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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
- 6
- 7
- 8
Kali notes: I know. My chapter naming
schemes leave a lot to be desired. *shrugs* Sorry. Anyway, for this particular set of
chapters (that turned out to be long-winded and took a few surprising twists
even I wasn�t
expecting), Takao�s story will finally be made clear � or at least, clearer
than it has been thus far. Therefore,
stay tuned and read carefully, because there will be hints to the �who-done-it�
along the way� This instalment: in which
Takao�s legal counsel finally shows up and in which a wolf meets a feisty brunette. I call it
the �detour� chapter...

Disclaimer: No own!
No sue!

Warnings: Yaoi (unless you�re
on ffnet; then you get shounen-ai)
- eventually, language, dramatic angst, and other adult content. Don�t like it, don�t read it! This chapter: a flirtatious Tala, and a seriously annoyed Kenny. If you think Kai is scary when mad�then you haven�t been paying attention.

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

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 07: Honour Among Thieves � Part I

The next morning, Takao was taken to
have his x-rays done � and for god measure an MRI and CAT-scan were done, too,
as ordered by Dr. Maison with her specialty of
dealing with individuals who were�special in some way. It turned out that man of the UNA�s agents who were field rated had some extraordinary
ability or even, simply, a higher than average intelligence. The extra tests, Angelique explained to
Takao, were so that she could look for anything that might be a problem caused
by his �talents.�

By mid-afternoon, she had come to the conclusion that everything appeared normal with
Takao � except that he did, indeed, suffer from a small ulcer. The ailing bluenette was vastly relieved to
hear that � since he hadn�t even considered the
possibility that it was because of his abilities he suffered, and when she�d
informed him of the possibility he had begun to worry.

Prescribing rest, relaxation, and a
different medication than the one he was on, as well as providing him with a
list of foods and beverages he should avoid, the UNA doctor patted him on the
knee fondly and left him to his own devices once more.

It was nearly four o�clock when his
room door opened and Tala strolled in.

�Hey, Kinomiya. So I hear the doctor has given you a clean
bill of health except for that ulcer.�
The redhead leaned against the sink counter, folding his arms over his
chest as he studied him critically. �How
are you feeling?�

�Alright, I suppose. Better than I was.� Takao eyed the wolf suspiciously. �Why?�

Tala rolled his eyes. �Because whether anyone likes it or not, Kai
is worried about you. And
because I came to see if you were well enough for visitors.�

Takao blinked, sitting up a little
straighter. �Visitors?�

The redhead nodded. �My partner is on his way up with your lawyer
and, apparently, an entourage of �assistants.��

�Kenny�s here? Already?� Takao�s eyes widened a little, and he even
smiled a bit. �That was fast. And what do you
mean, assistants? I imagine he brought
Hilary, since she�s his legal secretary, but��

�Yeah, she�s one of them. Your friend brought along some guy, too, but Kai didn�t tell me who he was, and an older
lady with blonde hair. I think she�s
American.� Tala shrugged. �Kai said the lawyer hopped on a plane two
hours after you called him yesterday on the first available flight. Unfortunately, there were a few stops along
the way or he�d have been here sooner.�

Takao shook his head, not knowing
who the mysterious man and woman could be, and marveled at Kenny�s ability to
simply drop everything and ride to his rescue whenever he needed it.

He was going to have to do something
extra nice for his oldest friend.

�Did Kai pick them up at the
airport?� He asked curiously. He would have thought that would be against
some sort of UNA rule (fraternizing with a suspect�s legal counsel or some such
thing) but it was something Kai would do for a friend � if Kenny and Kai would
still call each other that.

�No.
He met them downstairs when the guards wouldn�t let him or the others
through.� Tala snorted. �Someone forgot to inform the guards that
your lawyer was coming and to let him through.�

�Oh.� Takao plucked at the coverlet of his legs
absently, when there was a knock at the door a few seconds before it swung
open.

