A/N: Hi. I'm still around, and still writing. Yay.

So… next Terrorist part will probably be part of a chapter featuring a scene from each couple, which will be chapter 19.

Chapter title from "Sister, Mother" by Sixpence None the Richer.

Chapter Fourteen: Hug Him Like a Brother; Kiss Her Like a Sister

Rays of morning light hit Shinobu's eyelids and he groaned, pulling the sheet over his head and attempting to roll over, only to find he couldn't.

He blinked away the sleep from his eyes, his mind hazy and confused. Then he remembered. Oh, right, having a giant stomach of doom isn't exactly conductive to rolling over.

In all fairness, Shinobu often forget he wasn't a skinny twig anymore. He mostly avoided the mirror, and even he did see himself in a floor mirror, he had to turn away because it wasn't the image he was used to at all. He'd never even thought he'd look like this, and every time he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror, he felt a unpleasant shiver run down his spine, and an equally unpleasant twisting in his gut.

Sighing, he picked up the specially tailored clothes from his wardrobe and was relieved to see they still fit. He seemed to bust buttons and rip seams every other day.

He checked the time; it was a minute till noon, which meant that the morning rays that had awoken him were the last of the day. It also meant Miyagi wouldn't get home until three, unless he had a meeting. Shinobu paused. He'd have to double check.

Shinobu felt his stomach groan and he followed suit. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," he muttered. Finding something to eat was a pain; the bitter taste he'd been experiencing made it difficult enough to find something he could eat, but he'd also developed a aversion to cabbage. Just tasting the stuff made him vomit. Other things he had problems eating, too - he'd found he could only eat rice plain, for example, and he couldn't stomach most meats. His mother had told him she'd been much the same during both her pregnancies, but that wasn't much comfort. One the other hand, the only craving he was experiencing was for Vegemite, though Miyagi still couldn't find that anywhere in Tokyo. He was seriously considering resorting to ordering it via the Internet, even if Miyagi would freak at the shipping costs.

The "glow" he'd heard came with pregnancy seemed to be more of a gloom for him, a kind of dark tinting to his aura seemed to pervade his every being. The few times he'd looked at his face, all that had stared back at him where blood shot eyes from a strikingly pale face.

The only good thing about the pregnancy so far had been his increased sex drive, and even that came with a caveat. While Miyagi had more than enough stamina to keep up with him, his work meant he lacked time. As it was, Shinobu just wanted to lock him in the apartment 24/7 - like he was forced to be.

There had been the problem, too, that Shinobu didn't really want to get undressed. With his body looking like it was, he was ashamed to show anyone what he looked like. Luckily, he gotten over it, after several times of false starts where he ended up crying on Miyagi's shoulder. To the man's credit, Miyagi didn't say anything about it, just held him silently as he wept. They'd been both relieved, though, when Shinobu was finally able to not have a breakdown everytime one of the initiated sex; he was convinced the hormones helped.

As it was, Shinobu thought as he fished through the fridge, for something edible, he'd be relieved once the babies were born and his body belonged to him again.

Damn, do I sound selfish.

At that moment, the phone rang, distracting Shinobu from his thoughts.

He checked the caller I.D. and was surprised to see it was from a foreign line. Thinking it had to be something important, he picked up the receiver. "Hello, Yoh? It's me, Kaori." The voice was female, and was speaking English with an accent Shinbou identified as from somewhere in North America.

What the hell? Why would a woman be calling Miyagi? Shinobu frowned. Well, he could think of one reason… No that couldn't be it, Miyagi hadn't had the time to go overseas. Unless…

Shinobu shrugged off his negative thoughts; it was probably something entirely different from what he suspected; he had to trust Miyagi.

Speaking into the receiver in English, he said, "Miyagi's not here right now. Who is this?" The last line had come out unintentionally accusatory; he winced at the tone.

"Me? I'm Yoh's sister."

Shinobu blinked. He wasn't expecting that. "Miyagi doesn't have a sister."

There was a pause. "Yes, he does. I should know, because that's me."

Shinobu's throat felt oddly dry. "Prove it."

The person on the other end sighed. "From what I've been told, Yoh had his first taste of alcohol when he was six months old. He was teething, so Grandma Miyagi rubbed some plum wine on his gums as an anesthetic. My mother was furious until she realized it worked."

"But Miyagi hates plum wine."

"Well, he does now… my mother seems to blame his aversion on the time he found my mother's stash and got drunk when he was six. From what I understand, mother never bought alcohol into the house after that."

Shinobu frowned. It sounded believable - it certainly explained the time Miyagi had woken up after a nightmare and started muttering about the evils of plum wine and stupid six-year-olds - but that didn't explain why Miyagi never mentioned he had a sister. Not that Shinobu had ever asked, exactly, but it was surely one of those things that would come up at some point. "You could be making this all up."

