****
"Why do I feel so strange...?"
The redhead stumbled out of bed and quietly made his way out of the room. He padded across the carpet and then onto the cold tile of the bathroom, being sure not to make any sound. His partner was a light sleeper, and could become very agitated when woken for no reason. He was suddenly feeling ill, and it worried him, for he was rarely sick and could not think of any reason for this discomfort.
Turning the faucet on, he splashed water on his face, but left the lights off. He had no use for them in such familiar surroundings. When his hands met his skin, though, something seemed wrong. He moved his fingers over his cheeks, his nose, his lips, and for some reason they felt out of place. He fumbled for the light switch, and stared at the reflection in the mirror. The features were familiar, his red hair and green eyes were just as they should be, but the face was not his own.
When he looked down at his body, he saw what was the matter. Panicked, he nearly tore the pajama top from his shoulders and stared down at his now bare chest. Stepping back, and looking at the mirror once again to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him, his breath caught momentarily in his throat and his green eyes opened as wide as possible.
Hiei woke suddenly and leapt out of bed when he heard the scream from the other room. He was at the door to the bathroom almost instantly and saw Kurama heaped on the floor, his face buried in his hands.
"Kurama!" He knelt down and placed his hand on the fox's shoulder. "What's... wrong..." He was unable to speak another word, as the figure beside him slowly looked up with an expression of horror on his face, his eyes overflowing with tears, and Hiei could see the reason...
He yanked his hand away and stepped back. Gone was Kurama's broad chest and well toned stomach, and in their place were the subtle curves and narrow frame of a woman.
****
"I'll get back to Koenma as quickly as I can. I wish I had some idea of who could have done this, but whoever it is, they must have gone through a lot of trouble," Botan sighed. She was perched on her oar, hovering between the foot of the bed and the window. Kurama was wrapped up in a blanket with his head leaning on Hiei's shoulder, who sat protectively over him. He was still in shock, and Hiei had been forced to do most of the talking for him, a complete switch from the way things usually were. Kurama was the talkative one when they were with friends. Hiei would sit quietly and listen, and perhaps interject if he thought something was really worth mentioning.
"Hang tight," Botan said cheerfully, patting Kurama on the shoulder, though he did not look up. "We'll have this curse lifted before you know it!"
With that, she turned in mid air and flew out the open window of the cabin and off into the night. Hiei held Kurama closer to him once she had gone, he did not enjoy showing his affection in front of other people, and the two kept their intimate life very private for this reason.
Feeling Kurama shiver slightly, Hiei rose to close the bedroom window, which he used to enter the house far more often than the front door. He had built their dwelling himself, as a wedding present to Kurama. It was a joint effort on the part of himself and Shiori, who had arranged the installation of the electricity and plumbing once the frame had been completed. Though they seemed an odd pair, Hiei had actually grown very close to his lover's human mother over the years they had been together. Perhaps a part of him enjoyed this maternal presence in his life, since he had never known his own mother.
The fire demon had bashfully proposed on the day Kurama finished high school, and they were married soon after. They had lived in their little cabin in the mountains from then on, and Kurama had since finished college and was now a well respected horticulturist in the area, breeding a huge variety of flowers to be sold at the local nursery. Everyone who purchased his plants and arrangements agreed that they were the most beautiful ever seen, but of course the redhead had hundreds of years of experience on his side from his former life in the Makai. Most of his flowers were cultivated at home, allowing himself and Hiei to stay together as much as possible.
Now, however, the handsome and normally cheerful young man was sitting curled up on the bed, staring off into nothingness. Hiei sat back down beside him, brushed his hair lightly from his brow, and took his chin into his hand, making their eyes meet. He let his tears overflow, and leaned against the Jaganshi's chest. Kurama felt so much smaller in his arms...
"I'm sorry for crying like this," Hiei heard Kurama's words in his mind. He had barely spoken out loud since they had called for Botan. His voice had changed along with his body to one that was softer, and naturally more feminine. It seemed foreign to him, and he did not want to hear someone else's voice coming from his mouth.
"You don't have to apologize," Hiei answered. The powers his Jagan eye had given him allowed the pair to communicate freely through telepathy. The house was very often silent, even during lengthy conversations. "I should be the one to say I'm sorry...."
"Why?" Kurama said out loud, looking up at him.
"I let this happen to you, someone violated you and all I did was sleep," he said angrily.
"Hiei," Kurama closed his eyes and sent his words directly once again. "I also felt nothing. If the curse was covert enough to have slipped so easily by, I'm sure there's nothing either of us could have done."
"I promised I would protect you..."
Kurama nuzzled against him. Hiei must be extremely upset with himself to communicate his angst so openly.
"Let us try not to worry," Kurama soothed. "We should trust that Koenma and his staff will find who is responsible and conduct the counter curse as soon as possible."
Hiei did not trust Koenma very much at all, but knew he had no choice but to wait for now. He hated an enemy he could not see, but he had searched the room repeatedly for any trace of spirit energy or magic that may have been left behind, and found nothing.
Kurama stood and set the blanket he had covered himself with back on the bed. He opened the closet door to search for a new shirt to wear, having ripped the pajama top he had been wearing. Even though he was slender to begin with, he found that everything he tried on was at least two sizes too big for him now.
Hiei watched as he redressed, and then perched back on the edge of the bed. The fox examined the altered shape of his body, running his hands over the two most obvious changes situated on his chest....
