Chapter Text
Tomas was patrolling the area around the Shirari Ryu, the light snow barely covering the stone bricks which was crunching beneath his shoes.
He silently twirled his karambit around his fingers, the tiny bit of smoke emitting from his spins.
He hadn’t bothered to wear his mask, it was the Shirari Ryu, and he wasn’t expecting to bump into any intruders as he walked around the premises... which was the whole reason he was outside.
Kuai Liang had complained at the sight of people wondering on the grounds, and when he had proposed the idea of someone checking it out and scaring them off, Tomas happily agreed.
In reality, he just wanted to clear his head. He was still distraught about the whole Bihan siding with Shang Tsung deal, having mixed feelings about his own brother. He wasn’t sure if he hated him or still loved him, and despite him not actually being there witnessing Bihan do such a thing, he could imagine it heartbreaking.
He only imagined it off Kuai’s point of view, and how he described it.
But he was a spectator in the messy fight involved with both of his brothers at each other’s necks. He wanted to fight alongside Kuai Liang, he had the right to, but he was shut down and pushed away.
He felt relieved when they both stopped fighting, but his relief was replaced with shock and concern when Bihan sliced his other brothers face.
Somehow, miraculously, Kuai Liangs eyesight was still intact. “This is my fight.”
It’s remembered in patches, Tomas not really remembering the details, but he did remember the messy walk back with Bihan on Kuai’s shoulders, Tomas twiddling his thumbs as he walked behind them. Hopefully this was a nasty fight that could be resolved.
They never made up. Kuai Liang had made his own clan and got happily married to Harumi Hasashi.
Tomas was simply a strangler, he wasn’t sure if he really did belong there, even if his brother assured him constantly that there was an empty bed for him, and his arms were opened always.
He felt his skin prick up, and he shuddered.
When did the air get so damn... cold?
He stopped, the blade in his hands stopping also, and he cautiously listened around. A sense of dread started to creep through him.
He gasped when he felt a hand grab his shoulder violently, shoving him against the wall and the wind getting knocked out of his lungs.
A familiar face was in his vision now, and surprisingly he wasn’t that disgusted.
“Its not too late to join me.” A deep voice grunts, his icy fingers digging deeper into Tomas’s shoulders. He had a strange look flashing in his eyes.
“Bihan... I-.. you betrayed him. You betrayed father.” Tomas mutters, holding his knife loosely in his fingers.
He was shocked, the last time he saw him was a little over a few months ago. Tomas hadn’t realised it, but his face was so strange compared to how he was imaging it every time he thought of him.
Turns out when you last see someone’s face flash so angry and furious, that’s how you remember them.
“I have a place here at the Shirari Ryu,” Tomas mumbles, “I don’t need the Lin Kuei anymore.”
“You would rather join a mercenary clan over the Lin Kuei?” The elder brother growls in response, clearly not happy. “You have fallen low.” He looks away, as if he’s ashamed to ever have cared about Tomas as a brother, before looking back once more.
Those empty eyes staring into his without pity.
“...I had hoped to spare you until you had changed your mind, but if that’s how you want to do it...”
Tomas couldn’t believe his own ears.
“You’ll kill me? You hate me that much?”
“...Hate you? You’ve brought this upon yourself,” Bihan replies sharply, a look of almost sorrow appearing in his eyes but is quickly replaced by that familiar cold unfeeling glare. “You had a choice, you still do – you would rather stand against me instead of my side. I am left with no choice, little brother.
Tomas started to grow frightened, he really couldn’t believe his own brother would be so nonchalant of killing him. But he did shamelessly wound Kuai Liangs
face.
“...I had hoped you would come around, eventually... you are my brother, after all. But... you have not.. which is a shame.” He muses sadly, his fingers now moving up Tomas’s shoulders and just below his neck.
“Why?” Bihan sighs. “Why do you persist in this, when you could easily just be on my side, where you belong? You could accomplish... so. so much more...”
“—Why me? Why not threaten Kuai Liang? Your actual own blood?” Tomas furrows his eyebrows, finally deciding to create some distance between the two of them. He moves his hands up and gently shoves Bihan away.
If you count a few inches distance, that is. Bihans body set as stone, he doesn’t move.
“Kuai Liang doesn’t do as he’s told. You do.” Bihan answers.
“If only you understood that I only want what is best for our clan. —”
Yeah… sure. Our.
“—That we do not have to just defend Earthrealm, but we can also take the offense! Lead our allies.” He says clearly, making sure that his younger brother takes it all in clearly and thoroughly. He’s really trying to convince him.
Tomas starts to feel anger boil inside of him. He... gave up his family because of that. That’s all?
“Why... Why are you so obsessed with power? What we had—what you had before, was doing fine! And then you just throw it all away, joining Shang Tsung? You are blind to believe his lies!” Tomas spits, his fingers twitching as he straightens his posture, trying to appear taller.
