All For Nothing

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Please! You have to save them!" Karamatsu pleaded, digging his nails into the ground as he bowed before one of the fire rescuers. "They're all I have!"

"Sir, in situations like this, it's best if you remain calm. Everything is going to be okay," a paramedic assured him, as he walked with another paramedic, carrying a stretcher towards the flaming house.

"Jyushimatsu..." Karamatsu thought, still bowing despite the fact that nobody was in front of him now. "Why would you do that? I know you love Ichimatsu, but risking your life isn't worth it! You need to think! Please, think!"

Just moments later, firefighters had carefully smashed into the side of the house, immediately finding the two bodies.

"Sir! We've found them! We've found them!" someone called out, waving their hands in the air.

With shock, Karamatsu felt his heartbeat begin to slow right before he passed out.

Two hours later...

Ichimatsu inhaled deeply, trembling in pain as he opened his eyes, sunlight steaming in through a familiar window.

Arms shaking, Ichimatsu wheezed a little as he sat up in the futon he had been asleep in.

"This is..." Ichimatsu thought, nausea washing over him as he looked around the room. Each and every corner screamed "home" to him. That, in fact, was exactly where he was. Yet he still felt as if he didn't belong.

Looking beside him, Ichimatsu noticed that his younger brother was fast asleep, a little bit of drool running out of his mouth. Nobody would have ever guessed that the peaceful child had walked right into a fire to "save" his older brother. In fact, his skin was such a pale, normal color, that even Ichimatsu had no idea Jyushimatsu was with him in the flames.

"How did I get here..." Ichimatsu thought, slumping back down in his futon in pain. His entire body ached. "What happened..."

"The fire," Todomajo suddenly whispered softly in is ear.

Screaming, Ichimatsu literally flew out of his futon and ran to the other side of the room, hiding in the corner like an angry cat.

"Calm down," Todomajo chuckled as he floated across the room towards Ichimatsu. "You'll wake your rescuer."

"My rescu-" Ichimatsu began, but was silenced as Todomajo shook his head, holding his index finger to the boy's lips.

"Where's Karamatsu then..." Ichimatsu hissed. "Could you take me to him?"

"He's in the living room, but he's probably still sobbing like the baby his is," Todomajo chuckled.

"Oh.." Ichimatsu mumbled, curling up in the corner. "I'll stay here then..."

"You're not going to ask questions?" Todomajo asked, tittering as he pulled his phone out from his cloak, taking a selfie.

"You told me to be quiet..." Ichimatsu hissed.

"So you're giving up?" Todomajo asked.

Ichimatsu sighed and stared at the floor.

"You want to get better, don't you?" Todomajo asked, smirking.

"You told me earlier that I was going to die no matter what..." Ichimatsu muttered, his voice actually sounding quite depressed as he lifted his eyes to look at his little brother. "I don't want to leave him behind...not yet..."

"But wasn't it Jyushimatsu who left you behind?" Todomajo asked, grabbing Ichimatsu's hands, allowing his body to relax without pain for a few moments.

"Don't...talk about that..." Ichimatsu mumbled. "I don't want to think of that..."

"How can you remember what happened so long ago..." Todomajo began slyly, "if you can hardly remember present time now?"

"Time does things, doesn't it..." Ichimatsu hissed loudly.

Todomajo pulled Ichimatsu to his feet and quickly dragged him out of the bedroom.

Quietly shutting the door behind the two of them, Todomajo then proceeded to literally pull Ichimatsu down the stairs of the old Matsuno home.

At that moment, Todomajo disappeared without a word, leaving Ichimatsu in terrible pain. His pain worsened when he heard Karamatsu crying from inside the living room.

"He..." Karamatsu sniffed, his hands trembling as he held the two photos in his hands. "Why was he holding these..."