Title: Sow and Reap

Author: Serena J

Rating: R for use of the f-word and some sexual content

Genre(s): Romance, Angst

Pairing(s): Primary Seto/Joey/Atemu

Spoilers: none

Beta: Mishiko

Disclaimer: Just the words, not the folks.

Summary: When Seto takes an impromptu vacation, he turns everyone's life upside down.

Chapter 21: Another Unanticipated Turn

Chapter 21

I went up. I still had an hour or so of study time before I needed to sleep. An odd odor struck me as I reached the door and I realized that I was wearing one of Shuzo's unwashed gym shirts. 'The man's ego knows no bounds,' I laughed to myself as I opened the door.

"Hey, Kaiba!" Honda yelled out.

"You survived," Otogi unexpectedly added. "I was – Good lord! What are you wearing?"

"His shirt," I said, amused. I held up the gi. "The clean one, relatively speaking."

"Collecting new garments, Prince?" I had seen Yugi sitting with Honda, but somehow failed to notice Pharaoh sitting by the window. I crossed the room to him and leaned over for a kiss only to have him push me away. "You stink," he scowled.

"My evening has been quite athletic. I'll shower. Give me just a few moments." I went into the bathroom and started the water.

Shortly after I stepped under the spray – Shuzo's odor was astoundingly strong – Honda stormed into the bathroom without even knocking.

"Are you really that callous or have you finally lost your damn mind?"

I looked at him; stunned by this new level of intrusion. "Were you not aware that I was bathing or is this some new method of seeing me nude?"

"Seriously. What the hell was that?"

"What was what?"

He gaped at me. I turned off the water. "Are you –? Are you serious? You walk in smelling like a whorehouse, waving one guy's shirt, wearing another and we're all supposed to just let it go? What's Yami supposed to think, dude? What the hell?"

"I see. So Joey can sleep with another man for fun, but if I complete a business transaction, somehow that's wrong." I wrapped the towel around my shoulders to catch my dripping hair.

"Huh?" Honda looked completely confused.

"You chastise me, but not Joey."

"Are you nuts?" Honda threw his hands up. "You think I didn't lay Joey out for screwing around on you? You think I still don't tell him he's a moron for losing you? And, dude, that is so not the point. Joey's stupid; he fell hard for you and got all freaked out. He always does that as soon as he starts feeling like it's serious, he goes and jumps on someone else. Only this time, I knew he'd regret it. But you, you're not stupid. I figured you wouldn't go jump on someone, not after Joey just did it to you. Especially not the way you and Yami go at it! Seriously, he is pissed off!"

"Fine! I'll go explain things to him." I started walk past Honda.

"OK, a) could you wrap that up and b) he's not here. He and Yugi left. Like I said, he's kind of seriously pissed off. And I can't really blame him."

I stepped into the living room – after wrapping the towel around my waist – to find it empty. I found my cell phone and called Pharaoh. He didn't answer. I hung up with a frustrated sigh.

"So what the hell?" Honda asked again.

"It was business." I couldn't help chuckling. "Shuzo actually tried to seduce me."

"Seduce you?"

"He thinks I'm some young office gopher – which is the very reason he shouldn't have considered even looking at me – but in his infinite wisdom, he decided to bed me and then threaten me if I exposed him."

"Oh shit!" Poor Honda looked horrified. "You were raped!?"

I laughed. "Certainly not; although he was stronger than I'm used to." Honda was looking more even more bewildered. "Shuzo will not want the sexual nature of our 'workout' revealed for a number of reasons. I am now assured of his vote in my favor, and when I terminate him without severance he will be unlikely to pursue the matter."

"Ok, I am so lost…. Did you sleep with another guy?"

"I had sex with someone other than Pharaoh, yes."

"So you cheated on him!"

"Certainly not!" The towel began slipping so I retied the knot. "This was business. There are no off-limits tactics. I assure you, if I thought a greater advantage could have been gained by buying him off, I would have done that. But it is always more successful to let the mouse build its own trap. He propositioned me. He set himself up. Hmmm. Actually, I could claim rape. He is considerably stronger than I am. It wouldn't have taken much for him to overpower me if I had let him."

"If you had let him?"

"I don't practice as I should, but I am a shodan in judo."

"So this was business."

"Yes."

"Like prostitution."

I sighed. "I dislike that characterization, but yes, I used my body to buy an advantage."

"And that's ok to you?" I shrugged. "Have you totally flipped?"

