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Once A Thief	By : Kali Category: Beyblade > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 9119 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Kali notes: And now�chapter two. Reunions can be bittersweet�

Disclaimer: Kali & muses do not own Beyblade. We mourn. We
do, however, own all OCs appearing in this fic.

Warnings: Yaoi (means lemons, people � unless you�re on ffnet; then you get
shounen-ai), language, dramatic angst, and other adult content. Don�t like it, don�t read it! This chapter: dramatic TyKa angst. If you�ve read Sketches of the Past, you have a pretty good idea why�if not, then
why the hell haven�t you?! *eyes
readers*

Pairing: TyKa; others include Tala/Hilary, Rei/Mariah

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 02: To Catch A Thief �
Part I

Two
and a half weeks after the theft near Paris, Kai and Tala were walking into the
UNA building in Paris, prepared for another pointless day of re-reading reports
and statements looking for clues that they may have overlooked � despite the
fact that they new perfectly well they hadn�t missed a thing. And in a typical morning ritual they seemed
to have since they�d first met, they were arguing good-naturedly � this time
over Kai�s contacts. Tala had a penchant
for pointing out Kai�s faults and picking at them. Kai, mostly, had learned to ignore it for the
most part, since the redhead�s genetics � with wolf somewhere in his DNA �
dictated he thought as wolves did, and to wolves lies and false presentation of
oneself made no sense. You are as you
are, to a wolf, and you should accept that and be as you are. It was inconceivable to them that a person
would try to be something they weren�t.

�I
don�t wear them for myself, Ivanov. I�ve
told you before, it�s for the comfort of others. Most people, especially Europeans, get
seriously freaked out by a person with blood red eyes � even if you
don�t.� Kai fished out his badge and ID
to show the guard in the elevator that was reserved for employees and UNA
agents (not the general public). Tala
wore his hanging around his neck on a nylon cord.

�They
get freaked out by wolfish, icy blue eyes, too, but you don�t see me running
out to buy contacts to hide them, do you?�
The Russian replied.

Kai
leaned against the elevator wall, arms folded and eyes closed. �Did you ever think it�s why witnesses won�t
talk to you but they will to me?�

Tala
scowled. �Unfortunately, yes. Sometimes I wish everyone were more
wolf. The world would be a better
place.�

Kai
snickered. �Yeah right. Frankly, I�m rather glad we�re not.

The
elevator stopped and they stepped out, only to be waylaid by an anxious clerk.

�Agents! Mr. Dickenson wants to see you immediately!�

�Why?� Tala raised an eyebrow.

The
clerk took a step back and stammered, �A�another theft, sir.�

Tala
and Kai exchanged resigned glances and headed for the Director�s office. To do so they had to weave and thread through
the flurry of activity in the bullpen.
As they reached the door, it opened and Mr. Dickenson stepped out, files
in hand.

�Excellent. You�re here.
Get ready to go, boys. You�re on
the next flight to London.�

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

�Item
number fourteen.�

He
placed the scrolls of ancient papyrus on the bed of straw in a packing crate
with a sigh. They were so old they were
already encased in glass, but since he didn�t want to risk someone seeing them �
should anyone manage to get past his own, homemade security system � he crated
everything up in the storage room.

�Only
one left to go�� The thief murmured with some amount of relief. It would be over soon. His family would be freed, his home saved, and
their most precious possession returned.
But this last item�from the data his source had collected so far, the
fifteenth and final item on the list was in the possession of (and had been
since the time of the Czars of Russia) the one family he�d never believed he would ever be associated with again.

With
a deep sigh he dusted his hands off and proceeded to seal the crate up,
pounding the nails into the wood forcefully.
A set of tears trickled down his cheeks unnoticed.

�Maybe
I�ll be lucky for once in my life and he
won�t be there.�

He
put the hammer aside, sadness welling up once more. Sometimes he wondered why he didn�t drown in
it.

