Ceeda & Medea
Part Two to Cig Break


Kayne
Having initially started going back to the dorms, Kayne had decided to take a slight detour to the small secluded courtyard he had found to have one last cigarette before returning to face Cirrus. If she was smart she wouldn't say anything, but they were of the same blood and he knew that that was highly unlikely. Finishing the cigarette he threw it down to the ground to snuff it out, smiling as he remembered how Jess had felt against his bare skin when he had awoken from their small nap this afternoon. Feeling extremely happy and relaxed, he started back to the dorms, ready to face Cirrus again.



Cirrus
Cirrus was already in bed when she heard her brother return from where ever he had disappeared off to. Lying in the dark she debated confronting him. He had promised her that he was no longer spending time with Jess and she had no reason to believe that she was who he had disappeared with, but a gut instinct told her otherwise. Slowly she pulled herself out of bed and went to her bedroom door, catching him halfway to his own bedroom door.

"Where'd you disappear to this afternoon? I thought we were meeting for dinner," she said, feigning sleepiness to dull her curiosity.



Kayne
Kayne stopped mid step and turned to face Cirrus. Damn. He had almost made it to bed. Slipping his hands in his pockets, one of which contained his boxer shorts, he gave her a small shrug.

"Kusani and I decided to go out to eat off campus. I owed him from playing soccer the other day," he replied.



Cirrus
Cirrus narrowed her eyes despite her plan to attempt to stay non accusive. Crossing her arms over her chest she eyed him suspiciously.

"Really? You were with Ra?" she asked. "Where did you go?"



Kayne
"Just some random place off campus that he noticed one day. He'd been wanting to try it out ever since. And since I owed him a meal as part of losing a one on one match with him I said hey why not. So we did," he replied with another shrug, missing the calculating look in her eyes.



Cirrus
"You were with Ra. All day. Until now... ten o'clock," she said, nodding slightly and looking away for a moment. When she looked back her jaw was set stubbornly and her eyes revealed her anger.

"That's really funny. Because when I showed up to the dining hall to wait for you, like we had agreed, I happened to run into Ra and even sat with him while we ate together since my brother had seemed to stand me up," she said quietly.



Kayne
Kayne's happiness melted. He hadn't really thought his excuse all the way through... obviously. So now he had been caught in a lie. Glancing away he considered his options, trying to find the least combative answer he could find so that he would be able to slip off to bed soon, even though he wasn't very tired.

"Alright then," he shrugged, admitting defeat. "I went off by myself. Is that such a horrible crime?" he asked, pulling his hands out of his pockets, along with his shorts. Looking down his face flushed a bright red. s**t.



Cirrus
Shock was plastered all over Cirrus's face when she saw her brother's boxers tumble out of his pocket. She stared at them for a moment, then looked up at him.

"Okay... so you went off by yourself and just randomly decided to go commando? Do you mind telling me the truth now Kayne?" she demanded with a skeptical look in her eyes.



Kayne
Kayne wracked his brain for something, anything, other than what had happened this afternoon. He was having difficulty as the memory of Jess was so fresh on his mind. Slowly scrolling through the girls he had met at Aquila, he tried to figure out which one would be a lovely scapegoat this time around. Sighing defeatedly, he bent to pick up his boxers.

"Alright. You want the truth?" he asked, straightening up and looking at her. "I wasn't out by myself. There? You happy now?" he asked with a shrug. Maybe if she dropped it here he wouldn't have to lie to her again. But judging by the look in her eyes, he was out of such luck.



Cirrus
Cirrus's eyes widened at his admission, her mind immediately jumping to conclusions.

"Kayne! You promised! How could you even think of spending time with that woman?" she demanded.



Kayne
Kayne's eyes flashed angrily at Cirrus's lack of respect, but for the sake of protecting Jess, he managed to reign in the flame of temper that flared at her words.

"First of all, don't you ever refer to Sensei as 'that woman' again. She has done nothing wrong and does not deserve to be judged so harshly by someone like you," he said stepping closer to her. "Secondly, unlike my sweet and dear sister, I don't feel the need to run around behind your back and keep secrets. I was out with someone and she and I decided to go for a swim down in the river. It's as simple as that. The only reason why I even bothered to think up an excuse was because she asked me to!"



Cirrus
Cirrus recoiled away from her brother's anger, her eyes wide with hurt and anxiety. For a moment, words failed her and all she could do was blink at him. 'What had he meant by a person like me?' she wondered. But instead of asking about that, she decided to confront the other issue.

"Th-Then who were you with? Why does it have to be such a secret?" she asked.



Kayne
"I was with Saki, damn it!" he yelled in frustration. Again the memories of Jess clouded his mind, but he pushed them aside as he stared down at his sister. "There. You went and made me go against my promise to her. We were out walking down by the river and I decided I wanted to go for a swim and we both stripped down to our skivvies and jumped in. She didn't want me to broadcast it all over the school thank you," he said, glaring down at her, willing himself to be convincing.



Cirrus
Cirrus blinked. She knew that Saki was very blunt and didn't really seem to care about what people thought of her. But going for a dip in your underwear with a person of the opposite sex was a different situation and one that could be easily misinterpreted. Looking away she found herself searching for a hole in his story, anything to stay angry with Jess. But there wasn't one. She really had no reason not to believe him. Sighing, she looked back up at him.

"You were really with Saki? I didn't know that you two had even met," she said softly.



Kayne
Kayne sighed inwardly in relief. It looked like she had taken it hook, line, and sinker. Relaxing he pulled himself out of his defensive state and gave her disbelieving look.

"I told you I met her a few days ago when I had gone to breakfast early that one morning, right before I went to Aine's house. We just happened to run into each other and went for a walk, which ended up in a dip in the river," Kayne said, crossing his arms.



Cirrus
"Oh," Cirrus said softly, looking down at the floor, trying to hide the shame in her eyes. She really didn't understand what it was about Jess that irked her so much. All she knew was she didn't want her around her brother.

"I'm sorry Kayne," she said, looking up at him apologetically. A small smile teased the corner of her lips. Maybe he had given up on his fancy of Jess and already started moving on to other girls. "I'm really sorry," she said, closing the space between them and slipping her arms around him in a hug, pleading for forgiveness.



Kayne
Kayne allowed Cirrus to hug him, looking up to the ceiling and saying a brief silent word of thanks. After a few moments passed, he pushed her gently away from him.

"Now... next time, don't just jump to conclusions. I'm good on my word and you know that," he said, staring at her evenly.



Cirrus
"I know. I'm sorry," she said, hugging him again. It was then that she noticed the faint smell of cigarette smoke on him. Pulling away she looked up at him with her eyes narrowed again.

"Have you been smoking again?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.



Kayne
"Good night Cirrie," Kayne smiled and leaned down to kiss her lightly on the top of her head. Quickly, before she could say another word, he turned and disappeared into his room. Safe at last he stripped out of his clothes to take a shower, then collapse on his bed as he replayed his day over and over in his head until he finally managed to drift back off to sleep.



Fin
~~~ Fade to Black ~~~