"How does it feel," Hiei asked.
"Very strange," he answered out loud without thinking, and sighed at the woman's voice that left his throat.
Hiei crawled over and kissed him lightly, not knowing what to say. Kurama always knew exactly how to comfort him, and he felt ashamed that he could never find the words to do the same. To his constant amazement, though, his redheaded lover did not seem to mind, and somehow found comfort in whatever failed attempt Hiei made to ease his troubles.
They both decided it would be best to try and sleep through the rest of the night, hopefully some good news would come by morning. Kurama was able to drift off quite quickly, but Hiei remained awake for many hours, staring at the form beside him. A disturbing thought crossed his mind more than once during that time. Though he refused to believe it, it was always possible that this unwelcome change was permanent....
He had never been attracted to anyone but Kurama, and he wondered how he would manage life with this person who, if judged by appearance only, was not the man he had fallen in love with. Though the energy given off and the familiar voice in his head were the same, part of him kept saying this was not Kurama. The way he looked, the way he sounded, even the way he smelled were all different. The rock he had come to rely on had suddenly shifted position, leaving him feeling afraid and vulnerable.
****
Days later, they had received a few short messages from Botan, who was relaying them from Koenma, but all had said the same thing. Each message told them to stand by, so apparently there was no good news to give as of yet.
Hiei sat on a large rock at the edge of Kurama's front garden one morning, polishing his katana and looking intimidating as usual. He was growing impatient, he had hoped that this ordeal would be over with quickly, but things did not seem to be turning out that way. Kurama was adjusting quite well though, cooking and tending to his plants as usual. He had not told Shiori yet, however. Though he had revealed his true self to her when he and Hiei had been married, she was getting older now, and since she had always suffered from a weak heart, he worried the shock of seeing her only son transformed into a woman would be too much to bear. He would keep it a secret from her if he could, but suspected she would find out sooner or later.
"Hey, Hiei!"
The Jaganshi looked up to see two young men racing up the garden path towards him. He rolled his eyes and placed his katana back in its sheath, they were the surely the last people he wanted to see when in such a bad mood.
"Is it really true what Botan said?" Yusuke said when they had reached the top of the hill, Kuwabara was panting behind him.
"What exactly did that girl say, anyway..." He hissed, Botan certainly had a big mouth.
"Kurama's really been changed into a chick!?" Kuwabara shouted tactlessly when he had caught he breath. "That's crazy!"
"Why don't you ask him yourself," Hiei said, glaring up at them. He sneered distastefully and leapt into an overhanging branch, disappearing from sight. Though he had opened up considerably over the years, he could still be quite cold.
"Can't he just invite us in like normal people?"
"Give him a break, Kuwabara," Yusuke said as they made their way through the garden to the front porch of the house. "He's gotta be really pissed right now."
"Isn't he always?"
They didn't bother knocking, having been there hundreds of times before, but did remember to kick their shoes off at the door. They heard soft humming from the room that took up the entire lower left side of the house, where Kurama kept all of his indoor plants and breeding projects. Peeking through the door, they saw where the song was originating. Knelt on the floor in the midst of all the potted plants was a lovely woman with long red hair tied up in a ponytail.
"Kurama...?" Yusuke said.
The humming stopped, and she stood, turning slowly to face them. They were met with two green eyes they had been so many times that were unmistakably their friend's.
"Woah, it really is true..." Kuwabara said, shocked. Though his face was basically the same, his body had changed dramatically. Yusuke noted that they were now the same height, and Kurama had always been several inches taller. He was slimmer than before, the feminine curve of his hips made his pants hang strangely on his body. A yellow sweater tried to hide his chest, but this curse had endowed him well, and a large bosom could still be seen despite the thick material. On top of it all, he was smiling... but his eyes were sad.
"Wow, um... You look hot," Yusuke joked, trying to say something uplifting, but then realizing he had just ended up sounding awkward.
"Botan told you, I assume," he said. Yusuke and Kuwabara for some reason had not expected a change in his voice, and were surprised to hear a woman speaking to them.
"Uh, yeah..."
Kurama removed the gardening gloves he had been wearing and started putting tools away.
"Do you have any idea who could have done this to you?" Yusuke asked. Kuwabara was stepping nervously from heel to heel, having no idea what to say in such an odd situation.
"I'm sure I've made many enemies in my life," the redhead sighed. "But I can't think of anyone with the knowledge or ability to do something like this."
He had finished putting his tools away and stepped past them to the door which lead to the entryway.
"Would you like something for lunch?" He asked, always a gracious host, or hostess in this case...
"Uh, yeah I would!" Kuwabara said.
"Hiei went jumping off into the woods," Yusuke said as the three of them walked into the kitchen.
"I know."
Naturally, the pair always seemed to know what the other was doing. Yusuke sometimes wondered if the long hours they sometimes sat silently beside each other were spent talking about other people in the room. Yusuke thought that being able to feel your partner's thoughts must certainly make a relationship easier, and wished he could read Keiko's mind, girls could be so difficult.
Girls... but if Kurama had a woman's body, did that mean his personality had changed to match? The black haired man certainly hoped not, dealing with women was not his specialty. Luckily for him though, Keiko had endless patience, well, almost endless. He still received a slap in the face from time to time.
