Joy: Merry Christmas, everyone! Sorry if this is so damned delayed. I couldn't get to a computer yesterday…damn it. Mom rarely lets me get on hers and Dad puts a password on his so no one can get on it… (sigh) Anyway, here comes chapter 24.

Happiness At Last

After things had settled down a bit, Kira spoke up. "I…I just wanted to thank you all for everything. For being there…being my friends…and helping me. And most of all making my wish for me. That was so great that…that…" At this point Kira had to turn away so as to hide the tears that threatened to fall. Yugi came up and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Kira, we helped you because that's what friends do. They help each other. Besides, you helped us tons of times. The least we could do was help you."

"Well…thank you very much." Kira gave her friends a small smile. "Now not only do I have my family, but great new friends, too!" Yugi grinned, and then nodded in agreement.

"That's right!"

…Later…

Yugi, Ryou, and all the darks (in bodies of course) gathered at the Domino Train Station. Kira wanted to stay longer, but now that her mother was going to get better, she wanted to be by her side. "I want to be there when she gets out of the hospital," she had explained. Joy and Seto had to say their goodbyes earlier because they had to rush off to work. Joy had promised to meet her father at the office and of course Seto had to get back to Kaiba Corp. But Katilli and Sorcerer wanted to send the duo off.

"You tell that priestess to stay out of trouble," Sorcerer said.

Kira smiled. "I'll try."

"Keep in touch, Kira. I know everything will be all right," Katilli said. Kira nodded.

"That was some adventure," Yugi said. Ryou agreed.

"But what about Akujin? Is he still alive and if so, will he strike again?" Ryou asked.

"Only Ra knows," Yami responded. "But the important thing is that he did not succeed in his goal. The Path of Light will remain closed now."

"Damn the luck," Bakura said. "I had the best wish."

Katilli looked over at him. "I can only guess, anata."

"Probably to possess the Millennium Puzzle," Yami muttered, annoyed. Bakura glared at him.

"Actually, I would have wished to possess all the Items, not just the Puzzle. I mean, come on, Pharaoh, your Item isn't the only one. How arrogant can you be?" Now it was Yami's turn to glare.

"Okay, you two. Stop bickering. We do not wish to send Kira off like this, now do we?" Katilli asked, making sure to step in between the arguing spirits.

Yugi and Ryou sighed. Yugi leaned close to Ryou's ear. "Looks like we're going to have to work harder to get those two to stop fighting all the time," he whispered.

"Indeed," Ryou whispered back. "At any rate," he said a bit louder, "we do hope that we meet up again real soon. Next time though, if you have a problem, please tell us all the details. Don't hide something that is important. We want to help."

"I promise, and I am very sorry for not telling you everything." Kira suddenly found the floor interesting. "I was worried that you would think of me as being selfish for wanting such a wish. That I was only thinking of myself."

"Quite the contrary, actually," Ryou pointed out. "I think that wanting one's mother to be well is not selfish at all."

Suddenly the call came for Kira's train to board. "I guess I need to go now. Don't worry, though…I'll keep in touch and everything. I promise."

Her friends smiled and nodded. "As will we," Katilli said.

Kira went around and gave her friends a hug and then turned to leave, waving to them as she did. "Till next time we meet, goodbye, everyone!" The group watched until she had boarded the train and it was around the corner and out of sight.

"Come on, everyone, we best be going home ourselves," Katilli suggested.

…Later…

"Did you see Kira and Reila off?" Joy asked as she prepared for bed that night.

"Yes. Then Bakura and I had a bit of a romantic evening. How was work? I do hope you were not too bored without me. I was thinking to give you a bit of time to adjust on your own."

"Katilli, everything went very well. We already have the place staffed halfway. Just a bit longer and we will be fully operational. And you don't have to worry about a thing. I actually want you to feel comfortable going out on your own and having fun once in a while. Don't think you have to be in your soul room all the time. If I need you, I know how to get a hold of you."

"All right…if you say so. Maybe I did have a lot of fun today. I would not mind in the least if I was able to do it again. Still, it is my duty and my will to look out for your safety, Joy, and I do intend to do so."

"Oh, stop…its just work."

"Joy, Akujin may still be out there. It is possible he got away from that other dimension and made it back here on the mortal realm. We must be careful. The other darks think so as well."

"Yes, yes…I know. But for now, just relax."

"So," Katilli said, suddenly changing subjects, "when does your father go back to Montana?"

"His plane leaves on Monday. He said that things should be ready here by then."

Katilli gazed at her for a moment. "You will miss him, I presume."

Joy blinked. "Well, of course! But he is just a phone call or plane ride away if I want to hear or see him. But I will miss him. He is the only family I have, you know."

"I do, it is just that Japan and America are so far apart and it will be difficult to just drop everything and go there."

Joy thought for a moment, and then gave Katilli a look. "Don't you hate being right all the time?"

Katilli smiled brightly. "Not really, but it does get predictable from time to time."

Joy: Okay, next chapter coming up! And it is the last one. The chapter is called – Just the Beginning. Stay tuned, folks!