A tray of breakfast sat untouched on the bed. At the first smell of the fresh cheese omelet, Kagome had bolted for the toilet. Nausea overwhelmed her while she clung to the pristine porcelain bowl. Inuyasha lingered nervously at the door. Her head spun worse than the hangover after inhaling the mist of the sake sages! The splitting headache made her want to sleep and sleep.

"Water?"

"Uggghhhh." She peeked from under her bangs. Inuyasha cautiously sat with his back to the cabinet. She accepted the cup of water to clean her mouth. The aftertaste of acid left a sickly coating on the tongue. It was so embarrassing to be sick in front of Inuyasha! The cute boy with his shiny hair and his inhuman constitution could not GET a hangover.

"How's your head?"

"I drank all the sake?"

"Like a fish. What got into you, wench?"

"I dunno. It was a compulsion. I really, really wanted the mochi." While the memory of the evening was slightly blurred, she could clearly recall the perfect taste. Despite the shame and the jackhammer pounding in her head and the way she probably smelled to her very sensitive husband, a lingering desire for more sweets was strong. She really wanted more of those wonderful little confections. However, according to the little rabbit person chewing in their main room, there were no more.

"Can I rest my head in your lap?"

Without looking at her, he shrugged out of his haori so that she could use the cloth as a pillow. The floor was refreshingly cold against her body. Her husband's lap was attractively close to the toilet if she felt sick again. The world felt less dizzy horizontal. A warm hand patted her back awkwardly.

"Thanks."

"So what happened?"

"Beyond the dozen sits? That bastard flirted with you. The sake went to your head. You purified him and the castle crumbled into the earth." Comforting strafes across her back felt nice. She inhaled the scented fur of the fire-rat. There was no memory of purifying anyone or the beautiful ancient castle falling. The distant news program confirmed Inuyasha's story. The human news was reporting that a local earthquake had destroyed the tourist favorite. The water had drained into an underground aquifer previously unknown. Rescue efforts were underway to recover artifacts from the castle.

"So the rabbit wants us to travel to Kotakuji Temple."

"Some greedy human ate the last of his sacred rice." A hand patted her stomach teasingly. Despite her woozy head, she growled. It was definitely not cool to make your sick wife feel chubby!

"Says the dog that steals my last onigiri!"

Inuyasha laughed quietly. She pulled the fire-rat over her face. The darkness was soothing to her hangover. After a short nap, she woke with a desperate need to urinate. Inuyasha retreated into the suite while she cleaned herself. The tangle-haired sweaty mess in the mirror couldn't be her! She went to the bathing room to start filling the tub. There was a piece of toast on the cold breakfast tray which helped settle her stomach.

Uck, an omelet!

The hot water helped distract her from the craving for more mochi. The sensation of warm, buttery toast certainly helped her stomach but it was no comparison! Sacred rice pounded into perfection. A vague, happy memory of celebrating the New Year with both her parents confused her. She could remember 'helping' her dad pound the rice as a very little girl even though she was too little to transfer the steamed rice into the usu or lift the kine. Mama had prepared the old kitchen table to act as a shaping station. They had personally delivered the New Year cards to the mailman – her idea. Dad had waited with her on the shrine steps to wait. In the cold!

"Kagome?" Inuyasha knocked on the door.

"Coming! Hold on." The soft cotton towel kept her warm while the tub drained. When she was dry and fully ready, she chose a simple outfit for their trek through the woods. Soft gray shorts with a long-sleeved t-shirt. Perfect!

"Get in the bag, rabbit!"

"Dog!"

"Rabbit!"

"Inuyasha, stop harassing him!" The silly boy was trying to shove the little guy into her purse.

"Well, he can't walk around in broad daylight, can he? Won't the humans notice you're not normal?"

Kagome tapped her foot until Inuyasha dropped Tsukinōsagi. Luckily there was a larger shop on the corner that sold backpacks. The little rabbit was just the right size to fit into the bag. With a hat on his head, he looked like a child playing dress-up or a companion pet and he seemed perfectly happy letting HER carry him.

"Ridiculous! He'd better not eat the food."

"No snacking, ok? I have to carry our food. There's no shops on the mountain, right?" Food bars and water made the pack heavy but it was necessary. According to the map, they had an hour's walk to get to the fields before they started the trek up the mountain. It might be another hour to reach the temple. There were symbols for bike paths but her bike was at home!

