Half-brothers

Chapter 2: The Daily Swim

Notes: Um... a nude Kyou in this chapter. Sorry to anyone who didn't want to see that. *grins* I may be introducing a few plot twists and original characters soon, so be prepared, okay?





Kyou sighed with slight relief as he reached the beach. He landed on the ground and looked around for a moment to make sure no one else was there. He stripped off his black gi, the pants joining his overshirt on the water-smoothed rocks. He tossed his black wife beater on top of it all and stretched for a moment before running into the water, diving beneath the surface of the blue waves.

His sleek and powerful muscles pulled him along under the water for a moment before he resurfaced with a slight gasp and a little laugh. If there was one thing Kyou loved, it was swimming. He had to take an hour long swim every day, or things seemed very wrong to him for the rest of the day. There was something comforting in the solitude of the waves that caressed him lovingly as he swam, something familiar in their strength and beauty.

He took a breath and dove down deep, staying near the bottom for a moment before floating back to the top. His head broke the surface and he stopped breathing as he listened. He could have sworn he just heard something. It almost sounded like... There it was again! Giggling? The sound stopped, so he ignored it, thinking it was his imagination.

He swam for another forty-five minutes, his body knowing that the time was almost up. Soon he made his way back to shore, emerging from the water like some Greek God in a painting. His dark hair was swept back from his forehead, his blue eyes sparkling, his rippling muscles covered in a sheen of water, his pale skin gleaming, his earring all a-glitter....

He ran his fingers through his hair as he went back over to the rock where he'd left his clothes. "What the hell?!" he asked, his eyes blinking in confusion. He knew this was where he'd left them, so why in the hell weren't they here anymore?

He heard that sound again. It had to be someone giggling. Someone feminine from the sound of it... He very calmly sat down on the rock where his clothing was supposed to be, crossing his arms over his chest. He was a picture of patience as he sat there. "You can give me back my clothes any time now, ladies..." he said, his voice a bit huskier sounding than he had intended. He wanted them to give his clothes back, not melt into puddles...

There was the sound of whispering and two girls came from behind the pile of rocks near to him. Kyou arched a dark brow at the two of them, wondering why he'd never noticed them here before. "You two come here often?" he asked with a bit of a smirk, taking them in appreciatively.

They gave him the same look, twin smiles on their faces. "We've been watching you for a few weeks," one of them admitted. Kyou turned his unsettling icy gaze on her, his head tilted slightly as he looked at her. She seemed familiar...

With a mortified yelp, he leapt behind the rocks, quickly concealing his nakedness. "Kioma! What in Kami's name are you doing here?!"

The girl in question giggled again, brushing back a few of her azure curls. "Watching you, silly."

"But why?!" he asked, his face turning several interesting shades of red.

"You'd think that someone who wanted their clothes back would be a bit nicer, don't you think, Tera?" Kioma said to her friend.

Tera shrugged, unconsciously fixing a strap of her black string bikini. "One would think so, but the fact that he knows us from school might be controlling his thinking right now." She ran her fingers through her deep burgundy locks, tossing some of her waist-length hair over her shoulder. Her amethyst eyes watched Kyou closely, a smirk taking over her features as the blush in his cheeks deepened.

"You two are evil..." he muttered.

Kioma laughed, shaking her head. Her form was the exact opposite of her friend's. Where Tera was slender and tall, Kioma was shorter and much more curvaceous. Her iridescent blue bikini looked as if it would burst at any given moment, a fact which didn't escape Kyou's notice.

"Would you two give me back my clothes, please?" he asked, the burning sensation in his face starting to fade.

Tera, showing a shred of mercy, tossed him his pants. He hurriedly pulled them on, sighing with relief and reemerging from his hiding place. "Why in the hell were you two watching me swim?"

Kioma and Tera exchanged a look. "Put two and two together to get twenty-two, Kyou. Are we not allowed to enjoy the view of a perfectly sculpted body on occasion?" Kioma's blue eyes blinked almost innocently.

Kyou rolled his eyes. "Not when it's mine!" he replied almost angrily.

Tera gave him a pouty look. "You're no fun, Kyou..." she said with disappointment.

"More fun than you two'll ever know..." he said, instantly regretting it.

"Oh?" they said in unison, their interest piqued.

"Never mind. What did you do with my shirts, you two?"

Kioma sighed. "I guess you're not in the mood to play today, hmm?" She walked away and came back a few minutes later with his shirts, handing them to him reluctantly.

Tera gave Kyou a wink and Kioma blew him a kiss as the two began walking away. "Remember Kyou... we'll be watching!" they both said with a laugh, taking off at a run and leaving the beach behind quickly.

"That was weird..." he muttered. He put his shirts on and headed back to his house, helping out with more chores to keep his mind off the afternoon's events. He couldn't help wondering why Kioma and Tera had been watching him...