The tide was coming in, but Serenity didn't seem to mind. It amazed him how she found such joy in dancing among the waves. He'd been reluctant to even step on the sand and had refused to take off his boots and "feel the sand between his toes," as she'd put it. Even now, he kept himself one step ahead of the incoming waves.
That was like him – always one step ahead of everyone else. Even the ocean. He wondered if it was normal to consider the ocean an opponent. Probably not, but then again, Seto Kaiba had never been considered normal. And the ocean had a silent, deadly power of its own, one he had to respect. Kaiba smirked as it occurred to him that a body of water could be a worthier opponent than thousands of duelists and businessmen around the world.
There he was again, thinking about work when he should be enjoying his time with Serenity. He looked up to see that she'd gamboled further away from him and was now reaching into the waves to toss handfuls of water into the air. Her jeans were soaked to the knee and splashes of water dotted her shirt, but the look on her face was one of pure bliss.
How could she enjoy herself at a time like this? He always took everything too seriously, but he could find nothing funny about the stage their relationship had reached. They'd been together for six months already, and still his little brother was the only person who knew about it, the only person who could possibly approve of it. Kaiba knew little of love, but he knew it wasn't meant to be lived out in secret forever. Yet that seemed to be where it was heading.
He focused his gaze back on Serenity. She was heading back toward him, although she paused from time to time to skirt her fingers against the waves. His heart ached as she smiled at him and tried calling him into the water.
He shook his head firmly. He'd already showered before meeting up with her; he wasn't interested in taking another shower when he could be using the time to work.
Serenity sighed visibly and turned back to regard the dark waves once more. Kaiba wondered what she thought about when she looked at the ocean. He knew she used to visit the beach often with her older brother, when they were younger. Maybe she was remembering a day long past, long before her parents had separated, long before her eyesight had started to come undone.
He found his gaze wandering to the lights of the city they'd left behind. The fluorescent beams of the street lights, the neon signs in the shop windows, the sleek business buildings rising over everything else, that was where he belonged. Not on a beach when the tide was coming in.
A cry broke him out of his thoughts. He whirled around to see Serenity's feet slide out from under her and deposit her into the shallow waves. She wasn't in any danger, he knew, but he rushed into the water nonetheless.
The water barely went up to his knees, and he moved swiftly through the waves to her. He quickly picked her up and was about to carry her to the safety of the sand when she hopped out of his arms. With a mischievous smile, she dipped her hand into the waves and sent a splash of water in his direction.
For a brief moment, Kaiba considered returning the favor, but he couldn't imagine doing something so juvenile. Instead, he frowned as Serenity laughed at him.
"I knew that would get you into the water," she said.
AN: I wrote this while listening to Tokio Hotel's "1000 Oceans" (and its German counterpart "1000 Meere") on repeat. It's a great song, and, to be honest, actually reminds me more of the brotherly love between Kaiba and Mokuba, but I was in a Silentshipping mood.
On a random note, I can't help but be awed by the image of Kaiba and Serenity standing in the water together as the tide rushes in on them, which was why I included the tide in the story. This was especially inspired by one line in the song's chorus that goes "We have to go a thousand oceans wide, a thousand times against an endless tide." God, what a beautiful image.