Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Author's Note: I'M SO SORRY YOU GUYS!!! I have no excuse really, except for laziness and writer's block. My summer has been downright depressing as well. It hasn't stopped raining since school got out, so I haven't even been swimming yet. Although by now I could easily swim in my backyard.

I seem to have lost my requester for this chapter! BlackcatDragon17 is neither in my reviews or on the search engine of FF(dot)net.

I'm sad. If I'm mistaken, they can bludgeon me with a hammer. Maybe they changed their penname . . .

So here's my own little chapter.

Chapter Twenty-One: Life's a Beach

Little Jounouchi grabbed his baby sister's hand as they walked from the train station toward the docks. It was a beautiful summer day; clear skies and warm weather.

Shizuka looked up at her older brother curiously. "Jounouchi? Where are we going?"

"You'll see." He winked. He squeezed her small hand in reassurance before continuing toward Domino Boardwalk.

Shizuka smiled back at him, giving him one of her precious smiles that could warm anyone's heart. She toddled along beside him, in the way only a small child could. Her eyes widened in awe as the ocean came stretched out before her and they stopped in front of the pier.

Shizuka cupped her face. "Wow," she beamed, "It's so pretty!"

Jounouchi smiled broadly. "See? I told you you'd like it!"

The two children ran down the boardwalk and to the beach. Shizuka laughed and flailed her arms around as her chestnut pigtails bounced in the air. Her toes squished into the warm sand and she scrunched her face at the peculiar feeling.

"Shizuka! Let's make a sand castle!" Jounouchi declared.

"Ok!"

And so, like busy worker ants, the castle came to life. Though clumsy it looked, obviously by children's hands, it looked marvelous to them.

Shizuka carved another window into one of the towers.

"Big brother?"

Jounouchi added another 'Dungeon'. You could never have too many dungeons.

"Hm?" Jounouchi looked up.

Shizuka had quieted down, and was staring at her hands tightly folded in her lap. "Do you think Mama will bring you with us this time?"

Jounouchi's face went solemn. He traced the sand with his small shovel while he pondered what to tell his baby sister.

Their mom and dad had split a little over a month ago and their mom had taken Shizuka with her, and had left Jounouchi with his father. The separation was hard for the two, but Shizuka, even at her young age, held hope that she'd bring him home with them when 'visiting' was over.

Jounouchi knew she wouldn't take him. He looked too much like his father. She wouldn't take him.

But he couldn't tell Shizuka that. It would break her heart. So he told her the only thing he could.

"I don't know, Shizuka. Maybe someday she will."

"Oh."

Suddenly building castles wasn't that much fun anymore.

"Hey! Shizuka, do you want some ice cream?" A change of subject was needed, Jounouchi decided.

"I guess."

Jounouchi got up to leave, but his sister didn't budge.

"What gives, Sis?"

"Bubba?" Which she only used when she really needed him, " Promise you won't forget me?"

She understood that her brother wasn't coming home.

Jounouchi gave a bittersweet smile, "Sure, Shizuka."

"Pinky Promise?"

Shizuka held out her little finger, little tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

Jounouchi entwined her finger with his.

"Pinky Promise."

Fin.

Ok. Hope you all liked this one. In case you were wondering this was a spin-off from the flashbacks of their childhood in the series.

Reviews please, and check out my new fic, "Aphrodisiac"! It's Rated M, but I think I might be able to lower it to T. It's a Yaoi, so if you're not into that then don't worry about it.

I repeat…

Review! (Even though this worthless-no-update-authoress does not deserve it.)