The Search For A Mate
Chapter 55
Hiei sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose trying to fend off the headache that was threatening to reach epic proportions. He and Rayna had been back in the Ningenkai for a week. He had approached Kurama about assisting with Rayna's Christmas gift immediately on their return. He had never appreciated Kurama's vast ningen knowledge as much as he did now. There was no way he could have accomplished this without his help.
As it was, there was a better than average chance that the gift would not be completed before Christmas. He still didn't understand the fox's comment about giving her an IOU if the gift was not ready by Christmas. He'd been told if the design had been more complex then it would have been an impossible task. Now all he could do was hope nothing went wrong and that he could keep it a secret until then. Since Kurama had only told Beth, it would not be that difficult to keep Rayna from learning about it before he was ready.
Rayna spent most of her morning hours with the young demoness Enki had appointed to take Rayna's old job. There was a lot for her to learn in a short span of time. Fortunately Rayna was able to say in all honesty the girl was of above average intellect and caught on quickly. It allowed Hiei to do what he needed to do without Rayna becoming suspicious. She was content thinking he spent a great deal of time at Kurama's out of boredom.
The nights though, Hiei spent furthering his relationship with his mate. He went out of his way to do little things for her. If she called to say she would be late because of a particularly difficult day, he would have dinner waiting for her. Not that he was capable of cooking it, mind you. But he was quite adept at acquiring take out from the local restaurants. He had done that twice in the last week. Rayna was touched that he could be so thoughtful.
Rayna had noticed the subtle changes in her mate. Some changes were more significant than others. She always knew he had it in him to be kind to others. Like the night that they had expected Yusuke and his family over for dinner and he had to cancel because of some emergency in Tourin. Rayna had already made the food. Hiei insisted on sharing it with the old woman next door. Rayna was pleased he made the effort to get along with her. The old woman lived alone and her family rarely came to visit. Although she was still unsure as to when Hiei had even met her. Meeting the nosy ningens had not been high on the priority list for Hiei when they had moved in.
Other changes it would take someone who really knew him well to notice. She came home early one day. She had been teaching her apprentice about ningen entertainment and it begun to rain while they were in the park. She was quiet when she opened the front door. She expected Hiei to be watching tv or reading. He hated the rain. She had instead found him sitting on the rail of their back patio watching the rain. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that she was able to put her arms around him before he noticed her presence. For the jaganshi, legendary master of the black dragon, to let his guard down even in the space of his own home was unthinkable. And to be staring out at the rain as if it soothed him. Who was this stranger? And where was her mate?
Their lovemaking only got better with time. She fell asleep exhausted most nights. Always sated, always wrapped in his warm embrace. Hiei was a considerate lover at all times. Even when he lost control and the demon demanded their lovemaking be a little rougher. He always made sure that he pleased her. That happened less often as the child grew. He made sure that he would not hurt her or the child.
He was a concerned father. He insisted on feeding the child his ki at least twice a day. She expected to be able to determine the sex of the child within a week or two at the most. Hiei didn't seem to care. He had told her that it was irrelevant whether the child was male or female. When the time came, his child would be more than strong enough to secure their inheritance. She was convinced it would also make no difference in the training Hiei would give their child. He had an example of a strong woman fighter in Mukuro and he saw no reason why a daughter should be considered weaker than a son.
They had just finished breakfast and were about to go their separate ways for the day when Hiei's cell phone rang. It was Kurama. Rayna paused to see if she needed to alter her plans for the day. "Yes fox? Ok. Yes. Rayna is still here. The temple? Or are they coming to you? We'll be there. Have you called Yusuke? I will. Anything you need? We're on our way." He hung up. "Beth is in labor. She put it off too long again so this one will be born at home rather than the temple. We'll be on our way as soon as I call Yusuke."
Rayna called her apprentice and cancelled their plans for the day. Within minutes they were on their way, running at top speed. Rayna noticed her top speed was a little slower than usual. But then she was almost two months pregnant. Hiei slowed to match her pace although she knew he was anxious to get there. He would be helping Yusuke and Kuwabara to fight off any low level demons that thought to attend the birth uninvited. They were the last to arrive.