As he
shut the door to the storage room and activated his own lock system with a
small gathering of electricity to his palm, he sniffled, trying to put himself
back together.

�I
need a drink.� He decided, walking up
the concrete stairs to the alleyway above.
�I�m going out tonight. I think
I�ll give an old college friend a call��

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

London, England

Walking
down the steps of the British
Museum, Kai plucked
specks of lint and dust off his clothes irritably. �You know, for a museum, you would think they�d have an interest in dusting once and a while � even in the
storage areas.� He grumbled.

Tala
sneezed and blew his nose in a handkerchief.
�No shit. Damn it! All that centuries-old dust is going to screw
up my nose for weeks.� He sneezed
again. �Damn it!�

�What
in the world would this guy want with the Book of the Dead? If he wanted it that badly it would have been
cheaper to just buy a poster in the gift shop.�
Kai put his sunglasses on and looked around the area, searching for
anything that could give him an idea for the motive behind this recent
theft. �Argh! This is driving me nuts!�

Tala
scowled and sniffed loudly. �Even in
this condition I can still smell the weather.
It�s going to rain soon.�

�I
guess we should get back to the studio and report in.�

�Yeah.� He gave Kai a side-glance with a sly
grin. �You know, it�s really handy that
your parents have apartments and flats and houses all over Europe
that we can use on investigations. I
hate hotels.� He followed Kai to the car
and went around to the driver�s side.
�Since we�re in town, I think it�s the perfect opportunity to go out and
have some fun. We deserve a chance to
relax and forget about the job for a few hours, don�t you agree?�

Kai
grunted, sliding into the car. �You�re
going to drag me out, aren�t you?�

�You
promised.�

�Damn
it.�

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Takao
sighed, for once in a very long time feeling relaxed. He sipped his drink and looked around the pub
from the table was sitting at near the railing, looking down on the first
floor. He spotted a brunette in a suit
enter and look around, and Takao waved at him when he looked upward to search
the second floor.

�Hey,
Wyatt!� The bluenette greeted the other
man as he sat down across from him after climbing the stairs up to meet
him. �Good to see you!�

�Tyson! Hey, pal, it�s about time you dropped by London again. It�s been months! How have you been?� Wyatt shrugged out of his jacket and loosened
his tie. �I just got off work and came
right over.�

�This
I can see. How�s the wide, wonderful
world of accounting?� Takao grinned and
sipped again as Wyatt rolled his eyes.

�Oh
fabulous. It�s summer, after all. Not too much excitement right now. Come fall and the quarterlies, though, I�m
sure thing will pick up at the company.�
Wyatt smiled at the waiter who came over and offered a drink menu. �Thanks.
I�ll just have a Heineken.�

�Glass
or bottle, sir?�

�Glass. A pint, please.�

�Certainly.� The waiter walked away to get his beer.

�So! What brings you to town? I was beginning to
think maybe you�d decided to move to the Continent permanently.� Wyatt fixed a bright smile on his old
university friend. �Max said he hadn�t
heard from you for a while but last he�d heard you were in Germany.�

�Mmm�antique
trading takes me all over the place. But
more so in Europe than anywhere else.� Wyatt nodded in understanding. Takao looked thoughtful. �I�m thinking I may go home to Japan soon,
though.�

�I
hear that. Getting homesick?�

�You
could say that.� Takao�s smile was
sad. �Things aren�t the same there
anymore, and it�ll take work to get the dojo back into shape, I imagine.�

�It�s
not your fault. You couldn�t have known
your grandfather had mortgaged the place to the hilt. And your father and brother are never home,
what with their archaeology. You were in
New York with
Max in university � and me.� Wyatt
winked, hoping to alleviate his friend�s sadness and stress somewhat. �But when you get home you�ll be able to fix
everything.�

�I�m
glad you can be optimistic for me.�
Takao shrugged his worries off and put a smile on his face. �But enough depressing crap. I noticed the ring, Wyatt. Who�s wearing the twin to it?�

Laughing
and blushing sheepishly, the brunette studied the ring as the waiter returned
and placed his beer on the table. �Oh,
yeah�you remember�?�

And so
the conversation began and continued until nearly midnight. By that time, the pub had filled to capacity
with corporate people who arrived for after-work drinks and meetings.