The voice sighed again. "I have a grandmother who's obsessed with the color blue and never remarried after my grandfather died in the war."

Well, that wasn't made up. "Okay, I believe you. I think. But Miyagi never mentioned you - "

She snorted. "Yeah, well, I'd never thought to mention him to my girlfriend until grandma called me, and Tara and I have been together since my freshman year of undergrad."

"What? Wait, she called you- about Miya - er, your brother?"

There was a pause. "I have two brothers, y'know."

"Huh?"

"But yeah, she called about the brother of mine who isn't my twin."

Shinobu felt like his head was starting to spin in a never-ending pattern of spirals. Miyagi had two sibling he never mentioned? What the hell?

"Anyway, I'm calling because… er, wait a second, what's your name?"

"Shinobu. Takatsuki Shinobu," he mumbled.

"Takatsuki? That sounds oddly familiar…"

"Y - your older brother was married to my sister."

"Oh, okay. I missed that wedding… was too busy with finals and ignoring the rest of the world… anyway, can I ask you something, Shinobu?"

"Okay."

"Are you pregnant?"

Shinobu pulled the receiver away from his head an stared at it, wondering how she could tell this through the phone. He pulled the receiver back to his ear. "Um, yeah, actually, I am."

"And it's Yoh's?"

Shinobu felt himself bristle at the question. "They're his, yeah."

There was yet another pause; Shinobu resisted the urge to slam down the phone and eat a gallon of… something. "Multiples? Good luck with that. Anyway, the point of this call… well, my grandmother, she called me and kinda hinted that Yoh had gotten his boyfriend pregnant. Over several phone calls, actually, but that's not the point - "

"How do you know about male pregnancy?" he interrupted, his voice coming out higher than he meant it too. If Grandma Miyagi had told -

"Huh? Oh, it's an open secret here in Vancouver. Not that the government will admit it exists, or anything."

"Right, so uh, Grandma Miyagi unintentionally told you…"

"Oh, yeah, right. Well, my main concern is about my dad." He could hear her take a deep breath before she spoke again. "It's just, uh, I don't think my brother is aware of the extent of his issues."

"Huh?"

"Well, he wasn't exactly happy when I came out to him. He blew a gasket, rather. Said I disgraced him and the Miyagi, said I just commit Seppuku to save it - he wasn't entirely serious about that, I'm sure, but the sentiment definitely wasn't faked. I had no idea he'd react like that. He still hasn't talked to me again, though mom says she's working him over. Anyway, I thought I should warn him - "

"Thanks," Shinobu said. If what she said was true, he wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting Miyagi's old man.

"I don't know how you're planning to deal with the whole family name thing, but I think if Yoh wants my father to ever speak to him again, he should really consider giving one of his kids the Miyagi name. Especially if one of them is a boy."

"I'll keep that in mid." He and Miyagi had decided not to know the sex of the babies before hand, but he could still…

"Anyway, let him know I called, at least. He should call me back sometime in the next century, if he can."

"Wait!" Shinobu shouted on impulse. "I… uh…"

"What is it? Spit it out."

"Can we… uh, talk?" Shinobu felt his face burn. "It's just, I've been stuck in this apartment for awhile, and will continue to be, and don't see many people - I mean, Miyagi's great and all, mostly, and I do love my family, but that's four people total… and I should probably practice my English…. Though you're calling long distance so I really shouldn't keep you - "

"No, it's fine. I understand. My phone has the same rate for international and domestic, so I'm fine. I've got plenty of minutes to use and an hour to kill. So, what do you want to talk about?"

Shinobu paused. He felt like his family circle was quickly widening. He took a deep breath. "So, you have a twin brother?"

"Why didn't you tell me you have younger siblings?"

Miyagi blinked. He'd just gotten home from work, had literally just taken his shoes off, and Shinobu was blocking the way from the entryway to the living area, glaring at him with his arms folded over his chest, just above his swollen abdomen. Months ago, he'd have been able to get past Shinobu easily, but with the extra weight he was a formidable roadblock. He really couldn't just shove Shinobu aside, either; at least, not without stirring an odd feeling of guilt in his gut.

Shinobu hadn't stopped scowling at him, though, so he thought back to the question that was causing Shinobu so much consternation in the first place. Oh. Kaori and Kenta were not people Miyagi thought about often; he had nearly fifteen when they were born, and he'd already had a tendency to spend as much time as he could outside the small house that was his childhood home - it was rather claustrophobic, and he was already hitting his rebellious stage, aiming to piss off his parents as much as possible without them figuring out that was his goal.

Now that I think about it, that might not bode well for the future.

He started. "Well, um… er… "

"And they're a set of twins, too! You should have at least mentioned them when I told you we were having twins!"

"I should have?" His siblings had been the last things on his mind when Shinobu had bought in that bit of news. Cursing the universe seemed a much more appropriate mental thought process at the time.

Shinobu just rolled his eyes. "Yes! I was so confused when I first heard your sister's voice when I picked up the phone!"

"Kaori called? What, why?"

Shinobu's anger seemed to still for a moment. He shifted from one foot to the other and bit his underlip. "To warn us — apparently, your dad went apoplectic when she introduced her girlfriend of six years, Tara."

"Wait, she has a girlfriend?"

"Yep. They're talking about getting married once they both finish their masters."

Miyagi tried not to gape. He hadn't known Kaori was working on a masters, never mind everything else. "I, er, don't talk to her much."

Shinobu snorted. "Apparently."

"Hey, every time she she calls she makes me speak in English just because she feels like it! Her mother tongue is Japanese — why should we have to talk to each other in English?"

"That's the worst defense I ever heard! She's your sister! You're supposed to talk to her! I bet you don't even know your brother is working for a software firm in Osaka!"

"Um…" Miyagi had the sinking feeling this conversation was going a place that would not be good for him, and he wasn't exactly sure how to save himself.

"How can you be so out of touch with your siblings?" Shinobu was sulking, glaring at Miyagi with an adorably teary face. "Doesn't family matter to you?"

"Of course it does, Shinobu-chin. I've just been so… distracted by work…"

That certainly didn't help matters. Shinobu just got a pissed off look, the kind that meant that Miyagi would be walking on eggshells around him for however long he needed to.

"So work is more important to you than family?"

"Of course not — "

But Shinobu wasn't listening anymore. "Will it be more important than our family, too?"

Miyagi was at a loss. He had no idea how Shinobu had come to that conclusion, and told him so.

"You're a jerk!" was all he got in response, and the sound of a very angry door slam.

Miyagi sighed as he carded a hand through his hair, sinking into the sofa. Perhaps that hadn't been the best response…

The knocking on the door was insistent, unceasing in its rhythm. Shinobu had been trying to ignore it, preferring instead to search for food yet again, because between answering the door and stopping his stomach from feeling like a yawning cavern, the latter took priority. Also, he really didn't want to talk to anyone.

"Go away," he said to the door, finally, and the knocking finally stopped.

It was however, followed by a fair more annoying noise: his sister's voice. "Shinobu, open up."

"No, go away."

There was a pause. "I have food."

Shinobu considered this for a moment. "What kind of food?"

"Tempura, gyoza, and mochi for desert."

He slightly opened the door. The smell of freshly cooked food wafted towards his nose. Risako wasn't holding take out containers, which meant she'd made it herself, probably. "What type of tempura?"

"Shrimp," she answered. "And enough for several people. You can keep the leftovers."

Shinobu deemed this acceptable and opened the door, stepping back to allow his sister entrance into the apartment.

"Where's Miyagi?" she asked as they headed into the kitchen. Shinobu just glared at her as she set the food down on the countertop.

"Out," was all he said as he helped himself to some rice. Risako gave him a quizzical look, but he chose to ignore it.

"What did he do this time?" she asked instead as they sat down at the table.

Shinobu picked up his chopsticks. "He was an idiot," he said.

"That's nothing new," she murmured.

Shinobu looked up and glared at her. No one should be able to insult Miyagi but him, especially his sister. "Did he tell you he has two siblings?"

"Yeah. Kaori and… Ken-something, yes? They were at the guest list for the wedding, but they declined to come. They were both busy studying overseas, I think. Why?"

Shinobu didn't answer, just glared at his food as he ate it slowly, pissed off that his sister knew more about Miyagi's family than he did.

Suddenly, the sound of a door scraping against the floor as it swung open entered the house. "I'm home," Miyagi's voice called out from the entryway.

"Welcome home," Risako replied, much to Shinobu's annoyance. He glared at her; she rolled her eyes. "Well, you weren't about to say anything."

"Huh? Oh, hello, Risako," Miyagi said as he entered the dining area. "You bought food?"

"Yep. Figured I'd be a good sister to my darling little brother," she said, and Shinobu almost choked on the rice.

"Well, that's something new," he remarked. "I didn't think you were capable of it."

"Excuse me?" she said, putting down her chopsticks for a moment. "Who was the one who called up an ambulance for her brother who had just fainted on the bathroom floor? Who was the one who stayed with him the entire time he was there, up until he was taken in the ambulance, to make sure his pulse was still going?" Shinobu just glowered at her. Having made her point, she picked up her chopsticks and began eating again. "Besides, you were the one who emptied out several bottles of my limited edition watermelon nail polish on your walls."

Shinobu relaxed; this was by far more familiar territory. "You were the one who replaced my shampoo with fish oil." He winced at the memory of the pungent smell, just as strong as it had been years ago.

"Well, you were the one who decided to, I don't know, put a strangely smelling substance in his hair, despite the fact that the shampoo never smelled like that before. Besides, what nine year old boy demands their parents buy them a very specific expensive shampoo made from green tea leaves?" She paused for a moment, considering. "And anyway, that was after you hid all my clothes while I was in the shower."

"Hey, that was because you dismembered all my action figures and buried them! I never even found some of their limbs."

"But before that, you deliberately locked yourself in my room, snuck out the window, and sealed it shut. I'd lost the key ages ago; I had to have dad call a locksmith just to get to sleep." She considered the piece of gyoza between her chopsticks, took a bite, and said, "besides, you started it all when you chased me around a knife."

"I was three years old! Besides, you were the one who left out the chef knife and watched a slasher film when you were supposed to be watching me."

"You did what?" For some reason, Miyagi had deemed it time to say something. Shinobu felt a sweltering of some warm fuzzy feeling at the fact that he was taking his side (of course he was, he side was the right side).

"You were supposed to be asleep," Risako said, choosing to ignore him. "Boy, I hope your kids aren't as bad a brother and a sister as we were."

There was a ringing silence as Shinobu joined Miyagi in staring at his sister. Why did she assume - ?

"Wait, you guys didn't know?" She titled her head and bit her underlip, her face taking on the same guilty look it had every time she'd pulled a prank on Shinobu (which was why, of course, he always knew it was her fault). "Then why does mom? Don't they have privacy rules about that?"

Miyagi coughed, and shoulders hunched. "Uh, I might have let the doctor talk to her." At Risako's incredulous look, he added, "she kept bugging about! Even at work! The Dean even started to beg me to let her talk to the obstetrician!"

"Yeah, that does sound like mom," Risako muttered. Something clicked in Shinobu's brain.

He turned to look at Miyagi. "Wait… so we're really having a boy and a girl? Risako wasn't just assuming?"

"You're a bit slow on the uptake for someone studying law at Teito University," Risako said in an amused drawled and Shinobu turned and glared at her.

"Hey, I was the one who was clever enough at seven to figure out what piece of gossip to tell his sister's boyfriend to get him to break-up with her after she threw out my book collection," he pointed out.

Risako's face drained of color. "You did that on purpose?"

Oops. Perhaps that hadn't been the best piece of information to prove his incredible observation skills. "…Maybe."

His sister's face began to take on a rather purple color. "You - "

"What exactly did he say?" Miyagi asked, interrupting Risako's sudden inclination of rage.

Somehow, she managed to blush. "Uh…"

"I overheard her on the phone talking to one of her friends about him." Shinobu contemplated eating another piece of teriyaki, then decided he could wait. "She said a lot of things, but even though I wasn't quite sure what it meant, I decided to rely the information to him that she'd found him to be 'smaller than expected'."

Miyagi started on a coughing-laughing fit that made his own face go almost-purple; in the meantime, Risako bit her underlip before glaring at Shinobu.

"That really wasn't fair. Those books were falling apart."

"Because I read them so much!"

Miyagi managed to stop snickering enough to opine, very solemnly, "honestly, Risako, I think you got off rather lightly." He nodded to himself. "After all, they were books. Nothing is more important than the written word."

Risako stood up, looking at them both like they were dual-headed sea monsters. The slimy kind. "You're both out of your minds!" She just shook her head. "I'm leaving."

"Thanks for the food," Shinobu called out as she walked out the door. "I hope your next boyfriend is just as large as you expect."

Miyagi went back to guffawing as the door slammed shut.

Hours later, when they'd both eaten their fill and stored the leftovers, Miyagi made the point they he should probably apologize to Risako.

"I was a bit cruel," Shinobu agreed after a moment's consideration. "Plus the gyoza she made was really good."

Miyagi shifted in his seat on the sofa where he was semi-reading some sort of novel. "Hey, did Risako say anything about me? That you overheard or something?"

Shinobu side-eyed him for a moment. "Well, everything she said before the divorce translated in my head to 'ha ha, I married your soul mate and now you'll never be happy' in my head, and everything after was incredibly negative, so…"

Miyagi gave him an odd look himself. "Huh." He was about to go back to actually reading his book, but he stopped at the last second and looked back over at Shinobu. "By the way… why did you put your sister's nail polish on the walls?"

Shinobu shrugged. "I thought my bedroom was a boring color," he said. Miyagi's eyes went wide and he shuddered. "What?"

"Nothing much. I just had a feeling of foreboding come over me, that's all."

Shinbou shook his head. "Whatever."