Title: Sinners

Author: Ladya C. Maxine

Rating: R

Summary: see chapter one

Warnings: see chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. All original characters belong solely to me. I am not making any money off of this. I write only to entertain.

Tuesday, January 18th, 2004

06.50

"I guess I don't have to ask how your night went."

Tala jumped, looking down at the papers on his desk in bewilderment before realizing that the voice had come from his left, where Bryan was staring at him.

"Sorry to call you in so early on such short notice," Bryan said, pulling up a seat. "Someone didn't get the message through last night in all the confusion, but I needed you here today. Everyone has to attend this meeting. We've got some important people coming in from abroad, and decisions must be made today."

Rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms, Tala slowly pulled himself out of his sleep-logged stupor, and the second his memory woke up he was assailed by the thoughts that had been dormant during his troubled sleep.

Decisions … agreements … Hiwatari …

"You okay?" Bryan asked when Tala suddenly stood and walked over to the cabinet, despite having no actual business there. Hurrying after him, Bryan caught him by the shoulders and after Tala half-heartedly tried to shrug him off Bryan persuaded him to turn around. "Tala, don't let the case get to you like this. You can't give in to it."

Can't give in … He shouldn't have given in … He should have pulled that trigger …

"Tala!" Bryan said, louder this time when Tala didn't respond quick enough.

"I messed up, sir," Tala whispered, running both hands through his hair. "I screwed everything up … I should have … "

Catching Tala's hands, which were tugging at his red hair, Bryan forced them to Tala's side and pulled him into an embrace. Tala rested his head on the other's shoulder, feeling disgusted and unworthy to be getting any sort of sympathy from the man he was supposed to be completely loyal and honest to, but he'd been up all night, agonizing. He just wanted someone to tell him that it was all right, but first he'd have to tell them about Hiwatari's visit. And he couldn't.

"Nothing has changed in the Dox investigation," Bryan said, rubbing the back of Tala's neck. "You've done a lot this past week; have attributed plenty to that case. And Hiwatari … that has nothing to do with you. He escaped because he wanted to, not because you asked him or anything like that. It's not your fault."

'It is! He followed me out of that asylum!' Tala's mind screamed. 'Eleven people died and their blood are on my hands as much as its on Hiwatari's. They died because of me. If I'd never gone there, Hiwatari never would have gotten out. It's all my fault!'

"Do you trust me, Bryan?" he asked softly.

He felt Bryan pull back, but Tala kept his eyes on the ground.

"You know I do," Bryan said.

"Do you believe that I'm doing my best here? That I'm doing what I believe is the right thing?"

"I trust your judgment, Tala. But why are you asking me this?"

" … Just asking," Tala lied, poorly.

Pushing away, Tala ran both hands over his face. If he looked as bad as he felt than he must look a fright, but Bryan still touched his face as though touching fragile glass.

"What do you want to tell me?" Bryan asked as he stared deep into Tala's eyes. "Why are you so afraid to talk to me? I trust you, Tala. You can trust me too."

"I … "

"Tell me, please," Bryan said. He looked worried as he combed his fingers through Tala's hair, trying to smooth it out again. "Whatever it is, it cannot possibly be worse news than Hiwatari's escape. I can handle it, Tala, honestly."

Hiwatari's trust … or Bryan's … Which was more important?

If Bryan ever found out that Tala had been withholding such crucial information from him it could put the final nail in their relationship's coffin. But if he gave Hiwatari away, actual people would die.

'You unleashed Hiwatari on the public,' he told himself as he let Bryan rub his back, melting into the soothing touch. 'You owe them whatever safety you can secure. I can't … I can't risk betraying Hiwatari … not yet … '

"Maybe later," he said, snapping out of it to extract himself from the caring arms once again.

Someone knocked on the door and opened it before Bryan could say anything.

"Excuse me, sir," said the officer who stuck his head into the room before opening the door further. "Pardon the interruption, but everyone is in the briefing room and are waiting on you."

