Trick of the Light {Jyushimatsu}

Chill Pill

After Ichimatsu's apparent suicide, the whole family suffered. No note had been left, after all. No one knew why he'd done it.

They would have assumed the one to be most affected would be Jyushimatsu, but the only thing that really changed was his smile. It was different somehow. Perhaps he'd seen this coming. He was closest to the late Ichimatsu.

Choromatsu was pacing. For the first time in the week since Ichimatsu's passing, almost all of the brothers were out of the house. Jyushimatsu was balancing on a baseball bat in the living room. Choromatsu kept walking room to room, his heart stuttering each time he passed his little brother's shrine.

"You seem worked up, Choromatsu-niisan," Jyushimatsu said as the older passed him again. "Cuz everyone went out today?"

How oddly perceptive.

"Y-yeah," he muttered.

"I can help!"

The younger jumped from the bat and let it clatter to the floor. He ran upstairs, and returned with a pill in his sleeved hand.

"Here! I got it from Dekapan! It's a chill pill. It'll calm you right down."

"Dekapan? Well, his stuff usually works, so... worth a shot, right?"

It wasn't a large pill, so he swallowed it dry.

"Unless! Hmm, that might have been the wrong pill!"

What?

"The wrong... what did you give me? What did I take??"

"We're gonna have to go. Come on!"

"What did I take?!" He demanded to know, jogging to keep up with Jyushimatsu's pace.

Jyushimatsu ignored him. "I know a shortcut!" He called back.

Something was wrong, he could feel it. Every step became more difficult. He could feel it.

He stopped walking and leaned against a tree.

"Jyush-" he tried, before collapsing. He was panicking, his heart should be racing, why was it so slow?

"Y'kno," Jyushimatsu began, standing above him. "They used to think death by cyanide was quick and painless. Turns out, you can feel your whole entire body shutting down. It's supposed to be pretty painful."

Choromatsu stared in disbelief.

"How do you feel, Nii-san? Can you feel your heart slowing down? Your lungs giving up? Your stomach being eaten away at?"

Choromatsu couldn't even bring himself to cry. He was terrified.

"You're lasting longer than I thought you would, since you're so skinny. I thought I'd have to drag you further into the woods. But you made it here yourself. Ah, here comes the seizure!"

It hurt. Oh, God, it hurt.

"Bye-bye! Bakamatsu-niisan!"