This is a long one, mostly because a lot of things ended up tying together and I couldn't find the right spot to cut it off. Also, according to my draft, this is the halfway point. I can't guarantee that this one will stay at 50 chapters, but that's where I'm at right now.

So it felt important, somehow.

A milestone, in other words.

.

Joey Wheeler had exactly none of his usual confident swagger when he stepped into Kaiba Manor. He sat on the couch in the front parlor and kicked his feet; he'd never been in a room this big, never mind the size of the house. The only reason he hadn't gotten up and bolted for the door was the fact that Seto and Noa were sitting on either side of him.

"It's okay, Joey," Noa said, patting the older boy's knee. "Nobody's gonna sue you or anything like that."

"You don't know that," Joey protested. He was clearly trying to joke around, like he usually did, but he couldn't keep a handle on his usual composure; he was thoroughly out of his element. "Besides, this place scares me. I dunno how you live here. It's like a museum."

Noa smiled. "I guess," he said. "I wouldn't know. I guess I'm biased. I was born here. Well, I mean, not here, I was born in a hospital, but . . . you get it."

"Not gonna lie," Joey said, "you could tell me you got a hospital here in this house and I'd believe you."

"We do have a nurse on staff," Noa said.

"Her name is Mio," Seto put in.

"Sheesh," said Joey, sighing as he shook his head. "Frickin' rich boys."

"I'm new here," Seto said.

Mokuba came rushing into the room like he was running away from something, then leaped headlong into Seto's lap. "Nii'tama!" he cried. "Nii'tama home!"

"Hi, Mokie," Seto said, ruffling his brother's hair.

Joey was taking in the youngest of the brood. "You got another one?" he asked, mystified. "Man, I thought something was off when you told me you was a little brother."

"I mean, I am," Seto said. He shrugged. "I'm the middle kid now."

Joey grinned. "What's up, little man?" He held out a fist. "I'm Joey."

"Say hello, Mokie," Seto said.

Mokuba looked over, saw Joey's fist, and bopped it with his own. "Hi," he said, shyly, hiding behind his hair. "Joey. Joey new."

"Yeah." Joey nodded amicably. "Yeah, I'm new."

Noa was studying his cane with a grimace on his face. He'd dented it against Flunky Three's nose. "I should make that jerk pay for the replacement," he muttered. "Come at my brother with a knife? Stupid. Absolute Neanderthal behavior. I'm surprised that thing wasn't carved out of rock."

"What was their plan?" Seto wondered. "Even if he'd managed to take me out, what was that dork going to do? Faint?" He eyed Noa suspiciously. "You know damn well that kid's never seen blood in his life." He flinched. "Mokie, don't repeat that."

"Dam!" said Mokuba.

Joey tossed his head back and howled with laughter.

.

Amaya Kaiba sat across from Joey Wheeler, watching him with the unflinching gaze of a jeweler appraising a stone. "So. Joseph. You've been friendly with my boys for a bit of time now. It's an honor to finally meet you."

"Uh . . . h-hello, ma'am."

It was obvious that Joey had no idea how to speak to this woman; he was intimidated by her, not just because she was an adult, not just because she was wealthier than he would ever be, but also because she was intense by nature. Joey was a fighter; he knew when he was outmatched. Seto didn't think he could blame the older boy, and Noa didn't either. As frightening as Gozaburo could be, most people who'd met both Kaiba figureheads were more frightened by Amaya.

If for no better reason than that she would tell you, to your face, when she intended to put an end to your bloodline.

All the same, Amaya favored Joey with the same doting little smile she often offered her sons. "I wonder," she said, "if you understand the significance of what you've done today." She patted Joey's hand, which was currently in his lap. "I shudder to think what might have happened to my sons if you hadn't been there."

"I, uh. I mean." Joey cleared his throat. "I appreciate that, ma'am, but . . . honestly, uh." He gestured to Noa. "Mark McGwire over here put in the real work." Noa looked clueless; Seto snickered. "You can see if you just look at his whippin' stick, there."

Noa held up his battered cane. "One of them thought he'd sneak around," he said. "Tried to catch Seto by surprise."

"And you . . . struck him with your cane," Amaya said; Noa nodded. "Hard enough to do this."

"Broke man's nose," Joey said confidently.

Amaya sat back on her heels and studied the children in front of her. Her face was unreadable for a time, and she was silent for just long enough that Seto wondered if he might get in trouble after all. He'd been sure that his new mother would be proud of him, that he'd done what he was supposed to do, that they'd all done what they were supposed to do, but there was something about the way she was looking at them now, something about the way her eyes flared like torchlight, that was unsettling.

