"Coming!" Kurama called from the upstairs landing. The redhead hurried down the staircase, his ponytail bobbing up and down. He rushed over to take some of the bags from his friend and alleviate her dilemma.
"Thank you," she said breathily, hauling the rest of the bags into the kitchen and setting them down on the table. Kurama piled the remainder of the groceries on the counter and went back to retrieve the bag that had fallen.
Over the past months, Kurama had relied on the assistance of friends to deliver food and other necessities to the cabin, as he could not very well leave the house looking like he did. If he appeared in public as a woman and was confronted by someone he knew, there would be questions asked which had no easy explanation. One of course must remember the other able bodied member of the household, but over all the years they had been together, Kurama had not been able to force Hiei to go grocery shopping.
Entering his second trimester of pregnancy, the morning sickness had gradually gone away and he was growing increasingly happy and excited about the birth of his child. Hiei, on the other hand, was growing increasingly agitated and nervous, and had been spending many hours disappearing from sight, most likely leaping off into the woods.
"Yusuke said he was going to help me the other day but this morning when I called, Atsuko said he had gone out!" Kyo complained. And yes, Yusuke still lived with his mother, much to Keiko's dismay, though he was working hard and saving up to buy a nice house for the two of them.
She opened the refrigerator and started putting food away, while Kurama placed non perishable items in the cabinets.
"So I had to carry the groceries all the way up the hill by myself, and since I don't have a car I needed to take a cab and the driver offered to bring me all the way to the house but I know how much Hiei hates cars coming up here and I didn't want him to be mad at me, so I just hauled the bags by myself and I dropped a couple on the way, but of course none of this would have happened if Yusuke had just---"
She was silenced suddenly by Kurama placing a finger on her lips and smiling at her. She blinked and remained quiet when he took his hand away.
"It's all right," he assured. "Thank you for bringing the groceries all the way up here. I'll call Keiko and have her scold Yusuke for you, if you like," he laughed, grinning and taking more items from their bags to put them away in the cupboards.
"I'm sorry I talk so much sometimes but I feel like I always end up screwing things up especially when I'm trying to help someone!" She said, sighing with frustration.
"You didn't screw anything up," Kurama said. The friend he had met by bumping into her one day on the sidewalk had changed little since they had met. She was fiercely loyal to her friends, overly romantic, slightly clumsy and could become very frazzled when things didn't go her way. He was also finally overcoming her fear of Hiei, and had been doing all she could to win the little demon's approval since the first she had come in contact with him.
"Where is Hiei?" She asked, speak of the devil....
"Upstairs, still curled up in bed asleep," Kurama said, putting away the last of the groceries and throwing the bags in the trash.
"It's almost lunch time," she said, looking up at the ceiling and picturing the demon sleeping in the bedroom directly above.
"I have a feeling he left some time during the night and was gone until sunrise," Kurama said. "He was sound asleep when I got up this morning and his tunic was lying at the window."
"He doesn't seem like the type to sleep in..." Kyo said.
"I think our bed is the only place in the Ningenkai where he feels safe enough to sleep soundly. Would you like me to go wake him up for you?" He asked.
"Won't he be mad...?"
"Not too mad," Kurama smiled, leaving the kitchen and walking up the stairs. He padded into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the mattress, watching his little love slumbering soundly under the blankets. He nudged him slightly, bending over and whispering in his ear.
"Hiei, wake up," he said softly. Kurama's hair tickling his face is what woke the demon, and he opened one eye slowly, glaring up at the one who had disturbed his sleep.
"What..." He groaned.
"Kyo is here and it's time for lunch," he said, pulling the covers off Hiei's body, making him cringe.
"Why is that girl here," he grumbled, rolling over and yanking a pillow over his head.
Kurama grabbed him by the ankles then and pulled him out from under the pillows to the foot of the bed. His eyes were half closed with sleep but that did not stop him from giving the fox a discontented stare.
"I can always carry you downstairs if you refuse to get up," Kurama said, placing his hand on his hip.
