~Videl~

A chiming sound woke Videl from whatever hazy dream she had been having. She hadn't suffered anymore nightmares, and she figured that the effects of cryo-sleep were gone from her system. The past few days she had much better sleep, and what little she could grasp of her dreams in her morning-fogged mind before they faded, were just bleary snippets of possible memories. A younger version of her best friend laughing, a flash of a bird flying into the wall of the elevator from the Aviary/Arboretum, the sound of footsteps echoing down a long, eerie hallway. The images and sounds were harder to hold onto upon waking than the strange emotions that tended to linger as she would muddle through her morning routine. Mostly anger, which was fairly foreign to the new Videl, and uncomfortable to experience. But even harder to cope with, was the deep sadness.

The emotions didn't feel like hers, and Videl didn't enjoy the déjà vu that accompanied them, so she would quickly try to brush them off, and start her day. That morning, she opened her eyes to the light of her holo-menu bleeding through her covers. As she pulled her arm out from beneath her blanket, the hologram screen flickered, before settling in front of her. She had to squint against the light that was almost blinding in the dark of her bedroom. What time was it?

5:45 a.m. - the digital clock face floating at the top of her holo-menu displayed. She didn't have a moment to be annoyed by being woken up so early, seeing that the chime that had brought her out of her dream-state had been a message from Kane. Yawning and stretching, she sat up and opened it.

[Want to meet us at the Gym? We'll be there at 6.]

Videl smiled, sleepily. She knew they liked to go early in the morning, but she didn't know they liked to go at 6 a.m. ! She felt another twinge of guilt for sleeping in after the movie night, and hindering their usual daily routine. As quickly as she could manage with her fingers that were still uncoordinated from recent slumber, she typed her reply, and as she hit "send," she got up and made her bed.

[Sure! I'll get ready, now.]

Videl was brushing her teeth in her quaint little bathroom, when the holo-menu popped back open with a chime.

[Cool. Bring a bathing suit, if you want to swim.]

Videl nodded at Kane's message as if he could see the gesture, and thumbed off the holo-menu. Once she finished refreshing herself, she told the bathroom light to shut off and returned to her bedroom. She wondered if the real Videl had even owned a bathing suit, and where she would have put one, if she did. She hadn't looked through all the drawers in the dresser, yet, but she figured that now was as good a time as any. She didn't need to search for long before she found the right drawer. Within the drawer seemed to be her odds-and-ends that she must not have had reason to wear often. An ugly Christmas sweater, something that resembled a fuzzy animal that Videl concluded was a costume for Halloween, a tangled-up wad of belts and scarves, and on top of an itchy-looking, sequined ball-cap, was a neatly-folded, lavender bikini top with matching bottoms. Videl liked that the bottoms had an attached over-skirt with a ruffled hem that matched a similar ruffle on the edge of the bikini top. The real Videl must have been fond of ruffles, and she was glad to have something in common with her. Although - Videl thought to herself - while she absently stroked the lavender material - since she had kept the suit in the drawer that seemed to contain things that had little use, it was probably safe to assume that she had rarely worn it.

With a start, Videl suddenly realized that learning how to swim was a memory of the many that were lost. She wondered sadly, if it had been her parents who would've taught her, or Risa. But with a sigh, she told herself that it didn't matter, now. She would have to teach herself all over again, regardless - if she could muster the courage to try and swim today. She checked the time, knowing before she did that she had wasted enough of it in search of the swimsuit. And after stowing the suit in a grocery bag and waving goodbye to Belle, she was off to go meet Kane and Dare on the Gym Level.

. . .

When she arrived a couple minutes late, Kane was waiting for her at the Gym manager's desk to swipe her in as his guest, and Dare was already warming up by the weights.

"Sorry I'm late," Videl's eyebrows furrowed as she flashed Kane a remorseful smile.

Kane didn't seem to be bothered at all. He smiled back at her and she was, once again, struck by how devastatingly handsome he was. He had shaved the sexy stubble that she had enjoyed seeing (and touching) but his smooth-looking skin was youthful and brighter, in the absence of it. She had to fight the urge to reach up and feel just how smooth it was under her fingertips. He wore his typical style of gym clothes - basketball shorts made from breathable, jersey material, and a loose-fitting tank top. They were different colors each time she had seen him in his gym clothes, but otherwise identical. The shorts displayed his taut, muscular legs, and the tank top had a neckline that dipped low enough to hint at the muscles she had eagerly caressed after their dinner with Risa. The cut-outs under his arms were like windows that gave fleeting glimpses of his carved sides when she watched him work out the first time. And without the hindrance of sleeves, his strong, sculpted arms were a treat that any girl would salivate over.

Videl must have been staring so hard - gawking at him like he was the living embodiment of masculinity - that she hadn't heard him respond to her apology. Kane looked like he was stifling a laugh as he repeated himself.

"Your wristband, V."

"Oh, I - " Videl blanched and hurried to swipe it past the sensor.

"Get an eyeful, princess?"

She wanted to glare at him, but the mirth that twinkled in his silver eyes, accompanied by his knowing smirk, fizzled any chance she had at denying it. Not that she would, even if just to wipe the sexy smirk off his face that made her heart race. She could only blush, feeling tongue-tied, and more than a little silly. When she didn't say anything, he chuckled and tilted his head in a nod for her to follow him. She obeyed the gesture, fiddling with the grocery bag handle, trying to fight the embarrassment.

Before they neared the spot Dare was stretching, wearing cordless earbuds, she felt Kane's hand on the small of her back as he leaned in close to whisper in her ear.

"Don't be shy," Kane's deep voice sent shivers down her spine. "I like the way you look at me."

And Videl thought she was blushing before!