“The Lin Kuei has stagnated because of tradition, merely tradition, and we just accept being pawns for Liu Kang?” Bihan snaps, finally losing his calm demeanour and mask he was hiding behind before. “Our clan cannot prosper under his rule for much longer, and I’m too ambitious to settle for so little...” He growls, his grip on Tomas’s neck tightening. His face flashed anger, and his teeth started to show.
Tomas started to get nervous, and he bit his lip as he thinks for a second. He inhales sharply as he pushes Bihan again directly on his chest, now giving it more power.
Bihan was caught off guard, and the younger man quickly flashed a hand sign, disappearing into a thin cloud of smoke at the floor.
Previously winded, Bihan takes a deep breath, and then coughing due to the smoke entering his lungs. Tomas felt hurt. He never expected such violence from Bihan, it seriously was like looking at a stranger. His face was off, his behaviour was wrong too. Threatening to take Tomas’s life because he was left by himself to rule. That was his own fault.
He appeared nearby, but now out of Bihans grip. His feet landed on the ground, his knife still in his grip.
“You betrayed us! Kuai Liang was devastated! How could you even do that?
Bihan stares at the empty space in front of him, his face looking as if he had just been slapped. He takes a deep breath, turning around to face Tomas once more. “---I had to, for the clans own good!” He snarls, grunting as he rubs the pain from out of his chest. “Our clan is meant to lead, not be followers!”
“Why do you keep bringing up Kuai Liang?” Subzero asks, his voice sounding strained.
“Because Kuai Liang saw me like a brother! You didn’t. I am much happier in the Shirari Ryu, Bihan.”
For a moment, it seemed as if Tomas’s words actually hit a note in Bihans heart, as the corner of his mouth twitched in a glimpse of what might have been the start of a small sad smile.
But if it is, it quickly vanishes, as Bihans cold glare hardens on the younger man before him.
“You are naïve.” He growls, a weapon of snow quickly forming to ice in his grip. It was messy, not thought out well as the edges were uneven and the ice had looked chipped and cracked.
“You are a crook.” Tomas growls back, his fingers tensing around the handle of his karambit.
“And what are you? Just a mere tool who does whatever your master wants you to do?” Bihan snaps suddenly. “A dog that obeys blindly.”
Tomas blinks, his eyebrows raising. He goes slightly red, clearly embarrassed. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Bihan snarls, gripping his weapon tight as his eyes look at Tomas with scorn. His voice is shaky with anger, like he can do anything at any time. “...Like you aren’t just at Kuai Liangs feet all the time. You’re nothing without him, dog.”
---
“Get up, mutt!” A smaller version of Bihan laughs, his hands and feet dirty with mud. Tomas tried to sprawl back to his feet, but was quickly kicked down again, his face pressing against the cool dirt.
Red with embarrassment, he was too scared to do anything about it. He was smaller than him, his uniform barely even wrapped around him properly.
On his hands and knees, he couldn’t help but pathetically cry, tears dwelling in his eyes.
Rain had started to pour, rippled appearing in the puddles forming on the wet ground.
“I said get up!” He mocks, his small hand grabbing onto a fistful of short hair.
Grey blotches had started to form, his whole head almost silver but, strands of brown could be spotted.
“Freak. My father only brought you in because he felt bad. You’ll never be my brother.” He sneers in Tomas’s face.
“Now, fetch!” He snickers loudly as he tosses Tomas’s knife away a few metres.
That was his.
“I’m not a dog!”
---
“I’m not a dog.” He swallows shakily.
“You sure about that? You seem like a dog to me. Always following the word of your master, never questioning anything.” Bihan chuckles, that same smirk gracing his face once more. “Oh? Am I hurting your feelings now? Do you not like it when others see how pathetic you are?”
“Stop it.” Tomas mutters, taking a step back.
His smirk widens, as he takes a step forward also. “How about I stop when you listen to me. When you obey me, like a good dog.”
Tomas starts getting angrier. “Why the hell would I obey you? You’ve mistreated me my whole life!”
..That one sentence seems to trigger a different feeling in Bihan. As if something snapped inside him, those cold eyes now glowing with fury.
“You truly are as stupid as I thought.” He laughs flatly. “Oh, so I mistreated you your whole life, have I? And when was that? When I was forced to mentor you despite you being the worst student in the clan? Or when I took time out of my day to train you when you needed it so you could grow stronger?” His smile disappears as he blankly states each sentence.
“You have no idea what its like to be mistreated.”
They both just stare at each other, the shadows around them blurring everything together, the only light there is, is a lightly dimmed lantern somewhere to the side.
Tomas just glances at the ground, holding his knife loosely as the blade points to the floor.
Bihan takes his blank expression as a being a lack of respect, as his face immediately darkens once again. His grip on his slowly melting weapon grows even tighter as he stares at him with pure, unadulterated wrath. “Look at me when I speak to you, boy.”
