Chapter Text
The day of Wemmbu's funeral was sunny.
As if to mock them, the weather stayed a comfortable, warm temperature, even when they were so close to winter. The sky was clear and birds chirped happily, singing a song of joy as they entered the old church at the graveyard, filled with despair.
Mane wanted to be mad, but he knew that this was the way Wemmbu would have wanted it, he'd said so himself.
Mane thought back to the day where it all fell apart.
~
He remembered the feeling of carrying his baby brother into the hospital. He remembered the blood steadily dripping down Wemmbu's face. He remembered those tired eyes fluttering, the feeling of a phone being pressed in his hands as his brother was taken from him, the pained smile on bloodstained lips.
He remembered his own tears, slipping silently down his face as Flame sobbed into his shoulder. He remembered looking down at the phone, seeing a video and pressing play.
"Hi Mane, hi Flame!"
His brother looked so tired…
"I know you guys are probably really confused and scared right now, so I need to explain a few things."
Explain? Flame leaned on his shoulder as they both watched, the background noise of the hospital fading away.
"I am going to die."
What?
"I'm sick - probably with the same thing rejoice had. And I purposely didn't tell you."
Why wouldn't he tell them?! They could have gotten him treatment!
"Before you get mad! I remember when Rejoice was diagnosed, he never left the hospital, forced to stay until his funeral. The drugs they gave him to extend his remaining time mad him distant. He couldn't even keep up a conversation and ended up spending most of that time in a coma."
That's right, Wemmbu was pretty much inconsolable when Rejoice fell into that coma. He had never gotten to say goodbye.
"I didn't want the last few months of my life to be like that, so I didn't tell you. I'm sure the doctors are going to come and tell you that there is that I don't have much time left."
He was right, they had to pause the video to have another cry and move into Wemmbu's hospital room. They watched his comatose body struggle through every breath and felt their hearts shatter.
"I'm okay with that, I've made my peace."
Why couldn't he have gone to them? Why did he have to suffer with that knowledge for so long?
"I've spent the last three months spending time with everyone and taking lots of pictures! I don't want to be forgotten… I've put them all in a folder on my phone!"
How could they ever forget him? Their baby brother. It made sense, now, why the boy had been so obsessed with taking photos with everyone.
"I've made the most of these last three months and have spent the time I've had left in a way that I'm happy with."
He had been very busy, hanging out with everyone and doing activities they enjoyed. Even as his health started declining. Mane regrets not taking him o the doctors earlier.
"I love you guys, Mane and Flame, with my entire heart."
And they loved him too, they had told him as they laid next to him in a bed that made him look so incredibly small.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I really didn't want to spend the rest of my life in hospital, with you two getting even sadder as I wither away."
Oh, his poor baby brother…
"I hope you can forgive me for being so selfish…"
He was allowed to be selfish, as much as he wanted!
"Ha… I've had to rerecord this video like three times…"
Their hearts ached at the sight of the boys tears.
"Thank you, for taking care of and loving me. You two were the best things I could have ever asked for."
He was the best thing in their lives, too.
"I don't want to leave, but I know I don't have a choice. I love you guys!"
They loved him, too. More than life itself.
They understood his reasons for this whole thing and they didn't resent him at all.
They had told him so, as he laid comatose in the middle of them. They had urged the boy to stop holding on, to stop suffering. They had told him that they forgave him and that he didn't have to be strong anymore.
And then, Wemmbu had flatlined.
They didn't go get the doctors, they didn't urge them to resuscitate their brother. When a nurse came in, she sighed at the sight of the brothers holding their dead brother and walked off to get a doctor.
No need to run when the patient wasn't coming back.
Mane and Flame had spent a long time just staring at the body of their brother before he was taken away to be prepped for burial. They went back home for the first time in a week and found the mess that was left behind.
Even with all the stuff strewn around their house, it felt unbelievably empty. Like the life was sucked out of it. Wemmbu's things laid across random surfaces, his dirty washing still in the basket, waiting to be washed. His charger plugged into the kitchen outlet, where he was hanging out with Mane while the older one was cooking. His shoes thrown against the wall by the front door, where he had kicked them off for the last time.
