"I cannot believe you called me over in such a hurry for this," Eiji spitefully said, looking from the balcony of my room, where I was tying my hair, towards the gathering of humans, gods and spirits we call Matsuri, a festival.

"You must agree with me that this is an enjoyable event, Eiji," I replied to him, looking into the mirror, placing one last hairpin in one of my side loose buns.

"Enjoyable for these who have not worked their ass off in order to do this in three days, you mean," he argued back, eyeing me furiously as I stood up, laughing.

Indeed, since I got this idea and summoned him, three days have passed. One may wonder why we were in such a hurry to make this happen. Then, to answer this question, I'll tell to all these listening that the rush can be blamed on Eiji's behalf. Because of the government meetings of the Silver Kitsune Clan, event that not even the apparent leader could change, apparently, we were forced to rush the festival in order to allow Eiji to return to his Clan and training, which I hear is going nowhere, no surprise there, hehe…

I get where Shun-sama comes saying that we have to do this festival as a family, with everyone present, but I for one would have had no complains if Eiji were to stay behind his village in the mountains.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, at least? Three days ago, you couldn't even remember the steps for the Kagura."

"It's alright, it's alright~" I chanted, grinning behind the sleeve of my kimono. "Ellyna Uzume-sama has coached me for the past three days, spartanly, I may add."

"Yeeeeah… Ellyna does have a sadistic side in her," Eiji drooled, making me slap him with one of my tails.

"You perverted artic fox, will you ever get rid of that disrespectful mouth of yours!?" I growled as we quarreled, our claws and tails intertwining.

"Hmm? Could it be that you're jealous since people have totally null interest in you, my dear goldilocks? Of course, the exception being that puppy you shelter in that valley full of mist of yours?" He grinned at me, his superiority complex making me want to punch him so badly, were it not for Shun-sama and the others that barged into my room, subjugating us into making pace once again.

"You're incredible, I swear. Were it not for your festive clothes and seven tails, I could have sworn you were two cubs unable to even take human form. How do you two manage to get into a fight each time I see you together?" Shun-sama asked us, exasperated as he sighed, the others giggling as they saw us kneel in front of our master.

"We're sorry…" We both murmured, unable to raise our eyes from the ground as we pouted.

"Maa, maa, they're cute together, so it should be alright for them to fight from time to time, right?" Chikusa grinned as she saw me and the silver fox lose all colour as we heard her words, words that almost made us look like a couple.

"What's with you, spouting nonsense like that, Chikusa?" Akihiko glared at her, pulling on her ear as she whined in pain.

"Onii-sama, stop, stop I said! Auuuuch!"

"Are you trying to make me lose my temper, little tengu girl?" Raidon asked with an annoyed face, having not liked her comment, apparently.

"I get it, I get it! I'm sorry so could you not pick on me, please!? That's child abuse, I swear!" Chikusa yelled as she finally got away and hid in my tails, thinking that she would be safe there. Of course, I stopped strangling her after a few minutes.

"Anyway," Shun-sama coughed, grabbing all of our attention as we calmed down. "The night is still young and people have yet to gather. As planned, I'll be leaving the shrine in the palanquin, together with the suite, and tour the city to call everyone, and later in the night we'll have Chikusa do her show, as she asked, followed by the Kagura."

"I can't believe you got all these people from the city help you. I thought they weren't religious," Raidon then said, looking out the window, seeing the humans amongst the stands with diverse things prepare the Mikoshi, the palanquin.

"But of course!" I replied, somehow annoyed. "Shun-sama is, after all, an important god! All of them should be honoured to take part in the celebration!"

"Maa, maa, Akira… Let's calm down," Shun-sama said, chuckling slowly towards me. His smile was most serene, making my heart flutter. "If I remember correctly, you said you had something to do, right? You're free to do whatever you want till the Kagura, so go and enjoy the festival as well, will you? A lot of people will be coming, after all!"

"Y-yes, Shun-sama! Thank you very much!"

And with that blessing, I hurried outside, happiness and longing filling my heart. That person, I thought, must be surely waiting for me there, after all this time! I could finally see them again, my precious human friend!

Ignoring the lights of the lanterns hung around the main road and the inner yard of the shrine, as I jumped over the roofs filled with tiny spirits of the forest, I fell inside the darkness of the forest. Two souls of my suite appeared and pierced the depths of the darkness of this cloudy night, their golden light illuminating my way.

I stepped on grass and jumped over the river. I made my way through the branches of the blooming trees of the late spring, careful as to not ruin my silken amber kimono.