"I don't see why this is an issue. I do whatever is necessary for the best outcome for KaibaCorp."

"And you think having sex with some guy just to get his votes is ok?"

"Frankly, this works out better than buying him out as I have limited funds and I don't know when I'll have access to them. If I could have slept with all of them it would have simplified the process." Honda's jaw dropped. "I assure you; it was not the first time I've used sex to ensure obedience."

"There is no way your father would condone..." Honda started, but my laughter stopped him.

"Condone? He suggested it! He is very much against homosexuality, but he has no problem using any advantage. He has sent virginal secretaries to the beds of cold-blooded executives with the instructions that they are to return to the office with a signed contract and a bloodstain. Using me as bait was nothing to him." He looked sick but I went on anyway; I didn't seem to be able to stop. "My first time – for KaibaCorp, not myself – was when I was 13. An English banker Father needed financing from was claiming that the company wasn't stable. It was completely a ploy for a bribe, of course. Father made it my job to get the loan when he caught the man staring at me once too often. When I asked my Father what I should do, he said, 'take off your pants and close your eyes. When he's finished, hand him a pen.' I personally made six million off the resulting investments."

"Dude…" Honda was truly shaken and honestly I found myself a little unsettled. I hadn't thought about that incident in a very long time. "That – that is the worst thing I have ever heard. Why do you want to go back there? Look," he crossed the room to me, "I know it's not glamorous or what you're used to but we can make space on the boat for one more. It's honest and it pays pretty well – well, for most people – and no one out there does crap like that to a kid!"

"Hiroto, I am going back there because I have given everything I am to that corporation and I will not allow my Father to steal that investment from me. I am going back because the only way all of that stops is if I stop it – my Father will never change the corporate culture. I'm going back for Mokuba; because what would stop my Father from using him the way he uses me if I did not acquiesce to his every demand?"

Honda stared at me for a long moment. I realized that the towel had slipped; I was shivering even though the room was warm. His expression was set. It was a look I'd never seen from him before – absolute resolve.

"That's it. I'm calling the cops."

"What?"

He grabbed the phone receiver, but I got his hand before he could dial. "Hey, I don't know if you knew this, but child abuse is illegal. This isn't some third world country!"

"You don't understand!" I tried to take the receiver from him, but he wouldn't let go. "That won't work! My Father plays golf with the Prime Minister. Half a dozen judges are in his chess club. The police won't even go to the house if he didn't make the call."

"lt's not right Seto! It's just not right."

"No one cares if it's right." I yanked the phone from his hand and slammed it back in its cradle. "And no one enforces child welfare. I was an orphan, Hiroto, believe me, my Father is not the worst." I smiled at the irony. "Besides, the Japanese criminal code does not consider it rape to have sex with a boy. I looked it up." I went back to finish my shower.

It had been a long time since I thought about the banker. That was largely the reason I was always content to leave Mokuba out of KaibaCorp business affairs. The English Banker, the Polish Arms Distributor, the Russian Government Official, the others. I stopped trying to remember them all. Undoubtedly, Ryou had a similar list of 'business contacts' that Father had asked him to attend to. They had all taught me a great deal about sex and tactics. As I got older, I even managed to enjoy myself occasionally.

I also learned how to negotiate and often replaced sexual congress with the threat of exposure. Who would believe those evil brutes against such an innocent face? And if they signed whatever Father wanted signed, he didn't care how I did it.

I was still shivering despite the warmth of the water. I turned up the hot as far as I could take and washed. It ran out before I finished and I had to rinse in icy cold. I dried off briskly. That gave me something real to shiver about.

When I left the bath, Honda was on the phone talking softly. He glanced at me and mouthed 'Yugi'. I rolled my eyes and went into the bedroom. I threw on a t-shirt and grabbed my calculus book. I studied until I found myself falling asleep. Honda finished his conversation and watched me.

If he had anything further to say, he didn't say it.

When we came home from school the next day, we could smell food cooking as we opened the door. "Dad!" Honda cried out happily. "You're early."

"We got lucky, meet our quota day early," he replied with a grin and a hug for both of us. "I get extra day with my boy. That one of you, right? Don't tell me – I figure this out. Wait! I remember. Mine not eat much." He threw his arm around my shoulder. "Funny, you not look like me, son."

"You dye your hair," I quipped, pointing to his almost-bald head. I pulled away from his grasp as they both laughed. Slipping into the bedroom, I took a deep breath. If Honda-sama was back, then Honda would be leaving in a few days. I'd have to do something about my living arrangements sooner than I thought. I found one of my few suitcases and began packing.