"I'll be there shortly," Bryan said, waving the man off. He adjusted his collar and tie, but held Tala back when the redhead tried to flee after the departing officer. "Tala, for godsakes, what is it? You're really beginning to worry me."

"You have too much on your plate right now," Tala said, trying to sound rationally cool. He'd had time to pull himself together when Bryan's attention had been on the informer. "Now's not a good time. I don't want you—"

"Forget about my feelings!" Bryan almost exploded, startling them both. He lowered his voice. "If anything, I owe you at least this much. Keeping whatever you want to say a secret just to spare me is cutting you up on the inside. I already hurt you so badly in the past … I don't want you to suffer again; not because of me."

No. He couldn't let the conversation turn down that road again. Things were already complicated without Bryan dragging them both back down memory lane. There was no time, especially since he'd heard it all before.

"You have a strange habit of bringing up the wrong subjects at the wrong time," Tala said. "It's not just about me, and not even just about you. This might be for the best for everyone. And we're going to be late."

Unable to dispute the last statement, Bryan released a frustrated sigh but straightened his shirt and buttoned up his jacket before opening the door for Tala.

"After the meeting; after things have been arranged and temporarily die down, we will have another talk, Tala," he said as Tala passed him. "We can't keep this up for much longer. I need to know where things stand between us."

Tala nodded, but a voice in his mind cruelly scoffed.

'You know exactly what's standing between the two of you,' the voice, which could very well be his conscience, said. 'Kai Hiwatari.'

They reached the appointed room without saying anything more. Two other men met them at the doors, awaiting further instructions from Bryan. Then the doors were opened and heads turned as they walked past rows and rows of chairs.

Even though the room was one of the biggest in the station, it was only just large enough to house them all. There were no formal seating arrangements, and not enough chairs, so some had to resort to sitting on the tables at the back, or leaning against walls. Tala noticed that a sizeable number of people were keen on a group of strangers seated on the far left. He couldn't see their faces clearly, but they were most likely the foreign investigators Bryan had talked about.

He saw two familiar faces sitting in chairs behind the makeshift podium where Bryan would address the crowd. Emily had her notepad with her, as always, and Michael, sitting next to her, was looking over the crowd with casual interest, though he sat up straighter when Bryan wordlessly directly Tala to take a seat next to them.

The atmosphere in the room was tense, as though no one wanted to be in there.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, including our guests and international colleagues," Bryan said, nodding at them all before getting straight to business. The screen on the wall above and behind him lit up as an all too familiar face was projected on it.

While everyone else stared at the screen, Tala tried to subtly close his eyes and turn away, but that only made the images of the night before much clearer and poignant in his head. The skin on his thighs crawled as he remembered how Hiwatari had had him up on the counter and he bit his tongue to stop it from licking his lips.

'What am I thinking?! Hiwatari, what the hell did you do to me?'

"Kai Hiwatari," Bryan said, unaware of Tala's silent plight. "You all know his history. More than five years ago a meeting was held in this very room in which minds were put to the test and plans were hatched. Plans that, eventually, led to Hiwatari's capture. The media around the world loosely used the word 'luck' to describe the success of our hard work. I hope that, together, we can prove to them that the first time wasn't about luck. But this is not just about proving the media wrong. Hiwatari is dangerous."

" …I am not playing now, officer … raise the alarm, and you'd better make sure to inform the proper authorities to get a few body bags ready …"

'Why are you doing this to me? You claim not to hate me, but you enjoy seeing me suffer,' Tala thought, staring at Bryan along with everyone else but not really hearing what he had to say. 'You said you wanted to make me smile … but it's all just for your own amusement … '

"What exactly is the situation with Dox?" one of the foreign women asked. "Could you sum it up for us briefly?"

When did they start talking about Dox? How long had it been since Bryan stopped talking?

