Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Once A Thief ❯ To Catch A Thief - Part V ( Chapter 6 )

Kali notes:  Yes! It's the final part to this series of chapters! I swear it! How do I know? I actually have about four more chapters after this already written. *grins sheepishly* Written…but not typed. I've been going crazy with classes, homework, and my job that I just haven't had time to sit and type stuff out lately. In fact, I'm typing this out instead of working on my paper that's due at the end of the month… But! Yay for Thanksgiving weekend! Allows me to spend a little time getting caught up. So on that note, with no further ado, here it is!

 

PS. Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians! Don't overdo the turkey…

 

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 06: To Catch A Thief - Part V

 

Takao rubbed at his eyes wearily. The short, thirty minute nap had helped, but he was still exhausted and shaky. At least his stomach didn't hurt quite so much anymore.

He walked slowly along side Kai, and looked around the familiar train station, wondering if he could spot his new shadows. He didn't, but he did notice where Tala was, several yards behind them in the line to go through the metal detectors of the Arrivals area.

“You don't need to look for them.” Kai pointed out in a low voice. “Tala knows who it is and we've already got a plan to lose them.”

“Uh…are you sure that's a good idea?” Takao whispered back.

“They won't know. They're going to run into some…problems with the metal detectors.” Kai switched hands with the baggage he carried and took Takao's hand in his own, firmly. “Now let's go. You still feeling okay?”

“I'm fine. Better than I was before we left London anyway.” Takao sighed, wanting to pull his hand away but conscious of the fact that he was supposed to be pretending to be `with' Kai - for the benefit of those following him. “I just need sleep. Lot's of it.”

“You'll get it.” They passed through the metal detectors with no problem and continued on. “Let's stop at that café and get some tea and a quick bite to eat.” Kai suggested, pulling his unresisting former lover along. As they waited for their order, Kai's cell phone rang, and he answered it.

“They're two ahead of me in the line.” Tala informed Kai without preamble in Russian. “I swear, if they were anymore obvious, they'd be wearing neon signs over their heads.”

“That makes it easier for us then. You know what you're doing, so we'll meet you back at work.”

“Yeah. Oh, don't leave until security ushers our friends off for their unscheduled strip search.” Tala suggested, before hanging up on Kai. The dual-haired agent scowled briefly and dropped his cell in his jacket pocket again.

“What was that about?” Takao wanted to know.

“Watch the action without looking like you're paying attention to what's going on.” Kai nodded briefly at the line up behind the metal detectors and turned back to the counter to accept their paper cups of tea and the sandwiches they'd ordered.

Takao took his absently and sipped, watching as two people, a young man and woman, stepped through the machines and set them off. Both looked at each other then stepped back through as they were told by the security officers, and beeped again.

“Huh. I get it. But how'd you get them to do that?” The bluenette wondered curiously.

“Tala called ahead. And when security - UNA agents in disguise, by the way - spotted him in line, he indicated which were our shadowy friends and the agents made sure to make the detectors go off whenever they walked through it.”

“I don't think their boss is going to be happy with them.”

The metal detectors went off again and this time the UNA agents (aka `Security') led them off to be searched. The two kept glancing behind themselves with expressions of anger, frustration, and a little fear.

“Okay. Let's go. We need to leave in case they pull something and come looking for us again.” Kai tugged lightly on Takao's sleeve and he nodded, following him through the station and outside.

Kai hailed a taxi, and after stowing their bags, slid in. The crimson-eyed agent told the driver to take them to the UNA building, and Takao settled in for the ride.

“What about your partner?” He asked.

“Tala will meet us there. He's making sure no one else follows us - just in case.” Kai handed him a sandwich. “Eat that. Looks like there's enough traffic today that it'll take a while to get there.”

Takao sighed and obeyed, nibbling. He wasn't really hungry and wasn't sure his stomach would appreciate food yet, either. But he didn't feel like arguing with his companion, and ate without a word of protest.

They arrived at the UNA building a good twenty minutes later, and while Kai paid the taxi driver, Takao got their bags from the trunk. Kai took up his own, and the bluenette silently followed him inside through the main doors and through the lobby to a bank of elevators.

And there waiting for them was the ice-blue eyed wolf, leaning against the wall with deceptive casualness.

“Took you long enough.” He muttered. Tala turned and pressed the `up' button.

“Stuff it, Ivanov.” Kai shot back mildly. “How'd it go?”

“Wonderfully.” There was a definite hint of glee in Tala's voice now. “Those two were right pissed off at the `malfunction.' After all the apologies and what not, the man phoned his boss to explain. I got the impression they've been `grounded' for their mistake.”