In
that time, two other young men walked into the pub and took seats at a table
between the bar on the first floor and the stairs leading to the second floor.

�Why
this place?� Kai asked, eyeing the crowd
critically. �You know I dislike the
corporate world, Tala. If I wanted that
I could have followed family tradition and took a place in Hiwatari
Enterprises.�

�Yeah,
yeah. Shut up and order, Kai. It was my choice and I know this place. They have good vodka here for relatively
cheap prices.�

Kai
rolled his eyes. �You and your vodka.�

�Am I
Russian? Or am I Russian?� Tala grinned innocently � well, as innocently
as he could, at least.

�You
are warped.�

�So
you�ve said.� Tala glanced at the bar
and stood. �I�ll go order for us.�

On
the second floor, Takao glanced at his watch and blinked at it in the low
light. �Oh, wow! It got late!
I was supposed to call Kenny tonight, too.�

�Hey,
you�re right. Time flies�and all that
jazz.� Wyatt polished off his final
drink and stood. �I should head back
home myself and phone my fianc�e.�

Takao
smiled genuinely, happy for his friend�s good fortune. �Then I�ll have to make sure we get together
again, soon.� They wound their way
though the crowd, stopping to pay their tabs at the cashier counter before
heading downstairs.

�You
had better, Tyson Granger. Or I�ll have
to call Max and sic him on you.� Wyatt
threatened, clapping the bluenette on the shoulder. �I�ll see you around, pal.�

�Yeah.� Takao waved, stopping at the coat check to
get his jacket and helmet.

Not
two metres away, Kai � through the buzz of the busy pub � heard a voice that
sent chills down his spine. It was
different � more mature sounding, with hints of buried emotion that couldn�t
quite be contained � but it was familiar.
And it was warm.

Kai
rose to his feet, time seeming to slow to a halt. No. No way.
It�it couldn�t be him. Not after
all this time� His thoughts
scattered as he stared in the direction of that voice and spotted a man with
midnight blue hair pulled back in a ponytail, dressed in dark, faded denim
jeans and a wine-coloured cotton button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up
to his elbows casually. The bluenette
had his back to Kai, and was speaking to a brunette in a business suit, but
somehow Kai knew who he was, a sharp jolt of recognition nearly sweeping his
feet out from under him.

Forgetting
about Tala and pretty much everything else, he started forward, determined to
catch the man before he left and once again Kai lost him. He saw the other, the brunette, laugh and
leave with a small wave, and as he reached his goal, the coat check girl handed
the bluenette a leather jacket and a motorcycle helmet.

�
�Ere ya are, Mr. Granger! It was good to
see your �andsome self back in town.�
The girl smiled, batting her eyes at him.

Takao
laughed a little. �Lizzy, my darling,
how many times do I need to remind you to just call me �Tyson?� Besides, I only came to see a friend this
time. I�m not staying. Business, as usual.�

�Aww��
Lizzy pouted. �Well, seein� how �twas
you who found that gorgeous �tique desk for my no-good husband�I�ll forgive
you.�

�Very
generous of you. Oh, and let Gil know if
he fancies a sea chest to match the desk, I may have a line on one.� Takao winked and Lizzy laughed in delight.

�Honestly,
luv, you�re goin� to make my Gil spend what schillings we�ve saved for the
little ones, you are! Go on wit� ya,
now.� She shooed him away and walked off
to see to another customer. Takao shook
his head and headed for the door.