The lanterns light shines in the corner of his eyes, making them shine with an almost haunting shine.
“...Do you think Kuai Liang cares for you at all? He does not.” Bihan continues. “He pretends to care, so that you listen.”
“You speak utter lies. you don’t know what you are talking about. I’m not easily manipulated, Bihan.” His body tenses, his posture straightening again. “Not anymore.”
Bihan growls, his grip loosening before clenching again. He starts to chuckle as he shakes his head. “You’re beyond manipulated, little brother. You just aren’t aware of such fact. You really believe that Kuai Liang cares for you, rather than uses you as his pawn? You fool.” Tomas shakes his head in response, not having words to speak.
“I could easily make you submit if I wanted to. You wouldn’t be so defiant if I put my mind to it.” Bihan grits his teeth. His body tenses, thinking and then pushes off the ground as he steps forward.
Tomas, normally being so alert and swift, yelps loudly when his body messily collides with the stone floor, the air knocked out of him. He gasps for breath when his lungs get compressed again, Bihan getting on top of him.
Pressing his face inches away from his, his eyes staring down in cold anger.
“Don’t you ever think that I can’t beat you into submission. Don’t ever mistake my kindness for weakness.” His cold breath hits Tomas’s face, making him look away with his face scrunched up.
Bihans weapon in hand, he presses the blade to Tomas’s throat, making him squeak out.
Tomas flinches, pulling his arm up and blocking his hand, knocking the weapon out of his grip. It clatters weakly to the floor, the ends chipping off. It didn’t go far, only about half a meter away.
Bihan quickly grabs it again, but before he can do anything his eyes go wide.
A sharp sensation floods his senses, his blood running cold as he feels something sharp press into his abdomen.
Tomas is holding his knife with one hand in the middle of his lap, pointing it upwards beneath Bihan. The tip of the blade piercing the fabric of his uniform and just hitting the flesh.
Bihan remains still, as if his senses are dulled for a moment. His hand still outstretched and holding the weapon on the floor, not daring to move.
“...Is that all you are?” Bihan snarls, before a sudden look of calm appears on his face. “What?” Tomas is taken aback, his eyes also going wide. Before he can say anything else, Bihan interrupts him.
“I expect you to gut me with that tiny worthless blade---?”
“---I have taken lives with this blade, Bihan.”
“I-Ill do it. Ill kill you.” He stammers, pressing the knife up straighter.
“No, you won’t.” Bihan replies cold. “You won’t, not now. You aren’t going to do anything.”
Tomas couldn’t believe the own words coming out of his own mouth. He didn’t want to kill Bihan. Just… an intimidation tactic. Right?
Tomas takes a breath.
The same moment, Bihan tries to get off but moving to the side, and Tomas kicks him off.
Such a movement, the knife lodges itself into Bihans side, making him hiss out loudly.
The makeshift ice weapon fell to the floor again, with a loud clatter.
Shit! Shit shit. He wasn’t meant to do that.
“Ah! Fuck!” Bihan sits up, trying to get to his feet. Tensing up his hand and outstretching it, wrapping his fingers around the blade as he prepared himself to do pull it out of his flesh.
Blood seeping through the fabric, an awful amount of blood going everywhere, he froze again when Tomas’s voice broke out.
“Don’t. Stay down.” Tomas shakily says, his voice squeaking out all strained. Bihans dagger was in his hands, his fingers starting to sting from the freezing temperatures of the ice. It was melting away faster with his body heat compared to Bihans.
“What the hell?!” Bihan screams angrily, his eyebrows furrowed, and his fists clenched. “You—you stabbed me!” He says exasperated, but Tomas had begun to quickly see through it as fake anger.
Bihan shakily tried to stand up, his hand supporting his weight with the knife still struck deep in his side, just below his ribs.
“Ill kill you! Stay down!” Tomas yelled, taking a step forward, pointing the weapon towards his elder brother. Bihan quickly looked back, his teeth clenched, and his face scrunched up in pain and fury, but it flashed away in a moment.
He looked off to the side for a split second and then back at his little brother, and then his face replaced with something more...
“Please, I only wanted to talk. Don’t kill me, brother.” He begged. The sudden softness of the situation made Tomas just freeze with confusion.
“What?” He lowers the weapon slightly, but keeps it pointed towards Bihan.
“Tomas... please. I’m sorry. I- “
“Brother?”
Tomas’s eyes widen suddenly, his whole body tensing. He quickly turns around, and Kuai Liang is standing there.
He doesn’t have words, neither of them do.
Harumi stands there, hand over mouth, and Kuai Liangs lips are slightly parted.
“I--... Kuai! I-, wait-!” Tomas starts pleading, turning his whole view to the couple. His fingers loosen at the handle, making the knife drop to the ground and finally shatter.
Fuck, this was a really bad situation.