Chapter 25: My Father Reaps What He Has Sown

At 9:05am, Mokuba and I opened the conference room door to find we were the last to arrive.

"Finally!" my father snapped. "Let's get this over with, son. Who is this?" He gestured to me.

"Tak?" Shuzo said confused.

Anzu's head snapped up and she gasped. Ryou stepped beside her and squeezed her shoulder. Konosuke and Chikuzen started to greet me, then realized that my father did not recognize me. Chikuzen shook his head sadly, but Konosuke smirked.

Mokuba looked confused. He glanced from my father to me and back again. "He doesn't look that different, Dad."

"Kaiba-san." Shuzo said in a voice that was one part dread and one part shock. He backed away from the table.

"Please don't Otaki." I said. "We have much to cover today." I held up the DVD. "There might be a video at the end. I don't think you'd want to miss that." He turned pale and pulled back to the table again.

My father sneered at me. "So you managed to sneak in like a thief in the night, did you, boy? He doesn't need to be here for this, Mokuba. Let's get this little farce over with."

I sat down. By tradition, Mokuba ran this meeting. Today, however, would be the first time the meeting would actually be included in the board minutes. My brother swallowed hard and gathered himself. Around the table everyone gave him their attention.

Then he smiled, but I could see his distress. "First." He stepped around the table and kissed my father's cheek. The man growled, but most of the others around the table were amused. "Now. This year we need to consider the question as to whether Kaiba Gozaburo is, frankly, too old to run KaibaCorp. The company has been moving in a more war-like direction when survey after survey shows that the world opinion is moving toward peace. Now, granted, terrorism is on the rise, but we don't have contracts with terrorists." Kogoro's face twisted, but he didn't comment.

Mokuba went on as if he hadn't noticed. "I think we need to look at the younger world market. Expand into new areas, maybe not concentrate on the military so much." He took a breath. "And I think Kaiba Seto is the one who should lead us to these new markets."

My father laughed darkly. "You think of that all by yourself, son?"

Mokuba looked at him seriously. "Yes, Dad, I did. I don't like what the guys at school say when they talk about KaibaCorp."

"I'm not running this company for you to be popular."

"Dad, that's not what I mean."

"Sit down, son, and let's get this over with so the hippy can go get a hair cut."

"I've grown rather accustomed to it long." I commented.

"Not in my office."

"I presently do not work for you."

He sneered. "All in favor of ending Seto's sabbatical and returning him to work now?" There were several 'aye's around the table as he locked eyes with me. "All opposed?" No one responded. "There. Cut it. Today." I nodded but didn't speak. "Now, Mokuba sit down. Some of us have real work."

Mokuba sat to my left. I nodded to him as I stood. "Thank you, brother." I addressed the table. "I have several ideas I wish to explore at this time, the most obvious two being –"

"Wait!" My father interrupted me. "Are you two idiots serious? Do you think you can actually oust me?"

"I," I stressed, "am always serious. I also do not like the way people discuss this corporation and I assure you I have no concern about my popularity. I call for a vote to make me the CEO of KaibaCorp and the Chairman of all Kaiba Boards." I turned to Mokuba. "Will you vote first?"

He smiled sadly at me. "Of course, Nii-sama." He looked at our father. "Kaiba Seto. I'm sorry, Dad. But you knew this would be how I voted."

My father nodded. "I knew. You were always controlled by him."

Mokuba shrugged but didn't comment. He handed his proxy form to me.

Noah was next to him. "I vote Kaiba Seto as well. Forgive me, Uncle, but I do not agree with the direction you are taking the firm." Noah handed his proxy form to me, and then pulled some pages from a folder and passed them down the table. "The remaining stockholders don't agree either. KPMG is still tallying the proxies, but as of this morning 84% of them had been received online and, of those, 92% are for Kaiba Seto."

There were murmurs of appreciation and surprise around the table and I struggled to keep my expression emotionless. These were the easy votes.

Bakura was next and looked at me. "Kaiba-san. My position here is not as simple as it appears. Kaiba-sama is my Patron. If I vote against him, I will dishonor myself and my Okiya."

"Then let me assist you, pervert." My father spat. "I release you! Get out, you disgusting creature!"

"Just a moment." I gestured to Bakura, but also noticed that he hadn't moved to leave. "Bakura's position as your Geisha has no bearing on his inclusion on either of these boards. If you wish to vote on his removal, you may do so. Once the current vote is concluded."

He glared at me. "Oh you think you have this all resolved, do you? Wait, boy, just wait."

I ignored him. "Bakura, your vote?"