~Kane~

What Kane whispered in V's ear had been a grievous understatement. The way she had gazed at him at the desk, like he was some sort of ethereal being that had put her under a spell . . .

It wasn't like other girls had never looked at him that way - he had caught his fair share of girls mooning at him as if he had been born from their sensual fantasies. It had stroked his ego, but it had never made him feel the way V had just then. The way she had looked at him made him feel dangerous, predatory, and sinful. It made him want to abandon all his attempted patience, his careful worries, his intents to abstain, and claim her as his, the way only a man could.

Mine.

The overwhelming possessiveness washed over him with a wave of heat. Kane forced the feeling down, knowing from experience how consuming and destructive he could be when he felt this way. V wasn't Darcy, and he knew that she wouldn't abuse his feelings for her like his ex had in the end. When Darcy was his girlfriend, he felt like he had played his part well, as a boyfriend. He didn't look at her like the sun shined from her ass, but he enjoyed having someone. In the beginning, he chastised himself for being overprotective. It annoyed him when she wore revealing clothes, or when she laughed too loudly at some other guy's jokes. And in Darcy's defense, she did her best not to upset him, or his possessive tendencies - while they were together, at least. But after they broke up, she did whatever she could to evoke his demons - to make him display any semblance of emotion for her, even if it was only toxic, shallow jealousy.

If he would have known the lengths she would go to, he might have lied and told her that he loved her. The night she had covered her naked body with his sheets, and said she loved him. But unfortunately, he had been brutally honest when he only told her that he liked being with her. He didn't say the words that she wanted to hear - knowing he wouldn't feel right misleading her. Even from the start, he had known that she wasn't really his type, but he was lonely, and she was there. She'd flown into a rage, tears streaming down her face.

"You like being with me?" Darcy cried resentfully. "But you don't love me." Kane sighed as he sat upright to look at her. "Darcy - " Kane started, unsure of what he could even say to make her feel better. "I guess you won't care if I fuck your friends, then!?" Darcy yelled, her blue eyes full of unveiled malice as she hastily picked her clothes up from the floor and yanked them on.

The first few days after she broke up with him, Kane had boiled with rage. She had traipsed around everywhere, half-dressed and flirting with anyone who paid her the littlest bit of attention. Seeing him turn green soothed the cruel part of her that knew he didn't love her, but still wanted a reaction out of him, to show he cared in some way. Once he had reconciled with his inner beast, and was no longer phased by her desperate antics, she spiraled. And he decided that it was best to avoid getting serious with another girl, knowing how twisted they could get when things went south. He had a few hook-ups, but never felt the need to hit them up twice. He was bitter, and more than a little resentful of girls in general, after Darcy. Kane even idly wondered at times if he was even capable of love. His own parents' marriage had been a farce that soured him to the idea at a young age. Their divorce was hardly a surprise to him and his little sister, Kiana. Both of them had witnessed far too many of their fights. Kiana was too young to remember the days when they seemed happy together. Kane wished that he had been, too. It made it that much harder for him to understand how they had come to hate each other.

When he was older, the puzzle pieces snapped together with more ease. The picture, which had once been blurred by his youth and naivety, became clear. His father's wealth and success was what drew his mother to him initially, and it was also the nail in the coffin that signified the end of their marriage. After Kiana was born, their father favored the life of a serial cheater, rather than the life of a doting husband and father. It was their mother who ultimately paid the price.

On Titan, it was a considerably shameful thing to divorce, especially once children were involved. The Council pushed marriage and children as a primary focus - nothing held greater importance than continuing to preserve the human race. Kane's father being a member of the Council made him outright refuse to bend to his mother's woes. He forced her to be the one to request the divorce, after years of tumultuous arguments, so that she  would be the one to bear the burden of shame attached to such a thing.

In the end, it was that shame that turned her into the broken woman she was today. After the divorce had been finalized, Kane was only 12 years old. His father had moved out of their lavish, up-scale quarters, leaving it to his mother to raise Kiana. Kane supported her as much as he could, especially during her inevitable lows of depression, often feeling like he was more of a father to Kiana than an older brother. He hadn't asked for the responsibility, and he had felt trapped by it. Their father was busy and distant. Though, it did seem like he felt some level of guilt, because no matter the need, he was always quick to aid his family financially - Kane's mother included. But as for the hands-on familial work, Kane shouldered most of it.

That responsibility strained his relationships with his mother and sister, once Kiana began to hit puberty. Of course, she resented Kane for being overprotective, and he felt helpless when their mother lifted no fingers to help him as he battled against his sister's rebellious streak. A few months before graduation, Kane got fed up, and after yelling at the both of them one night, letting out all his frustrations that he had with them, he left.

His father allowed him to stay with him, until he was finished with School - when he would arrange for him to have his own place. His father was hardly ever home, and when Kane wasn't busy with schoolwork, or out somewhere with Lars, he took boxing lessons. Really, he tried to avoid the awkwardness of being around his father as much as he could, even taking odd jobs every now and then. He knew that his dad had missed a huge portion of his life, and that he wanted to make up for it in the only way he knew how. Occasionally, his father attempted to bond with him, and the silence became a bit less uncomfortable. Kane, by no means, considered him Father-of-the-Year, by the time he moved out, and the Credits he had gifted him didn't mean much to him but he did love his dad, and he appreciated the few months that he had let him stay with him.

He would always hate him a little bit, too, though. His father had destroyed his mother, reducing her to a ghost of her former self, he had stolen his ability to be just a brother to Kiana rather than an oppressive authority figure, and ultimately, he became the reason Kane had ended up so jaded about the possibility of love.

But thanks for the Credits, Dad. He had thought bitterly, many times. Really makes it all better.