"You had best mind your canine doesn't get into the food..."

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome kept her front to Inuyasha before he could wail on the little divine servant.

The city was still in shock after the previous night's trembles. Kagome led their group with the directions on their paper map. They stopped for a quick beef bowl before leaving the main city. Snoring from her backpack meant the little guy was tired. It made sense that a moon rabbit would be nocturnal. Weren't normal rabbits crepuscular, most active at dusk and dawn, when most predators were still sleeping? Inuyasha rolled his eyes when she giggled. The rabbit feet of Tsukinōsagi thumped inside her pack a few times.

"What? He's cute!"

"You're cute. He's a pest!" Inuyasha snarled.

"You think I'm cute?" She smiled at him sweetly. Her guy blushed and looked elsewhere. That her husband did not immediately insult her beauty was progress! They were married. There could be no more pretending he did not like her!

"Hey Inuyasha? Did you celebrate New Year's Day? With your mom?"

"Mother? I don't remember."

"My family always celebrates holidays at the shrine. Mama loves any reason to cook. I think it is a good tradition. Maybe we could host the next New Year's at our house! With Miroku and Sango and Shippo we would have plenty of help making the food! We could play games."

"Us? Hosting a holiday?"

"Yes, silly. Why else did you build such a big house?" Somehow, Inuyasha's blush got worse! I was just teasing! Our house is bigger than Sango's or Kaede's. We have the space to entertain a party. The kamado is more than enough to cook for a group!

"H-holidays! Fine." Underneath the bandanna, her husband's ears gave him away.

"That's settled then. Then we can spend New Year's Eve with my family and New Year's at the house. But there is also Tanabata, Obon, Christmas - "

"What is Tanabata?"

"The Star Festival. It's such a romantic story about the Star Crossed lovers! Tanabata was a celestial princess. She descended from Heaven for Kengyu, a mortal man, and they fell in love. But her father had found out that Tanabata had taken a mortal lover and promised to bring him to the stars so he cursed their wish! They both returned to the sky as stars on either way of the Celestial River. But on the seventh day of the seventh moon a bridge appears across the river so they can reunite."

"Yeah?"

"Y-yeah." Kagome looked at her lover. The sadness of the story made her loop her fingers through his for confirmation.

"Her father sounds like a jerk." Inuyasha kept his eyes forward. A thoughtful distance glazed over his eyes. That's right. Inuyasha's father fell in love with a mortal. His love for her caused his death!

"I would never let the Well keep us apart. It brought us together for a reason and I won't let it change its mind! I signed the damn paper and promised your ancestors. If they wanted to object, they should have done it earlier."

Oh, Inuyasha!

"You did sign the damn paper!"

"We are having the New Year festival at our house!"

"Yes, we are!" Kagome didn't quite understand the yelling, but it sure was fun! People walking past gave them looks. She grinned back at their confused faces and slipped her fingers around Inuyasha's wrist to slow him down. An angry Inuyasha could outpace her without a thought.

"What was that last one?"

"Christmas?"

"We're having Christmas at the shrine with your mom!"

"She'll love that. And birthdays!"

"Every stupid festival. What is a birthday?"

"It is the anniversary of the day you were born."

"What, like every decade?"

"Every year!" Kagome skipped over a divot in the pavement to keep pace with Inuyasha. He probably does not know his birthday. Poor Inuyasha! We have to throw him a party like everyone else. Even if he thinks it is stupid.

"So human!"

"When do you want your birthday? We can pick a day."

"What?"

"For your birthday!"

"Demons don't have birthdays!"

"Everyone has a birthday. The family gets together for a party. Mama makes your favorite dinner. We give presents and talk and tell stories. What season were you born?"

"You cannot be serious."

"My birthday is 12 March. Your - " Kagome stopped on the street. Inuyasha was several paces down before he stopped. She pulled her phone out of her pocket to check. Inuyasha jumped when she gave a little scream.

"Kagome! What?"

"I'm nineteen!" In the chaos of wedding planning and sex with Inuyasha and building the house, she had forgotten her own birthday! Nineteen! A rainy morning in the hotel with Inuyasha having steamy sex. Traipsing around a haunted castle. Overall, a pretty good day. Her shock faded a bit.

"Nineteen?"

"I forgot with the wedding! My own mother forgot!" Kagome giggled at the absurdity. Her perfect mother who never missed a holiday had forgotten her birthday. Inuyasha's muscles loosened when he realized she was not going to command him. Of all the notes in her mother's wedding planner, her daughter's birthday had gone out the window!