"Thank you. As I was saying, I cannot vote honorably against Kaiba-sama but neither can I vote honorably against Kaiba-san. I therefore cede my votes to Kaiba-chan." He leaned across the table and gave his form to her.

"Kaiba-chan?" He surprised me with that and, apparently, surprised my Aunt.

Bakura smiled serenely. "She has the least to gain from either side and therefore is in the most objective position."

"Very well." Tactically, it was brilliant but – since I still did not know how Auntie intended to vote – the move shook my confidence a bit. "Mazaki."

Anzu looked at my father. "Do you love me, Gozaburo?"

The question seemed to stun nearly everyone in the room. Kogoro and Bakura were the only two who seemed not completely blindsided and even they looked up when she spoke. I could not imagine a phrase I less expected to hear in my lifetime. Anzu and my father? At least that explained why she had not returned Honda's calls.

My father looked annoyed. "That, Mazaki, is a conversation for another time. Vote your shares."

"Quite the contrary." She shuffled the papers in front of her into an orderly pile. "That is a question for now. There is no one in this room who should not know of our relationship and no reason that the question isn't a simple one to answer. You asked me to marry you. Do you love me?"

"Irrelevant."

She nodded. "Kaiba Seto."

"WHAT?" Father roared, but Anzu was surprisingly calm as she handed over her form.

"I was voting my shares for him either way."

"You insignificant cow!" He hissed at her. "You have betrayed my trust!"

"Never, Buro, not ever. You are the one who taught me not to confuse personal and professional interests." She insisted. "I will be your wife, but I will never be a weapon for you to use against your son." She looked down for a moment and seemed to gather a bit more strength. "If the way you feel about me is irrelevant, then what possible value could you give to the way I feel about you?"

"You will regret this, you bitch!"

"No." I could see her eyes tearing and I wanted to reach out to her, but at the moment, I needed to stay focused. "Not this."

My Aunt was next. Her vote was always a matter of form. In the past, she'd never even attended the meetings, but sent any proxies through Noah. She had three forms in front of her, which confused me.

"Brother," She said softly. "I have enough shares to win this for you, don't I?"

Father's face twisted. "Yes, sister, you do. You could, with your vote, keep the family legacy from falling apart. You could do for your son what mine is – what mine are – too ungrateful to deserve."

"Our family legacy is one of lies, pain and loss. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Not on any of your sons. Not even on mine, if I had one who..." She stopped abruptly and looked at her hands.

Noah stared at her. "Mother?"

She lifted the three proxies and dropped them one at a time. "I vote my shares for Kaiba Seto. I vote Bakura's shares for Kaiba Seto. And I vote my dear departed Kisara's shares for Kaiba Seto." She stood up. "I resign from this board." She started to leave the room, but stopped and turned back to him. She kissed my father's head tenderly. "That is for the boy I once loved with all my heart. Do not contact me, Brother."

She left and Noah bolted after her. "Mother!"

My father's face was set in stone. Anzu reached across the table, but he pulled his hand away before she could touch him.

"If we could continue." I said. "Konosuke, your vote."

Konosuke was one of my father's oldest associates. If he fell, there was a better chance the others would fall like dominoes.

He looked at me, then at my father. "There will always be a market for KaibaCorp's products." He mused. "But the world is changing and it maybe time for a younger management with some fresh ideas." He grinned. "And a few older hands to guide them." He offered his form to me. "Kaiba-san?"

I took it without a word and looked at Shuzo. At some point his shock at realizing who I was drained out of him taking his strength with it.

"Kaiba Seto." He handed his proxy down to me. "You'll have my resignation in the morning."

"Pity." I couldn't resist. "Working with you is so educational." He deflated even further. I looked to the next seat.

"Make me an offer, Kaiba." Chikuzen said to my father. "Make the game interesting."

"You know what you're worth." My father sneered.

"Yes." The lawyer nodded. "I do. Kaiba Seto. Here, catch." With a flick of his wrist, he slid the proxy lightly into my reach.

Soichiro had a business card in his hand that he periodically tapped on the table. I could see part of the I2 logo under him fingers. He looked at the card, then at me and tapped it again.

"You're bluffing." He said finally.

"Then call me." If I lost anyone, I lost the game, but Soichiro was a technician. When it came down to the wire, he had always followed the science in the past.

He looked at the card again, then at my father. "Kaiba Seto." He said finally. It almost seemed painful.

Kogoro looked at my father. "Of course you realize that this was all a set up."

"What?"

"He offered me that VP of Operations position you have denied me for so long. I'm sure he's offered all of them nice things." Father looked at me and for an instant seemed almost proud. Kogoro went on. "But you only need one of us to side with you in order to win this. Would you like to know why it will not be me?"