Author's Note Part 1: Thanks goes to iloveyugiohGX93, Ulrich362, mcdinh, and Doccy Larsson Seraphim for reviewing the previous chapter!

Well. It's finally here. The… epilogue. After a year and about four months, this story is going to be finished.

And you know what? I'm not crying this time. …And no, it's not because I used up all of my tears after last chapter. It's because I'm too happy to cry right now. Not even tears of joy.

Ah… This whole thing is in third person, okay? It's also SUPER long, but I kind of needed it to be.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, but I do own my OCs. Enjoy?

***This chapter is brought to you by Colliding Visions, by Brian Balmages. (This is a concert band piece, not from a game. And it has literally ALL of my feels in it. See, the piece was commissioned by a band whose program was cut for the following school years… so the piece basically reflects all the fun times they've had together, and the sorrow of parting at the end. Back in seventh grade, my band played this piece as a way of saying goodbye to our band director because she was going to teach at a different school after that year ended. EVERYONE cried… and honestly, I have YET to cry more over something than I did while playing this song)***

Epilogue

Their sacrifice did more than just fix all of the worlds they had destroyed. Just as Angel had wished, the fallen Signers and Dark Signers were revived… but they weren't the only ones. The Signer Dragons and Earthbound Immortals who had died in the previous wars—even before the wars—were brought back to life. Their current human incarnations, all of them dead or nearly so for one reason or another, given a second chance like everyone else.

Because of this, so many families were reunited. So many tragic stories with a happy ending.

The Head Signer.

His mother and younger sister were not the only people Yusei got back. Sky, restored to her duty as Envoy, was rescued from the deepest pits of the Netherworld… and so was their father, Ryuu, as he was the Dark Signer for Shimi Nolidae, the one who had died when Queen Sythini tried separating him from his Dragon half.

And it didn't stop with his immediate family, either. Kalin, obviously, was one of the ones who came back. His father Wyatt was another—Silver Star Dragon's Signer, and Shimi Nolidae's counterpart.

His head and chest ached, though the pain in his chest was much sharper than that of his head. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember what happened. His last clear memory was of Wiraqocha Rasca appearing…

Am I dead? Yusei thought. Well… no, I don't think I would be in this much pain if I was actually dead…

Tiny hands grabbed his arm. "Nii-san! Nii-san, wake up!" a voice squealed in his ear.

Yusei's eyes shot open, and he sat up abruptly. Ah… right. Natsumi. This is going to take some getting used to… He offered his younger sister a smile, and ruffled her hair. She looked at him, smiling too, but with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, Mimi?"

She shook her head, several of her tears falling to the ground while she did that. "I'm just happy you're okay!" And Natsumi threw her arms around him. "I… I thought I was gonna be all alone again…" she sobbed into his shirt.

Broken images filled his mind—of fighting against Wiraqocha Rasca as Stardust Dragon, of seeming victorious, of being stabbed through the chest by a spear… and then darkness. He really had died… and something brought him back.

"Is there room for one more?"

Yusei looked up, raising an eyebrow. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't think of why. As soon as he saw the person, he knew. No one else had those mismatched eyes or that face… His brain tried to refuse it—he knew she had died; Angel had confessed to killing her—but the scene in front of him made him ignore that idea. "S… Sky?"

The woman nodded, her gaze lowering to the young girl in his arms. "Yeah… It's me. You know who I really am, right?"

It was Yusei's turn to nod. "Angel told me."

Anger flickered in her blue-and-gold eyes. "Angel, huh…? And did she tell you how she—"

"She told me about how you were arrested for murder, and how she had to Duel you. You lost it and tried to kill Director Goodwin—Angel's father, if you didn't know already… and how she couldn't control her powers while trying to protect him and killed you in the process." The image of Angel's guilt-stricken eyes surfaced in his mind. "I don't think a day went by when she didn't think of your death. She didn't want to kill you. Didn't want to betray you, either."

Sky tsks, and looked away. "A-Anyways… Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you who I really was that day we met in Satellite. I really should have. Maybe… Maybe a lot of this could have been prevented."