Stepping into the elevator, Kai snickered and pushed the button for the eleventh floor offices. Takao stayed quiet, though he did find the story amusing. At the moment he felt very alone and very self-conscious. He was also a little afraid. Were they going to put him in a jail cell? Would they let him keep his medication? Would they even care that he was sick? Perhaps Kai and Tala cared enough, but that was no guarantee anyone else would. Takao swallowed hard as the elevator stopped and the door opened.

He stepped out, and the two agents seemed to morph into different people in mere seconds as they each moved up beside him, flanking him, and led the bluenette down a short hall and into the area known as the bullpen.

The normal buzz and hum of activity slowed and abruptly went dead quiet as they were noticed - or rather, Takao was noticed. People stared and whispers began to float around the room.

Ignoring it, Kai and Tala urged Takao forward and took him to the office of their boss, Mr. Dickenson. When they got there, Tala took the bluenette's bags from him and walked away as Kai knocked on the door before opening it and gently pushing his charge inside, closing the doors firmly behind them.

“Kai?” Takao didn't really know what to do or say, and looked to the only person he thought would be willing to tell him what was going on.

“Come in, Agent, Mr. Kinomiya.” The Director said, drawing their attention to where he sat behind his desk, in front of a bank of glass windows. “Have a seat.”

Takao gulped, unable to hide his anxiety very well, his hands shaking slightly and feeling chilled right through. But he sat in one chair before the desk, and Kai took a seat in the other.

“This is Stanley Dickenson, Kinomiya. He's the Director of the Europe division of the UNA. My boss.” Kai introduced the old man. Takao nodded warily in greeting.

“Well. I must say I have mixed emotions about meeting you, young man.” Director Dickenson folded his hands on the surface of his desk, leaning forward a bit. “On one hand, I am intrigued and pleased to meet the one that my Agent, here,” he indicated Kai, “Has been spending all his spare time searching out for the last six years that he's been with the UNA. And on the other hand, I am curious and wary to meet the infamous Thief of Europe, who has been driving this office to the edge of insanity trying to puzzle out how you achieved such spectacular thefts and who you are.”

“I think it's safe for me to say the same, Sir.” Takao replied softly, some of his old brazen self peeking out briefly. The old man blinked, then chuckled.

“Yes. I've no doubt of that. I'm sure Agents Hiwatari and Ivanov have both informed you of your rights and the charges being brought against you.” At Takao's shrug, he continued gravely. “Then I won't bother demanding explanations at this time. Tala told me your lawyer is on his way, so it would be pointless questioning you until he arrives. Instead, I believe we have a private room on the medical floor ready for you.”

If it were possible for him to pale anymore at this point, Takao would have done so right then and there. Anxiously, his eyes darted to Kai, looking for explanations or even help (though he really didn't expect any from that quarter). Kai looked over and raised an eyebrow in question.

“Something wrong, Kinomiya?”

“You didn't tell me I'd be subject to any medical treatments…Hiwatari.” The bluenette's tone turned more than a little hostile. “Or request my permission for any such thing, either.”

“Oh don't even start.” Kai frowned warningly at him. “You aren't well, Kinomiya, and as you nearly passed out on the train with a fever while in the custody of the UNA, it is required that you get checked out so that you can make a statement. You'll also get some much needed rest until your legal counsel gets here.”

“And if I refuse?” Takao asked, closing his eyes wearily and running a hand through his hair in agitation.

Kai muttered something harsh in Russian and abruptly stood, tired of trying to take care of someone he loved who was too determined not to let him do so. “Whatever. You can spend your time in a cold dark prison cell with a steel bed for a mattress then! Do what you want Kinomiya, and don't come crying to me about it when you're so sick you can't even move anymore!” He snapped, stalking out of the room and leaving a sad and regretful Takao behind with his boss.

“My, my…” Director Dickenson sighed and stroked his moustache thoughtfully. “I do believe that's the angriest I have ever seen him get.”

Takao swallowed and forced himself to appear neutral about it. “He's been worse. And he'll get over it eventually. It's better…this way.” He managed to say, though it sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than the Director. If it was better, though, then why was his throat tight and his chest aching painfully?

Coughing slightly to regain Takao's attention, the old man folded his hands in front of himself and watched the young man in front of him sympathetically. He was a Director of the UNA, had seen and done many things that many would shy away from, and he was supposed to be at the very least neutral in this case and toward Takao - if not outright opposed to him. Yet there was something about him that brought out the paternal, sympathetic instincts in Stanley Dickenson. He had this unusual urge to help Takao, rather than interrogate him like he would normally a suspect in a case.

Before he could say anything - one way or another - the bluenette spoke up first.

“Director Dickenson, sir, I would like to say first that I know what I've done and that…and that I don't regret it.” Takao looked up and met his eyes solidly. “If I had to do the same all over again, I would. I have my reasons, which I will be happy to share with you and whomever else you wish, but I will not say a word until my legal counsel arrives to advise me, and I will not give up the location of the items I have borrowed.”

