you think."

"Choromatsu." Even with just a name Choromatsu knew what his older brother wanted to do.

Choromatsu sighed. "You think I can still say no to those eyes. It's not like I'm the dry monster here."

Choromatsu stepped aside and started to walk down the stairs. The three looked at each other and smiled.

The night was deep and most were sleeping but the brothers were more determined than before. The search for Osomatsu continued again.

.

.

.

He ran away.

His feet carried him away from his home. He really had nowhere to go and had no place he wanted to be.

He just wanted to run away.

His chest and head hurts so much. His vision was fuzzy and he could not see clear. The sights and sounds that he passed by made no sense. He did not even know how long he had been running.

When his feet finally gave in to its human limitations, he fell down and stumbled on the sidewalk.

Osomatsu stayed down as his ears picked up the various unfamiliar voices of people walking around him.

"What's that?"

"Is he ok?"

"Hey. Someone should help him."

Showing concern with no actual intention of helping. The rejection of society vivid. But of course, who would want to help a trash like him?

He then heard the gentle sound of guitar nearby.

Somehow, it felt like it was urging him to stand back up.

"Karamatsu…" He searched in the hopes to hear the voice of his painful little brother.

He swallowed and felt the dryness of his mouth and slowly picked himself up.

He stood up but saw no Karamatsu. Instead, when he looked beside him he saw himself.

It was a reflection of himself on the side of the large glass wall. The tattered clothes, messy hair and tired face made Osomatsu unable to recognize himself.

"Who are you?" Osomatsu asked the reflection.

He looked at the person looking back at him and slowly saw it: Ichimatsu's posture, Totty's scared eyes and Choromatsu's frown.

"Everyone… you're here too?" He said quite excitedly.

He then pulled his lips into a smile and soon he saw Jyushimatsu in his lips and Karamatsu's kind eyes staring back at him.

"Where are we going Osomatsu-niisan?" Osomatsu said out loud, the reflection's lips moving with his own.

"I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

"Pachinko sounds good right about now." Osomatsu said as he posed.

"Sure! I wonder if they're still open at this time."

"It's ok if they're not open." Osomatsu said in a more energetic tone.

"You're right." Osomatsu agreed.

"As long as we're all together….

...anywhere we go is fun."