�Takao!� Kenny rushed into the room, looking as if
he�d rolled out of bed minutes ago (his clothes and thick, brown hair rumpled
and mussed) and had consumed more than a few too many cups of coffee in a short
amount of time but nothing else. The
petit lawyer skidded to a halt next to the bed and looked his friend over. �Kami, are you alright? Is your stomach getting worse? Are they taking decent care of you? What can I�?�

�Chief!� Takao laughed, waving his hands at his friend
to halt the bombardment of questions.
�I�m fine. Slow down and breathe,
Kenny, before you hyperventilate.�

Kenny sucked in a breath and let it
out slowly. �Sorry. I was just worried. You�re really okay, though?�

�Well, its
nothing we didn�t already know about.
And the doctor gave me a different prescription for now, so I�ll be just
fine.� Takao replied, then
sighed at Kenny�s expression. �Honest,
Chief!�

�Okay. I guess I�ll believe
it for now. Just�take care of yourself,
Takao. Please?�

�I�m trying, Kenny.�

Nodding, Kenny�s demeanor shifted
into lawyer mode. �I�ve been going over
everything I was given, and�� he stopped, looked over at Tala, and
blinked. �Who are you?�

�Agent Tala Ivanov.� Tala
introduced himself, mouth turned up at the corner in a slight smile. �I�d be the one who sniffed out your client �
so to speak.�

�He�s Kai�s partner, Kenny.� Takao added quietly. �He�s a good man.�

Kenny huffed and crossed his arms. �Huh.
Well, he�d have to be something for Kai to
allow himself to be partnered with him.
No matter what I might think of Kai now, I never had a problem with the
guy�s integrity � at least not until he left you like that.�

�Don�t, Kenny. We talked about that and it�s
over. Forget it.� Takao reached up and laid his hand on Kenny�s
arm. �Please?�

�I won�t bring it up.� The brunette agreed
reluctantly. �At least, I�ll try not
to.�

�Thank you.�

Turning back to Tala, Kenny looked
around the room. �Are there any
recording devices in this room? Audio or video?�

�No.
The doctors won�t allow them in the rooms. Something about making
their patients uncomfortable and stressed.� The redhead clearly thought the idea was
ridiculous.

�Good. Then you won�t mind sending in my associates
so that we can discuss our case with my client in private.�

Tala raised a red eyebrow, winter
blue eyes narrowing. �Fine. You have until after supper to discuss
whatever it is. Director Dickenson has
scheduled your client to give his formal statement at 7:30pm this evening.�

�Fine.� Kenny echoed, agreeing and bravely standing
his ground under that cold, penetrating gaze.
Tala gave a short nod and walked out swiftly. A couple of moments later, he came back with
Kenny�s �entourage� in tow.

Takao�s eyes went very wide when the
mystery of the two others the Chief had brought with him was solved. His jaw dropped open in shock, and the second
the door closed behind Tala, Takao found himself being hugged
to death by a distraught, energetic, blonde Mizuhara
Max.

�Takao! Oh my god, Takao! I�ve been so
worried about you! Kenny told me � us � everything, and I just had to come,
too! Are you alright? Have they said anything to you yet?� The Japanese-American man released his best
friend and sat at the foot of the bed his se-blue/green eyes glistening. �Why didn�t you tell me what was going on? I
could have helped you somehow!�

�Oh, Max�� Takao�s own eyes began to
water. �I�m so sorry�I didn�t want to
drag you into this mess! I didn�t want to put you at risk in anyway. But�I�m still so sorry I never told you what
was happening��

�That would have been my decision. And I would have taken the risk, Kinomiya Takao, to help my best friend
when he needed me.� Max declared
sternly. �From now on tell me these things, okay?�

Takao gave him a tentative
smile. �I promise.�

�Good.� Max nodded, then glanced up at the blonde
woman. �I brought reinforcements to help
out, too.�

�Mrs. Tate.� Takao greeted Max�s mother gravely.

�That�s �Judy,� Takao,
remember? Don�t go formal on me.� She stepped over to the bed and gave him a
small, firm hug. �Dear boy. What have you gone and gotten yourself into
now?�

Tears welled up and slipped
out. Judy Tate had pretty much �adopted
him when he�d gone with Max to university in America,
and had been the mother he hadn�t known during his time there (as his own had
passed away not long after he�d been born).
Takao shuddered and let the tears come, his weeping a release of all his
bottled up stress and emotions from the last several months. Judy ended up sitting beside him and holding
him while he wept, giving him the reassurance and comfort only a mother can
give.

When it was over, he sat up and
Hilary appeared on the other side of the bed with a damp cloth for his face and
a box of tissues for his nose.

�Here, Takao. Clean yourself up a bit, and I�ll get you a glass of water. Or should I go and find tea for us all?� Hilary offered, glancing around at everyone.

