Author's Note: Thank you very much to everyone for the reviews, favorites, and views! If you really like my writing, you can check out "The NPC Store," a website where I post character creations for story-telling games. Posting on there keeps me pretty busy, hence why I only update the fanfic once per week.

Anywho, thanks again!

Chapter 7:

It wasn't until 20:00 that the trio returned to their hotel room, stuffed from a dinner at a local café and exhausted from their hours spent in the arcade. They only managed to conquer the one, but Kaiba found that to be an exciting challenge, knowing there were at least three more arcades left on Mokuba's list.

He's going to sleep well tonight, Kaiba reflected, remembering his brother yawning in the elevator. Mokuba had gone straight to the bathroom to shower and 'lie down,' meaning he would be asleep by 21:00, if he even made it that far. Jounouchi had gone to his room, as well, leaving Kaiba alone. He thought about reading again, but the idea of seeing the hotel's pool entered his mind, and he determined to check if it was devoid of people, granting him some further alone time.

Leaving a note on the island detailing where he would be, Kaiba changed into a new set of black swim trunks and gray rash guard t-shirt, then took the elevator back down to the main lobby. He passed by the expansive dining room, which was being cleaned by staff, and entered the private pool area.

He mentally smiled. It was completely empty.

A small hot tub to his far left seemed enticing, but instead he set his things down on a nearby plastic recliner and kneeled down, dipping his legs into the pool water. It was cold, but Kaiba didn't show it as he let his legs get used to the temperature. Instead, he stared down at his own reflection, seeing the slight tan forming already.

All by himself, in the silence of the pool area, Kaiba let himself smile a bit. My first full day of vacation, he reflected. Five more days to go.

He glanced over at his phone and sighed. I should really check, just to make sure there are no emergencies waiting for me… But Mokuba…

His smile vanished. Mokuba doesn't want me to check into the corporation. At all. But what if there's something wrong? What if someone is trying to sabotage my work, even as I sit here? He leaned forward, setting his chin in the palm of his hand. No, my secretary would contact me if there was an absolute emergency. I can certainly trust her to have a panic attack at the slightest threat to my superiority in the company. And she's not the only one on high alert. Three managers know where I'll be and how to contact me if anything should go horribly wrong. And I purposefully put two sectors on standby until I return to avoid complications. Everything will be fine. Everything...will be fine.

He felt the doubt slithering its way into his skull and mentally groaned. Suddenly wanting full silence, he swiftly pushed himself off the edge, his body spasmed for a brief second as the cold water surrounded him. But for that brief second, it cleared his mind, forcing the thoughts of work away. He rushed back to the surface, wiped his hair back, and opened his eyes, turning at the sound of footsteps.

Standing next to his belongings was Jounouchi.

Jounouchi wasn't looking at him, but instead was setting his things down next to Kaiba's gear. He, too was dressed in swimwear, but unlike Kaiba, it seemed the blonde had simply put back on what he wore that morning. Kaiba watched as Jou approached the hot tub and slid in, recoiling once and muttering a small "Nyeh" at the hot water before sinking into the tub. The CEO waited for the blonde to say something, but he didn't, and his eyes widened as the silence continued to envelop them. Kaiba dove back under the water, feeling the cold waves against him, and rose back to the surface before swimming towards the shallower end. Finding a wall, he leaned against it and relaxed, letting his shoulder's sag as the pool's controlled waves hit against his chest.

He stayed like this for a few minutes, consistently expecting the mutt to ruin the quiet with a stupid question that never came. Finally, he glanced over to see Jou leaning back, resting against the wall of the hot tub, minding his own business. He could only see the back of his head and wondered if the mutt was falling asleep. Mokuba must have told him to keep to himself, he thought, his mental smile doing its best to show itself, much to his dismay. Though I must admit, he hasn't been terrible to have around. He even gave me a run for my money in the arcade…

Kaiba smirked. Or at least, he tried to.

Turning, Kaiba pulled himself out of the pool and wrung the cuffs of his trousers out before approaching the hot tub. He scoffed upon seeing the blonde's eyes closed, his mouth slightly parted. He, too, was developing a tan, which suited the blonde much more than it did Kaiba. Tapping his shoulder with a light kick, Kaiba noted, "Better not fall asleep and drown in there."

