Basically just a lot of fluff this chapter. Also enormous thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story, I appreciate it a lot! 3
Keiko was currently holding Yoh in the air, watching as the baby 'walked' when being held up vertically. She had discovered that both babies did that when being held some time ago. Yoh did it, Hao did it, and while Hao wasn't amused, Yoh loved it. Every time, he enjoyed these little moments spent with his mother, and he loved being gently tickled on his belly, which was the next thing Keiko did. She set him down on the table, running her fingers on his exposed belly. Yoh let out an excited shriek, indicating that he liked the nice game his mum was playing with him.
In general, Yoh loved the time spent with his mum. He wasn't old enough to smile or babble yet, or to tell her exactly what he liked, but she knew that he did, going by his excited little kicks in the air.
"Do you like that, Yoh?" Keiko asked, tickling the baby on his stomach once more. Yoh kicked his little stubby legs out, as much as he could muster (which wasn't a lot) and looked very pleased with himself.
Keiko continued until her younger son looked away. She took in his expression and recognized that he was getting overexcited, and stopped tickling his belly. After all, there could only be so much playtime for babies that were supposed to be sleeping soon.
Yoh, however, seemed to be wide awake. He looked up at Mikihisa who held him in his arms and extended his little arm towards his shirt.
Out of the two of them, Keiko always had a slight suspicion that Yoh would prefer to spend time with his father as he grew up. So far, he wanted to stay near her, given that she was his mother and all, but she had begun to see little changes in how Yoh saw Mikihisa and his little baby gestures that were an attempt to get closer to his father. Keiko saw it all and she smiled. It was a sinister smile, one that was gently tugging the corners of her lips upwards.
"It seems that he wants to spend some quality time with you," she chuckled, going to the crib and pulling out Hao. He was already awake but was definitely not eager to be bathed. Keiko set him on the table while she was checking the water's temperature. She had already bathed Yoh before, and said baby boy was watching the scene with unfocused eyes now. His vision was getting better, though it was still pretty blurry. He could easily focus on his parents' faces and he could also recognize his twin brother by now, and in their company, he felt safe and protected.
Keiko set Hao into the bathtub, supporting his head and started bathing him. The boy closed his eyes in exasperation. In the first few weeks, he only spent his time in the bathtub complaining about how humiliating it was, but he had long since accepted that there was no way he would be able to get out of it. Now, he just grumbled in annoyance.
Keiko smiled at his antics.
"You complain when Yoh needs a bath, but you can always use some yourself," she commented light-heartedly. Unfortunately, Hao had to agree. Sometimes, he could use a bath as much as Yoh, but he already wished that he would be old enough to do it himself. He decided not to comment on it and stayed silent, only closing his eyes when Keiko washed his neck and shoulders so that no water would get into his eyes.
Soon, she wrapped him up in a towel and gently dried him off, making him wear yet another nappy (when was he going to get rid of that pathetic thing?).
"There, you're a clean and handsome baby, just like your brother," Keiko said, slightly ruffling the small tuft of hair on his head.
Mikihisa set Yoh down next to Hao. He didn't set him on his back, however. Yoh was set to lie on his tummy. His arms were neatly folded next to his sides, and his legs were bent, but that didn't stop Yoh from turning his head to look at his brother.
Hao grumbled when he felt Keiko roll him over to lie on his stomach too. Sometimes, he wondered if it wouldn't be better to just not remember how long and agonizing the process of growing up was. He wanted to be an adult now. Or at least a teenager. That way, he could already do most of the stuff he wanted to do. He didn't want to spend the next few years confined to these rooms, just to play and nap all the time.
While Hao had already mastered the art of lifting his head up while lying down on his stomach, Yoh wasn't very far behind. In time, they would surely start showing differences in their development (after all, Hao had already been through childhood twice and he considered himself a sort-of an expert while Yoh still had to figure it all out with that little head of his) but so far, they were evenly tied. Both babies had started lifting their heads up - Yoh was always looking at Keiko or Mikihisa, and Hao spent his time watching his blurry surroundings, hoping to spot something interesting that would make the infinite boredom he was living in go away.
