It's a Promise, Right...?

Chapter Five - Karamatsu

One week later...

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Matsuno, but Ichimatsu won't be released from the hospital today. We feel that his condition isn't stable enough yet to allow him to be dismissed. We've been doing all we can to help him, but he's just not getting better," the doctor said to Mrs. Matsuno over the phone.

Sighing, she slammed the phone down and stormed away angrily, telling Karamatsu.

"Your brother is still ill! Can you believe that?! Just the other day, he was going great, yet the doctor claims he's too ill to leave. This is a load of bull..." she snapped.

Karamatsu sighed, staring out the window as fewer cherry blossoms fell from the trees. They would all be gone by the end of the week. Yet he had promised to go on a walk with Ichimatsu to see them. He didn't like it one bit that he might have to just break his promise. But if it meant Ichimatsu would get better, then I'd just have to be that way.

And as soon as Karamatsu arrived at the hospital, he ran to Ichimatsu's room and pulled back the curtains which had stayed closed ever since after the first day. Then, not caring if it was against the rules at the hospital, he opened up the window, allowing the fresh spring air to fill the lonely hospital room.

The curtains flew back from the wind as it brought in several cherry blossoms.

Ichimatsu stared out the window in awe, having nearly forgotten what a beautiful spring it was.

Karamatsu sat down on the bed beside his brother, watching the blossoms with him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise..." Karamatsu apologized.

Ichimatsu just grunted, not saying a word.

Suddenly, blood flooded Karamatsu's mouth, causing him to choke it up.

Quickly, he jumped off of Ichimatsu's bed, hoping he hadn't seen, running to the nearest bathroom in the hospital.

"What the heck..." Karamatsu said to himself as he washed and washed his hands with freezing cold water.

"I hope I'm not getting sick too..." Karamatsu thought as he ran all the way home. "It's not like you can catch what Ichimatsu has, right? Right..."

Karamatsu rummaged through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, pulling out a bottle of pain pills, hoping they would held the sudden pain he felt over his entire body.

"I can't let Ichimatsu worry about me!" Karamatsu thought, filling up a cap with water from the sink, quickly taking several of the pills. "He can't know...I won't let him know. I'll be just fine..."