Joy: Here is the part where we say goodbye to our three OCs. I wanted to make this more emotional, but I don't think it came out that way. Oh well. Don't like a whole lot of crying anyway. On with the chapter!

Goodbye to Friends

The airport was crowded that next afternoon when the group gathered near Gate 17. Sakura was going to spend an entire year in American with her relatives in Denver. She didn't really want to go. She faced her friends as she tried to hide her tears.

"This is my gate. Gods, I am gonna miss you guys so much!" She looked down sadly.

"Don't be sad, Sakura. It's only a year. It'll go by fast. Then we can hang out together again," Yugi assured her.

"Definitely," Sakura agreed, cheering up a small bit. "And I'll call you when I get there, okay?"

Yugi nodded happily. "We'd worry if you didn't." He turned to Ryou. "Right, Ryou?" Ryou nodded meekly with a slight blush that made Sakura smile.

He stepped forward and smiled back. "I'll miss you, Sakura." He leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek and a hug. Sakura blushed furiously as he broke the embrace.

"Last call for Flight 201 leaving for Denver from Gate 17. All passengers should board now."

"I…gotta go. It's been the greatest adventure ever, and I can't wait for the next one." She paused. "Cala and Caru say bye, too. I gotta go! I'll call you! Ja ne!" She rushed through her gate just in time. Ryou watched till she was out of eyesight, then turned to the others, who were waiting patiently for him.

"My flight does not leave for forty-five minutes, but we should start walking over there, since it is on the other side of the airport."

"We can still take our time," Yugi suggested. As the group walked, they talked about just anything that came to mind. Weather, potential jobs and careers, just small talk they could generate.

They reached Gate 39 just before the first call to board. "Okay, this is it, my friends. I want to thank you all for giving me your friendships and new stories to give my family in New York. It has been truly a grand experience, dispite all the hardships we faced."

"We'll miss you Moon Shadow. You were an invaluable ally in this whole ordeal. I highly expect we shall meet again, right?" Joy asked expectantly. Moon Shadow nodded.

"I am looking forward to it, Joy. I am also hoping to stay in closer touch, since now I have an even bigger need to in some cases," she said, looking over at Yugi. The two of them had agreed to stay friends until they could spend more time together and get closer before starting any relationship, though Yugi had to admit that Moon Shadow was the closest female friend he had at the moment, even outranking Joy…if only a bit.

The Puzzle glowed a bit. "I wish you safe journey, Moon Shadow."

"Do not worry, my pharaoh. I will be fine." She hugged him. He transformed back into Yugi before she released him. They both smiled sheepishly.

"Last call for Flight 790 to New York. All passengers should board now."

"I…I'm really gonna miss you." Yugi said.

"Don't worry, Yugi. I am only a call away should you need me." Yugi nodded. She turned, waving to her friends. "See you later, my friends." She headed through her gate and out of sight.

"When does you flight leave, Merina?" Ryou asked curiously.

"Not for another two hours. Hey, there's a small food place in the airport. Want to grab a bite to eat before we leave?" Merina suggested. Everyone eagerly agreed and the group headed to get a late lunch.

During the meal, Merina revealed that she planned to get a job at a Florida children's museum to save up for college. "I love kids and it will be so cool to work with them. I think I might want to take some classes to do with kids in college. What are you going to do, Joy?"

"I plan to work for my dad to save up for college. I want to go into computer design."

"That's really cool. Then you can compete with Kaiba," Yugi suggested with a laugh. The others smiled.

After eating, they headed to Merina's gate – Gate 23. "Well, this is it. I should be in Florida by tomorrow. I'll call you Joy and let you know when I get in, okay?" Joy readily agreed and said that she would do the same when she got to Montana. "I promise to keep in touch with both of you as well."

:"That would be great. Maybe someday we could visit America," Ryou said.

"Well, you can hang out with me anytime. See you later!" The three watched the blonde walk through her gate.

Well, there they all go…back home. Soon I will be here at the airport, doing the same thing.

Yes, but this is not the last time you will see Yugi and the others, aibou. Besides, I think it will be nice to be home after the long summer filled with adventures, don't you think?

Yeah… Joy sighed.

"Everything okay, Joy?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah," Joy assured him, giving him a weak smile. "Just thinking about stuff."

"Like the end of summer looming over us?" Ryou guessed.

"Maybe…" she said, her voice trailing off slightly.

"We'll still keep in touch. Don't worry." Yugi tried to reassure his friend. Joy smiled and nodded. Ryou and Yugi started to head out to Joy's car. "Come on, Joy. Let's go hang out at the arcade, or the mall, or anywhere else that's fun!"

Joy stared out the window for a moment. Just three more days… She sighed again and turned to follow her friends.

Joy: There you go. That was a bit sad. I plan to let the OCs do cameos in the next story. Sort of like one liners or something like that.

Two more chapters to go!