Chapter 4:

"Mmmm, takoyaki…"

Jounouchi laughed as Mokuba took another hearty bite of his fried octopus, dripping some sauce down his cheek. "It's good to know, Mokuba, that someone on this trip'll eat everythin' with me," Jounouchi remarked. Grabbing a nearby napkin, he tossed it to the younger Kaiba, still laughing at his antics. "You remind me of Shizuka when she was a kid, too. She used to eat everything in any order. 'Til she started ta worry 'bout her weight." He felt a gust of ocean breeze blow his hair in several directions and moved his bangs out of the way of his food.

"That's your sister's name, right?" inquired Mokuba, who wiped the sauce away only to take another large bite. The two were sitting on one of the spaced out benches, the ocean and beach to their backs and the shops, arcades, and restaurants of the boardwalk before them. Groups of people ranging in all ages walked past them both ways, with only one person turning to look directly at them before moving on. Their footsteps echoed off the wooden planks, and seagulls flew overhead, cawing at each other.

"Yep!" Jou answered.

"How old is she?"

"Turnin' 16 next year," he stated. He shook his head and muttered, "Man, she grew up too fast."

Mokuba chuckled. "That's what Nii-sama says about me all the time. He can't believe I'm in high school."

"Well, he's more a dad to ya than a brother, I'd think."

Mokuba shrugged. "I guess he's kinda both? I dunno, he makes me do my homework, but he'll also watch movies or play video games with me if we're both up late at night."

"So he takes good care of ya? We don't really see that side a' him, we just hear ya talk about it all the time."

He watched as Mokuba nodded his head vigorously. "Oh, absolutely! I know Nii-sama can be really cold to you guys, but trust me when I say he does so much for me. Probably more than I will ever know. I wouldn't want any other older brother in the world, though." Hearing such a blunt statement caused Jounouchi's eyes to widen. He slowly turned his attention back to the passersby, taking the last two bites of takoyaki before tossing the empty container in a nearby trash bin. "Did you and your sister grow up together? I don't remember seeing her a lot of the time during all the dueling tournaments…"

Jou shook his head no. "Our parents split when we were kids," he slowly explained, watching Mokuba finish off his snack. "I got stuck with Pops, and Shizuka went with Mom."

"So is she still with your mom?" Mokuba asked, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Yeah. Dad's not...the best. It's just better for her ta be with Mom 'til she's old enough to move out on 'er own."

"Hmm…" Mokuba stood and tossed his container out. Jounouchi glanced up to see the sun beginning to set, and he pointed down towards the hotel. Mokuba nodded, and without a word, the two began heading back to their suite, footsteps echoing off the sleek, wooden planks of the boardwalk. For a boardwalk, Jounouchi noted, it was surprisingly clean.

"You ever away from Kaiba for a long time?" asked Jounouchi. "I mean, besides all the crazy crap that happened in high school?"

Mokuba shook his head. "Nii-sama always tried to keep us together. I don't remember much before the orphanage, but he was super popular with possible parents, and I, well, I wasn't. A lot of parents wanted just him and not me. But he wouldn't leave me behind and turned down a lot of offers. Then, when Gozaburo adopted us, he always made sure to protect me from the corporate stuff."

"And how old was Kaiba when the orphanage stuff happened?"

"8."

Jounouchi whistled as he glanced out at the ocean in the distance. "Not gonna lie, Mokuba, but that's pretty awesome of him to do that for ya."

"He said we were family, and he would never give me up for a new one," Mokuba explained. "I always felt bad, knowing that he could've gone before I could, but he would always cheer me up with a game of chess or playin' in the big sandbox." Placing his hands in the pockets of his shorts, Mokuba smiled and nodded. "Again, I know he treats you guys, well, not great, but for me, he's been the best brother I could ever ask for."

"You seem pretty open 'bout this stuff. Does Kaiba know you tell people these kinda things?"

"I don't just tell anybody, Jou. It's our private, family information. But…" Mokuba smiled and peeked up at Jounouchi. "I've kept your secret secret, and I know you'll keep some of our secrets secret, too."