Tala forced himself to pay attention, else he lose complete track of the proceedings.

"Each victim was killed in the name of one of the seven cardinal sins. The first, defence attorney Kevin Ginko, was killed on January 3, on 'charges' of greed. A week later, on January 10, Gary Gao was force to eat himself to death to repent for his gluttony. Yesterday, on January 17, we found Wyatt Ishida's, literally minutes from death, bound to his bed in his rented apartment. Although he was still alive, the word 'sloth' was written on his wall, an obvious connection to Dox. So, so far, there have been three victims."

"One per week. Then there will be four more victims within the next month?" the same woman asked.

"That is the wrong mentality for this job. I am not asking anyone here to be optimistic, but I expect you all to be dedicated and determined. Hard work, not happy thoughts, is what we'll need to close this case, along with Hiwatari's, for good."

"Yes, sir."

"Has the Tokyo police been able to find out anything about Dox himself?" the woman's colleague asked.

"So far, no, but we are piecing together his character," Bryan said. "And making slow but steady progress."

"And, what is profile so far?" someone far in the back asked.

Bryan turned to Tala, and all eyes turned to him. Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Tala stood and walked to the front as Bryan stepped to the side. He should have expected this, but felt very unprepared. Whether it was his fault or the poor communication, he couldn't tell, but now that he was standing before a crowd of experienced officers and foreign intelligences, he couldn't start making excuse.

Tala nodded in the general direction where the question had come from.

"I arrived on the night Gary Gao's body was found, and also witnessed first hand the results of his torturous containment of Wyatt Ishida. He took his time with all three crimes, and seemed to have been comfortable at every crime scene and their surroundings. Whether he personally knew the victims remains unclear, but he knows the layout of this city well enough to get where he wants to go, when he wants to, right on time. As Lieutenant Balcov said, these murders can be considered forced attrition—"

"Forced what?" someone asked out loud, clueless, making a couple others chuckle.

Though it hadn't been a mean-spirited question, it disturbed Tala's concentration and rattled his already shaky nerves enough for him to falter.

"Er, attrition … It's … It's when you regret your sin, but not out of love for God."

"Why is Dox forcing his victims to repent their sins when he kills them?" a woman asked. "What can you make of that?"

"It might have something to do with his own past," Tala said, noting that the question sounded a bit impatient, which only made him more nervous. "Either he himself did something bad, or he was subjected to bad things, and he is now punishing others. However, I cannot say for sure whether he is actually a religious man."

"But you say he's punishing others using the cardinal sins. Which is it?"

Gripping the podium, Tala was feeling the pressure as the sea of eyes in the room appeared to grow more and more unfriendly.

"Of course, he could just be doing it for the shock value. Or he is using the teachings of the Church against others in a mocking, morbid way. Hiwatari said—"

"You spoke to Hiwatari?" a man sitting on the front row asked incredulously as people behind him shared stunned looks and puzzled whispers. "What force are you with?"

"I'm ... a criminology student from Russia," Tala said, which only generated louder whispers. "I was called in to interview Hiwatari, in an attempt to tap into his knowledge of the workings of a killer's mind. He contributed several key clues to the Dox case."

"And he spoke to you?" someone asked, awed. "How did you manage that?"

" … I must admit that I have imagined ravaging you … "

"I'm afraid I don't honestly know," Tala said.

"And how does he tie into all this, you think?" asked a portly man sitting on a table.

"Hiwatari and Dox know each other."

That generated another wave of whispers and gasps.

"Are they working together?" someone asked.

"I doubt that," Tala said. "I don't know whether they are old acquaintances or old enemies, but it's very improbable that they are partners in crime. Hiwatari claimed to have operated alone in the past, and so far Dox seems to be doing the same thing."

"Could Dox be the reason why Hiwatari escaped?"

'No. I am,' Tala thought bitterly. "It's a possibility that cannot be ruled out."