“Now, son…”

“Please, sir. Allow me to continue?” Takao asked, his eyes pleading. With a small sigh, the old man nodded once in assent. “Thank you. I just wanted to say that, but there is something I will tell you now - if Kai or his partner have told you this already, then stop me, but…” he paused, looking down at the desktop. “I'm being blackmailed into stealing those items. The person blackmailing me has my father and brother hostage. They were kidnapped about ten months ago, and the ransom was a list of items that to be obtained required I steal them. I have fourteen.” Takao looked back up again, determination written plainly in his expression, even now, in the face of life imprisonment. “The fifteenth is the last item. I don't expect you to believe me now without a decent amount of proof, and you'll probably dismiss my proposal outright, but please hear me out anyway?”

Intrigued, and reluctantly amazed at this young man's resilience, Director Dickenson could only agree. “I admit I'm interested, Mr. Kinomiya. I was informed of the people following you, and the apparent reasons for it by Agent Ivanov. He tends to believe you, at least to a point. And Agent Hiwatari…well, despite what may be going on between the two of you on a personal level, on a professional one, I'm almost certain that he, too, believes you.” The old man smiled a little. “I have known Kai and his family for years. I trust his instinct and his intelligence. For that reason, yes. I will listen to what you have to say.”

Shocked, Takao stammered, “T-thank you, sir.” He blushed. “Ah…there's nothing much left between Kai and I, though…”

Chuckling, Stanley shook his head and held up a hand. “As you like. Please…continue.”

“Ah…okay.” Takao floundered a bit. He hadn't been expecting the chance to deal with the UNA at all. “Well, the truth is, I need help. I may have gotten this far on my own, and maybe it wasn't the `right' way to do it, but…I want to make a deal with the UNA.”

“A deal?” Director Dickenson raised a busy grey eyebrow. “What sort of deal?”

“I will give you all the information you want - except for the location of the items until everything else is over - and I will assist in bringing the true criminals to justice, in return for the UNA's help in getting back my father and brother, and - if at all possible - my family's sword that was also taken. When they are free and safe again, and you have the ones responsible in custody, I will take you to the items and return them personally, if you want. And then I will submit to whatever repercussions my actions have gained me.” Takao shivered imperceptibly, the thought of going to prison for the rest of his life not a pleasant one at all. But if it got his family back, he'd put the cuffs on himself.

After several minutes of silence, the old man finally responded. He'd been a little shocked at the fact that Takao was willing to go to prison for his crimes, even after all the rest. He had been sure that, as most other people in the young man's position would and had, Takao would try to plea-bargain his way out of a sentence. So he was pleasantly shocked, and reluctantly admiring of this man's sense of responsibility and something that had become a rare commodity in this world.

Honour.

“Well. You are correct that I would not necessarily agree outright to this proposal. However, I will keep it in mind and as you give your statement, I will give it due consideration. We will discuss it again once we have more evidence of what you say has happened, and what you will tell us in your statement.”

“Yes, sir, of course. That's more than I could have hoped for. Thank you.” Takao acquiesced quietly.

Sighing again, the old man picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Ivanov, come in and escort Mr. Kinomiya down to the medical floor, please.” He requested before hanging up again. Two minutes later, Tala strolled in and gestured at Takao to follow him.

Again, as he passed through the bullpen, Takao was subject to the stares and whispers of the UNA agents and employees in the bullpen as he passed. This time, however, Tala got annoyed with it and gave the room one long, solid sweeping glare.

“Get back to work! You all have better things to be doing with your time than staring and gossiping!” The red head's ice-blue eyes flashed and there was a hint of a growl in this voice as he spoke - both of which sent everyone scurrying off to do their jobs. No one here wanted to deal with a testy wolf, after all.

Takao stared at his feet as Tala picked up his bags and led him to the elevator. On the ride down, the bluenette found he had nothing to say to break the tense silence. Tala, however, did.

“So what happened?” He asked in a resigned voice.

“Pardon?” Takao looked up, not sure what he was talking about.

“I saw Kai come storming out of the Director's office looking like he'd been kicked in the ribs. He's probably up on the roof swearing at the pigeons and pacing.” Tala snickered. “He goes up there and does that when something doesn't go his way.”

Takao sweatdropped and rubbed his stomach guiltily with a wince. “I guess it's better than going out and picking a fight with the bullies like he did in high school.” And it sounded just like something Kai would do. Swearing at things that wouldn't care or answer back sounded a lot like Kai.

Tala rolled his eyes. “So what happened?”

