Day of Days, Night of Nights

Bon Voyage

"Goodbye, everyone! Goodbye! Thanks for everything! See you in a week!"

"Goodbye! Goodbye! Good luck! Have fun!"

It had been a storybook wedding and a lovely party, and at long last, it was time for the happy couple to set off for their honeymoon. As their friends laughed and waved goodbye, Inuyasha lifted Kagome onto Kirara's back, hopped on behind her, and then hefted her backpack stuffed with supplies for their trip and strapped it on. Kirara had been garlanded with white and lavender orchids, matching the flowers in the coronet on Kagome's head and the wreath around Inuyasha's neck, and she purred contentedly as Kagome stroked her head. "Bon voyage!" everyone shouted, throwing flower petals into the air, and Kirara bounded into the sky, soaring majestically away.

"It was a wonderful day," sighed Kagome happily as she watched Kaede's village recede behind her, "but I'm glad that I finally have a chance to get away and just be with you." She leaned back against Inuyasha, and rested her head on his shoulder. Inuyasha smiled as he tenderly stroked her hair. He was surprised at just how happy he was; for someone who had always though that there was little benefit to this "wedding" thing that humans thought was so important, he had very quickly decided that he liked being Kagome's husband.

The air of early summer was warm and fresh. The week before had seen quite a bit of rain, and everyone had been worried that the wedding day might have turned tragically wet and muddy. But fortunately, the day had dawned bright and clear, and the passing storms of the previous days had washed the countryside clean and refreshed the blossoms of late spring that still clung to the trees; and as far as the eye could see, the world sparkled with rich and vibrant colors. Rivers shimmered in the gentle winds, soft clouds graced the gentle blue sky, and the sweet songs of birds perfumed the air with music. From time to time, the delicate scents of unseen flowers wafted through the breeze, and each breath of the sparkling air brightened the lovers' spirits anew.

Soon they saw their destination; a rich and verdant canyon, through which ran a rocky river bed. The river was itself surrounded by lush sheltering trees, some still bearing their springtime blossoms. The area was famous for its natural hot springs, and they had heard stories of a charming inn that sounded perfect for a honeymoon getaway. Kagome had glowingly described evenings under the stars, sitting together in a cozy hot bath surrounded by candlelight; and eventually Inuyasha had grudgingly agreed that maybe doing something "romantic" wasn't such a bad idea, after all—but truth be told, despite his many protests, he was (secretly, of course) very much looking forward to their journey.

Kagome saw that they were approaching the valley, and she tugged playfully at Inuyasha's kimono and said, "Let's have Kirara drop us at the mouth of the valley. You can carry me the rest of the way."

"But...Kirara could just take us straight there," Inuyasha said, puzzled.

"Inuyasha, have you no sense of romance?" Kagome smiled wearily. ("That's the first thing we're going to change," she muttered under her breath.) "I know she could, and I love riding on Kirara with you...but I think it would be more romantic if it was just the two of us, don't you?" She gently pulled his head down, and placing her mouth to his ear, she said with a sultry whisper, "Besides...I can't wait to get you alone," and she gave his ear a playful nip.

"Yahh!" shouted Inuyasha, so startled at Kagome's love bite that he almost fell off Kirara's back. "Sure...sure...whatever you want," he said, scratching his ear and trying to regain his composure, while Kagome giggled at his embarrassment.

Kirara set them down about halfway into the canyon ("See, Inuyasha? I'm willing to compromise," Kagome thought proudly, as she headed off their first spat as husband and wife by suggesting a landing spot deep into the canyon instead of at its mouth) and the great cat gently nuzzled each of them as they bid her goodbye. "We'll meet you back here in a week, OK?" said Kagome. Kirara nodded, gave Kagome a snuffly cat kiss, and flew away. "Let's go...husband!" Kagome chirped happily as she climbed onto Inuyasha's back. Inuyasha grabbed the backpack, and began running up the canyon.

The canyon was lush and green, and brightly-colored wildflowers sprouted everywhere. Kagome couldn't have been more delighted; every breath of the canyon's sparkling clean air brought in equal parts the subtle aromas of the flowers, the fresh smell of wet leaves, and the sweet and dusky scent of Inuyasha's silky white hair.

"Inuyasha, wait a moment." Kagome had spotted a flash of orange and crimson within one of the groves of trees, and had caught a whiff of an intriguing floral scent. "We've got plenty of time...let's go see what's over there." Inuyasha complied, bounding over towards the grove. When they arrived, they saw a lush meadow, carpeted with red and orange flowers of a most unusual shape: from a single long stem dangled a single bell-shaped blossom, and when the flower was caught in the wind, it swung back and forth just like a ringing bell; and with each swing, a delicate cloud of glittering pollen was gently shaken from the flower and scattered into the breeze.

"Aren't these beautiful, Inuyasha?" Kagome said, and she ran into the midst of the flowers, spinning and laughing at the sparkling cloud that rose into the air at her passing. She knelt down, and breathed deeply of the flowers' perfume. "These are just lovely! Should I pick some to take with us?"

She looked towards Inuyasha, and was shocked to see him lying on his back, sneezing uncontrollably, his eyes spinning like wheels. "Oh no," she gasped, "It's all this pollen. I forget how sensitive his nose is." She ran to him, and tried to pull him up into a sitting position. He struggled to master himself, but one whiff of the golden dust that coated Kagome's hands sent him into another sneezing fit, and with his head reeling from the scent of the field and the sneezing, he passed out.

When Inuyasha awoke, he was lying on the ground next to the stream, and Kagome was kneeling at the bank a few feet away. Her arms were bare to the shoulders, and she was vigorously scrubbing her hands and forearms to remove the clinging pollen. "Kagome... what happened?" he asked weakly.

"Do you know how heavy you are?" she said petulantly. "I was sure I was going to throw out my back before I managed to drag you back here."

"I'm sorry...but it wasn't my idea to go over there, you know," he said, as he tried to beat the last of the pollen out of his kimono and sneezed at each sparkling puff.

"I know," she said, sitting back on her heels dejectedly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Inuyasha said. "I'm tough. I'll be fine." He sneezed a few times, and saw her unhappy expression. With boisterous good humor, he said, "What's the thing your mother always says when something goes wrong...'Nothing to be done, so let's make the best of it,' isn't it?" He patted her reassuringly, and then clenched his fist triumpantly, cracking his knuckles."OK then! Let's go! It'll take more than a bunch of flowers to slow me down!"

"You're right," she said, surprised to hear Inuyasha quoting her mother, but pleased (and relieved) that Inuyasha was clearly trying to behave gallantly for her sake. "We will make the best of it—but let's get out of here, right now."

Inuyasha nodded, and knelt for Kagome to climb onto his back. Soon he was bounding upstream again, and the fresh air (and Inuyasha's good humor) soon restored Kagome's sunny mood.