Chapter Twelve

Mokuba was wearing everything that had been in the bag the next day. Hat, shorts, jersey, and more than one kitschy rubber bracelet. He had also tried to wear his cleats, but Seto had refused to let him out of the estate until he changed into more reasonable footwear. He barely ate, which Seto found unusual. At least until he made the mistake of asking and learned that Mokuba was saving his appetite for greasy fair food and ungodly amounts of sugary soda.

It was a two-hour drive from the estate to the amusement park. Mokuba lounged back in the passenger seat. His head bounced to the music coming from the buds sticking out of his ears. As the curve of a rollercoaster and the facade of a drop tower rose out of the horizon, he leaned forward and flipped down the sunshade to adjust his hat in the mirror.

"You think her sister's cute?" he asked.

Seto lifted his head from where it had been resting on his fist. "I do hope you mean the older one."

"Well, duh. I ain't a pedo."

Seto merged into the proper lane for parking. 'If she looks anything like Kisa,' was what he wanted to say.

Mokuba pulled the buds out of his ear and stuffed them into his pockets.

Seto cleared his throat. "Mokuba, I'd like to talk to you before we join Kisa and her sisters."

"About my language, right? I'll be on my 'best behavior'." Seto could almost hear the eye-roll in his voice.

"No, but I appreciate the forward-thinking." Seto opened the window to pay the parking fee, but didn't speak again until they were past the booth. "It's about Kisa."

Mokuba was silent until Seto pulled them into a parking spot in their assigned area. When Seto looked over, he found the teen watching him with a curious expression.

"I noticed you've been using her first name," Mokuba said. "You don't do that for anyone but me. Not even Mrs. Tomoko."

Seto turned off the car. "Things have changed."

"You slept with her, didn't you?" Mokuba asked. "I'm not blind. She looked at you all-" He wiggled his fingers in emphasis of his unspoken point. "And you were weird yesterday. Relaxed. You're never relaxed. And you were working, but you'd just randomly stop and just… sit there. Admit it, you got laid."

Seto rubbed his temple. This was far from how he'd expected this conversation to go.

"So…" Mokuba continued, "are you guys, like, dating now?"

"Not exactly."

"So it's a 'friends with benefits' kinda thing?"

Seto suppressed a mortified groan and opened his door, nearly pinging it against the minivan next to them.

Mokuba hurried to follow. "Come on. I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle it. You've never done the whole 'birds and the bees' shit my friends say their parents do. I think I'm overdue."

Seto jammed his keys in his pocket and strode away, towards the lumbering crowd in the distance. "I assumed you were smart enough not to get yourself into trouble."

Mokuba had to jog to keep up. "Well, yeah, duh, but I never get to talk to you about girls. Spill. Was it good?"

Seto's steps froze and he rounded on his little brother, eyes narrowed.

Mokuba stopped with him. There was a sly grin on his face. He had his arms crossed behind his head, his posture relaxed, but confident. He may have been seventeen, but part of Seto still saw him as the boy who used to follow him around. There had been a time when he'd hung off Seto's coattails and smiled with such heartbreaking honesty that it was hard to stay mad or frustrated. He had grown up before his eyes, but Seto had refused to see it. Mokuba was almost at height with him. Five-foot eight to Seto's six-foot one. He was almost a man, but still far more innocent than Seto had been at his age. How was he supposed to talk to Mokuba about such things, especially when Seto himself had not had that kind of talk? Not in the traditional sense, anyway.

Seto stuck his hands in his pockets, unable to keep eye contact.

"Wild, huh?" Mokuba asked.

"I'm not doing this." Seto turned and walked away.

Mokuba's laughter followed.

There was a line of people outside the ticket booths. Families with squadrons of small children gathered around them. Teenagers in groups, arms slung about their dates, participating in public displays of affection with reckless abandon.

Kisa stood out among them, easy to spot with her tail of blue-white hair, as if she were a lone flower in the middle of a field. She had a satchel purse slung across her body. In her hand, she held a handful of park tickets. It was the first time Seto had seen her in anything other than long sleeves or bare skin. Straps thin as shoelaces held up a flowing peach tank top with a back that plunged low, nearly to the waist of her jeans. It left her tattoo clear for anyone to see.

He realized she couldn't have been wearing a bra with that outfit and unconsciously licked his lips.

There were two girls with her, both uncanny in their similarity to their older sister, but opposed to each other. The smaller, who Seto assumed to be Rin, had her brown hair put up just like her big sisters. Her sundress was patterned with yellow flowers and she'd adorned her wrists and neck in beaded jewelry that looked handmade. She seemed to be talking at a rapid pace, her blue eyes darting about the pamphlet map open in front of her.

The older one's hair was the same color as Kisa's, but cut short in a pixie style that accentuated high cheekbones and large eyes. Something about her reminded Seto of the waitress he'd seen at Blue Wind, though it felt like more than just how she dressed. Miku had on black jeggings and a form-fitting black tank top. She appeared to be texting someone, jaw working as if she were chewing gum.

Mokuba whistled. "She's got tats too? Didn't think you'd be into that."

Seto chose to ignore the comment. Miku spotted them first. She leaned over and cupped a hand over Kisa's ear to whisper.

Kisa looked up, locked eyes with Seto, and smiled. "Morning!"

