CHAPTER TWENTY

A/N- Yeah, people, I'm back, and I thank all of thee for thy reviews, and thank those who read this at all, but not as much as I thanked those who reviewed. HA. So review now…

Caius stared at Titinius till he completely left his sight, and continued to stare even after…

'So that's it then,' said Caius, 'just a stupid "good luck", which he probably doesn't even mean?'

'Yeah, well, he doesn't have much choice does he?' Portia said. Though the words were stingy, her tone was comforting. How she managed it, Caius would never know.

'Yeah,' said Caius, looking at the point where the man he had been with for a few days, not even a week, whom he now so suddenly missed, had, a few seconds ago, been standing. (The fairy had gone for a walk, leaving him and Portia alone.) Caius sighed noiselessly.

The whole Titinius business had been so stupid.

And the most stupid part was that he never even liked Titinius. Not in that way at least. He had even forgotten him completely, only Brutus occupying his thoughts. He had always known that he had been using him to get over Brutus. As a toy, nothing more. And now, he was the one who would have to carry the reminders of those times spent together, and Titinius could walk free, scarless, with no memories to bother him. The curse cast by Caius had rebounded right back on him.

And why? Why? Wasn't he, Caius Cassius, the cunning evil sly guy who used people for getting over someone else, and for the free chocolate? Then why was this happening to him? Titinius was the one who was supposed to end up heart-broken, not him.

How had he managed to like a person so much in only a few days? The relationship couldn't have been more than four or five days, till that one day that the truth came out. Why had he only realized Titinius' value, after he left him? He wasn't the same man he used to be after he met Titinius. He hadn't really dated anyone, as such. Just a stupid bunch of flowers, a box of chocolates, a shared cuppa coffee, and he was a new person, a person who liked someone that way. And now the person he liked suddenly didn't exist anymore.

'I know,' said Portia, 'its rather sad, isn't it?'

'It's alright,' said Caius and repeated for the umpteenth time, 'it's not his fault.'

'But you feel bad no matter whose fault it is,' said Portia. Then she paused…what was she supposed to say next?

But Caius wasn't really listening, so she didn't have to bothering figuring out what to say. He walked to a seat on the stands and sat down, preparing to munch on a plastic dog. His head was in his hands, and he took a large bite out of the dog.

'BLEARGHHHH!' he spat it out, 'what was that?'

'It was a plastic dog,' Portia explained, 'but have this – I packed you some sandwiches, in case you got hungry.'

Caius gratefully took the sandwiches, as he was pretty hungry. Especially since he had been "swimming" for such a long time.

'You know,' he said, stuffing his mouth, 'this sucks. I hope I'll win, that'll show Tity...'

'That isn't going to show him anything,' said Portia wisely, 'except that you're better than Caesar, which he probably already knows. And, well, he's straight Cas, and I know you're hurt, but we'll get you over this. I promise.'

'I didn't know I could like a person so much in such little time, especially when I didn't like him from the start. Our relationship was, according to me, some sort of time-pass thingy. I didn't care how he felt-,' he was careful enough to leave out the details involving Brutus, -'I was bored and needed something to do.'

'Something to do,' repeated Portia, trying not to remember the two of them making out. Somewhere else, Titinius was trying not to do the exact same thing. It did sort of disgust him after all.

'Yeah, but "bye bye Tity",' said Caius, waving to the empty air, and failing to notice someone right behind him.

It was when that someone spoke, that Caius realized there a person standing right behind his back - 'Hello.'

Brutus.

'Hi Markie,' said Portia, instinctively throwing Caius a suspicious look. Caius, however, either didn't notice or ignored that look. The look had faded away within half a second anyway.

'Hey Bru, man,' Caius breathed.

'What's up?' Brutus asked. He had only learnt that term recently from this cartoon show on TV.

'New term?' Portia noticed.

Brutus nodded and sat down next to them. Portia was now in the middle with Caius to her left and Brutus to her right.

'You did well,' said Brutus, 'peace though…' he offered Caius one of his flags.

'He's the one competing,' said Portia, horrified.

'Tyranny might think I'm a wuss if I tell him I want peace,' Caius looked ten times more shocked than Portia, and Portia was so shocked that her hair stood on its ends for a few seconds, something remarkable for a woman with such extraordinarily long wavy hair, so that was saying something.

'I was just hoping-,' said Brutus, but he didn't complete his sentence because Caius wouldn't let him.

'I cannot, and will not make peace with Mr. Tyrannous Dictator Caesar, Bru, he'd think I'm admitting defeat, he'd consider himself winner.'

'You're talking to me again?' Brutus happily said.

'When was I not?' asked Caius, completely forgetting all his feelings in a single go, and throwing all his thoughts in one direction – defeating Caesar. Just because of a stupid flag. Just a minute ago, it was all about Titinius, now it was all about worthless swimming. Boys…

Portia smiled, happy that at least the competition was talking her friend's mind of Titinius.

'But peace is good,' Brutus tried to explain, 'and Julius' blood had been shed for peace's sake…'

'Did you see the result?' Caius asked, 'Civil war and MORE dictatorship. Hence, I must defeat him.'

'Come to Cassius, you must not!' said Brutus, wondering what on earth he was talking about.

'Most noble brother,' said Caius, 'both you and I know that it is must, that that tyrant be shown his ways. He still thinks that he is all powerful.'

Caius paused, and then shrieked, 'on what meat doth that god feed that he is grown so strong? Knows he not of vegetarianism?'

Portia rolled her eyes, and this time successfully. Who had not heard of vegetarianism with all of Caius' campaigns?