�That would be perfect,
Hilary.� Judy smiled at her. �Thank you.�

�Alright. I�ll be right back.� She gave Takao a little pat on the shoulder
and slipped out into the hall.

~*~*~*~*~

Out in the hallway, the brunette heaved a sigh and straightened, fortified with a
purpose. Hilary marched down the hall,
stopping at the nurses� station to ask where she could get tea for the
group. She was given
directions to the building�s main caf�/restaurant. As she made her way down to the caf�, her
mind was very busy piecing together what she knew of the situation with Takao
and the other bits and pieces she had picked up in conversations (that she�d happened to overhear � really, she
wasn�t eavesdropping�much) between Kenny and Max.

She had known Takao for some time
now. In fact, she�d
graduated with the four boys that had been as closely knit a group as brothers
� plus the enigmatic Kai. But, as in most high schools, one couldn�t know everyone they attended classes
with. And the
five teens had been of the kind of group that everyone knew of rather than knew personally. Such had been the case with Hilary.

And then, a
few years after they had all graduated, Kenny had come to work at the law firm
where Hilary had been a legal secretary/paralegal for almost three years
already. It was then that she ended up being assigned to the brilliant � but scatterbrained and
somewhat jittery � young lawyer. It did
not take long for them to get to know one another or become friends, and Hilary
soon wondered how Kenny had functioned in his life without her around to keep
an eye on him and make sure he remembered important things�like eating,
sleeping, and doing laundry so he had clean clothes to wear to work. The petite genius was usually so absorbed in
his work, his computers, and (later) whatever he was doing for Takao, that he would often forget about himself.

Through Kenny
she had gotten to know the others of the group � Takao, Max, and Rei. Somehow it hadn�t surprised her that they had remained as close as (if
not closer than) they had been in high school.
And since she pretty much went where Kenny did,
she ended up being absorbed into the group of friends by default. Yet it felt as if she�d
always been part of it.

One thing that did surprise her was
that Kai didn�t seem to be included in their world
anymore. They hardly spoke of him, and
if one of the did mention him, it was never when Takao was around. She hadn�t thought much of it � until she had
(since she didn�t know any better)
mentioned his name during a conversation about high school and gotten three
separate death glares, while Takao suddenly remembered he had to be somewhere
else, hurrying away without even finishing his meal.

Aware she�d
obviously inadvertently said something wrong, she had inquired about it and
apologized profusely. It had been Rei, with a heavy sigh, who had said simply, �Kai is
gone. Of all of us, it
was Takao who was�closest to
him. We don�t
speak of him around Takao because of that.
It�s not your fault, Hilary. You couldn�t have known.�

Lesson learned, she had never
mentioned Kai again.

And then
one day only a few months ago, Takao�s older brother, Hiroshi, and their father
had gone missing. The police searched,
investigated, abut found nothing.
Takao�s grandfather, the wily old Kinomiya, had only just passed away
quietly in his sleep (though in the hospital at the time after he�d suffered an
accident at home) a couple of months before this and Takao had come home to try
and deal with the estate Gramps had left behind.

At one point, an exhausted,
haggard-looking Takao had dragged himself into Kenny�s office, and while Hilary
would normally have been privy to Kenny�s cases and clients, this time she was shut out of the hours-long conversation that went on
behind a closed and locked door. When
the bluenette had finally re-emerged, Kenny told her only that they would behandling the Kinomiya estate and that under no
circumstances was she to go into Takao�s own files (since he already handled
both Takao�s personal affairs and the affairs of Takao and Max�s art and
antiquities business). It was odd, but
she had obeyed.

Months passed. Takao�s remaining family members were never found. And then bluenette moved to Europe,
saying he needed a change of pace and it just made more sense to be closer to
where the business got its stock of art and antiques from. �What about your father and brother?� She had asked. His face had become carefully neutral at the
question, and his eyes told her nothing.
In reply he�d said only that the police were
still investigating, and that neither his father or brother would want him to
waste his life. Of course
he still hoped they would be found or come home, but he couldn�t sit around and
wait any longer.

Still, Hilary had wondered where
this coldness in the bluenette had come from.
Stress, worry for his family, and all that aside, she still thought he wasn�t behaving as how the Takao she�d come to know well should have behaved. The warmth of his eyes had disappeared. His voice was devoid of emotion � even though
his tone hadn�t changed when he spoke. The openness he�d
once shown everyone and anyone had abruptly closed off. All Hilary knew was that something was going on, and Kenny knew what it was.

