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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
- 4
- 5
- 6
Kali notes: Know what? I�m not even going
to keep counting. I give up� There will be umpteen parts with the same
chapter name. *scowls*
Anyway�I�m finally working up to actual explanations! *le
gasp* Aren�t
we all excited? Not. I do apologize for the space between updates
now, however. I�m
back in classes, and I have a part-time job now, so I have even less time than
normal to update things. But never fear! I
will do my best to get it out as soon as I can � and I would appreciate it very
much if people would not demand updates from me immediately. That has begun to get on my nerves and just
to be obstinate, I feel like not
updating at all. Let�s
just all avoid that, shall we?

Disclaimer: No own!
No sue!

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: not much of anything, really.

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

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 05: To Catch A Thief �
Part IV

Takao winced and held the phone away
from his ear.

�Hilary, would you lay off and let me�� he tried, but the female voice
screeching at him from the other end didn�t let him continue. After a couple more minutes of that, a
headache forming behind his eyes to match the ache in his stomach, he shouted
back, �Hilary! Shut up and listen to
me!�

Out on the balcony, Kai frowned and
turned to look back inside at the annoyed yell from the bluenette.

On the phone
there was sudden silence, much to Takao�s relief.

�Thank you. Now�yes, I was supposed to call Kenny two
days ago. No, I couldn�t
call before now. Yes, I�m
okay � sort of. And
no, I don�t have time to talk business right now. I need to talk to Kenny, Hil. Is he still there?� Takao sucked in a deep breath and let it out
slowly as he listened to the answer.
�Then please put him on.�

�I can�t interrupt him, Takao. He�s in with a client right now.� Hilary informed him primly, still stung from being yelled at.

�It�s what? Nearly 6 pm there? He�s not with a client�it�s his mom, isn�t
it?� Takao smirked when he heard her
grumble under her breath. �That�s what I
thought. Look, let him decide if I�m worth interrupting him, okay? Go in, tell him I�m on the phone, and tell
him its an emergency � that I need to speak to my
lawyer.�

�Fine. Hold, please.� There was a soft click and he got an earful
of boring elevator music. As he was
waiting, Kai strode back inside to eavesdrop.

�Kenny is your lawyer?� He couldn�t help
inquiring, and he was unable to keep the curiosity out of his tone. �I thought he�d go into computers or
something.�

�He did. He specializes in electronic thefts, computer
crimes, frauds, etc.� Takao informed the
older man absently. He straightened when
his old friend came on the line.
�Whoa! Easy,
Chief! Breathe, buddy, breathe.�

A deep breath let out slowly
preceded the reply. �Sorry. Hilary said it was an emergency and I
panicked. Are you alright? You�re not in a hospital or anything are
you?� Kenny wanted to know, worry and
concern lacing his voice.

�No.
I�m okay, Chief. My stomach�s acting up again, but other than
that, I�m healthy enough.� Takao sighed
as his eyes met Kai�s.

�Take some of your medicine if it�s
bothering you again, Takao!� Kenny
admonished. �You�re supposed to be
trying to keep your stress levels as low as possible.�

�Yeah, well, if you were where I am
now, facing life imprisonment, you�d have difficulty doing that, too.� Takao scowled, looking away from Kai with a
pained expression.

�Say what?! Where are you, Kinomiya Takao?� Kenny demanded to know.

�I�m still in London,
Kenny, though I�m told I�m going to Paris
very soon.�

�Why didn�t you get the hell out of
there when you were done at the museum?
Are you crazy?�

�Because I needed
to forget for a few hours, okay?
I met Wyatt at a pub and we had a good chat over some drinks and
finger-food.� Takao ran a hand through
his hair in agitation. �Listen�� he
paused when he heard the distinct sound of clicking keyboard keys. �What are you doing?�

�I�m tracing the call because I want
to know where you are and why you�re trying to give me a heart attack.� Came the somewhat
snarled reply. �What the�Hiwatari
Enterprises?! Are
you completely INSANE?! What are you doing there?!�

�Uh�long story, Kenny. To make it short, I found Kai last
night. Well, actually, he found me��

There was a loud silence on the line
for a moment then, �KAI?! The son of a bitch finally reappeared after this
long?! What the
hell, Takao?!�

