A/N: This finishes it once and for all. Special thanks go out to everyone who reviewed, giving me the necessary motivation to finish this. It has been more first fic, and I think it turned out well. Apparently those who review agree with me. So, without further ado, here's the epilogue. Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: You know what I don't own? Yu-Gi-Oh!

Epilogue

Cecil stood back and grinned. He'd just finished his duties for the day, at least until the party ended and cleanup was necessary, so he took a few moments to take it the sights. Mokuba had thrown Seto an acquittal party two years ago when his trial ended, and Kaiba had condescended so much as to actually spend a few minutes in the company of the people Mokuba had invited. It had been the usual gang, of course, but Kaiba now had two people trying to get him to tolerate the bunch and so he had decided to at least show a bit of patience toward the group.

Unfortunately for Seto, Mokuba had taken that as Seto taking an interest in the group and so had begun to invite them over more frequently. As a result, Kaiba had discovered many more rooms in his mansion in which someone could hide. He refrained from rebuking his brother for inviting the gang, but it didn't change the fact that the group irritated him. In fact, having them in his house so often only made them irritate him more. Most of the time, Serenity was up to playing hide-and-seek with him, so to speak, and that made the visits tolerable. However, occasionally, she'd decide he needed to spend some time with the gang and drag him back to the group.

Today was one such day. The group was over for a New Years party, the party Seto had come to dread the most. It meant the group would be there until midnight at the earliest, and good etiquette would likely require him to offer them a room there in his mansion for the evening. Currently, he was playing pool with Serenity; a game the two had made a habit of playing. From time to time Serenity could beat Seto, so it was the one game she'd tolerate matches of. She had no desire to go up against Seto's competitive side.

Kaiba did his best to tune out the four boys playing on his Gamecube. As far as he could tell, they were playing one of Mokuba's games, a sports game of some variety. It was only ten o'clock, so New Years festivities hadn't begun in earnest yet. He enjoyed the rare competition with Serenity. She'd tired of playing video games with him once he'd beaten her at every multi-player video game he owned. Nevertheless, Serenity had a very definite competitive streak. She was something like her brother in that respect, the difference being that she knew when she was outclassed.

Mokuba was asleep already. The kid was in his mid-teens now, but he was still as much of a child as he ever was. Kaiba had seen to that. Of all the things Gozaburo had cheated him out of, his childhood was what Seto resented the most. Mokuba would not suffer the same offence. Lying on one of the couches around the entertainment centre, the kid dozed quietly. Despite the racket in the room around, his breathing remained level and even.

Tea Gardner had invited a guest with her to this particular celebration. The man she'd been dating for almost a year had snuck off with her to suck face for a while. The two were shameless, and Kaiba found their company the most intolerable of all. Seto had cut off the guest list at that. He didn't want his house turning into some kind of resort.

Rolling across the level green field, the eight ball fell into the pocket and Kaiba stood, a slight smirk on his face. "That was too close for comfort," he commented, and Serenity grinned a little. It had come down to the eight ball and Serenity had missed her shot.

"Too close for comfort?" Serenity asked, stepping in close to Kaiba who couldn't suppress a slight smile, "Just how close is that, Mr. Kaiba?"

"Let's find out," Kaiba answered, wrapping his arms around the small girl. She had grown a few inches in the last few years, but was still almost a head shorter than Seto. Pressing her hands against his chest, Serenity looked into Kaiba's eyes. They drew in for a kiss and, as if on cue, the empty case of Mario Power Tennis struck the side of Kaiba's skull, jolting him out of his daze.

"Get a room!" Joey called, having caught sight of the embrace. He tolerated the two as a couple, but his ire toward Kaiba remained undulled over the course of the years. Similarly, Seto's distaste toward the elder Wheeler had only deepened. Still, he made an effort at being gregarious toward the man as often as possible. The effort usually came across as bait into some kind of trap, and Joey refused to take it.

Seto smirked at the comment from Joey and freed one hand to rub the spot on his head, keeping the other on Serenity's back. "Okay," he replied, a touch of lewdness in his voice.

Suddenly, Joey realized the implications of what he'd said. "No!" he yelled, terror across his face, "Don't get a room! Don't get a room!"

His reply came from Serenity, who stuck her tongue out at her older brother. She had made it clear to both the significant men in her life that she intended to hold off on that kind of thing until she was married, although she'd come close to breaking once or twice. Freeing herself from Seto's clutches, she joined the boys on the couch, between Joey and Yugi in the middle. After Seto had posted the proposal from Duke in the paper, Tristan had called to say that he would have to take some time to think about it. Tristan insisted it had been a joke, but Duke had been loathe to sit beside the pointy-headed brunette ever since.

