A/N: Welcome to the epilogue, my friends! I know some of you are upset that Anzu fired Yugi, but honestly I had no doubt from the beginning of this story that he would lose his job because of all this. In my mind, I think of dueling like a sport or gambling. You can't have someone organize a tournament/game and be romantically involved with the top contender. That's an enormous conflict of interest! You would never know if the contender was winning on their own merit or because their significant other was stacking the deck for them.

I tried to keep this story as much in the realm of reality as much as possible; and in reality, sometimes we have to pay the price for our choices.

Chapter Twenty One

Yugi knew Yami was annoyed.

The older boy's fingers squeezed his for a moment, an involuntary flex of tendons as he stared at the man in front of them, lips turned in a frown. Ryuji, however, seemed oblivious to the ire being directed his way, a smile stretched across his face as he took a sip of his drink, rings clinking against his glass before continuing with his story.

It was almost eleven, and they were packed in the back of a downtown Domino restaurant to celebrate the launch of Ryuji's new company. The gathering was a hodgepodge of people – artists, gamers, and desk jockeys, clutching cigarettes and appetizers, stumbling every so often in the dimmed lights over the warped floorboards running the length of the room.

Ryuji had zoned in on them when they'd arrived, offering a smile and wave, before working his way over a few minutes later. It had only been three months since Dungeon Dice Monsters had hit the test market, but with high sale numbers in every test location, Ryuji's backer had invested the money to bring the game national. Dungeon Dice Monsters had become an official company, with an office space, website, and enough money for a launch party in a swanky restaurant.

Yami's hand tightened around his as Ryuji offered Yugi a sly smile, winking at him as the crowd parted and Ryota Kajki emerged from the crowd. He was a hulk of a man, with the tanned skin of a coastal dweller and a laugh that carried across the room. He was also Ryuji's date. Ryuji smiled up at Ryota, bumping his arm against his as he joined them, drawing a smile on the other boy's face.

The slightest patches of red blossomed across Ryuji's cheeks, and Yugi hid his smile as he took a sip from his glass. Ryuji had told him that he'd only been dating Ryota for two months, but it had only taken a few moments of watching them to realize that the newly crowned CEO had fallen – hard.

The pair excused themselves from them after a few moments, Ryota's hand on Ryuji's back as he led him into the crowd, and Yami's fingers relaxed around Yugi's. The older boy was watching him, still half frowning, and Yugi leaned up, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Yami's fingers slid to his elbow as he began to retreat, and heat burned down Yugi's neck as the older boy pressed his lips to his.

Pulling back, Yugi shot a tentative look around the room before returning Yami's gaze, frowning. "We're in public."

Yami's lips quirked. "Our relationship is no longer secret, aibou."

Trying to ignore the blush that burned across his cheeks, Yugi took a sip of his drink. Even after weeks of hearing it, he still flushed every time the older boy called him by the pet name. Yami never called or introduced him as his boyfriend, always aibou, his partner, as if they had been together for six years instead of the six weeks they'd actually become official.

Yami tilted Yugi's chin up, pressing another kiss against his lips, hand sliding to the back of his neck. The rhythm was unhurried, unapologetic, and as Yami's lips slanted over his, it took every fiber of Yugi's will to remind himself where they were. Party. Public. Party. Public.

Yugi's stomach was still doing flips as the older boy pulled away. His head was buzzing, body heavy with the same heady sensation that filled him every time Yami touched him. He swallowed back the euphoria rushing through him and gave a quick glance around the room, confirming that no one had taken notice. After five months of covering his tracks, denying any involvement with him, it still felt bizarre just walking outside holding Yami's hand.

"What was that for?" Yugi said, looking up to meet the older boy's eyes.

Yami's hand settled on his back as he angled them towards the bar. "You are experiencing difficulty adjusting to the publicness of our relationship," he said. "I intend to assist you through the acclimation process."

Releasing a soft sigh, Yugi let Yami lead him across the room, the blush easing on his cheeks as he relaxed, following the older boy's lead.

Yugi resisted the urge to fidget.

The click of the fan oscillating beside him punctuated the silence, the summer sun streaking through the windows to kiss the tile floors in the light of late afternoon. He was sitting on the sofa in Malik Ishtar's apartment, a three story walkup in western Ozu, with Ryou stationed beside him. It had taken two declined invitations and a few long discussions with Yami before he'd agreed to come, and nerves turned in his stomach as he took a slow breath.

He knew that the more the Yami nudged him towards the Millennium Items and the people who believed in their power, the more entangled he became. He'd lost so much ground in his resolve, his mind warning him against falling in any closer, while his heart urged him on, determined to understand, if just a little bit more, what made Yami Atemu tick.