“It was nothing. He didn't tell me I was going to be put under a microscope, and I asked him what would happen if I refused…and he stormed out saying I could basically rot in prison for all he cared.” Takao summarized - albeit exaggerating a little bit. Tala stared at him with an incredulous expression.

“You two are going to be the death of me, you know that?” The wolf stepped off the elevator and waited for Takao to do the same, leading him past the nurses' station and down a long hallway of hospital rooms. “Here, take these.” Tala handed Takao his luggage, and slapped his palm to a pad next to one door. There was a clicking sound and the door swung open. Tala flicked on the lights and motioned Takao inside.

“There's a wardrobe/closet thing over there where you can put your bags. Bathroom is in there,” Tala pointed at another door. “And I'm not sure if the TV is hooked up or not but there is radio on that panel next to the bed.”

“I don't need either, but…thank you.” Takao dropped his bags on the floor next to the wardrobe and stood in the middle of the room, feeling very much alone and helpless.

Tala leaned a hip against a counter that held a sink against one wall nearest the door. “Look, Kinomiya. I don't know you very well, and as yet I still don't trust you. But I do know and trust Kai, and because he loves you, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

“I…I don't know what to say to that, Tala.” Takao regarded him sadly. “I don't know anything anymore.”

“I'm just saying it, that's all.” Tala shook his head. “I also know you're trying to push Kai away, but please rethink that idea? He's been a pain in the ass for years because of you as it is, and I do not feel like putting up with him after this for more years because of you again.”

Takao couldn't help a tiny shadow of a smile at that. He understood what Tala was telling him between the lines, and he would take the redhead's opinion under consideration. Their gazes met and held for a moment with silent communication.

Don't give up on each other so easily. You need each other and you're both stronger than this.

I don't want to give him up. I love him. But can he love me?

He does. But you have to let him or it will destroy you both.

I'm willing to try if he is.

Tala grinned suddenly and straightened with a decisive nod. Good. He glanced at the clock on the wall above the sink. “Alright. Someone will bring you supper in a couple of hours, since its nearly four now. Dr. Angelique Maison will be the doctor looking after you, and I imagine she'll be by sometime this evening.”

Takao sighed. “Okay. Just…know this is under protest, alright? I'm fine.”

“No, you're not, but so noted. FYI, Kinomiya, there are always nurses on duty, if you need anything, so don't hesitate to use that call button next to the bed.” Tala pointed at the small box lying on the bedside table. “Also, the door locks automatically when closed, and can only be opened from the inside by a hand scan - like the one I used outside to open it.”

“I'm not going anywhere.” Takao frowned at him. “It's not like I'd get far anyway.”

“I'm just telling you, that's all. I've got some paperwork to do and an irate partner to find, so I'm going to leave. Need anything before I go?” Tala looked back at the bluenette over his shoulder in question, his hand on the doorknob.

Takao shook his head. “No. Thank you.”

“Suit yourself. Crawl into bed and take a nap before Dr. Maison gets here, Kinomiya. Either Kai or I will stop in sometime tomorrow to check up on you. See you later.” Tala walked out, the door closing and locking audibly with a finality that gave Takao shivers.

Alone in the silence of the room, Takao looked around in a lost kind of way, unsure what to do with himself now. He supposed taking Tala's advice was as good a plan as any right now, so he dug out a pair of pajamas from his suitcase (something he didn't normally wear to bed but packed and brought along anyway) and proceeded to change into them.

After that, he packed everything away into the wardrobe, shut off the lights, and went to the bed. He pulled back the covers and crawled under them lying on his side and arranging the covers over himself until he was comfortable.

Staring at the wall and listening to the ticking of the clock on the wall, Takao sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He'd never felt so alone in his life.

~*~*~*~*~

The door lock clicking open was what startled Takao awake a few hours later. Groggily, he rolled onto his back and sat up, rubbing his eyes and trying to peer through the darkness at the clock.

“I'm turning on the lights, Mr. Kinomiya.” An unfamiliar, female voice said from the direction of the door. The bluenette covered his eyes with a hand hastily as the room was illuminated once more.

“Who are you?” He asked blindly. Slowly, he dropped his hand from over his eyes as they adjusted to the light.

“Dr. Angelique Maison.” The woman introduced herself, holding out a hand to him. He shook it warily.

“Kinomiya Takao.” He replied, studying her. She wasn't beautiful in terms of fashion magazine or movies or anything like that, but with her long, light brown hair and hazel eyes, she was pretty. The white lab coat she wore with the stethoscope around her neck and the tray of instruments she'd set on the counter by the sink, however, overshadowed her appearance and made her scary and intimidating as hell.

Oh how he hated hospitals and doctors and their various and sundry instruments of torture.

