A/N: Okay gang, here's a collection of mostly pointless family fluff for you. I needed a break from the angst-fest that is Eyewash and, truthfully, my brain is taking off in all kinds of fun directions with what I've begun to think of as the Ember AU. So, I present you with a series of drabbles and missing scenes that mostly take place between 9 Months and Eyewash, because there are five years in there to play with after all. Also, this will give me an opportunity to include Yuso and Kobushi more, because they haven't gotten nearly as much screen time as I think they deserve. Reviews are appreciated, requested scenes will be honored and, as always, I don't own any canon YYH characters.

Title: The Beach

Ages: Oki-4, Yuso-4, Kobushi-3

The tide was moving out, leaving a wide expense of wet sand in its wake. Oki had plopped herself down in this stretch of freshly revealed beach, digging her fingers into the wet sand and patting it into haphazard mounds. She was humming lightly to herself as she worked, the tip of her small tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth.

"She's gotten so big," Yusuke said to Kurama, his designated co-babysitter for the afternoon. They was walking down the beach, further back from the water than the children.

"Yuso as well," the redhead returned, nodding to where the boy crouched by a small tide pool, poking a finger at whatever was hiding in the water.

"Don't touch anything poisonous!" Yusuke called out. The boy's head rose for an instant before bending back to his task and Yusuke shook his head. "That kid, I swear. So, what's Hiei's excuse for not being here this time?"

"Border patrol," Kurama said.

"For Koenma or Mukuro?"

"Neither." Kurama's lips pulled into a soft smile. Yusuke was sure there was more behind it, but he also recognized he didn't have the skills to read past it. "Have you ever imagined Hiei to be domestic? He gets bored. It gives him something to do." The redhead shrugged carelessly, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

While the grown-ups were chatting, Yuso plunged a hand into the shallow pool of water and pulled out a starfish. The creature curled around the edges slightly when it was exposed to the air.

"Hey, Kobi! Look what I found!"

The youngest of the three raised his head, red eyes widening at the creature in Yuso's hand.

"I don't want it," Kobushi said immediately.

"You haven't even seen it," Yuso said, coming closer.

"I don't want it!" Kobushi repeated, taking a hasty step backwards. Yuso grinned and charged, kicking up sand as he ran. Kobushi squealed and fled. "I don't want it! I don't want it! I don't want it!" In his terror, the boy trampled right through the lopsided courtyard Oki was busily constructing. Yuso, hot on his heels, finished the job a moment later.

Oki sat perfectly still, staring at the remains of what had been her nearly finished sandcastle, the crowning seashell still held in a half extended hand. Slowly, she set the seashell down beside her and stood, facing her cousins.

Meanwhile, Yuso had tackled Kobushi to the sand and was now sitting on the young boy's chest, holding the starfish inches from his face as he shrieked.

"Yuso! What do you think you're...?" Kobushi's cries had drawn the adults' attention now, but Yusuke stopped halfway through his admonishment when he realized every strip of seaweed on the beach was jerkily dragging itself towards the boys. "Um...fox-boy, you wanna handle this one?"

"Oki!" Kurama called, a commanding tone to his voice. The girl turned to look at him as he approached and the seaweed ceased its slow migration.

"They ruined my castle!" Oki pouted, crossing her arms and standing as tall as she could in clear defiance. The redhead crouched down to be level with her.

"And strangling your cousins with seaweed isn't going to bring it back," Kurama said calmly. Oki's stared at him for a moment and then glanced away, the same way Hiei did when he knew Kurama was right but refused to admit it.

"I wasn't gonna strangle them," she muttered at her feet. "Just...tie them up."

Still eying the seaweed warily, Yusuke stepped forward and gripped his son under the arms, dragging him off of his smaller cousin.

"Alright, you. Go put that thing back in the sea and stop being a brat," Yusuke said, setting the boy down and prodding him towards the water. Yuso huffed but obediently scurried to the incoming waves.

"Do you think normal parents have this much trouble?" Yusuke muttered as he helped a sniffling Kobushi up, brushing sand off the boy's backside.

"I'd like to think we're more capable than most," Kurama replied, shooting his friend a playful smirk.

"Yeah...sometimes I'm not so sure," Yusuke replied, glancing at the water. Yuso was trotting back to them now, sans starfish, but with his hands firmly clutched behind his back. Yusuke straightened and crossed his arms, chocolate eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What do you have?" he demanded. Yuso looked up at him, identical brown eyes wide in projected innocence.

"Nothing."

"Yuso..."

"Nothing!"

"Give it to me." Yusuke held his hand out. Yuso grumbled but obediently plopped a struggling crab into Yusuke's waiting hand. Said crustacean promptly sunk one claw into the web of skin between finger and thumb.

"Yeeooooooow!" Yusuke jumped back, waving his hand through the air wildly in a desperate attempt to dislodge the unhappy crab.

"Are you sure I can't tie him up?" Oki deadpanned, but Kurama was too busy laughing behind his hand to answer.