Of You, Me, and Us
Summary: "I like you." When those words left her lips, Botan had expected to hear him utter words of apology. After all, she didn't think he felt the same way about her. She didn't expect Kurama looking straight at her in the eyes before leaning closer to kiss her. And although he didn't say anything, one glance at the expression on his face was enough to tell her: she was his now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Chapter 46: Litter
It was about eleven months later when they finally got their first set of twins.
They had been trying for two months before they were finally bestowed with the happy announcement that the ferry girl was pregnant and anyone could just imagine the profuse bouts of glee that shrouded them when the doctor pronounced that they were to expect twins. It was about an hour later after Kurama had stopped humming a joyful tune when Botan declared that she had known for a while now, that although she was no longer a grim reaper in official records, she still had the capability to detect a new life force and she had sensed a couple of them beginning to build up in her womb a few days before she exhibited the first few symptoms of morning sickness. Albeit, she didn't divulge her findings to him due to reports of grim reapers miscalculating and the rather high errors in her powers. It was easy enough to distinguish a human's vitality before a soul was born, yet it was also facile for ferry girls to get confused and be deceived when it came to hybrids, especially those of demon and spirit origins combined as such a case was unheard of.
He hadn't anticipated the babies would be birthed a day earlier than the doctor's predictions.
It had been March the 23rd, and the rain had been showering the earth with fast, hard drip drops of downpour. Kurama had been preoccupied with answering calls from obnoxious clients for his step-father when he received news about Botan's water breaking and had quickly rushed out of the thresholds of the giant, tall building of Hatanaka's conglomerate company. Impression and probability of arising mortals' suspicions be damned as he dashed through cars and roofs through the heavy torrent.
He was grateful for Keiko's presence and quick thinking, along with Yusuke's breakneck speed as he carried Botan to the nearest hospital as soon as possible when they had decided to visit her and she suddenly started to display signs of pain as she doubled over with trickles of gushing liquid sliding down her legs. Yusuke had called him up in his cell once the adrenaline rush had disappeared from his system and he had disclosed the fact that he was watching Botan's body lying on a hospital bed and being pushed inside the maternity unit. The sheer anxiety in his voice had been patent as he stumbled over his explanation and caused Kurama's own panic to rise from under his skin. The redhead didn't neglect to thank Yusuke when the call was over. He didn't know what would have happened to his wife if the former delinquent and Keiko hadn't been there.
He hadn't offered his step-father much elaboration as it would take some time to locate Kazuya, and instead opted to clarify the situation through the means of phone call as he sprinted to the address of the hospital Botan was situated in. The older man probably hadn't discerned his out of breath timbre, considering the fact that he didn't ask the reason behind his breathless pants as he was more focused on flapping from the unforeseen course of events.
When he eventually rolled into the scene after what seemed like an interminable amount of time, Kurama had been vividly aware of the droplets of liquid soaking him from head to toe and the cotton fabric of his buttoned down shirt and grey jacket tightly clinging to his figure. He didn't waste a second to even care though as his short-winded appearance entered the waiting area. Yusuke had been pacing back and forth and ignoring the nurses' requests for him to calm down and sit on one of the chairs when he spotted Kurama's silhouette stepping in. He waved a hand towards the fox while obnoxiously disregarding the weird glances he earned from the patients and nurses nearby to inform him of his whereabouts when he eyed his friend attempting to pinpoint where he was. Kurama was understandably perturbed, and it was the first time that Yusuke had seen him so out of his boundaries of composure. It took the ex-detective's hushed whisper that he might detonate the entire building from the waves of tension he was continuously emitting from his demonic aura for him to attain his presence of mind before willing his energy to flow in a calmer ripple.
Keiko had arrived a half an hour later with Puu in her arms with a long line of Kuwabara, Shizuru, Atsuko, Yukina and the rest of his family behind her. Shiori kept sputtering and acting like she was about to collapse from the fact that her daughter-in-law was giving birth earlier than what was envisioned, for some reason somewhat more in shock and agitated than her own son as she continued to bombard the group with incoherent burbles. Little Shuichi appeared to be in a daze over the ruckus that was going on as he kept repeating 'baby' over and over again like it was some chant under his breath the entire time. Kazuya didn't come across able to handle the situation better when Kurama could almost feel his soul slipping out of his mouth.
Keiko and Yukina were trying to make them all simmer down, whilst Shizuru had her back languid against the wall as she pulled out another expertly ground tobacco from her pack of cigarettes and proceeded to indulge herself in a relaxing smoke to alleviate her own wrecking nerves with all the hellish upheaval occurring around her. Atsuko, as habitual, drew out a bottle of booze from her purse before it was swiftly snatched away from her by a passing nurse. Kuwabara joined Yusuke with his stride from to and fro, oddly emitting a catchy rhythm as their feet briskly thudded against the floor. Hiei had taken a moment to enjoy the havoc taking place when he decided to grace them with his presence and told Kurama to stop biting on his nails or else he would start chewing on his fingers next and that the entire sight would have been unbecoming for the legendary former thief. His peer's ill-humored jibe managed to palliate the strain of his mind to some degree as he awaited for some news about his wife and children, the redhead immediately shooting down the fire demon's insulting barb with his own snide remark. He knew that Hiei was trying to appease him in his own way though, and of course he had to respond by poking fun at the Jagan user.
