Wedding day!

The Konlon mountain was abuzz with happiness, for such an event rarely took place in Konlon. Garlands of roses in pinks and whites streamed all over the mountain, festive candles were wedged in as many niches as could hold them; even the windows had been lined with white hearts. The sennyo tittered and squealed as they dusted off clothing they thought they would never have the chance to wear, while the sennin groaned at the long list of weapons they were forbidden to bring to the wedding ceremony. No one in Konlon was unaware of the event.

Especially not the principal of the mountain, who had given permission for such an event to take place.

/She's trying to turn my mountain into a giant flowerpot,/ Youzen thought, despairingly looking at the gaudy decorations. Nothing had been left untouched, not even his office. Youzen glared at the pile of flowers on his desk to see if they would catch on fire and burn away underneath his gaze. No such luck. He didn't want to be rude, but they really were interfering with his personal desk space. However, Sengyoku had insisted everything be perfect for her wedding, and that meant Youzen's desk had to be decorated too thank-you-very-much.

"It's only one day," he muttered. "One day."

"Enjoying your bouquet?" Nentou strided in, smirking at Youzen. He was dressed smartly for the wedding, his usually bared chest covered in a flame-red shirt that shimmered with rubies. He looked very, very good - and he knew it.

"Unfortunately, they match my outfit," Youzen sighed, frowning at his clothes. Although he prided himself on his looks as well, nothing in his closet had passed inspection from the bride. Blue was too depressing a color, and there was no way Youzen was wearing black to her wedding. She had solved the problem by generously lending him something of her father's. He wished she hadn't. "Pink was never my color."

"Oh, I don't know. It matches your hair."

"Did you come in just to compliment my hair?" Youzen delicately pushed aside a rose that had fallen on his keyboard.

"Actually, no." Nentou pulled up a chair before Youzen's desk, face grim. "I came to talk to you about something. Or rather, someone."

Youzen cocked his head. "Really? Who?"

"Bukichi."

"Oh?" Youzen's stomach felt cold. "Is something wrong with him?"

"He isn't sick, if that's what you mean." Nentou leaned forward. "He has no Shishou."

"He has powers that would be dangerous if he lived on the human plane."

"I understand that. But how powerful is he? What can he do?" Nentou glanced at the part of Youzen's keyboard that wasn't covered in flora. "Draw up his name in the files and see what we have."

"We have no file on him," Youzen admitted, feeling a little bit embarrassed. He had been meaning to make a file on Bukichi, but since the lad wasn't being trained, he hadn't deemed it a priority. But, why was Nentou making such a big deal about this? It wasn't as if Bukichi was any trouble.

"I know. I checked." Youzen felt the disapproval in that voice. Before he could argue further, Nentou continued, "You have no idea what he can do, and he's running around Konlon. He needs to be trained."

Youzen pressed his fingers to his forehead. "Nentou, his Shishou, Taikoubou, is dead."

Nentou held his eyes. "Exactly."

Bukichi had been placed in charge of the wedding decorations in Konlon, which had been a pleasant surprise. The whole of the mountain had to be decorated with no place left untouched, which kept him very very busy. Being busy was good, as it left him no time to think. About anything.

Even today he had much to do. Chairs had to be moved into the great hall, the great wreath had to be placed just right, and the banquet for after the ceremony needed to be set up. He was so busy that he had nearly forgotten to change his clothes for the ceremony. Fumbling with his bow tie, he raced down the hallway to the wedding room, not noticing Youzen until he nearly ran into him. "Youzen!" he screeched to a halt inches away from colliding into his boss. "I'm sorry, I was in such a hurry..."

"That's okay," Youzen fanned away the excuses. "I was hurrying myself. I had almost forgotten it was nearly time for the ceremony." He peeked into the wedding room, noting that the room was even more gaudy than the whole mountain combined. Genshitenson had been asked to preside over the ceremonies and was standing beneath a heart-shaped wreath trying to look dignified in a tuxedo. The guests had all but settled in their chairs, restlessly stirring in anticipation. "Everything seems to be pretty much in order. You did a good job."

Bukichi beamed with the praise. "Thank you! I tried to get everything done the way Ms. Sengyoku wanted it, but I wasn't able to get the big flower wreath to hang from the ceiling. Su-pu-shan went to get something and hasn't been back yet." A worried expression crossed the youth's face. "I hope he's all right."