He imagined that Hiei would know even less about women than he did, though. He had grown up with his mother, so he at least knew something of their habits, but what experience did Hiei have with girls? He even shied away from his own sister. Yusuke hoped desperately for Hiei's sake that Kurama's attitude was the same as always, and the effect of this curse was only superficial.
"Kurama, you're still the same on the inside, right?" Kuwabara asked. Yusuke blinked, they had apparently been thinking the same thing.
"I'm happy to say that only my body has changed." He turned from the tea he was pouring and smiled at them. "Everything else is the same as always."
"Well that's good to hear," Yusuke said. "But, how's Hiei dealing with all this..."
Kurama placed the tea tray on the table and sighed as his guests sat down.
"As well as can be expected, I suppose..." He picked a sandwich up from the tray and looked it over, sighing. "He seems afraid to touch me now, as if I might break."
"Heh, Then I guess you two haven't..." Kurama looked up and Yusuke with a piercing glare telling him to silence himself. "Uh... Yeah, never mind." The spirit detective shoved an entire half a sandwich in his mouth quickly.
"No, we haven't." Kurama said truthfully, setting his food back on the table, suddenly not wanting to eat. "And for Hiei's sake I don't wish to discuss it any further, for I have no doubt he's listening somewhere."
"That's creepy..." Kuwabara said, glancing around and wondering if the fire demon was perched in the rafters somewhere, ready to strike.
"It's quite lonely, though," Kurama said, gazing out the window. There was another garden in the back of the house, larger than the one in front. Beyond the flower beds and shrubbery was dense forest, a perfect place for Hiei to go and brood when the need arose. The mountain their home was situated on had been selected because of its isolation and beauty, and the nearest house was at least a kilometer away.
"I dunno, I always imagined living with Hiei would be kind of lonely anyway," Yusuke said, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand.
Kurama shook his head lightly and smiled.
"Not at all," he replied. "He can actually be quite sweet when he wants to be," Kurama then felt a sudden icy chill shoot through him. "Along with being the fiercest swordsman in all three worlds!" He laughed, knowing his queue to stop talking about Hiei's sensitive side had come.
They continued to talk through lunch, and Kurama felt better being able to converse with his friends. Yusuke and Kuwabara had all but forgotten the redhead's transformed body, and were now assured that he was the same person as he had always been.
When the time came to leave, Yusuke placed his hand on Kurama's shoulder and grinned.
"When we find out who did this to you, I promise to give them a major ass kicking on your behalf," he assured.
"Leave some for me, Urameshi," Kuwabara added.
"Thank you," Kurama smiled, knowing it was their way of saying they were concerned. He certainly hoped that the perpetrator would be found sooner rather than later. He did not wish to stay in this strange body any longer than he had to.
That evening, Hiei had still not shown himself, and feeling slightly depressed, Kurama opted to skip supper and go straight to bed. When he climbed the stairs and walked into the darkened room, he found the fire demon sitting in the middle of the mattress staring sadly into his lap.
"How long have you been here?" He asked.
"A while..." Hiei said softly.
Kurama sat down beside him, leaning close and running his hands down the Jaganshi's back. He had his legs crossed and his arms folded across his chest, every muscle in his body was tensed up as tight as could be.
"What's wrong?" Kurama said.
Hiei looked up into Kurama's face, his red eyes glowed brightly in the dark and the sight of them always brought the fox peace during a restless night.
"I've been neglectful over the past few days. Forgive me."
Kurama ran his fingers over the white star burst in Hiei's hair.
"There's no need to ask forgiveness. Did you think I was upset with you?"
"I heard you talking to those two idiots today," he sighed. "About how you're lonely."
"I guessed you must be listening," Kurama mused.
"I didn't mean to make you feel that way." Hiei had been thinking over how he wanted to phrase these words all day, but they still didn't seem to be coming out the way he had planned. "It just feels like there's a stranger in my bed, when I try to hold you..."
Though the lights were off and he could not see, the slight heat he felt from Hiei's cheeks told Kurama he was blushing. The fox always thought it was completely adorable the way Hiei became so embarrassed when he showed his true emotions. He could not help but lean forward and kiss him. To his surprise, though, as soon as his lips touched the little Jaganshi's, he was flipped back onto the bed and Hiei was straddling him.
"Well, you're being very affectionate," Kurama said, quite amused, when they had broken their kiss. He smiled up as Hiei stared down intensely into his green eyes.
"You shouldn't feel lonely in your own home," he said firmly.
Kurama ran his fingers over Hiei's lips, continuing to smile up at him. He felt completely safe and content, he always did when they were together, but Hiei was looking down at him so fiercely....
"You needn't be so serious," Hiei heard inside his head.
"How is it you can be so carefree, even after what's happened to you?"
"It's not that I'm carefree, I just try not to let unfortunate circumstances ruin my mood. Perhaps you should try that once in a while?"
Kurama grinned sweetly while he petted Hiei's hair and held the other close to his body. The fire demon licked his fangs and surrendered to the fox's wishes, for him to relax. He broke his piercing stare and let down the thick walls he kept built up around himself to hide his feelings and keep intruders on the outside. Kurama was the only one besides his twin sister who could break down that wall and see the wild sea of emotions within. He knew exactly what to say and could render the black haired demon completely helpless with a simple glance or touch.
Hiei bit Kurama's neck lightly and slid his hands up the redhead's shirt, but paused when his palms came to rest on the unfamiliar changes in his partner's chest.