"I can always bite you..." Hiei mumbled, finally climbing out of the soft bed and walking into the bathroom to wash up. He washed off his face, tied the headband around his head to cover his Jagan, and pulled on the fresh clothes Kurama had left out for him. Yawning, he left his dirty clothes in a heap on the floor, he knew the redhead would find them and pick them up eventually. He exited the bathroom and hopped over the railing of the landing to the bottom floor, he rarely used the stairs, and walked into the kitchen.
Kyo was there at the stove, boiling rice to go with their lunch and preparing some tea. Hiei sat and slumped over the table, he was still exhausted. He had become restless during the night and run off into the forest, taking his frustration out on trees and rocks for hours. Anyone walking through the woods would be able to spot Hiei's favorite places to be by the fact that they were all half destroyed.
"Where's Kurama?" She asked, pulling some ingredients from the refrigerator.
"No clue," he said, rubbing his eyes. Kurama was actually still upstairs, making the bed Hiei had left a wreck. "Why are you here?" He asked with much hostility.
"Oh, I came to deliver your groceries and I thought I'd help Kurama make lunch," she said, smiling and hoping he would find that helpful rather than annoying. Though Kurama was her closest friend, Kyo adored Hiei and would do anything to make the fire demon think of her as more than just a stupid human.
She sighed, he was still face down on the table and did not seem to actually care what the answer to his question was at all. Looking around for a moment, she tried to think of something that would grab his attention.
"I brought sweet snow..." She said. Hiei suddenly perked up and looked at her. The phrase sweet snow, his name for ice cream, always got him interested, no matter who was saying it. Ice cream was by far his favorite food and he knew that it had been bought especially for him.
"What flavor?" He asked, staring at her intensely enough to make her worry he was about to pounce.
"Chocolate!" She squeaked.
"Good," he said, nodding his approval and opening the freezer to reveal the luscious and delicious bucket of his treasured sweet snow within. He grabbed it, sat in the middle of the table and held the ice cream box in his lap. He held his hand out demandingly and looked up at Kyo again. She blinked for a minute until she finally realized he wanted a spoon, and quickly grabbed one out of the drawer for him.
Hiei had downed half of the ice cream by the time Kurama came downstairs again. Kyo was still busily preparing their lunch, though she wondered how hungry Hiei would be after gobbling down so much dessert already.
"Hiei, get off the table," Kurama scolded, making the demon glance up at him and pause his food frenzy, then slide slowly down into the bench at his feet.
"I see he found the sweet snow easily enough," Kurama said, stepping up to the stove and pouring tea for the three of them.
"I got some strawberry for you too," she whispered, "but it hid it under the frozen vegetables so he wouldn't eat it all."
Hiei normally would have had no trouble hearing what she had just said but he was far too busy licking ice cream off his hands.
****
A month later, Kurama had finally passed the halfway mark of his pregnancy and he was developing a very visible tummy. It did not keep him from his normal household duties though, and early one morning he was busily vacuuming the carpet in the bedroom while Hiei lied face down, sprawled out in their bed. When he pushed the vacuum another meter forward though, he must had pulled the cord from the wall, because the machine suddenly shut down.
"Oops, I guess I misjudged the length of the cord," he said. He turned to go plug it back in, but a hand swiftly reached out and grabbed him by the back of his pants.
"No more vacuuming..." Came a muffled voice from below the pillows. Kurama smiled and batted Hiei's hand away.
"You need to get up and dress yourself anyway, we're visiting mother today," he replied, and turned again to leave the room. Before he could even take a step, though, Hiei's arms were around his waist and pulling him onto the bed.
"I said, no more," he commanded, gazing seriously down at the redhead.
"I need to finish," Kurama said, grinning and struggling to get free. He placed his hands in the center of the demon's chest and tried to force him off, but Hiei's grip on him was not going to be broken easily. He had already locked his arms tightly around Kurama, and the redhead writhed playfully in his clutches. Just when all options but begging seemed lost to him, though, Kurama recalled his love's greatest weakness. Before Hiei could think, Kurama's fingers were on his ribs, throwing the remarkably ticklish fire demon into spastic laughter.
He was on his back, laughing and gasping for air as Kurama leaned over him, smiling with much satisfaction.