However, she refused to pry. She could see that whatever it was, it was
big, and very important. No matter how
much she wanted to know what was going on and wanted to help, she never asked questions
when Kenny made odd requests for information that had nothing to do with�anything,
really. She simply did the research and
turned over the results.

And behind
the scenes, she did he r best to take care of them both.

Now, here she was in Paris at a UNA facility, still in the dark
about what exactly was going on. It was apparent
that Max now knew the entire situation (and no doubt
his mother did, too), and that Takao had been involved this whole time in
something illegal � but completely against his will. Hilary�s curiosity was soon going to be
satisfied, she knew. And
that thought gave her the much needed patience to just sit back and wait for
it.

In the meantime, she had tea to
fetch for the group. Striding into the
caf�, she went up to the counter to place her order. A green-haired young man in a pristine white
chef�s uniform took her order with a charming smile and only slightly accented
English.

While she waited, Hilary sat at a
table nearby and frowned as she thought back to their arrival at the UNA. The guards wouldn�t
let them through for some reason, and Kenny had � in an uncharacteristically
commanding way � stepped forward and said, �Call Agent Hiwatari and tell him I
and my assistants are here. Let him vouch for us.�

Hilary had just barely managed to
stifle a startled squeak at Kenny�s use of that name. The guards obviously knew who
the young lawyer was talking about because they looked at each other, paling,
and without another word called for instructions from upstairs.

Kai had appeared moments later to
escort them inside.
He hadn�t changed much, from what she could
see. His hair was perhaps a bit thicker
and wilder than it had been, and he was a little taller and leaner muscled than
she remembered. But
he still had that aura of silent authority, that seeming impassiveness toward
his surroundings, and the cool, unapproachable personality he�d always
had. And his
eyes definitely hadn�t changed. They still burned crimson and his gaze still
scorched.

The dual-haired agent had stopped in
front of Kenny and there had appeared to be some kind of silent communication
going on for a moment as they stared at each other unflinchingly. Then that fiery gaze swept over the rest of
them briefly � widening only a little as they passed over Max (who glared back
and remained silent) � before returning to the Chief.

�Kenny.� He had said in greeting, voice grave and low.

�Hiwatari.� Kenny had returned. �Where is my client?�

�Medical floor. The doctor has checked him out and he�s fine now, except for that ulcer which Dr. Maison is treating.
When she gives the all-clear, I will take you up there.�

�Thank you.� Kenny had acknowledged in a somewhat shaken
voice. He hadn�t
expecting that news, obviously. Kai had
merely nodded before moving on.

�Who are they?�

�Oh.
Ah�Hilary is my paralegal, secretary, and personal assistant.� Kenny, Hilary remembered with a large sweatdrop, had floundered for explanations � but he wasn�t a genius for nothing.
�Uh�Max is�articling (1)
under me, and��

�And?� Kai�s voice turned dry and amused.

�Judy is�a colleague of mine who
specializes in�� the brunette had thought so quickly
Hilary wondered how anyone ever managed to keep up to him. ��uh, international law, of
which I know little, and requested her assistance.�

For a moment of tense silence, Kai
had said nothing, looking each of them over again, then meeting Kenny�s gaze
with a tiny, imperceptible smile.

�Your client is in deep water and
sinking fast.� The agent had finally
said. �He needs all the help he can
get.� He�d then
turned and beckoned them to follow him, not waiting to see if they would or
not.

On their way through the halls, Kai
had gotten a quick phone call on his cell.
When he had hung up, he stated only, �You�re all cleared to see Kinomiya
now.� and taken them to an elevator. It
had been the first and only time he�d said Takao�s
name.

But it was
his final parting words that had made Hilary even more positive something more
was happening between the group of friends.
Kai�s words, Max�s frown at them, and Kenny�s suddenly thoughtful gaze
as the elevator door closed between them and Kai had had Hilary suspecting the
truth between the lines of what he had said.

�Your
client is fortunate to have you at his side.
Take care of him and good luck.�

Shaking herself out of her thoughts,
Hilary brushed her hair over her shoulder and scowled to herself. It really irked her sometimes hat those boys
seemed to have this way of communicating with each other and understanding it
without anyone else knowing it. They
could say one thing and be saying something else entirely, or conveying their
thoughts and opinions with merely a look or a single noises
that could mean anything (Kai�s �hn.� of seeming
indifference came to mind immediately).
It just baffled her.

