Karamatsu sighed, slamming down the black telephone angrily, shaking the small table it rested on.

Frustratedly, Karamatsu slipped on his winter coat and boots, yet he found he was sweating. He had just gotten off of a call with Jyushimatsu's school principal, asking them if he could pull the little boy out for just a few days. And, of course, the principal had said no.

"Do I have to go to school then, Uncle Karamatsu..?" Jyushimatsu asked, glancing up the stairs, listening out for his older brother.

Karamatsu approached Jyushimatsu then knelt down to his eye level, caressing his little brother's head with a forced smile across his distressed face.

"Ichimatsu is going to be just fine, so don't worry about it," Karamatsu said, turning Jyushimatsu's head around to face him. Grabbing his little brother gently, Karamatsu hugged him tightly, hoping to rid the worry that seemed to be buried deep within his heart. "And don't worry about school today. You won't be going, and I don't care what they say. You and Ichimatsu are learning how to settle in still. Not to mention, we need to be leaving for the drug store soon. Ichimatsu needs a pain killer."

"When can I go see Mommy and Daddy?" Jyushimatsu asked, looking up at Karamatsu pitifully.

Karamatsu managed to smile gently, his heart breaking, knowing how miserable Jyushimatsu would feel if he knew the actual truth.

"We'll see them soon, Jyushimatsu," Karamatsu lied, standing up, taking Jyushimatsu's hand in his, leading him towards the front door. "But we can't see them for a very long time, okay? Just remember that they love you and they're very proud of you, Jyushimatsu."

Without another word, Karamatsu quickly began to help Jyushimatsu put on his coat, scarf, mittens, hat, socks, and shoes. And though Jyushimatsu was having to do most of the work, Karamatsu was proud of himself.

"I'm finally being a better brother..." Karamatsu thought, sighing as cracked open his front door. As he waited for Jyushimatsu to finish buttoning up his coat, Karamatsu glanced behind himself, staring at the staircase. "I wish I could go back in time and just tell Ichimatsu that I'm sorry. I wish I could go back and relive those days before I lost sight of myself. I want to be there for Ichimatsu now, but there's no way on earth that he'll trust me after how I treated him..."

Karamatsu was jerked out of his thoughts when he felt an abrupt tug on the end of his coat.

"Uncle Karamatsu?" Jyushimatsu asked, tilting his head just a little. "Are we gonna go?"

Karamatsu nodded his head, opening the door all the way, holding Jyushimatsu's hand as they both stepped outside into the bitter cold.

A few minutes later...

Jyushimatsu held tightly to Karamatsu's hand, his eyes darting everywhere as pushed their way through the busy crowds.

Jyushimatsu huffed, his legs beginning to hurt as he struggled to keep up with his older brother whom was walking at a much faster pace than normal.

Finally, after having grown frustrated with the pace Karamatsu was walking at, Jyushimatsu just completely stopped walking, causing his elder brother to do so as well since they were holding hands.

Karamatsu turned around and knelt down on the busy sidewalk, meeting Jyushimatsu's frightened gaze, his eyes swimming with tears.

"Now, now..." Karamatsu said, rubbing Jyushimatsu on the head. "what's the matter, my little brother?"

"You're walking too fast!" Jyushimatsu complained, squinting his eyes shut, trying to emphasize how frustrated he really was.

Karamatsu sighed, took Jyushimatsu's hand in his once again, and began walking at a more normal pace.

"This will take longer, you know," Karamatsu said gently as he felt Jyushimatsu tighten his grip on his hand. "But I don't want you force yourself to keep up. We don't need to buy more drugs than we need."

Jyushimatsu stared at the ground, something shaking his cheery spirits just a bit. He couldn't help but think of the look on Ichimatsu's face when he first woke up.

"Ichimatsu was hurting..." Jyushimatsu thought, a tiny whimper escaping his lips. "I don't want Ichimatsu to hurt! I want Ichimatsu to be happy just like me! I love Ichimatsu!"

"Why the long face?" Karamatsu asked Jyushimatsu, stopping in front of the store he had intended on going to. "Is something wrong?"

Jyushimatsu shook his head, not even realizing they were at the store.

Karamatsu pulled the door open, bells jingling softly as they walked in.

Warm air wrapped around Jyushimatsu like a welcoming hug, comforting him. At that moment, a pink hooded figure walked in from behind them, heir gaze focused on the floor.

"Move it," the figure growled, bumping into Karamatsu.

"Hey!" Karamatsu gasped, letting go of Jyushimatsu's hand.

The pink hooded figure just turned around at them, letting out a small snicker as he walked to one of the aisles in the store.

"Let's hurry, Jyushimatsu..." Karamatsu mumbled, holding tightly to his little brother's hand, walking to the area of the store where there were pain killers.

"That person looked familiar...!" Jyushimatsu thought, looking around, hoping to see the pink hooded figure again. "But no matter how hard I try to think of where I've seen them, I can't remember!"

Jyushimatsu squinted his eyes shut, looking into his thoughts as Karamatsu studied the fifty bazillion pain killers, trying to see which was the best, but also the cheapest.

"I see rain..." Jyushimatsu thought, looking about in his mind. "It was raining last night, wasn't it? I don't remember!"

Karamatsu finally made his selection, pulling a slim box of pills off of the store's shelf. Turning around, he found his little brother squinting his eyes like he had gotten ahold of a sour candy.

"Jyushimatsu," Karamatsu said somewhat quietly, tapping his brother on the shoulder. "Let's go."

Jyushimatsu remained standing still, pondering, having not heard a single word at all.

"Jyushimatsu...?" Karamatsu asked, flicking him on the head. "We should get back home now."

Jyushimatsu shook his head, staring blankly up at his brother.

"But that person..." Jyushimatsu whispered, his eyes widening as he saw the hooded figure leaving the store.

"That person is just another rude teenager," Karamatsu sighed, once again, taking his brother's hand in his. "Let's go!"