Painful...

Chapter 2

  Days had passed by as slow as ever. Nothing had really changed, but that wasn't exactly good. With nothing new, everything was just repeating. Wake up, waste your day, and sleep. Karamatsu was growing sick of this schedule.
  He had opportunities to join his brothers in their tasks and hobbies, but he simply refused. Even Ichimatsu had offered to take a walk with him. No, it was just too much to handle.
  Over time, an ache had grown in the painful brother's stomach. It felt as if someone had thrown a rock at his gut and stuffed him full of burning coals. It was uncomfortable and left him home alone, crying.
  By the time his brothers would return home, he was already in bed. His face buried in the pillow and the comforter draped carelessly over his snoring form.
  Of course, concern grew amongst the brothers and they had sat down to talk about it. They sat at Chibita's oden stand and pulled the small man into the subject.
  "He's been acting so weird..." Todomatsu whined, looking down the line of brothers.
  Jyushimatsu nodded in agreement, his smile just a tad bit smaller. Osomatsu had his hand wrapped around a glass of water and he sighed. Choromatsu stared blankly at the plate in front of him and Ichimatsu was sipping at his own drink. Chibita had his arms crossed and a ladle in his hand.
  All six men sat in silence, pondering what could be wrong with Karamatsu.
  "Maybe he's just feeling sick?" Oso shrugged. He was trying to keep his voice relaxed, but obvious worry pricked at his words.
  "For eight days?" Choro argued, "He'd have said something if he was!"
  "No, maybe he's right..." Chibita sighed. "He came by not long ago... Damn idiot looked ready to collapse!"
  The five brothers looked up at the tiny cook. Three pairs of eyebrows were raised and two were knotted together. They leaned forward, urging out information.
  Chibita stared back, but he closed his eyes to explain. "He looked like shit, like he had just fought someone and lost... His hair was a mess and he had bags under his eyes. The worst was how he acted. The whole attitude he showed was forced..." He tightened his grip on the ladle, gritting his teeth. "The hell! The damn idiot then fucking left and actually payed! Even leaving a huge ass tip!"
  This brought about serious concern. The brothers stood in silence, placing there hands on the stand. The left their measly pay and sprinted off back to the house. It was still light outside, maybe Karamatsu was still awake.
  He was awake and sitting on the floor. A hand draped across his stomach and the other flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine. His breath seemed shaky, but he remained focused.
  The feeling of vomit kept rising to his throat, but he swallowed it back each and every time. His brothers could be returning at any moment, but he couldn't worry about that. By now, he was usually in bed and drifting off to a deep sleep, but he couldn't now.
  Any major movement he made caused his stomach to churn. It felt disgusting, but he was putting up with it. He chuckled softly, the thought of him draped over a toilet with vomit spewing out of his face didn't seem too bad.
  His stomach rumbled and he jerked forward. He squeezed his mouth shut and clasped a hand over his mouth. Vomit was filling his cheeks and throat like a ballon. He felt like he was going to pop, but stood up anyway. Racing to the bathroom, he felt tears forming in his eyes.
  Entering the bathroom and leaning over the toilet, he let it all free. He felt like a human faucet, but there was no stopping the flow. It kept going and going, never seeming to stop.
  "Nii-san?!"
  The voice shot through the house and Karamatsu tensed. It was Jyushimatsu. So either only he was home, or everyone was. Moments passed and the sound of five pairs of footsteps echoed through the hallway. They had passed the bathroom and we're heading upstairs. How they didn't hear Karamatsu was a mystery.
  He looked down at the toilet and gasped, choking back another fit of puke. He crawled back, his back hitting the door, shaking it roughly. His vomit was a dark blue, like someone had filled his stomach with dye.
  "Karamatsu?" Todomatsu called out and rapped on the door softly.
  Karamatsu swallowed back a shriek and wiped away the excess vomit. "I-I'm busy!" He shouted, trying to cover up his fear. It worked for now. The sound of Totty walking away was music to his ears right now. Maybe he thought he was jerking it or something.
  Right now, Karamatsu needed to calm down and cover up any evidence of his illness. He flushed the toilet and studied himself in the mirror. He looked normal for the most part. He had managed to comb his hair that morning and even borrowed some of Totty's makeup to cover the bags under his eyes. The only problem now was the blue color on his tongue. The vomit must have stained his mouth. He shook his head, clearing it of panicked thoughts. If anyone asked, he had just eaten a hard candy.
  Exiting the bathroom, he was meet by an obstacle, aka, Jyushimatsu.
  "Hi, Nii-san!" He cheered out and pulled his older brother into a hug.
  For a moment, Kara was shocked, but he relaxed into the embrace and returned with a somewhat tighter hug. This caused Jyushi to squeeze back and even lift his brother. They both chuckled and simply enjoyed the affection.
  "If you need anything, just say!" Jyushi announced, setting his brother down and returning to the bedroom.
  Karamatsu nodded, watching Jyushi walk back. Tears were pricking his eyes and he wiped them away. "Thank you..." He whispered, holding back his ugly sobs.
  The feeling still resided in his stomach, but now it felt a bit lighter. Maybe he was just upset... Maybe he was just imaging the blue vomit. Hopefully, he was.