Chapter 20: Pleasant But Allegedly Bad for Me

For a week, my life was more or less stable. As much as I disliked Honda's plans for employment, they had no real bearing on my own. When I wasn't at school, my time was split between the store, study groups and Pharaoh. My dreams about Joey eased – largely because I began spending my nights with Pharaoh often enough that I finally had to leave a change of clothes with him.

The girls were overjoyed and insisted that it qualified as 'Almost Living Together'. They advised – or more accurately 'instructed' – me on which clothing and personal effects should be at Pharaoh's and which should not. They seemed to be enjoying the relationship more than I was.

I wasn't enjoying much of anything.

I had friends – Honda, Mutou, Takahashai, Suzuki – and I had a lover. School would end soon, the arbitration would be decided any day now, and for better or worse, my future plans were in motion. Yet I was finding less to be joyful about as each day passed. It was infuriating.

The only thing more frustrating was my inability to contact Shuzo Otaki, KaibaCorp's CFO.

Four executives formed the second the tier of KaibaCorp's control. Through them, my Father controlled his entire empire. There was a fifth man – Father's Executive Assistant, Kogoro – who controlled access to Father. Mokuba and I had always referred to the group as the 'KC Big Five' and tended to treat them as Father did, like one unit.

But if I intended to convince them to vote against Father's decision and allow me back into the corporate fold now, I had to appeal to them as individuals. I had drawn on my own experience for the first three, but I had not spent much time with Shuzo. Accounting was a discipline that I had no interest in. I understood financial statements well enough to recognize the bottom line and know if the numbers added up. In my view, one hires a competent accountant, fixes him to an ironclad contract, and sues him to death if he defrauds you. I was much more interested in the technical side.

All of which simply meant that Shuzo's vote in my favor was key to my future success. And I couldn't find the bastard.

I couldn't call his office directly without leaving a trace. If Father was currently suspicious of me – and I had to proceed under the assumption that he was – the Big Five's phone and e-mail records were being reviewed daily. Their home numbers were also undoubtedly under surveillance. My wolf had tried to make an appointment, but he was told that Shuzo-san was not available. His home address was an apartment three blocks from the KaibaCorp headquarters. Security could watch it from the comfort of their own offices. He was not married, had no children and did very little that didn't involve KaibaCorp. A year ago, his life would have seemed quite normal – even ideal – to me. Now it sounded lonely and empty.

According to Yamada's investigator, Shuzo's only outside interest was fitness. He jogged early in the morning, weight lifted at lunch, and had a yoga class in the evenings.

"Perhaps your friend Otogi-san knows his instructor." Yamada suggested.

"Why would he know the instructor?" I asked, baffled by the suggestion and impressed by Yamada's research.

"He teaches Yoga as well. And he has several clients in Tokyo. Domino is close enough to overlap."

"That's worth a try." I said and hung up to call Otogi. "I need your assistance," I said when he answered.

"Why hello Kaiba; my goodness it's been ages since we've spoken." He replied. "I hardly recognized your voice."

"Yes, it has been some time. I need your assistance."

"So, how have you been?" He asked, ignoring my repeated statement.

"I don't have time for idle chat."

"Then I don't have time to help you."

"You don't know what I need. I have a proposition that may work out well for you."

"Tough! I don't take that kind of rudeness from my business associates either. Dungeon Dice is not for sale and especially not to you. Bye!"

"Wait!" I yelled before he could hang up.

"Yes?" He drawled.

I would never understand what Ryou saw in this man. True he was sexy, but a ripped chest and tight ass could be found anywhere. Especially for someone like Ryou. I sighed. "I haven't seen you since Mutou's engagement party." This would be pointless and boring. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know." He said lightly. "Same old same old. How are you doing? Still seeing that yummy little Yami?"

"Yes. How is Ryou?"

"I wouldn't know. He hasn't had a weekend off in months."

"Oh." But that gave me my opening. "Perhaps I could help with that. Do you still teach yoga?"

"Yes. Since when do you care about that?"

"I started doing yoga during my recovery. I'd like to continue, but more, I think I'd like to expand the classes for KaibaCorp employees – when I return to the company, of course."

"Look, my game sales got a boost when you left. Why in the hell would I want you to go back? Happy little KaibaCorp employees don't help me at all."

"Yes, but since I don't want to sleep with Ryou..."

"Bullshit."