"So, Yugi," Malik said, breaking the silence. He was wearing pants and long sleeves, immune to the heat of the Japanese summer as he took sips of tea. "I heard that you lost your job."

"Malik," Ryou said, tone warning. "I'm sure Yugi–san doesn't want to talk about that."

Malik frowned. "I mean I'm sure he's thinking about it. It's a sucky situation." He raised his eyebrows as Ryou shot him another look. "What?"

Ryou let out a quiet breath, before turning to Yugi. "It must be stressful."

"Well," Yugi said. With a dwindling savings account, a hundred plus resumes sent and no prospects on the horizon, his employment situation hadn't taken a turn for the better. He let out a breath. "Yeah, it does kinda suck."

"See!" Malik said, cup rattling as he set it down on the table. "We don't have to sugarcoat it, Ryou. He's not going to wilt."

"How are things going with Yami–san?" Ryou said. "You've been living together for a few weeks now, right?"

"I've been staying in Ozu more than usual lately," Yugi admitted, warmth creeping up his neck as he tried to remember the last time he'd spent the night alone.

Malik nodded, a knowing look on his face. "I don't think I left Mariku's apartment for the entire month after we got together."

"Malik!" Ryou said.

Slumping back against the couch, Malik frowned. "What? I'm sure that he's curious about how it was for the rest of us." He picked up his tea, mumbling into his cup. "It's not like you and Bakura were any different."

Ryou sighed, turning to Yugi, cheeks pink. "The hikari–yami relationship can be rather...intense at first."

"It takes awhile to accept it and even longer to adapt to it," Malik said. He jerked his head towards Ryou. "But then I didn't think Ryou would ever give into Bakura."

"Bakura was unstable when I first met him," Ryou said, voice flat.

"Well, I was getting unstable listening to him bitch about how stubborn you were," Malik said. "He came over here after you told him you never wanted to speak to him again, and he punched a hole in my wall."

Ryou turned to Yugi. "Yami–san is much more level headed than Bakura."

"Yami is the most level–headed person on the planet," Malik said. "He didn't even tell us that he'd met you until weeks after the fact. Bakura, however, practically barreled into my apartment an hour after meeting Ryou."

Yugi looked at them, confused. "Why did he wait to tell you?"

Ryou exchanged a look with Malik. "When Yami–san met you, things were a bit different than with the other yamis," Ryou said. "He'd been waiting the longest of all of them, watching each of them find their hikaris and supporting them, but still having to wait, day by day, just waiting to find you."

"I don't know what he's told you, Yugi–san," Ryou continued, "but from what I understand, Yami–san has been looking for you for amost two decades. So when he did come across you, I think he had trouble grasping the reality of it. It was almost as if he thought if he talked about you, you would disappear. "

"When we met at Pegasus' party, I'd only just found out about you from Mariku," Malik said. "And the only reason Yami even asked me to come talk you a few weeks later is because he'd hit a dead end. You'd told him you didn't want him in your life anymore, and he was – well, the closest I've ever seen Yami to flipping out. I wouldn't be surprised if went home and punched a hole of his own after whatever conversation the two of you had."

"We're not trying to change your mind, Yugi–san," Ryou said. "I know that you're still not really sure about being a hikari, and I understand. I really do. But, I just want you to also try to see where Yami–san is coming from. He's been waiting for so long, and while I am sure he's ecstatic that the two of you are together, part of him, I'm sure, is still waiting for you to fully come into your bond."

Yugi glanced down, the fan clicking its way back to his side, air insistent against his skin before dissipating once more. "When we first met, I didn't see him again until almost a month later."

"It seems unlikely that Yami–san left you on your own for four weeks after he found you," Ryou said. "If I had to guess, he was probably never far away."

Yugi sank back into his cushion, the weight of the conversation settling in on him, thoughts swirling as he struggled to catch hold.

Yugi curled closer to Yami's side.

It was close to midnight, and the bedroom was dark as Yami's fingers trailed down his arm, the motion rhythmic, drawing him to ease with each soft brush of skin. They'd spent almost every night in the older boy's apartment the last few weeks, and it was starting to feel like more of a home than his apartment in Domino had ever been.

"You're still awake," Yami said.

Yugi pressed closer into the older boy's side, warding off the chill as the air conditioner kicked on, fingers settling over Yami's stomach. "I can't sleep." Yami's hand trailed to his back, urging him closer until Yugi's cheek rested on his shoulder, his fingers weaving gentle circles on the space between his shoulder blades.

"When you met me," Yugi said, the question having been turning in his head since leaving Malik's apartment hours before, "what were you thinking?"