Kai�s crimson eyes narrowed, having
heard that quite clearly, and reached out to swiftly pluck
the phone from Takao�s startled hand.
�Care to say that to me personally, Kenny?�

Takao snatched it back and glared at
him. �Suck it up, Kai. He doesn�t
know. And I�ll thank you not to
interrupt my conversation with my lawyer.�
He waited until their youngest of friends wound down his angry ranting
before speaking again. �Chief, I�ll tell
you everything later, I promise. But
right now, focus, please?�

�Sorry.�

�Look, I need my lawyer � you � to
pack up and fly over to Paris
as soon as possible.�

�Why? Did something go wrong at the museum and they
found you?� Kenny had become abruptly
serious and lawyer-like.

�No.
That went smoothly, and you can be sure to tell Gideon in the email you
send him that I acquired number fourteen and I have plans for fifteen.�

�Fine. But why need a lawyer?�

�Because Fate
hates me, Chief. I�ve been caught
by two UNA agents � totally out of the blue.�
He could almost hear Kenny�s brain working.

�Oh.
Well, shit, Takao.� Kenny
swore. �How�d they know it was you?�

�One of the agents is part
wolf. He recognized my scent.� Takao gripped the phone in his hand
tighter. �What advice do you have,
counsellor?�

�Say nothing until I get there. No doubt they�ll tangle you up in red tape to
delay releasing you � and they�ll have to because last I checked, scent is not
enough evidence to make a case on.�

�Uh�they have a confession, Chief. That�s enough for a case.�

There was another long, distinct
pause before Takao had to hold the phone out in front of himself
while Kenny blasted the airwaves with curses.
�WHAT?!�

Kai raised an eyebrow at the
particularly nasty obscenities the brunette was
tossing out. �I didn�t know he had that
kind of vocabulary.�

�I�m wishing he didn�t.� Takao sighed, sweatdropping
heavily. �Kenny!� He finally shouted back, a vein beginning to
throb at one temple. �Shut up and get
over it! What was I supposed to do?! Lie?!�

�Yes! Kami-sama,
you moron!�

�NO!
I�m not a liar.
And I wasn�t about to lie to Kai.�

�Agh! Do you
realize just how much you�ve screwed this up?!� Takao could picture Kenny in his office at
his law firm, resisting the urge to bang his head on his desk and probably
trying really hard not to yank out fistfuls of
his hair. �What do you mean about
Kai? Are you saying you told him,
too? Kai and
the two UNA agents that caught you?
Why not just take out an ad in every newspaper in Europe?!�

�What�dya mean �too�?� Takao
shot back. �Kai is the agent that
caught me! Pay attention, Kenny.�

�Oh�bloody hell.� Was all the young lawyer could say.

�Look, just come to Paris,
Chief. Please? And�call Max and tell him�I don�t know what
to tell him.� Takao slumped backward,
letting the island counter support him and keep him on his feet. He just felt exhausted now, any energy he
might have had left drained away.
Running a hand through his hair, he continued, �Tell him I�m okay, but
things are going a bit slower than expected and I don�t know how long I�ll be,
that I�ll be in touch when I can, and�could he please keep watering Gramps�
bonsai trees for me?�

�I�ll call him. Takao�� Kenny hesitated. �I should tell him the whole truth. Maybe there�s some
way he can help. His mom is UNA, too��

�I thought we agreed not to drag him
or his family into it. Same with Rei. He has Mariah and Rin
to think about.�

�That was then. This is now.�
Kenny responded seriously.
�You�re too close to setting everything straight again, Takao. You need allies now�friends. I really think we could use the help.�

Takao closed his eyes. �I don�t like it.�

�I know. This whole mess sucks. Let me talk to Kai, please. I need information � you know,
lawyer stuff.�

�Yeah. And Kenny?�

�What?�

�Thank you.� Takao said softly. �For everything. I�m so sorry.� He held out the phone to Kai, ignoring
Kenny�s protests, and went into the living room to curl up on one end of the
sofa. Kai watched him for a minute,
speculatively and fighting his first inclination to go over, gather the
bluenette into his arms and just hold him.

