Eri and Langdon

"ERIMEZ"

( A few years ago )

"Why are you still up? It's late." A voice suddenly called out and caught me by surprise. I turned around and saw my brother entering the small apartment that we both share in.

"Can't you see that I'm currently studying?" I replied. I moved aside to give him a better look at the numerous papers and books scattered on the small dining table. He chuckled as he quickly took off his jacket and black leather shoes, he then puts the shoes on the shoe tray beside mine.

"I was just messing with you, besides I knew that your finals exam is on next Thursday, two days from now, right?" My brother said although unsure about what he just said.

"Close guess but it's actually tomorrow, today's Wednesday." I corrected him. He gasps comedically and jumps towards me and gave me his annoying but unfortunately reassuring bear hugs he likes to do to me because he's older and I'm younger.

"Ooo my brother is so smart and so witty, he thinks he can lecture his big brother about time and dates." He sarcastically commented.

"Wait what do you mean, it's midnight, so technically today's Wednesday." I pointed to the white ticking clock on the wall to confirm the time. He shakes his head from side to side and laughs at me.

"That clock is an hour early. I set it up that way so that you won't be late whenever you go to the police academy." He said, trying not to laugh.

"You sneaky little bastard." I declared. My brother opens up his dark blue shoulder bag and gave me a paper bag with something inside it.

"What's this?" I asked.

"That, my dear little brother is coffee. That's what we use whenever we pull in an all-nighter. I know you don't like drinking it because it tastes bitter but just try it, give the coffee a chance." He pleaded.

I opened the bag and saw a cup of medium-sized coffee and two blueberry muffins with a huge amount of chocolate chips. I set the blueberry muffins aside and place them on the table, and then I looked at the coffee, I hesitantly opened the coffee and smelled it.

"This smells good, what kind of coffee is this? And how long did you buy it?" I questioned my brother who was eagerly watching and waiting for me to take a sip of the coffee like a proud dad that's seeing his son's first steps.

"That is a light roast coffee with a little bit of cream and sugar because I want it to be a little sweet for your sweet tooth, and I bought it a few minutes...Probably hours ago..? I dunno, I was busy." He confessed, he a giggle a little seeing him confess to me, he may be a smart and witty man but he does not know how to lie.

"Although those muffins are fresh, I can guarantee that." He added, trying to at least make things a little better for the sake of it.

"I'm still not drinking this shit, sorry. But I will gonna eat these delicious-looking blueberry muffins even though the chocolate chips are too generous for my liking." I said putting my brother's hopes of seeing me finally drinking his favorite drink in the world down the gutters.

"Fine, your loss. You're gonna dose off and will never finish those books you're currently studying!" He said as he went inside his room to change his clothes into something comfortable.

He later came out of the room wearing his favorite black and white checkered pajama pants and a long sleeve shirt that's probably hasn't been washed in days. That was not my problem though, I bother in my shit and he bothers his shit even if sometimes I get annoyed by the sheer smell of his laundry basket.

"By the way, I have something important to tell you." He called out as he crashed his body onto our dark blue colored sofa we bought a couple of weeks ago. He reached in on the coffee table and grabbed the TV remote, turned it on, and watched some news covering a recent crime committed a couple of hours ago.

"What is it? Is it bad?" I replied as I turn my textbook onto the next page.

"Yeah, you can say that. Depends on you if your gonna miss me." He answered back.

Curious about what he was talking about, I got up and walked towards him. I found a free spot on the couch and sat there looking at my brother with a curious look. What is he going to tell me?

"Did you do something stupid again?" I quipped as a little stab to his big ego. He doesn't like people bringing up all the things and situations he fucked up, it hurts his ego.

"No, actually I haven't messed up in a while. I don't know if I should be worried about that or just be happy that I've been very lucky these past few days. Earning money, banging beautiful ladies, and is lucky enough to run away to them whenever things get intimate." He bragged with a cocky smile he likes to show off whenever he is on a high horse.

"Just tell me what it is, no matter how bad it is," I stated.

My brother looked at the floor and went silent for a second, he later on looked up and face me, fear and nervousness was visible in his eyes.

"I have a new mission Eri, a dangerous mission that will probably get me killed if done wrong." He finally announced the news to me.

It was the first time I saw him that scared in my life, although his job as a police detective is a pretty dangerous job, he was still okay with it and loves it without any fear whatsoever. Seeing him filled with fear and visible nervousness made me also feel scared and nervous for his life.

"I mean, you've been through so many dangerous cases before and managed to complete it easily. I'm sure you can take on this task and finish it easily right?" I said hoping to give him a little bit of positivity.

"This one's different Eri, far more different than the other cases." He replied.

"How so? What's this mission anyway? And who gave you this dangerous mission in the first place?" I questioned, a little annoyed that he took this case in the first place knowing it was dangerous and worried about him and his life.

"The old bastard gave it to me, said I was his best option and only option." My brother said. I was about to ask another question but stopped myself when I noticed he was not yet done talking.

"He said I need to be his eyes and ears in an enemy territory, be an undercover agent and see what are they doing in their place, he's been paranoid ever since he lost in touch with his other spy." He added, somehow answering the question that I was about to ask before I stopped myself.

"Which one?" I asked one last time, internally scared that he may say this one gang I dreaded the most.

"The biggest one Eri. The Black Fayes."

****

Even though I tried to talk him out of this suicide mission, he was still persistent in doing it. He wasn't able to deflate his ego and thought of it through. That was the last time I saw him. He left early in the morning without even saying goodbye. He missed my graduation, missed my celebration of having a job as a police officer, and most importantly, he missed seeing me in my uniform.

It's been almost three years since. I may have stopped hoping to see him alive but I did not give up on at least finding his whereabouts. or what's left of him. That was my mission in life, to find my brother dead or alive. And I will not stop until I find him, I will not stop until I find my brother, Langdon Xued.

Whatever it takes.