A Tale Of True Demons - Book 1: Innocence Begone (Indra Otsutsuki)

Chapter 9: These Two Dunces

Sitting up from his futton, the familiar dunce released a loud sneeze that echoed across the room, letting out a whine afterwards as a line of snot began dripping down his left nostril.

"Oh, Ashura, look at yourself, you're a mess!" His older brother that sat right beside him only sighed worriedly as he placed a hand above the younger boy's forehead.

"But Elder Brother, I-"

"Remember, you're body has a weak immune system, which means there's a possibility that you can easily catch ailments" Indra cut him off from his words as he drew his hand away from his forehead to take out a clean rag and placed the cloth against his little brother's nose "Now blow!"

With that, the young brunette obeyed his older brother's command and harshly blew against the fabric through his nose.

"Very good Ashura!" Indra exclaimed the moment the said boy had successfully removed all mucus in his nose. "It's best if you should really stay in bed until you get better. That means no playing with your friends for a while. And definitely no horse-playing around" he added as he drew the now slime-filled cloth away from Ashura's face, neatly folded it with the mucus inside and set it aside.

Sniffing a bit, he asked in a low and sickly tone "Until when, Elder Brother?"

"The more rest you get, then you will be better sooner than you think" Indra replied as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and gently pushed him down his futon, not without placing a blanket over his body. "That's if you get to rest properly" he added and placed a wet rag over the boy's forehead.

"Sorry, Elder Brother!"

At first, Indra was left a bit confused to why his brother was apologizing to him from out of the blue. But the same expression that was stuck to his face soon dropped into a gentle smile as he placed a hand against Ashura's cheek.

"Quit apologizing, will ya!" He laughed. "You did nothing wrong, so there's no need for that. Besides, if you keep worrying like that then your condition will worsen. Therefore, it will take a lot longer for you to recover than usual."

"Huh?! Really?!" Ashura exclaimed, fear and shock was noticeable in his weak voice.

"Yeah!" His brother replied with a smile. "That's why it's very important for you to take good care of yourself. Not only your body, but also your mind too."

Despite feeling a bit weak and drowsy at the very moment, the younger boy was able to pull up a weak smile across his face and grinned "OK, Elder Brother!"

Seeing his little brother smile sweetly with what remaining strength he has, Indra couldn't help but do the same.

"I'm going to go now, Ashura" he said as he slowly stood up from his current position and turned away to approach the sliding doors that led out of the room both brothers were in. "I'll be checking up on you from now and then, alright."

He then slid the door open and was about to exit the chamber, only to be stopped by his little brother's voice calling out to him.

"Hey Elder Brother!"

The said boy just looked over his shoulder just so he could meet the younger brunette's gaze.

"What is it, Ashura?"

Once more, the young boy only smiled in his weakly state "Have a nice day!"

Guilt then immediately began to fill the long-haired boy, it was very clear upon his facial features. In spite of being in such depressing position, the boy still had the strength and courage to pray for his healthy brother to have a great day. It made Indra sad, but the curve on his brother's lips kept him from thinking of it in such a negative way and mirror his own.