"Don't be shy..." Kurama laughed.
Hiei carefully lifted up the sweater Kurama was wearing and examined his bare skin.
"They look unnatural..." He said, running his rough fingertips over Kurama's nipples and giving him chills. Knowing very well his lover had never been with a woman, as he had never been with anyone but himself, Kurama wondered what Hiei would do during this new experience. Their clothes were soon removed, Hiei explored... and much to Kurama's surprise and enjoyment, he handled himself quite well.
****
Hiei leapt through the trees of the shadowy forest, it was already night. He had been out all day, but somehow sensed Kurama was crying, and began to race back home as quickly as possible.
Nearly a month had gone by since Kurama had been cursed, and the messages from Koenma were always the same. The person who had committed this crime had obviously gone to great lengths to hide themselves, because no clues could be found. The pair were assured by Botan over and over that the investigation was being worked on non stop, and that she would be at their window the second she received any news.
Since Kurama had been taking the change of life in stride, Hiei was shocked to feel a sudden sadness and worry fill him, and the feeling intensified the closer he got to the house. Had something else happened? He could tell Kurama was not injured, so what had happened to cause him so much sudden grief?
He lit on the windowsill and stepped inside to the upstairs landing outside their bedroom. Kurama was seated in a rocking chair, alone in the dark, he had turned off all the lights in the house.
Hiei dropped his katana hastily on the floor and knelt down by the redhead's side, grabbing hold of his hands.
"What happened?" He demanded.
"I went to see mother today..." He said softly. His eyes had been hidden under his bushy hair, but when he looked up, Hiei could see they were tear stained. What if Shiori had rejected him for some reason? But that couldn't be so, he knew for a fact that the woman his partner called mother would care for him under any circumstances.
"I had planned on keeping this a secret from her, but I needed advice," he sighed.
"Couldn't you have asked someone else?" Hiei said, not understanding the concept of motherly advice.
"I suppose I could have," Kurama said, "but she is the only person I'm close to who has ever been pregnant before."
"Why is that important..." Hiei said, but then his eyes popped open when the realization of what Kurama had just said hit him. The redhead smiled sadly when Hiei let go of his hands.
"Are you sure..." Hiei whispered, looking off into a corner.
"She had me in her car and on the way to the doctor's office before I knew what to do, and yes, I'm quite sure," he said.
"I'm sorry."
Kurama raised his eyebrow and nearly laughed. He slid out of the rocking chair and wrapped his arms tightly around Hiei's shoulders.
"You're acting as though I've been diagnosed with some sort of fatal disease."
"You can't hide your feelings from me, Kurama," he said. They were sitting on the floor facing each other now.
"I know that very well," Kurama answered. "You can already tell that I'm worried and I'm frightened, but..."
"But?"
"Even though the circumstances are strange, I also feel very fortunate."
Hiei blinked. What on earth did he think he was saying, through some strange twist of fate he had accidentally become pregnant, and was now acting as though that had been the plan all along.
"I never imagined that we'd be lucky enough to have a child together," he said, instinctively placing his hand on his stomach.
"Who ever said I wanted a child, Kurama!?" Hiei roared, standing up suddenly, startling the fox with his outburst. "Do you think this is some kind of blessing!? This is a disaster!" He screamed. He turned on the spot and stormed off into room opposite their bedroom where his few personal belongings were kept. He slammed the door roughly and Kurama could hear him begin to break things, and the faint sound of sobs behind all the clatter.
Kurama sighed deeply. The grief he had been feeling all evening was not so much because of the discovery of his pregnancy, but anxiety over how he would break the news to his foul tempered demon. He stood and walked into the bathroom to draw himself a hot bath. He would allow Hiei to stay alone for a while and think things over, then confront him again later. Kurama had known that the Jaganshi would not accept the situation easily, but also prayed that it would not drive a wedge between them.
While Kurama waited in the bath, Hiei sat on the floor in the dark of his room. He had made quite a mess, clothes were strewn everywhere and shelves were broken. He had grabbed anything he could get his hands on after he had thrown the door shut and started flinging items against the walls. The room was usually a mess, it was the only place in the house Kurama did not clean, but now looked as though a hurricane had hit.
Hiei held his head in his hands and stared at the floor. This couldn't possibly be happening, Kurama was with child and acting as if it was a miracle. He also knew in his gut that even if he protested, the fox would keep the child no matter what. The idea of parenthood was unfathomable. He'd grown up alone, his mother had been forced to give him up. For some reason, though, he felt a tiny twinge of pain in his heart whenever he thought of her, or touched the tear gem that hung around his neck that she had cried for him. Could that be love he felt, love for someone he'd never even known? He wondered if that same spark would start to form for the baby growing inside Kurama's body.
Positive sentiments had started to form, but he was still so confused. It was his fault that this had happened, wasn't it? But somehow Kurama wasn't angry at all, he actually seemed happy. How could he be happy....
He stood and dusted himself off, exiting the room and walking silently across the landing to the bathroom. The door was closed but not locked, and he entered without a sound to find Kurama lying in the tub. His eyes were closed, and his long hair was up in a bun to keep out of the water. He said nothing, but Hiei knew he had already been detected. He kneeled down by the edge of the bathtub and waited for Kurama to acknowledge him.
"Done destroying things already?" The redhead asked.
