Disclaimer: I don't own Mushi-Shi, Ginko, Adashino, or anything.

AN: Okay, well, I want to start with saying hello. (I'm original, I know)... Uhh... Oh, I didn't put chapters in this because... it's too short to have chapters. So I just did the whole 'hey, this is a time-lapse' thing when I wanted there to be no more to that 'chapter' or whatever. I got the idea to write this fanfiction while talking to my friend about Mushi-Shi and what not, and I want to thank my other friend for editing it for me. If there are any mistakes, it's her fault.

It would make my day to have a review, and I hope someone enjoys reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

PS - I can't think of names for shit. So if anyone has a better idea... By all means! Let me know!

"That shouldn't be a problem, as long as you don't mind a little noise at night." A kind-looking man smiled at Ginko as he stood at the door, a blush creeping onto his face as he spoke. "You see," he continued, rubbing the back of his head and gesturing to the rest of the small village.

Shadowed in the growing twilight, the quaint houses looked like those of any other town Ginko had come across, but he took a glance anyway. Cherry blossom trees dotted the vicinity, their number almost matching that of the huts. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so he gave his attention to the man once more. He had introduced himself as Riku, and he looked almost as pink as the blossoms on the trees that surrounded them.

"This time of year, when the cherry blossoms are in bloom… well, you won't find a house here in silence. We don't know what it is, but… it's like our own personal little spring. We just can't help ourselves."

At first, Ginko didn't know what he was talking about. Own personal spring? Could there be Mushi involved in whatever was going on? He looked around again, the setting sun making it just a little more difficult for him to see.

Oh…

The realization dawned on him as to what Riku was talking about and he nodded slightly, his normal, crooked smile touching the corners of his lips.

"That won't bother me, I assure you." It wasn't as if he had never heard people having sex before. To him, it was just the manner in which life went on. "I just need a place to sleep for the night. I'll take a corner and will be gone by morning."

Riku nodded and stepped aside, allowing Ginko access into his small home. There were no children here, to which Ginko suspected the couple had been recently married, and that the sound of an infant's cries would be echoing through the house by next spring.

"Yui?"

"What is it, dear?" a voice called from another room, a flap parting to reveal a rather attractive young woman. While her husband stood a head taller than her, his gruff features marking him one of the field, the girl's delicate skin glowed in the firelight. Again, Ginko wondered if the girl's appearance was influenced by Mushi, but as she moved toward them, he realized it was just a play of light. She had dark, flowing black hair and tantalizing blue eyes, but the Mushi-shi wasn't interested in that…

"Hello," he said in greeting, his eye settling on the package of rice she carried in her arms. His stomach grumbled loudly and the girl laughed.

"Yui, this is Ginko. He is a traveling Mushi-shi and needs a place to rest," Riku explained, wandering over to his wife to relieve her of the bag of food, setting it next to the crackling flame in the center of the room.

"Well, that's an honor. We haven't had a Mushi-shi visit our village in quite a few years. I heard they follow the road of rumor, but our small town doesn't have much to offer," she turned to her husband and told him to get an extra futon seat for their guest, and he scurried away to comply. Ginko watched as he mindlessly obeyed her, partially amused by his attempt at keeping his 'date' tonight. However, Riku didn't seem to have much to worry about with the way Yui was talking.

"The only strange thing about us is that around this time of year, when the cherry blossoms bloom, we just can't help ourselves. If you had come during the day, you would realize how many children there are." She began setting up for dinner, and Ginko was pleased to see a third bowl sitting ready for him.

A place to sleep and a hot meal. If Ginko had any problem with ignoring the two the whole night during their personal festivities, he certainly didn't show it.

"I'm just passing through," he told her, settling down wearily on the plush cushion. Yui nodded and returned to her task at hand, shifting slightly as she did so into a more comfortable position. With the meal brewing and no worries if he was going to be eating that night, Ginko was able to relax. Who cared if the two in front of him coupled like rabbits for the entire night? He had slept through worse with no problems at all.

Fishing around in his pocket, he brought out a new Mushi cigarette he had rolled earlier in the day and stuck it between his teeth.

"Ah," Ginko looked up, a match in his hand, and blinked over at Yui. She stared at him, eyeing the tobacco in his mouth. "Are you going to light that…?"