Jou slowly opened his eyes into a glare. "I ain't gonna drown, Moneybags," he retorted. "Just never been in a hot tub before."

"I'd imagine not," Kaiba stated. He stood there awkwardly for a minute, wondering if he should tell the blonde he was planning to leave, only for Jou to push himself to the other wall so he could easily look up at the CEO.

"Come on in, man," he stated, waving towards where he had been sitting. "This shit's awesome." Kaiba pursed his lips together even as he slowly kneeled down and slid into the hot water. He stretched his legs, feeling the bubbles unravel any tension left in his muscles, and leaned back against the wall. "You got a hot tub at your mansion, Kaiba?" inquired the blonde, who was still looking at him.

"Yes, though we hardly use it," Kaiba explained. "Mokuba will use the pool during his summer vacation, but I simply don't have the time."

"Indoor pool?"

Kaiba raised his eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"Because yer pasty white ass wouldn't like bein' out all day in the sun, I'd imagine."

A laugh emitted from his lips before he could contain it, and Kaiba quickly raised his hand to his mouth to stop himself. He mentally noted that was, at the very least, the second time today he had to do that. "I don't mind the sun as much as people seem to believe, I will have you know," he stated. "There's a reason one of my walls in my office is simply window space. And no, it's not to look over the domain of Domino as though I was some vampiric lord."

Jou giggled in response. "Could'a fooled us, Kaiba."

Waving the comment away, Kaiba slid ever so slightly further into the water, letting the warmth envelop him. He tried to keep his eyes open, but after swimming and walking all day, the exhaustion was starting to catch up. He felt his eyelids becoming heavy and quickly dove down into the water only to shoot back up.

Jou splashed him, causing Kaiba to blink in shock. "What was that for, man? You just splashed me."

"Idiot. It was to keep from…" Catching himself, Kaiba wiped the water from his eyes and waved again. Jou chuckled once more.

"From falling asleep, right? Told ya it feels awesome. Wish I had one of these for after work."

Kaiba scoffed at the notion. "Because I'm sure your job is incredibly stressful."

"Nah, it's not. But biking to work every day hurts my legs sometimes."

Kaiba frowned, peeking his eyes open. "Wouldn't it be easier to take a bus or train?"

"It would, but it'd be more expensive. And I gotta save money for me and my sis."

"I see…" Then how could you afford to come on this trip? Kaiba wondered, though he decided now wasn't an appropriate time to ask such a question. Besides, he was already noticing a pattern between his younger brother and the blonde that would answer him. Mokuba has been paying for quite a few of his expenses, and it was his idea to bring the mutt along in the first place. More than likely, Mokuba struck a deal with him in order to bring him along. But that begged one very small question.

Why?

"I was surprised you weren't out on the patio readin' that big book you brought along," Jou remarked, picking slightly at his fingernails as he spoke.

"I would have if there was anyone here," Kaiba answered.

"You often read books in English?"

"Yes, but only because I need to know English as well as Japanese for company matters."

"You know any other languages?" Holding up six fingers, Kaiba nodded, causing the blonde's eyes to widen. "Damn, Kaiba, that's pretty epic. I mean, I knew you weren't stupid, but that's a lot. Why so many?"

"One for each country our company is located in. I'm not completely fluent in two or three, but I know the languages well enough to be considered moderately fluent."

"Do you speak to anyone in English? I mean, like, regularly, as a friend?"

"I speak to people at work. Representatives from American and English corporations."

"But nobody in, like, friendly conversation?"

"There's no need for that."

Jou smirked and, switching to English, asked, "So if I called you a dickstain motherfucking ass-"

Kaiba's jaw dropped, and before he knew what he was doing, he sent a tidal wave of a splash the blonde's way with his arm, shouting in English, "Don't speak like that in a public place, you moron!"

Jou was howling with laughter, rubbing the water from his eyes. "But you knew what I was saying!" he exclaimed, smiling like he just learned a deep, dark secret. "What kinda literature are you even readin' if you knew what I meant?"

