KD: Sorry for posting so late. Our beta was sick. :( SO we did the chapter editing ourselves. Hope it was decent enough.

Chapter Eighteen : Two and a Half Men in an Onsen

Chapter Song: Shark in the water- VV Brown

A couple days later, Joey was on break at work with Kit when he heard his cell phone go off. He looked to see he had received a text, which was rare, so he opened it with curiosity. "It's from Kaiba."

It read: Come to my house right after school on Friday, and don't be late.

Joey read the text over a few times. It was simple enough, but still, he had no clue what was going through the brunette's head.

Friday rolled around and rather than being hunted down and kidnapped as a result of defying the dragon fanatic's wishes, Joey went to Seto's house after school. What he saw surprised him. Seto's (ridiculous and completely unnecessary in Joey's opinion) Blue Eyes White Dragon jet was parked outside the front door and luggage was being loaded into it by the maids and black suits. Seto and Mokuba were waiting nearby.

"Hey, Joey!" Mokuba said excitedly, looking positively ecstatic. "Glad you could make it."

"Uh, make what?" Joey said a little confused.

"We're going to the festival!" Mokuba told him. It was like Christmas had come early.

"Huh? For real?" Joey said looking between the two of them. Seto was pretending that he was deaf to the conversation because he didn't even acknowledge Joey's arrival. "That's great, Mokuba. But… why'd ya invite me over just to tell me this? Ya could've just called or something."

"You're coming too, idiot," Seto spoke at last.

Joey made an exclamation of surprise. Once again he was being included in plans without even being consulted first. "Look, I kinda already had plans…."

"Really? Because from what I heard you said that you were willing to go with Mokuba to the festival," Seto reminded pointedly. "Or was that just your usual posturing?"

Joey's face darkened. Yes, he had been willing to go with Mokuba at the time, but after Mokuba said he didn't want to leave without Seto and Seto seeming like he would never spring for the idea, Joey just figured it wasn't gonna happen.

Mokuba stepped in before the potential fight could start. "Guys, come on. Don't start fighting now." Mokuba turned to look at Joey. "It's okay if you're busy, Joey. I know it's kinda short notice. I just thought having you along would be fun."

Joey saw the disappointed face of Mokuba and groaned. "Me and my bleeding heart. Alright, I'll go, but I'll have to go back to my place to pack."

"There's no need. I already took the liberty of packing everything you'll need," Seto declared.

Joey glared at him. "If he was anymore domineering he'd carry a whip with him wherever he went."

If he had telepathic abilities, he was sure he'd be hearing something akin to, "That's right, puppy. Be a good boy and obey your master," judging by the triumphant grin on Seto's face.

Once the jet was loaded the three boys went on board. Joey never would have imagined he would ever be given the privilege of riding in that thing and it was a privilege he could have defiantly lived without. "So why are we taking the jet and not the limo?" Joey questioned as soon as the last piece of luggage went into the back of the jet.

"It's the fastest way to get there," Mokuba started still giddy. "The traffic going there will be crazy since it's such a popular festival, so Seto thought taking the jet would be best."

Joey joined Mokuba in the back seat, while Seto flew the jet. Joey looked out the windows down at the ground, thinking that everything looked like Legos. It was a short flight, only about forty minutes, and Joey was surprised that Seto found a place to land the jet, a private airport. After all it's not like he could land in ANY airport.

"So where are we staying at?" Joey said as they all got out of the jet and grabbed their bags. A limo was waiting for them several yards away.

"I reserved half of an Onsen," Seto said as if it was no big deal.

"Wah? Half? As in half of the building?" Joey was shocked. Then again, this was Seto Kaiba he was talking about; he had enough money to do anything that he wanted, and then some.

The ride to the onsen was a short one, only about fifteen minutes, and the place was huge. The lush green trees surrounded what looked like a brown and white mansion from the Edo period. It was placed near the edge of a cliff, looking out over a lake. It was only a few miles away from the city where the festival was, but it was a completely different vibe. There were several people waiting outside of the building in traditional Kimono garbs, as if they were expecting them to arrive.

The three boys stepped out of the limo, and the employees bowed. "Welcome Mr. Kaiba. It's a great honor to have you here. My daughter will lead you to your rooms and show you where everything is located." The older women pointed to a young girl who looked like she was in her late teens. The young girl stepped forward, greeting them once again and showed them to their half of the giant building.

Mokuba looked around wide-eyed with enthusiasm, making it blatantly obvious that it was his first time at one. "Seto really went all out for this," Joey thought seeing how elaborate the inside was, but still staying traditional in a sense.

"Would the three of you like your own rooms? Or would you like to share one?" She asked as they continued down the halls. "Since you have this entire half of this building, you may take any room you please." As she continued leading them, she pointed out the recreation rooms, and where the different bathhouses were, indoor and outdoor, their sizes, and if some were slightly warmer than others.