Flame had sat on the couch and just cried. He cried quietly, for hours just sitting there in the silence. He never made a sound louder than a gasp of air and his eyes never left the framed picture on the wall. It was a picture of the three of them after one of Flame's tournaments, grinning happily into the lens.
Mane had decided to keep himself busy, pulling out the clean laundry from the drying and putting the dirty ones in the washing machine. He put Wemmbu's dirty clothes in too, even though the boy would never get to wear it again. He sorted the clean washing in neat piles, picking up Wemmbu's and climbing the stairs up to his brothers room.
He placed the pile on the boys bed, still messy from where he had tried to sleep but had moved to Mane and Flame. He stared at the room that had seemed to lose all of it's color and let tears drip down his face.
He remembered holding Wemmbu as a baby. He wasn't supposed to be with them for long, Mane was just doing a favor for a friend. But he and Flame had grown attached to the smiling baby and decided to keep him.
This had been the boys room for twelve years and Mane would do anything to keep it that way for as long as possible.
His eyes caught a notebook, sitting in the middle of Wemmbu's desk. It was strange, he had never seen Wemmbu use it before. He opened it and saw names and activities written all over the first page, little notes scattered around the text.
Mane almost cried at the sight of his brothers handwriting.
Then he almost cried again at all the thought that boy had put into his plans.
He flipped through pages and pages of Wemmbu's thoughts from the past few months, tears continuing to stream down his face. He read ideas and feelings. He read how scared he was, but also how happy with the way things turned out.
'I can die happy, and hope they can move on.'
Oh Wemmbu…
He turned to the last page and spotted a note for him.
'Mane,
If possible, I'd like a bright funeral. Hopefully on a sunny day, with lost of colorful flowers! Just something to brighten the mood a little bit!
I love you!
Wemmbu'
Well, what Wemmbu wants, Wemmbu gets.
~
Bright flowers covered a coffin that was much too small for Mane's liking. Everyone had a bright flower pinned to their chests as they dabbed at their teary eyes. There was a picture in front of the coffin of Wemmbu, one bright, sunny day a few months ago.
Wemmbu laid in the coffin, pale and unmoving. They had decided against the traditional suit, choosing to bury him in soft, lavender colored pants and one of Mane's old hoodies, one that Wemmbu had always stolen and claimed as his. his hair was free, splayed out around him and framing his face, making him look peaceful.
Minute held Spoke, who seemed confused. It was probably the boys first death and he didn't understand where Wemmbu had gone. He had started to quietly sniffle into Minute's jacket, perhaps finally figuring out what happened.
Minute himself had dried tear tracks on his cheeks, trying to comfort the two children that clung to him. He seemed to be barely holding himself together.
Egg was inconsolable, sobbing into his hands. The boy hadn't stopped crying, which was fair. He had lost both of his friends in such a short time, now alone. Egg had trouble making friends due to his shy nature and Mane wasn't sure how the boy would cope from now on.
Parrot and Wifies were there, too. Parrot's eyes were red as he rubbed at them, seeming to keep the tears at bay. Wifies rubbed his shoulder, his face blank but his body tense. Mane knew that the boy had a difficult time expressing his emotions and just hoped that the two friends could comfort each other.
Flame - like Mane himself - stayed next to the coffin the entire time. He just stared at Wemmbu's face with no more tears to give.
Eventually, it was time to lower Wemmbu into his grave. They had managed to get the lot next to Rejoice's grave, meaning that the two would be buried next to each other. Mane thought that Wemmbu would like that, since he couldn't be with his brothers all the time anymore. At least he still had a friend.
More colorful flowers were scattered around both graves, paying respects to both children who died too young.
What more could they do?
~
It's almost funny how slow time can move. Five years without Wemmbu felt closer to ten. Mane kept his room the same, only dusting around it without moving things around. It was like the room was frozen in time, not a thing out of place since Wemmbu was last there.