But until
he had the whole tale, he couldn�t risk getting any more attached to Takao than
he already was because it could only end in more heartache and pain � for them
both.

The front door opened and Tala
walked in, face grim, just as Kai was hanging up after his conversation with
Kenny. The dual-haired man rubbed his
face wearily before inquiring, �What did you find?�

�Where�s�? Oh.�
Tala spotted the bluenette, who appeared to be (in a word) broken. He was staring at the fireplace distantly,
knees drawn up to his chest and chin resting on his knees as he hugged them
defensively. Tala frowned and looked back
at his partner. �I don�t think he�s
lying. I studied the tapes, and the
security cameras from the first floor offices that look down on the street
caught an unmarked black car with tinted windows parking across the street a
minute and a half after you and Kinomiya entered the building. No one got in, and no one got out. It was still there when I went across the
street this morning for breakfast, and I�ll bet if you go look down from the
balcony, it�s still there.�

Kai shook his head. �Why bother?
So what do we do about it?�

Tala crossed his arms and went to
the living room, taking a seat in the sofa-chair adjacent to the couch. Kai followed and sat next to Takao, who
looked back and forth between them with an expression of defeated resignation.

�Whatever we do, it has to look like
nothing is going on. I would suggest
sneaking out somehow, but I don�t think we want to do
it that way. Too
risky.�

The bluenette unfolded himself and rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants� legs. �So there is someone out there?�

�A very suspicious
car, yeah. Doesn�t mean we
completely believe you about the rest of what little you have told us, but
we�re going to act as if we do.� Tala
replied in a warning voice. Takao nodded
his understanding with a tiny smile of gratitude.

�Thank you.�

�Don�t thank us yet, Kinomiya. When we get you to Paris without incident�then maybe you�ll have
time for gratitude.� The redhead eyed
him consideringly.
�So how do you plan on getting out of here?�

�I need to get my stuff from my
hotel before we leave London.� Takao said quietly. He looked down at his hands and shifted in
discomfort. �I need my medication or
I�ll wind up in the hospital. Again.�

Now Kai got concerned. �Medication? Hospital?� He reached out to turn Takao�s face toward
him, but the younger man shrunk back away from him, and his hand froze in
mid-air. �Taka?�

�Don�t. I can�t�I don�t think I can handle your
kindness or concern.� Takao looked at
Kai with pleading stormy-blue eyes.
�Because of all the stress, the near complete lack of sleep I�ve been
getting for the last ten and a half months, and the amount of travelling and
bad eating habits I�ve formed because of it, I developed an ulcer. There�s medication I take regularly that
helps alleviate everything, but��

�Alright. So you stop off and
get your stuff. That�s reasonable.� Tala spoke up before his partner could demand
explanations. As much as he was on Kai�s
side and wanted to do whatever he could for his friend, he was unwittingly
beginning to want to help Takao as well.
There was no way the bluenette could be this excellent an actor and be
faking everything, not with Tala, at least.
Maybe he could have been fooling Kai, but not the wolf. He met the bluenette�s gaze and tried to
sound neutral and reassuring at the same time.
�What do you suggest we do?�

Takao thought for a moment, staring
at the Dranzer statue on the coffee table. �I will go with Kai to the hotel to get my
stuff. I think we should take the Chunnel
train to get to Paris. So Tala, because he won�t be recognized by
anyone following me around, can meet us on board the train.� He said eventually, thinking out loud.

�That has merit. Then I can follow whoever it is following you
around all over instead, and maybe catch a glimpse of them.� Tala nodded.
�I�ll do that. Are you okay with
this idea, Kai?�

�Hn.� Kai
stood up and turned to head for the bedroom.
�I�m going to pack up. Call the
Director, Tala, and tell him we�re coming home � with a solved case.� He said without turning around, before
walking away with two pairs of blue eyes fixed on the spot between his shoulder
blades.

Tala looked away from Kai and
watched Takao watch his partner. There was an expression on the bluenette�s face that made the
redhead want to sigh. Takao
looked�unbearably sad, lonely, and almost helpless. His eyes widened as Takao reached out and
opened his mouth as if to call Kai back, then froze, seemed to change his mind
� or give up � and retract his outstretched hand to cradle against his chest,
looking down at his feet. The wolf
schooled his face to be neutral and stood up, moving to the coat closet again
and digging out his own cell phone.

