Illusive Tears

•Chapter 2: Embarassing•

9 years ago...

"Ichimatsu! Are you almost done?" A little boy whined, frowning at a boy around his age. "Yeah... I just have to finish up with the bathroom." Ichimatsu smiled contently, looking at one of his brothers, before continuing to sweep trash on the floor into the wine red dust pan with a matching colored broom. "No! Not one more room!" The brother seemed to sob mid-sentence.

"You should be lucky you don't have any chores, Jyushimatsu." The older brother sighed. "No I shouldn't! 'Cuz it takes too long for me to wait for you to finish so we can play!" "You are seriously way too nice..." Ichimatsu smiled contently. "Yeah right!" The fourth brother continued to smile, before walking out of the bathroom and over to the trash can, dumping out the specks of trash from the dust pan. Jyushimatsu gasped in delight, before saying, "Now are you done?". "Yes." "Yay!"

In a split second, Jyushimatsu seemed to already be outside. While his owner wasn't even near the doorframe yet to go to the backyard. "Wha- Hold up, Ichimatsu!" Osomatsu yelled, angling his brows. "You can't be done that quickly!" "But I am." "Yeah right!" "Go help out one of us then!"

Osomatsu seemed a bit more 'oldest brother' like when he said that, and he was always very scary when he was. "Ah, if you can, can you help me?" Karamatsu shouted from outside. "Sure!" Ichimatsu tried to smile, as he walked back outside. The second eldest brother was trying to fold and hang clothes on the clothesline, but the strong gushes of wind kept blowing the various clothing and making it so that it would fall off.

Jyushimatsu could be seen staring at a bird on top of the oak tree from the neighbors house, imitating its songs. "So, where do I start? The fourth eldest brother said, starring at Jyushimatsu, but talking to Karamatsu. "Can you help keep the clothes steady on the pole?" Karamatsu smiled gratefully. "Sure..." "CAW. CAW-CAW! I AM THE KING OF THE BIRDS! FEED ME SEEDS AND I WILL RETURN THE FAVOR WITH ORANGE JUICE!!!"

Ichimatsu heard quick footsteps appear behind him. "FEED ME YOUR SEEEDS!" The fifth brother began chanting. "CAAAAAAWWW!!!" He screeched. After a few minutes of his bird ritual, he stared at the basket that held the clothes. Slowly staring at Karamatsu, he picked up a white bra with black lace. "CAW-CAAAAW?!!!!!!!" He continued screaming.

"DROP THAT!" Ichimatsu growled. "What? What am I doing wrong?" Karamatsu gave a worried look to his younger brother, carefully dropping a brown cotton V-neck he just picked up from the basket. "Eh? Oh no, nothing..." Ichimatsu gave a reassuring answer, going back to reality and seeing the bra was still in the container. "HAHAHA! ICHIMATSU? WHY DON'T WE HAVE ANY OF THESE?" Jysuhimatsu giggled, wearing his mother's bra on his head, and the straps on his shoulder, pulling it tightly. "THIS IS FUN!"

The fourth brother seemed to blush a light pink in embarrassment. Such a feminine and personal item, and his brother playing with it as if it were a toy! "There is definitely something going on, Ichimatsu..." Karamatsu kept the previous concerned expression on his face. "Agh, it's nothing! I'm just thinking!" Ichimatsu responded, hanging back up denim jeans that just fell down. "Oh, ok... Tell me if there is something bothering you though, I can tell mommy." "Sure."

"KING BIRD SAYS MATSUNO ICHIMATSU BETTER FINISH IN MINUS FIVE MINUTES!" Jyushimatsu screamed right next to his brother's ear. Ichimatsu tried to hide the wince he made in reaction. Oh boy, if this is how having children are like in the future, how he sure doesn't want to have any as an adult.

After what seemed like hours, the third youngest son finally finished, and Karamatsu went back inside. "YOU TOOK LONGER THEN FIVE MINUTES, YOU HAVE DISAPPOINTED YOUR KING!" "And you embarrassed me! What the heck were you doing with mom's.... Mom's--" "Mom's what?" Jyushimatsu smiled just knowing he and his older brother could finally have time to talk.

"Her... thing." "What thing? You mean the awesome hat?!" "Yes! Yes! The... hat." "That's for women only!" "O-Oh! Sorry Ichimatsu!" Jyushimatsu frowned genuinely. "No, no! This is only a warning!" "Oh, great!" The younger brother beamed again. In an instant, Jyushimatsu yanked his sibling's hand, forcing him to follow.

It was a short trip, less than three minutes, it was just to the edge of the backyard, pointing to a yellow Cockatiel with orange red cheeks. "HE'S SO PRETTY!!!" He tried not to yell. "Yeah he is... Looks like that one animal the kids at our school like to watch on TV." Ichimatsu admitted, smiling contently. Jyushimatsu raised a brow, examining the bird, then jumping and clapping rapidly. "OH YEAH! HE DOES!!" He said loudly, frightening the bird and making the Cockatiel rapidly fly away from the innocent boy.

"Heh, now you did it..." The older brother tilted his head, looking over to his imaginary brother, who seems like he was holding back tears. Did he seriously just get emotional because of a bird he didn't even own? Ichimatsu tried to console him, patting his stiff back.

Choromatsu raised a brow, staring out a window. "Is he talking to himself?" "Time to blackmail!" Osomatsu chuckled. "Come on! Stop being such jerks! Let me see!" Todomatsu whined, moving rapidly to every spot that wasn't occupied to see what they were talking about. "He's just touching the air?" "Is he in love with it?" "Should we tell mommy?" Karamatsu questioned. "No, no... Let's just wait and see..." Osomatsu informed, before he and his three brothers walked away from the window.