The older boy's fingers paused, frozen against Yugi's back, before resuming with the soft exhale of his breath. "Perhaps I should not have encouraged you to speak with the other hikaris."

Yugi slid free of Yami's hold, propping himself up on his elbow, allowing the older boy's hand to linger on the lower curve of his spine as he stared down. "Really," he said. "What were you thinking?"

Silence settled between them.

"I had reached a point where I had my doubts whether I would find you," Yami said after a moment. "When I met you, I thought you were a figment of my imagination."

Yugi allowed the older boy to tug him back against his side, and he curled back into the warmth of his frame.

"It is a unique experience allowing someone to hold such power over me," Yami said. "The first time I met you was the first moment in my life that I ever felt truly powerless."

Yugi shifted closer. "What do you mean?"

"You are free to make your own decisions," Yami said. "You may have chosen to reject my advances."

Yugi propped himself back up, sputtering. "I'm pretty sure I tried to stop us getting together about a million times."

"Though I could always feel you." Yami's fingers brushed across Yugi's forehead, settling above his temple. "I've been able to sense you in my mind since the moment I found you" Yami's fingers dropped to his chin, before rising up to press his lips against his. The older boy drew him over and onto his back, mouth moving over his as his hands continued to roam.

After a moment, Yami pulled away, meeting his eyes in the darkness. "I can feel you, aibou," he said. "Your presence in my mind grows stronger every day. Eventually, even you will be unable to deny what is between us. Until you are able to accept that truth, I will be satisfied with you by my side."

Yugi opened his mouth before swallowing his objection, shaking his head.

"No arguments today?" Yami said, breath warm against his ear as he leaned down.

"Arguing with you hasn't seemed to have gotten me very far at this point," Yugi said. "I think I need to work out a better defense strategy."

"I am the King of Games," Yami said, smug as he sat back to look at him. "Any defense you devise, I will conquer."

Yugi rolled his eyes, Yami's weight settling over him as he kissed him again, lips curved in a smile. It was another hour before they settled back to sleep, and Yugi listened to the soft exhales of Yami's breath as the older boy dropped off, his hold softening as he drifted from consciousness.

Soulmates, Yugi considered, shifting closer into Yami's arms. It was still an outlandish concept; but when it came to the man in behind him, he'd found himself considering the idea more than he cared to admit. It had been weeks since he'd last picked up the Millennium Puzzle, yet ever since he'd heard the older boy's voice in his head, he'd tried every which way to devise a logical explanation. It had taken him weeks to conclude that perhaps the explanation wasn't a logical one at all.

He loved Yami. He knew that. He loved him despite what the older boy believed about the Millennium Items and the nature of their relationship. It was crazy, he knew, to be in love with someone who could believe such a crazy thing, but the longer he spent with him, the more Yugi found his mind circling the idea, wondering, if only for a moment, if it could all really be true.

He curled his fingers around the older boy's hand as he tried to quiet the thoughts tumbling through his brain. He had no job, rent to pay, and a boyfriend who believed he was his soulmate. He had way too much to worry about to sleep.

"Yugi," Yami's voice was a groggy whisper in his ear. "Sleep." He adjusted until he'd drawn Yugi flush against him, his breath evening until he drifted once more. It had become a recurring pattern the past few weeks – Yami would drift, and Yugi's mind would start to race. It only took a few moments of panicked thoughts before the older boy would stir behind him, telling him to go to sleep, leaving Yugi to wonder how he'd known that he'd been awake and worrying at all.

Yugi focused on the even rise and fall of the older boy's chest behind him, a familiar sense of calm tugging the anxiety from his grip. Sleep. Yami's command was a gentle reminder in his head, and he closed his eyes, consciousness slipping as he cast out into the darkness, thoughts dimming until there was nothing but silence.

A/N: Here marks the end of Finding You! Thanks for all of your lovely comments and support. I know that not every question was answered in this final chapter, but I hope you were able to get a bit of closure with it. As much as I loved writing this story, I am ready to move on from it, and I think this a logical place to conclude. Not every loose end is tied up, but I didn't want to leave an incomplete like so many other stories on so, I tried to address what I thought was important.

In writing this story, I really wanted to focus on an older, AU version of Yugi who had grown up and out of his canon mentality (trusting, open, believing in magic), and how that would change the dynamic between him and Yami if they were introduced later in life. I knew it was going to have to be a slow acceptance process to be believable, and that's why I am okay leaving this story here. As far as I see it, Yugi made the progression from complete denial to considering the idea of being a hikari, which will eventually lead to his complete acceptance of it.

Thanks for reading! Catch ya later.