"Ya sure 'bout that? Ya know I got a big mouth…"

Mokuba chuckled. "Yeah, but you're a good friend, Jou."

Not knowing what else to say after such a compliment, Jounouchi ended with, "So long as he's good to ya, that's all that matters." The two soon found themselves at the walkway leading into their hotel, and Mokuba slid his keycard through the reader, causing the door to pop open. "And for him to do all that for ya, that takes a good heart, no matter how shitty he is to us."

The two stepped into the elevator, and Jounouchi glanced down at his own keycard, avoiding looking at Mokuba. Bein' asked to leave ya sibling behind… Jou shivered. I mean, Mom made the decision for us, and it wasn't like I was happy 'bout it, but makin' it all on my own? When I was a kid? The elevator stopped, and two stepped out into the hallway. The light from the sunset blended with the overhead lights that had since been turned on. Soon they reached their door, and Jounouchi swiped the card and strode into the suite. Tossing his bag on the sofa, he glanced out only to a double-take, his jaw dropping at the sight before him.

Holy shit.

A half hour on the beach, half hour in the ocean, and a half hour in the shower. All to himself.

Kaiba didn't realize such a short amount of time could be so refreshing. Forgoing the swimwear after a long, warm shower for a pair of long, black shorts, white t-shirt, and his flip flops, he took a book out to the patio and plopped down into one of the reclining seats. A little glass table stood between the two seats, and off in the distance, he could see the vast ocean spreading out before him. Lights from the boardwalk combined with the lights from the suite, and he lit a small candle with a provided set of matches to stir the bugs away.

The waves hitting the coastline and a few conversations trailed up to the patio. Otherwise, it was silent.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he frowned upon seeing no texts from Mokuba, then remembered the kid was traveling with the blonde. They'll be out all night at the arcade, he reflected, setting the phone down on the table. The thought of checking his email crossed his mind, but he quickly shooed it away and opened his book, leaning further back in his seat. He crossed his legs and soon found himself engrossed in the story, only noting the change in time by the fact that he had to take his sunglasses off.

Thus, upon hearing a knock at the glass door, he started up and quickly turned only to glare at his younger brother, who was cheekily sticking his tongue out at Kaiba. Kaiba watched as Mokuba slid the door open and stepped out, leaving the door open enough to reveal a shocked Jounouchi sitting on the sofa.

"What trouble did you two get into?" asked Kaiba, noting Jou's expression. Mokuba turned and burst out laughing before shaking his head.

"None, Seto, honestly!" he exclaimed. "We just got back from getting some takoyaki and walking the boardwalk."

"Did you walk the entire boardwalk already?"

"Nah, we didn't head up to the water park yet. Or the amusement park. Mostly just a few shops." Sliding into the other chair, Mokuba asked in a softer tone, "Did you get outside at all? Beyond the suite?"

Kaiba smirked and set his book down. "I went down to the beach for an hour. My clothing is hanging up in the bathroom, so if you need to move it, we can just put it in the dryer."

"We all goin' to the beach tomorrow morning?"

"Of course. I'll make us some breakfast before we head out, as well."

"Nice!" Mokuba swiftly turned and looked back at Jounouchi, who had since stood from the sofa and was now standing in the doorway. Kaiba noted how he still looked to be in a state of shock, however, and frowned at the blonde's expression. "Jou, Big Bro's gonna make us breakfast before we head out, so we don't need to go downstairs to that buffet we saw."

"Oh...cool…"

His frown deepened at Jounouchi's remark. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no!"

"Then why are you staring at me as though I have an alien on my shoulder?"

Releasing a short laugh, Jounouchi pointed and answered, "Kaiba, ya gotta rememba, I've only seen ya in those big, fancy trenchcoats of yours. Hell, I didn't even know ya owned a pair o' shorts!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes, though he should have expected such a response. Recalling his promise to himself to play civil, he simply stood and followed Mokuba inside, making sure to blow out the candle first.

"So ya went to the beach wit'out us earlier?" asked Jou as he took a seat at the island. Kaiba walked around to the kitchen side, where he set the coffee maker to begin making half a pot.