"Beg the great Youko for mercy..." He crooned.
"Mercy!" Hiei sputtered between heaving laughs.
Kurama chuckled softly and let him go, adjusting his ponytail and standing while Hiei caught his breath. The redhead smiled down at the demon, who was still panting and glaring distastefully up at him through red slits.
"You are evil, fox..." He hissed, feigning anger, still glaring, but the hint of a smile could be seen on his lips.
"I know," Kurama said casually, walking to the door, dragging the vacuum cleaner with him. "Get dressed and shower, mother is expecting us for breakfast."
When Hiei had taken his shower and put on clean clothes, Kurama was on the landing, still cleaning. He had put away his vacuum cleaner, however, trading it in for a handheld dust buster. Hiei curled up in one of the armchairs and watched, the fox was bending down, cleaning around the feet of the coffee table. His delightfully full female rear end was sticking up into the air, a perfect target. The redhead stood momentarily, and in a flash, the dust buster had vanished from his hand. He tipped his head to look behind him, the stolen item in Hiei's possession. The Jaganshi was still curled up in the chair, grinning deviously up at him.
"Hiei..." He held out his hand as a request for his cleaning tool back, but instead was greeted by a poke in the bottom and sucking on the seat up his pants by the dust buster.
"Hiei! Give it back!" He protested, receiving another jab in the posterior and a fanged grin from his partner.
"Stop!" He cried, running behind the chair, which Hiei quickly leapt out of and knocked over, still coming at Kurama and wielding the dust buster like his katana.
"Give me my dust buster back!" Kurama demanded, making a grab for it. Hiei was already over the railing and on the bottom floor the second the fox lunged. Kurama followed closely behind, hoisting himself over the rail and landing with animal like grace on the floor. The baby was most likely bobbing like a cork inside him, wondering what could possible be going on outside of her warm little universe.
Though Kurama chased Hiei throughout the entire house for the next several minutes, he knew it was a futile pursuit. Trying to get something away from a demon with faster than sound speed was not an easy task, especially with the added weight of a baby slowing you down.
"All right, you win," Kurama finally said, accepting defeat. Being a married couple had in no way depleted their competitive spirit, and Hiei tossed the dust buster back from his current perch on the mantle of the fireplace, happy with his victory.
"Shall we go see your mother now?" He said, calmly hopping to the floor.
Kurama sighed deeply and smiled, shaking his head.
"You are impossible."
In a half hour, Kurama had finished the weekly cleaning and brushed his hair neatly, which had become quite a mess during his attempt to snatch his dust buster back from a certain little demon. He came downstairs and put on his shoes, Hiei already waiting on the front porch in his size five sneakers, tapping the wooden planks impatiently with his fingertip.
"I'm sorry, there was a tangle in my hair," Kurama said, locking the door behind him as he stepped outside. Hiei would have complained about the wait, but he adored Kurama's long hair and decided to let it slide.
"The cab should be here any moment," the fox said, easing himself and his rounding belly down next to Hiei.
"Cab...?" He said warily, raising a black eyebrow.
"Yes, cab. You don't expect me to run with you, do you?"
"You always do..." He said, narrowing his eyes slightly at Kurama. He despised cars, despised elevators, despised any small, mechanically powered mode of transportation. He did not enjoy enclosed spaces and did not trust the feeling of movement caused by anything other than his own two feet. Or perhaps Kurama's arms sweeping him into bed.... But for this reason he forbid Kurama to purchase a car and having far above human speed and endurance, the couple normally would run or walk wherever they needed to go.
The redhead sighed and leaned back a bit.
"I'm five months pregnant and I don't feel up to running all the way to mother's house," he said, staring down into the front lawn somewhere, most likely surveying one of his gardens. "You don't have to come with me, of course. You can meet me there."
"No, I'll come..." His hatred of motor vehicles was apparently not strong enough to make him leave Kurama's side, for the idea of leaving his pregnant husband alone in one of those wretched machines bothered him much more than the machines themselves.
Kurama blinked his green eyes and stared with surprise for a moment.
"You've never agreed to ride in a car with me before," he said.
