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Tsukasa was only trying to wash the laundry like Amane asked him.
Tsukasa didn't expect to get shoved inside the washing machine together with the bottle of yellow laundry detergent he held in his hand.
His whole body somehow fitting inside the machine.
Tsukasa heard the door click shut before he could process what was happening.
Looking out by the circular clear glass he couldn't see the culprit.
The machine suddenly shifted.
When Tsukasa's arms suddenly hit his own ribs and face did he realize just how small, was the space he was trapped in.
Surrounded by metal walls with never ending holes, a hybrid terror of claustrophobia and trypophobia washed over him.
Tsukasa couldn't- Or at least tried to breath.
But how could he do that when-
When-
He was trapped.
Trapped inside a washing machine.
He was trapped inside a contraption full of metal walls and never ending holes in a space that was so cramped, in a space that was so small, with a door specifically designed to lock its contents in like a prison with no air, and no escape.
Who could've done this?
Why would anyone do this?
What did he do to deserve this?
He swallowed down a lump of fear of the people he had in mind.
Maybe it was Mama. She did obviously hate him. To Mama, he wasn't her child. To Mama, he was just an evil demon wearing her actual son's skin. To Mama, he was a danger to their family. To Mama, he needed to be eliminated from this world....
A wave of water abruptly splashed onto his face and got into his nose. It stung. Instinctively, Tsukasa's mouth opened wide in another attempt to breath. Tsukasa was instead rewarded with another wave of water down his throat for doing such a foolish and poorly thought out action.
Tsukasa choked. His head had hit against the metal hard while his hands were on his throat. Tsukasa coughed and coughed and coughed to try to get the water out, but anybody watching would know very well that it was a useless effort.
The water continued to flow and every tear that were in Tsukasa's eyes instantly became one with the water.
Mama's eyes that were once filled with love, care, and warmth were now replaced with hatred, hostility, and ice.
And it was all Tsukasa's fault for coming back.
Mama smiled whenever she saw Amane and Papa, but immediately frowned whenever Tsukasa was in sight.
Mama always did this whenever Amane and Papa weren't there though. Mama always glared at Tsukasa with such despise and loathe. It's not like Mama cared if Tsukasa saw her. It only got worse as the years went by anyways.
Tsukasa would always hear how Mama wished and cried for her real son back. How she begged for him to come home.
Mama would do it directly at him whenever they were alone.
This always confused Tsukasa.
Was he actually not her son after all?
What was he then?
He was a monster. An unforgivable abomination faker wearing the face of another that ruined one of the precious people he loved.
Perhaps Mama did do this to him.
Mama didn't love him. Not anymore at least.
Perhaps Mama finally had enough of him after all this time.
Perhaps... She had never loved him at all.
Tsukasa could taste soap as a wave of sudsy water made its way inside his mouth. He forcefully swallowed it down because he knew from previous attempts, coughing it out wouldn't work. And he could only choke so many times before finally succumbing.
Tsukasa hugged himself as tightly as he could while the metal walls shook and tossed him around like a bunch of Doritos in a bag. His body was burning alive from the inside while simultaneously freezing to death in soapy water on the outside.
If he didn't drown anytime soon, Tsukasa was confident the harsh cleaning chemicals that were definitely toxic for human consumption would end him instead.
Papa could've been the culprit too.
Unlike Mama, Papa thought there was nothing wrong with Tsukasa. Or at least, he did at first.
Papa always calmed down Mama. Being the peacemaker and smoothing things over. Papa always looked at him just like before Tsukasa disappeared. Full of love, care, and warmth. Being the tiny flicker of hope that could sometimes convince and lie to Tsukasa that they all actually loved him.
But quickly over time, Tsukasa noticed the seed of doubt that continued to slowly grow in Papa's eyes.
Papa gaze became less warm. Less caring.
The love was replaced with caution.
It was either that, or Tsukasa was just too stupid to not notice it from the beginning.
Papa wasn't being as fair as before and always let Amane win an argument. Not to mention all those times when Papa saw the way Mama treated Tsukasa when they were alone and turned a blind eye.
How Papa slowly became less and less of himself and secretly prayed to the gods for his family to return back to normal.
And it was all Tsukasa's fault for coming back.
Perhaps Papa did do this to him.
Papa didn't love him. Not anymore at least.
Papa had more than enough reason after all.
