Chapter Thirty-Seven: Train Ride:

"Ready to go?" Shichiro asked at the door. His bags were already packed and sitting at his feet.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Amaya yelled from the hall. Shichiro sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You do this every time we go on vacation!" he complained.

"What was that?" she snapped. Her husband shrugged at her.

"It's true!" he argued.

"You're lucky I'm attracted to you at the moment," she warned him with her hands on her hips. Shichiro tilted his head at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. His wife giggled at his child-like tone.

"More than usual, silly!” she exclaimed. “Like a bonus!"

"Uh-huh! Just get a move on,” her husband rushed with. “That train's going to be gone soon!"

"Fine, fine!” his wife shouted. “I'm coming! Hang on!" Shichiro waited by the door. His wife finally joined him with her luggage. The man only smiled at her and Amaya smiled back.

"What?" she asked. Shichiro gently reached forward and pushed a loose strand from her face.

"There," he said. The professor turned to the door. "Shall we go?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Take me out of here," his wife softly commanded.

"As you wish, malady," Shichiro said. He unlocked the door and away they went.

----

"How long is the train ride?" Amaya asked in the car.

"The whole day," her husband replied. "We'll be at the retreat by nightfall." His wife cuddled up next to him.

"Are you going to sleep now?" Shichiro asked. She didn't answer. He smiled and shook his head. Amaya would be sleeping on the train too. Good thing; gave him some time to be lost in his thoughts.

They arrived at the train station at ten a.m. Shichiro lightly shook Amaya awake. She pushed him off as she mumbled something in annoyance.

"What?" she asked.

"We're here," her husband whispered. Amaya looked around.

"Huh?" she asked. "At the retreat?" Shichiro chuckled at her.

"No, the station," he said. Amaya blinked at him.

"Oh…" she said. Shichiro laughed this time. Amaya hit him on the arm.

"Shut up!" she hissed. Her husband only laughed harder. They managed to buy the tickets just in time. Amaya sat on a bench, waiting. The woman at the booth smiled at Shichiro.

"Yes sir," she said. "How may I help you today?"

"Oh yes, two tickets to Nishikyo Ward, please," Shichiro said.

"Ooo, a romantic gateway?" the ticket woman asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"That's right, our anniversary is Sunday," the professor bragged.

"Oh, how many years?" she asked. Shichiro counted up in his head.

"Twenty-seven," he said once he was confident in his answer. The ticket lady gave off a low whistle.

"Wow!" she gasped. She totaled up the prices.

"That'll be ¥1,661, please," the woman said. Shichiro paid the price and got the tickets.

"Have a nice day," he said.

"You too," the woman said back. "Have a good weekend!"

"Thank you!" Shichiro replied with a bow. The man headed back to his wife. Amaya looked up at him.

"You got them?" she asked. The professor showed her the tickets. His wife grinned.

"Yes!" she cheered. Shichiro sat down next to her.

"We're almost there," he whispered. His wife smiled and giggled. Shichiro took a quick sniff of her hair. The spicy scent stirred the fire in his loins. It would be fun to play with her on the train.

"I can't wait to sleep on the train!" his wife cheered as she stretched out her legs. Shichiro sighed as he lowered his head.

"You always do," he mumbled.

"Say what?" Amaya asked.

"Nothing…" Shichiro lied under his breath. His wife laid her head on his shoulder. Shichiro smiled to himself. She's going to play-fight with him later. Their train finally pulled in.

"Attention passengers!" the PDA system announced. "You may now board train to Nishikyo Ward!" Shichiro turned to his wife.

"That's us," he whispered. The couple got up and boarded the train. Husband and wife sat in business class. As expected, Amaya went right to sleep as soon as they sat down. Her head rested on the professor's shoulder. Shichiro smiled at her. Twenty-seven years, doesn't feel like it, he thought. They weren't young anymore and the spark hadn't died, but it didn't last as long as it used to. Passionate marathons were rare nowadays. Age and his busy schedule kept them apart. That and the fact he didn't really want to kill anybody, but because his body started rejecting the meds, he had no choice but to kill in order to survive.

Funny thing about that, Amaya's highest attraction to him was after a kill. After he killed Ami, he and Amaya made love for weeks. After that, Shichiro decided he wanted to marry his then-girlfriend. It took about three more kills to get Amaya to say yes.

The sun made Amaya's legs shine a soft, warm golden color. She looked so angelic sleeping there. Her wine purple hair teased his nose with its lavender scent. Why did he love her? Amaya was the mistress and Shichiro was the dog. She was the one with all of the power. However, Shichiro had come to learn something during these twenty-seven years of marriage:

The man had his own power over his wife. This power was divided into two places. The top part was his kitsune, Kohaku. The bottom rested happily in his pants. Both would come in pretty handy this weekend. Shichiro kissed his sleeping wife on the forehead. His lips brushed against her warm ear.

"Happy anniversary weekend, Ama-chan," he whispered loudly. Shichiro glanced out the window. I wonder how my present is doing, he thought as he watched the city part of Kyoto rush by.