Takao ignored his conversation, too
lost in his own miserable thoughts at the moment to
care. At least they believe me enough
to let me do this my way. And I�m sure Kenny will be able to help somehow. I have to believe that. I�I have to.

~*~*~*~*~

Strapping on his helmet, Takao got
onto his motorcycle and waited as Kai did, too.
He had to suck in a breath and let it out slowly as Kai�s arms encircled
his waist and his hands gripped his jacket as the dual-haired man nestled
securely behind the bluenette. Once he�d gotten his body under a semblance of control, Takao kicked
the motorcycle in gear and sped away.

From the shadows, out of sight and
sitting in an idling car, Tala watched the car with the tinted windows slowly
pull away from the curb and follow several cars behind Takao and Kai. He waited until he could just barely see the
car, and sent his own into traffic to stalk his prey in turn.

Stopping at a red light sometime
later, Takao rolled his shoulder absently as he waited. There was a crick in his neck from being curled in a ball all morning, with all the tension in
his muscles making it that much worse. And then he went even more stiff when one of Kai�s arms was
removed and a gloved hand slid under the collar of his jacket to grasp the
tendons of his neck and shoulder and massage the sore area skilfully.

�Ah�� Takao let out a small gasp and
shuddered, his head lolling forward involuntarily at the relieving
sensation. Then he remembered just who
was making him feel that much better and shrugged the hand away. Or at least, he
tried. Kai stopped massaging, but he didn�t remove his hand. �Kai? What?�
Takao stammered, confusion lacing his tone. He didn�t understand
why Kai was doing this, when he couldn�t possibly still care about him anymore.

�I�m just trying to ease a little
tension, Kinomiya. If you�re ill, then
you shouldn�t be so tense.�

�I know that. But�I thought�why do you care?� Takao stared at the traffic light ahead, his
voice betraying his sadness and bitterness.
�I�m a thief, remember. I have no
honour. I�m not someone to care about.�

Startled, Kai stared at the back of
his former lover�s head. It was true he didn�t really know what to think of the situation anymore,
but of course he still cared.
He couldn�t just stop loving Takao. Before he could open
his mouth to tell the bluenette that, however, the light turned green and he
head to hastily pull his hand out of Takao�s jacket and wrap his arm around his
waist once more to hang on as Takao and the bike took off again.

To the crimson-eyed man�s surprise,
the place they pulled up to resembled more of an apartment building than a
hotel. �What is this place, Takao?�

Takao took off his helmet and left
it on the seat of the bike. He shook out
his hair with a sigh and looked up at the building. �It�s a business hotel. There are suites here with offices that
companies and businesses can lease or rent for their use whenever they have
business here in London.� Takao glanced over his shoulder at Kai. �Coming?�

Nodding once, Kai followed Takao
inside. There was a front desk in the
lobby, and his younger companion waved briefly at the three clerks behind the
desk as he made his way to the elevators.
After the doors closed behind them, and Takao pushed the button for the
fifth floor, the bluenette spoke again.

�Max and I rented a suite for our
business, once we got established and it was clear we�d be coming here often
enough, since we get a lot of our stock from Britain � not to mention the
auctions and estate sales. It�s easier
for me to get here, though, than for Max to, because I live in Paris and he
still lives in Japan.� The elevator stopped and the exited onto the
fifth floor. Takao led Kai down the
hallway until they reached a door that had a sign with �Kinomiya-Mizuhara Art & Antiques� boldly emblazoned on it. As he unlocked the door and pushed it open,
he continued, �Well, Max lives most of the year in Japan. Three or four months out of it he lives in New York near his
parents.�

Kai made an interested noise � which
was non-committal sounding at the same time � and looked around curiously as
Takao flicked on the lights. There was a
sitting area with a couple of comfortable sofa chairs and a couch, some
bookshelves loaded with books and various objets
d�art along one wall, and a desk with an open laptop, phone/fax machine,
and a printer sitting on it. A filing
cabinet stood near the desk in a corner.
On the wall opposite the bookshelves was a
kitchenette, and two doors � one that Kai assumed was a bathroom, and the other
that probably led to a bedroom.