Ginko looked down at the match in his hand, then back up at her. "Will it bother you?"

She smiled sheepishly, nodding her head once. "I'm sorry, but my father used to smoke all the time and I could never stand it." Ginko understood how that was. There didn't seem to be any Mushi wandering around the village from what he could see and he would be on the road again tomorrow, so it wouldn't give them enough time to congregate upon the town anyway. "Thank you," she said as he put the match back in his box, chewing instead on the end of the cigarette as a poor substitute for his craving.

Addictions… probably bad for me anyway… he mused as he glanced outside. It was a nice night and the smell of food coming from the fire made his stomach complain a second time. Riku, laughing, commented on how great his wife's cooking was. The evening progressed smoothly with light laughter and, later, Ginko putting in earplugs. It wasn't that he minded the sounds, or cared really, but if he wanted to sleep, earplugs were the best way to go.

_Jump to tomorrow_

The hinge on the door squeaked a little as Ginko closed it in the morning, the sun's glaring rays lighting the town where he had slept. It was early, and the birds chirped their good-mornings, but no one seemed to be up yet.

Probably exhausted… he pondered to himself as he set off in the direction of the sea. The cherry blossoms looked just as beautiful as they had last night, tiny droplets of dew shimmering on the buds and opened petals.

Ginko lit the cigarette he had chewed on last night and inhaled, the tobacco filling his lungs in the unhealthy pleasure he had grown used to. And the shimmers scattered.

Frowning, Ginko looked up at the tree and blew a puff of smoke at it. Again, some of the droplets of dew receded to a different part of the tree, fleeing the smoke he had exhaled.

Mushi… Ginko looked around for a tree with buds low enough that he could get a better look, wandering over to one a little further into the village. This one, too, had the Mushi living on the flowers.

"Is this…" His heart thudded in his chest and a sinking sensation settled at the bottom of his stomach. "Hanano Kokoro…" he muttered, following it with a grumble of displeasure. The rare Mushi living on the flowers of the sakura trees was no threat to humans, but because of their affect on them, there were never any reports of anything abnormal going on.

Setting down his pack, he brought out a collection tool and gathered up a good deal of the petals and blossoms that still had the Mushi clinging to them. He brought it up to his eye, studying the dew-like Mushi until he sighed. Ginko put the tool away, bringing out instead his silk worm nest and quickly writing a note.

Hanano Kokoro was loosely translated into 'Heart of the Flower' or 'Heart of Blossom'. The only thing it did was infect the animals around it by evaporating into the air, which causes mammals to breathe it in. It took about half a day for the Mushi to mature and move into the reproductive organs of the respective gender. Once there, it would settle and send out a hormone that made the person want to reproduce. If ignored, the hormone would build up and, if the animal had no self control, would probably jump the first living thing it came across; however, if its call was answered, it would be released through the sweat and orgasm of that animal, returning to the air.

Only problem was, it knew if you were masturbating, so it had to be done with another of your species in order for it to be released.

Ginko rubbed his head, silently angry at himself for not realizing it sooner and for allowing Yui to talk him out of smoking. He was only about a day's walk from Adashino's place, as he had been heading there with a few Mushi artifacts that he had planned on selling him.

Now he could add some of the flower petals to the list.

Something bumped in his wooden pack, reminding him of the letter he had sent out to other Mushi-shi, as well as Lady Tanyuu. Hopefully one of them would have a solution before he reached his friend's house.

_Jump to about a day later. Ginko slept/tried to sleep on the side of the road or something._

"You look like shit," Adashino commented as he leaned against the doorframe, giving Ginko a once-over with his eyes. "What'd you do, catch a cold or something?" he asked as he shut the door behind his friend, watching him place the box of Mushi materials on the floor as if it weighed a ton. Ginko hardly ever got sick, so Adashino surmised that even a small bug would have this effect on him.

"No, I was infected with a rare Mushi," Ginko explained, leaning against the wall close to where he had dropped his pack. "Hanano Kokoro." His emerald eye wandered lazily over to Adashino to judge his reaction. When he was met with a blank stare, he sighed and allowed his eyelid to drift closed. "It's a Mushi that affects the reproductive organs. I don't know of a cure."