Hiei simply shrugged, looking off above the treetops. Amused and slightly flattered that Hiei would let his affection and protectiveness win out over his Ningen prejudice, Kurama smiled.
"You're very sweet, you know that?" He said, gazing fondly at the demon beside him.
"From all the sweet snow most likely," he mumbled.
"Hiei, was that a joke?" Kurama laughed. Apparently the Jaganshi had not failed to notice that his level of ice cream consumption was far above normal.
They waited together for a few more minutes, sitting silently but sharing conversation through telepathy, simply because it was easier and more intimate than speaking. When the cab arrived and Kurama had given directions, he sat down in the back seat, and Hiei climbed in cautiously behind him. He gripped at the seat, clawing with his fingernails, completely out of his element. Like a wild animal suddenly thrust into a cage, he gritted his teeth and tried hard not to become panicked and dart out the door. The cab driver watched in the rear view mirror, somewhat confused, as Kurama rolled down both windows and pulled Hiei tightly against him, stroking his hair and whispering soothing words to calm him down. The little demon clutched onto Kurama's shirt and closed his eyes, focusing on the wind blowing in the window and against his face, and tried to imagine the breeze was coming from a swift run through an open field.
"Don't worry, it's not that much further," Kurama assured to the small figure still clinging to him. They were only a block away from Shiori's house now, and Hiei began to relax when he looked out the window and recognized the familiar surroundings of Kurama's childhood neighborhood, and knew he would be free soon.
When the cab had come to the stop, Hiei bolted out the door and onto the front lawn, nearly ripping the handle off in the process. Kurama paid the fare and bid the driver farewell, and when he had turned, the door was opening to reveal his mother standing happily on the front step.
"Suuichi!" She said, walking out onto the front path and throwing her arms around her son. Though she knew now that his true name was Kurama, the fox had never requested her to stop calling him Suuichi, the name she had given him and known him by his whole human life. Though he had never enjoyed the name, he did not complain. It connected him to his mother and he treasured her too much to ever hint that he did not like what he had been named by her.
"Hello mother," he said, kissing her cheek and smiling. In his female body, they were the same height, and the shape of their faces and bodies were nearly identical. As a woman, the relationship between Kurama and Shiori as mother and child was much more obvious, despite the change in hair and eye color. To that day, it was still not quite known who exactly he had inherited the striking red hair from.
"How is our little miracle today?" She asked, placing her hand lightly on Kurama's stomach.
"Perfectly all right," he chuckled. The curse had obviously come as a huge shock to Shiori, especially because of the fact that her son was going to have a baby. She had gradually gotten over her uneasiness speaking with him in his changed form, however. Male or female, fox or human, she did not mind as long as her only child was alive and healthy. The situation had actually brought them even closer, with Shiori having the opportunity to share her experiences during pregnancy with her son. Her anticipation grew each day as she excitedly awaited the birth of her first grandchild.
"And Hiei?" She said, turning to the blacked haired demon who was waiting patiently on the front step.
"Fine," he said, trying his best to smile but ending up awkwardly showing off his fangs. He had grown to love his partner's mother, but he was still never quite sure what to say to her.
When they had finished breakfast, the three of them sat together on the couch, sipping tea contentedly.
"I'm so happy that you're finally over your morning sickness," Shiori said. "I was a wreck the entire time I was pregnant with you."
"Believe me, I'm very happy about it as well." He said. "I can't remember when I've ever had to endure that much constant misery."
"Your father and I tried so long to have a baby though," she said, smiling and becoming reminiscent. "Your birth was truly a blessing to us."
"I suppose I'm fortunate that a made a good choice for my mother. A virgin birth would have raised suspicions, I'm sure," he joked.
Shiori smiled fondly and nodded. Rather than being disappointed that she was not Kurama's true mother when he had finally told her, she felt lucky and honored that she had been able to care for such a unique being and show him the motherly love that he had never received in the harsh world of demons.
"You were such an adorable baby," she said. "The first thing the doctor said when you were born was, 'Look at that hair!'"
Kurama and Shiori both laughed while Hiei sat back and listened carefully while drinking his tea.