Kai,
who had heard it all, stood frozen and stunned.
It was Takao, it just had to
be. But the woman had called him by
another name. That made no sense at all to Kai.

Shaking
himself when he realized the bluenette was out the door already, Kai hurried
after him.

�And
as he nearly burst out of the doors of the pub, frantically looking both ways
to spot the bluenette before running after him down the street, a red haired
Russian with wolfy blue eyes returned to his table to find it abandoned � along
with himself � holding two foaming mugs of beer instead of vodka. �Hell-o?�

Tala
looked around in confusion and consternation, and swore fluently under his
breath in his native Russian.

�Fine! More for me, you ungrateful wretch!�

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Takao
tucked his helmet under an arm as he strolled down the street toward the
car-park where he�d left his bike, pulling on his riding gloves as he
walked. He gave a yawn and sighed,
feeling well enough that he actually thought he�d sleep half-decently that
night.

No
dreams.

He
glanced up at the sky, but couldn�t see the stars � not with the light pollution
of such a megalopolis as London. It made him a little more homesick. He was glad, at that point, that he�d decided
not to drink anything alcoholic after all that night. He didn�t need those sorts of dreams either.

As he
turned to go down a set of cement stairs to descend into the lower level of the
car park, he heard hurried footsteps come up behind him and a low, smoky voice
say, �Wait�� a second before a hand came down on his shoulder.

Without
even blinking, Takao�s training took over and he spun, grabbing the hand,
twisting, and shoving the guy (who he automatically assumed was a street thug
looking to mug him) up against a brick-building wall � hard. Forearm pressed to the guy�s throat just
enough to be a warning to back off or never breathe again, Takao began to growl
out a verbal warning, too � in case the guy was dumb enough not to get the
point.

�Watch
it pal. Be careful who you�� Takao stopped, staring directly into a
familiar face � an all too familiar one.
He froze, the world gone dead quiet and all the blood rushing out of his
face. In the dark and shadowed night,
out of reach of the nearest street lamp, he couldn�t see his eyes�but then,
Takao didn�t need to.

�Kino-miya��
Kai managed to gasp, not struggling against the hold out of blind instinct and
pure trust. The sound of his voice made
the bluenette shudder visibly and he pulled away as if he�d been burned,
staring at him with wide eyes that were beginning to have that deer-in-the-headlights
sheen to them. Kai breathed deeply for a
moment, but warily didn�t move.

�I�you�not
possible.� Takao, breathing harshly and
shaking his head in denial, took a step back from his former lover. �I�ve gone nuts.�

�Kinomiya�it�s
really me.� Kai frowned in some
concern. �I�I�ve been trying to find you
for years.�

�You�trying
to find me?� Takao swallowed back a
hysterical giggle. �Right. I�m hallucinating.�

Now Kai (not the most patient one in the
world) reached out and grabbed the bluenette by both arms, shaking him a
little. Takao gasped and jerked
away. �No, you�re not! Get a hold of yourself, baka. You act like I�m a damned ghost or some such
thing.�

�Kai��
Takao rubbed his face, trying to assure himself he was awake this time. �You�re like one... I mean, you disappear and reappear without
any warning�and you haunt me.�

�Then
it makes two of us, Kinomiya, because you did the same � and you�ve haunted me
ever since.�

They
stared at each other for a few minutes.
Just stared. All either wanted
was to bridge the mere steps between them, wrap their arms around the other,
and hold on for the rest of their lives.

�It�s
really you�� Takao breathed, tears pouring down his face. He dropped his helmet to the ground,
trembling. �You�re still here, and�Kai!�

The
older man�s mouth kicked up in a tiny smile, though his own eyes were growing
moist and threatening to spill over.
�Neither have you.� He replied in
an unsteady voice.