Takao watched the dual-haired agent
wander over to the bookshelves to study their contents, trying to appear as if
he wasn�t really that interested. Takao knew better, of course. Hadn�t he been the
one to tutor Kai with his literature class in high school, after all? He knew Kai�s love of books and reading. �I�ll just pack up my stuff, Kai. It won� t take me
long.�

�Hn.� Kai
forced himself to ignore the bookshelves (for now, anyway) and pulled out his
cell phone to dial Tala�s
number. He wanted to know how the chase
was going. Takao disappeared into the
bedroom and grabbed his suitcase, stuffing his clothes and things into it
without really caring about folding things neatly or whatever. He went into the bathroom to get his
toiletries and medication then returned to his suitcase and placed the
toiletries on top of everything else before closing the baggage and wheeling it
out into the office area. He walked over
to the desk and picked up the carry case he had for the laptop, proceeding to
unhook everything and pack it away.

��So they still haven�t gotten out
of the vehicle? Geez.� Kai was saying. Takao half-listened to what
he was saying. He didn�t really care who it was following him, only that if
their tail reported back to Gideon that Takao was in the company of � or worse,
custody of � a UNA agent, then any hope he had of fixing everything was lost.

Kai listened to his partner for a
moment then sighed. �Okay. Yeah, Takao�s
packing up his things so we shouldn�t be long.
We�ll see you on the train, Tala. Alright. Call if anything happens.� Kai flipped the cell phone closed and turned
to see Takao shaking out two pills into his hand before closing the pill bottle
and dropping it into a side pocket of the leather laptop case. �Almost ready?�

�Yes. I�m just going to take these and then we can
go.� Takao went into the kitchenette and
poured himself a glass of water downing the medication in one gulp.

�What are you going to do with your
motorcycle?� Kai wanted to know. Takao finished his water before answering,
moving to pick up his carry-case and grab his suitcase.

�I�ll have the clerks move it into
the storage area in the basement.� Takao
headed for the door. �And before you
even ask, no, it�s not the same place I�m keeping the stuff I stole.�

�I didn�t think it would be.� Kai replied mildly, in response to the testy,
bitter tone of Takao�s voice. The
younger man scowled at him with a disbelieving �yeah, right� sort of expression,
and opened the door.

�Let�s just go.� He said shortly, turning off the lights and
waiting for Kai to exit so he could close and lock the door once again. Then he led the now silent UNA agent back to
the elevator and out to the front desk, where he left instructions to have his
bike secured again. At that point, Kai
took over, leading him outside to the street to hail a cab.

Kai, in a completely casual way,
looked up and down the street as he waited for Takao�s luggage to be loaded in
the cab�s trunk, and for Takao to slide into the backseat first before he
did. He�d spotted
the suspicious car, but gave no outward indication that he had, as well as
taking not of his partner father down the street in his car following their
tail.

�Where to,
blokes?� The cabdriver asked in a
cheerful, thickly accented voice.

Glancing at Takao
when the bluenette failed to speak up, Kai did so. �The nearest Chunnel station, please.� (1)

�Right you are.� The cab driver nodded and turned on his
meter, pulling out into traffic.

Five minutes later, stuck with many
other vehicles in slow moving traffic, Kai�s cell rang again.

�Yeah.� He answered, recognizing the number as Tala�s. �Something up?�

�Thought you�d like to know you�re
still being shadowed. Besides, this
traffic is so damned slow I�m getting bored back here.� The wolf�s voice replied, mildly
annoyed. �I could have run to the
station by now.�

�Patience, wolf.�

�Yeah, yeah. How�s it going up there?�

�We�re as well as can be
expected. I�m wishing we�d grabbed some
coffee or something for the road, but otherwise, we�re just peachy.� Kai couldn�t help
the small hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Sitting in traffic, it was beginning to heat up and get muggy in the
confines of their cab. Kai didn�t mind the heat � he actually revelled in it � but this
humid, muggy kind he did not like so much.
And it was making him testy again.

