�I think Adel broke him,� Sora says, waving a hand in front of Harada�s face before glancing up at me, �what am I supposed to do?�
��I�m telling you you can�t do anything.� Just who the hell does he think he is?�
I blink as my selective sixth sense lets this thought of Harada�s slip by. It only works with Harada, and even then not all the time, but I can read his mind. For him, the same holds true concerning me. It�s odd, but they do say twins have a special connection. We�re not twins exactly because we were born to different families (not to mention two years apart), but we were still born on the twenty-third of August at eight in the morning exactly, so there you go.
�Just leave him alone,� I tell Sora, �mess with him later.� Harada seems to be frozen, but that�s just because he�s trying to recollect his thoughts and feelings. He�s harmless and calm enough right now, but if Sora keeps bothering him--
�Will you quit that?� Harada shoves Sora�s hand away then pauses as if considering shoving the rest of him. He sighs, then stalks off to the basement because it�s the only door with a lock on it. Well, so the bathroom has one too. But who in their right mind would want to use it as a sanctuary?
We both watch him stalk off, and Sora looks to me again.
�What? I did tell you to leave him alone.�
�Yea, yea,� he waves a hand dismissively, �you�re right as always.� Sora sighs, then glances up at the ceiling and randomly says, �Na, Saburo, I can hardly remember when you didn�t used to be so serious all the time.�
�You have yourself and Harada to blame for that,� I tell him matter-of-factly, �with how much you two like to play around, I have to be serious enough for the three of us.� I sigh in an overdramatic way and look up at him sadly, �And I used to be the most carefree one, too. But no, now I have to be responsible and serious and take care of you guys.�
Sora makes a face and looks around for something to throw at me but settles for a pout when he can�t find anything. �I�m very sorry for your loss,� he says, maintaining a sincere look of regret hardly long enough for him to say it, �but do just shut the hell up.�
�Hey, you�re the oldest, it should be your job.�
�By only three months!�
�It�s still older.�
He�s moved to the fridge and opened it by now, so his reply is throwing a can of tea at my head. I catch it and pop it open, giving him a disapproving look before taking a drink.
�Don�t do things like that. If I don�t catch it and breaks somehow breaks open upon hitting the floor like when you and Harada were playing catch last week, it�s a waste of good tea.�
Sora�s only reply is a frustrated sigh and I consider heading down to the basement, but Harada could probably use some more cooling off time. Besides, someone just knocked on the door. Sora glances at me worriedly, probably thinking the police have finally found us.
It�s Adel, however, as I see when I open the door. Sora shifts to defense immediately.
�What the hell do you want?�
�I had a little change of heart,� Adel explains, �I decided I can�t let you three go get yourselves killed without doing anything to protect you.�
�Yea, I bet,� I say before Sora can retort, �you�re just coming back from the company now, aren�t you?�
�Okay,� Adel shrugs, �so I�m coming back because I�m helpless on my own and have no idea what the hell I�m doing.�
�As long as you�re willing to admit it, then.� I have the feeling he�s only telling me what I want to hear, but that doesn�t mean it doesn�t make it any less amusing. Adel�s ears perk and he looks to me with a hopeful expression.
�Can I stay here, then?�
�No.� Sora snickers from somewhere behind me.
�How can you say �no� to such a cute face?�
I was about to tell him not to flatter himself when the kid stepped out from behind him. I blink, caught off-guard by her sudden appearance. She smiles shyly at me, waves, and I glance back up at Adel.
"I�m not saying no to her,� I tell him, �I�m saying no to you.�
�If you take me in,� she says, grabbing me by the arm, �you have to take Adel-kun too!�
�I don�t have to do anything, actually.� She has the cutest look of frustration and opens her mouth to say something, but I raise a hand as a signal for her to wait. �But, then again, it would be cruel to leave you two on your own. There�s a couple rooms upstairs we don�t use.�
Sora watches me with a look of complete shock. �You can�t be serious, Saburo,� he says, grabbing me by the shoulders, �what about Harada? He�ll kill you! Then me because I didn�t stop you! It�ll all be your fault!�
�Don�t worry about him,� I say, waving a hand dismissively and starting to the basement door, �I�ll talk to him. You just get them settled, will you? And quit being a drama queen while you�re at it. Maybe he�d kill you, but not me.�
Sora was stammering on--not able to form words as fast as he thinks them--while shaking a fist at me, so I didn�t bother waiting for an answer, just unlocked the door and made an almost as hasty retreat as Harada did.
