Ichimatsu had gone to the beach again. He couldn't stand being around his brothers anymore. They used to bring him the slightest bit of comfort, but now all they did was make him upset and angry with himself.

He climbed up the rock that jutted out over the ocean, unlike the rest of the huge rocks around the beach. This one was the tallest one there as well.

Feelings of hate and regret began to build up inside of him as he sat down on the ledge, letting his feet dangle over the beautiful swamp green ocean below him.

The waves crashed up on the rock, and from time to time, they would splash so high that they would gently mist Ichimatsu's face.

"This is how things are now..." Ichimatsu thought, letting the ocean breeze ruffle his hair around. "If I jumped, there wouldn't be a tomorrow for me. But if I didn't, I would still be here...suffering all alone."

Those same five birds hopped upon the rock beside Ichimatsu just a few feet behind him. They didn't make a sound. They just watched him frantically, their feathers getting out of place in the wind.

"Either way, the world would keep on going. The world wouldn't know I was gone. I just wouldn't be here. Like when an ant is squashed by a random person. They never notice the ant. They never realize they just ended its life." Ichimatsu thought, kicking his feet back and fourth gently.

The five birds each hopped a little bit closer to Ichimatsu.

"Life is pointless if you're always depressed, isn't it?" Choromatsu's voice seemed to say in Ichimatsu's mind.

"Open up your eyes, Ichi," Osomatsu whispered.

"My brother, can't you see?" Karamatsu said in his mind.

"You're loved, Ichimatsu!" Todomatsu said sweetly.

"We're always here for you, nii-san!" Jyushimatsu laughed.

"We all love you, so why don't you start loving yourself again?" they all said in loud whispers.

Ichimatsu put his head in his hands as he felt his heart beat faster and faster. He felt like he was about to pass out. The sounds of the ocean began to feel more than just a little far away. They sounded miles and miles away.

Ichimatsu limply fell forward...

"Ichimatsu?" Homura-chan whispered in his ear. "Where is Jyushimatsu? I can't find him anywhere!"

Ichimatsu opened up his eyes. He was in the middle of the ocean on a tiny wooden raft with Homura-chan.

"You fell into the ocean, Ichimatsu!" she cried. "I was scared, so Jyushimatsu jumped off of our raft to save you and...and..."

Ichimatsu stared at the huge waves in the distance. They weren't far from shore...but it felt very far away. Almost like a world he could never reach.

"Jyushimatsu!" Ichimatsu called, cupping his hands around his mouth, but the ocean breeze carried his voice in the opposite direction.

Ichimatsu stated to choke loudly. He felt like the soft breeze was wrapping its fingers around his neck, trying to suffocate him....

Ichimatsu's eyes shot open, coughing and choking as cold salt water flowed into his mouth. Gagging, he flailed his arms around, trying to find the surface of the water.

Not knowing how to swim the least bit, Ichimatsu did manage to get to the surface, but only to find himself begin sucked down again.

The waves continued to pull him farther and farther away from the shore.

Gasping for air, he started to kick, but he made no progress.

The ocean water was ice cold, numbing his feet to the point where Ichimatsu couldn't feel them.

"I need to get to the shore!" Ichimatsu thought angrily to himself, kicking and splashing around anxiously.

He didn't like the feeling that he was about to drown one bit. Yet, a tiny voice inside of his head continuously screamed at him to just give up.

"Give up already!" It screamed, "You had no need to stay alive! Why are you fighting?! You can't win this, Ichimatsu. Trash always loses, you know..."

Ichimatsu felt his body go limp, like someone had just injected him with a tranquilizer. He couldn't move.

"Give up, Ichimatsu! GIVE UP..."