�I had the foresight to grab a bottled water from the fridge before I left the studio, at
least.� Tala was smug. Kai grumbled.

�Shut up. We�ll get something
at the station. You did remember
to bring my stuff, right?�

�Of course I did.� Came the indignant
reply. �Oh goody! We�re moving. I�ll see you in a few.� Tala hung up on him and Kai scowled at the
phone in his hand.

�Wolf my ass. He�s a damn puppy.�

Takao barely spared him a
glance. He knew perfectly well not to
bother the dual-haired man when he was cranky � and no doubt anything he said
at this point would be like setting a match to a pile of dry straw.

The traffic was indeed finally
moving, and sometime later they finally arrived at the
station. They got out and took Takao�s
luggage from the cab, then made their way inside.

~*~*~*~*~

They were leaning against a large
stone pillar at the boarding area when Tala appeared and approached them. Kai accepted his own baggage that his partner
held out to him with a raised eyebrow.

�I thought we agreed to meet on the
train.� He said in a low voice. Tala shrugged.

�Doesn�t matter
now. When they figured out you
were both taking the Chunnel, they left the station in a hurry, cell phones in
hand. �I watched him watch you since you
got up to the ticket counter.� Tala
studied his nails in a bored way. �They
were standing not two feet away from you then, and heard every word you
said. They heard you were going to Paris, and when they left,
they walked right past me and started talking into their phones. Apparently they were talking to someone who
cared.�

Takao sighed. �Did you hear enough of the conversation to
know whether or not I�m telling the truth yet?�

�Uh�no. I did hear the shadows receive their marching
orders, though. And march right off out
of the station after that call they did.�
Tala smiled, all teeth. �We�re free and clear until we get back to Paris, where we will be
�picked up� by a new set of shadows.�

�Figures.� Takao glanced at a huge clock and sighed. He shifted his wait in an effort to get
comfortable. Was it getting warm or was
it just him? �Our train should be here
any time now.�

�Did you hear names or
anything?� Kai wondered. Tala shook his head.

�Nope. Just a lot of �sirs� and
�Boss.� What was
interesting was that he spoke in German.�

�Well, that�s something, I
suppose. And you got a good visual of
them?�

�Visual, scent, and voice patterns,
yep. I�ll run them through the database
when we get in.�

They fell silent, and the three men
stood around waiting as patiently as they were capable of for their train to Paris.

~*~*~*~*~

Twenty minutes after they had
arrived at the train station, they boarded the train and found seats in one
corner of one of the cars. Since the
seats faced each other (two by two on each side of the train car)
it was much more comfortable and conducive to conversation. However, Kai still insisted Takao sit on the
inside, against the wall and window � despite the fact that there was really
nowhere to go once the train started moving.
To his surprise, though, Takao didn�t object or
protest at all. He simply obeyed without
a word, and seemed to space out completely once the trip to Paris had gotten underway.

The bluenette closed his eyes after
a few minutes, not feeling very well at all and deciding to try and get some sleep while he could. His medication was beginning to kick in, but
because he had missed a dosage the night before and had been late taking it
this morning, his stomach was very unhappy with him. Chilled now, rather than boiling as before
(yet sweating at the same time), he curled into himself as best he could in his
seat, trying to get a little warmer through his own body heat.

Tala frowned, noting the slight
change in Takao�s scent because of his illness.
�Are you alright, Kinomiya? You
don�t look so good.� He questioned in a
mildly concerned voice.

Kai looked up from his shoes (which he�d found just fascinating while lost in thought),
and glanced from his partner to Takao with concern of his own.

�I�I�m fine.� Takao lied, his teeth chattering
minutely. He didn�t
even open his eyes, but he did curl up tighter.
�J�just a little�cold.�

Kai moved the armrest between their
seats up and turned a bit to face the younger man, studying him critically and
reaching out to place the back of his hand against Takao�s forehead under his
hair. Takao tried flinching away and
batted weakly at Kai�s hand, but Kai just caught it and held it down.