"Could Hiwatari have escaped to purposefully create such a chaos to take much of the attention off Dox? Wouldn't that be proof of their alliance?"

"I don't know. Perhaps—"

" 'Apparently', 'possibly', 'I don't know': is there anything you can tell us with any certainty?" an annoyed voice asked from in the crowd.

"You are out of line," Bryan warned, stepping in, but the man, who boldly got to his feet to identify himself, did not back down.

"With all due respect, Captain Balcov," he said, "this young man is clearly in over his head. There is no room or time for a student to be on either cases. If you had brought in someone with more know-how at least one of these two cases would have been further along by now."

With the crowd muttering their support, Tala was grateful when Bryan nodded at him to return to his seat. Bryan continued to exchange words with the man, and eventually won the verbal sparring and received an apology, but having his boss fight his battle for him only made Tala feel as inexperienced and incapable as the man had accused him of being.

"Shrug it off. Just shrug it off," Michael said out of the corner of his mouth. "Fucking Euro-trash, most of them. They've been moping ever since you revealed that you got Hiwatari to talk. You should feel honoured that you succeeded in making them pull their heads out of their own asses long enough to bitch."

Michael was doing his best, but even if Tala hadn't had the worst night in his life, this poor presentation had weighed him down.

" … Hiwatari?" someone finished off their question.

'I hate you. I hate you,' Tala told the face only he could see. 'Hiwatari, I hate you more than I've ever hated anyone!'

"Believing in the tactic of 'going with what works'," Bryan was saying, "I contacted a key operative from our first run-in with Hiwatari, and he has agreed to join our cause for a second time. Of us all, it is safe to say that he knows Hiwatari best, and I know his help will be invaluable."

Someone who'd been sitting in the farthest corner of the room, out of sight and mind of everyone else, rose to their feet and began making their way down the narrow aisle that divided the room. The person's presence caught many off-guard and an excited whisper spread through the crowd.

The enthusiastic interest, however, were not shared by those sitting next to Tala.

"Hell. Fucking. No," Michael groaned at the sight of the man and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Emily's eyes went cold and she tapped her pen against her clipboard so hard it threatened the snap in two.

Tala, curious as to the nature of the man who was able to get such reactions out of Michael and Emily, studied the stranger. He didn't look like the other experts: he wore no uniform, but plain clothes, sneakers and a wide blue bandana that kept his spiky, dark red hair out of his face. His purple eyes regarded those staring at him apathetically, but the right corner of his mouth tugged slightlyt in a self-important manner. Walking with his hands in his pockets, he swaggered to the front.

"Who is that?" Tala asked Michael.

"Detective Jonathan 'Johnny' 'Asshole' McGregor," Michael said, now rubbing the side of his head as though in great pain. "Big shot highlander who's still basking in the glory of being the guy who took down Hiwatari. The guy was an ass-hat before the arrest: surprisingly, he managed to become even more irritating afterwards."

"I can't believe the Captain invited him back," Emily joined in, whispering from behind her clipboard. "He doesn't like McGregor any more than any of us. McGregor didn't leave us with a single good memory."

"Then why is everyone looking at him so adoringly?" Tala asked.

"Unfortunately, he's damn good at what he does," Michael answered. "He did get Hiwatari in the end."

'But … Hiwatari pretty much turned himself in,' Tala thought, not having a good feeling about this.

Stepping up to the podium, Johnny barely acknowledged Bryan with a tilt of the head, more intent on the audience. From his seat Tala could see Bryan's hands clench into fists from where they were safely hidden from view behind his back.

"Huh, I don't recall the Captain inviting him up here to address anyone," Michael said. "The guy grabs at any chance to be in the spotlight—he's like a fucking moth."

This time Tala smiled while Emily hid hers behind her clipboard.

As if to prove Michael right, Johnny took command of the podium, doing a good job of pretending that Bryan wasn't glaring at the back of his head.