"I'm sure he's fine," Youzen reassured him. "He is able to care for himself."

"I hope he doesn't miss the ceremony!" Bukichi began to enter the room. "We'd better hurry."

Youzen placed a hand on his shoulder. "Actually, I have something important to discuss with you."

"With me? What about?"

Before Youzen could speak, an angry shriek pierced the air. They turned around to see Sengyoku, in her wedding gown, scowling fiercely at the two of them. Her braided hair, sticking out from her head, seemed to be smoldering in heat, and her hands were balled into fists.

"I'm sorry," Bukichi immediately apologized. "I tried to get it up in time, but I can't fly and Su-pu-shan disappeared..." the excuses trailed away as she glared at him.

Youzen frowned at her. Her breath was coming in pants, chest heaving as she seemed to be trying to control her temper. He knew she was emotionally imbalanced, but surely a few flowers not put up couldn't get her so angry she couldn't speak. "Is something wrong?"

That was the trigger. "WHERE IS HE?!"

It was very peaceful. The wind was in his hair, the clouds were billowing about him; one couldn't ask for a better day.

"I still don't think this is a good idea."

But one could ask for a better getaway beast. Dokosen growled. The last thing he needed was a flying conscience. "Will you shut up! You've been sayin' that for the past twenty minutes! Enough already."

"But you're running away from your own wedding," Su-pu-shan stubbornly argued. He was probably still mad at being 'kidnapped.'

"It's not *my* wedding, it's *her* wedding! I never agreed to the damn thing in the first place!"

"You didn't? But didn't she ask...?"

"That's just the problem, she doesn't *ask* she *does*! And damn anyone else who thinks differently." Dokosen crossed his arms self-righteously.

"You still should have told her, instead of just running away."

"That's just the point! She doesn't listen to a damn word I say!" Just like one reijuu I know of. " Look, Porcy..."

"Su-Pu-Shan." The three syllables were enunciated for effect, in the hopes that somebody would get the name straight.

"Whatever. I like you and all, but you don't know nuthin' about women!"

"I still think you should have told her."

Dokoson lowered his eyelids. Enough was enough. "Just shut up and go already!"

Finally, he thought, as Su-pu-shan settled into silence. I can get some peace. He closed his eyes, feeling nothing but the breeze on his face. What's all the fuss about anyway? It's not like she's gonna cry or anythin'.

The minute he thought it, the image wouldn't leave his head. /Oh, damn, now I'm gonna have her cryin' in my head./ He harrumphed, looking at the mountains, the clouds, anything to keep the guilt from surfacing.

/Mountains. Yeah. They're pretty. Of course, not as pretty as when she decorated Konlon with pink flowers... Oh damn./

The preparations had taken weeks of Sengyoku ordering, sewing, inspecting, basically turning the whole mountain upside down for this wedding. He frowned, remembering how Sengyoku glowed as she inspected each tiny flower, all in preparation for this one day... her day...

He shook his head again. That just proved how crazy the woman was, going to all that trouble to decorate the entire mountain. It had been trouble for everyone, including poor Bu-whats-his-name who ran around for days trying to get things in order. But the arguments rung hollow in his head, the guilt was surfacing. It was her day, and he had just left her standing at the altar.

What kind of man was he?

A man she shouldn't be marrying, that's what. And this would prove it.

He tried to convince himself of that as they flew over a field of sheep bleating softly at them.

Sengyoku had been extremely angry at first, nearly tearing down the decorations in the mountains in a frenetic search for her groom. When it proved to be fruitless, and the idea that she really had been left at the altar had sunk in, she slumped down in a chair. There were no tears yet, the shock was still too great.

It had all been so perfect. Sengyoku stared morosely at the bouquet she would never get the chance to carry down the aisle. It had taken her weeks to pick out the right dress, her hair was to be specially braided, and even the seats in the chapel had been decorated. Bukichi had been a lifesaver - he had been just as determined to have everything done right as she had been. Now..

/Honey, how *could* you?/

"That *bastard!*" Hekiun huffed, hands on her hips. "I knew he was trouble the first time I saw him!"

"To leave a poor, helpless girl at the altar..." Sekiun shook her head. "I would have thought even he wouldn't do something like that."

The two continued their badmouthing. Sengyoku did her best not to listen. Whatever they were saying about her Honey was true. He was a selfish, no-good lech. As they kept on berating him, Sengyoku sunk deeper into herself. Suddenly, she no longer wanted to hear any more. "Stop it!" she cried, hands over her ears.

