Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh! or anything related to it, except this story, my other stories, and any others I may come to write.

Sitting in his office in the massive building that housed his company, Seto Kaiba, the young CEO of Kaiba Corporation and one of the most powerful men in Japan, gave an aggravated sigh, glaring at his computer screen. He'd been working nonstop since he'd arrived here from school – a waste of time, that; he already knew everything they were teaching – and, several hours later, he was only half done.

He was about to get back to his tedious task when a beep from the speaker on his desk drew his attention. "Mister Kaiba?" His secretary's voice was hesitant; he'd left orders that he was not to be disturbed.

Biting back yet another sigh, he reached over and pressed the button that allowed him to speak to her.

"This is Kaiba."

"Sir, there's someone here to see you."

"What do they want?" He allowed a hint of annoyance to creep into his tone. He didn't have the time for this…

"I don't know sir. She wouldn't tell me. But she said it's urgent… I thought that…" The woman trailed off, clearly frightened by his voice.

"…Very well. Send her in."

In the waiting room outside Kaiba's office, a woman sat on the edge of her seat, praying for admittance. A woman with long, graying brown hair pulled back into a ponytail…

She had decided to wait for a while before attempting to meet him. It had still been early in the morning when that stray article had found its way to her, her first solid evidence that he was here. He would have been in school then. Understanding that he had work he must complete, she waited longer still to make her way to his office.

She drew her coat tighter about her body and hunched her shoulders, feeling uncomfortable. She'd been waiting here for almost an hour, pleading with the stubborn secretary to be allowed to see the CEO. After a long argument, the woman had promised to page him and request that she be admitted. She strained her ears in an attempt to hear the conversation.

"…someone here to see you." She could just barely catch the secretary's voice.

Her heart leapt when she heard the reply. That was him, alright.

"What do they want?" He sounds just like his father did when he was younger, she mused to herself.

"I don't know sir. She wouldn't tell me. But she said it's urgent… I thought that…" Came the secretary's reply. She sounded frightened about something.

There was a pause, then, "Very well. Send her in."

She let out a small sigh of relief. Thank goodness…

She sat up straighter as the secretary replied, "Yes sir," and came over to speak with her.

"Mister Kaiba will see you now."

She gave the young woman a nod and stood to follow her to the door.

Kaiba did not raise his head as the stranger entered, though his senses were tuned into their every move in case they tried anything funny. He continued to stare at his computer screen, typing incessantly.

"How can I help you?" he asked, still not looking up.

"I… Uh… That is to say…" A woman's voice answered him, sounding unsure of herself.

He did glance up now, very quickly, though his fingers didn't even slow their typing.

"I'm not a mind reader, ma'am. You need to speak. He returned his gaze to the screen.

"Yes, yes of course. Umm… Seto…"

Now he was starting to get irritated. He didn't like people who wasted his time. This woman's dawdling was accomplishing just that.

She'd also called him, "Seto." No one called him by his first name. It was "Kaiba," to his equals, who were few, "Mr. Kaiba," or, "Sir," to his employees, and (as much as he hated the nickname) "Kaiba-boy," to that fool, Pegasus. The only exception was Mokuba, who was of course the exception to everything, and occasionally that midget Yugi Motou or one of his friends. Even that was rare, though. Just who did this woman think she was…?

"Why don't you start with a name." It was not a question, but an order.

"Yes, of course. My name is Joan."

Oh dear… This wasn't going the way Joan had planned at all. She had come prepared; she had known exactly what she wanted to say to him. Now that she was here, however, everything had fallen apart. Her mind was blank, and she struggled for a place to start. She was glad when he had provided the answer by requesting her name.

She was also a bit disturbed by his attitude. He'd only looked at her once, for crying out loud! He seemed unable to tear his gaze away from the computer in front of him. His fingers appeared to have a life of their own; surely it was impossible for a human to move that fast!

She drew in a deep breath. Enough hesitating. I've waited long enough. And he deserves to know the truth.

"Seto," she said, her voice a bit stronger after those preparing thoughts. "Seto, have you ever wondered… have you ever wondered what happened to your parents? Your real parents?"

That got his attention. He stiffened, and for the first time since she had entered his office, his fingers stopped their rapid tapping. He sat completely still, frozen in his shock.

After a long pause, he slowly raised his eyes to look at her. His voice, when he spoke, was hard, and perhaps a bit louder than necessary.

"They're dead."

"No. Your… your father is dead. Your mother is not." She took a step closer to his desk. "Seto," she said in a gentle voice, "I am your mother."

She watched him apprehensively. How would he take it?

There was a long, anxiety-filled pause, and then…

"Get out."

"What?" She was shocked. Why did he want her to leave? Why was his voice so hard, and his face so emotionless?

"I told you to get out." He stood up and came around the desk. His face wasn't emotionless now; he was quite clearly angry.

But why… "I don't understand!"

"I don't have time to waste with liars."

"I'm not lying!"

"Oh? That's got to be the most outrageous thing I've ever heard." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. "What reason do I have to believe you? My mother is dead; she has been for over ten years. Why should I believe a stranger who walks into my office at…" He glanced at his watch. "…8:36 at night, when I've got a lot of work to finish, and tells me she's a walking dead woman?"

"I'm not dead!"

"No, you're not. You're also not my mother."

She was about to protest, to make him listen to her, to get him to understand, when the door behind her cracked open.

"Seto?" A small voice questioned, as the person it belonged to pushed the door open further. "Seto, are you there?"

She turned around to see a boy about twelve years old peering around the door. His long black hair came down to his waist; he stared at her with wide gray eyes.

The CEO had also noticed the boy. "I'm right here, Mokuba. What do you need?"

Mokuba!

"Seto, who's this?" The boy stepped fully into the room now. She noticed that he held a tray balanced on one arm.

"…No one of importance. She was just leaving."

"I heard yelling…"

"It's nothing, Mokuba. Don't worry about it." Seto moved around her now, blocking her view of his brother. "What's the matter?"

The younger boy craned his head around the tall CEO to get a look at her, then shrugged and walked over to the desk.

"You didn't come home. I figured that if you were so busy, you wouldn't have taken time off to eat dinner." He set the tray down on the desk, then beamed at his brother. "I brought you some."

Seto walked over the desk, touched as usual by his brother's thoughtfulness.

"See, look, there's a sandwich – I made it all by myself, too – and an apple, and some coffee, and a…"

Seto stared down at the meal, listening to his brother happily chatter on. He reached out to pick up the sandwich, suddenly feeling a hunger he hadn't noticed earlier, before drawing away.

"…and look, I made you some cookies… Seto? What's the matter? Don't you like it?

"What do you say I eat this on the go?"

"…What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't think I'll be able to concentrate anymore on work tonight. Let's go home."

"You mean it?"

Seto nodded, and glanced around the room. He glared when he realized that Joan was still there.

She seemed to understand. She tore her gaze away from the two brothers (she'd been fascinated by how Seto's mood had changed whenMokuba had shone up, and proud of the way he treated the younger boy), looked at the floor, and slunk out.

Seto nodded again, dismissed the woman from his mind, and turned back to his eager brother.

"Let's go home, kid."