"Hiwatari chose this moment for a reason," Johnny began, taking over the role of leader and organizer with unsettling ease. "When we caught him years ago he was ready to be caught. Likewise, he was now ready to get back out. To me, it seems very obvious that the trigger was Dox."

An impressive number of mouths dropped open, including Tala's. He hadn't expected anyone who hadn't heard Ray's story to know that Hiwatari had practically handed himself over. The cocky air about Johnny had vanished for now, replaced by a professional and analytic eye for detail and a confident voice.

"I read the Dox case files on my flight over and from what I know so far I can conclude that we are searching for a man who is in his late twenties, early thirties," Johnny continued, not pausing to let anyone ask questions yet. "If he had physically overpowered a man of Gao's size, Dox would have to be just as big, or even bigger, but someone like that would have stood out in the minds of other tenants, so it's more likely that he's of average height and weight and had use either cunning or deceive to get Gao into that chair and those chains. Dox also has no distinguishing features or, again, someone would have remembered a colourful stranger around the scenes of the crimes. He is definitely a local, but not necessarily a native. He's intelligent, evidence of a very good education, yet also a history of mental abuse. He's angry at others, not out of compassions for victims like himself, but purely because what happened to himself. This is not a person who cares for others in the least. He objectifies them, even classifies them as nothing more than living sins."

Everyone was eagerly taking notes, impressed.

Folding his arms, Tala sunk lower in his chair.

"They'll be wanting to stuff those notes right down his throat by the end of the day," Michael said. "Let him hog the limelight. That'll keep him out of the way and allow you to actually get some work done. No one can deny what you've brought to both cases."

"Then why did Bryan, despite hating him too, bring him in?" Tala asked. "You heard Bryan: Johnny knows Hiwatari better than any of us. What use am I now that he's on board?"

"No matter what anyone says, you cannot just be dropped, because you're the only one in here who Hiwatari ever openly spoke to."

He certainly was the only one in here who Hiwatari ever dropped by to visit …

"Hiwatari hates McGregor," Michael said. "He hates him. Whether his plans for the future were, Hiwatari did have McGregor on his ass the last couple of months leading up to the final showdown. McGregor got the recognition, but he couldn't even attend his own honour ceremony because he was hospitalized for six months."

"Six months?"

"Check out McGregor's right hand."

Johnny was using his left hand to gesture in the air as he spoke, but his right hand was kept behind the podium. It took a while, but then Johnny shifted and Tala saw that all that was left of the right hand's index finger was a stump.

"Hiwatari cut off his finger?" he asked, aghast.

"And that was his least serious injury," Emily said. "Apparently, when they'd finally met face to face, McGregor had pointed at Hiwatari, which Hiwatari perceived as a rude gesture. So, he broke off the offending finger."

"Thank you, McGregor," Bryan interrupted the man who had not stopped talking since taking to the podium. Forcing the other to step back as he retook his place, the Captain ignored the insulted look Johnny gave him. "Now that we've all been acquainted, let's get down to business … "

Almost three hours later, the crowd got to their feet and filed out. Johnny McGregor, however, stood from the chair he'd commandeered nearby and climbed up onto the podium, much to everyone's silent dismay. Emily was the first to push her annoyance aside and held out a hand.

"It's a surprise to see you back here, McGregor," she said. "I know you want to catch Hiwatari as much as the next guy, but I would have thought you'd be hesitant to take on something as big as this all over again."

"From where I'm standing, this is still my case," Johnny said. "Anything involving Hiwatari is my responsibility, no matter how many times I have to drag him back into custody."

"Just remember you manners this time, Johnny Boy," Michael butted in, flipping his cap backwards. He cast a pointed look at the other's maimed hand. "Or else we'll have to change your nickname to 'Stumpy'."

Whereas Johnny had attempted some cordiality with Emily, he had no such reservations when it came to Michael. Giving the American a superior look, Johnny titled his chin up ever so slightly and made no show of hiding his dislike for the other.