Takao
gave a choked laugh and leapt forward.
Kai caught him, strong arms banding tightly around the bluenette�s body,
and buried his face in the curve of Takao�s neck. At the comforting memory of the feel of that
body pressed against his own, Kai lost the fight to hold onto his emotions and
shuddered as tears spilled out. Then he
felt the softness of Takao�s lips on his neck and he let out a sob, fingers
desperately curling into Takao�s leather jacket like talons.

The
bluenette shivered at that sound, dragging his lips over Kai�s pulse and upward
to his chin. He licked his lips, tasting
the salty liquid of Kai�s tears and looked into Kai�s eyes in shock.

�You�re
crying.� Takao whispered in awe. He raised his gloved hands to wipe the
wetness away from Kai�s cheeks, which he noticed no longer bore the face paint
he�d once worn. Kai couldn�t� think of
anything to say, so he just turned his face into Takao�s palm, brushing his
lips over it. When he looked back, Takao
had brought his face closer, and he captured Kai�s mouth in a simple � yet
soul-searing � kiss.

A
desperate, aching noise came from one of them (though neither knew which of
them made it or cared), and Kai loosened one hand from his grip on Takao�s
jacket to move it up to Takao�s head, fingers burying themselves in midnight
blue hair. They kissed like they�d never
been apart � certainly not for as long as they had been � and if anything, it
was more passionate, and needy, and deep because of that absence.

When
they slowed to a stop, they only parted enough to breathe, arms still curled
around each other, and their fronts still pressed together from chest to toe.

�Kami��
Takao rasped hoarsely, panting. It had
been too long.

After
a few moments, Kai found his voice � albeit somewhat weakly. �Takao�I�ve missed you.� He murmured against Takao�s cheek. So absorbed in the relief, contentment, and
definite euphoria, Kai didn�t even notice the immediate tension in the younger
man�s body at the sound of his name. �My
Taka��

Takao
stared at the wall behind Kai, every muscle tensing into rock. His eyes focused on one spot as he fought not
to unleash his temper � ten years of bitterness, anger, sense of betrayal, and
loneliness that he�d thought he�d buried away for good. Instead, he growled a sharp, �No.�
and jerked out of Kai�s arms, putting a good two steps between them.

Kai,
in a moment of confusion, took a step forward, reaching out to Takao, but the
bluenette shook his head furiously, retreating another step, his eyes warning
Kai to stay away. The older man stopped
and held himself motionless a mask of resignation on his face � but not before
Takao saw the hurt and loneliness he�d
been living with for so long flash through Kai�s eyes. Still, he wasn�t about to just forgive Kai so
easily, not without explanation and not without a serious discussion about a
few issues.

�No,
Hiwatari. I am not.� Takao repeated, voice shaking with barely
leashed temper and emotion.

�Taka��
Kai found his voice again and barely moved to one side in time as the blur of
the bluenette�s fist glanced off the side of his face rather than taking the
full blow. �Uhn! Shit�� He eyed Takao warily, raising a hand
and gingerly poking at his cheekbone.
Kai winced. �That�s�going to
leave a mark. Damn it, Kinomiya��

�You
moved.� Takao was glaring at him,
seething visibly with his hands tightly fisted at his sides. �No one�s fast enough to see me move like
that.�

�Yeah,
well, I�m not that fast, otherwise you�d have missed completely. And what do you have against me calling you
by name, anyway?! We aren�t strangers,
damn it!� Kai blinked, feeling his cheek
swell painfully. �Ow��

�Are
you kidding me?! I have every reason in
the world to resent you calling me anything, Hiwatari.� Takao�s glare sharpened. �Don�t act like you�re stupid, not with
me. You should have known what would
happen.�

�Look,
I understand you�re really pissed off at me, okay?� Kai scowled, gingerly touching the bruise
forming at his eye and trying to reason with the bluenette.

