Isono and Fuguta are two of the most interesting background characters in YGO for me. I know so little about them, but they seem so important. They stand by Seto when he's at his lowest, and it didn't feel right to invoke Dartz in this story without bringing them up to the main stage and giving them a chance to shine.
It's only right.
.
"Thank you for coming so promptly, Tsukuda, Hattori."
The two men bowed low at the waist. Isono was the first to speak: "Of course, Mistress."
Amaya drew in a deep breath. "My husband is following up on the intel you've managed to deliver to him, and he's going to be away from the estate for a time. This is still mostly preemptive, but . . . as I understand it, Gozaburo has already been confronted directly by individuals working for Paradius. The threat, whatever it turns out to be, is beginning to bare its fangs."
Isono stiffened. "Master Kaiba's confronted them already?"
"He has." Amaya nodded grimly. "It went about as well as you might imagine."
Fuguta cleared his throat. "I hope, since you said he's following up on intel, and not in the hospital, that he came out of the conflict no worse for wear." Amaya nodded. "Am I to assume you've a new assignment for us, ma'am?"
Amaya nodded again. "Correct, Hattori," she said, clasping her hands behind her back. "You two will be spending your shifts at my sons' sides for the foreseeable future. You will accompany them to school, the park where they play with Joseph Wheeler, the mall, anywhere they go. Anything else that conflicts with that mission is to be discarded." She paused, possibly for effect. "Seto," she went on, pointing to Isono, "and Noa," then to Fuguta, "are your jobs right now. Am I clear?"
They bowed again.
"Yes, Mistress," Isono said. "Master Seto will not leave my sight."
"Understood, ma'am," Fuguta added. "Noa-sama won't have anything to worry about."
"Good," Amaya said, clearly satisfied with this response. "Whatever atrocities you may be called upon to commit, in the service of keeping my boys safe from Paradius, will be handled. You will be protected, and compensated, to the fullest extent of my name and influence. Every resource of the Kaiba family is at your disposal. I expect the both of you to be at the utmost limit of your skills as security operatives. Are you ready and willing to commit to this work?"
"I am," said Isono.
"I am," said Fuguta.
Amaya grinned like a shark. "Good answer."
.
"If I may be so bold as to ask, Mistress," Isono ventured, "what about the little master? I must assume that Paradius is not above targeting a toddler, if they're willing to target grade-schoolers."
"I will be looking after Mokuba myself," said Amaya. "We will bring in reinforcements when and if necessary but, for the time being, this is the state of things. I will not sacrifice my children to a cult. They may think they have the necessary resources to topple this family. Many have tried, and I have so far had no reason to believe that Paradius is unique in that regard. They will meet the same fate as anyone else who has seen fit to make an enemy of me."
Isono was about to say something else, but he was cut off when a knock came at the drawing room door. "Hahaue," came Noa's voice from the other side. "You called for us?"
"Yes, darling," Amaya called. "Come inside, please."
Noa and Seto stepped into the room, looking confused and a little apprehensive. They took note of Isono and Fuguta, but otherwise kept their attention on their mother. Amaya, for her part, graced her sons with a doting smile.
"What's this about?" Seto asked.
"You will recall," Amaya said, "what your father said when he left: there is a danger to this family. To you." She drew in a breath. "Noa, we have yet to mention this to you, but we can no longer keep this a secret. Understand, darling, that were circumstances anything but what they were, I would ask you if you wanted this information before giving it to you. I haven't that luxury. The vehicle which sent you to the hospital, which very nearly stole your life from you, and you from this world, belonged to your godfather. Ishmael Faraji tried to kill you."
Noa's eyes went as wide as soup plates; his face paled. "Are you . . . Hahaue, what are you . . . ?"
"We don't know who pressed him into doing this," Amaya said, looking like there was nothing she wanted more in this world than to stop talking, "but we do know that they are fully ready and willing to strike you to get to your father. I have no reason to believe any different for you, Seto, or for little Mokuba. So, things will be changing from here on out."
"How so?" Seto asked. He was handling this news better than his brother was. Seto had already faced tragedy, betrayal, hardship in his young life on a level and frequency that Noa would—hopefully—never understand. The idea that there was an open threat on his life didn't seem to faze Seto at all; if anything, he looked like he'd been anticipating news like this.
Amaya would suppose later that this wasn't surprising in the slightest; it wasn't like the Kaiba family was low-profile. If anything, it was surprising that it'd taken so long for something like this to crop up.
"This is Isono Tsukuda," Amaya said, gesturing, "and he will be accompanying you, Seto, whenever you leave the house. His job will be to ensure your safety." She gestured again. "Noa, Fuguta Hattori will be at your side. I understand that this will be difficult to adjust to, and I apologize for its necessity. All the same, I expect the both of you to cooperate, and to follow your guards' instructions. Do you understand?"
Seto bowed his head. "Yes, Hahaue," he said. He turned to Isono and held out a hand. "Hello, Mister Tsukuda."
Isono shook the offered hand. "Please, Master Seto. Call me Isono."
"Only if you drop the master business."
". . . You have a deal, Seto."
Noa followed his brother's lead; he nodded to his mother, greeted Fuguta and shook his hand, and that seemed to be all there was to it. All the same, once done with these pleasantries, Noa fell into silence for the remainder of the evening.
Stiff, brooding silence.
Amaya didn't need to ask why.
Noa loved his Uncle Ishmael, and the idea of his father's closest friend betraying them, hurting them, was too much for him to process. He didn't have to ask why he hadn't seen Faraji recently; he knew full well what his father must have done when he realized the truth behind Noa's accident.
Noa knew that boisterous, laughing man who told such great stories and brought such interesting gifts whenever he visited . . . wouldn't be coming around anymore. Noa wouldn't have a chance to introduce that man to his new brothers. That man was buried in the dirt somewhere, festering in his own mistakes as he fed the worms.
Ishmael Faraji wasn't the first body Gozaburo Kaiba had ever made, and he wouldn't be the last.
Not by a long shot.