Author's Note: What? Ends abruptly? So does the movie. At least there's a happy ending. :|

Epilogue

Jounouchi pulled the necklace over his head and lifted it up so he could examine it, feeling somewhat wistful and disappointed.

Five years. It had been five years since they'd worked at the bathhouse, has been returned to the human world. Five years since he'd felt Seto's hand slip out of his and he hadn't looked back until they'd made it to the car. Five years that he'd been hoping, praying that he'd see Seto again, but hadn't.

He touched the scale and sighed. Maybe that was the last time they'd been meant to meet. Maybe that was how they were both supposed to get closure. Maybe holding onto his feelings this long was pointless.

…But he didn't want to give up. Seto had said they'd see each other again, and he didn't want to give up that small amount of hope—hope that he'd see the dragon that had saved both he and sister.

The scale was silky and soft, but still harder and stronger than any other material he'd ever touched. It was somehow comforting…

Sitting up, Jounouchi looked at the clock, then turned to look at Yuugi, slipping the necklace back on. He was sound asleep, and the blond sincerely wanted to be, too, but he knew he was too restless and too preoccupied with his thoughts. So, sighing, he got out of bed and slipped on some jeans and shoes before leaving the shop, making sure to lock the door behind himself.

He wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but he decided his legs would know better than his head—they'd led him to the game shop after his father had beaten him, leading him to a better situation despite the first few initial problems, so he figured they had a pretty good idea of where they were going.

The part was nice at night. It was beautiful in the moonlight, if a bit lonely looking, because of the empty playground and the absence of laughter. It was a good place to think and just… be.

Jounouchi wandered over to the swings and sat down, shivering a little as his fingers curled around the cold chains suspending it. After a moment, he used his feet to gently push himself back and forth, listening to the slow, steady squeak of the metal links grinding against each other. It seemed even more quaint now, in a tragic sort of way, the solitary metal squeals of a single swing.

He pulled the tattered necklace over his head again, running his fingers over the frayed threads that had been woven together by old but unforgotten friends. He wondered how they were doing. He wondered if Mai, Otogi, and Honda had gotten to travel like they'd wanted. He wondered if Atemu was still giving the bathhouse trouble by being an early customer. He wondered if Seto and his brother were doing alright.

…The Seto Inland Sea had settled since then, returning to its former, more placid state. So they must have been doing okay, even if things weren't great, he decided. He stroked the silky scale and sighed. He hoped that Seto thought about him at least half as much as he thought of the brunet.

Jounouchi heard footsteps behind him and frowned, baffled. 'Who else would be-?' Probably someone that didn't want to be bothered. He decided to stay still and ignore the other person. Perhaps they just needed to get out like he had.

He tilted his head as the scale flashed in the light. That was funny. It hadn't done that before…

"You're out late."

That voice was deep, smooth—familiar. As he was trying to place it, he sensed the person coming up behind him, so he jumped to his feet and turned quickly.

When he saw the brunet standing there, however, he felt the necklace slip from his fingers in shock. He dimly heard the scale tinkle and clatter on the ground, but he was too stunned to really register it as he took in the tall, muscular man that looked so familiar but so different in his modern clothes.

In his startled, confused state, Jounouchi was embarrassed to admit that the only thing he could think of to say way, "You look like a bondage-based wet dream."

Seto stared at him for a moment, stunned, before his lips twisted into a smirk. "You must be into that sort of thing to recognize it."

Jounouchi squeaked and glared at him. "Shut up, you pervert-!" He gasped as the brunet grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, then squeezed his eyes shut and shivered. "Jerk, you think you can just show up after five years and—"

"I had to break my contract with Yu-Baaba," Seto cut in, nuzzling his neck lightly. "Then I wanted to spend time with my brother. Then I had to convince him to come with me to find you. He didn't like the thought of sharing me after having been without me for so long. I hope you can understand."

He supposed he did. If he were reunited with Serenity, he wouldn't want to share her either. Still, it had been five years, so instead of saying he understood, he lifted his arms to hug him back. "I missed you."

"I missed you as soon as you started walking away," the brunet replied quietly. "You have no idea how much I wished you hadn't gone. But I knew you belonged here." He brushed his lips over the younger boy's neck up to his jaw, then leaned back to gaze down at him. "I'm sorry it took so long to find you again. And I'm sorry I made you wait so long."

Jounouchi sighed and turned his gaze away for a few minutes. "…It was a really long time, Seto."

"I know."

"That's a long time for a human to wait, you know?"

"I figured as much." Seto stroked the blond's hair. "I was afraid you wouldn't want me anymore, so I was almost afraid to come see you, but… Mai asked me to give you something that she said you forgot."

Jounouchi leaned back to look up at him, blinking innocently. "Hmm? What is it?"

The brunet reached behind him to grab the item and held it up so the younger boy could see it. "Do you remember this?"

"My hat from Oshira-sama!" Jounouchi grabbed it and hugged it tightly. "I remembered it a few days after we left! I thought I'd never see it again!"

Seto smiled a little. "You seem more excited to see that hat than you were to see me."

"Maybe I am!" the blond huffed, scowling at him, then glanced away from him, frowning. "…It's just… I know you're not always gonna be there, but this hat can be. Even when you leave, it'll be here to remind me that it really happened."

The brunet tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so sure that I'm going to leave?"

Jounouchi hummed and rocked back and forth a few times before looking up at the sky. "Everyone leaves, Seto. Mom left, and she took my little sister with her. Yuugi's going to college for archeology like his Gramps, Gramps is getting old, Yuugi's mom is talking about travelling. Anzu's going to school in New York. You've got your brother to take care of, so you'll probably leave, too. Your brother needs you more than I do, though, so I understa—" He squeaked as the brunet hugged him again and pulled him into a kiss, then melted in his arms.

Seto kissed him a few seconds longer before leaning back and raising an eyebrow. "I came to find you with the intention of staying. Mokuba needs my attention, yes, but he's willing to get to know you. I think he'll like you." He waited for a response, but the younger boy only shifted awkwardly in his arms. "…I know you expect me to leave, but I've been searching for you for a year and a half. I'm not letting that hard work go to waste. I'll show you that I'm here to stay."

The blond took a step back and placed the hat on his head, smiling a little when he remembered the radish spirit's aloof demeanor, even when he was giving him the hat. "You're welcome to prove me wrong, but I'm not going to get my hopes up that you'll do it. Will you be okay with that? Will you be okay with the fact that I'll always be ready for you to leave?"

"I see." The dragon eyed him for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I'll be okay with that. It will make the victory much sweeter when I finally make you see that I have no intention of leaving you." He paused, then leaned down to place another kiss on the blond's lips. "I'll make you see that not everyone leaves. And maybe you can help me make a family for Mokuba."

Jounouchi kissed him back lightly. "Maybe. But I don't know how good I'd be at it, since mine was crap and Yuugi doesn't have any siblings. I might not know what to do with him."

"I think you'll do fine." Seto purred and pulled the blond into a hug, resting his hands on the younger boy's hips. "I'll bring Mokuba to meet you tomorrow. I was going to see you earlier today, but then your game shop closed, and I didn't want to disturb you. I just happened to be passing through here when I saw you." He chuckled. "I told you fate had something planned for us."

Jounouchi smiled and laid his head on his chest. "Maybe you're right." He sighed as the brunet nuzzled his neck and snuggled closer to him. "…Maybe you won't leave, either…"

Seto kissed his throat softly but didn't comment; he was too afraid that Jounouchi might change his mind and decide he still might leave anyway. He had no intention of leaving now that he'd found him again after all of the trouble he'd had to go through to get there.