Kaiba took a few moments to survey the room and, satisfied that his guests were engaged and enjoying themselves, he made his way to his third floor balcony. A light snow covered the garden, which seemed to flourish despite the cold, and sparkled in the moonlight. He brushed some snow from the rail of the balcony and rested his hand there, his other set in his pocket. The exchange downstairs had only strengthened his resolve to do what he had to do. He loved Serenity, and so he owed as much to her. Still, it would be one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do in his life.

Sighing, his breath formed a mist before him. The cold had permeated through the trench coat to his skin and goose bumps formed. His gaze was drawn to the nearly full moon above, shining softly down, and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, there was another form beside him.

"The view from here is incredible," Serenity commented, drawing herself against Seto for warmth.

Kaiba simply nodded, wrapping an arm around the girl beside him. He tried to memorize the moment, the scent of her, the exact way she looked with the snow sparkling on her. He tried to memorize it because he knew it would be a moment he would remember.

"I didn't turn out so bad, did I?" She asked, a slight smirk on her face as she contorted herself to look up at Kaiba's, "It was worth giving me a chance."

A grunt was his initial reply, and then he added, "You're almost perfect."

"Almost?" she asked, mock offence in her voice.

"There's only one thing I'd change about you, and fortunately it's within my power to do so," he commented, as though he thought it a wonderful thing to say.

Serenity backed away that time, beginning to become genuinely offended. If Kaiba suggested she get cosmetic surgery he was going to get a fist in the groin. She took a few moments to eye him, but he seemed unfazed. Finally, she asked, "What's that?" Irritation played clearly in her voice, and still Kaiba seemed stoic.

Drawing his hand from his pocket, Kaiba turned to face Serenity fully. He opened the hand to reveal a small velvet box, which he promptly opened. Inside lay a gem studded ring worth more than Serenity's tuition for a year, radiating light in the soft white shine of the moon. Her eyes darted to the ring and instantly went wide. A smile crossed Kaiba's face as he answered her question, "Your last name."

A moment later the girl was in his arms, her lips pressed against his in a fervent embrace. The box was no longer in his hands, as he wrapped them around the young woman in his arms, and by the time it hit the ground a few seconds later it was empty. Her arms snaked around his neck and then she was off the ground, lifted by the strong arms of her new fiancé. A few minutes slipped away in the desperate embrace, and then the moment passed. Kaiba set Serenity down and together they moved to rejoin the party.

"You're a jerk, you know that?" Serenity asked as they made their way down the stairs.

"Yes," Kaiba replied simply.

"And you know that I'm going to make you pay for that?" she continued.

"Yes," came the robotic reply.

"Do you have any idea how deep that hole you dug is?" she pressed, more relieved than irritated by Kaiba's teasing.

"Yes," he answered again, and then asked, "So, can we do it now?"

"No," Serenity replied curtly, "Not ever, after that."

Kaiba stopped for a moment on the stairs, "I may have critically miscalculated."

"Shut up!" Serenity shot back, shoving Seto who took the assault in stride. Scooping her up in his arms, he slid one hand under her legs and kept one on her back to hold her firmly. The stairs could be treacherous when doing such things.

"Take by force, then," Kaiba declared matter-of-factly.

Serenity wrapped her arms around Kaiba's neck again and just kissed him, stifling her own laughter at Seto's deadpan. One kiss turned into many and a few moments later Serenity found herself straddling Kaiba on the stairs as their tongues danced. Pulling her head away from Seto's she fell into his blue orbs again and lost herself. A smile crossed her face from ear to ear as she looked at the man she loved. Finally, she declared, "Maybe once or twice."

Laughing, Kaiba rose to his feet, setting Serenity on the second floor landing. Together, hands tightly clutched, the two made their way downstairs to rejoin the others. Kaiba found he almost enjoyed the evening, and the others did find they enjoyed his company a little more. After all, it was hard for Kaiba to be dark and reclusive when it felt like there were bunnies running through a field of roses in his head.

A/N: And so ends it. Again, thanks for taking the time to read, special thanks for those of you who took the time to review. And special thanks are worth fifty-six percent more than regular thanks. For those of you who like my writing style enough to read another one, I have a primarily action/adventure fic that I'm working on coming soon, so sit tight and read that one when it comes out. It's been great, thanks all.

----- Generic Hero -----