Notes: Thanks to Azalea542 for plot help!

Epilogue

The penguins shrieked, chirped, and trumpeted throughout one of the sanctuary's simulated ice rooms as the Big Five observed and talked at the edge of the pool.

"So I know we all wanna do that legal adoption thing, but I just realized a hiccup," Crump said. "If we do it like Gansley being our dad, then he'll be the legal parent for all of us, and Johnson's parents are still good people. That would kinda oust them unfairly."

Johnson nodded. "That's true. I don't want to hurt them. They're still my parents and I don't want to replace them; I just want to add to my family." He frowned. "I didn't want to say anything and spoil everyone's excitement, but I've been trying to decide what to do myself."

The little penguin from before leaped out of the pool and onto Crump's lap. He started. "Hey there!" He grinned, petting the bird as it shook itself out.

"Which one is he again?" Gansley asked.

"Sammy," Crump said. "I'll make sure all of you can recognize all the birds and their names before the day's out!"

"That's a lot of birds," Nesbitt grunted. "But when we're taking care of them, I know it would be ridiculous not to be able to tell them apart on sight."

George squawked and waddled up to Nesbitt, throwing his flippers around Nesbitt's legs.

"What the . . ." Nesbitt stared down at him.

"Well, I'm sure you'll never have any trouble telling him apart," Gansley said in amusement.

"Awww. That bird is totally hugging you!" Crump exclaimed.

"It does look that way," Lector chuckled.

Stunned, Nesbitt reached down and petted George on the head. "Why would he like me that much? He still don't know me—or any of us—very well."

"I guess he figures he knows enough," Crump said. "He sees you're a good guy . . . like we all do." He grinned.

"I was thinking of something else too," Johnson said. "Our names will legally change with an adoption. That could be strange, considering how we've always thought of each other by our last names."

"I was thinkin' we'd still call each other what we want, and that legally we'd just add Gansley's name after ours instead of using it to replace ours," Crump said.

"That should work," Gansley mused. "But clearly there are some things we didn't think about before that we should devote some time to before submitting the papers."

"I must admit, I hadn't stopped to think about the problem about Johnson's parents," Lector confessed. "I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to have Gansley legally recognized as my father when he actually cares about me, unlike my birth father."

"If nothing else, the two of you should definitely arrange that," Johnson encouraged.

"Or . . ." Gansley paused. "I wonder if we could all adopt each other as brothers, eliminating the parentage problem."

"But then wouldn't either your parents or mine be legally adopting all of us as sons?" Johnson said.

"What if they could all adopt us?" Crump suggested.

Nesbitt raised an eyebrow. "Four parents? Could that even be done? Would they want to if it could?"

"Wouldn't hurt to look into it!" Crump chirped. "And you know what else I was thinking? Maybe when Penguin World opens, we should offer jobs to some of the kids, like working the gift shop and things like that that wouldn't require a lot of animal experience. Do you think they'd go for it?"

"I think they would," Gansley said, smiling a bit. "Téa and Serenity only have seasonal jobs at the mall, so once that ends they might like a steadier income."

Crump nodded. "Téa's always trying to save for dance-related stuff."

"It's a very thoughtful idea, Crump," Lector smiled.

"And some of them, like Serenity, might enjoy jobs that would help them get animal experience, like feeding them or whatever might be available," Nesbitt said.

"Yeah, that's true." Crump leaned back, still holding Sammy. "It'd be great to have people we could fully trust in lots of those positions, instead of having to hire some shady, bitter kids for summer jobs who couldn't care less."

"It's good business and an investment for the future," Gansley agreed. "We can talk to them about it at the party they invited us to tonight."

"With all the disasters we weather, it seems like they're always throwing parties to celebrate coming through alive," Nesbitt grunted.

"Yeah, I wonder where they get the money?" Crump mused. "Do you really think Kaiba would . . ."

"No," Lector said. "Or at least . . . not the Kaiba we knew in the past. He's changed so much since then. All of us have."

"Good changes too," Crump said.

Johnson looked thoughtful. "I wonder if the von Schroeders are still here and were invited."

"I believe they are," Lector said. "I'm sure Leonhard would be invited, and even if only not to be rude, his brother has likely been invited as well."

"I wonder if he'd actually come," Nesbitt grunted. "As far as I know, he still doesn't like Kaiba."

"Probably not, but he usually seems to go where the boy goes," Gansley said. "And even when we still didn't feel that charitable towards Mr. Kaiba, we tended to attend the events we were invited to."

"True," Johnson mused.

"Chris will probably come too," Gansley said. "She and Leonhard seem to be starting a friendship."

"That's good for her," Lector said. "She needs that in her life."

"I wonder if Mokuba will reach out too," Gansley mused.

"I'm sure he will," Lector said.

"And I wonder if Mako's dad will be able to adjust to life in our dimension again," Crump said. "It must be tough after ten years in the Duel Monsters' dimension, if he doesn't remember anything except Mako."

"I don't think he ever specified if he remembered more," Gansley said. "But I'm sure all will be well for them both now that they're together."

"Right," Crump agreed. "But I hope he remembers everything anyway."

Nesbitt thoughtfully nodded. He certainly agreed with that.

"And does anyone else wonder what the heck happened to Pegasus?!" Crump exclaimed. "He just up and vamoosed after that whole Reshef mess!"

"He did send me that letter apologizing for what he did, both then and when he hurt Mokuba in Duelist Kingdom," Lector remembered. "That was certainly appreciated. But it is strange how he hasn't been seen since."

"He'll probably turn up again when we least expect it," Johnson said.

"And it'd better not be an unpleasant surprise," Nesbitt grunted.

Gansley leaned on his cane as he looked around at the others. Now that these problems had arisen with their plans of legally adopting each other, he wasn't positive things would turn out with them actually doing it. But in any case, that was only a formality, a way to announce to the world how much they loved each other. They were every bit as much a family with or without the papers.

He caught Lector's eye and saw that the younger man felt the same. Lector smiled at him and the rest. "I could say how incredible it is that we've all made it out of this mess alive, but we all know that. And I know it's difficult to fully believe what Makarios said about us having long life if nothing violent happens to us, but I still want to believe it is possible. There could be no better future for us than sharing it together all through the years."

Nesbitt gave him a gruff smile in return. "Even if I'm too afraid to let myself believe it yet, it's certainly the future I want."

"So we'll all try to make sure it can happen," Crump said, petting Sammy. "It's a future worth having, so it's a future worth fighting for. And Penguin World will be running for years, providing business for us and good homes for these guys and the others who're coming."

George trumpeted in agreement.

"And no matter how much time we have together, it will be an amazing experience," Johnson spoke up. "But I hope we'll have a very long time."

Nesbitt laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh!" Crump exclaimed. "Did we ever tell you, Nesbitt, that Shadi showed up and told us that he wouldn't have let us bury you alive?"

Nesbitt started. "No, you never got around to telling me that."

"Or me," Lector added.

"There was so much going on," Gansley reminded them. "This is the first chance we've really had to relax since that whole Duel Monsters mess."

"I am certainly glad to know this," Lector said. "Even though I was positive it would be the case."

Nesbitt nodded in firm agreement. ". . . I guess none of you will be able to get over what happened for a long time, if ever." He frowned. "It was worse for you than it was for me. To me it was like I was asleep. I had no idea what was happening."

"No, but you've experienced your share of near-tragedies as well," Gansley said. "You know the horror just as well as we do."

". . . I know," Nesbitt conceded.

"And you're right, I doubt any of us will ever get over it," Lector said with a shudder. "It's not something I can ever forget."

"I'm sorry," Nesbitt said. "I'd take it back if I could."

"We know," Gansley said. "But you did what you had to do, and thank God Magician's Valkyria was able to soften her attack so it could be recovered from."

"But if she hadn't . . ." Nesbitt frowned.

"I don't want to think about it," Lector said fiercely. "I just want to focus on what really happened."

"Sounds good to me," Crump said. But his eyes flickered and he looked down at Sammy, not wanting to show the pain these memories brought him.

"It's easier said than done, though, isn't it?" Nesbitt said to him. "As much as you want to only think about the good reality, it's impossible not to be haunted by the bad possibilities that could have been."

"You got that right," Crump said. He gently hugged the penguin close. "I almost lost one of my best buddies. . . ."

Nesbitt clenched his fists. "And it hurts."

"But we're all together now," Gansley said. "Yes, the bad possibilities will continue to haunt us, but that doesn't mean we're not thinking of the true reality as well."

"That's true," Lector said.

"And we'll always be immeasurably grateful for that true reality," Johnson said.

Everyone relaxed, enjoying the peace of being together with each other and with the penguins who were now part of their family too.