"Hey, Seto, where'd you – oh, here you are. Dinner's almost…." Honda voice trailed off. "What are you doing?"

"If you still intend to leave with your father, then I will need a new place to stay. I'm sure I can stay with Pharaoh for a few days."

"Not unless you've apologized," he reminded me. "Besides, why would you need a place to stay? Nobody will be here."

"I can't stay in your home," I said, still packing. "It would not be right."

"Hey Dad!" Honda yelled. "Do you want Seto to move out when we leave?"

"Who gonna pick up mail he leaves?" his father yelled back. "You two gonna eat or all this for me?"

Honda looked back at me. "Any more dumb ideas or are you convinced?"

There was no way I was going to abuse their goodwill. The daily rate for their apartment was roughly 1500 yen. By the time they return from sea, I'd either have KaibaCorp back or I'd be working for I2. Either way, I would be able to pay them. "Thank you, Honda."

We went to have dinner. After, Honda and I did the dishes. "So what will it take for you to apologize to Yami?"

"First, I need to have done something unintentional or that I regret having done."

"Or you could just be the bigger man and admit fault."

"Ah teen drama," Honda-sama sighed. "Catch me up. Any pretty girls involved?"

"A pretty boy," I offered. "Does that count?"

"You got bad luck with boys. Maybe you need switch."

I laughed. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Most girls don't have any appeal to me." Although when I occasionally caught Miko-chan from just the right angle, I found my vague memories of her intriguing.

"Shame. You got no luck with boys; he got no luck with girls."

"Dad!"

"That Anzu call back yet?"

"Anzu is in a very difficult position right now," I answered for him. "She's not at liberty to call."

"Hey – how come you not just date him?" Honda-sama pointed back and forth between Honda and I.

Honda gagged. "How about because I like girls?"

"I like my men a little less butch." I tried to keep a straight face and stared significantly at Honda-sama. "Although I have found a few interesting older men recently."

"That's so wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to start." Honda shook his head.

"Bah! You not drunk enough to look at me," his father chuckled. "You better go make up with you boyfriend." He stood, yawned and stretched. "Too old to stay up all night with you. Wake me when you leave for school."

We wished him goodnight and finished the kitchen.

"Phone's right there," Honda pointed out helpfully.

"It was business."

"It was wrong, but don't tell me. Yami is just a phone call away." I spent the evening studying as Honda helpfully reminded me periodically that the phone was in easy reach and not in use.

There was, however, nothing to apologize for. The phone worked two ways; if Pharaoh wanted to discuss his insecurities, he could easily call me.

My dreams, however, were vivid. Pharaoh and Joey shared me but neither was satisfied. Over and over they used me and nothing I did was good enough. I woke gasping.

"Seto?" Honda was next to me, shaking me. "Dude, come on, wake up."

"He ok?" Honda-sama asked from the doorway.

"He's fine," I replied. Honda stopped shaking me and held me by my shoulders. "You can let go now."

"You're still shaking," he pointed out. "Are you sure you're ok? Is this about, you know, that thing you told me yesterday?"

"lt's about nothing," I snapped and pushed him away. I got up and went to the bathroom. Honda was right; my hands were still shaking for no apparent reason. I could still hear Pharaoh and Joey laughing at me. Taunting me. It was only a dream, but in it I failed. 'Dreams are meaningless,' I told myself and breathed deeply until my hands were steady again.

Honda and his father were talking softly when I passed by his room. They stopped abruptly when the floorboard squeaked.

"Seto?" Honda-sama called out. "Come here, please." He sounded authoritative – almost fatherly.

I opened the door all the way. "Yes?"

"You want try fishing for a while?"

I felt the bewilderment crease my brow. "Why on earth would I want to do that?"

"You mind keeping eye on things here while Hiroto and me both gone?"

"Of course not; it's the least I could do to repay you."

"You want discuss why you wake whole house in middle of night?"

I felt my face flush. "No. A disturbing dream. It will pass."

"Like hell it will!" Honda scoffed. "You were practically crying!"

"Hiroto!" Honda-sama called him sharply. "Bed"

"But -"

"Now." Much to my surprise, Honda made an irritated sound and stomped off to his room. "Seto, every man have right keep his own counsel, but you want, I still pretty good listener. OK?"

