That damn�blinding white light�
My eyes have been sensitive to light ever since I was little, so the sunlight streaming through the blinds on the window to my left is becoming a real pain in the ass. I don�t know how I�m still alive, but right now I don�t really care either.
Making a sound akin to a hiss (how very vampiric of me), I throw my left arm over my face to serve as a shield from the light and contemplate if I should get out of here or not�also, where the hell is my shirt?
�Ah, so you�re awake now.�
Arm still in place, I turn my head to see who had addressed me and have to blink, then look again. Besides those piercing teal eyes and the young age�
�Ara�� I mutter, not realizing I�d even said it at first. Not until I caught that look of sadness cross his �younger version�s� face. �I�m sorry,� I say suddenly as I sit up, forgetting about the light until it hits me full force in the face, �I didn�t mean to��
I raise my arm to keep the light out of my face once more, and trail off as I find out my legs don�t want to work properly when I try to stand. This leads to me nearly ending up falling on my face, but I regain my balance without looking like too much of a klutz and pause. I was getting up, but for what? To comfort him?
Arashi was so tough, but I found myself being protective of him anyway. He�d go through bouts of depression, and the look of pure sorrow he got on his face during those times made me want to just hold him. Hold him and tell him it was all right. And here I was, looking at that same, sad expression, though this time it wasn�t Ara. But, for a second, it was.
The kid that stands in front of me waves a hand in front of my face, seeing as how I�d zoned out, though I still don�t hear what he said or answer him since, ironically enough, in trying to get my attention, he made me remember something.
�Oi, Neko-kun,� Arashi says, pulling on my right ear, �try to pay attention, hm?�
�Ah! Damnit Ara,� I half hiss, ears folded back and my hands pressed tightly over them, �I told you not to do that!�
He simply smiled and said, �Hey, sometimes playing with your ears is the only way to get you to snap out of what daze you�ve fallen into.�
�Tch, whatever.�
�If it really bothers you that much, I�ll be more gentle next time.�
I shake my head slightly to snap myself out of my daze and open my mouth to apologize for zoning out two times in a row, but the kid just waves a hand dismissively and hands me my shades.
�You don�t have to apologize for it. Your shirt and jacket are hanging over there,� he points, and I follow the direction, turning slightly to do so, �we�ll be waiting for you upstairs.�
��We�ll?�� I ask, wondering who would be with him. Wait a minute, don�t tell me the �copycat Agents of Chaos� group are the ones that found me. This should be interesting. �What�s that supposed to mean?�
�You�ll see when you get there,� he says with a sigh, �so hurry up. You�ve got a lot to learn about what the company�s been doing behind your back.�
With that, he goes back upstairs and leaves me to reflect. The company�The Raidien Company. I�d almost forgotten about that collection of bastards, having spent the last five years concentrating on keeping away from any form of law enforcement. I can�t wait to hear this �crucial information.�
I slip on my shirt and jacket, noticing the rips acquired over the years as well as the more recently acquired holes had been fixed. Speaking of being �fixed,� I just realized there�s not a mark on me. This better be a damn good explanation.
The left side of the jacket seems heavy, so I go digging through my pockets to find Arashi�s gun and a few extra clips. These guys go all out, don�t they.
Shifting the extra clips to my right pocket to balance the weight, I finally head upstairs, anxious for an explanation.
�There�s Adel, the man of the hour, finally back in the world of the living!�
I suddenly find myself the center of attention and shift uncomfortably. I still don�t know exactly who these three are or what they want. All this sudden attention is making me feel like a celebrity that stumbled into a meeting of his fan club. No, you guys can�t have my autograph. Or shirt. Or children.
The short-haired blonde one that spoke up when I first entered continues on, making introductions.
�Sora Hiriyuki,� he says, raising his hand to indicate he�s talking about himself before gesturing to the raven-haired man next to him, �Saburo Mirai, and you�ve already unofficially met Ara�s brother, Satoru.�
�Good to know,� I say, still trying to make sense of all that happened in the last twenty-four hours (though, it�s pretty hard without all the details), �and I would give you my name, but apparently you already know it.� I shrug like it�s no big deal, but in reality I�m feeling kind of defensive. They apparently know a lot more than just my name, and just because one of them is Arashi�s younger brother doesn�t mean I can let my guard down. Hell, they could have saved me just so they could kill me themselves if they blame me for Ara�s death.
Don�t look at me like that. It�s a perfectly logical thing to suspect and you know it.
�Well then,� Saburo begins, �we should start at the beginning of everything.�
�That�s generally the best place to start, yes,� I mutter, before realizing I�d said that out loud and glancing up, �sorry.�
�It�s fine,� he assures me, then goes about recapping the past, �five years ago, you and Arashi were in the hands of Raidien. You�d only been there for a year or so prior, ending up there after being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Arashi had been there since he was young because they�d kidnapped him. This �medical� company was into genetic experimenting, and as such, you ended up with your infamous cat ears plus catlike agility.�
�But Arashi was a different case,� Satoru said, taking over suddenly, �while you ended up with more obvious feline attributes, he ended up with what they�re famous for. The nine lives of a cat.�
�What that means,� Saburo cuts in, seeing the look of confusion on my face, �is he�s semi-immortal. They put a healing agent in his blood that allows any injury to heal within hours or minutes, depending on the severity. Even if he�s killed, it�ll continue to work and he�ll revive. That�s how we saved you; using his blood. But, like Harada said, it�s the nine lives of a cat. The ninth time he gets killed, it�ll have worn off and he won�t come back.�
�So this means�� I wave a hand in the air, signaling for clarification. Why do I have a feeling it�s leading up to some dramatic reveal?
�What it means,� Sora says, focusing a pale blue gaze on me, �is that Ara is still alive.�
Oh. Because it is.
