Last chappie!

I don't know if I can really call it an 'epilogue,' but it seemed like the best name for it. (It was also ment to be short, but that only happened partially).

Joey found Mai on the beach opposite the hotel twenty minutes before her first duel. She turned with a smile when he called out to her. 'Viv' told you I'd be here?' She asked when he came up to her.

'Yeah. I swear that girl's psychic.'

'No, she just knows me.' She was silent for a few moments as she looked out over the ocean. 'I'm coming; I wouldn't miss my first duel. I just needed a few moments to myself.'

Joey slipped an arm easily around her waist. 'Any particular reason?'

'Yeah.' Mai drew in a breath of sweet ocean air and let it out slowly. She turned her head to face Joey. 'I wanted to talk to Vivian at breakfast about moving to Domino.'

Joey frowned. After he came in to get breakfast-by mutual agreement, later than Mai; so she could talk to Vivian, though she hadn't mentioned this morning why-he'd quickly piled up his plate and joined the gang. Mai had been delighted they accepted her back with no pretences and the talk had quickly turned to duel monsters and who would end up facing Yugi; Mai or Joey, for although she'd defeated Seto Kaiba, she'd never beaten Joey. And Mai knew well enough that just because she'd beaten Seto, didn't mean she could do the same to Joey, their duelling styles were totally different. Joey wrenched his mind away from the conversations the gang had gotten into, and the delighted grin on Mai's face when Duke, Rebecca and Tristan had joined them and accepted Mai back as easily as Tea and Yugi-Serenity had been more enthusiastic, greeting the girl she had called sister after battle City with a good hug, making up for not being able to give her one the previous night too. He finally pulled his mind away from that warm feeling he'd had when he saw the gang together again and back on track.

'And?' He swallowed. 'What did she say?'

Mai snorted. 'She brought the subject up first and asked me when we were moving.'

Joey blinked. 'So?' He tried to keep the nerves out of his voice, 'did you come to any conclusions?'

Mai cocked her head to one side and smiled dreamily out at the ocean. 'That's why I wanted to come out here. She's all for it, but...'

'But you're not so sure.' He struggled to keep his disappointment hidden.

Mai shook her head. 'I want to come back to Domino with you Joey. I just, oh heck! I feel like I'm forcing this on her and as much as I want to be with you, I don't want to lose her friendship either. I can't help wondering if she'll just stay for a few months then go and we we'll fall out of contact...' she trailed off.

It clicked then. 'Like you did with us after battle City.'

Mai nodded miserably.

'Mai, do you really think you'd let yourself fall out of contact with her?'



Mai opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. Her voice was throaty when she finally spoke. 'No I don't, but... my emotions are just all in turmoil right now. Half of me knows she wants to come with me, the other half thinks that maybe she's giving up travelling so much just because of me and I want her decisions to be based only on her and not on me. I wonder if I'll miss travelling around then I think how much I'd like a place of my own. I know you want me in Domino and then another part of me finds it so hard to believe that this is happening. I keep wondering if I'll wake up.'

Because there was nothing else he could do to settle her tumult of emotions, he whirled her 'round to face him and kissed her. Mai sank into the kiss and slowly her worries began to feel like nothing more than silliness. She laughed when they drew apart, and ran her fingers through her hair. 'Oh, I am being silly aren't I?' She grinned at him. 'That was certainly not a dream. I've dreamed of us together before many times, but I've never felt all that heat before yesterday.'

Joey touched her face gently. 'What do you really want Mai?'

She smiled brilliantly at him. 'Joey, I'm coming back to Domino with you no matter what happens. And Viv',' she chuckled. 'I don't know why I'm thinking she'd have second thought now. Viv'll come too.'

Joey drew her too him and kissed her again. 'You can't know how glad I am to hear that.'

Mai's eyes twinkled. 'I think maybe I do.'

Joey gave her another quick kiss. 'Come on, we can talk with the gang later, Serenity's going to be overjoyed, but in the meantime, we've got ten minutes to get to your duel.'

Mai yelped. 'Opps! The last thing I want to do is get disqualified because I'm late.'

Joey took her hand and they started to go, when all of a sudden Mai stopped. Joey turned to her. 'Something wrong?'

'No.' She smiled. 'I love you.'

Joey drew her against him for a long, sweet kiss. 'I know.'

'You two coming or not?'

Startled, the couple looked up to see the gang on the parade next to the beach, all twelve of them: Vivian, Serenity, Yugi, Tea, Rebecca, Tristan, Duke, Marik, Odion, Ishizu, Seto and Mokuba. Vivian was waving after having hollered to her friend. 'We'll be late!' She called again.

Mai grinned at Joey, who returned the favour. 'We're coming!'

And so, that's the end. I'm really gonna miss writing this fic, but there'll definitely be more Mai/Joey fics in the not too far future (though probably in a couple of weeks after I've finished my school exams-on the other hand, I might just ditch studying for a night and write; a much more inviting option).

A big thank you to all my reviewers and to those who haven't reviewed, I hope you liked it (it would make my day if everyone did review, or even just some of my readers).

See you all soon!