I did not wish to share my personal demons with anyone. But I did appreciate his offer and his discretion. "Thank you, sir."

He waved my thanks off. "It school night. You only allowed good dreams." I had to smile.

"Yes sir; I'll keep that in mind."

The next morning, Honda went directly to the Headmaster's office to arrange his exams, leaving me the task of informing his friends of his eminent departure.

Mutou was, to my surprise, apparently the least affected. "OK. So then, it's tomorrow night at Grandpa's shop. Tell everyone to get there around 6pm. Mai should be back by then which is good; she'd be upset if she missed him."

"What am I telling everyone?"

"About Honda's surprise farewell party! I've been planning it ever since he told me he was going."

"Oh." I hadn't even considered a farewell event. "I see."

"Could you –" He hesitated. "Well, Yami plans to be there. I mean, he does sort of live there and…"

"And it would be simpler if I didn't attend since he refuses to be reasonable."

Mutou's eyes narrowed. "You are perfectly welcome to attend, if you want, but let's be clear. You are the one who made the mistake, you are the one who should apologize, and you are the one who is wrong here, Kaiba." He took a breath. "I'm sorry, but you really hurt Yami and I have to be honest with you."

I raised a hand to stop him. "You need not go on. I have no intentions of disrupting an occasion I wasn't invited to."

He looked at me oddly. "Why wouldn't you be invited? Besides, I need you to stall Honda for a while and then bring him over when everyone gets there. It would be great if you and Yami made up, but when you think you're right, boy, are you stubborn!"

I had to smile. "I don't think I've ever been told off quite so good-naturedly."

He shrugged. "Just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean I'm not still your friend."

I had to consider that. "Honda will have a number of exams tomorrow." I told him after a moment. "I'm sure I can find plausible reasons to delay him."

I headed to my next class before he could say anything else perplexing. If someone had hurt Mokuba the way I allegedly hurt Pharaoh, his brother would be attending his funeral by now. I certainly would not be inviting the offender to a gathering at Mokuba's home or calling the offender 'friend'.

And yet, I had no doubt that Mutou meant every word of his brief tirade. For no reason I could fathom, I suspected that he did consider me a friend – although I had done nothing to earn the title in months. Nor did I see any particular reason to do so. As Mutou himself pointed out, this living fiction would be ending shortly.

I found Mokuba at lunch and let him know about Honda's departure and the forthcoming party. I also told him what caused Pharaoh and my current 'falling out'.

He shrugged. "It's a perfectly reasonable tactic. I'd have done it."

I felt a chill. "Really?" I forced myself to keep an even tone. "And just when have you used such a tactic?"

He blushed. "Well I haven't had to yet. I just meant if I was there. It makes sense. If he was stupid enough to seduce you – hey, wait! I think that gym is wired into security!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! 30th floor, right? I got in trouble one time for messing with equipment when I was supposed to be doing homework and that's how they found me; the security cameras."

"I'm sure the tape has been erased by now."

He shook his head as he dialed his phone. "They keep the good stuff even if it's not technically security-related. Sex? In the executive gym?" He grinned. "My big brother, the porn star. Hi, is Tamura-san available? Tell him it's his son." He mouthed 'code' to me. "Hi Pop!" He listened for a moment. "Tamura, a friend of mine at school had a terrible thing happen to him in the executive gym last – when was it?"

"The day before yesterday."

"Tuesday. On Tuesday. Would you see if there is a security tape? My friend doesn't want to press charges, but he couldn't bear the shame of knowing there was a tape in existence. No; call me first. Thanks!" He hung up. "He thinks he might know the incident."

"How would he know it?"

Mokuba grinned again. "Nii-sama, even if they don't know who the participants are, it's a sex tape!"

"Oh dear God," I groaned as I realized that he was right. "This could be the most embarrassing event of my life."

"But you can still fire Shuzo over it," Mokuba snickered. "He's hard to miss on tape."

"I'm sure that will keep security from recognizing who he's with."

"They might not be looking too closely," he managed to get out.

"Mokuba, this is not funny!" I snapped.

"Yeah, actually, it is." He restrained himself somewhat. "The shame of it is that I can't tell anyone who my 'friend' is."

"If anyone finds out, I will hold you personally responsible."

"Not at soul, I promise. Well, maybe Tamura – he's seen you with your hair all wild so he might know straight off."

"I will never forgive you, brother, never."

"Just Tamura. I swear!" He stopped laughing and grinned. "Maybe I should have pictures printed for next week."