"Would you like to see some pictures of Suuichi when he was a baby, Hiei?" Shiori leaned over and asked him. He blinked and stared at her for a moment. Having met Kurama in his early teens, he had never pictured the fox as anything but a human man or a tall, silvery Youko.
"A baby?" He repeated, trying hard to imagine his lover as a tiny baby but not coming up with anything other than the image of a fox kit.
"This is the part where mother gets to embarrass me with naked baby photos," Kurama laughed softly.
Shiori stood and retrieved a thick photo album from the bookshelf, and sat down between the pair, opening it up in her lap. The album began with a picture in a hospital room, most likely taken by Kurama's late father, of a younger and tired looking Shiori holding a white bundle of blankets in her arms with a small face peeking out.
"This is Suuichi on the day he was born," she said.
Hiei looked up from the page at his lover beside him, wondering how the tiny creature in the picture could have grown into such a beautiful form. They went through nearly a dozen pages of baby pictures. Redheaded baby in the bath, redheaded baby in a crib, redheaded baby in a highchair, all very boring to Hiei. It was not until they reached pages where he had grown into a recognizable young Kurama that Hiei started to take interest again.
"The first day of school," Shiori said, pointing to little Kurama with a backpack slung over his shoulders, all set to go. "He was so excited." As she turned more pages to show Kurama's childhood, Hiei was completely captivated. It was suddenly sinking into his head that he soon would have a child like this to care for, and the idea was both wonderful and terrifying. He had never even realized how small and fragile human children were, or how adorable. The handsome man he loved so much was truly precious as a child, and looking at the images of the young boy made him feel the warmth he did when he looked into the face of his sister. The same sweetness and innocence was there.
"We've always had such a beautiful garden in front of our house," Shiori said, flipping to a page with a lopsided picture of herself sitting in the front yard with the garden behind her. Hiei imagined Kurama's little hands must have not been able to handle the camera properly. The thought of the graceful fox during clumsy days of childhood amused him.
"Neighbors always thought the flowers had been grown by me, but truthfully I can't grow a plant to save my life," she laughed. "Suuichi began his garden when he was a very little boy." She looked over several more pictures of the garden and pointed smiling with a bit of confusion in her features. "I never could figure out what these orange flowers were..."
Kurama blushed when he glanced at the plant she was referring to. "A plant not normally found on this planet..." he said. It had been a special hybrid he had bred using pollen from the Makai, truly one of a kind.
More pages went by, and when they had reached pictures of Kurama during the ages of twelve and thirteen, Hiei was slightly surprised to see how gangly and awkward he had been before puberty had changed his physique. With short hair and hardly any muscle tone, he was far from the perfect male figure he normally possessed. Hiei glanced up at the lovely woman his partner had become, and suddenly remembered how much he missed the feeling of strong arms around him at night. The redheaded female was a remarkable beauty to behold, but was less than impressive for the fire demon compared to the Kurama he knew. Perhaps his judgment was hindered, but the body comparable to a super model that the fox had been forced to live with was ugly in Hiei's eyes, still a stranger holding his Kurama captive.
That night when the moon had risen, Kurama sat in bed fully enthralled in a book, his wire framed reading glasses on the tip of his nose. Hiei lied with his head on the pillow beside him, staring unblinkingly, watching Kurama's green eyes scan each page. The redhead's body was changing too rapidly... He wanted his mate back.
"Kurama..."
"Hmm...?" came the response, though he did not even look up from his book.
Hiei continued to stare, practically boring a hole into him with his eyes, but Kurama only continued to read. Finally, the demon became too frustrated to wait for attention any longer and snatched the book, throwing it across the room. Kurama blinked and finally made eye contact.
"You're going to rip my book treating it that way," he said evenly.
"Stop being so calm," Hiei ordered, glaring at him. "Get angry for once, why don't you ever lose control, what's wrong with you!" He said, raising his voice with each word. He knew, of course, he was being completely irrational, throwing all his tangled emotion into Kurama's face to try and deal with. It was true, though; the fox always remained collected. Panic, rage, those feelings never revealed themselves. Hiei had always admired that about him. It made him a dangerous opponent in battle, you could never be sure just how scared or sure of himself he was, so it was easy to be taken by surprise. Now though, the lack of outward worry had begun to anger him. If he could not control how he felt... why should Kurama be able to?