"Go," I whispered and the two souls dashed ahead through the trees, as if to announce my coming to the one awaiting me.

And there, by their light reflected in the running water of the crystal river, I could see the silhouette of my friend.

"Sachiko!" I yelled with happiness and I could hear her laugh as she looked up and straightened herself in front of me, bowing down.

"I knew you would come here, Kitsune-sama. It's been a long time."

"Sachiko! I've missed you so much!" I jumped in front of her and hugged her tightly, forgetting how frail she was until she pointed it out. Even aged, with wrinkled skin and gray hair, she was just as beautiful, holding these same pure eyes I once fell in love with.

"You haven't changed at all, Kitsune-sama…" She said with a pained smile, suddenly making me aware of the truth hidden in that statement. I was immune to the flow of time, while these of human spirit were slaves to the merciless gods of time that held us favourites over them. And just as Sachiko aged, I knew that they will also age, someday releasing me from the illusion of having been human. In fifty years, I thought, I will most likely having long since forgotten about these that I once called a family, Fairy Tail. If I haven't begun to forget about them already…

"I've missed you too…" She finally said, answering me back with what I wanted to hear mostly. Thus, she cupped my cheek with her small hand, making me shed a few tears, aware of the flow of time and the candle of her life which has begun to fickle.

"Tears don't suit you, Kitsune-sama," she laughed, but she herself started crying, seeing what I was thinking about in my eyes.

"You're one to talk…" I murmured, eyeing her wholly. "You're still as lovely as you were, human child."

"I know that I will always be a child in your perception, but I'm not the same as I was anymore. My body is old and my soul is tired, but I cling to life, while you are just as young as you were that day, and just as carefree. But I'm happy that I got to see you one last time. I knew you will return, even if the seasons changed so many times."

"Sachiko, tell me… Have you found happiness?"

"Just what is happiness for one as yourself, Kitsune-sama?" She asked as she laughed, seeing through me and through my search of happiness. "But I, for one, did find my happiness. I found the answer I was looking for, as I can tell you will do as well."

"It's not that easy, in my case…" I murmured, not desiring to burden her with my thoughts as well.

"It should be, for one as yourself, that can grand wishes to us, foolish mortals."

"I never considered you as foolish, Sachiko," I looked at her with widened eyes, making her giggle.

"Maybe not at me, but I could see how you looked at humanity as a whole. And yet, I'm not sure you see us the same anymore, is that right?" She asked, her age having brought her a certain life experience that gave her the ability to see through me so easily.

"I…I'm not sure anymore…"

"See? I don't know what happened with you but, if you can at least avoid labeling humanity as foolish, even if we sometimes are, then I know you will be capable of also reaching your own answer and find your own happiness. I just regret that I won't be around much longer to see that happen!" She laughed, as if that was nothing she spoke of. Such fleeing lives human had that all I had to do was close my eyes and sleep and I'd lose a friend so dear to me… Maybe our races shouldn't mix, after all…?

"Sachiko! Become part of my suite! You once asked for that, didn't you? Now you know what that means, so please, become part of my suite and live on!"

But she could only smile and silence me by whispering for me to listen.

Just then, the crickets begun their evening song, turning the forest in a concert. And yet, I couldn't tell what was so interesting for her, since she listened attentively.

"To be able to enjoy short lived moments as such… That's a feat only a short lived race as humanity is capable of. I, Kitsune-sama, have no regret left. And also, I would like to refuse your proposal, since I will continue to live, in my own way, a way only humans are capable of understanding. But maybe, just maybe, you too will be capable of understanding this way of ours…"

I could only listen to her words both in shock and confusion, having no idea what she meant to say.

"I have given birth to a child and that child had a child of her own. And I am sure this child will bright forth another life on this beautiful Earthland. That, Kitsune-sama, is the way we humans live. That's the joy of dying, knowing that you continue to exist anyway. I don't know how the afterlife is, or if it even exists, but one thing that I can could on is my family. I know I will forever continue to exist in the blood of my family!" She chanted happily and for that second, I could have sworn I saw the little girl she once was instead of her aged form.

A hundred years have passed and this child, no… this woman….She has attained the meaning of life. Her own meaning of life…

My hundreds of years seemed to pale in comparision to this bit of knowledge she possessed…

And one week later, I found out, she had died, with me having fulfilled her last wish of dancing Kagura during this Holy Night… But I didn't dare make her one of mine, for I knew for sure now what it meant to be human.

That was, undoubtedly, something I would be never able to become…