Painful...

Chapter 5

  "Hey, any idea what's wrong with Karamatsu yet?" Jyushimatsu asked his older brother, Ichimatsu.
  The two were sitting in the park. Jyushimatsu playing with a caterpillar and Ichimatsu petting a fat stray. They had decided to go for a walk to get out of the house.
  Ichimatsu shrugged and continued his calm activity. Yeah, he did know what was wrong. Karamatsu was throwing up his own painful guts, but didn't want to worry his brothers. The idea disgusted Ichi and he unknowingly tightened his grip on the cats fur.
  The feline let out a sharp yowl and sprinted away. The atmosphere grew silent. Jyushi neared his brother, squinting his eyes.
  "May I help you...?" Ichi asked, looking at his brother and raising his eyebrows.
  Jyushimatsu nodded and sat next to him on the wooden bench. "What happened while we weren't home yesterday?" He demanded, tilting his head.
  Ichimatsu tensed, the cold glare of his younger brother feeling completely unnatural. He shrugged it off and stared back. "Nothing, we just sat around doing nothing." Ichi lied. He couldn't tell the truth. For some reason, he was listen to Shittymatsu.
  It grew silent once again. Jyushimatsu closed his mouth and gulped back a protest. Something was off about the whole situation.
  "Hey, want to go get ice cream?" Ichi asked, breaking the silence.
  'Thank god...' Jyushi thought, standing up. "Yeah yeah!" He cheered loudly. His goofy smile returned to his face and he jumped as high as he could.
  He landed on the ground, causing a large dust cloud to form. Ichimatsu stepped back, pinching his nose and waving the itchy particles away.
  "Don't do that!" He whined.
  Jyushi stood still and saluted. "Yes, sir!" He barked, keeping his posture straight.
  The walk to the ice cream stand was surprisingly normal. The tension from a few moments ago had simply vanished! They were laughing and chatting as normal with no distrust. It was almost impressive, but easily expected from the two.
  After ordering their sweets, they returned to their seats on the park bench. A small group of grade schoolers had showed up, playing on the small jungle gym. Ichimatsu watched for a moment, glancing between the children and Jyushimatsu.
  Everything would have been fine if the little ball of sunshine hadn't ordered a blue raspberry Popsicle. The dark blue color was not something Ichi wanted to be reminded of.
  The purple brother shook his head, gazing down at his own treat. It was a strawberry ice cream bar. The rich creamy confectionary was a soft pastel pink with dots of bright red. He sighed in relief and took a small bite from one of the corners. It was cold against his teeth and sent a chill through his spine.
  He had noticed the sweat forming on his brow, but Jyushimatsu did. The younger brother drug his hand forward, wiping away the salty liquid.
  "Do you want a bite of mine?!" Jyushi cheered, holding his Popsicle near his brother's face.
  Ichi curled his lip back, pulling away. "N-no... You eat that." He grunted, pushing away the blue ice.
  Jyushi tilted his head, finishing what was left with one mouthful. He pulled the stick out with a 'pop'.
  Ichi shuddered, stuffing his own food in his mouth. He held it there for a moment, letting it melt. Once satisfactory, he pulled it out, licking up the creamy liquid. He sat like that for a few minutes, Jyushimatsu watching his every move. He wouldn't lie, it was extremely uncomfortable.
  Once finished, he tossed the stock into the nearby trash can. A bed flew out behind it. Jyushi did the same, copying every movement. The bee had dove back in.
  "Hey! Let's get Karamatsu nii-san a present on our way home!" Jyushi cheered, lifting his arms above his head.
  Ichimatsu was about to protest, but decided against it. What harm would come out of getting their ill brother a present? Maybe it could actually help his get better.