Inheritance

It was late.  The sun had long since set in the sky behind him, yet his floor-to-ceiling windows went uncurtained.  He hardly noticed.  He sat at his desk, staring at the glaring light of the laptop screen. When at last he accepted that no more work would come out of him that night, he gently shut the lid and was encased in the cold, lonely darkness of the room.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the new light, or lack thereof.  It wasn't as though working late was new to the CEO, but that didn't make it any easier, especially not under times of stress.  His heart, or what of it remained, grew heavy as his gaze fell upon the page-a-day calendar.  His birthday had never been a particularly enjoyable occasion, due to the life he lived, but at least he'd always had his brother with him.  The only person in the world that ever loved him, and that he could truly say he loved in return.  Without him there, the day was all but meaningless.

He tried to control his gaze before it could move on but, in his fatigued state, he could not, and his eyes fell upon the photo.  He smiled sadly and thought, maybe this time, he could look at it without crying, but then he made the mistake of reaching out to touch the frame and his cold, trained eyes began to burn.

I won't do it, he thought.  I won't cry.  Not this time…

Tears formed in his eyes and he strained to hold them back.  He would keep his promise to his brother.  He wouldn't cry.

---

"Seto," Mokuba addressed.  "Do you think you'll ever let me run KaibaCorp?"

"Tch," was the brunette's only reply.  He offered his brother a glance and already sharp eyes narrowed at the child.  Mokuba stopped swinging his legs and hunched over, trying to sway his brother's anger with cuteness.  Seto was unconvinced.  "CEOs don't sit on their desks, Mokuba."

Mokuba pouted, hopped down, and organized Seto's in-and-out paperwork.  The elder Kaiba may seem to have total control in the eyes of others, but behind closed doors he often found himself in need of secretarial assistance.  Naturally, his pride and fastidiousness kept him from hiring a secretary, so Mokuba filled the position when necessary.

Once the work was filed, the preteen admired the tidy desk with a grin.  "Can I be a CEO now?"

Seto glanced briefly at the child's handiwork and scoffed.  "Sure, Mokuba.  You can be President of Inheritance."

Mokuba frowned.  "What do you mean by that, Seto?"

The elder Kaiba flashed his brother a coy smirk.  "It means you get the company when I'm dead."

---

Two single lines of water found their way down the CEO's face now, and yet, he was laughing.

Why do I keep remembering that? he asked himself, as though he didn't know the answer.  His mind wouldn't let go of the memory because he wished it'd never happened.  Fate wouldn't be bearing its cruel grin, and coming to work every day would be just a tiny bit more bearable.

He set the photo down and searched his drawer for something to dry his cheeks.  As he did, he couldn't help but gaze over the edge of the desk.

CEOs don't sit on their desks, Mokuba.

That's what he had said.  The words still hung in his mind.  He glanced at his paper tray; it was a little off, but not terribly askew.  With a heavy sigh he stood up and tidied the sheets that were out of place.

"President of Inheritance, huh?"  he chuckled humorlessly.  "I'll need to find someone to replace that position."

There was a soft knock at his door and, for the first time in a while, the CEO jumped.  Before he could inquire who was there, a gentle, female voice called, "Mr. Kaiba?"

Kaiba swallowed hard, composed himself, and pressed the button under his desk which disabled the custom lock to his office.  "It's open."

There was a brief pause before the door clicked and was pushed inward slowly.  "Mr. Kaiba," a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair entered the room timidly.  "It's awfully late.  Are you still working?"

He gave her a smile.  "No, Caroline.  I was just on my way out."

"Oh," she shuffled nervously, "well, then, I should be leaving, too.  I wouldn't want to be stuck here overnight."

"It's not that bad," Kaiba checked his briefcase once before locking it and heading to the door.  He couldn't hide the pain in his voice as he added, "when you have someone to spend it with."

She gave an apologetic smile.  "Will you be taking tomorrow off, Mr. Kaiba?"

He checked his watch.  It was nearly one a.m., meaning the 'tomorrow' she spoke of was actually that same day, but she wasn't programmed like his robots.  She was human, and it was an understandable mistake.  "No.  I may work from home in the morning but I'll be in at some point."

"But," she started, then bowed politely.  "Forgive my incessancy, but isn't it your birthday?"

"Work comes first," he answered seamlessly.  "You, however, may stay home if you like.  I would have sent you home hours ago, had I thought you'd let me."

She blushed in response to his coy smirk.  "I… I'm the first human employed by KaibaCorp that isn't part of the family.  That's a big responsibility, Mr. Kaiba, and I don't want to let you down."

He softened and pat her head, feeling a brief pain as the gesture reminded him of his brother.  "You're a good girl, Caroline, and you learn fast.  I have yet to regret my decision in hiring you."

Caroline blushed but wore a great smile.  "Thank you, Mr. Kaiba!"

"Please," he held the door open for her and smiled on her way out.  "Call me Mokuba."