"Just because I fail to lose my temper at the drop of a hat does not mean there's something wrong with me," he said, his expression suddenly becoming blank, instantly blocking any chance Hiei had to read him. If he had been dealing with a normal human or a lesser demon, reading their thoughts would have been simple, but Kurama of course was not probed so easily. His mind was guarded carefully, his thoughts never shown by the powers of the Jagan unless he wanted them to be.
Hiei clenched his teeth.
"How much longer?" He demanded.
"Until the baby is born?"
"Yes..."
"Still four months to go, have you really forgotten how to count so easily?" The first hint Kurama was aggravated, he was mocking him. Instead of yelling, shooting back a snide comment or acting like the other person did not know what they were talking about was his style of arguing.
Though the play had continued as usual since Kurama had been cursed, deep beneath all the apparent happiness was unrest. Hiei was not content, things were simply not right between them.
"How can you deal with this so easily, Kurama. What if you never get your body back."
"I've lost a body before, I'm sure I will survive," he answered, removing his glasses and setting them on the night stand. That indifference was what was gnawing at Hiei the most. He could not stand the fact that it did not seem like Kurama cared either way, and could tell he was lying. He did care. Why wouldn't that damn fox drop his guard for once.
"Stop acting like it doesn't matter! It's not the same and you know it!" As his voice rose, Kurama could feel his body temperature starting to rise as well. He shifted a bit, worried Hiei may set fire to the bed. When he became angry, he also became hotter, a natural reaction that he usually did not even notice was happening until he was already burning to the touch.
"Lower your voice, you're acting like a child," he said coldly.
Anyone but Kurama he would have struck at this point. He was displaying everything and still the fox acted as if it did not matter. Was his pride that important to him that he could not even break down in front of his own husband? He was not even looking at him anymore, his heavily lashed eyes glancing somewhere off into the corner of the room.
"Look at me, Kurama, now!" he yelled.
"Is that a command?" he replied flatly, not allowing an ounce of concern seep out.
"DAMN IT!" A wave of energy suddenly surged from Hiei and cracked the headboard into two halves, nearly knocking Kurama onto the floor. The dam had broken and the untamed emotion Hiei kept locked up was surging out in great gushes.
"Start caring! Why don't you care!? You and Yukina are the only ones I love! I feel like I've lost you!" he screamed. His fists were clenched tightly and his eyes were squeezed shut. "I want my mate back! I don't want this woman in my bed anymore! I WANT HIM BACK! I WANT HIM BACK!" He roared. Kurama's mouth was agape, and when black tear gems began to fall onto the bed, the stoicism was gone, his heart melted. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the little demon tightly, who had broken into sobs.
"Please don't cry, my love, it's all right..." He said, feeling like he may cry himself. Hiei shedding tears was truly the most heartbreaking sight that can be imagined. "I didn't mean to..." he clutched him closer to his body, "I didn't mean to send you over the edge like that."
Hiei buried his face in Kurama's bosom and clutched at his shirt, feeling completely ashamed of himself for crying, but at least he was with one of the only two people in the world who would never think differently of him for it.
"I'm so sorry..." Kurama whispered, stroking Hiei's hair lightly and rocking him. "I'm simply not thinking straight. I know you've been leaving during the night, I know I've been locking you out but..." Kurama closed his eyes and pulled Hiei against him tight enough to feel both their hearts beating together. "I'm frightened, I'm not used to expressing it..."
"Neither am I," Hiei said, having suppressed his tears quickly. He looked up and leaned back, nudging Kurama's face so he would open his eyes. "But I trust you. You are the only one I would show my fear to. Do the same for me, please."
With those pleading red orbs gazing up at him, Kurama felt totally disgusted with himself for acting as if nothing was wrong. It took incredible love and trust for Hiei to let his true self emerge, Kurama knew he owed him the same in return.
"No more hiding then," he agreed. "I will never fail to run to you again."