Tsukasa destroyed his family. Tsukasa destroyed everything. Tsukasa knew that Papa didn't love him at all.
Tsukasa wondered how he hasn't died yet
How has he not drowned yet?
How has he not suffocated to death yet?
How was he even still conscious right now???!!!
He's swallowed so much toxic-guaranteed-to-kill- you-chemicals, and water, he wondered if some cruel god was keeping conscious for the sake of continuously torturing him.
Even if he wasn't already severely poisoned, Tsukasa should've been dead either way.
The rocking of the machine gifted him the headache of the century. Everytime his head hit against the metal walls, a new bruise bloomed in its wake. His eyes were red and stung because cleaning chemicals didn't give a damn to whoever they hurt. While water loved to submerge him like earth to his future grave.
Tsukasa's brain
was beyond foggy, but that didn't stop him from feeling all these tortures sensations.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It was Amane.
A single, tiny, little thought was born in the worst possible way.
It made perfect sense really, now that he was on the verge of drowning/suffocating/poisoned to death.
A memory from a time long ago resurfaced in his mind. A memory so important, it was a wonder how he had only thought about it now.
Tsukasa knew, ever since at the age of 4...
Amane was going to kill him.
At the age of 13.
No wonder this was happening. Tsukasa should've connected the dots earlier. He should've remembered this earlier. Tsukasa did say he couldn't wait to find out how back then.
Now it all made sense...
But there was a voice telling him otherwise.
Stop lying to yourself.
You know this isn't how it's supposed to go.
There's no way he's the one who did this to you.
It can't be. IT CAN'T BE.
HOW COULD AMANE KILL ME IN SUCH A CRUEL WAY????!!!?? HOW COULD AMANE DO THIS???!! HOW COULD AMANE DO THIS????!!!!!?!?? AMANE'S SO CRUEL-
Tears welled up in Tsukasa's eyes while his hands grasped his heart.
"A-A-A-Amane's n-not c-c-cruel." Tsukasa shot back despite the soapy water filling his mouth again.
Tsukasa held back a sob while coughing profusely. An indescribable pain in his heart overwhelming him.
"A-after a-a-all I've d-d-done, I deserve this..."
Tsukasa's grip on his heart tightened. With how this new pain blossomed so swiftly in his heart, Tsukasa wouldn't be surprised if his death was due to the pain in his heart.
Tsukasa should've been happy.
Tsukasa should've been smiling.
He was finally dying, despite it being much earlier than he anticipated.
He wanted to laugh.
He wanted to smile.
He didn't mean to cry.
Why was he scared?
Why was he sad?
Why did it all hurt so bad?
Maybe it's because Amane's chosen method of murder was so incredibly weird? Maybe it's because he absolutely hates how tortures this whole thing is? Because now he'll forever be traumatized of bubbles, soap, water and all the ways it could hurt him?
He'd never be able to enjoy bubble baths ever again.
But did that even matter?
It was painfully obvious that he wasn't going to survive this.
Before any of these conflicting thoughts could escalate any further, a big yellow bottle of laundry detergent smacked itself against Tsukasa's forehead, hard.
BAAAAM!!!!!
Tsukasa's body lay limp as a doll as the machine came to a sudden halt.
Ribbons of red liquid leaked from the crack on his forehead, swirling together with clear detergent into a big pink puddle, while a broken bottle of detergent lay nearby.
There was no longer any sound being released by anything or anyone. All there was, was the eerie silence of a job well done.
...
"Amane! Please go check if the laundry's done." said his mother. "If the machine stopped, please take the clothes out."
"Alright mom!"
Amane walked towards the washing machine. Good. Looks like it was do-
Wait.
Was that-
The laundry?
Amane's eyes focused onto a basket full of clothes that were supposed to be washed.
"Hmm... Did Tsukasa already take them out before?" he wondered as he walked closer to clothes, and away from the washing machine.
"Ew, yuck! These haven't even been washed yet!" Amane recoiled in disgust.
"Didn't I already ask Tsukasa to wash these..?" he left the clothes and got closer to the washing machine. "Did he forget again? " he sighed as he was almost there.
"I haven't seen Tsukasa for a while either." he now stood in front of the washing machine, while holding the handle.
"I swear the second I find him, we're going to have a long talk." and the washing machines door cracked open a smidge.
"He's not getting out of this no matter what."