"Or maybe it would have just happened differently. No one knows," Yusei said. "I understand why you hid the fact that you're my sister from me, though. I've… heard about some of the things Sayer's done."

"Hmm." Sky grunted, rubbing the back of her right hand. Both of her eyes flashed crimson-gold for a moment. She stumbled backward, falling to the ground with one hand on her head. "Ah…! That's… everyone… All of the Signers and Dark Signers… they have a second chance. That's what… the Crimson Dragon just told me. And… probably why I'm here now."

"W-Wait… all of them?!"

"Yeah… why?"

"Mama!" Natsumi squealed, finally releasing her brother. She saw what her siblings didn't—both of their parents approaching them. Of course, she only recognized their mother. She squirmed out of Yusei's arms and ran to the brunette, jumping into her arms.

Sky caught on to what was happening faster than Yusei, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. She, too, ran to meet Ryuu and Ayame.

I… I have a family now, Yusei thought, watching them. A wonderful family… and wonderful friends, too. He looked out around the field they all woke up in.

He saw Kalin, meeting his father for the first time.

He saw Leo and Luna, sharing moments with a few kids their age.

He saw Jack, reunited with Carly and Alice… and a third girl who looked exactly like Alice.

He saw Akiza, talking with a young woman with short blonde hair that he didn't recognize. Misty was there, too, apologizing to Akiza. And Toby was by his sister's side.

But then… where are Angel and Crow…?

The Heart and Front Claw Signers.

While no one in Leo and Luna's family had died, they had several friends who had died several years prior—the incident that forced them to go underground, for fear of their newfound powers being found out. The powers that had saved them from dying as well…

The boy named Dexter, Signer for the dragon named Archon Lightning.

The girl named Patty, Dark Signer for the deer Immortal, Pasaku Stirna.

The other boy, Sly, Dark Signer for the fox Immortal, Kitsu Reeca.

Luna was the first of the two to wake; her entire body felt like it was on fire. She let out a short but anguished scream, enough to wake up Leo. He jolted up, dirt smeared all over his face. "L-Luna! Luna, what's wrong?!"

His twin breathed several strained breaths before managing to calm herself down and sat up. "I… I… It felt like I was burning… B-But I'm not, so I… I'm fine."

Leo heaved a massive sigh of relief, then rubbed his neck. "Ow… now that you talk about pain, it feels like someone's trying to pop off my head…"

And they remembered. Remembered dying as their dragons. Luna to a backfired healing spell, Leo to having his neck broken when Rasca tore off three of Life Stream Dragon's wings and let him plummet to the ground.

The two stared at each other, wide-eyed. They couldn't have… really died, right?

"Ah… L-Leo, Luna, is it really you guys?"

The green-haired twins both jumped about three feet in the air before spinning around in shock. The voice they heard… couldn't be possible. It totally wasn't, because they watched him die nearly two years ago in that accident… The one that had claimed the lives of two of their other friends as well…

A boy with brownish-red eyes and chin-length brown hair with a bit of it zigzagging over his forehead stood there, nervously messing with the red bowtie he had on. Next to him, a dark-skinned girl with green eyes and unnaturally blonde hair in pigtails. And behind the two of them, vaguely paying attention, a black-haired boy with grey eyes.

"N-No way… Dex! Patty! Sly!" Leo whooped, fist-pumping the air. "I don't care how you're here right now, but this is the best day ever!"

Patty giggled, putting a hand over her mouth. "Glad to see you haven't changed at all, Leo. Oh, but it looks like you're taller than me now, Luna!"

"Huh? Huh. I… I guess I am," Luna said quietly. "You've… You've all missed a lot."

"Yeah, like how we TOTALLY saved the world!" Leo boasted.

"Hmph. As if," Sly grumbled. "A weakling like you couldn't save the world."

"H-Hey! I'll have you know I'm a bajillion times stronger than you!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!"