Hiei nodded, he was satisfied with that answer. He wound his arms around Kurama and brought their lips together for a kiss, the easiest way, he felt, to say that all was forgiven. Kurama accepted happily, their tongues winding together, and he noted Hiei's body was beginning to cool down. It did not take him long to become calm again, and Kurama had always thought the little demon's emotions were comparable to a roller coaster, up and down within seconds.
The redhead pulled his mouth away slowly, gently wiping any remaining trace of tears from Hiei's face.
"I'm very sorry," he said honestly.
Hiei smiled and shook his head lightly.
"No, don't be. I shouldn't have launched everything at you at once like that."
"Nonsense, a direct attack has always been your style, has it not?" Kurama said, letting a small grin form on his face while he petted Hiei's hair. He received a slightly amused 'Hn' and a smile.
"I suppose so." He snuggled comfortably in Kurama's lap and the fox held him tenderly. Their disagreements never lasted very long, they were both glad for that.
"Please promise you won't stay like this forever..." he said softly.
"I cannot make that promise," Kurama sighed. "But I will do everything in my power to set things right. Any effort will have to wait until the baby is born, though..."
"I know."
Kurama continued to hold one arm around Hiei while he began plucking up the teargems from the sheets and placing them on the night stand.
"I hope... It's red," Hiei said.
"What is?" Kurama paused what he was doing and looked down at the demon in his lap.
"Today, your mother said that when you were born, the first thing the doctor noticed was your red hair. I hope our child's hair is red."
The best he knew how, Hiei had just given a compliment. And of all things, it had been a compliment on a relatively unimportant matter like hair color. Kurama smiled softly and nuzzled against Hiei's own fluffy hair, holding him close. His shy, roundabout way of showing affection was one of the things Kurama adored about him.
"I love you," Kurama said. Hiei simply pressed his body against Kurama and purred.
They fell asleep in each other's arms...
****
When Hiei awoke the next morning, or rather afternoon, Kurama was already up as
he usually was. While Kurama rose early, ready to greet the day the moment the sun had appeared in the sky, Hiei would sometimes sleep the entire day. He had been nocturnal for most of his life and adjusting to sleeping at night was still difficult, even after all his years in the Ningenkai.
The Jaganshi sprung from the bed, out the window, and following a quick boost off a tree branch, he was on the roof of the cabin. He yawned and stretched his arms out above his head, considering going for a quick run of a few dozen kilometers before heading downstairs for something to eat. It was then that he noticed something in the front yard. He perched on the edge of the roof and peered down to the grassy hill below him to see Kurama darting about, swinging his Rose Whip gracefully.
Hiei sat and watched, very amused in what he was seeing, Kurama attempting to train his skills with a pregnant tummy bulging under his clothes. It was quite comical, in fact. He sat on the roof and observed for several minutes, Kurama tossing rocks high into the air and with one quick flick of his wrist, sending the thorny vine up to break them in half. He danced across the lawn, attacking his own thrown targets, the Rose Whip swirling about him, alive with his own spirit energy. Hiei became captivated, forgetting about the awkwardness of the fox's rounded stomach and getting lost in the beauty of his flowing movements. He knew Kurama was trying to show that his true self had not been lost in this changed form, to let Hiei know that he was still there for him to rely on.
Suddenly though, Kurama faltered, dropping the whip and falling to his knees. The long vine instantly changed back to a rose when it left his hand and lay forgotten in the grass. Hiei was at his side in an instant, steadying him and holding him supportively.
"Are you all right?" He asked as Kurama sat down on the ground and panted slightly. He brushed his hair from his brow and smiled a bit.
"Swollen breasts, backache and cramps are problems I never imagined would hinder my skills," he laughed. "At least the lovely vomiting every morning has ended."
Hiei raised his eyebrows. Kurama had been keeping most of the side effects of his pregnancy private if he could. Though he talked frankly about most things, speaking of the feminine problems he was experiencing was embarrassing, even in front of the person he trusted most.
"Can I do something to help?" The fire demon asked, still gazing with concern, even if Kurama did not appear to be in any pain.