Hiei narrowed his eyes but decided to let the remark slide. Leaning on the edge of the tub, he sighed, and Kurama then opened his eyes to see the demon pouting shamefully.
"It's all right," he said, reaching his hand up out of the water and touching the side of Hiei's face gently.
"You're not upset at all, are you?" Hiei said, furrowing his brow.
"I wouldn't say upset," Kurama said, wrapping his arms around his stomach under the water. "Nervous, yes." He leaned his head back against the wall behind the tub and Hiei unconsciously began playing with a strand of his red hair.
"As a Youko, I was with my share of women, but the idea of fathering a child never crossed my mind until recently," he laughed softly, "or in this case, mothering."
"I guess there's no changing your mind, then," Hiei said.
"Would you really want me to?"
Hiei looked away and thought that question over carefully. Even though this occurrence was somewhat unwelcome, he did not truly want to destroy the life that they had created together. No, he would not reject his child the way his own mother had been forced to reject him. He'd protect it the same way he protected Kurama, though the fox did not normally need to be looked after, Hiei had made it his responsibility to keep him safe no matter what happened. He would need guarding now more than ever in this vulnerable condition.
"No," Hiei replied. He reached down into the water and rested his hand on Kurama's lower stomach.
"I suppose this does mean I'm going to have to stay in this form quite a bit longer than I had planned on, though," Kurama said, sighing down at his bosom that rose up above the surface of the water.
"How long does human pregnancy last?" Hiei asked.
"Nine months," the redhead answered, letting out an even deeper sigh. He would be spending nearly a whole year as a woman. He hoped that both himself and Hiei would be able to handle this ordeal well, nine months could be a very long time...
****
The door to the bathroom flew open and Kurama was immediately on the floor, spewing his insides out into the toilet. Every morning for the past week, he had been in the bathroom vomiting the moment he woke up. Hiei followed quickly behind, bending down to hold Kurama's hair out of his face while his body heaved violently for another round. When he was sure he had finished, the Jaganshi handed his partner a towel to wipe his lips clean. He was shaking slightly and feeling weak.
"Hundreds of years mixing plants into potions and I never thought to make one for morning sickness..." Kurama sighed, getting up to wash his mouth out in the sink. He was now entering his third month of pregnancy, nausea and tiredness had effected him the entire time, even though no outward signs of the life growing inside him were apparent yet. His mother had informed him that he would not begin to gain considerable amounts of wait for another few weeks.
He had been visiting Shiori very frequently, though she urged him to stay home and rest. It was extremely strange for her to be giving advice on pregnancy to her son, and she felt slightly nervous around him, seeing the boy she had raised with such a different body.
Later that day, Kurama was resting at the kitchen table while Hiei prepared lunch, with some difficulty. Kurama had been patiently teaching him how to cook since they had been married, but the redhead's recent sickness had given him the initiative to try harder and was actually preparing meals that were edible now.
While he was swearing at the pot of rice that had boiled over, there was a knock on the front door of the cabin. Kurama rose from the table and exited the kitchen, as Hiei was much too busy getting angry at the mess on the stovetop. Since they rarely had visitors, and no one had called announcing they would be there, he wondered who could have come calling.
When he opened the door, he was met with a young woman leaping at him and throwing her arms around his neck nearly squeezing the life out of him.
"Kurama! I can't believe this is really happening, I missed you so much, I'm so happy to see you!"
"Kyo, calm down," he said, pushing her gently away and smiling. The girl he had become friends with in high school stood before him, still wearing her hair in the same long, brown braids she had always had. A year younger than Kurama, she had been away at college for four long years and just returned home that week. They had written to each other, of course, and when Kyo had received the news of Kurama's transformation and pregnancy, he did all that he could to convince her to stay in school for final exams instead of catching the first train home to see him.
Apparently though, she had not come alone on this visit. Behind her the redhead was surprised to see his own mother and a large bundle of balloons blocking several other people from view.
"Surprise!" He heard Botan say, pushing the balloons from her face to reveal Keiko, Shizuru, Atsuko, and a grouchy looking Yusuke and Kuwabara in the back.
"Move out of the way, silly, don't just stand there!" Botan shouted, and before Kurama could say anything the group of women were pushing their way inside the house and setting up decorations and piling wrapped presents on the coffee table.
"What's going on?" He asked. Shiori stepped up and hugged her son tightly, smiling as broadly as possible.
"Kyo came to visit me last night as soon as she got home, and insisted we throw you a baby shower," she told him.
"Yeah, and the two of us got dragged along," Yusuke said indignantly, stomping into the kitchen.
"I can't believe Shizuru dragged me to something as girly as a baby shower!" Kuwabara whined, following after Yusuke.
"What are THEY doing here!?" Hiei roared from the entrance to the kitchen after Yusuke and Kuwabara had begun raiding the refrigerator, but then blinked with surprise to see half a dozen women taking over his living room.
"Kurama, I'm so happy for you!" Keiko said, taking his hands in hers and clearly ignoring Hiei's protests for all of them to get out.
"I never had a baby shower of my own when Yusuke was born so when Keiko told me about it I had to come," Atsuko said cheerfully from behind her. Yusuke's mother had long given up her chain smoking and wild nights of drinking and was now even more of a second mother to Keiko than she had been when they were younger.
"Kurama was always one of the girls anyway, you know?" Shizuru joked while she stood on the back of the couch to hang up streamers.
