homralings | O Brother Where Art Thou?

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O Brother Where Art Thou?

[ Eric walked his way over to the area where a meeting was going to be taken place. Something urgent. They got him out of his room an everything, so it must be serious if they were using him.

His eyes drifted over the warehouse that had been his home for a long time. Ever since they moved after an incident, this has been their headquarters. He blinked, trying to remember what the incident was...ah...his brother escaped, wasn't it? Izumo had ran away and left Eric here with the consequences of his actions.

He tilts his head. When did his brother leave here? Leave him? A few years now wasn't it? He vaguely wondered if he was still alive, or was he enjoying his freedom after abandoning his brother. He frowned, trying forget about those thoughts as he felt anger. Now wasn't the time. The leader was talking about a thorn in their side, and how they might snuff it out.

Ah, Homra again?

The name kept popping up here and there, they were becoming a bit more of a problem with each passing day. Their borders clashing even more as their territory expands.

The leader barked at him, telling him to get ready. Eric could only nod, wandering over to retrieve his knife. Looks like things were finally moving forward. He had a job to do, there was nothing else that mattered, right?

A vague image of his brother flashed in his mind and he smiled, vicious and full of teeth. Yeah, nothing else mattered, anymore. ]

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[ Eric eyes widen and he stiffens when his name is called. When...when was the last time he heard his name? No one...no one called him that anymore. He looked over at the man that took down so many of their group and growled.

Something...something in the back of his mind told him to pause, to stop and think, because...he looked familiar. His movements, voice, even face did. His head hurt. His heart hurt. What was going on? Why...

His leader, still alive, barked at him. Kill. Whatever doubts or familiar things he felt left as he lunged at the familiar man, slashing with his knife, trying to get this guy. ]

[Eric doesn't recognize him.

It's not surprising, but the anger that Eric emanates is. Izumo moves quickly, side stepping around Eric and grabbing his wrist with the knife, holding it tightly. His other hand moves up, a blade pressed against Eric's neck.]

Eric.

[ Eric tries to struggle until there is a knife at his neck and he freezes, glaring and growling at this guy. if he was going to die now...then so be it.

But, his name again. His name in English of all things has him stop his growling. He opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out, when was the last time he spoke? He closes it and swallows, and tries again? ]

Wha...what?

Do you remember me?

[Izumo would have liked to wait for an answer, but one of the others from the other gang thought it's enough to a distraction to strike him down, Erci be damned. It's enough to have Izumo look annoyed, releasing Eric enough before wrapping an arm around his waist and moving him away safely before either of them could get hurt. This could give Eric enough of a chance to strike the older man, but Izumo liked to think he stunned his brother enough to temporarily pause his movements.

Right now, they were in the middle of a fight, and Izumo didn't enjoy the idea of dying here.]

Huh?

[ With the flurry of movement and the question, this guy moves him out of the way from harm. Why? He takes his knife arm back and goes to the attack but just as he's about to stab him his heart lurches and he freezes.

Why...why can't he hurt this guy? He begins to shake, something was coming through his mind and he growled, mostly out of annoyance to these feelings. He needed to attack! Why couldn't he. ]

[He can feel Eric moving to attack him, but for some reason, he doesn't feel threatened. He doesn't feel as if he was going to be hurt at all.

He keeps a tight grip on Eric as he moves to cause more men to go down. It might not feel great for the younger man to be caught up in these movements; definitely not a great thing to be caught up in the first place.

But his attention is eventually caught when he hears a commotion, looking over to see Mikoto towering over the other.]

[ Eric shuts his eyes, feeling all these movements before snapping out of it, struggling against this guys grip.

Before he was able to slip out of this grip, he spots the red head looking over at his leader and he freezes. What should he do?

The leader looks at him and yells to attack. Eric struggles even more, trying to get free and hurt the red haired man, he had to save his leader. ]

Eric!

[The English slips out, more natural around his brother.

But the leader recognizes him, lips curling back in a sneer as he taunts Izumo. Telling him how a horrible brother he is for leaving his family behind, how they should have killed Izumo long ago before he could have betrayed them.

It's nearly enough to have the older man tensing, eyes darkening with the sudden intensity to kill, but another man steps up.

Totsuka places a hand on Izumo's shoulder, calming him, and smiling at Eric.]

[ Eric freezes in his struggles once again. Hearing those words, he left his family, a horrible brother...He stares at the man. He was older, his hair different but... ]

Izu...I...Izumo? Brother...

[ His brother...This was his brother. The brother he loved and the brother that left him to be in this gang. His vision tunnels into just seeing his brother, this...this was really him, what...what should he be feeling right now? ]

You're....you're here...

I never should have left you, Eric.

[His tone is pained, even as he continues to glare at his former leader.

The former leader scoffs, saying how the reason why he left was because of Eric in the first place. It causes anger to course through his veins, enough where he does put his younger brother down gently before he walks up to the former leader, Mikoto stepping aside and he grabs the man by the throat.]

[ He never should have left, but he did. He left him behind because he was weak, because he was tired of taking care of his little brother. He enjoyed freedom while Eric was left in a room.

