Two months later...

"I'm afraid we have some bad news for you, Osomatsu," the weeaboo nurse said to her patient in fluent Japanese. "I'm sorry but, we can't let you go back to Japan with the condition your heart is in at the moment. We just discovered about a week ago that it hasn't been working properly at all. But, the doctor thought he would let it slide for a bit so long as we kept a close eye on it. But the more we watched it, the more we've been able to diagnose your condition."

"What's wrong then?" Osomatsu asked, laughing nervously. "Nothing bad, right?"

"To put it simply without using difficult words," the nurse said, her voice shaking just a little. "Your heart is no longer able to, well, work properly. You've had so many surgeries now, that it's to the point where, we're honestly scared that you might have a heart attack and die. This is the first time we've seen a condition like this, but I'm sure it makes perfect sense to you. And before you go all out and say it was our fault, well, no, it wasn't. Your heart was already weak, and assuming you've never had to have urgent medical care, your heart has just been ignored."

"I'm confused," Osomatsu said, lowering his voice a bit. "Are you saying I could die?"

"Well if you're on a plane and you have a sudden heart attack, yes, it's a possibility," the nurse said uneasily.

"What can I do to prevent it then?" Osomatsu asked desperately, thinking of what a terrible brother he would be for breaking the promise he made to Choromatsu two months ago. "I promised my brothers I would come home to them..."

"You could have heart surgery," the nurse said with a loud sigh. "And have your heart replaced with a new, healthy one."

"But..." Osomatsu mumbled, suddenly feeling very scared as he lay there in his hospital bed. "what if something goes wrong?"

"There is a greater possibility that you will die now, than you will while having the surgery. Our hospital's focus is to heal broken people, not end their life. We know what's best for you, but we cannot make the decision for you," the nurse said kindly, leaving the room, allowing Choromatsu to come inside.

"What were you talking about...?" Choromatsu asked, his eyes filled with worry.

"I-I..." Osomatsu stumbled over his words, not wanting to make his brother upset. "I have to tell you something very important, Choromatsu. Sit down."

Choromatsu shakily pulled up a chair next to his brother's bedside and sat down, shaking from head to toe.

"What is it...?" Choromatsu squeaked nervously.

"I'm really proud of you, Choromatsu," Osomatsu said, smiling weakly as he held out his hand, allowing Choromatsu to grasp it tightly. "You have changed so much, and I just couldn't be prouder of you..."

"W-why are you saying this..?" Choromatsu whimpered, tears filling his eyes. "I haven't changed at all!"

"Choromatsu, you have," Osomatsu insisted. "You just went from worrying about yourself, to worrying about others such as me. And it breaks my heart to just see you close to tears..every single time we see each other now..."

"It's been two months..." Choromatsu squeaked, his voice cracking. "And you're still here..."

"I have something important to tell you," Osomatsu said, smiling a bit more. "And I don't want you to get upset about this, okay? Will you promise to not make me upset by not crying?"

Choromatsu whimpered and nodded his head, having no idea what to even expect.

"Choromatsu, it's my heart," Osomatsu said, his lips quivering as he spoke. A sudden chill seemed to fill the room at that moment, causing them both to feel even worse than they already did.

"W-What about your heart..?" Choromatsu wheezed, fighting back the tears that wanted to leak out of his eyes.

"There's no way I'll be able to make it home alive with the condition my heart is in right now," Osomatsu said, sighing as Choromatsu nearly screamed as he burst into tears, bawling loudly.

"Hey," Osomatsu said softly, pulling his hand away from his brother who held onto it so desperately. "It's okay...shshshh..."

"You promised!" Choromatsu sobbed, sniffing loudly as he looked into his brother's eyes, his mouth gaped open as he tried to breathe. "You said you would come back home to us!"

"And I promise I will," Osomatsu said, rubbing Choromatsu on the head, messing up his hair a little. "But I have to have something that will cause a lot of pain..."

"W-What's that..?" Choromatsu sniffed.

"It's heart surgery," Osomatsu said, shuddering just a bit. "And there's still no guarantee I'll make it out alive..." he added to himself.

"Isn't there some other way?!" Choromatsu begged his brother desperately, now avoiding all eye contact with him.

Osomatsu shook his head sadly.

"There is no other way..." he sighed.

"What then..." Choromatsu cried. "What are you going to do...?"

"I'm going to have the heart surgery," Osomatsu sighed, not knowing why he had decided just then. "I'm willing to do anything...if it means I can be with you for the rest of my life..."

"But right now...you're with me right now..." Choromatsu choked. "I would have still been here for your entire life...but you wouldn't be here for mine..."

"Choromatsu," Osomatsu said, flicking his brother's chin so he'd look back up at him. "I'm very proud of you, but now, it's time to move on. Take a leap to the next chapter in your life. I don't want you to worry about me anymore."

And with those last words, Osomatsu leaned foreword and kissed Choromatsu on the head, just to remind him that he was still loved very much.