Kaiba scoffed. "Just because a book has mature language in it doesn't mean you need to shout it across a hot tub."

"Meh, there's no one else here. Who's gonna complain?"

Kaiba sighed and shook his head at the blonde's idiocy. "I swear to God, if you are teaching Mokuba that kind of language-"

"Hey, whoa there," interrupted Jou, holding his hands up in an innocent gesture. Kaiba noted how he had switched back to Japanese, as well. "I don't even wanna know what would happen if Mokuba told ya I taught him anythin' like that. So no, I may be dumb, but I ain't stupid. All Mokuba asks me about is his grammar lessons."

"And I'll wager you just give him the soundest of advice," Kaiba retorted, sarcasm lacing his every word.

"I at least teach him to use pronouns and words like "a" and "the" regularly."

Kaiba sighed. "Yes, he does struggle with articles…"

"He seems to really wanna learn the language, though. You know why that is?"

"He wants to study abroad in London at some point, and he has made some good friends with several co-workers and contractors who are from England and America. I believe he truly wants to use it in his career, but unfortunately, he has always struggled with languages."

"Unlike you."

"Learning six languages wasn't my choice, Jounouchi."

"Then whose was it?"

Kaiba waved his hand in the air. "It was simply required for one destined to take over KaibaCorp. That's all there is to it."

"Did you ever learn anything just for the fun of it?"

"How do you think I managed to 100% that zombie game?"

"I dunno. You always were overly protective of your title as champion with Duel Monsters. Figured it just carried over to the arcade, as well."

"That is...partially true. But no, gaming was always something that I enjoyed. Else I would not have turned the company into a gaming corporation in the first place." Standing up in the tub, Kaiba pushed himself out and stood, once again wringing excess water from his trunks. He walked over to his wallet, phone and keycard, hearing Jou's footsteps behind him. He turned and watched as the blonde, dripping across the tile flooring, approached him and grabbed his towel, wiping off his legs.

"So what was KaibaCorp before you made it all about games?" asked Jounouchi, looking up with a curious expression. "I mean, I never heard of the company before you took it over. I imagine is was pretty big even then?"

"Look it up if you're curious," Kaiba shot back, sliding into his flip flops. "I have no interest in explaining the company's past before my takeover."

"Sheesh, touchy subject, much?"

"More so that it's simply not worth bringing up."

Moving to walk past him, Kaiba was somewhat upset when the blonde managed to catch up to him. His exhaustion had let him run his mouth too much, he reflected. He was telling the blonde a lot more than necessary. The two stepped out into the lobby, then into the elevator, swiping their cards to take them to the appropriate floor.

"Ya know," Jounouchi muttered, drawing his words out slightly. "We should totally prank your brother. Like, spend all mornin' or somethin' just talking in English."

"I want to encourage him to use English, not wear him down with it," Kaiba retorted.

"A'ight, then just an hour or two. I dunno, we should definitely do something, though."

The doors opened, and the two stepped out into the hallway. "We'll see, Jounouchi." Swiping his card in the reader, Kaiba stepped into their hotel room, immediately noting the silence that greeted them. He smirked, tossed his things on the island counter, then walked down the hallway, peeking into their room.

Sure enough, Mokuba was dead asleep in bed. The sound of Jounouchi's door opening and closing reached the brunette's ears, confirming he was indeed alone again. Kaiba slowly approached his brother's bed, kneeling down to get a good look at him. "You've done so well," he muttered, ruffling his thick, black hair ever so slightly. "I'm so lucky to have you."

He truly was. Kaiba knew a vacation such as this would have never been possible on his own. And not only did he plan this whole thing, even with tests and school activities to contend with, but he's paid for a significant amount of it from his own funds. Just to give us both a time to relax and enjoy ourselves. Even though he was the older brother, Kaiba couldn't help but feel humbled by Mokuba. He's going to be okay, Kaiba would always tell himself. Through all the bullshit we've been through, through all the trauma I endured years ago, he will be okay. And that's all that matters.

Standing from his position, Kaiba turned and quickly exited the room to take a shower, gently closing the door behind him. He, too, could feel he would sleep well tonight.