*~* ONE YEAR LATER *~*

The wind blew lightly as the midday sun warmed the forest. Birds chirped happily in trees while squirrels raced across the forest floor, searching for any dropped nuts. A rabbit hopped out of a bush and started to nibble on some grass. The wind blew lightly and the rabbit's head perked. It sniffed the air, smelling something.

Just as the rabbit made a move to run, a flash of silver burst from the bushes and pounced on it. A swift bite and the rabbit knew no more. Gin raised his head and snorted a bit. The rabbits here were always a bit slow to react. The fox picked up his caught prey and headed back off into the brush.

He came to a little pile of leaves and pushed it aside to reveal a robin. He picked it up in his teeth and left, struggling to carry both pieces of prey. As Gin walked, his mind drifted as he recalled his and Ichigo's first year here together. The young cat learned quickly and could now use his new powers well. Heck, Ichigo even managed to turn human, though he still kept his tail and ears.

Ether way, cat or half cat, Ichigo was still the cutest thing Gin has ever seen. As for the cat's family, Issin was released from prison when the police found that S.O.U.L. had illegally transported Gin from his home. They needed a permit and permission and since they had neither, S.O.U.L. was taken to court and disbanded. As for Miyuki, no one heard from her again, though a passing mouse from outside the forest talked of an ugly, fat rat who complained a lot. Kaiko and Ortiro became best friends again and got jobs as animal rescuers.

Kinda ironic in Gin's eyes since they used to put animals at risk when with S.O.U.L. So, with that problem over with, Issin was able to get Karin and Yuzu back. Gin entered his clearing and he grew happy upon seeing his den.

He went in to see Ichigo laying in their nest and the cat smiled at Gin. "I got a rabbit for ya, Ichi." purred Gin. "Thanks, think they can try it yet?" asked Ichigo. Gin smiled as he thought of something that happened months ago. As he gave the rabbit to Ichigo, he looked at the cat's belly.

Four little bundles were there - two fox cubs and two kits - suckling at his mate's belly. Yep, they now had a small family. The oldest was a female white fox with orange stripes in her fur and silver specks around her face, next it was a she-cat that was orange like her mother, then it was a male cat that looked like Gin if he was a cat, and lastly was a male fox that had blonde fur. In order, Gin and Ichigo had named them: Akira, Masaki, Ys, and Kitsune. Gin gave a sniff to his children but shook his head.

"Not yet, they're still ta young ta handle fresh-kill." said Gin. Ichigo nodded and used his hindleg to push Kitsune closer to his belly. "They'll be a handful once they get bigger." said Ichigo. "Nah, if we can handle S.O.U.L., a long journey, drowning, and a bitch, we can handle our four little bundles." said Gin. Ichigo laughed and gave a lick to Gin's cheek.

"Still can't believe how big they're getting, they're only four weeks old." said Ichigo. "Ya, just wait till they're six months old, then see how big they get." chuckled Gin. Ichigo rolled his eyes and dug into the rabbit. Gin ate his robin and licked his chomps before getting into the nest and laying with his mate. Ichigo purred and looked at the four bundles.

Now wrapped in the warmth of their parent's fur, the young dozed off, except for Ys who blindly tried to climb over his father. "Nah uh, ya stay here, Ys." said Gin, putting Ys back into the nest. The oldest son let out a mew before settling down and drifting off. "He's already a little explorer." said Ichigo in amusement. "Ya, so is Masaki." said Gin.

Ichigo nodded and licked Masaki's furry head. He had named her after his deceased mother; Gin had found it sweet and a nice honor in his mother's memory. "We should join them, take a little nap." said Gin. "You can, I'm not tired right now." said Ichigo. Gin hummed a bit and laid his head down before dozing.

Ichigo licked Gin's head and watched them. The cat couldn't have been happier or at more peace than this.

*~* END *~*

A/N: Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed this story. For the kit named Ys, his name is like saying yes only the 's' in his name makes a 'z' sound. I may make a sequel, but I'm not too sure. I'll think on it. Anyway, thanks for reading.