He gave her legs to stand on, when he refused to speak further. It made her recall that she was, between the two of them, the more convincing adult. It was a mildly satisfying thing, as Kit had been making her feel small in the strangest ways. She did not give him a reply either, as if she were imagining he'd not said anything at all. That the silence had extended and he'd not reminded her of<i>how he made her feel</i>. Rei was good about ignoring the things that stared at her hardest. That's how she'd passed him by for so long, after all. She did look over at him once more, during the drive. It made her sigh. At his childishness, maybe, or with some vague longing. Rei had always walked that line, hadn't she? Who could expect her to change? Kit hadn't. They were simply showing themselves to one another a little clearer.<br/><br/>Rei shook her head. "Naho would be heartbroken. You can't just up and leave." She tried to be practical. Had it been an excuse? She'd flushed then, and pushed her foot down harder on the accelerator. Pinching her brow, she had no other choice but to listen to him and his precious sullen. Surely, it was half of his draw. He didn't let her answer, which seemed to be the only appropriate way to end their heavy ride. She stayed in the car until she couldn't see him, and realized that she'd watched him go.<br/><br/>She spent most of the morning in her office, mulling over lesson plans until her adviser interrupted her for a meeting. It was nearly time to meet Kit after that, an engagement that Rei had been avoiding thinking about since sh'ed left the car. It made her heart squeeze uncomfortably. Part of her expected him to be as sincere as he'd been the last time he'd said it would be over between them. She wasn't so naive that she'd forgotten in a night. Still, part of her thought he might mean it this time. The set of his shoulders had been so taut. Rei couldn't have said which possibility was making her feel a little sick.<br/><br/>Rei was quiet when she entered the gym, following the instructions Kitato had given her. When she saw him, teaching one of her other students a distinctly unacademic lesson, she had to bite back a gasp. Her cheeks colored as she turned away, embarrassed to have seen them there and confused by the uncomfortable taste it left in her mouth. She wouldn't have recognized it for jealousy, having yet to understand a sense of belonging with her volatile lover. Instead, she fell into the fluster of a woman who'd not known such things. Nahoya had always been a proper lover. He would never have whisked her away to dirty, dark places. Rei wondered if she might have liked it.<br/><br/>She was unwilling enough to look back at them, frozen where she stood, that she did not see the younger girl leave. She heard her go, though, and that Kit had sent her without any suggestion of sweetness. Rei thought she should scold him for doing such a thing, but she could not have hoped to bring herself to that kind of confidence now. Instead, she was left to linger in an unsettled relief. Conflicted and self-absorbed then, she jumped when Kit's voice was nearer than she'd expected. Rei looked up at him with a start.<br/><br/>"I... yes. It should be, in a way." She managed,  tripping over the syllables more than she'd have liked. Her cheeks were still warm from catching Kit and his discarded plaything. "I mean, you shouldn't leave the house or anything. Naho would be upset." She was mumbling, like a child asking for things it knew better than to hope for. "But, yes. For... us... it should be goodbye." Rei nodded, like that gave her unconvincing words the gravity they needed. She should have stopped there, but she found herself saying more. Thoughts that had no business in her head, and even less business being spoken aloud. "Which should be fine for you, right? I see it wasn't hard for you to find alternative entertainment." Did she sound bitter, straightening her spine and pushing her bobbed hair behind her ears. She was making a face like she wanted to scold him. "These girls are better suited for you, I think." Rei had the audacity to smile at him then. Incredible woman, in some ways. She'd made it sound a little like an insult, like she was implying Nahoya deserved something more refined than Kit could possibly appreciate, and yet she stared at him like she didn't have a clue she'd insinuated a thing.