"Next week?" It caught me decidedly off guard. Final exam week and the critical board meeting at the same time. "Damn it. I need to move my exams."

"You haven't talked to Headmaster yet?"

"I feel like I've spoken to everyone."

"Don't worry; everything will be fine."

I took a deep breath. It had been a long time since I felt like everything was spiraling out of my control. I am Kaiba, I reminded myself. I can do this.

I stopped by the Headmaster's office before I left at the end of the day.

"I was wondering if you'd forgotten me, Kaiba-san." He smiled warmly. "When your brother told me you both were expected at a board meeting, I presumed you'd need to do some rescheduling." He handed me a form. "I had everything moved to the day of make-up exams. It means you'll have to do exams while your classmates are taking things easy."

"I am used to such things." I took the schedule. "Thank you, sir."

I went directly to the mall to work what might turn out to be my last shift. Miko-chan and Kim-Kim were both there, but ChouChou was in the country with her grandparents. I told the girls about Honda leaving and they both promised to come say goodbye.

I did not tell them that I might be leaving soon as well. It seemed, somehow, unkind.

It was a long busy shift and I was glad to get home when I finally did. Honda took a moment away from his studies to remind me that I could call Pharaoh at any time. I ignored him.

When I woke in the middle of the night again, I began to reconsider. The dreams had returned already, and in force. This time, Pharaoh and Joey were pleasing each other and I could only watch them. Each time one of them reached for me, I could not touch them. My hands passed through them like the virtual monsters I dueled.

I needed my wits about me over the coming days. I needed my head clear and I needed every moment of sleep I could steal, and these erotic dreams were something I could ill afford. The solution was obvious – I needed a lover to keep my hormones at bay while I did real work. I was, at the moment however, short of options.

Joey was too far away. And out of the question, I sternly reminded myself. Pharaoh was possible, but I refused to compromise KaibaCorp for his ego. Honda was not interested. Yugi was interested, but married, which carried complications I didn't want; I doubted Mai would be as graceful as Miko-chan.

Who, to my surprise, I found myself considering. She had kept her promise and not breathed a word to anyone, and what I remembered of that night was more tempting than I would have expected. But I needed a short-term release and she might become more committed to the relationship than I'd like. Plus one can never overestimate the threat of pregnancy with women. Mentally, I crossed her off the list.

Ryou was forbidden fruit, at least at the moment. Otogi would make for an interesting evening, but I doubted he was even remotely interested in me. Which, oddly, added to his appeal.

No one was currently suitable. I'd need to find someone else. It would only be for a few days. Just long enough to abate the dreams until Monday.

Monday.

A day that had seemed so far away was now threatening to overwhelm me. I got up and slipped into the kitchen for something to drink.

I sat in the living room window and looked out at the street. Joey and I used to sit in the window of my condo and plan our future together. Much better view. Much brighter future. Joey always started thoughts with 'if I'm still around' or 'if this gets serious'. I had assured him that I would become bored with him soon enough. But still I told him about the gardens at Kaiba Manor. How the cherry blossoms in the spring turn the entire view pink. How the Shinto shrine reflected in the koi pond. I told him that when he got married, I'd let him have the service there; he'd make a lovely bride. I had hoped at the time that I would be the groom.

Pharaoh and I sat on his roof and tried to see Egypt. We'd watch the stars and calculate where in the world their light was falling. I did not believe his impossible tale of ancient life and mystic death, but his mathematical ability rivaled my own and his knowledge of the ancient world was uncanny. It made me want his story to be true. It made me want to be Pharaoh's Priest.

But I was not Joey's Groom or Pharaoh's Priest and I never would be. These were fantasies, no more real than the dreams that plagued my sleep. Reality was that I was Kaiba. All that the name encompassed – the family, the corporation, the power and the isolation – made up who and what I was. I was never going to find one man to share my life with; my life would be shared with all that is Kaiba. The joy of true love was not in my deck and no booster pack would ever have it.

I laughed to myself. Maybe that was a new product. A deck for lovers. True Love. The Kiss. Faith. Belief. Jealousy. Denial. Pain. Powerful cards, some would say. Not me.

I am Kaiba.

Author's Note:

The line about the Japanese criminal code not considering sex with young boys a crime was true when I wrote this story several years ago, and that code was partly based on some Samauri-era presedents that included pederasty as not only accepted but actually required. Since then, the entire code on sexual crime relating to minors has been re-written to consider the age, not the gender, of the victim.