Here is the last chapter and the epilogue.

I want to thank all of you who read my story and found some time to review and comment on it. I had a great time writing it and I'm already planning on creating another DGM fanfiction.

Once again: THANK YOU!

Part VIII – Finding the way home

The soft breeze tickles his neck as he climbs up the mountain. He can see the walls of the Temple in the distance, he can hear the monks sing a monotone prayer.

Kanda stops to take a deep breath. So he has made the right choice in the end. Or didn't he? For a short second he sees Miranda's concerned face and has to blink a few times to make it disappear. Another deep breath and the journey up continues.

A small figure runs down the path, tripping over, getting up and tripping over again. Yet he can hear a laughter, like if there were thousands of jingles in the wind.

- Yuu-kuuuun! Yuu-kun is baaaaaaaaack!

Kanda smiles widely and speeds up his pace.

- Qiu!

The small figure of a black haired girl trips over again.

- Kami-sama, watch your steps, you're going to kill yourself.

She falls into his arms and snuggles up, crumbling her nose in a funny way.

- You smell like tea. – she says. – And I'm hungry.

Yuu laughs and rises her up.

- Come then, you always empty stomach.

- I'm not a stomach. I'm a girl! – Qiu protests loudly.

- Yes, yes, you are. My beloved one!

Epilogue

The sun is burning his skin and blinding his eyes as he tries to look up at the incredibly blue skies. He covers them with his hand and looks up once again. A red kite dives the blue ocean like a real dragon from the fairytales.

- Yuu? Did you see my kite?

Yuu looks down at the small child standing in front of him, holding the rope decorated with colorful paper ribbons.

- I did. It looks wonderful, Shien-chan.

He pets the little boy's head and sits down on the ground.

He can hear some dogs bark. Somebody is coming. Somebody the dogs didn't recognize. A stranger? Here?

- Yuu? – Shien senses the tension in Kanda and the sudden change of his mood.

- Stay here – Kanda orders him as he gets up and walks to the direction the unknown person should be coming from. It's an old man, his hair is gray, his clothes are dusty. He walks with a wooden stick, he leans on.

For a moment Kanda doesn't believe his eyes. Then runs up to the tired wanderer.

- Yuu, my child.

- Zhu…

- You look… so very much like your father. You must wonder what I'm doing here. I have left the Order. I had enough. I have heard enough and seen enough in the last years. – Kanda helps him sit down on the steps leading to the shrine and shouts to Shien to bring some water. The child soon comes back with a small cup of it.

- I own you a story, Yuu. And an apology.

- I have know your father. – Zhu says later as they sit in the cool shades of the shrine's walls. – He was a mighty, powerful samurai. And he loved your mother deeply. It's a shame, she died giving birth to your brother. The newborn baby died too. You were only one year old then. And soon your father followed her to the Eternity. They say his heart broke into pieces, he loved her so much. If I knew… if I only knew where they took you, I could have helped you. But the first time I saw you was when you came to my trainings at the age of ten. I was such a coward. I couldn't force myself to tell you the truth, Yuu. I was such a coward for all those years. Telling myself it'll be better for you if you didn't know. – the old man shakes his head and continues – I have recognized you immediately. You look like a copy of your father. And then I have asked for your name. Kanda.

- How did you know my parents?

- Your mother… was my only daughter, Yuu.

The night is dark as the raven's wings. Zhu sits in the garden watching a cat creep among the bushes. He hears Yuu coming only when the boy is already a few steps away.

He wants to tell him how proud of him he is, how much he always loved him, but his voice betrays him. Kanda Yuu, his only grandson, sits down next to him and sighs. Zhu can see he has been crying. But before he manages to open his mouth, Kanda leans back against his arm and whispers – Welcome home, grandpa.

- THE END -