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He sees the red streaks on his little brother's wrists.
All of his brothers knew about the darkness in Ichimatsu's soul, the constant grins he gives when he sees his older brother break his leg or the words "i am a sadist!" written across his face.
But he didn't expect to see bleeding wrists at two in the morning.
He always seemed to stare at window panes as orange bleeds through the curtains at five in the morning. He was an early riser, or so they thought. Karamatsu knew he didn't sleep, he couldn't sleep, actaully. Damn, you could feed him a bottle of sleeping pills but the loneliness will still gobble him up inside out. It was frustrating to look at him, often times he would come to his room looking at his hands and feel the world under his fingertips. Why am I alive, why am I here. Why, why, why, why-
Why won't he settle down? Why won't he spill his sadness instead of drowning in them? Or is he enjoying his own little world of fractures and broken bones? Questions of what-not, what ifs and should've beens swam through Karamatsu's head, trying to observe, examine and understand his little brother clad in coldness. He saw it, did his brothers see it?
The worst part is, he didn't take action until it was too late. It was four in the morning when Karamatsu woke up to the sound of glass breaking. Todomatsu also flinched and woke up slowly. But Karamatsu, he couldn't sleep that night knowing there was no heat radiating from his left side, no skin touching his arms, no alternated breathing prickling at his neck. He stood up, frantic and anxiety eating at him. He was still wobbly from the headache caused by the lack of sleep.
However, he was fully awake when he saw the terrible, terrible scene unfolding before his very eyes.
Everything was... Red. The sink was overflowing with red-tinted water and on the floor was a carpet of blood engulfing a certain brother he knew too well, maybe. His body was frozen in shock for a full minute until it registers in his mind that 'hey! you're brother is unconscious because he slit his wrists and he was suicidal and you knew but you didn't do anything!' Or something along those lines. His voice, well he was still finding it, tried to call for his other brothers, but came out a breathless squeak that even made the wind laugh at him. It took him a moment before his larynx produced sound and called for help, waking up his brothers and parents. The next few minutes were a mix of vague shouting and scarlet. Karamatsu can't distinguish which red is blood or the sirens of the ambulance.
Almost.
Almost. He was almost at 50:50 condition if it weren't for the swift actions of the doctors stitching up his works. It was not only his wrists he attacked, he wrote lines on his thighs, painted red on his elbows, made his sides as a coloring book, and it brought despair upon his brothers. Everybody was in complete shock, Osomatsu was staring at the white walls as if he was marveling how white the white is. Choromatsu was pacing back and forth, unable to keep still. Jyushimatsu was not Jyushimatsu, just a lad enveloped in fear. Totty was trying to calm himself and his parents down. And Karamatsu was on his eight cup of coffee, occasionally glancing at the ER sign. Of course, he was expecting it. (Did his other brothers notice?) Why the hell did he not take action when it was still early? When all Ichimatsu designed was his thoughts and not his skin? When the small kitchen knife didn't disappear from the kitchen? Why, why, why-
Because he was scared.
He was scared if he will make it worst for Ichimatsu.
Because he waited for Jyushimatsu to act first.
Because he was a coward.
Karamatsu doesn't realize his eyelashes soaking until Osomatsu puts a hand to his shoulder. And that's what ticks him off. Forget about the coffee, he let the tears flow as if it was the only thing to save his dear little brother. As if it would better his condition. Osomatsu also tears up, followed by their parents, then Choro, Jyushi and Totty. Let them drown in their sadness, just like Ichimatsu back then.
They abruptly stop once they saw light escape from the ER sign.