They stopped, worried looks crossing their faces. "Sengyoku..."

"You don't know anything about him!" Sengyoku continued. "There had to have been a good reason for all of this!" Tears welled up in her eyes and she fought the urge to cry. She was *not* going to have a crying fit in front of the entire sennin population of Konlon; she was *NOT*! "Maybe a friend was in trouble and he had to leave right away, or he got stuck in a hole somewhere, or-" her voice cracked as the excuses sounded feeble even to her.

She heard someone kneel down next to her, a comforting hand on her arm. The tears were blurring the roses in her hands to blobs of white and green. This was supposed to be her day. Her very own special day. And he had ruined it. "Honey, you idiot," she whispered.

"I know."

It took a moment for Sengyoku to realize that that voice was neither Sekiun's nor Hekiun's. /Could it be?/ Sengyoku rubbed the tears from her eyes, needing a confirmation by sight. There, circled by all those invited to her wedding, was Dokoson, not even in his tuxedo with a guilty look on his face. "I was gonna go away without tellin' ya," he said. "But, I couldn't leave ya like that. I'm sorry."

So it was true. He really had run away. "Honey..."

"Listen," he interrupted. "I'm a free man! Someone who's supposed to love lotsa different women, not be tied down by only one! But... I swore never ta make a woman cry." He looked guiltily at her. "Not even a crazy one like you."

Sengyoku couldn't speak, she could barely move.

"I'm not gonna be the perfect husband ya find mowin' the lawn or anythin', but," he took a deep breath, "if ya really wanna get married, I'm okay with that."

Sengyoku reeled. First he left her at the altar, and now *he* was proposing that they do get married.

Well, there was only one answer for that.

"Okay!" She jumped to her feet, grabbing the bouquet in one hand, Dokoson in the other. "Let's get married!" His protests didn't even reach her ears as she bounded over to the aisle, a big grin on her face. She was going to have her day after all!

The wedding had been a quick affair, perhaps to prevent Dokoson from running away in the middle of the ceremony. The party afterwards had enough food to satisfy even the hungriest sennin, and all were in high spirits. The wedding had gone off as planned, and, Youzen grinned at the thought, the decorations would be taken down tomorrow.

But there was still unfinished business to take care of.

He found Bukichi hovering over the buffet table, plate piled high with assorted goodies. "Do you think you have enough?" Youzen chuckled.

Bukichi grinned at him. "I do eat a lot. My mother used to tell me it was because I was growing. I don't know what the excuse is now."

"There's nothing wrong with a healthy appetite," Youzen smiled back, then he grew serious. "I have something important to talk to you about."

"Oh, yes, you were saying before the..." Bukichi stopped, frowning as he tried to come up with a tactful way of describing what Dokoson did.

Youzen rescued him from the attempt. "Yes. Well..." This was going to be difficult. "You used to be in training to become a sennin. Now that you have no one to train you, you can't progress any further."

"Do I have to leave?"

"Well, no, not exactly. Nentou has seen your exploits, and he's very impressed. He's willing to become your shishou, and with his training you can advance quic-"

"No thank you."

Youzen blinked. He was unused to being interrupted, especially by someone as fastidiously polite as Bukichi. "You refuse?"

Bukichi nodded.

"But... why?" This wasn't unexpected, but Youzen felt he owed Nentou a decent effort at persuasion. "Taikoubou is gone, and you have no one to help train you."

"I know that. But..." Bukichi glanced towards the sky. "As much as I appreciate what you and Mr. Nentou are offering for me, I can't have another shishou. Even if it means I have to leave." He smiled sadly at Youzen. "Please understand."

Youzen nodded, understanding. It was too soon. "I'll talk with Nentou. I'm sure he 'll understand."

"I'm sorry to be so much trouble."

"You're no trouble." Youzen patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sorry for interrupting your mirth. Enjoy the festivities."

Bukichi beamed and took his towering pile of food over to a crowded table and began to eat.

Youzen watched him a while, noting the too-bright smile and the obvious effort Bukichi was making to be his usual energetic self. He had never thought much about Taikoubou's relationship with Bukichi, thinking it was the same as any shishou/susu relationship. Perhaps he had been wrong. Taikoubou had always been difficult to figure out. He sighed, then left to find Nentou to give him the news.