The Curse of Pink Petals

Chapter One: Offness

Osomatsu walked through the busy streets of Tokyo, too absorbed in his own thoughts to pay attention to his surroundings. Rain dropped from the sky as if someone was dumping buckets of cold, frozen water over the city. Honks drifted from cars into the dark night sky, mixing in with the sounds of faint but booming thunder. Streetlights illuminated the wet pavement with their sundown-like glows, adding color to the gloomy evening.

The wind howled in Osomatsu's ears, attempting to rip him from the safety of his mind. As the wind embraced him in a cold manner, he felt shivers creep up his spine as goosebumps began to appear on his skin. Crossing his arms across his chest and rubbing his shoulders, he felt himself shiver. It wasn't supposed to be cold now, it was the middle of Spring!

Maybe it was because of the rain currently soaking through his red jumpsuit jacket. Yeah, maybe. Osomatsu shoved his hands back into the pockets of his jeans and continued on his way. his hand brushed against the yen notes in his pocket. He still was not used to the sensation of having money on him. Hell, having a job felt surreal.

He hated it.

He hated the feeling that this wasn't supposed to be happening, but he loved the feeling that he finally wasn't disappointing his parents. Or, at least, his mother. His father was still in the hospital. It had only been about a week since his collapse, yet it felt like an eternity ago. Osomatsu still remembered the panic that had hatched in his chest when Todomatsu had cried to his brothers what their mother had called about. He remembered running alongside his five twin brothers, as fast as their legs could carry them. He remembered the horrible feeling of nausea that rose in his stomach with each frantic step. He remembered sitting against the wall in the hospital, hugging his knees and trying to muffle his cries of worry, hot tears racing down his cheeks.

He remembered feeling lost. Then, it'd happened. He had gotten a job, and so had his little brothers. Or, more to his knowledge, Ichimatsu, Todomatsu and Jyushimatsu had gotten jobs. He wasn't sure about Choromatsu and Karamatsu. From what Ichimatsu had reported, it seemed as if Karamatsu had joined some kind of gang. Or something like that, Ichimatsu wasn't exactly sure.

Osomatsu's train of thought screeched to a sudden halt as a honk assaulted his eardrums. Realizing he'd strayed a bit too close to the road, he quickly straightened himself out and raised his arms above his head in a stretch. His back was killing him. Maybe he'd just crawl into the futon and go straight to sleep when he got home. Yeah, sounded like a plan. 

Forcing himself to walk along the sidewalk, he kept his head down to watch his feet. After a moment or two, the eldest Matsuno sextuplet heard a low growl. He whipped around. He was half expecting a dog snarling at him while at the very end of its leash. He was confused for a moment when he saw no canine and the noise came back. It was then Osomatsu realized it was his stomach, demanding food.

Pausing, he pulled out the money in his pocket. Maybe I can just buy something to take home?, he thought to himself, still walking to make sure nobody got annoyed by him just standing there. Also, so he didn't get pneumonia. The last thing his already pressured family needed was another member in the hospital.

Sighing and shoving the bills back into his pocket, he continued on his way home, alone.

The already chilly air had increased its temperature, cutting into Osomatsu's clothes like a knife, marking its target as chills traveled down his spine. His hair was messy, soaking with droplets of rain. Yawning, he forced himself to head home without anymore stops.

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The downpour had subsided into a light drizzle by the time Osomatsu slid the door open to his house and made his way up the stairs. As he did, he glanced at the clock. It was about seven or so in the evening. So it had taken him about an hour to get home. He'd wound up caving in and bought some food from a small shop that he and Choromatsu had eaten at a couple months ago when his little brother had dragged him out to scout out more Nyaa-Chan merch.

He pushed open the door to the living room. "I'm home..." he called out, hoping someone would hear him. "Welcome back, honey" a familiar voice made its way to Osomatsu's ears. It was his mother. She stepped into view, and Osomatsu caught a whiff of honey as it drifted past his nostrils. He noticed his mother's hair was tied up in the back. "Hey, Mom. Is anyone back yet? I got enough food for everyone," Osomatsu mumbled, beginning to pull the food from the plastic bag.

"Surprisingly, nobody else came back for the night. Todomatsu said he and Choromatsu were gonna go visit your father, so my bets are that they're still there." his mother replied. "Oh... what about Ichimatsu? Has he come back yet?" Osomatsu inquired, hoping his younger brother was home. He'd bought some cat themed candy on the way home for his brother, because he knew Ichimatsu had a sweet tooth that he often hid. "I think he and Jyushimatsu went to the bath house, because they haven't returned yet," his mother said, turning around to walk to the window.

"What about Karamatsu?" Osomatsu asked, desperate. "He called and said he was spending the night with Chibita," his mother replied, glancing out the window at the misty sky. Osomatsu rolled his eyes. He could swear that just because the two were dating, Karamatsu could pretty much live with Chibita if he wanted to. It made Osomatsu sick to his stomach sometimes.

"So, how was work?" his mother asked, turning away from the window. Osomatsu handed her the food he'd gotten her and pulled off his hoodie. "Fine, I guess. I'm just numb right now," Osomatsu answered truthfully, yawning as he did. "You sound tired," his mother commented. "I am," he murmured, absentmindedly scratching the underside of his nose with his index finger.

"Maybe you should get some r-" his mother started before being cut off by a long and low growl. "What... what was that?" she asked, confused, her head moving from direction to direction to locate the noise's source. "That was my stomach," Osomatsu grumbled as his stomach growled again, sounding more and more like a rabid animal with each reminder that his stomach was completely empty. 

"Ah." his mother replied, grabbing her food. Osomatsu just sat down and sighed, too tired to do anything. "You should probably eat something, then get some rest." his mother advised, and Osomatsu muttered something as his stomach once again angrily reminded him that he had nothing inside of it. He didn't want to move. 

But, forcing himself to, he began to munch on the food he had purchased. If he was gonna be honest, it felt nice to have something warm in his stomach after a cold day. That was when he heard the door open. His mother stood up and went in search of the sextuplets' shared futon.

Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu had returned home. Osomatsu reached out to give them their food, but a tight sensation in his chest caused him to black out.