�You�ve got a small fever.� He pronounced, slowly taking his hand
away. �Why didn�t you say you weren�t
feeling well earlier, Takao?�

�I�ll be fine. Just a reaction to�� Takao had to pause and
catch his breath. He knew it was getting
worse if he was beginning to have troubles breathing. ��missing medication
yesterday. Nothing to worry
about��

�Baka.� Kai
admonished, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably, unable to hide his
growing worry. �Lie down, Takao, and try
to get a little rest.� He made a mental
note to have the UNA�s medical department take a look at him when they got there. There had to be something more they could do
for him.

�Lie down?� The bluenette repeated, looking hazily at the
seat. �How? There�s not enough room��

With a noise of frustrated
exasperation, Kai reached out again, only this time he pulled Takao closer and
made him lie on his side with his head pillowed on Kai�s lap. Then he took off his own jacket and draped it
over Takao�s legs and waist, ignoring the younger man�s protests.

�Kai! Please don�t��

�Don�t care? I can�t do
that. Even though it would make
everything simpler, I just can�t.�
Kai said, urging the bluenette gently to stay lying down when he tried
to sit up again. He ran his fingers through
Takao�s midnight blue hair at the front near his face, sweeping the slightly
sweat-dampened locks out of fever-glistening blue eyes that drooped. �You need to rest.�

�But I��

�Taka, love, shut up.�

Takao gave in, unable to fight
himself or Kai any longer � especially when he used the endearment
Takao had wanted to hear from him for so long now. He just didn�t have
the strength now. His eyes slid shut and
he became limp as a wet noodle as he abruptly fell asleep.

Kai sighed, a small wave of relief
washing through him. He continued to
stroke Takao�s hair in a soothing way � for himself or the bluenette was
anyone�s guess.

Tala echoed the sigh a moment later
before asking in Russian, �Is he really going to be alright, do you think?�

�I�m going to do my best to make him
get better.� The crimson-eyed man
responded in a low voice in Russian, also.
�I don�t like the situation, I don�t know
what�s going on with him, but��

�You still love him. Yeah, I can see that.� Tala�s icy blue
eyes dropped to watch the sick and exhausted man take in laboured, yet even,
deep breaths as he slept. �he�s trying to push you away. I think he thinks you won�t
forgive him or want anything to do with him anymore after all this. So he�s trying to protect himself from more
pain and heartache.�

�I know. I wish he would stop that.� Kai looked down at Takao and watched him
sleep with a tiny frown of annoyance. �Even though I can hardly blame him for it.�

�Are you going to have the medical
staff look at him?� Tala asked. His partner nodded. �Good.
I don�t think he�s going to be well enough to give his statement for a
little while anyway.�

�No.
We�ll keep him in the medical ward � at least
until his lawyer gets here. He can rest
and feel safe there, hopefully.� Kai
ceased his stroking and simply held the bluenette, keeping him warm with the
heat of his own body. He had to smile
when Takao murmured and snuggled closer in his sleep.

�Shall we ditch the shadows we pick
up at the station?� The wolf asked. �If so, I have a good idea
how to do it without making them suspicious.�

�Do tell?�

Tala outlined his plan and the
dual-haired man�s smile turned into a smirk.
�Technology has its uses.� Tala�s final comment was a little smug.

�Better call right now, then. We�re nearly there.�

Kai�s partner whipped out his cell
phone and began setting up their unsuspecting foes.

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

Kali Notes: (1) I don�t actually
know much about the Chunnel, and I used that little scene in the first season
where the Bladebreakers battled the Dark Bladers in the Chunnel as my inspiration, so�let�s just
pretend I know what I�m talking about, shall we?

Again I
apologize for the extreme delay in updating.
As I said, it�s back to classes for Kali, as
well as work, so the next one will happen when it happens. In the meantime� Please R/R!!!!

Dryad: Thank you to
all our reviewers, and thank you for your patience, everyone:

TechnoRanma � I�m sooooooooo
sorry it took so long, Ranma-love! I hope you don�t mind too much� *huggle glomps*

Feelin Glayish � GLAY! *is
ecstatic* Thanks
for reviewing! *glomps* I know it�s going
fast, but I didn�t want this one to go on forever and ever like HYE or Majesty did. But I guess
it�s still early in the fic, so� lol
You know me�

phoenixandashes � lol Tala and his
nose indeed. I rather liked the idea of
it, but that�s just me�
*sheepish grin*

Kai�s the Best � Thanks! Keep on reading!