He watches as Izumo grabs his leader by the throat, frozen from this news. He should attack...who? Izumo? Or his leader? Or that red haired guy...If he didn't do anything his leader would be killed. Was that a good thing?

This was a dream, wasn't it? A hallucination, none of this could be real. His brother wasn't here, he couldn't be, he left him. Eric starts to zone out, shutting down. He wanted to wake up, wake up from this cruel dream or nightmare. Too much, this was too much. ]

[There was much more to it, much more than Izumo is willing to tell Eric why he left in the first place.

By the time Eric returns to the world, he's in Homra bar, the war finished and done with.

Izumo is sitting at the bar, watching his younger brother while Totsuka and Mikoto talked softly in the background. He ignores their looks as he slides off the stool to walk over to Eric, ignoring the way his own injuries seemed to sting from the movements. He crouches in front of the younger man, eyes peering into Eric's.]

Eric.

[ Eric finally comes back and finds himself sitting on a couch, in a strange...bar? He blinks slowly, trying to figure just what had happened. This, this wasn't the warehouse, this was a place he's never been to. Did his leader bring him here?

He blinks again, hearing his name in English and he looks at the guy kneeling in front of him. He knew this person, knew who this guy was. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, finally getting the name out he was looking for ]

Izumo?

It's me, Eric.

[He almost wants to reach out and take Eric's hands in his, but he doesn't.

It's been years, after all. No doubt Eric would think that he simply abandoned him to the wolves, to enjoy a semblance of freedom while his brother suffered. It made him feel like a horrible brother, and on some level, he is. He doesn't think he can go back and change the past, but Izumo knows he has to tell Eric why he hasn't come back.

Why he left when he hadn't.]

..I'm sorry. I'm so sorry left you there.

[ There were so many emotions going through him right now, the apologies didn't seem to mean anything to him, not right now.

But, even still, Eric slides off of the couch and wraps his arms around Izumo, shaking. Right now, right now he wanted to be a little brother missing his big brother. He can feel the other things later but right now, he wants to hold him. He was here and he was real. This wasn't a dream. ]

[Izumo immediately wraps his arms around Eric in return.

The apologies will mean nothing right now, but that's okay.

He has his brother with him again. Safe, physically, but for now, that's okay. Right now, all he wanted to do was do his best to reassure Eric that he's safe, that no one can touch him again.]

[ He closes his eyes, bringing his mind back to the times they were together, where Izumo would hold him like this when things got scary. He would make all the bad go away. Then he left, and made even more bad come to him. ]

I thought...thought you were dead. You're here...you're here.

[He tightens his arms around here.]

I'm here, Eric. I'm not leaving you again.

[ Leaving...he left him. He promised to never leave Eric and he left him before.

Eric glares, slowly removing himself from the hug, his arms slipping off of his brother. ]

And why the hell, should I believe you, now?

[A sharp glance over his shoulder has Mikoto stop moving from his place, the redhead's eyes narrowed at Eric.

Izumo looks back at his brother, pulling back.]

Because I never intended to leave you in the first place. Nothing I say will make it up to you, so you're free to hate me, if you'd like. I wouldn't leave you of my own will, Eric.

[ He felt the indifference sink into him. Somehow, he didn't care, two wars were going on inside of him and he was hurt, hurt so much by his brother leaving him, that all it came down to was nothing.

He stood up, glancing away from Izumo as he studied the place. ]

Whatever...where am I? What happened to the others?

Homra bar.

The others are dead or in prison.

[His own tone is indifferent, though he feels Totsuka come over to them, smiling brightly at Eric in greeting.

"Ah, it's so nice to meet Kusanagi-san's younger brother! I'm Totsuka Tatara and that's Suoh Mikoto over there!" Totsuka either doesn't seem to notice the tension or doesn't care. Knowing him, Izumo thinks it's the latter. Totsuka sends Izumo a reassuring smile before he turns to Eric. "You're probably mad at Kusanagi-san right now, but do you mind if we take care of your injuries first?"]

[ Eric glares at Izumo. ]

So not only did you decide to abandon me, you also decided to get rid of the only home I've ever had?

[ Calling it a home was a stretch but really, it was all he had eve known, besides vague memories of happier times there was nothing else.

His glare goes from Izumo to this new guy, Totsuka? Did it even really matter? He took a step back. ]

Don't touch me.

If you can ever call that place a home. Can you even remember the life you've had before?

[Totsuka doesn't look hurt, simply giving Eric a comforting smile while Izumo watches Eric closely.

"That's fine then. But don't be hard on Kusanagi-san, okay?"

Izumo sighs.]

Totsuka.

[Totsuka grins at him. "You're not that great at expressing your feelings, you know! Don't worry, I'll make sure King doesn't do anything!"

Izumo shakes his head, giving Eric a look.]

Don't go around accusing me when you don't know anything either, you know.

[ He scoffs. ]

Barely. I remember more years of being in that warehouse than anything else before.

[ He ignores the other man, because right now, Izumo was his concern. ]

I know you left. I know I woke up one day and you weren't there. I know that what I had gone through after you were gone more than made up for those times you tried to protect me. What should I be instead of accusatory? Happy? Ecstatic?

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