I found this mess of a man lying face up in the snow. Normally I wouldn�t give a damn about some random half-dead (more than half-dead, actually), pitiful, criminal soul, but this guy�he�s an exception. We�ve been looking for him for a while, see, and he�s very important to us. He�s also damned lucky our base isn�t too far away.
I can�t be bothered with opening the door as I arrive at my destination, so I end up kicking it open. It�s not that my hands are full; Adel�s slung over my shoulder, after all. Why waste precious time opening a door when you can just kick it open? It only took a few minutes to get here, but I doubt Adel has more than a few minutes left. Harada doesn�t look up as the door slams open (he�s reading over some files we recently��acquired�), though he does point his gun in the general direction of my face. I ignore him and start to cross the room; he looks up and smiles slightly as he sees who I am, but doesn�t bother lowering the gun. Yea, who needs enemies with friends like this, as they say.
�I see you�ve brought home a stray cat, Sora.�
I open my mouth to retort that he�s not simply a stray cat, but well�Adel does have cat ears, and has been �stray� ever since he lost Arashi. I forget the retort and take the opportunity to shut him up instead.
�Will you shut up with the smart remarks and get Saburo already? Adel�s returned to us.� I nod my head slightly toward the man slung over my right shoulder to emphasize that yes, the one knocking on heaven�s (or hell�s, most likely) door is him, and no, we don�t have time to be screwing around. With that, I head down to the basement, and Harada goes to find Saburo without another word.
Saburo arrives, kicks me out of the basement so he can get to work, and I go upstairs to play a round of twenty questions with Harada. I�m not worried about Adel anymore since I got him to Saburo. Saburo�s young, only twenty, but he�s brilliant, and has extensive medical training. He still can�t quite work miracles, or bring the dead back, but he does have a last-ditch effort that will most likely save Adel if normal means can�t.
�How did you find him?� Harada�s asking me this before I even get all the way up the stairs. His voice is calm, but his eyes betray his happiness.
�Followed the sounds of sirens.� I say this simply, as if it explains everything, causing a slight frown to appear on Harada�s face. I shake my head slightly at that disapproving expression and continue in a more serious manner.
�I was just going to see Ara, or at least where he should be, you know? Then I follow the trail of blood and find Adel, shot up to hell, collapsed in front of the grave,� I shrugged, �it seems he was returning your brother�s gun and bidding him farewell as his final act in life.�
Harada nods at this and leans back slightly in the chair he currently occupies, saying nothing for a few minutes. Then he glances up, fixing a turquoise gaze on me, and asks, �Do you think he�ll help us?�
I love how he has total faith in Saburo; that he talks like Adel is only sleeping or maybe hasn�t arrived here yet. Like he assumes that Saburo will be able to save Adel no matter what. I�d like to believe that too, but one, I know Saburo isn�t a miracle worker, and two it may have already been too late by the time Saburo got to work.
I suppose I shouldn�t think like that, but I�ve always been pessimistic, so I can�t help it. Harada, on the other hand, is still a kid in many ways though, so he�s managed to keep optimistic. And he�s waiting for an answer with a worried expression on his face.
�I can�t be one to say for sure, but he was very close to Ara, after all. I don�t see why he wouldn�t.� I give him my best reassuring smile, and the worried expression fades slightly as he returns my smile.
We both fell into our own thoughts for a while then, and soon enough Saburo emerged from the basement, grave expression still in place from when he�d first caught sight of Adel. Harada jumped up as if he�d been shocked, and we both looked to Saburo expectantly.
�I don�t believe it�� he muttered as he collapsed in the chair Harada was previously in. He said nothing more, and let minutes of silence pass.
�Well? What is it?� Harada and I asked in annoyed tones at the same time.
Saburo waited a few minutes more, and when he finally looked up with a grin on his face, Harada hit him in the back of the head. �You won�t believe it,� Saburo said, laughing as he tried to fend Harada off, �his blood�s completely compatible with Arashi�s. He�ll be fine by tomorrow morning.�
�I suppose it�s not that big of a surprise,� I say, trying to ignore Harada as he attempts to kill Saburo for messing with us, �I mean, the company had both of them. I�d imagine that�d how Adel ended up with cat ears in the first place.�
�I guess you have a point, Sora,� Harada said from where he sat on Saburo�s chest (the kid somehow managed to wrestle him to the floor in the short time it took me to say the second half of my sentence), �but it�s still surprising. Whatever the bastards did to the both of them, it wasn�t the same thing since Adel ended up with cat ears, heaven knows what kind of power, and Arashi ended up with regenerative powers.�
�And besides,� Saburo adds as he shoves Harada off him, �their blood is compatible, but their blood types aren�t at all. I didn�t think it would work,� he shook his head slightly, �I don�t know, maybe the regenerative made the blood types compatible as part of the healing process. It�s still weird either way.�
�Well, never mind that!� Harada exclaims, picking himself up off the floor, then extending a hand to Saburo, �The important thing is that we managed to save him. This means we have one of the original Agents of Chaos on our side.�
�Don�t get ahead of yourself,� Saburo warns as he stands with the help of Harada, �there�s no guarantee he�ll be on our side. I mean, I know he wouldn�t be on theirs, but there�s no reason to think he�d help us. We have to be realistic; the three, maybe four of us against the company? Not only is it reckless, but he may not agree with our reasons for doing it, either.�
�Or maybe he�ll want to be all dramatic and save his lover by himself,� I add, making Harada laugh, �play the knight in shining armor.�
�I�m serious,� Saburo snaps, being oddly aggressive (odd for him, at least), �don�t get too optimistic about it.�
�Will you calm down? Being pessimistic won�t help either.�
�I�m being realistic, and you�re one to talk about not being pessimistic.�
�Just because--�
�Hey, hey,� Harada interrupts, fearing a fight and stepping in between us, �forget it for now. We�ll wait for morning, and then we�ll see what he says. Leave it at that.� Saburo stalks off, and I simply sigh.
�He�s been so edgy lately.�
�I know,� Harada says slowly, visibly relaxing now that Saburo�s gone, �it kind of worries me. But the police have been getting closer to our trail lately. They�re always rambling senselessly about how they�re �this close to catching the copycat Agents of Death group,� but this time they actually mean it. And we�ve yet to find somewhere else as good as this.�
�I know, I know,� I sigh, running a hand through my hair, �but let�s just drop it for now. We�ll figure out what to do after we find out what Adel will do.� Harada nods agreement to this and leaves the room, probably to find Saburo. I glance up at the ceiling and sigh again.
We�re falling apart without you, Ara.
