The foxes tails twitched as it stalked through the grass, her white body making no noise as she crept closer to her target. The man laid apparently sleeping peacefully against the Sakura tree that stood in his backyard, his chest rising and falling gently. His familiar scent drifted to her nose on a warm breeze, further confirming that it was him. Once she was within three yards she paused, tensing her back legs as she prepared to pounce.

Her white body shot towards the man like an arrow, skimming over the grass as she flew through the air. She crossed the distance in three bounds, a smile of glee flashing on her muzzle as she barreled right into his stomach.

At least that was her plan. At the last moment the man's eyes flew open and his hands shot out and gently caught the young fox before she could pull off her attack.

"Foiled again, Echo?" James asked, chuckling whole heartedly. He set the fox down next to him, blinking away his weariness. "I was almost gone too. But their ain't no rest for the wicked, huh?"

"Your hardly anything worth calling wicked." Echo said. In the split second that James's eyes were closed, the fox had disappeared and had been replaced by a twelve year old girl. "You're too nice for me to call you that."

Over the years since she was born, Echo had grown into a fine young girl. Her long white hair ran down her right shoulder, seeming to gleam like silver in the summer sun. Her sapphire eyes were lazily half lidded as she laid against the tree next to him. Her slim but strong arms laid at her sides, just above the pockets of her dress. The dress itself was a white kimono with red seams that they had picked out for her birthday. It had been a crowning achievement in James's thirty two years of life to put such a smile on his little girl's face.

Echo smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, her hands sliding into her pockets. Too late did James sense the danger and tried to dodge. Before he could sit fully up the plastic knife was at his throat.

"Thirteen." Echo said proudly, removing the toy weapon.

"And twelve losses." James said, lying back down. "Want to make a bet we will tie again tomorrow?"

"Hmm." Echo absentmindedly twirled her knife between her fingers. "There's six more days left in the month. Seems a bit risky with the current score."

"True." James said, scratching his chin. The stubble of his beard was growing back. "But the riskier the bet, the funner the competition."

Echo laughed, her voice ringing out in an almost musical tone. "Fine, we'll go your way. Catch me if you can."

James chuckled. "Bring it. I have a plan."

"That's not a good sign." Both father and daughter jumped at the unexpected voice. Ahri stood leaning against the tree just out of sight. "We always seem to lose when you have a plan."

"I don't know." James said, patting Echo on the head. "This one inherited my cleverness. The proof is that she got me again today."

"She did?" Ahri asked, her voice filling with pride. James nodded and Echo's eyes brightened. It was a real achievement to get her father to admit defeat, even if only temporarily. "Ohh, my little girl is all grown up then." She sat down on her knees and pulled her daughter in for a hug, burring her face in her hair and messing it up.

"Mom! Let go of me!" Echo cried, her face flushing in embarrassment. "It took me forever to comb my hair!"

"With a little help from your dad, hmmm?" Ahri teased, pulling her face out of her daughters hair and resting her chin on her shoulder. Echo was silent, her blush deepening. James had indeed brushed her hair for her, spending no small amount of time doing so. She found it therapeutic as he was always gentle and managed to brush the base of her fox ears just right whenever he passed them. She swore he did it on purpose.

After a moment Ahri released her daughter. "Dinner's ready." She announced. James got to his feet and stretched his back before he turned and pulled her into a hug. They shared a quick kiss before they separated and began to head inside.

"So what's on the menu today, flaming water?" James asked, causing him and Echo to laugh at the memory.

"I only did that once!" Ahri said defensively. They started to laugh harder when she puffed out her cheeks and turned red.

"Ahahaha. You never change, Ahri." James told her, reigning himself in. "I wish this would last forever."

"In our case it will." Echo chimed in, walking happily between her parents into the dinning room. "Kitsune are immortal, after all."

James's smile faltered for a moment. "Yes. Yes they are." He said quietly.


James walked down the white hall for what he hoped to be the last time, his old bones aching as he shambled as fast as he could. He had to disappear before it was too late. He came out on earth in abandoned ally, tripping and falling onto the black concrete. He managed to get to his feet with great effort.

"And where do you think your going?" A voice asked behind him.

"Leave me, Echo." James rasped. He used the wall as support and continued to move forward.

"I will not leave my own father in such a state." Echo easily outran James at a walk and stopped him. Echo had grown into a magnificent woman, gaining her mothers beauty along with her fathers reasoning. Her strong but slender body was that of a huntress, excelling in the hunt. Even thought she had reached an age where human women would start to slow down, she looked as if she was in the prime of her life. In a way, she would always be like that.

"Go home to your siblings." James ordered, trying to raise to his full hight but failed and fell into a coughing fit. "I must leave before it's too late."

"To late for what?" Echo asked, helping her father sit down and pounded his back gently. "Your seventy five years old! Your in no state to go anywhere. Just come home before mom comes home from work and gets worried."

"Echo, I'm ashamed of you." James said. "You should know why I'm leaving. It's because of my age. Kitsune never age, being spirits in their own right. You've probably never seen the hurt that's Ahri's going through as she watches me slowly waste away. She's been hiding it well for the last decade or so, but I know her too well. My very existence is causing her pain, and I can't just stand by and watch it happen. I must leave, or risk her dying with me."

Echo's face softened. "Your wrong. I did notice." She sat down next to him, her clothes causing him to remember back to the days they spent beneath the Sakura tree. She was wearing a dress that looked just like the one from when she was young. "But now I'm ashamed of you. Mom is hurting because your aging, yes, but it's not how you think. She isn't ashamed of you. It's her love that is wounding her. She treasures you so much that she is hurt because your time is coming to an end. She doesn't want to let you go, and that's why she feels sad. But at least she's trying to spend as much time as possible with you, even as you try to run away."