"By the way, Yukina isn't really supposed to leave the Makai but she promised she would be here later," Botan announced.
"Kurama, this is going to be so much fun!" Kyo squealed, practically overflowing with excitement and pinning balloons up over the fireplace.
"What the hell are they doing?" Hiei said, grabbing Kurama's arm.
"Apparently throwing me a baby shower..." he replied.
"And what exactly is a baby shower?" He demanded, looking in horror at the blue and pink decorations being strewn all over the house by the six women. Before he could receive an answer though, he was being smothered by Kyo and lifted up off the ground in a huge hug.
"Hiei! I missed you a lot too, It's great to see you again, aren't you excited about Kurama!?" she cried, squeezing him violently and lifting his feet nearly a half meter off the ground. Kurama could have interjected and rescued Hiei from Kyo's overly affectionate hug, but simply laughed and went into the kitchen to finish preparing the lunch the fire demon had abandoned.
Later that day, the sun was setting, and the entire group was gathered in the living room around the fireplace. Hiei had ordered Yusuke and Kuwabara to bring some extra chairs from upstairs so there would be enough room, and they had obliged, with much complaining...
The girls had all insisted Kurama sit and rest while they prepared a huge supper for the party to feast upon. There was much giggling from the women while Kurama opened his presents and Hiei shrunk down into the sofa as far as possible, trying to pretend he wasn't there.
"Well girls, that was a damn good supper," Shizuru said, patting her full stomach.
"Do you want any more dessert, Kurama?" Kyo asked, shoving a plate of pie in his face.
"I don't think I could eat another bite..." He said, staring down at the pastry. They had been forcing food on him all afternoon, insisting he needed his energy and was eating for two.
"All these presents are so cute!" Keiko said, gushing over a pair of tiny baby booties.
"Even Lord Koenma sent a gift," Botan laughed, holding up a box of pacifiers.
Just then there was a knock on the front door and Hiei's heart leapt, sensing a familiar energy signal nearby.
"I'll get it," Kurama said, being as it was his home and he was accustomed to answering the door, but he was held down into his seat by several pairs on hands and women telling him he shouldn't be straining himself while in such a delicate condition.
To everyone's surprise, though, Hiei was the one who stood to get the door while they were busy protesting Kurama leaving his chair. Normally he would not bother with such trivial tasks, but he knew who he would find on the other side and always looked forward to seeing her. He opened the door slowly to reveal the face he had been expecting, that of his own twin sister, Yukina.
"Hiei!" She said happily, hugging him lightly. Along with many other confessions, Hiei had finally told his sister of their relationship after his wedding to Kurama. She had been overjoyed to know that the brother she had been searching for was looking after her the entire time. They had become very close, and she was the only person he could be truly open with besides Kurama.
"I'm glad to see you," he said softly, hoping the other guests, mostly Yusuke and Kuwabara, would not hear him and make a big deal over him being outwardly glad about anything.
She smiled sweetly, and the corners of his mouth instinctively turned up to form the tiniest trace of a grin. He stepped out of the way to allow her inside and she immediately rushed over to Kurama and wrapped her arms gently around him.
"I'm sorry I couldn't visit sooner," she said.
"It's perfectly all right," Kurama answered, returning the embrace and holding her to him for a moment.
"YUKINA!"
The ice maiden looked away from Kurama to see that Kuwabara had left his seat and was standing before her, blushing like mad with an incredibly huge grin on his face.
"Kazuma, it's so good to see you again," she said.
Kuwabara laughed and scratched the back of his head, his heart still melted every time he saw the lovely blue haired girl. His undying love had not faltered, and though Yukina did care for him, the fact that they lived in two different worlds kept them from carrying on a steady relationship. Hiei suddenly slammed the front door, startling everyone, and shot Kuwabara an icy stare as he walked back to the others. Kuwabara was about to back down out of fear of being slaughtered, when Yukina took hold of his hands, setting his whole face aflame with a deep blush.
"I'd like to talk to Kurama for a moment, Kazuma," she said. He nodded enthusiastically in agreement with whatever she desired.
"Of course, Yukina, whatever you want! I'll go get you something to eat!" He said, running off into the kitchen to prepare her a dish of supper.
Once Kuwabara was out of sight, Hiei sat back down and watched as Yukina perched on the arm of Kurama's chair and held out her hand.
"May I?" She asked, halting above his stomach.
"Of course," he nodded, giving her permission, and she placed her palm on his abdomen. She had been perfecting her healing powers over the years and had become quite skilled, and was trying to sense the energy given off by the tiny baby growing inside Kurama.
"It's a girl," she said, beaming, "I'm almost sure of it."
"I've been thinking the same thing," he agreed, laying down his hand on top of hers.
Hiei blinked, having been paying careful attention to everything they had said while the other guests chatted amongst themselves. He had been wondering if his Koorime blood would make the child more likely to be female, and supposed he must have been right. He trusted his lover's and sister's senses on what gender the baby would be, but wondered if he would have more difficulty relating to a daughter rather than a son.
When night had fallen Kurama and Hiei bid the partiers farewell, Yukina promising she would visit again soon and assuring them she would be there to assist when it was time for the baby to be born. Kurama agreed fully, trusting Yukina's skills and also knowing that she was the only other person Hiei would allow to be present during the birth.
The sky was overcast when the last person in attendance, Shiori, had left, and once everyone was gone, the pair decided to turn in early. Kurama was feeling worn out from all the excitement, and was hoping a long night's sleep would ease his sickness the next morning.