"We will share a room together," Mokuba answered her finally. It was obvious that Mokuba wanted to spend every minute possible with the two teenagers. Seto didn't say a word of refusal to Mokuba's answer so Joey decided to go with it.

She led them to their room, sliding the door open to show a living room like area that had a long dinner table in the middle. "Dinner will be served to you at six," the girl said with a final bow and left the three boys alone. They entered into the back room, and there were three futons next to each other on the floor and Mokuba eagerly placed his bag on the middle one. Seto started looking around for an outlet to plug his laptop in but could not find one.

"So what are we going to do first? I want to go to one of the hot springs," Mokuba said looking at Joey, since his brother was too preoccupied trying to find a place for his precious laptop.

"Sure. Sound's great." Joey looked over to the brunette and noticed his futile search. "You too, Kaiba." Since Joey had been coerced into going on this trip, he would do everything in his power to make sure Seto participated in it.

"Yeah, come on, Seto," Mokuba said, joining forces with Joey. "You need to take a break. Just for this weekend."

After much coercion, the two of them managed to persuade Seto into joining them in the hot springs. Though, rather than actually getting in he instead was sitting in one of the lounge chairs wearing a bathrobe and reading a book while wearing his reading glasses. Joey and Mokuba meanwhile were having a blast splashing each other with the hot water and making a ruckus, but it was alright because they were the only ones there.

"I call this my Super Ultra Jumping Joey Wave Attack," Joey declared throwing his arms out and placing them half way in the water before pulling them forward together, sending a wave of water at Mokuba. Though there was a lot of power behind it, the aim was off and he ended up getting both Seto and his book… oh his book, wet.

Mokuba and Joey both visibly paled, despite the heat of the water. "You're on your own, Joey," Mokuba said before scrambling out of the water and escaping the 'room'.

"Come back here you little traitor," Joey shouted trying to follow but slipping on one of the rocks and making a full body splash face first into the hot water.

Joey lifted his head from the water and looked back at Seto through his dripping wet bangs. His face was filled with more animosity than he had ever seen before. Joey's head shot back the other way, so to not look at the annoyed CEO who was drenched to the bone in water, and his brand new book ruined. "Wheeler," Seto said getting out of the lounge chair and stepping into the hot spring, his goal being Joey.

"What's the big deal Kaiba…" Joey started. "You could always buy another one." Joey was still facing the other way, avoiding Seto at all costs. However, in the small spring it was impossible to hide from his fury. Joey honestly did feel bad, despite his talk. He hadn't meant to get Seto or the book wet.

"It's not the book I'm upset about, Wheeler," Seto said reaching the young blond. "It's your infantile behavior."

Joey was slightly embarrassed by that, but it's not like they were in public. "And why is he chastising me and not Mokuba? Though I guess Mokuba defiantly is more mature than me overall," he admitted reluctantly to himself.

Mokuba was peeping through the crack in the sliding door after he got dressed in the shower room. He saw his brother enter the hot spring, obviously not looking amused at being splashed by Joey. Mokuba did feel a little guilty about putting Joey in this situation; he did start the splash fight after all.

"Can't ya not be a stick in the mud for one weekend?" Joey asked Seto. He knew that he was not the most mature person in the world, but Seto did need to lighten up more. He was only eighteen, and he acted like he's thirty five.

Seto cornered Joey when he knew he could not move back any further. Joey had no clue what to expect from the CEO. He felt the warm hand on his head, fingering his hair ever so slowly, and it put Joey in alarmed confusion. Then Seto did the last thing Joey would expect. With his hand, he pushed Joey's head fully down into the warm water for a few seconds.

As he let go and walked out of the spring he simply stated, "I'm going to bed now."

Mokuba saw his older brother approaching the door to the shower room, and quickly scurried away, heading back to the room before anyone noticed his spying.

Joey gasped and spluttered, breathing heavily as his head rose up from the warm water. "What was that?" Joey was in a state of bewilderment. "Is that's Kaiba's idea of lightening up?" He continued out of the water and headed into the shower room, getting his robe back on. He eventually found his way back to the room, seeing Seto and Mokuba both already passed out asleep on their futons. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day; it was the first day of the festival and he knew that Mokuba would be dragging them around like crazy trying to do everything imaginable.

"Just you wait, rich boy," Joey thought laying down for the night on his side, watching Seto sleep peacefully. "I'll drag the fun outta ya kicking and screaming if that's what it takes."

KD: Go Joey! We're rooting for you! What will the first day of the festival be like? One can only imagine, but you can find out if you stay tuned! Oh yeah, and if you're wondering why they didn't eat dinner... they weren't hungry. :P