“Well, Mr. Kinomiya, I've been appraised of your situation - concerning your health, at least. They won't tell me what sort of crimes you've committed, but frankly I don't care. They didn't tell me you were cute either - and that means you couldn't have done anything that bad.” She informed him with a grin and a sly wink in her attempt at humour. Takao blushed and wondered why he always got the strange ones.

“Uh…no offence, Doctor, but can we just get this over with? I…really don't like tests and hospitals and stuff.”

Still smiling, she patted his knee reassuringly. “Oh, don't you worry. Nothing too extravagant tonight. I'll just check your vitals and whatnot, and take some blood for lab-work, and that's it.” She pulled out a penlight from a deep coat pocket and clicked it on, shining it in one eye, then the other, as she checked hem. “Follow the light, please. Good. Okay, no problem there…ears next.”

He sighed and sat still, obeying commands and enduring it all with what dignity he could muster. She asked questions, he answered. At one point, she stuck a thermometer in his mouth and wandered over to the tray to get the needle ready to take his blood.

“So far everything seems pretty normal. I was told you said you have been diagnosed with an ulcer, correct?” She glanced over her shoulder at him and he nodded. “Hmm…well, I'll want to take some x-rays of your stomach and make my own conclusions, but for tonight, I'm just going to tell you to rest, relax, and eat. The blood work will tell me more, too. We'll see about the rest tomorrow.” Angelique walked over and took the thermometer from him. “Temperature is normal, which is good. Agent Ivanov mentioned you had a fever earlier today.”

“It was just a reaction to having missed one dose of my medication, and being late with another dose. I also drank coffee this morning, which probably didn't help.” Takao pushed his hair out of his eyes.

“Right. Almost forgot about the meds. Give them to me, please. I'll keep track of them for you.” She went back to the sink to put away the thermometer and Takao reluctantly slid out of bed and went to the wardrobe to get his medication from the pocket of his carry-case. He handed it over and slid back under the covers, arranging them over his legs as he waited for whatever she was going to do to him next.

…And went into pure panic mode when he saw the size of the needle she had on the tray for taking his blood.

“Oh no. You are not using that!” He pressed back against the headboard and drew his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly and glaring at the needle in her hand with stormy blue eyes. “Uh uhn. No way, no how!”

Angelique eyed him and rolled her own eyes. “Now, now. It's not that bad. Once little pinch and it'll be done…”

“Pinch?! No way are you sticking that thing in me!”

The doctor made the mistake of reaching out to touch his arm, though she'd only intended to calm and soothe him. For her effort, she got a small jolt of static electricity - enough to make her fingertips go numb and her hand tingle, and for all the hairs on her body to stand on end.

Wide-eyed, she stepped back from the bed and shook her hand in an effort to get the feeling back into it. “It seems they've failed to mention you were cute and talented.” She huffed.

Takao - still exhausted, ill, and freaked out by the damned needle - just glared at her silently.

~*~*~*~*~

A few floors up, a red-haired wolf and a crimson-eyed man sat across from each other, bent over their desks, pens in hand as they went through the mountains of paperwork that had accumulated while they were gone.

“I say we petition for a secretary to help us out with some of this.” Tala grumbled, slapping another sheet onto the `done' pile. “We spend more time at this than we do in the field.”

“Hn.” Was the only reply he got. Snarling, Tala dropped his pen and grabbed Kai's from his hand.

“Okay, that's beginning to get on my nerves. You know perfectly well why he said what he did, and why he's trying to push you away. Get over it, go down there, and prove to him that you aren't letting him get away with it!” The wolf growled in Russian.

“Ivanov, it's 8:45 pm, I'm tired, hungry, and extremely pissed off. Give…me…my…pen.” Kai glared hotly at his partner and held out his hand, replying coolly in Russian also.

“No. Damn it, Kai! He's your long lost lover, remember? Circumstances suck, but he's here, and you're wasting time and energy being hurt and mad at him when he needs you!”

Still glaring and waiting for his pen, Kai shoved his reading glasses up his nose with his opposite hand. “Why the hell are you being like this? What's it to you if we're not together anymore? It's none of your business.”

“Please.” Tala snorted, unfazed. “My instincts tell me he's in trouble. And any idiot can see how much the two of you are pining away for each other. He's got it in his head that you shouldn't care about him anymore because of what life's thrown at him and the path he's had to take - and you're sitting here stewing in your own wrath when you damn well should be with him setting him straight. You are my friend, Hiwatari. You've been a loner and a pain in the ass without him for too long. What do I care? I want you to be happy for once in your life so you'll quit raining all over my parade!”

Kai scowled and opened his mouth to give his partner a piece of his mind when the lights flickered ominously.

“What the…? Is there a storm or something outside?” They heard someone else in the bullpen ask nearby.

“The weather report didn't mention any storms…” someone else replied.

“Idiots. It's just a power surge.” Tala muttered, dropping the pen into Kai's hand grudgingly. The lights flickered again, but this time, they went out for a full two minutes before back up power was restored and they came on again.

Kai looked around and frowned. “There's no construction going on near here, is there? Maybe someone accidentally hit a power line.”

“Not that I know of.” Tala shrugged indifferently. “As I was saying…”

“Leave it alone, Tal.” Kai warned, ignoring the exasperated glare he received in return.

At that moment, the phone between their desks rang. The dual-haired agent picked it up and said shortly, “Hiwatari, what?”

“Wonderful phone etiquette.” Tala rolled his eyes again, then blinked when his partner's eyes went very wide and he dropped the phone abruptly back into its cradle. “What? Who was it?”

Kai was too dumbstruck to speak yet, so he said nothing, pushing away from his desk and motioning for Tala to follow. The redhead did so, and somehow was unsurprised when, in the elevator, Kai pushed the button for the medical floor.

“Talk to me, Hiwatari. What's going on?”

“Takao. He…he's what caused the power surge.”

Tala absorbed that, and whistled lowly. “I'll be damned. So that's how he's made it past all those security systems.”

“Shit.” Kai swore as the elevator doors opened and revealed a crowd of medical staff gathered at the end of the hall where Takao's room was. “Whatever set him off is only going to be made worse by that crowd. He can't stand to be surrounded by a crowd of people - especially in an enclosed space.”

Tala's eyes widened. “Then you'd best get them all out of there before they find that out the hard way.” He suggested, hurrying after his partner.

“Let me through!” Kai ground out the order sharply as he pushed his way through the nurses, orderlies, security personnel, and lab techs. “Back off and let me through!”

“Agent Hiwatari!” Dr. Maison's voice rose above the others in relief. “Let him through!”

Kai and Tala shoved past an orderly who looked like he'd stuck his finger in a socket. “What the hell did you do?” Kai demanded, looking away from her to Takao. He sucked in a breath, taking note of the bluenette's wild, electric blue eyes and the blind intensity of the glare he had trained on the doctor. “Kami-sama…”

“I just wanted to take some blood for lab work.” Angelique exclaimed. “He didn't like the size of the needle but it's not that big! See?” She showed him the tray and Kai pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. “It's normal-sized for taking blood samples.”

“Get everyone out of here, Tala. The doctor can stay, but everyone else get the hell out. You're only making it worse.” Kai glared at the occupants of the crowded room, and most took a step back at the blaze of crimson fury. No one was used to seeing Kai's actual eye colour - as most had only ever seen him with the purple contacts that gave him hazy, violet-coloured eyes instead.

Tala shooed away the extras, firmly closing the door behind him and standing guard over the room himself. He hoped his partner knew what he was doing.

“Two things: one, Takao can't stand crowds or enclosed spaces, but especially not both together, and two, he hates needles. You could use the smallest one you had, and he'd see it as monstrously huge.” Kai informed Angelique in a somewhat calm voice. “You should have heard his protests when we got our vaccines in high school. I had to work really hard to distract him long enough for the nurse to stick him and get it over with.” Kai continued, absently.

“Why does no one tell me these things before stuff like this happens?” the doctor asked plaintively. “Fine. Now that I know, and you're here to help, do something, sil'vous plait?”

“Just stay here and be ready.” Kai waved her back and stepped into Takao's line of vision. “Kinomiya, look at me.” He said in their native Japanese. His former lover was certainly a sight to behold in his angry, scared glory, and Kai shoved down the bolt of lust that struck him back into a corner of his mind in favour of dealing with the here and now. HE waited for those eyes to slowly shift and focus on him before he took a step toward the bed. “Taka, it's me, love. You're fine. No one is trying to hurt you.”

“I'm not stupid, Kai. She's right behind you with that…sword in her hand.” Takao growled. “And I'm not some stray cat you're trying to befriend - like that one you found on the school roof - either.”

Kai blinked. “Oh, yeah. I remember her. She made a good pet for a while until her owner wanted her back.” He walked over to the bed and pretended not to notice the rise of the hairs on his arms and neck as he sat next to Takao. The bluenette's eyes darted back and forth between the agent and the doctor warily.

“Make her go away, Kai.” Takao whined, unconsciously shifting closer to the one person whom he'd always felt safe with. “She can open a vein with a knife if she wants, but she's not poking me with that…that…”

“Completely normal-sized syringe.” Kai said mildly in amusement. “It just looks big. And you know she has to take some blood from you, so you have two options here: one, you let her use the needle she's got and it'll be over and done with before you know it, or two, you let her poke you with several smaller needles several times to get the same amount of blood she could have gotten with one bigger one.”

