"We're back!" Jyushimatsu called out, swinging open the front door as he marched inside, his mouth in an open smile. From head to toe, the little boy was drenched in melted and still melting snow.

Ichimatsu abruptly slammed the door shut as soon as he was inside, hoping to keep the cold out.

His head pounding, Ichimatsu leaned it against the door, groaning quietly as he closed his eyes.

"Did you two have fun?" Karamatsu asked, walking out from the living room with a cup of hot green tea in his hand, a book in the other.

Jyushimatsu nodded his head, then proceeded to sneeze.

Ichimatsu shot his eyes open, his heart skipping a beat.

"No no no no no!" Ichimatsu thought bending down to his little brother's height, helping him remove his soaking wet coat and other garments that were wet. "Don't you dare get sick..."

"So, Ichimatsu?" Karamatsu asked, setting his book down on a small table with a lamp on it. Leaning against the wall, the painful brother raised his eyebrows and wiggled them a bit. "How are you feeling?"

Ichimatsu cringed in pain, avoiding direct eye contact with his brother as he helped Jyushimatsu take his socks and shoes off.

"Tch..." Ichimatsu spat, "like it matters."

"It actually does matter," Karamatsu said, staring up at the ceiling. "Because if you're sick, I'll have to take off from work tomorrow."

"I'm not a child," Ichimatsu muttered, standing up once he finished helping his brother.

"Do you need to take a shower, Jyushimatsu?" Karamatsu asked, looking back down at his two brothers whom were siting on the floor by the front door.

"No! I want to spend time with Ichimatsu nii-san!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed, throwing himself onto his purple clothed brother, hugging him tightly while giggling.

"You don't need to catch a cold though..." Ichimatsu mumbled. "If you take a fast shower, you can spend as much time with me as you want..."

"Will you tell me a story too?" Jyushimatsu asked, his eyes lighting up more than they already were.

"Yeah..." Ichimatsu mumbled, breathing slowly, hoping he could continue to keep his mind off of the still growing pain inside his head.

Just like that, Jyushimatsu hopped up, took off up the stairs, and began to take a shower in the small bathroom they had to share.

"He listens to you, huh?" Karamatsu asked, taking a sip of his green tea as he walked back into the living room.

"Tch..." Ichimatsu spat, stumbling to his feet, finally removing his winter garments. "Does that bother you...?"

Ichimatsu hung up his coat, trudged down the hallway, then entered the living room with Karamatsu.

"No," Karamatsu replied, taking another sip of his tea with a soft smile. "It's just cute."

Ichimatsu sunk down onto the couch next to Karamatsu, trying his best to forget what his older bother had just said.

"It's not cute..." Ichimatsu finally replied after several moments of silence. "I just don't want him to ever be like me..."

"That's funny," Karamatsu chuckled, setting his cup of green tea down on the small table next to the sofa. "I never thought you were to type of person to like someone so outgoing and loud."

"Jyushimatsu is Jyushimatsu...And I'm going to protect him as long as I can. I don't want him to become filth like I have..." Ichimatsu muttered, keeping his eyes focused on the floor.

"That's..." Karamatsu said, then paused, forgetting what he was going to say.

"What?" Ichimatsu hissed.

Karamatsu's gaze drifted over to the drawer which Ichimatsu had found the photos of them in. But once he realized Ichimatsu was watching him, he redirected his gaze to his brother.

"Nothing," Karamatsu laughed, "I was just thinking. Oh, and speaking of which, how is your head?"

"Why do you act so concerned?!" Ichimatsu spat angrily, standing up abruptly from the couch despite how dizzy he felt. "It's not like you used to care! Why have you changed?! Tell me! You're not my father! Just because our parents are dead now doesn't mean you're the one in charge here! Leave me alone!"

Karamatsu's jaw dropped open, completely speechless as Ichimatsu stormed out of the room, stomping up the stairs to his bedroom.

Slumping down on the floor in his room, Ichimatsu fought back tears of bitterness. His mind wouldn't stop reminding him of the times Karamatsu had been kind to him as a child.

"Why now...why after all that's happened..." Ichimatsu thought, burying his head in his knees, a single tear racing down his cheek. "I don't understand anymore...I want to be left alone. I don't want Karamatsu to suddenly start caring for me! How can I handle that?! All my life I've been alone. Only when Jyushimatsu was born did I feel like I was given a friend, but he's more like I pet that I have to watch out for. But...how...how does Karamatsu expect me to respond to such sudden acts of kindness? Never once was I shown that my existence matters, and I don't want that to change. I don't need friends. I want to be alone...I know I want to be alone...I'm a worthless loner after all...I'm a..."

Ichimatsu's felt like curling up in a ball in the floor as tears continued to flow down his cheeks, his eyes growing hot.

Suddenly, the stairs creaked, signaling that someone, obviously Karamatsu, was coming up.

Ichimatsu didn't move, keeping his head buried in his knees, though he was shaking a great deal.

Karamatsu knocked softly on the doorframe, warning Ichimatsu that he was entering even though the door wasn't shut.

"Hey..." Karamatsu said softly, sitting down beside his brother. "What's wrong?"

Ichimatsu tried his best to breath through his nose, but it was too stuffed up from crying. Yet when he breathed out of his mouth, a loud whimper escaped along with it.

Karamatsu hugged Ichimatsu from the side, gently rubbing his back.

"There there..." he soothed, continuing to rub his back. "It's okay..."

"Get off of me..." Ichimatsu whimpered, and Karamatsu immediately obeyed.

"What's the matter?" Karamatsu asked.

"I-I...." Ichimatsu's voice cracked, letting loose a loud series of muffled chokes and sobs.

"Don't cry..." Karamatsu said, hugging his brother tightly, this time, planting a gentle kiss on the top of his brother's head. "It's gonna be okay..."

Ichimatsu trembled, suddenly finding that he was comforted by the warmth and pressure around his body from Karamatsu's tight hug.

"Are you cold?" Karamatsu asked, resting his head on top of Ichimatsu's.

Ichimatsu nodded his head a little, and Karamatsu grabbed him even more tightly for a few moments before he let go, standing up.

"I'll go get you some blankets. You must be tired," he said, leaving the room, walking down the hallway to a closet full of blankets and towels.

Ichimatsu closed his eyes when he heard Karamatsu walk back in the room.

"Here," Karamatsu said quietly as he draped several wool and fleece blankets over his brother. "it's going to be okay, Ichimatsu."

But Ichimatsu didn't hear his brother, for the moment the blankets were placed upon him, he fell into a deep, seemingly endless nightmare.