Kaerou - Parts One - Three

1.
"They treat him completely differently!" I yelled at the sunset.
I was missing for a whole half-episode and none of my brothers had searched for me!
In fact, I had been treated like a nuisance and beaten up while tied to a burning stake!
I had been so injured that my left arm was in a cast, and I needed a crutch.

"It's all okay. Something like this is nothing." I smiled as I hobbled along the path my brothers had taken.
"I have to hurry and get back. Otherwise my brothers will be worried..."

Worried?

Last night came into mind. They weren't worried then.
They weren't worried ever.

"I'm somehow just not needed... I don't want to go back..."
Tears threatened to spill over.

I heard muffled voices behind me, unrecognizable.
"We f_und yo_. W_ fou__ _ou."

I didn't turn answer, and kept facing forward, embarrassed.

"Niisan, where are you going?"
That was Jyushimatsu's voice!

"Everyone's waiting. Shall we hurry and return?"

2.
"Shall we... return?"
Now that was something I had wanted to hear.

"!...ah...-"
The voice of a brother. So comforting, so alluring, so warm.

"That's right, let's return, let's hurry~"
Totty?
"Let's return..."
Even Ichimatsu!

"return~return~return~"

"You guys came...!"
I turned around.
"Brothers- AAAGH?!"

Suddenly I was hit in the back with something like a missile, and fell flat on my face.

"Karamatsu-niisan!"
Ouch...
"Jyu-jyushimatsu...?"
I looked up to see a beaming face.

"Niisan, found ya!"
He stretched out his hand.

Eh?
Wasn't he... just now, wasn't he behind me?
Wait. That wouldn't have had made sense in the first place, if home was the other way...

"Sorry! Let's go home together, muscle! 'Kay?"
Jyushimatsu pulled me up on my feet and fetched my crutch.

"Ah, ahh... yea, let's return..."
I managed to mumble. I couldn't bring myself to face behind me.
I thought I kept hearing, "Niisan, let's return, niisan, let's return~"

I heard Jyushimatsu shift beside me. I guess he looked back.

I thought I heard him whisper, "Don't come back."

3.
"We're home, muscle!!" Jyushimatsu announced proudly.

All activity stopped as we received a collective, "Welcome back~"

Choromatsu came up to me. "It's late, so I got worried."

"Choromatsu..."
Ah. I was going to cry again. They did actually care about me!

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cause you to worry-"
"Why'd you come back. And just when I thought it was refreshing to have no more annoyance around."
A voice devoid of emotion interrupted me.

Choromatsu practically screeched, "Ichimatsu!!" and stormed to his corner.

"What. It's true."
Ichimatsu pressed himself closer to the wall.

"Feeling happy he didn't come back? YoUuuU!"

I heard a small voice from the one who hadn't left my side.
"Karamatsu-niisa..."

"Ah... just quit it, quit it." Osomatsu put his "Pachinko for Dummies"* book down on the table, and looked straight at me.
"Karamatsu, I'm sorry we did too much."

"Niisan...!"
Hearing a direct apology from Osomatsu-nii was rare.

"But, your prank was also over the top, you know?"

I could feel the color drain from my face.
"...eh?"

"Joining forces with Chibita to get kidnapped and practically burned at the stake, can't we laugh just a bit at that?"
He was smiling.

"The stake burning was -lol- in the middle of the night, even~"
Todomatsu too...

"That...! I really was kidnapped!"
How could believe it was all a prank?!

"Furthermore, I really thought you wouldn't come back then... Choromatsu, you thought that too, right?"
Osomatsu-nii turned to his right-hand man.

"Eh? Ah... well... It was just a bother to the neighboorhood in the middle of the night," he stuttered.

"Uhm, hey, hey!!" Jyushimatsu started waving his arms wildly.
"Karamatsu-niisan! I-"
What, was he going to say I was bothersome too?

"So that's it. I get it." I tuned out Jyushimatsu.

"I get it already so..."
"Niisa..." He stopped waving his arms.

"Jyushimatsu." Somehow, it felt like I was looking at him for the last time.
"Let me take care of myself. Sorry."

It was like I was being embraced, engulfed, by my innermost thoughts.

"Don't do it. Niisan."
Jyushimatsu, why are you crying?

"Kusoma-"
You too, Ichimatsu?

"I've just been a nuisance to everyone."
[I want to xxx...]

"I'm sorry."
[..for being born.]

"Sorry for being this type of me."
[Ah, I want to disappear.]