The green-haired girl sighed as her brother and their friend started glaring at each other. "Boys…" she muttered.

"Yeah, I don't understand it sometimes," Dexter said. "I don't see why we like to fight all the time. Especially those two…"

"I guess there are things that don't change even after…" She stopped. There was no way she could say it.

Dexter looked down, and so did Patty. "W-Well… maybe not," the brown-haired boy said with an uncomfortable shrug. "I think… I think we should all be happy that we're alive."

That was something the five of them could agree on.

The Wing Signer.

Both Alice and Carly were returned to life, but there was someone else close to Jack that had come back. Someone none of his friends knew about because he didn't tell them about her. He didn't think that he needed to. The sister he'd lost to the streets… Alice's identical twin, Xylia.

Xylia, the Signer for the dragon named Ruby Demon.

The second the blonde tried to sit up, he growled in pain. "Fuck… what the hell happened…?" It seriously felt like someone had stabbed him in the gut and twisted the knife as far as they could.

It felt like when he'd almost died trying to save Alice from that bastard of a Duel Gang leader.

His head spun and an image danced in front of his eyes. As Red Dragon Archfiend, Wiraqocha Rasca impaled him through the stomach with the same weapon that had killed Stardust…

Jack blinked away the image. He sure as hell wasn't dead.

Someone tapped on his shoulder. The violet-eyed man grunted, brushing it off. A girl huffed in annoyance, deciding to kick his back instead. "Don't ignore me, asshole!" she shouted.

Any anger that he was going to unleash vanished immediately as he turned and saw who it was. There were three people standing behind him, but he really only focused on one. Alice. The sister he couldn't save… and the sister who had turned to dust before he could so much as hold her.

"Alice…?"

"What, do you want me to pinch you or something? Of course it's me!" Then she smiled, and stuck out a hand. He took it—her real, her flesh-and-bone hand—and she helped him up.

Jack Atlas was not one for showing affection, but this was one of the times he'd make an exception. He hugged her tightly, as though she would turn to dust if he let go. She was really here…

"Hey, what're we, chopped liver?" another girl asked.

He looked up and froze. "Carly…" She was leaning on a girl who looked exactly like Alice… His mind made the connection a few moments later. Alice's lookalike… "Xylia… You're all… alive?"

"J-Jack!" Carly stumbled a little when Xylia tried to help her over to them. He caught her just before her head hit the ground, and he pulled a pair of broken glasses out of the inside of his jacket, putting them on her face. She blinked her dark eyes a few times, before settling on looking at the blonde. "Jack… I'm so sorry I tried facing Sayer on my own! I should have tried harder to get aw—"

He silenced her with a kiss.

The Rear Claw Signer.

Like the twins, Akiza hadn't lost any family members.

Also like the twins, she had lost a friend—the only one she had before running away from her parents when she was seven. Life at the Arcadia Movement had caused her to forget about her friend who had inexplicably moved to another city (but in reality, had died in a boating accident).

Margaret, the Signer for the dragon named Jade Forest.

Sharp, burning pain all over her skin was what Akiza awoke to. It vanished quickly, leaving her to gasp while sitting up. She knew why that burning happened—she had died protecting Angel from Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca. But now she was here, alive… She rubbed her mark because it glowed slightly. "The Crimson Dragon… brought us back…?" she mused.

"Ah! I-It has to be you!" a voice slightly higher-pitched than Akiza's exclaimed.

"Huh…?" Akiza stared blankly at the young woman in front of her. She had blonde hair, slightly longer in the back than the front, that didn't quite reach her shoulders. Her eyes were brown. "Do I… know you…?" Akiza asked slowly.

"Whaaaaaaaaat?!" The blonde's mouth dropped into a giant O. "What d'you mean? You don't recognize me?" She paused, scratching her head as she looked down at herself. "Huh… well… maybe that's understandable… I'm, what, seventeen, eighteen now? And we were six the last time we saw each other…"

"Meg!" The nickname flew off of Akiza's lips the second she remembered who the girl in front of her was. "I… I thought… My parents said you moved away unexpectedly, and didn't have time to leave me a phone number…"

The glee in her brown eyes deadened for a moment. "Boating accident," Margaret muttered. "'Course they'd lie about it…" She jumped right back to being happy. "So Aki, how's life been?"