"Reproductive organs?" Adashino looked skeptical, squinting one monocle-clad eye at him. "What, does it make you want to have sex or something?" A small grin played at the corners of the doctors lips, the entire idea seeming ridiculous to him. He had heard stories of Mushi that inhabited a short coat, caused one to go deaf, and even manipulated dreams into reality- but this was just too funny.

"Yeah." Ginko opened his eye again, the sluggish expression on his features not changing despite what he was saying. Adashino, on the other hand, felt his eyes go wide and a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face. It wasn't funny anymore. Way too weird… he told himself, shaking his head to get his mind back on track.

"Okay, look. I'll do some research for you. Go and…" Adashino pointed to one of the back rooms he used for patients. "Wait in there or something. And close the door. Be sure to close the door." Even if it was Mushi, Adashino wanted nothing to do with catching whatever it was. Having one of them infected was bad enough, and for the both of them would just get them nowhere in finding out how to get rid of it.

Shouldering his box, Ginko nodded and moved towards the indicated section of the house. "I sent some notes out. It shouldn't be long before I get a response, that is, if anyone else has encountered this Mushi." Looking skyward, Ginko sighed with the annoying fact that he couldn't just take care of it himself. While paying a girl to help him seemed like a good idea, the actual 'paying' bit didn't fit well into his budget. Adashino waved at him in response to his statement and turned toward a pile of books in the corner of the room, out of sight of the door he had designated.

Scratching his head, Ginko sighed as he settled down on the futon in the center of the room. Pulling out the drawer with his Mushi cigarettes, he resigned himself to wasting away and smoking until something happened. Who knew? Maybe it just got tired after awhile and left the host a different way.

The futon was uncomfortable for the time being, so he shifted to sitting against the wall instead. The back support was appreciated, especially because of the irritation in his pants. Ginko turned his lazy look upon the opposing protrusion hinting from under his clothing. Isn't this going to be annoying…

Adashino poked his head around the corner, studying the door with a look of suspicion. The door was closed. Good. With a sigh of his own, he got back to flipping through the pages of the book he had opened. It told of many rare Mushi and he hoped to find something about the one afflicting Ginko. The fact that Ginko was the one who sold him this book in the first place, and therefore must have read it himself, didn't even occur to him.

It wasn't until four or five books, and a few hours, later that Adashino finally found what he thought he had been looking for. A triumphant grin tugged at his lips as he wiped a hand across his forehead and through his hair. With his prize opened in front of him, he leaned back and allowed his back to pop audibly. Scrunched over his desk for what felt like an eon was tough on his spine, so the stretch felt like a much needed vacation. In his haste for victory, however, he didn't realize the binding of the book slowly begin to turn the pages over the information.

"Ah, no no no…" he moaned, rifling back through the book to where he was and made a visible attempt at keeping it open once he found it. Adjusting his monocle, he began to read the small paragraph associated with Hanano Kokoro.

"…lives in the buds and flowers of sakura trees… evaporation… lungs…" He skimmed over it, reading bits out loud on occasion, and growing more and more distressed over the entire ordeal. With a frown of defeat, he placed the book beside him and grabbed open the next. It was another two hours before he called it quits, staring blankly at the only thing he could find. Released through intercourse…

Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, one droplet tickling his nose as he stood in front of the door he had told Ginko to close almost half a day ago. "Ginko," he said before opening the door, scrunching his nose up at the amount of tobacco smoke that erupted out at him as he did so. There was a small mountain of discarded cigarettes sitting in the center of the room, and it took a minute for Adashino to locate his friend.

Ginko looked up from his corner, chewing feverously on the butt of yet another cigarette even as he inhaled its cancerously calming smoke. Whatever blood had been circulating his face before had retreated, leaving him looking even paler in the late afternoon, early evening light, and his skin glistened with sweat. He tried to center on Adashino, his eye going in and out of focus for a few seconds before he was able to concentrate properly- or at least as properly as his sanity allowed. Smoke filtered through his teeth as he ground them against the cigarette, causing Adashino not once ounce of reassurance.

Painful was a word he could have used to describe the sensation he felt tingling across his body, the hormone excreted by the Mushi running thick in his veins. He didn't say anything as his friend leaned against the doorpost, used to his smoking by now, but obviously just slightly repelled by the sheer quantity of it.

