A/N: I'm in the process of finishing all of my fanfictions. The following occurs after a time skip and is an epilogue of sorts. I am sincerely sorry, but it was either this or never finishing it and abandoning it all together :( . If you've stuck around for this, thank you so much! I hope you like it :)

o0o

Six Months Later:

At a crowded International Airport, a hooded man stops in front of one of the convenience stores and mutters under his breath before grumpily buying a packet of gummy bears. As he pays, he notices a familiar location printed across a local newspaper. His eyes are far away for a moment, shadowed by his hood. He hears the faint ringing in his ears of children screaming. His amputated arm remembers the sting of burning flesh, and the sensation is strong enough that the taste of ash emerges bitterly at the back of his throat. He pays for the newspaper and sits down at the edge of a terminal waiting area.

He reads.

Investigations into the disturbing occurrences at the now infamous Flourite Mansion have revealed troubling connections to top political organizations around the world. While the local police have not yet retracted their earlier dismissal of the case, it is believed that the investigations are being carried out by a freelance group of "Hunters," as they like to call themselves. The information they have released on the internet under the same pseudonym leaves one doubting the very sanity of the world we live in.

"The fire at the Flourite Mansion was not an accident. Ashura was a collector of children," says the Hunter blog. "He assembled them all in specific geometric configurations and drew out their life force using ancient black magic techniques. Twins were his favored delicacy. This is not a joke. These images are not fabricated. Keep your eyes open and you will find the truth."

The internet blog doesn't leave much to the imagination. As a responsible newspaper, we beg that people with a weak constitution not look for the aforementioned images lightly. While we could not in good conscious replicate them in this article we have instead attached a recent photo of the few lucky children rescued from the mansion. It appears that they have come a long way since their imprisonment and their parents couldn't be happier.

"The kids are doing much better and the world is a much better place now that this is out in the open. I personally beg everyone: Be Vigilant," says Mrs. Sumeragi, mother of the rescued Subaru and Hokuto. "Our most sincere thanks go out to the men who saved our kids. We thank them with all our hearts. Hokuto even drew them a picture!"

The anonymous rescuers have, however, been confirmed dead after DNA samples were recovered from the remains of the mansion. While their identity has not been revealed to the public, it is commonly believed that they were both ex-cons. Whether or not one of them was the escaped Fai Flourite, is still a mystery…

The hooded man stopped reading. Fai and Kurogane were indeed dead, he thought to himself calmly, and he couldn't be more grateful!

"Of all the things I thought I'd find you doing, reading was not one of them!" says a tall and slender blond appearing out of nowhere with his signature smile, soft and true now for six months. But the smile falters at the title of the article.

"Why are you reading this?"

"Look at the drawing and the picture," says the hooded man with red eyes.

The blond looks down at the smiling faces of two twins being held by their parents. Something catches in his throat but only for an instant. The drawing is of two men in very fashionable superhero capes being cheered on by a group of tiny stick-figure kids – only two of the kids are remotely detailed. The blond smiles at the little hearts drawn over the men, and the bright colors throughout the drawing.

"You did good, Yuui!" says the other man tenderly, reaching to brush aside a strand of blond.

Blue eyes glisten at the tenderness of the gesture. "We did good," he smiles warmly before adding with a grin, "Youyou-chan!"

"Oh come on! You are not butchering this one too!"

"Youpito-rito-yoyo-tortilla-youpia- dupia-chan!" shouts Yuui as he runs away in glee.

Youou smiles and runs after him.

They make quite a scene at the airport and only stop when the security show up. They really should be more careful. The security don't bother them after they get a look at the missing arm and eye. Though they probably shouldn't bank on it, many assume they're veterans and treat them kindly. The kindness is a warm welcome and Yuui in particular is eternally grateful for it. Yuui looks over at Kurogane's shoulder stump and touches it softly. Not caring about the crowds and the people, he leans down to press a soft kiss against the tied-off fabric. Youou laughs softly, grateful that they can have these moments now. With no fear, no self-doubt, no hatred or sadness… they are free.

As they catch their breath and lean against one another, thankful for the lack of luggage and the end of their transit time… they share a brief look. How far they had come to get to here….

"I completely forgot!" blurts Youou suddenly. "I bought you gummy bears, the sweet ones not the sour ones, that's what I was—"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence, because soon he's got an armful of the blond. Yuui buries his face into the taller man's chest and hugs him tightly. "I love you," he whispers into the cotton.

"I know," whispers Youou.

"Hey! You're supposed to say it back!"

Youou chuckles and cups the blond's cheek softly, "I love you too, idiot." Sensing further protest, he leans down to capture the other man' lips with his own.

They kiss.

And everything is okay.

o0o:

And that's that! I basically skipped all the torture and feels and pure and utter horror, so I hope you at least enjoyed knowing how it ends. Reviews are welcome.

A special thanks to everyone who was still waiting for this, if you were, please tell me. I'd love to thank you personally. Thanks again everyone :D

If you're in the mood for something more Lemony, check out my ending for Switched 'n Stripped ;)

KUROFAI till the end!