�Pissed
off?! Oh�I am so way beyond pissed off.
You bastard!� Takao closed the
distance between them, radiating his emotions like a small storm. �You fucked me then left me! No goodbye!
No reason for leaving nor word where you were going! I thought�we had something. I thought�you just let me think�if I meant so
little to you then why the hell did you do it, Kai? Why?!�

�You
mean everything to me. And it wasn�t
like�that, Takao. It wasn�t like�not at all.� Kai said softly. That
had hurt � and deeply. �I wanted you
then, loved you. I still do or I
wouldn�t have chased you out here from that pub.�

Takao
scoffed. �Right. Like I�m going to believe that. How dare you?�

�Do
you really want to talk about this out here in the streets?� Kai looked around. There were still people walking around, on
occasion right past them � though they were smart enough to stay away from the
two young men who were obviously having issues over something.

�It�s
not like these people know me, so what do I care? Let alone that we�re not yelling at each
other in English, so it�s not like they understand us either.�

�That�s
not the point.� Kai glared back, his own
volatile temper beginning to smoulder.

�Fine. You don�t want to talk here? Then where?�
Takao bent and collected his helmet in one swipe, dusting it off.

�I�m
going to assume you have a hotel room or something�� Kai waited but Takao just regarded him
balefully in silence. He wasn�t about to
tell Kai anything and Kai seemed to get the hint, continuing with, �Whatever. My parents have a studio apartment not far
from here. Tala � my partner � and I are
using it while in London. We can go there.�

�Whatever.� Takao echoed, seemingly indifferent. Inside, he was mentally strangling himself
because he wasn�t sure being alone with Kai was a good idea. �I�m not leaving my bike here, though.� He brushed past Kai and descended the steps
down to the lower-level car park. Kai
followed him quietly, relieved Takao hadn�t refused to go there, too.

Glancing
at his silent, former lover, Takao frowned a bit. �I don�t know if you know how to ride one of
these.� He said, looking down at his
motorcycle. �And I don�t have a spare
helmet.�

�I
do, and I don�t need one.� Kai
replied. �You wear it.�

Takao
shrugged and strapped the helmet on his head, then walked the bike out of its
parking spot before climbing on. Kai got
on behind him, sliding forward until he was spooning Takao�s body from behind,
and slipped his arms around Takao to hold on � under the leather jacket. At first, the younger man stiffened. It was too familiar and intimate to be
nestled into the curve of Kai�s body like that.

But
the truth was that despite still being very mad at Kai, he still wanted him,
maybe even loved him. He�d been
harbouring secret hopes that he�d find Kai again someday, after all. But he said nothing, silently accepting the
closeness and starting up the bike. They
rode out of the parking lot and started out through the still busy London streets, Kai
occasionally pointing Takao in the right direction. Otherwise, both were grateful that for the
length of the ride they didn�t have to talk to each other. They had a chance to think about all the
things they wanted to say and all the things that needed to be said.

Finally,
Kai signalled to Takao to pull over and stop.
They got off the motorcycle, and Takao secured it, then let Kai lead him
into the building � an office complex that bore the Hiwatari Enterprises
insignia on the side of it high, high up, and emblazoned on the rotating glass
doors.

They
passed by the night watchmen�s desk, and Kai gave the two men in security
uniforms a brief nod.

�Mr.
Hiwatari, sir?� One of them spoke up,
standing and waiting for Kai to come back over.

�Problems,
William?� Kai addressed him by name,
turning to return to the desk.

�No,
sir. Everything�s been quiet as a
churchyard. But you had three phone
messages while you were out.�

Kai
raised an eyebrow and accepted the three blue pieces of paper William handed
over. �Thank you.� He said, scanning them briefly. He scowled when he saw that one was from
Tala. �Oh, shit�I forgot about
Tala.� Kai sighed. �I don�t know when he�ll come back but you
know him, right?�

�Yes,
sir. We�ll buzz him in when he
returns.� The other guard (Charles, by
his nametag) assured their boss.

�Good. Have a good evening, then, gentlemen.� Kai went back to the elevators where Takao
was waiting and pushed the button for the executive elevator.