I amended. "I don't want to end your relationship."

"That, I'll believe."

"If I'm Ryou's supervisor again, then I'll want him focused on the job, not worrying about his love life. He'd be required to see you. And if you teach the class at KaibaCorp, you'd be practically living with him." Another thought struck me. "And, if you help me now, I'll lease you office space in any KaibaCorp building – at cost – and we'll carry Dungeon Dice products when we open KaibaGames retail."

He seemed to think about it for a moment. "You know, that really is one hell of an offer. It really is. So when I tell you to go fuck yourself, I want you to know that I understand how big a deal this is."

"I don't understand." I truly didn't.

"I don't want Ryou to see me because he's required to. I want him to see me because he loves me and he wants to see me. I'd rather not see him at all than see him because you pay him to see me. Is that it? Do you think that because people are paid to tolerate you that everyone has to be paid to spend time with friends?"

"I'm sorry if I've offended you." Something went very wrong in this conversation, but I had no clue what. "I need your assistance and I simply wanted to compensate you for your time and effort. I thought –"

"You thought you could buy me to do something sleazy?"

"I was hoping you had some information!" I snapped. "I don't know what you think I was proposing, but I assure you I am only interested in your professional skills."

"Fine! What?"

"Someone teaches a yoga class in the KaibaCorp building weekday evenings. Do you know who?"

"Sato Aya."

I sat there with my mouth open until he called my name. Did he actually know this or was he pulling the name out of thin air. "Are you sure?"

"Well, of course! I sub for her when she can't teach."

"You ... sub? At KaibaCorp?"

"Not often. Sato's very reliable. Just occasionally. They honestly don't care so long as the class starts on time. So what did you want to harass her about?"

"I need to reach one of the students." I said, still a bit stunned. 'You never know who has useful information, ' I reminded myself. "He's an executive named Shuzo Otaki."

"Big bruiser type? I know him. He doesn't look it, but he's very graceful. Not my type, but no accounting for taste."

"Can you get me into that class?"

"Well," he sighed, "oh alright! I promised Ryou I'd help you if I could. Oh, and by the way, has anybody told you what a dick you were to him? He offers to console you about the guy you dumped him for after he dumped you and you not only assume all he wanted was sex, but tell him you don't care about him on top of that? That was an awful thing to say and you're an asshole for saying it! Look I hate to tell you this, but not everyone wants to tap your skinny little ass."

"Ryou and I have some history."

"And that's all you have. If I ever catch you sniffing around my man, Kaiba, I don't care who you are, I will beat you like a drum."

I didn't actually credit the threat, but I appreciated the sentiment behind it. "I will keep that in mind."

"You do that. Hang on; let me call Sato." He switched lines and I pondered the conversation. I understood that Otogi wanted Ryou's attention for his own sake, but his anger over my reinforcement baffled me. Just as Joey's initial response to my trust. It was as if both of them placed more value on belief than on proof. It was completely irrational, but that seemed to be the case.

Faith and belief again. Relationships keep coming back to faith and belief. Smoke and mirrors. I don't believe in magic. I can't. It's not real.

"Kaiba?" Otogi picked up the line again, mirth lightening his voice. "Sato will actually let me teach it tonight. She says Shuzo is always asking about me anyway so it'll get his heart rate up."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you didn't know! Shuzo as queer as they come."

"Are you sure?" I thought about the man. I'd sat across from him in hundreds of meetings. I'd never got even the vaguest hint of homosexuality from any of my Father's close associates. "I've known the man for years."

"I'm like that comedian, Buddy Cole – if you're gay and our eyes meet, honey, message received." He chuckled to himself. "Ok, so do you want to meet me there – oh, right, you don't have a car. I'll swing by and pick you up. Wear something you can move in."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm not wasting my time over all this. You can tell him whatever you need after class. And if you're going, I'm not going to let you just hang around. And you're paying the 100 yen for the class, too. You can owe me until payday. I'll be there in 20; be ready." He hung up.

It was not the information I expected or a situation I would prefer, but I could not waste the opportunity. I changed clothes.

Recently, I had taken to doing tai chi forms in the morning and yoga before bed, both in the nude. My schedule had been disrupted some by my new sleeping arrangements and it was easier not to worry about workout clothes, but I found I had a loose pair of pants and serviceable shirt. I let Honda know where I was going and was waiting at the front door when Otogi arrived.

