It's easy to just say a character is a genius and move on. Part of what I've spent so long doing with my fanfiction is proving that label is true with Seto (and Mokuba, too). It's difficult to do when I don't really consider myself all that smart. I do like to think I'm wise, though.

At the very least, I've learned a lot about how life works over the years, and I think that's helped me frame what kind of genius I imagine Seto Kaiba to be.

Which is mostly to say, this is the kind of genius I can give him.

I think it's enough.

.

If meeting Noa Kaiba was Seto's test from Amaya Kaiba, then sitting outside Noa's hospital room was his test from her husband. The figurehead of the family stood near Seto's little chair, arms crossed over his barrel chest, looking like an ancient guardian. The thought crossed Seto's mind that this man should carry a sword.

"What are your plans for the future?" Gozaburo asked, apropos of nothing.

Seto managed, somehow, not to flinch. He looked up at the richest man in his city and squared his shoulders. He knew this was, effectively, an interview question. "I'm going to rebuild this city," he said. "Too many people are forgotten, ignored, hurt; more needs to be done to help them. I don't trust local government. By the time anyone makes it into that space, they've had to give up, or compromise, anything that made them want to help people in the first place. I'm going to do it myself. My way."

There was no telling whether this was the correct answer, but Seto knew that lying would do him no favors here; not against this couple. The Kaibas would know. If Seto gave some contrived answer that he thought they wanted to hear, something about military contracting or whatever other nonsense that he happened to know Kaiba-Corp was involved in, Gozaburo would know that he was pandering.

The truth was Seto's only leverage.

"What is your way?" Gozaburo asked.

"Outreach," Seto said. "Trust people to know what they need. I don't know many specific things," he admitted, "because the books at the orphanage don't really have anything like that, and I don't have a reliable way to get to the library. I want to talk to people who work for charities. Advocates. Fundraisers." Seto had no idea what a man like Gozaburo Kaiba would think of charity, but it was too late now. "People talk a lot about fixing the world, and they think they already have the answers. Everyone else is just too stupid to work out their genius. I don't believe that. I'm not that arrogant. My way is the human way: community."

"You seem to have closed yourself off from your current community," Gozaburo noted.

Seto shrugged. "I can't trust them," he said flatly. "Right now, my community is my brother."

Gozaburo watched the boy for a time, silent, scrutinizing. "If the Kaiba Corporation were to change industries, where should it focus its efforts? Assume that you have been placed in charge of such a decision. You are now the president of my enterprises. You must shift their resources from all current projects into another arena. Which do you choose?"

Seto thought about this for a long, long time. Quietly. Carefully.

Then he said: "Medicine."

"Explain your choice," Gozaburo said.

"Military advancements lean that way, anyway," Seto said. "Life and death. It's connected. You have to know the human body if you want to kill, and knowing the human body is how you heal, too. Penicillin, tourniquets, surgery, amputations. There's a whole litany of examples." He allowed the barest of little smirks onto his face. "Besides, it's good PR. 'We have spent so many years perfecting the art of killing. The time has come for a new era. It is our duty to atone, and saving lives is the only proper way to do that.'"

"You believe that I must atone, then?" Gozaburo asked.

Seto didn't flinch. "It doesn't matter. What matters is saying it."

It was nearly impossible for anyone—except Amaya—to work out Gozaburo Kaiba's reaction to just about anything; he was as inscrutable as a marble statue, and Seto didn't think he would be able to read this man if he had years to study his face.

Which, the boy reminded himself, he hopefully would.

Gozaburo started to pace the hallway in front of Seto, not looking at him. His long coat whispered about his shins. He made Seto think of a police captain in a noir movie. He wondered if the Kaiba patriarch smoked cigars; he seemed the type.

Gozaburo stopped on a dime, turned toward Seto, and asked: "Who is responsible for operating the Domino Children's Home?"

Seto frowned. "Do you mean who's supposed to be running it, or who is running it?"

"Both."

"Director Kelvin is supposed to be running it. His assistant, Miss Hathaway, is actually doing it. She does all the real work, keeping the place running. Director Kelvin fights her on every decision, but if he ends up caving, he'll take credit for her idea and try to make himself sound better once it's implemented. Especially when he's talking to donors like you, or applying for federal grants."

"How often does Kelvin interfere with his assistant's work?"

"Whenever the time comes to spend the money he gets," Seto said. "He drags his feet whenever she wants to make a real investment into the place. Fixing the walls, replacing appliances, bringing the wiring up to code. All that kind of stuff, where the best practice would be hiring a professional. She does her best, but he doesn't usually let her do what needs to be done."

Gozaburo frowned. "Are you telling me, Seto Yagami, that the director at your home is wasting the money he receives, or that he's fleecing it?"

"I don't know," Seto said. "If you're asking me to guess, then I'd say he's doing everything he can to keep as much of it as possible." The boy waved a hand. "He has a real nice car, and he's always wearing new watches. I don't know how expensive any of them are, but he has a lot of them."

Gozaburo considered this in thunderous silence.

At this point, Amaya stepped out of her son's sickroom with Mokuba trotting up behind her. "I hope you aren't interrogating the poor boy, dearest," she said, eyeing her husband with suspicion.

"According to young Seto," said Gozaburo, cleanly sidestepping the accusation, "Kelvin's assistant is the real mind behind running the Children's Home. It's her you want to approach."

"Oh?" Amaya raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" She glanced at Seto for confirmation.

Seto nodded. "Whenever Director Kelvin says we did something, he means Miss Hathaway did it."

"I see."

"I believe it best if we head back now," Gozaburo said. "We can only keep them away from home for so long at a time, after all. I think we'd best track down this Miss Hathaway."

Amaya nodded. "Agreed," she said.

Seto smiled.