�Tala?� Takao asked in as mild a voice as he could
muster. Kai gave him an interested
side-glance as they stepped inside the elevator.

�Why,
Takao�you sound jealous.� He smirked,
somehow feeling much happier for that.
If Takao�d been jealous, then he couldn�t be so angry with Kai that there was no
chance left to be together again.

Takao
looked away, scowling at himself.
�Should I be?�

�No.� Kai�s smirk softened into a smile, and he
gently turned the bluenette�s head to look at him again. �That�s one thing you�ll never have to worry
about.� Takao blushed, hating his
responses to everything Kai did or said.
He was grateful when Kai didn�t make any further comment about his
reactions. �To answer your question,
Tala is just my partner. We were at that
pub tonight because I foolishly promised I would go out and attempt to have a
life beyond work � meaning I�d go out for drinks with him next opportunity we
had.�

�I
see.� Takao responded slowly. He didn�t know what to think, really. Before he could ask what they did that
required Kai to have a partner (not
to mention what was special enough about this Tala
that Kai would allow himself to have a
partner), the elevator opened again and Kai stepped off into a sort of foyer
area. �Where are we?� He asked instead.

�This
building holds the offices for our London
branch. Every branch has a penthouse
suite on the top floor that we use whenever my parents or I are in town. It�s more convenient and comfortable than a
hotel.� Kai explained, unlocking the
double doors to the studio and flicking on the lights.

�Very
nice.� Takao stated, looking
around. However, it was said without the
wondrous enthusiasm he�d once had for his former
boyfriend�s family wealth. If Kai
noticed, he didn�t mention it. Instead,
he took Takao�s helmet and opened a closet near the doors to place it on a hook
inside, then hung up Takao�s jacket after taking off his own shoes.

While
Takao glanced around in vague curiosity, Kai walked into the kitchen and
proceeded to put on water to boil for tea.
�Make yourself at home, Kinomiya.�
He said over his shoulder, getting out two mugs. Feeling a headache beginning to pulse behind
his eye, he pulled out a first-aid ice pack from the freezer and held it to the
side of his face. It stung for a moment,
then went numb, and he sighed in relief.

Takao
glanced at him, feeling a twinge of guilt � just a small one � and stuffed his hands in his pockets, wandering into the living
area. He was studying a glass sculpture
of fiery reds, golds, oranges, and yellows that was
sitting on the coffee table when Kai joined him, carrying two mugs of steaming
tea. He set them down in front of the
couch on the coffee table on two coasters then went back for his ice pack. He came back and sat down on the other end of
the plush, oversized, cream-coloured sofa.

�What
is it?� Takao asked finally, breaking
the silence that had become deafening.
�It�s beautiful, and�powerful.�

�It�s
a phoenix. My mother made it. She calls it �Dranzer�
after an old family myth.� Kai reached
out and traced a wing with a reverent fingertip. �it was always one
of my favourites � before she stopped sculpting.�

�I
didn�t know she did.� Takao smiled
genuinely. �She�s very good, Kai. She could do very well as an artist. Galleries would crawl all over each other for
this quality of work.�

�Perhaps. Mother hasn�t done anything like this for
years now, though. She�s too busy with
the company.� Kai felt a pang of guilt
for that. It was partially because of
him that she�d stopped creating her art; because he hadn�t wanted to work in
the corporate world when his grandfather had finally died, and he�d left all
the burden of running Hiwatari Enterprises on his father. His mother had picked up the slack to help out � something she�d never have been able to do as
long as Voltaire Hiwatari had been around.
She said she loved her work, but he knew she still missed her art, too.

�I�m
sorry to hear that. If she ever starts
up again, she should think about displaying it in a gallery, though.�

�I�ll
mention that to her.�

Takao
sighed and gave up trying to fight off his guilty conscious for punching
Kai. He plucked the ice pack from Kai�s
hand before Kai noticed him moving, and gently held it up to Kai�s face
himself. Kai let his hands drop into his
lap, since he didn�t know what to do with them now, and just looked at Takao
sadly.

