Joy: Okay, people, as promised, her comes chapter 23. Two more chapters to go after this one! Thanks to those that reviewed the last chapter and hope you like this one. I got stuck on it a few times.

The Wish

The house was quite plain seeming on the inside, with a single silver throne against the back wall as the only piece of furniture in the room. Joy stepped forward, Seto right behind her. She looked around the room. There were white drapes hanging from the ceiling and a red carpet leading up to the throne.

A few steps into the house and the two stopped. The throne glowed brilliantly for a moment, and when the group looked up, they saw a woman sitting upon the silver chair.

She had golden hair and pale green eyes. She wore simple white robes and held a golden scepter in her right hand. Upon her head was a small tiara, also made of gold, and she wore a necklace with a diamond on it as big as a strawberry. (AN: I love strawberries, so I had to use that fruit! Ahem…sorry. On with the story)

"Hello, Joy Houyoku. Welcome to the Shrine of Kokoro. My name is Odessa."

"Odessa…how did you know my name?"

"I have known you from birth. As I have known Yugi and Ryou, as you three are the keepers of light. It is my duty to grant the inner most desire in your heart. Now, you have a wish, but before you make it, I must tell you something."

"All right." Joy prompted her to continue with a nod.

"You hold in your hand a very powerful item. As Yugi and Ryou also have powerful items of their own. Right now they are using those items to protect the gateway between our worlds. However, you three cannot keep the items after you make your wish. They are far too powerful and there will be many after such powerful. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and you have seen for yourself the extent of such corruption. I cannot allow the items to fall into the hands of those unworthy of using them."

"Like Akujin," Joy added. Odessa nodded.

"Indeed. You saw the greed in his eyes. He was willing to take human lives for his own ambitions, and that cannot be allowed. Thus when this is done, I will take the items back. It is for the best, I am sure you understand that." Joy nodded. "Now, I can tell that there are many questions hovering over your mouth, and I am eager to answer them and to grant the wish you wish to request."

"With the items gone, the Path of Light can never be opened, is that right?"

"Ah, you have been paying attention to many voices, young lady. It is true that to get from your world to mine you need the three items of legend, but that is because of the distance between us. There are many realms, and some are closer to this one and do not require any special method of entry. Though I doubt you can reach such places on your own. Do you understand?"

"Yes…what about Yugi and the others? If you take their items, won't there be a risk of them getting hurt in the fight?"

"No need to worry, child. I will ensure your safety with my magic. You will not even have to travel the Path of Light back to your realm."

"I see. Well…then I guess the only thing to do is make my wish. But in truth, the wish is not mine alone. A dear friend asked me to make a wish for her, since she could not come."

"Just as I suspected, always caring for others more than yourself," Odessa said with a slight smile. "Very well. What is her wish?"

"Well…you see…she has a mother who has taken very ill. Her mother is the only thing she has left and there is nothing the doctors can do to for her. She was hoping that her mother's illness would disappear. She is a very timid person and at first did not want to ask for help because she thought it would seem like she was greedy or selfish, but she is such a sweet girl and one of my dear friends. Is there anyway that my wish could be that her mother be able to overcome her illness and live a long and healthy life so that my friend will not be without her family?"

"That is your wish? You want nothing for yourself? And the other keepers do not mind?"

"I talked to them already and they believe this is the best wish. I have everything I could wish for already."

Odessa smiled warmly at the girl. "Joy, that is the most selfless wish I have ever been asked to grant, and so I gladly accept the honor of making it come true. Your friend's mother will be just fine."

Joy bowed respectfully. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Odessa. That makes me so happy."

"Good. Then I am happy as well. And now I take you back to your home and get rid of those horrid men for good."

"Will I ever see you or this place again?" Joy asked.

"If destiny calls for it, then it shall be so. I cannot tell the future, dear child. Only time will be the judge."

She raised her hands high into the air and muttered a small chant under her breath. A white light encircled both Seto and Joy and they felt themselves being pulled from their present location much like teleporting, a sort of tug at their bodies and then it was gone.

When they opened their eyes, they were lying in the middle of Joy's living room. "Well, that was definitely interesting," Seto said, his eyebrow rose slightly. Joy smiled, then frowned a bit.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"Right here!" Seto and Joy looked up to see the rest of the group entering the room. Yugi smiled. "Did everything go all right?" he asked. Joy nodded. "Good. We were worried for a moment there."

"We're glad you two are all right," Ryou added.

"How did it go?" Katilli asked. "I assume you made your wish, but what happened to the items?"

"What a story we have for you guys," Joy said, then proceeded to relay to her dark and her friends what had befallen them inside a totally different realm.

Joy: Okay, everyone, there you have it. Two chapters in one setting. Hope they weren't too odd or rushed sounding. The next on is gonna be called – 'Happiness At Last'. Till then, review and see ya later!