She blinked and looked up to meet winter-blue,
wolfish eyes as a voice broke through to her whirling, jet-lagged mind.

�Whatever you�re scowling about, I
hope it isn�t permanent. You�re much too
pretty to be so angry.�

It was the agent
who had let them into Takao�s room earlier. She didn�t know his
name, and she hadn�t really had a chance to get a good look at him before, but
it didn�t seem to matter right then as he sat down across the table from her
and gave her an easy grin.

�Ah�are you always this
forward?� She wondered, staring at him
and not quite knowing what to do or say.
He was certainly not shy, and his movements had an easy � if predatory �
grace to them. His hair was very red and
thick, and his eyes � those surreal blue eyes � were fixed on her with an
intelligence she�d say wasn�t all human. His voice was open and friendly.

�Forward? I don�t think I�m
being �forward.� I merely sought to
distract a pretty young woman from whatever it is that�s making her frown like
that.� The agent replied, slender
fingers tapping absently on the tabletop.
�I�m sorry if you didn�t want to be distracted��

Hilary rolled her eyes. He was blatantly flirting, and yet it didn�t seem to bother her as it usually did when men sought
her attention. Shrugging it off as some
random thing, she smiled politely and shook her head.

�It was nothing.�

�Good! I�d have hated to start off on such a dubious
note.� The redhead held out a hand
across the table. �Agent Tala Ivanov, at your service.
You were with the lawyer, correct? The one here for Kinomiya?�

Immediately sliding into a
professional, neutral expression and tone, Hilary cautiously shook his
hand. �That�s correct. Hilary Tatibana. Nice to meet you, Agent Ivanov.�

He raised an eyebrow amusedly. �No need for formality. Please call me Tala.�

Hilary, still smiling politely, just
nodded, intending to do no such thing.
Over Tala�s shoulder, she could see the caf�
doors open and a familiar dual-haired UNA agent enter. Kai glanced around and spotted her � she
assumed at first. Then she realized it was Tala he was
looking at when an expression of disbelief, followed by consternation, fell
across his face. He stalked toward them and Hilary had difficulty hiding
a giggle when Kai stopped behind Tala and thwacked him across the back of the head.

�Ow! Damn it, Hiwatari!� The red head snarled, giving the other agent
a glare that rivaled any of Kai�s that Hilary could
remember. �What was that for?!�

�Leave the nice paralegal alone,
wolf, and go fetch supper.� Kai pointed
at the counter, unfazed by Tala�s glare. �In case you�ve forgotten, we have an
appointment in less than two hours, and we have things to do before then?�

�I haven�t forgotten, and we have
plenty of time.� Tala, stubborn as
usual, stayed where he was. After
shooting Kai another glare, he turned another engaging smile on Hilary. �Forgive my partner�s lack of�well,
anything. He�s no fun.�

�Tala, quit fraternizing with the
enemy.� Kai demanded, switching to
Russian. �Put your damned hormones on
hold.�

�Since my partner is so impatient,
I�m afraid I have to leave you for now.�
Tala stood just as the green-haired man came up to the table pushing a
cart laden with tea and small, delicate French pastries on a platter.

�Here you are, Mademoiselle.� He smiled at Hilary and allowed her to take
the cart from him. �When you are done
with the cart, simply leave it out side the room and I will have someone
retrieve it.�

�Of course. Thank you very much.� Hilary nodded at them. �It was nice meeting you, Agents.� She added, before wheeling the cart
away. As she left, she heard Kai ask in
a weary voice, �Oliver, please say you still have some of that coffee of yours
made��

~*~*~*~*~

After
the door had closed behind the brunette female, and Oliver had disappeared into
his kitchens to find Kai a thermos full of coffee, the dual-haired agent
rounded on his partner in exasperation.

�What
the hell was that all about?! Are you trying to compromise the case?�

Tala
gave him a baleful glare and stuck his nose in the air, sniffing. �Whatever, Hiwatari. I�ll thank you not to question my integrity
like that ever again.�

Kai
scowled and subsided a little. �I�m not
questioning any such thing, Tal. You
know that.�

�Really. �Cause it sure sounds like it to me.� Tala looked back at the other man with a
frown. �Forget it, Kai. I know.
I was just introducing myself and trying to cheer her up. She looked really upset and worried about
something.�

�Just�be
careful. We�re
stepping on thin ice with this case as it is.
I don�t want to risk getting thrown off, that�s all.� Kai looked down at his hands.