"Just for an hour," Kaiba answered.

"Get in th' water at all?"

"A bit…"

"Mokuba prob' told ya, but we only did a bit of shoppin'."

Sighing and realizing he was stuck in this conversation, Kaiba slowly asked, "And did you buy anything?"

"Nah, not really. Saw a few arcades, though, we thought you'd wanna check out with us." Kaiba slowly nodded and took a mug from the cabinet. He really had to thank Mokuba for the hotel choice; it seemed he would need to do very little shopping. Silverware, plates, and cups were all provided, and there was even enough fresh food for their first two or so days here. He had also filled out the paperwork upon returning from the beach, passing the breakfast buffet and coupons offered for the local amusements, further solidifying the fact that he was truly here to enjoy himself.

I don't deserve that kid sometimes, he thought as the coffee maker beeped twice. He poured himself a cup and turned to see the blonde staring. He frowned, took a sip, then stuttered, "Do you...want a cup?"

"Sure, I mean, if ye're offerin'." Quickly turning, Kaiba pulled out a cup from the cupboard and poured the blonde one. He then slid it across the island countertop, watching as Jounouchi blew a bit to chill it. He took a sip and smiled, causing Kaiba's eyebrows to knit together. "You drink coffee?" Kaiba inquired, watching as the mutt took another sip.

"Sometimes. Oddly enough, I like it after work. Gives me a second boost o' energy in case I wanna go out with friends or somethin'."

"And where do you work?"

"Just at a local convenience store. Savin' up for tech school."

Kaiba blinked in shock as he repeated, "Technical school? As in, you wish to return to school? I vaguely recall you were the one most asleep during classes, Jounouchi."

"Yeah, well, high school diploma ain't gonna pay the bills, 'specially for movin' out." Jounouchi took another sip, and Kaiba quickly glanced back to see Mokuba playing with the Switch on the sofa, engrossed in his video game. "So I figure, tech school's a safe bet." Taking a large swig of his own coffee, Kaiba sighed and walked around the island to sit on the sofa. He watched as Jounouchi sat on the remaining recliner, pulling his phone out as he did so. "Thanks for the coffee, Kaiba," he noted, smiling over at him. "This is waaay betta than anythin' I make at home."

Kaiba slowly nodded and watched as Jounouchi and Mokuba both soon became pulled into their technology. Relaxing slightly into the sofa, he decided to continue reading and pulled his book out only to hear the blonde say, "Hot damn, that's a big book! What're ya readin' that for?"

"Entertainment, Jounouchi," Kaiba remarked, biting his tongue to keep back the snide comment.

"What's it called?"

Kaiba held up the book, expecting little from the blonde, but his eyes widened in shock as Jounouchi read the English title. "Seveneves? What's it about?"

Kaiba blinked and peeked over at Mokuba, who nodded as if to say 'Told you so!' Returning his gaze to Jounouchi, the CEO said, in English, "It's about a future in which Earth has been destroyed, and it follows the astronauts that try to preserve mankind."

Without missing a beat, Jounouchi replied in English, "Whoa, now THAT sounds kinda interestin'! Wish we read stuff like that in school, though the size of that book sure is somethin'."

"You've read books in English?"

"Only a few. Mom's got some at home to help Shizuka-"

"Hey, only Japanese around me," Mokuba complained, pouting at the two. Kaiba smirked as Jounouchi chuckled.

"Gives you incentive to learn the English language now, doesn't it?" Kaiba pointed out, his smirk turning to a smile as Mokuba stuck his tongue out at him.

"English ain't that hard!" Jounouchi remarked. "I can teach ya anytime."

"Not now, though," remarked Mokuba, leaning back into the sofa. "I almost finished this level."

Jounouchi's laugh filled the room. "Kid's got priorities." Kaiba watched out of the corner of his eye as Jounouchi himself began to play a mobile game, and soon the room filled with a comfortable ambience of light video game music and the sipping of their coffee.

Kaiba mentally nodded, allowing himself to become engaged in his book once more. Perhaps this arrangement won't be torture after all.