His eyes swept over me as I got in the passenger seat. "Well that will get his attention!"

"What will?"

He laughed as he pulled into traffic. "Oh my God! Ryou was right; you really are clueless, aren't you?"

I looked at myself. The pants were lightweight, white, but not translucent. The shirt was from the store – a light blue cotton t-shirt that was fit but not tight. "Is there something I'm missing about my appearance?"

"You mean other than your outfit screaming 'someone please take me to bed'? All you need is to mess up the hair and add a cigarette."

I looked at myself again. "There's nothing sexual about the way I look now."

"Ok." Otogi snickered.

The ride to the city was long but not unbearable. For most of it Otogi left me to my own thoughts. I knew nothing about Shuzo; convincing him to side with me would be difficult. I could offer to buy out his stock. Once the settlement was resolved, I should have funds available to buy out two of the Big Five if need be. More than that and I would have a problem. I was depending on ... on faith and belief. Faith that these men would behave as they always had. Belief that they trusted my word more than they trusted my Father's. If there was such a thing as magic in the universe, then I was attempting the ultimate binding spell.

I smiled to myself. Real life was remarkably similar to dueling.

"Wakey-wakey sleepy head!" Otogi shook me and I woke with that sudden feeling of realizing you were asleep and knowing you shouldn't have been. "Relax, we're here and right on time." He got out of the car and, after a minute to focus, so did I.

He'd parked in the garage and we took the front elevator to the lobby level. I remember as a child getting excited to come in through the lobby because everyone always made such a fuss when Father and I arrived for a formal event together. Ordinarily, our driver took us directly to the back entrance and we took the high-speed elevator directly to the penthouse. There was no fuss when Otogi and I stepped into the glass and steel lobby but I still felt a tinge of excitement as I realized that, technically, I wasn't supposed to be in the building.

I grabbed Otogi's arm and pulled him back. "Until we leave, call me Tak."

He looked at me confused and then seemed to catch on. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Come on, Tak. I don't need to be late." He walked up to the security desk and pulled out his ID. "Hi. I'm here to teach the yoga class on the 4th floor." The guard glanced at the ID, then at the man himself and handed him the visitor logbook to sign. A second guard printed a visitor nametag.

My wallet was in my pocket, but it suddenly occurred to me that I didn't have any ID I could use.

"Well, come on Tak." Otogi called. "Let's go." I frowned and he came over to me. "Problem?"

"I've never had to go through security. I forgot I needed ID."

He laughed loudly making me even more nervous. "Oh you silly thing." He pulled me over to the guard's desk. "I have a small problem, guys. My, um, cousin forgot his ID. He's going to sit in on my class tonight and then he's going to stay with me for a little while."

The guards snickered. "Cousin, huh?"

"We're very close." He said. He looked at me then blew me a kiss, which was only slightly mortifying. The guards laughed outright as they printed another visitor pass. "Here, Tak-chan, sign the book." I felt my face burning as I approached the desk and took the pen. Otogi tousled my hair and whispered in my ear, "Sign it 'Yamada Taro' and they won't even look twice." Then he rubbed his face in my hair. "You have to tell me what shampoo you use, Tak-chan, I love that smell!"

He was right; the guards were too busy laughing at Otogi's antics and my embarrassment to care what I wrote down. They handed me the pass and chortled when Otogi patted my butt on the way to the elevator. When the doors closed he sighed. "Thank God you can act. I wasn't sure we'd get away with that."

"You humiliated me like that for no reason?" I nearly burst.

"Oh relax! Sometimes security is paying attention, but at this hour they're usually not. A pretty boy like you, with a man as fem as me? Please! They're taking bets right now on whether I'm bending you over already. Or the other way around. And believe me, no one recognizes you with all this hair!" He pulled a strand gently as the doors opened and then led the way to the room used for the class.

A dozen women were standing or sitting, waiting for the instructor. A few of them greeted Otogi by name as he started passing out mats and apologizing for Sato's absence.

Shuzo was in the back of the room, mat already in place, stretching. He wore a gi with a black belt and was bare foot. He appraised me and dismissed me in the same glance – which gave me ample time to appraise him.

He was a hulk. One usually pictures accountants as small, thin bird-like people but Shuzo was a bear. Easily six feet and more than twice my width, he was physically imposing and had always maintained the same unpleasant demeanor my Father had.