Bouquets Aren't Always Flowers

"My, what a wonderful bouquet," Jii-chan said to himself as he swirled the cask of sake and took a sniff.

InuYasha had come through the well to find only Kagome's grandfather in the house. Holding his sleeve over his nose he asked, "What you going on about, Jiiji?"

The aged priest nearly jumped out of his skin and barely missed dropping his drink. "Oh, it's just you. I was about to enjoy a cup of sake."

The hanyou still had his sleeve over his nose. "Smells like you've already been in it. Is that why you think there's flowers in there?"

Jii-chan chortled. "No, the bouquet is the wonderful scent that has accumulated in the bottle. It gives one anticipation of what the taste might be. Come, have some."

Now InuYasha knew he'd been drinking when he offered him the cask. He lifted it to pour the liquid down his throat."

"No, not like that! You must take in the delicate scents first!" Jii-chan commanded. "Like this." He took the sake from the hanyou to demonstrate.

"Keh, whatever." To placate him, InuYasha did as instructed and then downed half the bottle. When he saw the old man nodding in approval as he pulled out yet another cask, he took another whiff before finishing it off.

The hanyou was enjoying the nice foggy haze that enveloped him as he sat in Goshinboku and waited for Kagome to return. His heart leapt into his throat when she arrived, but he waited until she made it to her room before he climbed through the window.

The miko was startled as the glassy eyed hanyou approached her and then pressed his nose into her neck before taking a deep breath. "Love your bouquet," he murmured.

"Huh?"

"Smell before tasting."

And then he kissed her.

*finis*