Disclaimer: i own nothing, heh.
The red dusk burned to a cool night, and the black winds cast chilling spells over the dipping hollows and the living dells of ancient Japan. Glimmering fireflies emerged from their hidden homes, and flew over the sloping plateaus, passing the travellers by.
Kagome was the first to see them.
"Look! Fireflies! They're so pretty!"
"Indeed. They are as beautiful as Sango herself." Miroku agreed, earning himself a good tight slap from Sango.
"Keh." Inuyasha merely snorted contemptuously, white hair flying. Fireflies or no fireflies, he wanted to get some well-earned rest. It was thus to Kagome's detriment when she walked over to Inuyasha and gave him her best puppy eyes.
"Keh woman, get away from me." Inuyasha tossed his head. "I'm not going to chase after some silly fireflies for you. Now let me get some rest."
"Inuyasha. SIT!"
And so Inuyasha found himself kissing dirt, with the echos of frog-prints and the taste of soil in his mouth. Lovely. Grumbling and cursing fit to exasperate patience herself, he followed after Kagome. Soon they came to the grove where the fireflies danced in all their lighted glory. Kagome herself twirled after them, dancing along. Inuyasha, meanwhile, had found himself a mossy spot on which to perch till the human had enough of this madness. Now, sitting is an extremely passive activity, and soon Inuyasha found that his eyes were drawn to Kagome's lithe appendages. Her fluidly moving arms and legs captivated him. Since when had that wretch gotten so graceful?
Crossing his arms and legs, he peeped at her through narrow slits. What exactly did Kagome think she was doing? Whoever heard of such a thing as dancing with fireflies? People from the future have strange habits, he reflected sagely. He decided to close both eyes.
All of a sudden he smelled Kagome right in front of him. She was crouching next to him, hands outspread. In her hands were fluttering a dozen or so fireflies, all staring at him with their large opalescent eyes. He blinked. And what did Kagome think she was doing, making him stare at these awful creatures? They stared at him with knowing expressions on their flat faces, looking as if they were able to read his mind. He frowned. And that firefly over there – it was positively infuriating. It just stared at him as if he were a criminal. He wasn't having any of that from a firefly.
"Ooooh look, Inuyasha, aren't they so pretty!" Kagome cooed.
He glared.
With a sudden swift movement she poured all the fireflies into his red lap. Down they went, buzzing, blending in with his red robes like light shaded by the soft downy cover of a lantern.
"Do you know, Inuyasha, fireflies are said to be the souls of those who have died. Don't be so evil towards them. Who knows, your mother could once have been a firefly too. Treat them with respect. They are things shrouded in mystery, and a half-demon such as you are should know that the spirit world isn't to be meddled with." Kagome concluded her lecture rather breathlessly, pleased with her memory - she'd once been told that as a toddler by a teacher.
Inuyasha merely stared, but he did not sweep the fireflies off his lap.
*
"Think we should tell them that fireflies are also symbols of love?" Sango asked Miroku rather curiously.
Turning to her in the shadow of the large pine tree, Miroku's eyes sparkled in the dim starlight. "No, of course not. We'd interrupt their time together."
"But – "
"Inuyasha! What do you think you're doing!"
"You pulled my hair, you wretch!"
"Look, Lord Monk. They've interrupted themselves. And fireflies are symbols of love. How ironic."
*
That night, as the travellers settled into sleep, the fireflies flew back to their mountain homes. No one saw it, but two fireflies separated from the group. One lay beside Inuyasha, and the other beside Kagome.
True love never fails, and the fireflies understood that.
A/N: My first inuyasha fic in months! Hahaha. Ohh well. I know this isn't much good, but i felt like writing fluff, for some reason or other. And yeahh fireflies are symbols of the dead, but they also symbolise love, in a way. Hahaha, anyway, thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated :D