"Hello!" Mitsue said, struggling to stand and greet the trio properly
when they got to the main house for lunch.
Tohru rushed forward. "Please, don't try and stand!" she said, pushing Mitsue back in her chair firmly. "You shouldn't be straining yourself."
"How is standing a strain?" Mitsue asked, grinning. "Thank you for the concern, dear." She said, patting Tohru's hand.
"Oh, you're welcome." Tohru said, smiling back. "Can I get you a plate?"
"No thank you dear. I've already eaten." Mitsue said. "But go get yourself something and come sit with me. Ever since I became pregnant, everyone in the family has either been treating me like glass or avoiding me." She grimaced. "I can't understand why."
"You're carrying the future Clan Head." Tohru said, shrugging. "They're gonna treat you differently."
"I'll be glad when it's born, so I can go back to being normal." Mitsue said. She winced as she readjusted herself. Tohru jumped up in alarm, but Mitsue waved her back. "No, it's ok." She said. "Just a bit of a back ache. I've had one off and on all day." She smiled ruefully and rubbed her stomach. "I guess it comes of carrying a few extra pounds." Tohru smiled. "I'm afraid I have to excuse myself, dear. Nature calls." Mitsue said, standing and leaving the room.
"Tohru!" Momiji said, running up to her. His blue eyes were shining. "Where did you sleep? I was going to invite you to stay at my house, and Kyo, and Yuki too, but you left before I could!"
"I'm sorry Momiji!" Tohru said, frowning. "We went to stay at Yuki's house." Momiji looked puzzled. "I thought it only had one bedroom now?"
Tohru blushed. "Well, it does." She said.
Momiji started grinning like a fool. "Did Kyo sleep there too?"
Tohru nodded. "Yeah. The bed was so big there was plenty of room!" Tohru said, smiling.
"Well, that's nice." Momiji said. He grinned. "Hey Kyo!" he said, waving at the cat, who was going past with a plate.
Kyo frowned. "What?" He asked, walking over and sitting next to Tohru with a smile.
"How did you sleep last night?" Momiji asked innocently.
Kyo immediately bristled. "What's it to you?" he asked, cat ears springing up on his head.
"No reason. I knew the house of the cat was still being changed around, and I was just wondering where you ended up, that's all." He said.
"Right." Kyo said. "I stayed at the rat's house." He said, taking a big bite out of the sandwich on his plate.
"Oh, I was gonna as you three to stay at my house, that's all." Momiji said. "I thought the House of the Rat only had one bedroom." He grinned evilly when Kyo choked on his sandwich, causing Tohru to slap him firmly on the back.
"Are you ok?" She asked, white eyed.
"Yeah." Kyo said, clearing his throat. "I."
"Oh! There's Haru! I have to go, see you later, Tohru!" Momiji said, pretending to ignore Kyo's reply, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
Kyo and Tohru sat eating peacefully, until Kisa came running up in a panic. "Guys, Mitsue just went into labor!" She said. "They got the delivery date wrong, she's seven months TODAY!"
"Crap!" Kyo said, shooting to his feet. "Is Hatori with her?"
"Yes, but she's having a really hard time." Kisa said. "They think her pelvis is too small."
"Shit!" Kyo said, running for a set of rooms at the far corner of the house, Tohru and Kisa following behind. They came to a halt at a set of closed doors, where the rest of the Zodiac, except Hatori, was standing. Tohru looked around at the anxious Zodiac members. All of them were perfectly still, listening for anything coming from the room. It was a little creepy, but their eyes were glowing in the dark, very slightly. Tohru shivered and leaned into Kyo and Yuki slightly, taking comfort from their presence and offering comfort in return.
The group froze at the sound of a babies' cry from the otherwise silent room, their eyes increasing their glow, almost pulsing with their heartbeat. Their new God had been born. Hatori came out of the room, holding a white swaddled child in his arms. "I bring to you our new God." He said, his eyes glowing just as much as the others. "I also announce that Mitsue has passed, giving birth. Shall her memory live on forever in our hearts and minds."
He pulled the blanket away from the baby's face and held the infant out Swear your oath of respect and duty to your new God." He said, holding out the infant for each Zodiac member to touch. As they did, the glow in their eyes faded. Finally, only Hatori, Kyo, and Yuki had the glowing eyes. Kyo reached out and the glow faded, as did Yuki's. Then Hatori held the baby out for Tohru to touch. "You are as much a member of this family as we are." He said, his eyes increasing their glow. "Touch, and know the child." Tohru timidly reached out and ran a hand over the baby's forehead. She jerked back quickly when the little eyes opened, revealing crystal blue orbs that focused unerringly on Tohru.
The rest of the Zodiac surrounded them and joined hands, putting Hatori, the baby, and Tohru in the middle. "The child has chosen." Hatori said. "Chosen a mother, chosen the person to raise him into the life of a Zodiac God." He held the baby out to Tohru. "Do you accept the responsibility?" He asked. "If you accept, know that you have to see the child through to puberty. You or the person of your choice will also serve as proxy, until the child is able to rule by himself."
Tohru bit her lip, then reached out to take the baby. She didn't realize it, but her eyes started to glow, too.
"The child has been accepted." Hatori said. "Raise him well, Mate of Cat and Rat." He bowed. "I must go in and comfort Mitsue's widower." He said. "He rejected the child when he found his wife was dead, and has asked me to erase his memory of the child being alive. He wishes to think the child died with the mother, so he can make a clean break." He looked at Yuki and Kyo. "Take them to the Head rooms. You will have a hand in raising this baby too, since you are her husbands." With that, he disappeared into the bedroom. They could hear muffled sobbing coming from the room before he closed the door behind him. A few minutes later, a bright flash shone under the door.
