[How many times can we fall?]

[toremainbehind]

[It's been a week since they've managed to escape.

Neither of them knew who tipped someone off about their location, who helped them escape while everything became hacked and otherwise useless in keeping them contained. It had been their downfall to let Izumo stay in the frontline, his skills almost legendary now with how effective of an assassin he has become over time. Their downfall led to their deaths, and Izumo has ran away with Eric while the remnants of that group tried to go after them.

They didn't know where to go - who to turn to.

For them, this open world was a mystery, even if Izumo has more experience than Eric when it came to the outside world. There's no one they could trust, and little to no money to their name since their captors often took the money Izumo's earned for his kills. But Izumo is adaptable, taking odd jobs here and there in order to earn enough money to save up and find a place to stay.

It's only been a couple of days ago when Izumo first ran into the leader of HOMRA, the Red King and him having traded blows before it came to a tie. They went their separate ways shortly after when an informant came running towards them, Izumo having escaped before he could be questioned.

Now, he had taken Eric to a refuge in a motel. It's small and not one of the best, but it's the best Izumo could afford on such short notice when it became obvious to him when Eric has to rest again.

His right shoulder blade itched from the burns he received from Mikoto, but he ignores it in favor of in-between watching Eric sleep and looking out the window from his perch on the windowsill.]

Comments

[toremainbehind]

[When Eric finishes eating, Izumo places a hand on top of his head.

Good job.

A silent congratulatory for being able to eat this much, at least.

He soon picks up his own chopsticks and starts to eat, though it doesn't take him long to finish at all.]

[redstray]

[ The head oat makes him feel warm inside and he gives a shy smile in return. It made it better if just a little.

He watches his brother eat before looking outside as well. He wanted to be on the lookout, but people were starting to swarm about, crowds were forming and it didn't help trying to find anyone that could be targeting them ]

[toremainbehind]

[Izumo pays the chef for the ramen, giving him a polite 'thanks' for the meal before he turns to Eric.

He follows his gaze, seeing the people beginning to crowd outside.] C'mon. Let's get moving.

[redstray]

[ He nods a couple of times. If they could avoid crowded areas the netter. Being with too many people was scary, who was neutral and who was someone tracking them down? He gets off of the stool and waits for his brothers signals where to go. ]

[toremainbehind]

[Thanking the chef once more, he leads Eric out and away from the crowds, keeping onto the far side of the sidewalk.

He looks around carefully before moving on forward.] There's a place I know where we can stay for a while.

[redstray]

[ Eric follows along quietky and as best as he can. Grabbing on his sleeve on occassion if someone came close to touching him as they moved, or if it looked like they might get away from each other. ]

Really? Where?

[toremainbehind]

[He slows his pace for Eric, keeping him close and giving a look to anyone who comes near them.]

It's a small apartment belonging to an accomplice of mine. They agreed to let us stay there and rest.

[redstray]

[ That was good news if he ever heard any. Though seeing someone else was leaving Eric a bit wary, if they were Izumo's friend that would be good enough. ]

Is it near here?

[toremainbehind]

Mm, we'll need to cross the street.

[In the crowd. With them possibly being spotted.

But Izumo is always careful, having been carefully planning to avoid those people.] Just continue to stick close to me.

[redstray]

Okay, I trust you.

[ They could be spotted, although there weren't many of them left, they would still patrol and seek them out. If they had to split up to lose them it was a last resort. Eric just hoped they could make it to this place without any trouble. ]

[toremainbehind]

[Izumo reaches to ruffle his hair lightly when they come to a stop at a crosswalk.

He soon reaches for a cigarette and lights it, appearing nonchalant even when his senses starts to scream at him, warning him they're being followed.]

[redstray]

<>[ He pouts a bit at the ruffling but still enjoys it. That is, until he catches something out of the corner of his eye. Eric grabs hold of his brother's jacket and clings to it. ]</>

Izumo...I think...I see someone...

[toremainbehind]

Don't pay attention to them. Don't look in their direction and try to be calm. [He keeps his gaze forward, aware of Eric clinging onto him and aware of the stares in their direction.

He breathes out smoke, lightly gripping it just as the light turned green.]

[redstray]

R-right...

[ The light turns and the crowd slowly starts to make its way to the other side, Eric following Izumo as they made their own way across. Eric kept his head straight ahead amd slightly down, not letting go of Izumo's jacket. They weren't going back, they won't catch them, don't look don't look. ]

[toremainbehind]

[Izumo continues to lead the way, though he's becoming increasingly aware of their pursuers getting closer and getting impatient.

He suddenly grabs Eric and duck around a corner just as gunshots were fired.]

[redstray]

[ The grab startles him but he expects him. Same with the gunshot noises, as they ran away from the people targeting them. He wasn't expecting all the screams and others beginning to run however and covered one of his ears. ]

What do we do?

[toremainbehind]

Use the chaos as a distraction.

[Which means they'll need to blend in with the crowd again, though Izumo does make sure to pull Eric's hood up so that it covers his brother's head.] Remember if they get close, defend yourself. Do you still have that knife I gave you?

[redstray]

[ When his hood is pulled up he uses his hand to fix it better, pulling the strings to tighten it so it didn't fall off as they ran. ]

I do but...I don't know if...I could go against them

[ The training he had gone through made it difficult to go against them. If they told him to not hurt them, he just might not as much as he would want to. ]

[toremainbehind]

Just stick close. If they manage to come, then I'll fight them off.

[Because Eric's been trained to obey while Izumo was simply trained to kill. If they thought Izumo would be as obedient as before, they're wrong.

He quickly grabs Eric's hand, though, and leading him back to the crowds, keeping his brother close and blending in as more gunshots were fired when their pursuers caught up to them.]

[redstray]

Right.

[ He doesn't mind the hand grab and being pulled because he felt it again. As they slowed down to blend in, Eric's face was flushed and he was panting. Any energy he had was at it's limits once again but he kept up with Izumo, the burning in his chest and body shaking will have to wait until after this is done. ]

[toremainbehind]

[Unfortunately for Eric, Izumo detects the signs of exhaustion soon enough, causing him to frown.

He takes a quick scan, knowing that if they keep pushing, Eric might collapse and Izumo didn't want that to happen. He soon notices one of the shopping malls off to the side, leading his brother there.

It's not the best place to be, definitely not a place where he wants to draw attention, but it's big enough for them to sneak out through another entrance and perhaps give Izumo enough time to call his accomplice.]

[redstray]

[ He shuts his eyes, knowing Izumo saw, he was going to get them caught. He hated it, hated being so weak like this when Izumo was so strong. He wanted to help, not be a burden to his brother. ]

W-why....why here? I'm okay...

[toremainbehind]

It'll be a good place enough to lose them. Plus, I need to make a call.

[If the situation calls for it, he'll need to tell Eric to go on ahead while he handles their pursuers, but he doesn't tell Eric yet as he leads his brother up to the second floor of the building.]

[redstray]

[ He nods in understanding, following and trying to catch his breath at the same time. He looked around, seeing if he could spot the one following them. Were they close by? ]

[toremainbehind]

[If they were close by, they certainly don't show themselves.

But when Izumo finds a place that seems safe enough, he heads over to a phone booth, giving Eric a silent gesture to be on guard while he makes a call.]