�I�m
sorry for punching you. Even if I
thought you did deserve it at the time.�
Takao said quietly. He took the
ice pack away after a moment and studied the bruise. �Looks like the swelling�s
gone down some. Did you take a pain
pill?�

�Yes. I�ll be fine.
Not the first time I�ve gotten punched, you know.� Kai tried smiling, but it didn�t really come
off that well. He took the ice pack from
Takao and placed it on the coffee table, reaching for his tea.

They
sat in silence once again, sipping their tea.
This time it was somewhat awkward, as neither man knew what to say next.

Takao�s
unsettled stomach made him put the half-finished mug down after awhile, and he
was the one to break the silence in a ragged, confused voice.

�Why? Why�d you do it, Kai?�

****************

Kali Notes: In case anyone�s wondering, the pace of this fic
is deliberately going a bit faster than I would normally go. It just seems to be working out that
way. Anyway, all I have left to say is a
few words of thanks to you, my precious reviewers. Please R/R!!!!

TechnoRanma � You know it! *waves TyKa flags
like crazy* And
this chapter�s all for you, Ranma-love. So sorry for keeping you up
waiting. *grovels*

Jen
� LOL A �mastermind�
I am not. *blushes*
Thanks for r/r! And hey! Update
something soon, �kay?
*gives chibi
eyes*

Kai�s the Best � That�s me! Always throwing out a plot
twist or ten. *winks* I love throwing people for a loop�

Two toned nails � (OAT) It is an alternate
universe fic, hon.
That means it usually doesn�t have anything to
do with the actual series beyond the characters. Some of the story will be in Europe, but probably not all of it. (Sketches
of the Past) Oh! Never mind then. lol Glad things make a
little more sense for you now.

Destruction Devil � Yay! I�m happy to hear I�ve
caught you! lol Don�t you worry�you�ll definitely see
more.

Ereshkigali � Where indeed? This would be a very sad world without TyKai�

guns'n�handcuffs � lol I�m honoured
to be on our favs!
Thanks for reading!

icestar � Anticipation makes it all the better, doesn�t it? lol
And worry not! More about Tala�s �wolf� side later in the fic.

Hannah � Ah ha! I hooked another one! (Dryad: That was lame�
*sweatdrops*) *stops
pretending to reel Hannah in* Uh�yeah. Anyway, Tala�s
going to have some wolfy traits�not necessarily
full-out shapeshifter though. Well, you�ll just
have to read to find out more!

K.c. � I will reveal all�I promise!

Blackrose � Thank you! I certainly hope it�ll be as good as people expect.

Silverfox � Glad you�re liking it so far! Thanks for reading!

Studio
� Ah, most verbal of reviewers! lol 6:20 am?! Wow�I don�t get up
that early anymore if I can help it.
Yeah, Tala�s last name is something like
that. It works for me. Sounds like you�ve got
a lot going on, too! For me, if it�s not classes, it�s work.
*scowls*

Jani Rieme
� (Sketches of the Past) Workin�
on it! Thanks for reading! (OAT) Don�t
worry, everything will be explained.

Kaay-chan � Thanks for reading! One update, coming right up�

XZanayu � Hey! Thanks!
I�m glad you�re enjoying it.

phoenixandashes � lol Glad you enjoy them, hon. Thanks for reading!

Keina � You bet! I wasn�t
about to leave people wondering for too long.
*evil grin*

FireieGurl � *winks* Yeah, I�m thinking he�s pretty sexy all in black, too!

lalapanda � lol I�m ready to post! In fact, I just have! Hope you enjoy chapter 2 as much as the last.

Big thanks to all of you! *hands
out mini-sculptures of Dranzer* Keep on reading and please keep
reviewing!
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Once A Thief