Genkai turned up with Koenma, Hinageshi and Ayame a little later, the old woman practically scoffing at them to relax despite her own concern rotating off of her in wild streams. Yusuke being Yusuke made fun of her attempt at a tough act before he was instantly silenced with a harsh punch to the face. The impact itself would have been brain-damaging if he had been a normal human and it hadn't taken them long to become engaged in a high-pitched mouth war, successfully creating a louder scene than the others and garnering a lot of unwanted attention. Koenma shook his head, muttered something about being surrounded by loonies and greeted Kurama with a tiny wave of his hand as an acknowledgement. Hinageshi was excited by all accounts, as confirmed by her constantly beaming in joy before her show of childlike enthusiasm was cooled down by Ayame.
Seeing his family and friends unveiling stronger and more panicky reactions than him made Kurama feel sane, if only for a little. Or perhaps his seemingly weaker feedback was contributed to the factor that he was becoming numb from the overbearing worries plaguing his mind, the unease only heightened by his increasing impatience as time continued to flutter by. Then again, he was not one to manifest anything out of his calm exterior in spite of his insides practically roaring to see Botan and to know that she and the newborns were in good condition. The most anyone would receive from him was the occasional tap of his right foot against the floor beneath him or the irregular spike of his demon energy, only perceptible by the few who possessed enhanced awareness to detect his aura in the currently crowded space.
It had been seven hours since the beginning of Botan's childbirth.
A little quarter of an hour later, the male doctor in charge ambled out of the double-panel doors serving as the only entrance to the maternity unit. His disclosure that the babies had been safely delivered succeeded to leave his throat a mere halfway through when the entirety of the gang tried to barge in, only to be halted roughly in their tracks by a large number of nurses and security as the doctor informed that only Kurama was permitted to enter at first and that they shouldn't intrude on the infants and new mother all at once. Kurama briefly fretted the risk of them getting thrown out of the hospital, only to laugh at himself for stewing over it, considering that his friends were crazy beyond comprehension and wouldn't go down without a fight to begin with. If any of his three best friends were to be barred from entry, Kurama would have taunted them for not holding out on their own against an assembly of nurses of all things.
When he entered the room Botan was in, Kurama could have sworn his heart did a wondrous flip, stopped beating before reinstating its palpitations again.
His beloved wife was sitting up on the bed with her back idly against the hospital's bed bleached headboard, a couple of bundled up twins in her arms as she cooed at them in a tender, doting manner. Her cheeks were flushed in salmon pink as if to indicate a beautiful glow, the rosy, glossy texture of her lips slanted into a contented smile. Her vibrant, love-filled and enraptured pair of violets seemed to glint at him underneath her long, thick eyelashes as she lifted her head up to look at him and waved a hand at him to come closer.
In his trance, Kurama hadn't realized that his mouth had been slightly open the whole time nor did he notice the absent-minded steps of his feet as he distractedly trudged towards her. Botan had bursted out into a girlish fit of giggles when he uncharacteristically tripped and nearly fell fast-first on the floor before he regained his balance. Kurama felt awfully embarrassed and foolish when his lover proceeded to snicker against the back of her hand as she brought it to her lips, his cheeks heating up as blood rushed to his and colored his face a bright scarlet in shame.
"It's not nice to laugh at your husband's expense, sweetheart," he purred before his own chortles bubbled out of his chest as the humiliation died down, taking its place was intense delirium as he took a seat on the chair at the edge of the bed.
"Look at them," she implored him with a radiant smile latched on her lips as she gestured to the children in her arms.
She tenderly placed them on the bed, lovingly shushing them as they cried from the brief separation before she handed one of them to him and went to clasp the other one back into her embrace. His pair of twins quieted down at the same time once their parents held them, their tumultuous wailing reducing to incomprehensible yet admittedly endearing babbles.
He directed his gaze to the toddler in his arms, his grasp light and careful as he pushed back the blanket cloaking around the infant's head to study the baby better. He almost panicked when he caught sight of familiar fox ears sprouting from the top of the little one's head. Botan seemed to notice the trepidation that was clouding around him from the simple actions of his red brows furrowing into a deep, concerned frown.
"Don't worry," she reassured him, her voice soft and comforting. "The doctor didn't see those on him when they first came out," she proceeded to elucidate, a short guffaw rippling out of her throat. "I don't know if they inherited your keen intellect or something like that, but they knew to hide the tail and fox ears from the doctor and his assistants and waited until they were gone to let them pop out." Her irises were congested with delight, almost as if she was already proud of them.
Kurama's lips parted and closed like a fish for a few moments as he attempted to register the piece of information. He hadn't expected them to possess such a sharp perception so soon, but then again, it might not be as bizarre as he presumed it was. After all, even back when he was a kit, his acumen was already on a different level. He wasn't entirely assured if it was supplied from his genetics, but he was glad that his observant wit had passed down to his offspring.