The demons had just begun to gather. Hiei smirked as he let Rayna into the house and took up his defensive position. You would think with all the kids this group had birthed over the years, that the demons would get the hint. The only difference this time is that Tara and Kaishou had also taken up defensive positions around the house. There was nothing strong enough to pose any real threat to Kurama's oldest kits, and they were positioned between Yusuke and himself if things got out of hand. The rest of Kurama's kits, having all stayed home from school today for the birth, were watching from the windows. They had been forbidden to set foot outside until their father told them it was ok to do so.
With this being her eighth kit in ten years, Beth's labor was progressing swiftly, her body more than familiar with the process. Kurama as always stayed by her side holding her hand and cooing soothing words in her ear. Within a relatively short time, they all felt the birth energy announcing another successful delivery. The low level demons stopped appearing and a tired group entered the house to greet the family's newest member.
Rather than have everyone crowding into their bedroom, Kurama brought the child out while Genkai and Yukina finished healing Beth. With a wide smile and shining eyes, he handed the bundle in his arms to Tara first. "Tara, meet your sister. Her name is Miyu." Tara smiled at her new little sister. There were groans from the boys. "A girl?" "Yuck." Kurama chuckled as the boys gathered around to get a look at her anyway. "You boys need to understand that Miyu will not be like Tara." Kaishou looked up. "How so, Father?" Kurama ruffled his hair. "Well, Tara is older than all of you and has always taken care of you, protected you, taught you skills. Miyu is the youngest. She will need her big brothers to take care of her. Protect her. Teach her skills. It's a very big responsibility."
Kurama stood back and let the seed he planted grow. The boys seemed to accept that to this tiny girl they would be very important. Attitudes changed as the possibility that she would one day see them all as heroes became a desirable goal. Ok. Maybe he had laid it on a little thick, but Kurama was glad that his sons were no longer complaining about their new sibling being a girl.
He left Miyu to be introduced to the family as he went back to check on Beth. She had dozed off after Genkai finished healing her. Genkai met him in the hall. She closed the door behind her. Kurama panicked for a moment. If Genkai wanted to speak to him alone then there was a problem. "What is it? What's wrong?" Genkai shook her head. "Don't worry. She's fine. The baby is fine." He relaxed. "Then what do you wish to speak to me about?" She led him a little further down the hall. "I know how much you love your kits. You are a better father than even I would have predicted. But Beth needs a rest."
He now knew where this was headed. "I know. She loves our kits just as much as I, but I realize that eight in ten years has to have put a strain on her body. Even though she is a demon now. I had already thought to discuss a method of birth control with her." Genkai nodded. "I'm glad you understand. I am not suggesting you never have any more. You two will live for thousands of years. I just think that it would be advisable to wait a few years for the next one." "I understand and I agree. Besides now that Tara and Shura are formally betrothed, we can look forward to grandchildren in a few years."
He recalled the short ceremony they had held before they left Alaric. Only he, Beth, and Yomi had been present to witness the ceremony as demon law dictates. Shura had bitten Tara's wrist and she had bitten his. Then they had pressed their wrists together to let their blood mingle. It was more binding than a scent marking. It was a blood contract between the two. Less than a mating, but not by much. Their life spans were not yet bound to the other, but it would prevent another from claiming Tara as their mate. To dissolve a betrothal sealed by a blood contract was very difficult to do. It usually resulted in the death of one of them. Many clan wars had been fought over broken betrothals.
Genkai walked down the hall leaving him to spend time with his mate. Kurama opened the door to find Beth awake. He sat down next to her on the bed. Yukina had gone to make sure everything was set up in Tara's room. It had surprised them when she insisted she could share her room with her new sister. She had told them that it would give her practice for when she one day presented Shura with his heir. Beth took his hand. "I'm glad we had a girl. I know how much you are going to miss Tara when she leaves us."