"A back massage would be wonderful," he said, glancing up with a sweet grin, the late summer sun shining high in the sky making his emerald eyes sparkle. Hiei settled into the soft grass behind Kurama and began gently but firmly rubbing his back and shoulders. Kurama retrieved his rose from the ground and toyed with it absentmindedly while slipping into complete relaxation as Hiei massaged him.
"Tell me about your childhood. I want to know what to expect," Hiei said.
"Every child is different, there are no guarantees our baby will be anything like me," Kurama said, making his rose wither and bloom again just to keep his hands occupied.
"Tell me anyway."
"Well, I was born to my mother in the spring, and my father died when I was very young, I never really got to know him very well."
"Were you aware?" Hiei asked.
"Pardon?"
"Did you still have your mature mind, or did you have a child's mind?"
"Oh, well when I was small I still had my memories of being Youko but... things were muddled. It was not as if I was an adult trapped in a child's body, I was definitely childlike. My intellect and skills did not begin to return until I was four or five, and even then it was impossible for my young human mind to act as if I were a kitsune again. I was simply labeled by teachers as 'gifted' for knowing more than I should. As you know, I planned to return to the Makai when I was ten, knowing my energy would have come back to me, but by that time came around I had already grown to love my mother too much to leave." He sighed, still playing with the rose in his hands. "During those years when I had so many confused memories of my former life floating around, though... it was not easy on mother. I treated her horribly, as if she was not worthy of me."
"She's never mentioned that," Hiei said.
"She cares too much to think badly of her own child. I was not a very good son when I was younger though.... The feelings of superiority from an ancient Youko mixed up with the rebellion against authority from a child do not make a friendly combination. I rarely listened, I said awful things, knowing I was something more than human I felt I was too good for her. I've always felt very guilty for acting the way I did. I would give anything to go back and tell myself how horrible I was being, to give a warning that I would regret it all later."
"That night with Yusuke, when you used the Forlorn Hope, you said you felt like you had caused her illness."
Kurama turned to look at him. "You really heard every word that was said that night, didn't you?" He touched Hiei's lips gently with his fingertip and leaned back against his warm body. "I honestly do feel that way. Perhaps if I had been better to her when I was small, her condition would not have become so serious. I am simply thankful every day that she is here with me. If she had died... I do not think I would be here now. I most likely would have gone back to the Makai and thrown my life away. Been killed by some rogue demon who had been waiting to get his revenge on Youko Kurama after he had gone missing all those years. Yusuke would be dead, the human world would be in chaos, and I don't even want to imagine what you would have done with yourself...."
"You saved me from making a lot of mistakes, Kurama..." Hiei said, holding his arms tightly around his partner and resting his hands on Kurama's tummy.
"I wonder what mother would think if she knew that, simply by living, she had changed the outcome of history so greatly," Kurama said, holding Hiei's hands under his own.
"I don't know...."
Kurama gasped suddenly and sat up, holding his hands over his lower stomach.
"What? What's wrong!" Hiei said frantically.
Kurama took Hiei by the wrist and guided his palm to the spot of his stomach he had been holding.
"Here, feel right there," he instructed, smiling broadly. "Can you feel it?"
Hiei waited patiently for a moment, until he felt a small movement against his hand. It intensified slightly and he heard a small laugh from Kurama, as if something was tickling him from the inside. Hiei was spellbound, he could feel some of the first actions of his own child from deep within Kurama's body.
"I never imagined what a wonderful experience it could be," Kurama said, still smiling, "to feel my baby tossing about inside me."
"What is she doing?" Hiei asked.
"She's your child after all, so I'd guess she's impatient to find a way out and pick her first fight," he laughed.
Hiei smiled softly and bent down, placing his lips against Kurama's tummy. Kurama petted his little demon's hair gently. Only the night before he had been crying, his emotions in complete chaos, and now his was on his knees, giving his unborn daughter her first kiss. This was, Kurama noted, the first time he had shown any affection towards the life growing inside him. It was also the first time he had referred to the baby as 'she' instead of 'it'. The fact finally must have registered that this huge tummy actually had a person inside it, a third member of their family waiting to arrive.
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::The rest of the pregnancy will arrive soon! Please review!::