'But the meat he doth feed on must have something on it, for tis not meet that he so close to beat me, with that falling sickness he hath…what the hell am I talking about? ' The "meet" was an intended pun.

'You were saying that he must be eating something really nice,' said Brutus, 'because he's so close to beating you.'

'Yea!' said Caius. The adrenaline was getting to him. He stared at the sky for a few moments, and then decided to go on with his babbling.

'Tis Caesar, tis mortal God cannot beat Cassius, for swim is what Cassius can do! Water is what Cassius knows best! And no meat will break that! Caesar go down down!'

Now even Brutus couldn't make sense of what Caius was saying.

'Caius,' Portia politely pointed out, 'you're not making any sense.'

'I doth not careth about sense making,' said Caius boldly. He was about to say something else just as not "sense making" but was interrupted, this time by the one and only – Julius Caesar.

'I have not been fed on any kind of meat,' Caesar said, 'it's not good for my epilepsy, or so said my doctor. Oh, hello Brutus, hello Portia.'

Brutus stared at the floor guiltily and mumbled a, 'hey.' and Portia nodded her head curtly in Caesar's direction. Caius stood up.

'You!' he spat.

'Me,' said Caesar, 'and I must say, you are proving to be tougher competition than I could have believed.' His choir "ooh"ed in the background, and Antony ran to the men's room to giggle.

'Perhaps you underestimate me,' said Caius. His real name was Gaius, but that's out of the topic.

'Perhaps you underestimate me, to have chosen to fight against me like this. We still have many metres to go, and who knows how it will end. It will take months, maybe years, to complete the course -,'

'Peace?' said Brutus hopefully.

'-but yet I fight against you in this foolish manner, when we both know who will emerge as winner. Me. Caesar was always winner, and shall remain so, forever.'

'Stop speaking that utter nonsense,' said Caius, 'for Caius is as Gaius as Portia is Porcia.'

'But that makes no sense either,' Portia whispered to Brutus.

'And I am as Caesar as Antony is Antony,' said Caesar mockingly. He paused to increase the effect of his words. During the pause, he, however, realized how idiotic his words had sounded, and walked away.

'You all should get your shirts on,' said Brutus. But no one listened to him.

'It doesn't matter what he said,' said Portia to Caius, signalling him to sit down.

'Yeah, yeah,' said Caius, 'he sucks anyway.' and he sat down sulkily.

Two more minutes passed and nothing was said. Silence bugged Portia so she opened her mouth.

'You'll win anyway-,' she bagan, but more disruptions were on their way.

'No you wont, and where's Ju?' it was Antony, 'I needed the washroom, and he was here when I left. C'mon where's he?'

No one got up or asked Antony to sit down.

'We don't keep tabs on him,' said Caius. Damn that Antony!

'But he was right here!' Antony protested.

'Not anymore!' said Caius.

'Hey,' said Brutus, 'you and I have the same first name.'

'Who doesn't?' replied Antony, 'and where's Ju, someone who's not Cassius, answer me.'

'He went that way,' said Portia, pointing left. Caesar could still clearly be seen. He was sitting down and grumbling about how everything sucked with his choir "ooh"ing behind him.

'Next time try looking,' said Caius rudely.

'Thanks Porch,' said Antony, 'and Cassius, you're going dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooown!' he then went back to his hobby of following Caesar like a hound.

'Blah blah blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah,' said Caius. He would have gone on forever if it wasn't for the third disruption – an announcement.

'Game to resume in two minutes!'

'Yeah!' yelled Antony.

'Yeah! Yeah!' yelled the cheerleaders.

'Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!' sang the choir.

Caesar and Caius, however, burst into tears.

The water had only just been wiped off their hair, and they had to go back into the cruel water. The cold cruel water.

'No!' cried Caesar, 'break-time it is!' he took out his favourite frilly pink handkerchief and sobbed into it.

'But my sandwich isn't even over yet!' Caius screamed, and started to eat it very very slowly.

Ten minutes passed and everyone was still waiting for Caius to finish his sandwich.

'Mmmmm,' said Caius, and nibbled a small piece off. A very small piece.

'Caius,' said Portia, 'do finish. The race was supposed to continue five minutes ago…'

But neither Caius nor Caesar wanted to race. Caius was stuck on the same sandwich for the next few hours, and Caesar was sitting next to Antony and watching Caius eat. It wasn't too entertaining a sight, but it sufficed.

Brutus took advantage of the moment.

'Peace,' he said, 'if both the competitors agree, no one will have lost. You both shall be winners as you had the strength to forget your past hatred.'

And this time, both agreed, shook hands, and decided to go their separate ways.

The cheerleaders and choir sang together, 'Brutus and Peace!!!!!!!!!!!!' in two completely different tunes. The cheerleaders then stood on their head/eyelashes, waving their pom-poms around in joy.

Everyone but Antony was pleased with the result of the race. Antony had borrowed his friend's pink hanky to wipe his sorrowful tears on.

'But you had to beat him, Joooooooooo,' he continuously sobbed.

The sun shone, like it had in the previous chapter, in all its glory. It shone on the pretty water. It shone on the plastic dogs. It shone on Caius' sandwich. It shone on Antony's brilliant tears, making them ten times more pronounced.

Yes, it was truly a glorious moment.

A/N- ah well, I'm late yet again,, but I had tons of bio homework. I hope you all checked out the video and will review…???

Oooh, and I've planned a sequel for this. It will have more of Titinius-Portia. Lalalaaaaaaaa!!!. And Bru-Cas may have a fight, I don't know, I'll have to think about it. But I like the idea of them fighting…and for the last time (in this chapter, that is) people, if you have read this, REVIEW. PLEASE!!!