The
wolf sighed. �I said I know. In case you hadn�t
noticed, I�ve developed a small attachment to this one myself. It�s eating you up
inside to be involved, and I don�t like that.
I wish it could have been anyone else other than him, Kai. I really do.�

�So
do I, Tala.�
Kai closed his eyes and shivered.
He was tired and emotionally drained.
Trying to push aside reality for the moment, he opened his eyes again
and pinned his partner with his �interrogation gaze,� as Tala often called
it. �You immediately zoned in on the
female of the group. You really are a
wolf.�

�Um, duh.� Came the ultra-sarcastic reply. Ice blue eyes didn�t
flinch away. Kai�s gaze didn�t affect him anymore.

�So
are you really interested or are you
just being you?� Kai wondered.

Tala
shrugged. �She�s interesting. Feisty, too. I can sense that already. Besides which, she�s a cutie.�

�Gods
you�re pathetic. Go get laid tonight,
why don�t you?�

�Shut
up, Hiwatari.�

Good
naturedly, and happy to be back into their usual, bickering friendship, Kai
flipped him off with a small grin.

~*~*~*~*~

Back upstairs, after stopping at the
nurses� station to ask one of them to open the door to Takao�s room for her,
Hilary wheeled the tea cart inside with a smile.

�Tea for
everyone!� She declared
cheerfully, beginning to pour it out for each o them. �And pastries, too!�

�I can�t have the pastries, but tea
sounds great.� Takao thanked her, accepting
his cupful gratefully.

�Oh!
I�m sorry, Takao. I forgot.
Do you want me to go find something else?� She offered.
He shook his head.

�No, Hilary. It�s okay. I�m not really hungry, actually.�

�Well, I guess we should talk about
what you�re going to say, Takao, in your statement.� Kenny spoke up thoughtfully. �Since you�ve already confessed that you did
it, it is going to be very difficult to��

�I�m telling them everything.� The bluenette interrupted. �Everything except where I�m storing the
items. They are my trump card for
everything.�

�But�I really don�t think it�s wise
to just�� Kenny protested.

�No.
I�m not going to lie or leave any convenient information out.� Takao said emphatically. His hand tightened around his teacup and he stared
into its depths as if all the answers to his troubles could
be seen there. �I can�t. Not to Kai.�

�It wouldn�t be like that.�
Max tried to convince his friend to listen to Kenny. �You would tell them all of it eventually. It�s just that if you withhold enough
information you may be able to work out some kind of a deal to get out of here
long enough to finish this and get your father and Hiroshi back.�

Hilary�s eyes went wide. So there had been more going on, after all.

�Director Dickenson has already
heard my offer of a deal.� Takao
murmured softly, wincing at the expression on Kenny�s face. �I know, Chief, I know. But I�ve been thinking, and I think I have a plan that will work for
everyone involved.�

�And what, pray tell, would that be?� Kenny asked sarcastically, very put out with
his friend. �And what the heck do you
need me for anyway if you�ve got it all figured out.�

�I�ll talk about it once I get my
answer from the Director.� Takao gave
Kenny a pleading look. �Please, Chief�you�ve trusted me this long. Don�t stop now.�

Kenny sighed and slumped back in his
chair. �Fine. We�ll do it your
way. Is there anything else you�ve neglected to tell me?�

�No.
Honest.� The bluenette looked at
Judy. �I�I know I�ve screwed up, Judy, but�I
want you to know it means a lot to me that you�re here.�

�Takao, you silly
boy.� She smiled fondly at him
with that mothering expression of exasperation and resigned disapproval. �You have always done things your own way, always
taken everything upon yourself even when you could have used a little
help. It�s true
this time is infinitely more serious and you could truly mess up your life with
how you�ve done things, but I know you.
And I was there yesterday when Kenny came by Max�s to tell him what was going on, so I
know what kind of trouble you�re facing.�
Judy reached over from her seat and took his hand. �You are strong, resourceful, and
intelligent. Whatever you�re planning, I
know it will work out.�

�Thank you.� Takao squeezed her hand, sniffling.