"Haah… complicated, to say the least," the magenta-haired woman replied. Something caught her eye in the distance—or rather, someone caught her attention. A dark-haired woman with blue-grey eyes… and her younger brother next to her.

The siblings noticed Akiza as well. Toby waved. Misty averted her gaze.

"Ooh, are those your friends, Aki?" Meg asked.

"… Toby is. His sister, Misty… not so much."

"Huh." She stared at Toby as he approached. Then she popped a grin, "Hi, you must be Toby. I'm Margaret, but you can call me Meg!"

The brown-haired teen looked at Akiza, "Is she a friend of yours?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, nice to meet you, Meg." Toby shook her hand.

The blonde giggled. "Aw, you're cute!"

"And taken," Toby said, trying to pry her off his arm. As soon as he said that, she pouted and let go of him. "Speaking of… Akiza, have you seen Angel? I got here as fast as I could, and I haven't seen her yet."

"What about Crow? He'd know where she is."

"No… I haven't seen him either. A-And… I'm starting to get a little worried…"

A burst of light flashed at the center of the ring of Signers and Dark Signers. Two people step out of the light—a young man with orange hair, who remained on his feet, and a woman who looks a lot like him, who collapsed upon hitting the ground.

None of them knew who the woman was, but the look in Crow's eyes scared them.

It was like… he'd lost everything.

The Upper Tail Signer.

He couldn't save them. When the energy of the Crimson Immortals tore apart his father and his sister, he screamed, he cried, he tried to stop it but he couldn't. His mother kept him from running in. And… And now, he was back on Earth, surrounded by his friends who had died…

Angel. Angel had to die for this to happen, his mind repeated like a mantra as he looked at everyone.

Yusei had his family back. Jack had his family back. The twins and Akiza had their best friends in the world back.

He clenched his fists, not realizing he had something in his right hand until it cut into his skin. The blood dripped off of it while he watched; while he stared at the thing in his hand: Angel's necklace. The one Yusei gave her back when they were kids. The one she never parted with except when taking a shower or sleeping.

And now, it was the only thing he had left of her.

Voices echoed near him, probably asking him what happened… where Angel was… who the orange-haired woman was. Crow didn't care. He ignored them and kept staring at the necklace. Her necklace.

Until one voice cut through his mental barrier with a shout. "H-Hey, what's that in your hand?"

His gaze went up to Toby for a moment—he didn't have to watch; he didn't know—and let it fall back to the necklace. He held it up by the chain, with so much disgust it was like he was holding up a severed head.

Toby's eyes widened as he gasped, both hands flying over his mouth. Pretty much everyone else who Angel was close friends with had similar reactions. "Why… Why do you have that…?" Toby stuttered.

"They're gone," Crow replied, his voice quieter than it had ever been before. "Goodwin and Angel… they're gone."

"What? No, that's not… What do you mean?!" Toby grabbed Crow's collar. He didn't seem angry, just upset. "Angel, she can't be… she just can't…!"

"You have to go home… Tell everyone about what happened here. So that… nothing like this happens ever again." Oh, he sure as hell would tell them what happened.

"See, the two of them really fucked up in their duel—the one they started after Rasca had killed everyone except Akiza. Anyways, they both used these things called Crimson Immortals. Fusions of a Signer Dragon and Earthbound Immortal. And yeah, they sound super horrifying. When the two different Crimson Immortals fought… they kinda tore apart reality. Destroyed everywhere, killed everyone else, except for the Crimson Dragon, me, my mom," he gestured to the still-unconscious woman next to him, "and the things in the Netherworld."

"Uh, you're wrong," Toby said. "I don't remember everything falling apart."