"A new nickname, eh? I'm glad to see American intelligence finally evolving beyond the inbred knowledge of fast food and reality television," Johnny said airily. "'Stumpy' must be a leap in creativity for you. What was the last nickname you'd spend hours coming up with?"

"Can't tell ya," Michael grinned just as stiffly, nodding to Emily. "Not in the presence of a lady. But you might hear or read about it in the locker room, if you're patient enough."

"That's enough," Bryan said, taking no sides. "As long as you are on duty you will behave according to protocol and work together, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Michael said.

Barely acknowledging Bryan, Johnny suddenly turned on Tala, even though he hadn't said or done anything to warrant the abrupt attention. Johnny looked him up and down once, and looked completely unimpressed with the whole picture.

"And what's he going to do now?" Johnny asked Bryan as though he were talking to a subordinate. "I don't have time to baby-sit this one for you, Balcov."

"That won't be necessary," Bryan said before Michael could argue. "In fact, you and Tala might find each other's knowledge useful, which is why you will both be sharing the same office and working the same case."

"What?" Tala asked, and even then his shock was not as great as Johnny's.

"Balcov," Johnny said, the vein on the side of his temple about to burst, "I did not travel half way around the world to be saddled up with some teacher's pet. Either you let me do my job the way I always do or you're on your own. Besides, you can't seriously believe that a novice like him has any idea how to handle someone like Hiwatari."

"Weeelllll," Michael drawled. "Last time I checked you were short one finger, while Tala's got all of his. Plus he got Hiwatari to talk, whereas Hiwatari got you to cry and beg for your mother … "

"Shut up, Parker," Johnny snapped. "You don't know what you're talking about, as always. Your friend only ever faced Hiwatari when he was in his cell. Hiwatari tried, but he could not break me when he had the chance. Why not? Because I knew how to outsmart him, even when he's free. Tala here would never survive a face-to-face with Hiwatari. And that's what this will inevitably come down to: another us versus Hiwatari showdown."

It was only too tempting to throw Johnny's presumptions back in his face. Tala wanted nothing more than to tell him what had happened the night before; how he had survived a meeting with Hiwatari. But, not only could he not talk about it to anyone, he didn't want to. He didn't find anything about the agreement, or Hiwatari's interest in him, boastful in the least.

"McGregor," Bryan said, coming between the two and pushing Michael back. "The only reason you are here is because I called you here. If you want to stay, you will work with Tala. If you do not like my conditions then you can grab your bags and get on the next plane back to Scotland."

Despite the enormous challenge ahead of them, and the need for as many helping hands and minds as possible, Tala secretly prayed that Johnny would stubbornly refuse to cooperate.

"Fine. We'll do it your way," Johnny scowled, sinking Tala's hopes. "But just so you know, I don't need him. If he slows me down with questions and requests, I will do my best to have him removed from the case. You're the Captain, Balcov, but you're not the top dog. I can go to the higher ups, if the rookie gets in my way."

"You'd have all rights to do that," Bryan said. "But I doubt that that would be necessary. If you'd head down to administration they'll have your papers ready."

Having said what he wanted to say, Johnny gave Tala a particularly smug look and left, walking with his hands in his pockets as he sauntered out of the room.

"Man, I used to like Scotland," Michael said, cracking the bones in his neck. "Until that highland ass came along. Nine-fingered, deep-fried Mars bar-munching leprechaun … "

"Leprechauns are from Ireland," Emily said.

"Whatever. Speaking of Mars bars, I'm starving. You guys wanna grab something to eat?" Michael asked them. They all shook their heads. "Then don't come giving me puppy dog looks when I get back here with my lunch. I ain't gonna share with anybody today."

"You're a blessing to the charity community," Emily said dryly. "Before you go off to forage, Michael, we need to head down to the lab. Samples from Gao's apartment just returned from DNA testing."