Mane had been… better. Not over it, he hadn't moved on. But, he could go through life without breaking down, at least.
How could he get over a death like that? His own baby brother?
Flame had been okay, lately. At the start, he'd been depressed and angry. He'd taken that anger out at the winter tournament and had been disqualified for being overly aggressive. He'd been in therapy since then and had mellowed out over the years, taking up teaching at the dojo.
Mane was glad, at least one brother was doing okay. Though, he and Flame had seemed to have become dependent on each other since the funeral. Flame had always said that he couldn't wait to get his own house when he was younger. Now, he had no plans to move out, preferring to stay home.
Mane was silently glad, he didn't know what he'd do with an empty house.
Mane had brought the dojo a while ago, using Wemmbu's college fund with the last wishes of the boy. Now, he spends his time running the business and occasionally teaching classes.
Wemmbu had wanted to start learning at the dojo, back when he was still here. Mane had been waiting to enroll him in the new year, but that was cut short. So, Mane focused on making the dojo a place that Wemmbu would have enjoyed.
Minute and Egg still lived nearby. Egg had never really gotten over the loss of his friends and had decided to stay away from everyone at school. He was incredibly smart, choosing to spend extra time on studying. He wrote books in his free time, something about a purple haired dragon and an eyeball going on adventures.
It wasn't hard to guess who the characters were based on.
Mane didn't see Spoke often, the boy was now older than Wemmbu ever got to be. The teen didn't seem to remember Wemmbu, based on the way he'd always be on his phone during the yearly memorial.
Egg had made a big fuss about the disrespect at the last get together. He and Spoke had actually gotten into a big fight right at the dinner table.
"I don't even know this guy!"
"He always took care of you and you can't even stay off your phone for one dinner!"
"I DON'T KNOW HIM!"
"I DON'T CARE, YOU SELFISH ASSHOLE!"
It's safe to say that Spoke was not invited to this years memorial.
It was a shame, really. Wemmbu had cared about that boy a lot. Mane had got together some of the photos he had on Wemmbu's old phone and put together a little book for Minute to send Spoke, hoping that it may jog the boys memory a little bit.
Parrot and Wifies - although they didn't live in the city anymore - still came to visit. They were still very good friends with Flame and enjoyed hanging out with him for a weekend here and there. They always showed up to the memorials as well.
Mane - every time he made his way home - would stop by the graveyard. Fresh flowers in each grave as he sat and talked about his day, not wanting his brother to miss anything. Flame would often join him, sometimes going on his own.
Wemmbu's - and Rejoice's - graves were well loved. They were cleaned daily and always had fresh flowers. Mane would definitely say that they were the nicest graves in the whole graveyard.
It felt like he was taking care of his brother, still.
Mane had dreams, sometimes. Where he was in a grassy field and Wemmbu - forever twelve - would run up happily, looking healthier than his last few months. They'd sit and chat the night away, just like when Wemmbu was still alive. Mane would wake up and know that the day would be a good one.
Sometimes, he thought that it really was Wemmbu, coming from the afterlife to just be around his big brother. He knew that Flame and Egg had similar dreams as well.
It was a nice thought.
Mane and Flame had adopted two cats in the last few weeks. One was fierce but cuddly, energetic in a way that reminded them of Wemmbu. They had named him Gambit, after one of Wemmbu's old stuffed toys. The other they named Crucible - again, after one of Wemmbu's old toys - and he was more of a calm cat, although not as cuddly.
It was nice to have them in the house. At first, Mane had worried about Wemmbu's room being destroyed by the hyperactive cats, but they seemed to know that the place was important. They often sat in the doorway, never going past some invisible line.
Mane was grateful for that.
Mane didn't think he'd ever get over Wemmbu's death, but he could still go through life as best as he could. For Wemmbu's sake.
Although, he couldn't wait until it was his turn to pass over to the next realm, where his baby brother would be waiting for him after so long.
But he still had one more brother to look after, so he could be patient for now.
~
And so it ends, two boys - way too early for their time - playing in a field of flowers for eternity.