The parents were gathered around the two babies like overprotective hawks, and they watched their every move. While Yoh loved the attention that his parents were giving him, it made Hao feel uneasy. It felt as if they were waiting for him to make the slightest mistake, especially Mikihisa. He knew that he and Keiko kept the pram incident between the two of them, not telling Yohmei anything, but from the elderly shaman's visits, he knew that he knew. He felt his disgust at him, and if he could, he would certainly unleash his shikigamis on him. But Hao knew better. The Asakuras were just a bunch of fools if they kept thinking that they could actually subdue him. Even if he was trapped in a baby's body, all it would take was one thought to the Spirit of Fire and the Asakura's house would burn down.
"There, you're such good boys," Keiko cooed, watching as Yoh rested his head back on the table. It was still too much effort to keep his little head up; his neck wasn't that strong yet. But this was a start, the first step to getting control over his little body.
Hao kept his head up a little longer, but eventually, he too felt the strain on his neck muscles and decided not to strain himself. It wasn't worth it, and he was well familiar with neck pain. He let his head rest, watching as Keiko scooped up Yoh.
Yoh loved being cuddled. He was getting more socially responsive with each week that passed and he was quite excited whenever his parents played with him or cuddled him. Hao, not so much, though his newborn body betrayed him and he felt safe and happy whenever he was in his current mother's arms.
Keiko spent some time cuddling Yoh, and the baby tried to imitate her facial expressions. He kept opening and closing his mouth, and a few times, it almost seemed as if he was trying to talk with her, but eventually, he got tired of all the activity. He fell asleep in her arms, a slight smile on his face. Keiko smiled at her son lovingly and adjusted his position so she could take him back to the crib.
Hao was still wide awake when she returned for a scheduled cuddle session for her older son. Looking away before she lifted him up, Hao finally relented and outstretched his little arms. Imitating Keiko's expression when she lifted him up, he (involuntarily) leaned into her side and nuzzled her clothes. With her, he felt safe. In her arms, he was protected. He definitely wouldn't do this for Mikihisa or anyone else. They weren't friendly. He knew that his father was bothered by this, but he wouldn't relax in the arms of a man who felt at odds with him. Thanks to his reishi, he was well aware that Mikihisa wanted to love him as his son, but he preferred spending time with Yoh. His heart was full of doubts about allowing him to live with the family, Hao knew. Especially after the pram had been destroyed. And, as such, he would always stay on guard around the father of his current body. In this household, only Keiko and Yoh had pure hearts. Yoh was too young to differentiate between good and evil and Keiko felt unconditional love for him as he was her son. For a moment, Hao wondered if his own mother felt the same, but it was too late to know now. Whenever he had his own offspring, he didn't feel the same. He had children out of necessity, out of the need to preserve his own bloodline, but never because he had wanted them. For him, his own children were strangers. They were just tools to ensure that his legacy would live on.
Keiko… she didn't see it like that. Of course, she had been expected to carry an heir to the Asakuras, but her having her own children was in no way unwanted. She and Mikihisa wanted them, and as such, they would give them their whole hearts. Hao closed his eyes. To Yoh anyways. If Hao had been a normal baby, they would be all over him, Mikihisa and Yohmei. They would take care of him as well as they took care of Yoh.
No, only Keiko deserved his full attention and love. In this household, it was always just her.
Opening his mouth in a wide yawn, his eyelids began to drop.
"Aw, is someone tired?" Keiko asked, nuzzling his nose with hers gently. "Let's tuck you in." She silently went to the room where Yoh was already sleeping soundly in the crib. Setting Hao down and pulling the light covers over him, she gently kissed both boys' foreheads.
"Sleep well, my little angels," she whispered and left, closing the door behind her. But by then, both babies were fast asleep, slight smiles on their faces.