Illustration Credit: AliceKuroCross on DeviantArt

Chapter song: "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie

Song Note: There is ongoing dispute over whether this song should be released into the public domain, but for now I'm leaving out any lyrics.

Chapter 30: Hiking

Seto shook off thoughts of God as they approached a seemingly endless expanse of forest, but his secret insecurities lingered. His imagination went haywire the moment they stepped out of the limo. These weren't just trees with red bark; they were giants. Some of the trunks could easily encompass the six of them, perhaps even the entire limo.

Joan winked at the American bodyguards while Roland and the Kaiba brothers lost their heads in the canopy. When their eyes finally returned to her, she led them over to a large educational plaque with statistics on how tall redwood trees could grow and how long they could live. Meanwhile, Roland snapped a constant stream of photos.

They headed down the Sequoia Trail with Roland in the lead and the other bodyguards bringing up the rear. The trail was well-worn and easy, lined with mossy rocks and ferns. The brothers' sense of wonder grew with each passing step as they immersed themselves in the forest.

Other groups of hikers they passed displayed mild surprise at Roland and Seto's pretentious attire but no sense of recognition at their identities. The lack of attention initially irked Seto, but after some time, he realized that he was out of his element but at the same time free. Free with the people he treasured the most. His soul grew lighter with each step.

Joan paused to point out a bright yellow slug by the side of the trail. Seto found the creature revolting but oddly fascinating. He wondered what purpose a nasty little banana slug could have amidst towering redwoods and began contemplating other seemingly inconsequential things. Mokuba's words from the previous day reverberated in his mind. Come on Seto, it'll be awesome. We haven't just gone out and done something new like this in forever. Perhaps it wouldn't kill him to show a little enthusiasm.

A little farther down the trail, Joan burst out singing "This Land is Your Land" in a bright and cheery voice. The American bodyguards exchanged glances and joined in at the same time. Roland and the brothers stopped in their tracks and turned to stare. The Americans stopped walking too and continued singing until they finished.

"What?" Joan said innocently. "Every American learns that song in grade school. I'll teach it to you and we can sing it together."

"All right," Seto said.

Mokuba's jaw nearly fell off his face. It was one thing to sing a song they'd both handpicked for their game, but agreeing to sing an American peasant ditty with no argument whatsoever? Something had clearly gotten into his older, previously colder brother.

Joan led them through the song line-by-line, and soon the entire group of six could sing it from start to finish. They went through the whole thing three times before exhausting their interest in it. Mokuba's bodyguard unzipped his backpack and passed around water bottles so they could refresh their throats.

The trail opened out onto a road and they crossed it. Wooden rails lined the trail on the other side and steps had been embedded in it to prevent erosion. A platform at the bottom of the steps looked out upon a veil of water cascading into a turquoise pool. To the side, hand-sized ferns dropped their fingers all over the face of the adjoining cliff.

They all gazed at the waterfall for a full minute before Mokuba requisitioned a group photo. Roland snapped a few dozen pictures of the Kaibas (amongst which he now counted Joan) before getting in some shots with the bodyguards for good measure. He sent them all to the social media manager to decide what to post, what to quarantine, and what to frame for Mokuba to put on his desk. Perhaps prints for Joan and Seto would also be in order.

Mokuba's phone dropped to half battery and Roland handed it back to him, switching to his own phone for photographs. Roland knew from his own marriage that such photos could serve as important reminders of the good times when challenges arose. Though he hoped against all odds that his bosses would be happy like this forever, his upbringing told him that this could never last. They'd need all the help they could get.

On the way back down the trail, they stopped for a picnic lunch. The bodyguards laid out a large picnic blanket in the center of a redwood family circle – where its parent tree once stood centuries ago. The Kaibas leaned against each other on the picnic blanket while Tamara passed out sandwiches.

Roland took several more photos before realizing his phone battery was far lower than he initially calculated and that he would need to conserve it in case of emergencies. However, before he put his phone away, he spotted a message. The genius hacker that the Kaibas kept on staff known as Rebecca Hawkins, or "that cyber geek" as Seto liked to call her, had refused to cooperate. Seto Kaiba would have to do the task himself or find someone else, risking exposure. Rebecca had signed a nondisclosure agreement, but if she decided to go rogue, the repercussions might drive Kaiba Corporation into the ground. Not wanting to ruin their perfect day, Roland held his tongue as he watched them carelessly consume their avocado and turkey-laden bread.

After their meal, they finished their hike. Seto noticed Mokuba humming the tune they'd learned earlier and decided to add his own lyrics. "This whore is your whore, this whore is my whore."

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "You just had to ruin it, didn't you, Seto?"

"No no," Joan said, "I like where he's going with this. Let's see what else we can come up with."

They played around with the lyrics while Roland took notes but never reached any conclusive favorites.

On the ride back to Mokuba's condo, they discussed what-if scenarios about how and where to raise kids, about Joan and Michael moving to Japan or Seto and Mokuba becoming permanent residents in America. Mokuba had already filed for a green card just in case his work visa expired before he was done with Super Kaiba Megacorp, but it would still take some time to process. They could speed the process along with money, of course, but for the foreseeable future, Seto's connections in Japan as well as the somewhat more agreeable legal status of prostitution in Japan would mean easy travel on Joan's part.