"I'm getting to that!" The orange-haired man was nigh-on pissed now. "The only way to fix everything—which I guess meant bringing all of you guys back—was to use that same destructive power in a fusion with most of the Crimson Dragon's remaining power."

"And… there was a cost, wasn't there?" Yusei, who had been silent since seeing his parents, asked.

"One Signer and one Dark Signer…" The anger was gone; only grief remained. "Angel and our pop… they wouldn't let either of us do it. Said they wanted to fix their own mistakes." He paused. "I… I tried, but I couldn't save her. She was… torn apart by energy right in front of me."

Toby's eyes glazed over with horror, a hand gripping his chest as he let go of Crow. He even stopped breathing. "Stop… Stop, you're… y-you have to be wrong…!"

"Angel told me… her last thoughts were of all you guys… But Toby… she really—"

"Stop! P-Please, I don't want to hear it…!"

"She wants you to be happy…"

"Stop! Please…" Toby's voice cracked.

"And she's sorry for not being able to say goodbye in person."

"SHUT UP, DAMMIT!"

Crow didn't see it coming, but he didn't feel it either. He just felt so dead that the punch Toby landed on his face felt like nothing. The blood trickling from his face felt like nothing, too. But he shut up—he was all out of words.

And no one had any questions, either.

XXX

It was nearly four in the morning in Neo Domino City—almost exactly two years since Angel and Rex Goodwin had died. A memorial had been erected for the two of them at one of the cemeteries in the former Satellite District. A memorial that was frequented by friends and family several times a year, and was highly decorated in flowers and even letters.

However, no one would expect a visitor to it at four in the morning, unless the graveyard's caretaker counted as a visitor.

No, this visitor was none other than Sky Fudo. And she had a purpose for being there.

The golden-haired woman sat down in front of the plaque. She traced the words on it with her fingers, stopping when they were over Angel's name. She'd long forgiven her old friend, and couldn't wait to receive forgiveness in return.

"Hi Angel… and Rex," Sky said, her voice somewhat hushed. "It's been awhile… I've been pretty busy resting… waiting for this moment. But… I think I finally have enough energy to pull this off… and so does the Crimson Dragon. You two sacrificed so much for us… and… and your times aren't over just yet."

Two blank cards appeared in her hands—one for a Synchro in her right, one for an Effect Monster in her left.

"These cards… the keys to your lives." She hummed a little. "Even though I've known the truth all my life, it's still hard to fathom. To rely on a Signer Dragon or Earthbound Immortal to live… For a simple Duel Monsters card to hold so much power within it…"

She concentrated, and the two cards began to glow. Letters appeared on the cards, and the pictures shimmered. They were there, but they weren't. Not the real essence of Daigusto Tornado Dragon or Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca. To channel their spirits… that would…

"Are you sure that you are willing to do this?" Crimson asked her Envoy.

"Y-Yeah," Sky said through clenched teeth. "I can… I c-can… If I don't do this now, there won't be another chance. You said it had to be exactly two years after their passing. And I… I can. If they were willing to give up their lives to save mine and everyone else's, I can certainly live with the consequences of this."

The price for this hope… Sky would be stripped of her powers and possibly a few of her senses. She would also be unfit for being the Envoy of the Crimson Dragon, erasing any possibility of Crimson fixing that. And with all other possible heirs currently a Signer or Dark Signer, there would be no Envoy for quite a long time. At least not until Sky, Yusei, or Natsumi had a child.

"Hm. You sound a lot like the friend you wish to save. Willing to do anything for those who matter to you, regardless of the consequences."

"You say that like it's strange for us to be like that."

"Oh, certainly not. I admire your ideals."

"Glad to know I've left an impact on you, Crimson. I'll miss our talks."

"I will miss them as well, Sky Fudo."

She went to say something else, but her entire body tensed—it was time.

The cards in her hand finished glowing—it was done.

All she had to do was summon them..

Please, come back to us.