Seto cleared his throat. "Good morning."

He wanted to kiss her, to touch her, but there were too many eyes. Every hand had a cell phone and in every cell phone, a camera. He knew it would have been too risky, but it didn't stop the want from simmering in his belly.

Mokuba's gagging sounds next to his ear brought all that to a sudden stop.

Seto turned on him, but the teen lounged back into that same confident, relaxed pose.

Kisa rolled her eyes. "Kids, right?" She started handing out the tickets.

Seto took one when she handed it to him. "I would have covered the cost."

"Shush and let a lady buy if she wants to." She winked. "You can pay me back later."

Miku leaned closer to Mokuba and whispered behind her hand into his ear.

He snorted. "Yeah, I know."

Kisa looked up at Seto, brows high. "Got it over with, did you?"

"It was for the best." Seto slipped his ticket into his pocket.

Kisa's fingers brushed his leg and it took all his self-control not to ravish her for all the world to see. She fixed him with a knowing smile before wrapping an arm around Rin's shoulders and leading them all through the gate.

The main thoroughfare spread out in a semicircle from the main gate, then onward into the distance with two lanes splitting off on either side of a long rectangular pool. Spaced evenly down the length of the pool were fountains that spouted clear blue water in arches and domes. The lanes were lined with shops and food stalls, souvenirs, and treats to rot the teeth out of your mouth. The air was filled with excited chatter and, in the distance, the delighted screams of people on the various rides.

Seto trailed behind the three teenagers with Kisa, but found even the few inches he purposefully kept between the two of them torcher. It was not helped by Kisa's apparent determination to drive him mad with every light brush of her fingers that would have been taken as accidental by anyone else.

He knew better.

It was a long afternoon of following teenagers from one end of the park to the other. Standing outside of the exit ramps of various rides, all the while trying not to give in to Kisa's gentle teasing and flirting.

Outside the park's haunted house attraction, she had sidled up close as she dared. "Wanna come in and save me from the bad guys again, Mr. Kaiba?"

That would have been enough to break him if she hadn't been dragged away a moment later by Rin. They came out minutes later pale and laughing. All except for Miku, who looked over at Mokuba and began commenting on the poor performances and shoddy stage makeup.

Mokuba stared at her, eyes wide and mouth agape, then looked over at Kisa.

She shrugged. "Miku likens herself as the next Charlize Theron."

"I do not!" Miku said, though her face flushed and she looked away too quickly.

They returned to the thoroughfare for lunch, where Miku insisted on a 'dinner and show' style restaurant advertising live entertainment. A play, to be precise. Seto had never much cared for theatre. He couldn't suspend his disbelief and let the actors convince him that they were standing within their setting.

The dining room was constructed in a semicircle framing the small stage. Similar to movie theatre-style seating, the tables were in single rows upon platforms that rose steadily higher the further back they went.

Seto moved to follow Mokuba, who was being dragged to a table near the stage by the girls, but stopped when Kisa grabbed his hand. She gave him a conspiratory smile and flicked her eyes to the back of the room, where a long line of tables sat with the wall to their backs. It would be quieter up there, and private.

So they sat alone, with what seemed to be other parents and couples who must have also sought privacy and peace. Seto made sure, however, that Mokuba was within sight at all times. In his opinion, Miku was being too friendly, too flirtatious. As waiters rounded the dining room, taking orders, he thought back to when she had taken his arm and dragged Mokuba towards the drop tower. A protective tension tightened his arms, his shoulders.

Once everyone's orders were taken, the lights dimmed. Seto settled himself back, preparing to pull out his phone at the first sign of exaggerated acting and cringeworthy dialog.

Kisa's hand slid across his thigh. Her eyes glittered in the flickering candlelight.

He finally got the appeal.

After one quick look around the room to be sure they weren't being watched, Seto caressed a hand along her throat before pulling her into a kiss. She reciprocated, cupping his jaw with one hand while the other tugged at the collar of his shirt. He wrapped an arm around her waist to tease his fingers along her bare spine.

Kisa shivered against him and pulled back to rest her cheek against his, her voice a whisper in his ear. "Been wanting to do that all day." She pressed their foreheads together. "I'd invite you over after this, but, you know." She flicked her eyes in the direction of their sibling's table. "I don't think young eyes could handle it."

Seto grimaced, making her stifle a laugh.

"You two are still coming over tomorrow, right?" she asked.

"I assume so," Seto said. "I forgot I'd been roped into manual labor."

"I'll make it up to you." She trailed a finger under his collar and along his collarbone. "We could find an excuse to be alone for a while. Send the kids up the street for ice cream or something. The bed might not be immediately available, but I think we can improvise."

The purr of her voice sent Seto's growing desire into overdrive. The mere thought was so arousing that a growl worked up his throat. He latched his lips to her pulse to stifle it.

He murmured against her skin. "You're trying to tempt me."

"Is it working?"

"More than you know."

Seto moved to capture her lips again, but Kisa placed a finger to his chin.

"I'd dress more casually tomorrow." She stroked her finger down his neck. "You know, to make things a little… easier."

Seto took her hand and pulled it away. "Noted."

He clashed their mouths together.

Food was placed before them at some point, but neither of them had the mind to touch it. They'd found something much more tempting to devour.