"Happy birthday?"

"It was! We watched the animal shows and cuddled and went to the castle!"

"Oh! That was a good day. Happy birthday, wife." Inuyasha stepped forward cautiously to kiss her cheek. "Do I have to get you a present?"

"I had birthday sex!" The giggles overwhelmed her. She hid her face in his chest but the silliness owned her. Inuyasha was confused but he patted her head. She squealed into his chest when she imagined telling her friends. Romantic, cuddly birthday sex with my cool husband! By accident! What if her mother asked her how she had spent her birthday? We had sex for hours, ate candy, broke into a castle, disturbed a ghost who (by the way) tried to marry me, went home and Inuyasha asked me to have his babies?

"What is 'birthday' sex?" A third voice interrupted.

"Mind your own business, rabbit!"

"I would if you could keep your voices down. Children." The rabbit scratched where his hat was cut to let his ears poke through. "Hares know much more about rutting than some half dog runt – ow!"


The farmer seemed perplexed by the hiking couple looking to purchase rice but he easily agreed. The young girl had a strange stuffed animal in her pack that squeaked words when it was disturbed. The boy in red was even stranger. Bleached hair and pale eyes and cosplay cat ears and long press-on nails! He muttered about the youth of this generation before pointing them towards the mountain path. They were hiking the old path to Kotakuji Temple.

"See, Inuyasha? We follow the path straight along the markers until the trail ends. Chikato Shrine is not TOO far from here? Maybe we could make a detour! There's a pond with ducks and daisies and - "

"No, wench! We have enough to do before dark! You slept through the morning."

"Oh, Inuyasha."

"Maybe when we get rid of Lucky Foot, ok?" His heart softened when she pouted. The girl smiled and scampered up the steep path. A large brown tree with a scarred belly marked the way to a plain brown torii gate. Kagome stopped to touch the scaly, cracked wood like a snake's belly. She hitched her pack higher before leading through the gate. Around the bend was a straight, inclined path upwards. Greenery flushed them on either side. The silly girl held her hands out on either side to grasp at the soft, low foliage. She tried to jump high enough to reach the arm of a mossy green tree casting shade on their path. Despite the severity of their purpose, it was nice to put distance to the city. Noisy, smelly, modern humans with their invisible signals and grating machines and traffic!

"Inuyasha, it's lovely!"

Kagome halted at a pavilion built to house a statue of the Buddha. A longer structure housed five status of the same deity with red bibs at their necks. The farther up they climbed, the more statues on pedestals they encountered. Inuyasha found no peace in the iconography but he respected Kagome enough to stay silent. She admired the stone lanterns and the natural beauty. The ever-present chirps of birds and insects set him at ease.

"How cool!" Kagome clapped her hands when they found the entrance. Two flights of pale stone stairs with handrails led the way into the temple. Stones supported the steep sides. Inuyasha took the pack from his wife and slung it over his own shoulder so she could sprint. Little flat shoes flew upwards. Kagome squealed when he whizzed past her fast enough to send her hair flying around her face. He grinned.

"No fair!"

The beautiful hip-and-gable roof featured yakugawara to protect against demons. Beautiful wooden carvings reminded Inuyasha of bells. He smirked when Kagome tried to leap high enough to ring one of the actual bells hanging from the roof. The flap of her pack opened and Tsukinōsagi leaped forward. On all fours, he sniffed at the air.

"This way. Follow me!" Kagome's hips pivoted. He rolled his eyes but they both chased after the moon servant.

Stone rabbits were frozen in place on a pillar. Tsukinōsagi sprung forward to push the wooden mount forward. The metal bell rang freely. An aura washed over the temple. Inuyasha's skin tingled. The little stone rabbits were fading from gray-blue to color. One was snow-white, the other speckled gray, but they both raced on the pillar. Wide feet pounded wildly while they scampered around each other. Kagome gasped when one jumped into her arms to nuzzle into her elbow.

"So cuuuutte! Inuyasha, look! Wanna touch?"

"So what now, Tsukinōsagi?" The girl biting her lip and wiggling her hip was distracting.

"We must make the rice mochi! We have announced our intentions to present an offering to Tsukuyomi. Your wife will present the mochi this eve. If it is an acceptable penance, he will appear."