Takao went ghostly white at that idea and wordlessly held out his arm. Kai smiled at him and clasped his other hand between his own tightly.

“Go ahead, Dr. Maison. Just make it quick.” Kai said, switching back to English. Cautiously, still wary of receiving another shock from the bluenette, she prepared his arm for the task of getting the sample she needed. Takao looked away, fixing his eyes on Kai instead.

“Why did you come down here? I thought…you were mad at me.” He asked, quietly, trying to distract himself. He winced at the tightness of the rubber tourniquet Angelique tied around his upper arm.

“Mr. Kinomiya,” she interrupted, not knowing what he'd said because he had continued to speak in Japanese to Kai. “Do this a few times, please.” She made a fist, then released it, several times as he watched. Frowning, he did so until she told him to stop. “Good. Now just make a fist and hold it.”

“I am mad at you.” Kai stated, drawing Takao's attention away from his arm while Angelique rubbed a spot of iodine at the bend of the inside of his arm over a prominent vein. “Takao, I'm trying to help you as best I can under the circumstances, and yet at every opportunity you lash out at me and throw it back in my face. I know why you're doing it, but…”

“I'm sorry.” The bluenette whispered, dropping his eyes in shame to stare at Kai's knee next to him. “I just…how can you still love me now that you know what I've done?”

“The question you should be asking is how could I not love you, Taka. Of course I didn't know what to think at first. That was a gut reaction and nothing more. But my instincts scream at me to believe you and…they've never been wrong when I've listened to them before…” Kai raised a hand to lightly brush his knuckles over Takao's cheek bone. “Besides which, you're ill, and obviously you need me to take care of you when you can't do it yourself.”

Takao's smile was a little watery. “I've done the best I could, honestly. But it's all catching up to me, I guess.”

“There!” Dr. Maison, whom they'd both forgotten, announced suddenly with relieved cheerfulness. “All done!”

The younger man stared at his arm in surprise. He hadn't even noticed her plunge the needle in or when she'd taped a cotton ball over the wound with medical tape. “Uh…wow.”

“Alright. I'm done with you for tonight, so I'll tell someone to bring you some food and leave you alone. Goodnight, Mr. Kinomiya.” She waltzed out of the room.

Silence reigned in the room. Takao just plain didn't know what to do or say anymore, and Kai…well, he never had much to say at the best of times (though he did speak more around Takao and Tala than any other time or with any other people). They looked at each other for several minutes, each trying to read the other, while the only sounds of the room were the ticking of the clock, the air conditioning system, and their breathing. Finally, exhausted once again after the excitement of avoiding the needle, Takao let out a deep sigh and wiggled down under the covers again, lying on his side facing Kai with an arm tucked under the pillow his head rested on.

Without a word, Kai pulled up the covers and tucked Takao under them. Gently brushing midnight blue hair out of sad, sleepy blue eyes that seemed far older than Takao's young age of twenty-six, Kai simply offered the only comfort he could for the moment, and slowly stroked Takao's hair as his eyes closed and sleep dragged him under into oblivion.

As much as Kai wanted (very much) to do more - to lie down with Takao and curl around him protectively, to kiss him and hold him and promise all would be fine - there were a few very good reasons he didn't. For one thing, as an agent of the UNA, he could not do anything that would compromise the case being built against a suspect of crimes he was assigned to investigate.

Actually, he was surprised Director Dickenson hadn't pulled him off the case yet.

On the other hand, he was restraining himself for Takao's sake. He could not, then, be accused of using an agent to commit further crimes, or be accused of doing something to get out of his punishment (if there was going to be any) because of his association with an agent. Until Kai heard the whole tale, and his boss had decided what to do about it, it was just better for them both if Kai didn't cross any lines that could get one or both of them in trouble.

When the bluenette's breathing turned slow and steady, and there was no response from him when Kai retracted his hand, the older man sighed and stood, looking down on the younger man who had always possessed Kai's heart and spirit.

Whatever it is that's happening with you, Taka, don't give up. You haven't before and now will be no different, because I won't let you. No matter what you might believe or how you might feel now, you aren't alone in this. I'll do what I can, love, if you'll let me.

Stuffing his hands in his pants' pockets, Kai whispered, “Rest well, my love.” And turned to stride out of the room before he gave in and did anything foolish.

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

Kali Notes:  Wow. That was loooong. @_@ I've had most of this chapter and a few of the next chapters in my head for a while now, and I'm glad to have them down on paper, at least. Let me know what you think so far! And just for fun…the final word count for this chapter (according to my Word program): 7,962. Yikes. Please R/R!!!!