�You�re welcome. Now�� Judy released his hand and fixed a
questioning gaze on him. �What kind of
deal did you offer the Director?�

�It�s simple. I will tell him what I know, except the
location of the items I�uh�borrowed,�
Takao hedged, �And if, after hearing my story, he believes me enough, then I
will be released on the contingency that I deliver the real criminal to the UNA for trial and then return everything
I�borrowed.� He scratched his head
sheepishly. �Um, details to be hammered
out once he�s heard what I have to say, with my legal counsel present.�

Poor Kenny looked as if he was ready
to keel over from the shock. Hilary
fanned him with a paper plate, sighing.

�I see. Very well. Let me think on it, Takao. When it comes time to deal, I will try to
work something out on your behalf � if Kenny doesn�t mind my assistance?� Judy glanced at him.

�Oh, please do. I just can�t keep up with him anymore.� Kenny grabbed the plate from Hilary and
fanned himself with a groan. �I give up
trying.�

Max laughed, and Takao pulled the brunette into a one-armed hug, ruffling his hair fondly.

�You�re a saint, Chief, for putting
up with me for this long.�

�Yeah, yeah! Cut it out, Takao! AH! My hair!�

Hilary giggled, grinning at the
three friends. Takao seemed to be
somewhat lighter and relieved than he head been. And she was
glad. No one, in her opinion �
especially a bright, courageous soul such as Takao�s �
should ever be burdened so much by life that it weighed them down and dimmed
that spirit from sharing its warmth and light.

Still chuckling, Max pried Kenny
away from Takao�s attacks and flopped down in a chair next to the bed. �Alright. The suspense is killing me. Spill it, Takao.�

Confused, the bluenette tilted his
head in inquiry. �Huh?�

�Dish the dirt, dude. What�s up with you and
he-whom-shall-never-be-mentioned?�

Blinking, it took Takao a minute to
puzzle that one out.
�Oh! Kai!� He finally exclaimed in realization.

Then he turned red, blushing like a
love-struck school-girl.

Hilary choked on her tea. �Say what?!�

�Max, what is this? Junior high school?� Takao grumbled. The blonde just
laughed gleefully.

�In all seriousness, Takao, what did happen with Kai?� Kenny asked tossing a pillow at Max. �Shut up, Mizuhara! I�m serious!�

�I did promise to tell you, didn�t
I?� Takao, still a little pink, wrung
the sheet of his bed in his hands, slightly embarrassed.

Max hugged the pillow, leaning
forward with great interest, and blue-green eyes gleaming with glee. �Do tell!�

Judy rolled her eyes, setting her
teacup back on the cart. �I�m going to
go up and speak to Mr. Dickenson, kids.
I�ll meet you at the briefing, okay?�
Leaving them to their discussion, Max�s mother walked out quietly.

Hilary grabbed the vacated chair and
pulled it over, closer to the bed, eagerly.
The three males blinked at her.
�What? I�m dying to know what�s
going on!�

�You mean�no one told you?� Takao said in surprise. �You guys didn�t tell her?� He gave the two
young men disbelieving looks of reproach.

�No.
Why would we?� Max frowned.

�Because she�s our
friend, baka.� Takao gave her an apologetic look. �I�m sorry, Hil. I thought they�d have told you by now.�

�It�s okay,
Takao. But please don�t keep me in
suspense now!� Hilary waved away the apology.

�Ah, well�� The whole story came flooding out, beginning
years ago in high school with Takao�s poor math grades and Kai�s
suffering literature grades. Hilary
listened with wide, sparkling, honey-brown eyes, leaning forward as she
listened. It was all like some horribly
clich�d romance novel or one of those bad soap operas on TV that the other
secretaries and assistants at the law firm were always gushing over. By the time
Takao reached the end, about how Kai had seemed to simply
disappear, Hilary had tears in her eyes and she was sniffling.

�And now you�ve run into him
again? Oh�� She dug into her purse for
tissues. �What happened when you found
him again?�

Takao sighed and ran a hand through his
hair. �I punched him.�

�So that�s where that bruise came from.� Max blinked, grinning. �I should have known.� Kenny just sighed and shook his head.

�And you said you had talked about
what he�d done�� the lawyer prompted, hoping to get the bluenette to continue.

�Oh.
Yeah.�
Takao smiled faintly at the memory, and gave them the short version.

Just as he was finishing, and before
anyone could open their mouths to ask any other questions, the door opened and
the UNA agent in question stood there himself.
Kai blinked and raised an eyebrow as the other occupants of the room �
minus Takao � stared at him with sly, amused, and curious expressions.