With one look at the moon, she placed the two cards on her Duel Disk. Sky didn't see anything—her vision suddenly cut out—but she felt her energy leave. Felt it pour into the two cards. It had to work…

She still couldn't see when the side of her face hits the grass. It was just darkness… complete and utter darkness, everywhere. My vision… I've lost my vision… Sky realized. Only this time… this time I can't see auras. I'm completely blind… B-But, did it work?! "Angel…? Rex…? Can either of you hear me?"

No one answered… but she could hear steady breathing… somewhere nearby. She rolled over onto her stomach, crawling with her arms stretched out as far as they would go. She tapped the ground as she moved forward. Come on… I have to… It had to work…!

Her hands hit hair instead of grass, and her heart skipped a beat. It was someone, when there had been no one.

"Hey… Hey… Whoever you are, wake up!" Sky shouted, trying to shake their shoulders. They felt… slim. If it was either of them, she was probably shaking Angel. Rex would have much broader shoulders. "Angel… if it's you…"

"Mm… just a few more minutes…" the person in her grasp muttered. It was definitely Angel.

"Angel…" She felt the tears in her eyes, but it didn't make anything blurry. "Angel, you've had two years. Wake. Up."

"Sky?!" Angel gasped, sitting up sharply. "Sky, you're…?"

"Thanks to you and your father's sacrifice, I'm alive."

"B-But… then I should be dead…!"

"I just… I just brought you back. It's actually really simple—in fact, you did it before you died. The reason your mother came back before the others… it's because you were able to revive Dai Aurelius—her soul." Sky paused, scratching her face. "The only difference is I had to give a lot more energy…"

"More…? Ngh…" She heard Angel shift her weight around. "Sky, you shouldn't have—"

"But I did. You and your father still have a lot of time left in this world. Plus… I… I had to apologize. I shouldn't have lost it… I shouldn't have blamed you for me getting thrown in jail—I was at least guilty of murdering those kids at my orphanage. I shouldn't have tried to kill you or Rex. I… shouldn't have done a lot of things."

"It's okay, Sky. I forgive you," Angel replied. "I… I never blamed you, only myself…" She made a noise—something like a grunt of pain but higher pitched. "M-My mark… it's already…"

"ANGEL!"

The Lower Tail Signer.

It took two years, but their family was finally back together. Rex and Miyuki and Roman and Crow and Angel… and even Toby. The happy ending that they hoped for… was finally able to happen.

Oh, if only happy endings could last forever…

~The End… For Now~

Author's Note Part 2: Holy crap, that was like, chapter-from-Blue-Sky length. But it was still good. Because suspense at the end is PERFECT!

Okay… I was kind of vague in pieces of Leo, Luna, Jack, and Akiza's parts for a reason. My muses have an idea for this side story/prequel thing to this one where I explore backstories more in-depth, or just fill in a bunch of plot holes or something. It's kind of open to requests. (When it goes up, it will be called "Crimson Prelude".)

And don't think Angel and Rex's deaths meant nothing even though they were only gone for… well, half a chapter. It WILL be tied into the sequel.

Speaking of the sequel, that will be very, very fun. So keep an eye out for Crimson Fall, the name of it. (I may or may not post it super soon. Depends on how many reviews this epilogue gets.)

Ahhhhhhh, screw it, I was trying not to go off on tangents, but it's the only way I can do this. If you haven't seen it already, go watch the new Cinderella movie. I watched it today with my Creative Writing class (field trips for the WIN), and it was AMAZING. It is anything BUT a copy-and-paste of other versions of this tale, and totally worth watching. The other thing I'm advertizing is another fanfic I recently read. If you haven't already, go read "Ignorance", by EibonVirgo, RIGHT. NOW. I… I still can't fully convey how great it is in words. Just go read it. You will understand. (AND DON'T LET THE MAIN SHIP OF THAT STORY BOTHER YOU! EIBON MAKE IT SUPER CONVINCING AND REAL AND IT'S JUST SO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!)

Oh boy. Okay. That tangent's over. Phew. So… thanks once again to ALL of you for reading and reviewing. It's been a tough road, but a fun one. And I hope you all join me for Crimson Fall! Bye for now!