Just like last time.

Then—also just like last time—Amaya's face split in a beaming grin.

"My boys," she said. "My darling boys."

Noa blushed furiously. "Hahaue."

She reached out and pulled Seto and Noa both into a hug. "Don't worry about a thing. Your father and I will handle everything at school. You've both done precisely what you ought to have done today, and that's all there is to say about that." She pulled back and turned her attention to Joey again. "And as for you, young man, I stand by what I said. Thank you, from the heart of me, for standing with my sons."

Joey looked surprised, and uncomfortable, but eventually he smiled.

"You're, uh . . . you're welcome, ma'am."

.

Jackson and Veronica Wheeler were quite obviously used to dealing with people criticizing their son, to the point where they had no idea what to do, or how to act, when someone praised him. Amaya found that fact rather tremendously sad, and so she decided to give a sign to her husband: it was time to turn on the charm.

"It would be the furthest thing from our desire," she said, putting one hand on Gozaburo's shoulder and the other on his arm, "for you to think we have anything negative to say about your boy." She tapped the inside of Gozaburo's elbow with one finger.

Jackson, who was fiddling with the collar of his shirt—which he'd obviously thrown on only because he'd been told he would be picking up Joey at a mansion, one belonging to the richest family in Domino—looked quite thoroughly flabbergasted. "Uh . . . is that, uh . . . right?"

"It is," Gozaburo said, and his voice was as smooth as imported silk. "From the conversation we had over the phone, I do not doubt that you have had . . . trouble with him in the past. I think that today shows the truth more clearly and brightly than anything else he might have done. Your son has a strong sense of justice. Perhaps he pushes against boundaries—what boy doesn't?—but all the same, if not for his quick thinking today, our sons may have ended up in hospital beds. If not the morgue."

Veronica put a hand over her mouth. "Mister Kaiba . . . what do you mean?"

"One of the boys who saw fit to make sport of our children today," Gozaburo said, "was carrying a weapon. They meant to do real damage. Irrevocable damage. I cannot hazard a guess as to their motives, but I do know this: Joseph was instrumental in the outcome we ended up with, and I am certain Seto and Noa would both agree with me when I say that we owe him a great debt."

"Noa is still recovering from a grievous accident," Amaya put in. "I cannot imagine what those boys might have done to him."

"Are you sure this wasn't all to do with something Joey did?" Jackson asked after a moment; he looked suspicious. "He likes to make enemies out of . . . near everybody he ever meets. Could be he's the whole reason this mess happened."

Amaya shook her head. "The boys who targeted Seto and Noa, and thereby roped Joseph into their little vengeance quest, were from Phoenix Gate Academy." She paused. "I man no disrespect to you, Mister Wheeler, but I don't think your son has had much cause to cross paths with them."

"No," said Veronica. "Definitely not."

"That's a private school, isn't it?" Jackson asked; Amaya nodded. "Yeah. Never mind."

.

The most important skill Gozaburo Kaiba had managed to hone throughout his adult life, the skill that made him so dangerous and influential, was his ability to change his negotiation tactics depending on the person he was speaking with; it was this specific facet of lying that he understood better than anyone else Amaya had ever met, and she'd spent enough time with him, observing him, to know when he was working someone.

He was working Jackson Wheeler right now.

"Your work truck," Gozaburo mused, gesturing out the window. "Construction?"

"Huh?" Jackson looked over, like he wasn't sure if there even was a truck outside; like he didn't remember how he'd gotten here. "Oh, uh. Yeah. S'right."

"I don't believe in destiny, or fate," Gozaburo said, "but I do believe in nepotism." He allowed himself a little chuckle. "Your son saved my son's life, and I don't like the idea of having that debt hanging in the air. But you don't strike me as the sort of man who would simply accept a check. So, I pose a question to you, Jackson Wheeler: are you looking for work?"

Noa was already grinning; Seto caught on quickly, too.

Joey, for his part, was just as clueless as his father.

"Why do you ask, Mister Kaiba?" Veronica asked, before her husband could work himself up to being affronted. "Are you looking to hire someone?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." Gozaburo rubbed his chin. "I've recently come into some property on Hayworth and Ulysses." He drew in a breath. "I need to build on it, and I'd like to start as soon as possible." He turned to Jackson and quirked an eyebrow. "Once I finalize everything with the city, I wonder if you would mind if I sent a contract your way."

Jackson still looked confused. "You're gonna hire me . . . 'cuz my kid got in a fight."

Gozaburo held out his hands, like he was displaying something. "Call it a favor if you like. Proof of that old saying: life is about who you know. More to the point, I need a man who can get this done, and I need a man who knows the area. You live near Hayworth, do you not?"

"Yeah. That's right."

"Perfect."

Jackson grumbled, but then he flashed a glance at his wife and said: "Does this contract come with insurance?"

Gozaburo took a moment. He was evaluating. Then he said: "Every contractor who works for the Kaiba Corporation is, for the purposes of all benefits, an employee of the Kaiba Corporation." He paused. "Yes, in other words. For as long as you work with me, you will be insured. Everything will be outlined in the contract."

Jackson and Veronica spoke to each other without words.

Joey looked like he was waiting for something, but he didn't know what.

Jackson turned back to Gozaburo, stood up, and held out a hand. "All right, Mister Kaiba. You've got a deal."

Gozaburo shook the offered hand, firmly. "I look forward to working with you."

.

"I'm not saying I don't appreciate the gesture," Amaya said, that night, before she and her husband parted ways to rest, "especially considering what I said about involving the rank-and-file in your endeavors. But I wonder why you chose Jackson Wheeler, of all people. I don't think Joseph had anything at all to do with that. I think you have an entirely different idea for what to do for him."

Gozaburo hummed. "I did it to spite Otaki," he said. "He's sent me the CVs of so many contractors who fit his sensibilities, and I find them all exceptionally boring. I don't trust construction workers who dress in suits."

Amaya grinned. "And now the man will feel indebted to you, even though you specifically said you were offering him work so as to pay a debt."

"I won't pretend I didn't consider that," Gozaburo said.

"Of course." Amaya laughed. "You've never offered full benefits to an independent contractor in your life. You said that specifically because he asked about it, didn't you? You're going to change company policy on a whim, because one man asked you a question."

"Does that surprise you?" Gozaburo asked. "I hope they all piss themselves over it. He wouldn't have asked if he didn't have a powerful reason for it. He asked because there's something that matters more to him than his own pride. If I'd said no, he wouldn't have taken the offer." Gozaburo gesticulated with his cigar case, held loosely in his left hand. "Besides. In his . . . observations with the Big Five, Seto mentioned that changing our reputation with the public will only work, long term, if we're seen taking a hit."

"Taking the advice of a boy, are you" Amaya asked slyly.

"Spite is a powerful motivator," Gozaburo said, "and I find myself more and more disappointed with the Five as I move into this new era. Besides, boy or not, Seto is right."

"This is because Daimon called Noa a cripple, isn't it?"

Gozaburo grimaced. "It's because he thought I should find him more valuable to me than my own son." He shook his head. "I won't abide by that kind of self-importance. I didn't name my business the Kaiba Corporation to hand it off to Kogoro. If he wants to take it from me, he has a lot of work left to do."

"Don't pretend you'd ever consider handing over the reins to him now."

"Obviously not," Gozaburo said. "But if I did, he still hasn't shown himself to be nearly the right breed of man. Besides, he had no trouble with the notion of Noa taking my place six months ago. The only reason he's changed his opinion now is because I don't intend to stay in his industry, and he doesn't believe he can lord himself over Noa anymore."

"You think he wanted to play the dutiful mentor, but only so that he could hold the strings," Amaya guessed. "He wanted a puppet king. Without the leverage of understanding the industry so much better than Noa, he doesn't believe he'll have one."

Gozaburo nodded. "Precisely," he said.

"I'm surprised," Amaya said, "that you haven't put a bullet in him already."

"In all honesty," Gozaburo said, "so am I." He shook his head. "My own sentimentality, I suppose."

Amaya put a hand on her husband's arm. "Do you think Paradius will try to recruit him?"

"If they don't," Gozaburo muttered, "I'll be insulted."

"What do you think we should do, then? Should we exorcize this demon?" Amaya laughed softly at her old joke, and Gozaburo shot her a withering glare. "I'm well aware that you don't consider him a threat, dearest, but I don't think either of us ever considered Ishmael a threat, either. Look where that got us."

"Hnh." Gozaburo sighed. "As always, you remind me of my own weaknesses. Very well. I'll keep a closer eye on him. On all of them."

"Seto told me once," Amaya said, "that one day you're going to do something they won't forgive, and they'll seek out a new leader to stand behind. That leader might well belong to Paradius."

"Did he say that?"

"He did." Amaya chuckled again. "He said they're too chickenshit to take responsibility for their own moves."

Gozaburo's face went blank for a moment, then he laughed.

"Clever boy," he said. "Clever boy, indeed."