 

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

Caitlin: Here's a few words to each of you:

 

TechnoRanma - I know! Kai's got a thick skull sometimes! I have this urge to pull a Sanzo on him and thwack him with a fan… *sweatdrops* So once again, this is turning epic on me. I get so carried away with my plots! Ah well…I don't hear too many complaints… lol Thanks for reviewing, love! O.o You like this enough to give me double the review? LOL J/K. Do not mind me… @_@ School's taking it's toll.

 

Weeping Angel - I don't think anyone can put much past Tala, honestly… and I've heard that by G-Rev Kai and Tala have the closest thing to friendship that either have ever known before (minus Kai and Tyson, of course). I'm just trying to extrapolate that further into the future for this fic.

 

Ereshkigali - Thank you! I'm glad the tension is coming off well. It's rather difficult to write, honestly.

 

xXxAngel VxXx - Ah, yeah, it's the same thing. LOL Euro Tunnel = Chunnel. I think it's just what a lot of North American people call it…we tend to make up stupid names like that for things, I've noticed. I honestly can't say when I'll be making updates…as this one proves! lol It took a month…

 

Destruction Devil - Yeah, poor Taka. It just seems like something he'd do - to a point. I think in the next few chapters you'll see them finding out that there's no way they can not be together, not after all the time they've been apart, and with everything happening now…

 

horsegirl - Tyson's got an ulcer. It's basically a hole in the tissue of one's stomach. Very painful. Very annoying.

 

Jani Rieme - I'm all about the plot…most of the time. *coughs* There has been the occasional PWP, but mostly not. *sweatdrops* When I come up with plots, they're usually epic.

 

FireieGurl - Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!

 

ash - Hi, new reviewer! *glomps* Thanks!

 

phoenixandashes - Hey! Yeah, ulcers suck. My mom had one at one time, and it was so not fun. Stress definitely doesn't help things, either (in fact, it's usually what causes them).

 

Serenity Cathedral a.k.a. serena429 - Yay! I'm glad I've caught another reader… *semi-evil laughter* Hahahahaha! Ahem. Sorry. I'm supposed to be practicing to be a real yami. *sweatdrops* I'm still a chibi.

 

Heylin Minion - Hi! Uh…thank you for not killing me! *bows* The muses would have been a tad upset… And thanks for the info! I tried looking it up but I'm afraid my research skills suck (or have been drained away by my classes…one or the other).

 

NekoAnime - So do I! *huggles Tala plushie* And I hope you enjoyed Tala's little plot for the `shadows' as much as I did. I kept seeing this picture of it in my head and I couldn't stop giggling like an idiot about it. lol And yes…the bonus side to being sick for Taka is Kai holding him. *grins* Oooooh…first plane ride! How exciting! I love to travel. Did you have fun?

 

icestar - Isn't he cute? Takao has always seemed very `martyr-ish,' to me.

 

Blackrose - I know. !!__!! I'm so mean to him. Don't worry, though. I'm never mean to the characters long!

 

Hannah - LOL Well, he does tend to freak out on occasion in the anime, so I figured something serious like this would have the same sort of effect. And I've noticed that brilliant people tend to be jumpy and scatterbrained, too - hence, the Kenny of this fic. And no, they are not married in this fic. *points at `pairings' at beginning of chapter* See that? It'll happen eventually…I'm getting there. As for Max…well, you'll have to wait and see. Rei, I can pretty much say all you'll hear from him is - at most - a phone conversation. I had no intention of including him in this fic for anything significant. I figure an older, more mature Kai would be a tad more patient and certainly more mellow than his younger self was - partly due to Takao's influence, of course. *winks* PS. It wasn't you. It's more a collective thing. I've been getting a lot of emails and reviews that are very demanding and it has made Kali not so nice to be around lately…

 

XZanayu - Hey! Don't you worry…Tala's got plans. *evil grin* He's so smart sometimes, it makes my head ache.

 

Niffty24 - No! The suspense never ends! LOL Well, not in my fics, at least. I like keeping my readers interested…

 

Kailover - Here you go! Another update…another bit of fun…

 

silverfox - Yeah, poor Takao. *sniffs* I promise not to torture him too much longer!

 

Jelise - Hi! New reviewer! *glomps* Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

 

tsunamisiren - Hi! Another new reviewer! *glomps you too* Thank you!!

 

rosie - Ah, yes. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind for future reference.

 

windchild - Kill Tyson? O.O I would never. Do you know how many people would kill ME for that?! *shudders* Never, ever, ever…

 

Kellerz - Heh. *grins* I have to admit that writing the kisses are my favourite thing to write. Even more than lemons! *looks around at gasps of shock* What?

 

mepinak - Hey! Thanks for the compliments! And thanks for reading Open Your Heart, too! Jen and I had a lot of fun writing that one. We'll have to do it again someday…

 

 

Thank you, all, for reading and reviewing! *hands out mini plushies of Takao* Keep on doing the same for future updates!