After an hour had passed, Kurama still lied awake in bed. The nausea from that morning had not entirely faded throughout the day, and seemed to be suddenly bothering him more now that he was trying to fall asleep. He rolled onto his side, sure that Hiei was also still awake, and placed his hand on the Jaganshi's shoulder. He turned to face Kurama, and could tell without him having to say anything that he was feeling ill again.
"Sit up," he instructed, and Kurama did so. He slid up behind the fox's back and started rubbing his shoulders. They had done this for the past several nights, since Kurama's morning sickness had been getting worse instead of better. The massages helped to ease his tension and take the urge to throw up away.
Hiei's grip was always so strong, but he managed to never squeeze hard enough to cause any pain. The palms of his hands were rough from wielding his katana, and felt like a fine grained sandpaper. They were also very warm, which Kurama assumed was natural for one who was half fire demon. During chilly nights, all he had to do was lean against Hiei's body and the heat he gave off would warm him right through.
"I could tell you were very happy to see Yukina tonight," Kurama said.
"I was," he affirmed. "Don't talk," he added, moving his hands away from Kurama's shoulders and down to his lower back.
"Have you taken to using only two word sentences tonight?" Kurama laughed softly.
"I said, don't talk."
Kurama smiled and did as he was told, his lover had always preferred touching to conversation, after all. He knew Hiei simply did not want to ruin the intimacy of the moment with pointless babble. Kurama felt the demon's hands leave his back, and returned to his body when they settled on his abdomen. The redhead leaned back against Hiei's small frame and sighed contentedly.
"You're sure the child is female, then..." Hiei said quietly.
"I thought we weren't talking," Kurama chuckled, tipping his head to see Hiei's face and receiving an unamused glare from his glowing eyes. He continued to smile, and held Hiei's hands in his own.
"I'm fairly sure the baby will be a girl," he said. "Why, were you hoping for the opposite?"
"I... don't know." Though he had accepted it, the idea of having a child of his own still made him uneasy. Even living in the Ningenkai in this house sometimes drove him mad, and he spent a good deal of time in treetops trying to imagine he was somewhere else, that is until he felt Kurama's spirit pulling him back home.
Kurama would most likely want to raise their daughter the way his own mother had raised him, completely human. She would go to school, grow up, find a boyfriend, just like all other human girls did. Would they even be able to explain to her how she had been born? He wondered if she would learn how to control her spirit energy, or if she would even be interested in her demon heritage. What if she rejected her past, or was even afraid of it... Worst of all, what if she hated him? He knew he was not the easiest person to get along with, and normally did not care, but his own child would be a different matter entirely.
He held his arms around Kurama for security, pulling him close against his torso. He was about to speak, when he realized the fox had fallen asleep while leaning on him. He smiled, closing his crimson eyes and nestling his face in Kurama's soft hair, it always smelled wonderful to him. Woman's body or not, he truly loved the man he was holding so closely, even though he did not show it as much as he wished he could. He was opening up though, with help from his sister. She had once told him that it was the little things that really mattered to people, tender moments that could never be repeated or replaced. He kissed Kurama's forehead gently, and wondered if this was one of those moments.
As the night went on, it started to rain. Hiei had laid Kurama down on his pillow and was watching him sleep, not feeling very tired himself. He rarely slept the entire night through, in fact. The thunder roaring outside did not bother him, but the louder it got, the more Kurama seemed to toss and turn. After a considerably large crash, his green eyes shot open and he sprung up.
"I have to get outside," he said, flinging the blankets away and rushing out of the room.
"Kurama, where are you going?" Hiei called after him. He pushed the covers Kurama had turned onto him to the floor and walked out of the bedroom. Jumping over the railing of the landing, he landed gracefully on the ground floor to find Kurama at the door, in his coat, pulling on his shoes.
"Why are you running outside in the rain?"
"My roses, if I leave them in this storm they'll be ruined in the morning," he answered, standing and pulling the hood up on his coat.
"You can't go outside for that," Hiei commanded, grabbing hold of his arm. Kurama turned and narrowed his eyes at the little demon. He had thought that of anyone, Hiei would be the last person telling him he was too helpless to do anything, just because of his current condition. He had lived longer than any of them and taken care of him self very well the entire time, what right did they have telling him how to handle himself. Though he would never voice his dissatisfaction, all his female friends taking over and urging him not to move or strain himself that afternoon had been very aggravating. Now, for the first time, Hiei had seemed to have picked up on the 'take it easy' mentality that everyone else had been displaying.
"I'll be fine," he said, pulling his arm away and opening the door. A huge gust of wind and rain blew into the house, almost knocking him off balance.
"Kurama, you're sick, if you go outside in this weather you'll regret it in the morning," Hiei said, folding his arms.
"So be it," Kurama responded flatly, turning and hurrying out the door and down the hill to his flower bed.
The wind was howling loudly, and the booms of thunder and bolts of lightning were only seconds apart. Leaves and other debris blew by him as he surveyed the condition of his rose garden, and could see even in the pitch blackness that his most precious flowers were being torn apart. He went back to pull a tarp from underneath and porch and descended the hill again. He kneeled down into the mud, water soaking through the pants of his pajamas and his long coat doing little to keep him dry.