He kissed her brow. "She is beautiful." Beth giggled. "Yes. But no Youko this time. Her hair and eyes are all Shuichi." Miyu had Kurama's vivid red hair and vibrant green eyes. The boys had all been mixtures of the both of them, but the girls both looked like their father. He threaded his fingers through hers. "There is an herbal tea I would like you to start drinking." "Ok. What is it for?" He gave her a gentle smile. "I think we should give it some time before we have anymore kits. Genkai says you need a rest and I agree. We have many years to have more."
She laid her head on his chest. "Are you ok with that?" He chuckled. "Yes. Our fox army can wait a few years." She smiled and stroked his cheek. "As long as you promise me we won't stop practicing making them." He brushed a lock of hair from her face. "Not a chance. We may even have to train daily to maintain peak performance." "Hm. It sounds like a tough regimen, but I think we can endure." "On second thought perhaps it will require training more than once daily." He captured her lips.
Hiei watched Rayna as she held Miyu. In a little over two months she would be holding his child in her arms. After all the years of attending the birth of his friends' children, they would finally be attending the birth of his. He had always thought that the only place he would ever have in a child's life was uncle. Could he be as good a father as the men here with him now? He had not had a father as an example growing up. But then neither did any of his friends. Yusuke, like him, never knew his father. And his mother had been a less than shining example of parenthood. Kuwabara and Kurama's fathers had died when they were small. Kurama had been sixteen in his human from when Shiori married his stepfather. Almost an adult by human standards. Kuwabara's mother had died in the same accident his father had, so he only had his sister Shizuru for most of his life. But all three were good fathers. He was roused from his thoughts by Keiko's raised voice. "Oh gods! Did anybody think to call the grandmothers?"
Rayna laughed as there was a mad scramble for phones. She was content to hold Miyu, who was sleeping peacefully amidst the chaos. She smiled down at the little bundle in her arms, and wondered what her child would look like. Would it look like her? Or Hiei? A little of them both? She couldn't wait to hold her own child. Hiei's child. The child she was now convinced he wanted more than anything else in the three worlds. And it had nothing to do with providing an heir for Alaric. This child she carried would be the luckiest child alive because it would have Hiei for a father. She believed that with all her heart.
After the grandmothers had been called, Yusuke and Kuwabara had volunteered to get lunchmeat and such to feed the group that had gathered together. Kaishou and Koshi were going with them. There would be a lot of food to feed this group. Yukina had called Koenma and Botan. They would be arriving shortly. Hiei called Mukuro to let her know she had a new niece. Tara called Shura, surprised when he told her he would let his father know the news before he left. She hadn't expected him to actually come. But then with their betrothal he was now officially a part of the family instead of family by friendship.
She usually got a headache if she tried to figure out the real relationships in the family. There were blood relationships. There were relationships through marriage. Oh wow. She hadn't thought about it before. Her Uncle Yomi wasn't her uncle anymore. He was her father in law. Should she stop calling him Uncle Yomi? What should she call him now? She would discuss it with Shura when he got here. She was glad no one had to go pick him up now. Uncle Koenma had lifted all the restrictions on Shura visiting the Ningenkai when the betrothal had become official. Perhaps he could stay a few days and she could take him to some of her favorite places.
Miyu began to fidget indicating she was hungry. Tara took her sister from Rayna and carried her to her parent's room. She shifted Miyu to one arm and knocked lightly before opening the door. She interrupted what looked to be a very heated kiss. She opened her mouth to tell them to get a room, then realized with chagrin that this was their room and she had not waited to be told to come in. "Geez. Can't you guys give it a rest? Miyu isn't even two hours old yet." She blushed handing her sister to her father, glad that kissing was all she had walked in on. She wasted no time getting back out of the room. Closing the door she leaned against it.
She knew that her species were very sensual creatures. Her parents had both explained it to her when they had given her the sex education talk. She still didn't get it. Perhaps because she hadn't reached sexual maturity yet. Oh she knew the feelings of desire. She had felt it for Shura. She wouldn't have agreed to a betrothal if she hadn't. But it was not the overwhelming drive her parents seemed to have. Would that change once she and Shura mated? Of course Shura was not a fox. He was a goat. What kind of sexual drive did goats have? She really did not want to think about this right now. She gave a disgusted snort as she pushed away from the door. "Rabbits. They really are rabbits."
To be continued….