He blinked when another thought crossed his mind. "Him?" he echoed.
"Mm-hmm." The former ferry girl nodded her head at him, the satisfied smile on her pretty visage broadening ever so slightly. "He's a boy and this one's a girl," she simplified as she raised the toddler in her arms for emphasis.
Kurama fluttered his eyelids into another blink before his gaze lowered back to the infant in his hands so that he could resume his previous survey. The little boy's eyes were a similar shade of peridots as his, his blue fringe followed by lustrous strands of cerulean to match his mother's hair. Those fox ears definitely belonged to Youko and Kurama didn't need to fully peel off the tiny duvet wrapped around him to know that a small tail lingered at his rear end. His heart swelled in barely curbed satisfaction, the feeling further intensified in higher notches as a spout of paradise-level joy also washed over him. His features began to mirror Botan's, a gratified smile teasing at his lips as he observed the toddler reach a tiny hand out before curling into a small fist around the crimson tendrils of his mane that cascaded down from his shoulder to his chest. The baby produced a sound that drummed between an enthusiastic giggle and incoherent bubbles and the fox almost melted from the adorable display even as his son kept tugging at his hair.
He couldn't remember a time when he had ever procured such an unbelievably strong elation in his voice as he eagerly asked his spouse, "Can I see the other one?"
Botan expelled a brief howl of laughter before scooting closer with a bit of struggle towards the redhead. Kurama nearly jumped out of his seat when he caught her wince of slight ache before she gave him a light, playful admonish and reassured him that she was alright. She hoisted the little one in her arms, gently prying the blanket away from the top of the infant's head as she leaned closer to give Kurama a better view.
Instead of azure-hued locks for hair, he was greeted by the sight of parallel vermillion mane. The tiny neonate blinked her majestic lavenders at him, the gesture seemingly implicating child-like curiosity at first before bubbling in joy. Fox ears proliferated at the top of her head, the red fur adorning the twitching appendages' a direct contrast to the sky blue wool decorating his son's fox ears. His daughter continued to gurgle at him in unhidden excitement as she extended a short arm as if to touch and yank at his hair along with her sibling.
"I think you need to cut your hair short after this," Botan's voice chimed in, bringing him out of his pride-laced-delight state of mind as the redhead offered a jovial hum at her in response.
"I wouldn't mind keeping it long enough for them to wrench my locks out of my roots if they keep giggling at me like that," came his immediate, affectionate reply, his voice laced heavily with blended mirth and rapture.
"Goodness, they've just met you and they already have you wrapped around their fingers," his wife chortled before jutting her lips forward as if to feign a forged exhibition of envy. "It took me a few years to worm through your defenses and they succeed in just a day," she sulked before heaving a fake, deep sigh.
Her transposed humor brought a smile to his lips before emitting a wave of low, amused chuckles. He inched slightly closer to give her a chaste, featherlight peck on the lips before drawing apart instantly to look straight into her eyes. The boundless love in his unfathomable depths of greens resembled hers as she stared at him in unrepressed fondness.
"I can already tell that they're going to grow up cute and beautiful," Botan gushed as her aura radiated an overwhelming surge of exhilaration. "I can't wait to buy baby clothes and dress them up."
Kurama's lips slightly curved to form a patient smile, though the touch of amusement danced in his spirited emeralds. "If this little boy in my arms is anything like me, then he's not exactly going to relish being called beautiful, much less cute, dearest," he quipped in, the satire in his words leaving him in well-articulated syllables.
"Oh, hush, you!" Botan released one hand to wave it in a dismissive manner at him as she sounded the half-scoff, but kept her other arm protectively wrapped around her daughter as she confidently provided a reply, "He'll learn to accept and take it as it is like his father does. For all we know, he might not have inherited your inflated ego."
"Very funny, princess," came Kurama's quick sarcastic riposte before the sardonic mask faltered to give way to a genuinely happy grin as it slanted at the corners of his lips. "What do we name them?"
As usual, Kurama followed his wife's cue and relented to her wishes as she decided to name their son as Tsubaki and their daughter as Ume. Again, if his son bore any similarity to his father, his upcoming pride would probably be wounded by the feminine name in the future. But Kurama complied anyway - after all, like him, Tsubaki would learn to cherish his mother's attention and love all the same.
saillovelypines- Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. I implore you to rest, though I'm not sure if your busy schedule allows you a break. You might want to see the doctor to get that checked, sometimes mounting stress can lead to a lot of health problems. I feel sympathetic for you, I know how tiring it gets to deal with work everyday. But I'm more than happy to keep you elated with my updates, nothing makes me more in joy that making another person's day a little better. And you're welcome! Anything for you ;). Well, you got TWO baby petunias hehehe.
lovelyirl- I'm glad it's to your liking! Lol, I know it took me like 45 updates to finally write about them tying the knot but I can't help gushing over the sweet moments back when they were lovers. Of course it's only going to get better now that they're married and having a family together.
Guest- Thank you! I'm glad you found it enjoyable.