"And if not?"

"Amatsu-Mikaboshi may fill the void created by Tsukuyomi's absence. There could be war."

Inuyasha retrieved the heavy clay pot from the temple while Kagome gathered firewood with her rabbit pals. More and more of the little statues had awoken. A small army of rabbits were 'helping' Kagome bring twigs and fallen branches to the courtyard. He left her temporarily to fetch water to steam the rice. When the fire was good and hot, he stirred the water with a long clean paddle while his wife added the ingredients. The first batch of water was cloudy so they moved the rice to another pot, he dumped the water. Rinse and repeat. Like Kagome's shampoo pot! It was hot, moist work that left his bangs sticking to his forehead.

Kagome's hair was also damp. Her shirt clung to her form. The gray shorts showed the shape of her when she turned to add the rice. Fabric clung to her pert, sweet backside. When her finger sucked into her panting mouth, he fell. Steam and sweat covered her pale legs.

Fuck!

A basket broke over his head.

"Go, you horny hound! It must be a PURE offering to Tsukuyomi, not tainted with lust. You will befoul our work!"

Kagome giggled.

"Patrol the mountain dog, cleanse yourself! Perhaps you would be of better service guarding against our foes!" The sexy girl laughing at him planted her hands on her hips. It only served to remind him how the sweat on her skin would taste. The little sounds she would make when he dipped his tongue into her belly -

"Fine, I'm going!" Rabbits were nudging his feet. Kagome winked at him with a sexy little laugh. If not for the threat of endless moonless nights, he would carry that beautiful girl somewhere to help her clean herself. His tongue on her neck, dipping between her breasts, making her beg.

The distraction did NOT improve alone in the woods. Inuyasha groaned at the scent stuck in his mind. Licking her naked skin until she cried and whimpered and wrapped her legs around his waist. The firmness of her little backside when she laid flat on their bed to stretch. The clean line of her spine from the back of her neck to the little divot in her back. He could spread those legs and push his hand on her belly to -

Fuck! When did I get so obsessed? I am almost as bad as that pervert monk!

The image of Kagome like that had him flushed.

Her mother was right. Two weeks is not enough time to 'honeymoon'. One day without sex. One day! Does Kagome feel like this?

Inuyasha banged the side of his fist against a tree in frustration. Memories of kissing under the Goshinboku after the proposal, the excitement and the gasping little breaths and her hands cupping his head plagued him. In his mind, he could envision stripping the girl's underclothing and making love on the blanket until she was hoarse. Turning her onto her belly and massaging her until she growled in beautiful frustration. Then, only then would he -

Quiet, careful, slow sex in her bedroom. Kagome biting her lip to avoid waking the family. Settling into the perfect home between her legs, teasing her. A slow rhythm to build slowly so she grasped the headboard. Watching her tweak those pink nipples until they were firm. They would be sensitive when he took them into his mouth. Palming her backside to bring her closer, thrust harder, force those slender little ankles into the air. Inuyashaaaa!

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Inuyasha was sweaty and hard when he reached the pond. The water was cold enough within the shade of the canopies to make him hiss and taste his own blood when a fang scraped his lip. He cursed doubly when he realized Tetsusaiga's sheath was in the water. He tossed the sword on the bank with his partially soaked haori.

Kagome had been pretty when they first met. A royal pain in the ass but a nice girl! She liked him, she trusted him immediately, she cooked space food to please him. When he fell in battle she mended his wounds, even if he did not need it, as a show of their friendship. So he had learned to trust her. Decades older than the fifteen year old girl-child, he had kept his distance. It was a girl's crush, he told himself, he had to die with Kikyo. Send her home! Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen! Eighteen marked adulthood in Japan, she said, although a festival persisted that marked twenty one. Parents can give special permission to marry at eighteen, Souta said! Her curves at eighteen certainly belonged to a woman. Child-bearing hips, Miroku winked.

"Shit," Inuyasha groaned. He buried his face on his arms propped on the bank. Four years? We met on her fifteenth birthday.

Anniversaries were important shit to women – he knew that much! Was Kagome expecting a present? What did the girl want that she did not already have? Her mother had insisted they would have plenty funds to 'start' from the wedding gifts, enough to warrant establishing a 'joint account' upon their return. Where did you take a woman in this era for a 'big date'? They were too far from the Well for another picnic.

Kagome said 'birthday' sex was special. Is 'anniversary' sex special?