This might be one of the more controversial Gozaburo headcanons I have, but I stand by it. If it bothers anyone, chalk it up to the AU. I'm not trying to woobify the man; I'm just exploring the notion that Gozaburo Kaiba is, for all the horrible things we see him do, just a man.

That's all.

.

Isis did not offer a surname, and Gozaburo did not press her for one. He had little interest in who she'd been, or even who she was now. All that mattered was what information she could offer him. All the same, when it became painfully clear that she was lacking in guidance and guardianship, Gozaburo performed in that capacity; mostly, what this meant was that he stood behind her shoulder and enforced whatever it was she wanted.

She had trouble convincing anyone—from everyday passersby to retail workers to ever-present men in suits—to take her seriously as an independent person; Isis was small for her age, and everyone who looked at her saw a child first and a person second. Gozaburo never claimed to be her father, her guardian, her mentor, or anything in between.

But people saw him with her and suddenly decided that it was safe to listen to her.

"Men dislike listening to me," Isis told him one evening, while they ate a meal together. "They seem to think it emasculates them." She eyed Gozaburo suspiciously. "Shall I move forward with the understanding that you have no such trouble?"

"I care about what a person can do," Gozaburo said, "far more than who they are."

"Does that mean you would not care for your children if they could not perform to your standards?"

"I have, thankfully, never needed to discover the answer to that question," Gozaburo said, choosing his words carefully. "My children are more than capable of taking on every challenge they have been given. I have never had to wonder whether they would come up short."

"You haven't considered the possibility? Even hypothetically."

"I have not."

Isis watched Gozaburo carefully for a time. "What would you think," she pressed, "if your sons one day betrayed you? What would you do if they . . . orchestrated your downfall? If they stole your name and station from you?"

Gozaburo quirked an eyebrow; this future-sight business was becoming more interesting, very suddenly. "I would think," he said, "that they have learned far more, and far better, than I could have ever asked of them." He leaned forward and pointed at Isis with his fork. "Understand, girl, that I have no grandiose self-image as a great man. I am Gozaburo Kaiba. Whether I am a good man, or a great man, or a monster, or deadweight, is no concern of mine. I have never cared enough about my own reputation to worry about that. If my sons take my name and reputation from me, then I will congratulate them."

Isis considered this for a time.

"You are a more honest man than I anticipated," she said, eventually.

Gozaburo shrugged. "I get that reaction fairly often."

"Why did you change industries?" she asked. "That is something you have never done, in any of the timelines I have studied. You have ever been a war profiteer. Never once have I seen you pivot to medicine."

"In these timelines you have seen," Gozaburo said, instead of answering, "have my sons taken my company from me? Buried me?"

". . . Yes."

"Perhaps that is why," Gozaburo said. "Perhaps in this timeline, then, for whatever reason, I am smarter than I have been. Perhaps in this timeline, I am a more sentimental man. Perhaps it was my wife. Perhaps my sons. Perhaps someone else entirely. Perhaps a number of people have proven instrumental in my determination to thrive despite my own wishes. Was I more comfortable in the world of arms? Yes. Was I more influential? Yes. But there is more to life than strength and influence. We are, after all, a species known for our ability to adapt. Are we not?"

Isis frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose we are," she said.

"In these other timelines," Gozaburo said, "have you watched me die?"

"I have," Isis said.

"When?"

"Usually," she said, not flinching, "about five years from now."

"How?"

"Suicide."

Isis held no reservations against revealing the future as she knew it, and Gozaburo respected that. She didn't hold back for the sake of protecting him; perhaps she found him objectionable. He couldn't guess. It wouldn't be the first time the Kaiba patriarch had come across a young person who hated him for his reputation.

Gozaburo hummed. "Does my corporation live on?"

"Yours?" Isis asked pointedly. "No. The Kaiba Corporation, however, does."

"What becomes of it, then?"

"It becomes one of the biggest, most influential, most celebrated corporate entities in the modern world." Isis's lips curved in a small smile. "If you worry about your name dying with you, I can tell you that it will not. Your children will fly higher than you ever could."

Gozaburo nodded. "Good."

"Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"No." He shook his head. "That is enough for me to hear. Thank you."

.

"They're following us," Seto said, "but whenever Isono or Fuguta try to find them, they're gone. That first one wanted to get caught. I don't know what he was doing, or what he wanted, but they can hide when they need to."

Amaya nodded. She watched Mokuba attacking one of his coloring books with his markers. "They're clever," she said, "which means . . . when they're stupid, it's on purpose." She chuckled. Turning her attention to Isono, she said: "Send word to the team. Everyone. I want a full, fresh sweep of the grounds. Don't just search for things that are out of place. Study everything. Be as paranoid as you possibly can. Understood?"

Isono bowed his head. "Yes, Mistress."

He turned on one heel and left the room.

"You said he shouldn't leave my sight," Seto said. "Should I go with him?"

Amaya smiled. "That won't be necessary, darling," she said. "So long as I can see you, it's enough for me. But, if you'd like to accompany your guard, feel free." She paused, then turned. "Actually . . . Mokuba, sweetheart." Mokuba looked up. "Come along," she said. "We're going to take a walk with Niisama."

"'Kay!" Mokuba immediately abandoned his art project, hopped up to his feet, and ambled over.

"You make a good point," Amaya said, putting a hand on Seto's shoulder. "Let us not divide ourselves overmuch. Arrogance can only be a prelude to mistakes."

Seto smiled. "Yes, Hahaue."