Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Mulan

Chapter 27

Returns, Rewards And Visits

The blossoms fell all around him. One particular flower, the one he had pointed out to his daughter so long ago, fell and landed on his lap.

Hasselberry looked at the perfect, pink petals in his lap. He picked it up and stared at the flower, memories of the talk he had had with Jaden, his lost daughter, what seemed like a lifetime ago. He had heard nothing of his daughter, and for all he knew, she was never coming home.

He missed her greatly. The whole family did.

Meanwhile, Jaden was watching her father from a short distance, out of his line of vision. She wasn't afraid any more. She wasn't coming home in shame, she was coming home a hero. In her hands, she held Haou's sword - a mark of her victory, and on her neck was the crest of the emperor still.

Taking a deep breath, she walked forward until she stood in front of her father in the family garden.

Hasselberry looked up in shock. It was Jaden. She was alive.

His daughter had come home.

"Jaden" he breathed, beginning to stand up, but sitting back down again when Jaden got on her knees to bow respectfully to him. The flower fell from his lap as he looked at Jaden.

"Father" the girl said. "I brought you the sword of the Supreme King."

She presented the sword to him, and Hasselberry held in gingerly in his hands. Did this mean …

"And the crest of the emperor" Jaden continued, lifting it off her neck and lying it in his hands. He looked at her and she hastily went on. "They're gifts. To honour the Yuki family."

Hasselberry looked at his kneeling daughter, and threw the crest and the sword to the ground. He fell to his knees in front of her and threw his arms around her tightly, holding her to him.

"The greatest gift in honour is having you for a daughter" he said, pulling back slightly so he could wipe a tear from Jaden's cheek. He then held her close again. "I've missed you so."

Jaden wrapped her arms around her father tightly.

"I've missed you too, Father" she said gently.

The two were very vaguely aware of the two female figures coming to stand in an archway, watching them. Jaden's mother, Alexis, and grandmother, Blair.

Alexis sighed in content as she watched her husband make peace with their daughter.

Blair, however, just sighed in annoyance.

"Great, she brings home a sword" Blair said sarcastically, and turned to Alexis seriously. "If you ask me she should have brought home a man …"

"Excuse me" a voice interrupted.

The two women turned to see a man standing there, holding a helmet in his hands. The helmet was Jaden's - or Jaden's father's technically, but she had worn it - though neither Alexis nor Blair recognised it. The man had blue hair and pale green eyes, and a face that any male would kill for.

"Does Jaden Yuki live here?" he asked.

Too astounded for words, the two women both pointed over to where Jaden and Hasselberry were now standing talking.

Jesse walked past them.

"Thank you" he said.

Alexis watched him go. Jaden really had brought a man home!

Old Blair was even more impressed.

"Woo! Sign me up for the next war" she grinned.

Alexis sighed at her mother.

Meanwhile, Jesse had reached the two standing under the falling blossoms.

Hasselberry turned to face him and Jesse bowed slightly.

"Honourable Hasselberry, I … Jaden!" he started, but was taken off guard when Jaden appeared from behind her father.

Jaden's eyes widened in surprise. Jesse was at her home!

Does this mean that he … Jaden thought hopefully.

"You forgot your helmet" Jesse said hurriedly, holding it out to her. "Well, actually it's your helmet, isn't it" he corrected himself, holding it to Hasselberry. "I mean …"

Jaden smiled softly. There was no army captain that would travel all this way to just return a helmet unless he had another motive.

She could only feel happy, though the word was insignificant compared to her feelings.

Hasselberry nodded to his daughter, sensing what she might want.

Jaden moved forward, took the helmet from Jesse and looked up into his green eyes.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked.

Jesse smiled, but before he could answer, he heard …

"Would you like to stay forever?" Blair shouted.

Jesse grinned at that and Jaden shook her head playfully.

Let's take this one step at a time, Grandma Jaden thought happily.

Jesse turned back to her.

"Dinner," he said, "would be great."

From the window of the family temple, the great ancestor, Zane, was watching. He couldn't be prouder of the girl. She had committed treason and dishonoured the family at first - and then she makes herself the hero of China. Jaden had brought more honour to the family than anyone could ever have hoped for.

Zane's thoughts were interrupted when a small, blue and white dragon jumped up next to him and nudged him playfully.

"Come on" Atticus said. "Who did a good job? Come on, tell me I did a good job."

Zane glared at the dragon and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, all right" he said reluctantly, staring out the window in annoyance. "You can be a guardian again."

Atticus grinned and let out a scream of triumph, much to Zane's irritation.

Inside the temple, Syrus the cricket - still with Atticus - banged the gong, and all the ancestors came out to play.

Atticus swung himself onto his rightful guardian's platform.

"Take it, Syrus" he grinned.

Syrus began using the gong and beaters and vases, and basically whatever was around, to play music. All the ancestors began to join in, dancing and laughing in celebration - well, all except Zane, who didn't move from the window.

"You know she gets it from my side of the family" Axel grinned.

Bastion's decapitated head floated around grinning, the ancestors using walking sticks and the like the keep it up like a balloon.

"Call out for egg rolls" Atticus shouted, swinging around on a chain.

He accidentally let go of it and went flying.

"Guardians" an unhappy Zane muttered in annoyance, folding his arms and staring out the window.

Atticus flew straight out the entrance and landed on the stairs that led up to the temple.

"Ouch" he muttered, sitting up on the stairs.

Jaden then sat down next to him.

"Thanks, Atticus" she said, bending to kiss him on the head gently. He grinned up at her.

Suddenly, her 'little brother' - who had been called Kuriboh - came charging past with the bag of chicken feed on his back, and a whole load of chickens followed him, all running straight into the temple.

"Atticus" an angry voice - Zane's - called from inside.

Jaden looked up in surprise and Atticus cringed.

Some things never changed.


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