�What?� He demanded, a small
swath of red sweeping over his cheeks at the stares.

�Nothing. Nothing at all.� Kenny shook his head.

Takao met crimson, carefully neutral
eyes as they landed on him with his own stormy blue ones, tensing up
involuntarily.

�It�s time. Let�s go, Kinomiya.�

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

Kali�s Notes: (1) In Canada, at least, this is the step
would-be lawyers must take � sort of like being an apprentice � before taking
their bar exams to become a lawyer and legally allowed to practice. I don�t know if
other countries have similar programs or requirements. Again, I�m very
sorry for such a long time between updates.
4^th-year university�s a bitch. *sweatdrops* Please R/R!!!!

Caitlin: Thank you to all our reviewers!

Dryad: And thank you all
for your patience with Kali�s late updating�

TechnoRanma - *grins* Ha. I was getting you back for letting Glay nearly kill me with shock from when she updated The Moment! (just kidding) *starts
crying* Come
online sometime when you�re not busy! I
miss you! *composes self*
Anyway�I�m working on getting the lovin�
back! When it does, it�ll
be in spades! For now�will
finding out what the hell happened in the next installment be enough? *gives
you chibi eyes*

phoenixandashes � LOL What a coincidence that was. Maybe you�re psychic� *cue
eerie music*

Weeping
Angel
� Yeah, the needle thing was to make him a little more human. I mean, he�s got �talent�
and he seems super-human, but he�s not. It�s just a reinforcement of the fact that he is human.

horsegirl � I hate needles, too�
*shudder*

Hotaru333 � Well�not quite back together yet. But we�re working on
that�

Ereshkigali � Not
long enough? Wow�well, I do try. lol As for Tyson, I just
seemed to notice that he is a little agoraphobic in the anime � at least when
he isn�t trying to get everyone�s attention and what not. Maybe I was seeing things though� Glad you�re enjoying
it so much!

xXxAngel VxXx � Gee�so many people
hating needles! lol I guess it�s a common thing after all!

Serenity Cathedral aka. serena 429 � Sorry for the long wait for this
update! I�ll
try getting the next out a little sooner.

FireieGurl - *winks* Isn�t he lucky?

guns'n�handcuffs � Thank you!

NekoAnime � No
worries! Believe me, I�ve
been in a �who invented books anyway!� kind of mood myself lately, so I don�t
blame ya.
Other than Takao and Kai, Tala is one of my favorite Beyblade
characters, so I tend to try to write him into my fics
whenever possible.

cherryfantasy � Wow�I�m very honored
by such high praise! Thanks!

Kaay-chan � Uh�lol. Don�t worry! I�m happy to get any reviews! Thanks for this one!

windchild � Ooooh�pretty
pictures�very nice discovery! And yes, Kai�s being a little bit of a jerk, but somehow it
just seems like something he�d say out of pure frustration with Takao, wouldn�t
you say?

mepinak � LOL I hope the fic doesn�t
distract you too much! *winks* I am happy to hear that my fics are so addicting, because I do try to give the readers
all the enjoyment I can with them.

Chocolate
Cheese Queen
� Isn�t insanity fun?
@_@ *snickers* Thanks for the review!

Blackrose � Open Your Heart is actually an old fic that I co-wrote with a good friend, Jen. It�s on aff.net
under our penname, Gemini Dragon. PWP
stands for either �Plot? What Plot?� or �Porn
Without Plot.� I prefer the first one,
myself�

R-chan � Ah ha! Thanks!
lol
I was too lazy to pull out my
dictionary to check the spelling, which is sad because I should know how to spell it.
*sweatdrops*

Niffty24 � Thanks!

Leviathan � Thank you! Great to see you around
again! *waves*

XZanayu � Hmm�you�ll have to keep on reading to find out� *winks*

Shinigami � Seems like a lot of people are scared of them. Um�ouch. That sounds painful. No, Tyson�s
agoraphobic � scared of crowds. Well,
maybe a little claustrophobic, too�

icestar � That Takao is�martyr
Takao. Sounds good!

Lady Kirei � Hey! No worries, hon. Believe me, everyone�s
got too much to do these days�and yes, I�m quite familiar with Sailor Moon and
that episode. Sorry about Endure, though. I don�t have anything
to keep up with on that one.

Thank
you, all, for reading and reviewing! *hands out mini plushies
of Kai* Keep
it up for future updates!
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Once A Thief