"But what of when I'm gone?" James shot back. "The more you cling to something as it dies, the more it hurts when it's finally gone. If I create some distance, she won't hurt as much."

"But you will hurt more." Echo argued. "She is smart enough to know that. You two share such a bond that when one gets hurt, the other is hurt more."

James fell silent. For once in his very, very long life, he realized his plan was a bad one. "Do you mean to say that I'm the one that's hurting her by thinking this way?" He asked, looking at his old and gnarled hands.

"Yes." Echo said. "Come home with me, father. Stop worrying about the future. The three of us were raised by you, so we will look after mom after your gone. Just don't leave until the end. Please." A single tear ran down her face.

James was silent for a moment. "Alright." He finally said gruffly. "Just promise me. Promise me that you'll help Ahri for all that comes next. I want your word."

"I promise."


Four figures stood on a grassy hill about a mile away from the city, watching as a coffin was slowly lowered into the earth. Silent tears poured to the ground, but not a single one dared to make a sound. They stood tall, the last words of the man in the coffin still burnt into their minds.

"Stand tall for me." He had wrote in his will. "Never lower your head. I'm not leaving you knowing that you'll break like fragile glass as soon as I'm gone. I raised strong, proud children."

"As I am gone, I have nothing left to give you but my words. You can't hear me now, but I'm laughing because I know you'll hang onto this piece of scrap paper as if it were a holy artifact."

"To Ahri, by beloved fox. I loved you from the moment we met, I know this now. I've protected you faithful for these many, many years. Now I need you to protect my memory. My body and mind may be gone, but my love stays as long as you remember me."

"To Echo, my oldest daughter. I know of your dream. I never told you this in life, but know that you will always have my blessing. The league would be greatly honored to have you amongst our ranks."

"To Cross, my intelligent son. It pains me even now to never be able to play chess against you again. I've never had such a powerful opponent, nor one so successful so young. I trust you will pass on all I have taught you along with what you have learned. Continue to learn in my place. A mind is a terrible thing to waste on sorrow."

"And finally to Kyra, my youngest daughter. Know that I treasured our time together, for raising you was one of my greatest achievements. I'll miss your voice and your songs. I wish you were around when Sona was, you two would have gotten along great. I have two requests for you. I want you to sing for me, give me a song to ease my spirit as it leaves. I will hear you. I then want you to continue your music, spreading it's magic for as long as you live."

The four of them had memorized James's last words, their hearts holding onto each and every syllable. As they filled in the hole, Kyra sang for her father one last time. She sang the songs she wrote just for him, in this final goodbye.

Broken body,

Old and weary.

You have lived a good life,

Long and merry.

You gaze on your home,

How long it has been.

You know your story is about to close,

And you think of your only sin.

The sin is known,

But no one believes.

The sin is long coming,

It does nothing but deceive.

The sin we pass to our children,

But they never know it.

It is the sin of leaving them behind,

For fear of it breeds ignorant.

The sin is final passage,

For bringing mortal sorrow.

For when you go to sleep today,

And won't be back tomorrow.

Life is short,

Don't waste it.

For you never know when you die,

And will never Finnish it.

she took a shaky breath before continuing.

A proof of life,

Is the pain I feel.

A proof of life,

Are the forces that make me kneel.

A proof of life,

Is the blood I bleed.

A proof of life,

Is the heart I need.

A proof of life,

In the eyes I see.

A proof of life,

Is inside of me.

Her tears were falling harder, but she pulled herself together for the last song.

What does it mean to be human?

Does it mean you can die?

Does it mean you can be hurt,

When a loved one says goodbye?

Why do we like,

Our mortal flesh?

Logic dictates,

It doesn't mesh.

In our bodies,

We get hurt, we bleed.

Our bodies fail us,

In our time of need.

The answer is hard,

And often forgot.

In our quest for reasons,

This answer is the one that is sought.

Its because we can laugh,

Its because we can cry.

Because it doesn't end,

When we say goodbye.

Its because were content to live,

In our lives drowned in pain.

Because as long as we can love,

We will stay on this crazy train.

Her work done, Kyra fell silent. Echo grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "He knew, you know." Kyra said quietly. "He knew what he was leaving behind."

"I know." Echo said, pulling her sister closer. They cried harder.

The four of them stayed on the hill for a long time, long after the workers left. Together they cried till they could shed no more tears. Then they stood silent.

A warm breeze carrying a familiar scent blew past them, touching each of them gently on the shoulder before disappearing. "Thank you. Goodbye." It whispered before disappearing from existence forever. The air was still once more.

Hey guys, it's John here. As the author of this story, I believe I can add this one to the list of my best works. I would like to thank all of you for your support to the story, for us writers it means a lot. At the start I never expected such a following, but I'm pleased that so many of you enjoyed the story.

In truth, I had this ending planed for almost a whole month (yeah, I was planning the guys monumental passing while I kicked around the idea of a bed scene. Call me a sick bastard all you want.) it didn't occur to me till the end that kitsune (fox spirits) are pretty much immortal, so I came upon two options. Some how turn James immortal or give him an ending that I would be jealous of. In the end I didn't find a way to let him live, so I chose a few flash moments of his life that I'd want to share with you.

So now I say this is the end of this fic, and what a run of its been. Check out my other fics if you're a fan, go find another one if your not. To those of you who skipped everything to check out the end first, you're missing out big time. Go read the rest.

new note. There will be a follow up story. Should be up on Monday.