Ereshkigali � I�m glad you like how I�m treating his character. I find him somewhat difficult to write,
because what he seems to present to everyone in his personality doesn�t mesh with my perception of him for some reason. But I�m trying!

Serenity Cathedral a.k.a. serena429
� That�s one wild guess, alright. O.o And you�ll just have
to keep reading, because I never give away hints� lol

xXxAngel VxXx
� You were nervous? I kept giving Dryad
these looks, like �what the hell are you thinking?� kind of looks. LOL Glad you�re
enjoying it though!

Horsegirl � Thank you! Hope you enjoyed
this one, too.

guns�n�handcuffs � Heh. I�m
coming up on Takao�s part of the story, so I hope you (and everyone else) will
be surprised and continue to be interested.

FireieGurl � Strong emotion, huh? Well, that�s
something I certainly try to convey when I write. As for Endure�don�t count on it.
That one�s been shelved for a while. Sorry.

Destruction Devil - Uh� *sweatdrops & grins nervously* Sorry!
Thought it might help� *hands you
a warm, fluffy towel*
I�ll just have to keep going and get to more TyKa
moments to warm you up, won�t I?

NekoAnime � Well, they haven�t quite gotten to know each
other that well yet, after all. Still, I
think it�ll change a little as the fic
moves on. I also figured Tala�d be the one who�d get away
with calling anyone �Mom� let alone Kai�s mother. XD

luvyagal � Don�t worry! There will be
lemony goodness eventually� I
promise. And
hey! You�ve
dropped all your fics? O.O Are you leaving the fandom, too?

Jani Rieme
� Is it that sad? I know it�s a little on the angsty side,
but not half as bad as some of the fics I�ve seen out there.
Still, I swear things will get lighter in a couple of chapters and I always have happy
endings. If I ever write a fic with a dark ending, you�ll all
know something is wrong with me� O.o

Mandy Rules � Thank you! I�m
happy you�re enjoying it!

chaos_angel � Aww�thanks!
*blushes*

windchild � For me? Aww�thank
you! That�s
very sweet. And
hey, I can�t draw very well or create stuff like animated gifs so that�s
great! Oh, and if you want my email, all
you have to do is look at my profile (on which ever fic site).

icestar � lol
�Tenderhooks�?
There�s a word I haven�t heard for a long
time! Great! Sorry for the delay in the
update!

Kailover � Thanks Nancy! Hope you liked this chapter, too!

Fyrbyrd � I�m happy you think it is! I aim to please�

Blackrose � I know. I�m
being so mean to Takao in this fic. I�m usually mean to Kai,
but I figured this time it was Takao�s turn.
And I didn�t want them to be all understanding
just yet�that wouldn�t have been very real, I don�t think. I write Tala as I see him � mean on the
surface but once you get past the initial layer of ice (no pun intended), he�s not that bad.

Hannah
� Oomph! *falls over*
@.@ Ah� lol Yeah, the love
will come�eventually. *sweatdrops* I promise!

silverfox � One thing I learned in my English classes � conflict makes for great
plot. If there�s
no conflict of some kind, then I guess that would make it a PWP right? XD Which reminds me�I should write
another one of those someday.

studio � I am very, very glad you didn�t find any mistakes. LOL �Cause I sure did. But they were stupid typos that resulted from
me trying to crank out that last update too quickly under considerable pressure
from certain someones who were in a TyKa drought � and of course I felt sorry for them. That�ll teach
me. And
yes�Oliver will be there. Can�t go to Paris
without Oliver, right? *winks* As for the rest�you�ll just have to
read to find out!

Starwarrior � Uh�get what? *confused* Glad you liked it,
though! lol
Keep on reading!

MinakoTyKaFan � Thanks! I�m
happy you enjoyed it!

Niffty24 � Ah ha! Suspenseful! There�s the word I
was looking for earlier today! *glomps* Thank you! lol And thank you for
reviewing!

So that�s another chapter down.
Thanks for reviewing everyone, and I look forward to your comments for
this chapter, next! *passes out mini Driger
statues*
- 4
- 5
- 6
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Once A Thief