"Greeeeaaaaat. Nothing revs up an appetite like examining dried vomit," Michael said, rolling his eyes as he followed her off the podium. "Then again, even that's more appealing than being stuck with McGregor. Good look, Tala!"

Not that Tala needed any reminding, but that did make him turn on Bryan with a betrayed look.

"Sir, why?"

"I don't like having him back here either, but it's not a matter of personal taste. We have to get Hiwatari as soon as possible, at all cost."

"And having McGregor smirking and scowling and throwing insults at me every chance he gets is not going to work miracles for me."

Bryan sighed, looking very worn-out after the long morning.

"Tala, please. Just do this, for me. Yes, McGregor is a pain in the ass. Yes, I wish I had a restraining order on him. And yes, it is only natural for you to want to beat the living shit out of him. But remember the reason why I sent you to the institution in the first place."

"Because I am 'adaptable'." Resigned, Tala hopped off the podium. "Fine. I'll give it a shot."

"If he gives you—Let me rephrase that: when he gives you any grief, let me know," Bryan said. "Really, if anything's bothering you, come to me and I'll do what I can. I brought you into this situation, so it's only fair I help out as much as possible. Okay?"

Tala looked askew as the Captain caught up with him. Even though he had a million other things to deal with, Bryan was still looking out for others, as always.

'Why?' Tala asked himself the same question. 'Why did it all have to be wrecked by the one time he was only thinking about himself?'

"In fact ... would you mind coming over tonight?"

"Why?" Tala asked sharply.

"We need to talk."

"And why can't we do that here?"

"Because I don't want any more damn interruptions. Tala, I just want us to talk. After all that's happened—so much has happened, it's taken up all of our time and we haven't had the chance to just ... talk. This isn't a set up," Bryan said when Tala remained suspicious. "I'm not playing any games with you, and you won't walk into my place and find candles lit and a cooked meal or anything like that. I'm serious."

"And what will we be 'talking' about?"

"Whatever you want. I just want us to spend some time together. Just as friends, if it makes you feel more comfortable."

" ... Alright."

Perhaps an evening with Bryan would help take his mind off of Hiwatari ... Very unlikely.

They parted ways just outside the door, but before Tala could take more than a couple of steps his cell phone went off. For a split second, he froze when he didn't recognize the number. Only a handful of people knew his number. Who was this, and how had they managed to get a hold of him? Could it be … This didn't seem like something beyond Hiwatari's capabilities, or was he just being paranoid?

Stepping back into the briefing room and closing the door, Tala answered softly.

"Hello?"

"Officer Ivanov? Er, hi. This is Ray. Ray Kon. You took a while to answer. Is this a bad time? This was the only number you gave me, and I know you must be really busy, but I … I guess you know why I'm calling …"

"Hiwatari," Tala said, sitting down on the nearest bench with a sigh. Just what he needed: more reason to think about Hiwatari. "Ray, I'm afraid I don't have time—"

"I think Kai tried to call me last night."

"What?"

"I can't believe it had to happen this way," Ray said, distressed. "At first I wasn't going to tell anyone, but I can't help … He killed all those people and … I love him, but I know he'll probably kill again. The phone rang and when I answered the person on the other end didn't say anything. I don't have any proof that it was him, but I just had this feeling and when I called his name the line went dead. I'm staying with Mariah, Tala, and I'm scared that Kai might do something to … I don't know. I just don't know what to do. Please, I need to see you, but I'm afraid about getting the police involved, especially since I'm not even sure it was him and I don't want to put you guys on the wrong track."

'You put him in this situation,' Tala told himself. 'You owe him some explanation, some reassurance.'

Checking his watch, Tala took a deep but soft breath and said, "What's the soonest we can meet up this afternoon?"

Tbc …

A/N: What? Did you honestly expect me to write a Kai fic without including our bluenette's least favourite highlander? Don't worry, Johnny fans, I did not put him in here just to kill him off … Or did I?

Read & Review, please.