The wind had already blown his hood away and his hair was flying wildly in every direction. As he was struggling against the elements to secure the tarp to the ground and cover his garden, he saw a sudden flash of red, and then two small hands on the ground beside him.
Hiei had thrown his tunic on and was kneeling at the edge of the garden, blocking him from the harsh wind and holding the other side of the tarp down for him. Kurama smiled and proceeded to hammer stakes securely into the ground.
The storm had intensified by the time his roses were safe from harm, and the pair rushed back to the front door of the cabin to get out of the rain. Both were soaked to the bone and covered in mud when they finally managed to get back inside the house. Kurama's hair was also not in the most splendid condition.
Hiei peeled his wet tunic off, revealing his bare chest underneath, and dropped it on the floor while Kurama took off his shoes and coat.
"Since when do you care about my flowers?" he asked, trying to flatten his hair down, knowing what a disaster it must be.
"I don't," Hiei said bluntly, "but I care about you."
Kurama grinned, it was rare for his demonic partner to utter such sweet words. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Hiei, hugging him affectionately.
"The pouring rain seems to have somehow cured my nausea," he said, feeling Hiei clutch at his pajama top and press against him. "So would you like to go take a hot bath after that little adventure?" He asked. Hiei tipped his head up and looked at him.
"Yes," he said, not entirely enjoying being drenched head to toe and covered in earthy filth from Kurama's flower bed.
Upstairs, in the bathroom, Kurama kneeled down to fill the tub and was adding some kind of herbal soap that smelled very refreshing, although Hiei had no idea what it contained. While the fire demon unwrapped the bandages from his arm that covered his black dragon tattoo, Kurama stood and began undressing. He turned away, though the fox had been like this for months, the voluptuous female form still made Hiei uncomfortable.
"Aren't you getting in?"
Hiei blinked and looked up, Kurama was already standing in the tub waiting for him, he must have been staring at the floor longer than he thought. Kurama eased down into the hot water and sighed deeply, it felt good after being outside in the frigid rain. Hiei dropped the rest of his clothes on the floor and climbed into the tub, kneeling down between Kurama's long legs. He lifted one slender foot up from the water and rubbed it against Hiei's ribs, making him flinch and push Kurama's leg away.
"Don't start," he warned. Above all things, Hiei despised being tickled. Actually, it was not that he hated the feeling itself, but only Kurama knew how completely helpless it could render him and often used it to his advantage, sending the stoic demon into a fit of giggles.
"Something the matter?" Kurama said slyly, pressing both feet against Hiei's ribcage and pinning him against the opposite side of the tub.
"Kurama, stop," he hissed, knowing he was trapped. Though Kurama had changed genders, he had not lost any of his strength, and Hiei had no way to escape outside of ripping Kurama's legs off or breaking a hole in the wall. The fox leaned forward, grinning deviously, making Hiei squirm, trying to spring up and get away. As soon as Kurama's hands were on his sides, though, his defense was completely shattered and he burst out laughing uncontrollably. To Kurama's ears it was the rarest and most precious sound that could ever be heard.
"You're so sweet," Kurama cooed, his heart had turned to goo from hearing Hiei's laughter, just as it always did, and he wrapped his arms tightly around the little demon who was still catching his breath. Hiei twisted and pushed against the wall, making a failed attempt to pry Kurama off him, as he was being crushed in his cleavage.
"You're crushing me!" came a muffled and somewhat angry cry. Kurama let go and looked down to see Hiei being inadvertently smothered.
"Sorry," he said, laughing with embarrassment. "I guess I momentarily forgot how busty I had become."
Hiei glared at him, but Kurama just smiled, running his hands through the demon's fluffy black bangs. He was unshakably happy when they were together, and thought he was not overly bubbly or cheery, one could usually find a smile on his face when the Jaganshi was by his side.
"Let me wash your hair for you," he said, still running his fingers through Hiei's bangs. The frown on his face faded away, into the smallest hint of a smile, and he turned around, sliding closer to Kurama. The fox grabbed the mixture he had created himself to wash Hiei's hair off the shelf, human shampoo would not suffice when washing a demon's silky and beautiful hair, and being half ice maiden Hiei's was finer than most.
Kurama's hands rubbing against his scalp sent him into such a relaxed state he was nearly purring. He knew that the washing of one's hair would not normally be considered sensual, but Kurama's touch always felt that way, in fact almost everything the redhead did was done with such grace and beauty it became lovely and romantic.
He squeezed his eyes shut when Kurama poured water over him to wash away the soap. Droplets of water hung off his nose and eyelashes, and dripped down from his hair. He felt the fox's lips on his wet shoulder kissing up to his neck. Kurama's arms wound around him resting his lips softly on the demon's cheek and sighing contentedly. He leaned back, using the redhead's bosom as a pillow and opened his Jagan up, focusing until their minds had touched.
It was always difficult to connect to Hiei this deeply, though he seemed composed on the outside, things were hectic within his head. All those turbulent emotions only came out when the Jaganshi lost his temper, and anyone who had seen him truly angry knew how chaotic and destructive it could be. Kurama had to concentrate in order to make sense of things, but knew that Hiei was trying to say he loved him. It was so hard for him to say it out loud, and this was the easiest way for the two to share their feelings. The Jagan glowed bright purple while the two joined souls, and by then, the thunderstorm had ended...
****
More of Kurama's pregnancy coming soon, it's not over yet!!
Please Read and Review ^.~