"There's only one thing I could find," Adashino started, taking his monocle off and rubbing it a bit between the folds of his overcoat. "The only cure, if you can call it that, seems to come through intercourse. I couldn't find anything about any other means of expelling it." He replaced the monocle, watching Ginko stare at him through the haze of smoke.

I already… knew that… Ginko thought to himself, still staring intently at his friend, not trusting himself to speak, let alone move. As Adashino watched him, a feeling of horror settling in his chest as Ginko failed to respond to his research. There must have been… Ginko was still ruminating silently to himself, his eye having gone out of focus again, yet remaining transfixed upon the doctor. The sensation grew in Adashino's stomach as Ginko's stare almost seemed to look through him.

"Oh… Oh no," he said, shaking his head and waving one hand into the room as if Ginko had said something absolutely maddening. Instead, that only caused the focus to return and the afflicted man's mind to go blank. What was he talking about? "There is no way… Nuh uh!" Adashino was continuing, this time taking a step back from the door.

Ginko stared at him, expressionless, but confused.

"Not happening! I am NOT going to… to…" Adashino's face was flushed bright red, and he was waving his hands around sporadically. Through the mist, Ginko finally realized what he was talking about.

Oh…

Both men had been long awake, the early morning's chirping birds having failed to wake them. Adashino clutched the blankets of the futon to his chest, a look of bewilderment plastered across his face. His hair stuck up at odd angles, and it felt that if he let go of the covers, his sanity would fly away quicker than he could grab it back up. Ginko lay next to him, one arm behind his head and the other holding a fresh cigarette to his lips. Unlike Adashino, he seemed completely un-phased from what had happened.

"What…" Adashino could barely recognize his own voice. It sounded foreign to him, and he had to clear his throat before further trusting himself with words. Without moving his head, his eyes searched the room. He spotted his monocle beside him on the floor, along with his clothing from last night. The pile of cigarettes remained near the corner he had found Ginko in. It was hard for the doctor to look in the other direction, toward Ginko and the rest of the room. He finally managed and discovered somewhat of the same layout. Ginko's clothing was thrown haphazardly in a heap against the wall, his box sitting silently next to their shared bed.

Shared bed.

"ARRMMNNNAAAHH?"

A bird took flight outside somewhere, scared off its perch by the screech that emanated from the house. Several people working next to the sea turned, baffled by the sound, but didn't really know what to make of it. A few children ceased their play to stare, then mimicking the cry and laughing to themselves as they returned to their game.

Ginko glanced at Adashino and smiled in that unnerving, smirking smile he was so good at. "I'm cured," he said simply, blowing out a stream of smoke as he did so. Adashino gaped at him, his mouth moving in silent words neither of them could distinguish. Through the emotionless humor, Ginko couldn't help but feel somewhat accomplished. After all, he was male. The fact that he found food more appealing than sex didn't mean much when it came down to the little things… and those little things being pesky Mushi that couldn't keep their paws off his organs. Of course, Adashino probably didn't agree.

His face was still bright red from the continuing realization of what had taken place. Regardless of how he was then, now was what mattered. And 'now' was a very awkward situation. Dark eyes instantly darted to Ginko as he reached for something, the movement drawing Adashino's attention almost immediately. Drawing out his silk worm cocoon, he pulled out a note and scanned its contents. Silently, he handed the paper to what was once just his friend.

Adashino snatched it up and squinted his one eye, not thinking enough to grab his monocle; however, in doing this, he missed the large grin that had taken root across Ginko's face.

Hanano Kokoro, a really annoying little Mushi, huh? I've come across it once. There's the traditional method of release, but if you're in a pinch, you could take the second road to getting rid of it. As far as I know, a combination of a few burning herbs will do the trick…

The note went on to list the secondary process of ridding the body of the Mushi. Adashino's heart thudded in his chest, his fingers closing tightly over the paper as he read it. Ginko chuckled as he watched the reaction, taking another long drag off his cigarette.

What an interesting night… he thought to himself as he watched Adashino sputter over the note he had been sent. After all, Ginko had told him about it. All he had needed to do was look before jumping to conclusions. But, hey.

He wasn't complaining.