Yuki gently led Tohru away from the room and into the Head's room. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.
"I'm fine." Tohru said, gently rocking the baby. "Why?" she asked, looking down at the child, which had fallen asleep.
"I don't know." Yuki said. "Traditionally, if the God has to be raised by a family member, a member of the Zodiac is chosen."
"But I'm not a member of the Zodiac, why did the baby pick me?" She asked, eyes spinning.
"Not a clue, but I know you're stuck." Kyo growled. "I'm sorry. The family will expect you to raise the baby now, and that comes first. You can forget about school for a while."
"I don't mind." Tohru said, smiling slightly. "Will I have to live on the compound?"
"I don't think so." Yuki said. "The god is technically a law unto themselves. They don't have to live on the compound until they take over as head of the family."
"So we can keep living in Shigure's house?" Tohru asked hopefully.
"Of course." Yuki said, smiling. "As long as you want to."
The baby chose that moment to start fussing. Tohru looked down and smiled. "You know, Hatori didn't even tell us if it was a boy or a girl." She said, opening the baby's swaddling. A tiny, perfect male body was revealed. "That answers that question." She said. "It's a boy!"
"He's so tiny." Kyo said, reaching out a gentle finger to touch the baby's smooth skin.
"Babies usually are." Tohru said. She gently patted the baby's back, but he continued to cry. "He's hungry." She said, putting her fingers in his mouth to practice his suckling on. "Where can I get some formula?"
"Go to the kitchen." Yuki advised. "They always have some on hand, just in case."
"Well, that's good." Tohru said, standing. "It's always good to have something for emergencies." She headed for the kitchen, carrying the baby with her.
"Now what are we gonna do?" Kyo asked. "I never planned on a baby, at least not THIS soon!"
"Neither did I." Yuki said. "But she did look adorable carrying him, didn't she?"
"Yeah." Kyo said, smiling slightly.
"Kyo, I was thinking."
"Uh oh." Kyo said, smirking.
"Shut up." Yuki said, glaring. "I was thinking. Since Tohru now has a responsibility to the clan and can't go to school right away, maybe we should think about building a house."
"A house?" Kyo asked skeptically. "Why do we need a house?"
"We can't keep living with Shigure. Wouldn't it get awkward after a while?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kyo blushed. "Yeah." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where?"
"I was thinking we could clear a place a little way down the road from Shigure's and build one there." Yuki said. "It doesn't have to be big."
"But big enough for family." Kyo said.
"Exactly." Yuki said, smiling. "I can contact an architect and have three sets of blueprints to choose from by next week."
"How long will it take them to build it?"
"I don't know." Yuki said. "It depends on the model house we choose."
"You know, we could go ahead and clear the trees." Kyo said, frowning thoughtfully. "If we have that done, then the house will go up faster."
"That's true. And if we get it cut early enough, we can probably use the logs in the house." Yuki said.
"We'll start calling around as soon as we get back home." Yuki said.
* * *
"Now, are you sure he can breathe?" Tohru asked, hovering around the baby carrier in the back seat of Hatori's car. A blanket was covering the top of it, blocking the sleeping baby from sight.
"I'm sure." Hatori said, smiling. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."
"I still don't know if I can do this!" She fretted. "I don't know anything about being a mother!"
"You've done fine so far!" Shigure said. "You're the perfect mother for Kisho." He loaded the last of the baby paraphernalia into the trunk and snapped it shut, sighing with relief.
"You think so?" Tohru asked, wringing her hands. "He's so little, and I'm a little clumsy, what if I drop him?"
"I've heard babies bounce." Kyo said, sticking his head out the car window. Tohru frizzed.
Hatori sighed. "You won't drop him." He said, pushing her into the car, before getting in himself. Because of the size of the vehicle, Tohru had to sit on Kyo's lap, which made both of them blush while Shigure threw them teasing looks in the rearview mirror. Tohru routinely checked on the baby, who slept peacefully all the way home.
As soon as they went through the door, however, a cry came from the covered carrier. Tohru flipped the blanket back and picked him up, settling him against her shoulder like a pro. "I think he's hungry again." She said, patting his back. "And a its time for a diaper change. Will one of you make him a bottle while I change him?"
Yuki and Kyo nodded, sighing with relief to be excused from the more disgusting job. They went into the kitchen, carrying a can of formula, a few spare bottles, and some nipples they had gotten from the diaper bag. They quickly returned, but they were both liberally dusted with the powdered formula, after wrestling over how much they should add.
"Thank you!" Tohru said, taking the warmed formula away from the two boys. "Can you throw this away while I feed him?" She asked, holding out a smelly diaper. They turned green, but they disposed of the diaper while Tohru settled on a cushion and started feeding Kisho. He suckled eagerly, gulping down the formula before settling into a steadier pace.
"Damn he's a fast eater." Kyo said, amazed as the bottle quickly drained. "Don't you have to burp him or somethin'?"
"Not yet." Tohru said, pulling the bottle out of the baby's mouth and looking at how much was still in it, leaving him still sucking on air. His face screwed up, and she quickly stuck the bottle back in his mouth and he started suckling contentedly.
"He's very demanding." Yuki said, smiling.
"Yes." Tohru said ruefully. "He woke me up several times last night."
"He did?" Yuki asked, surprised.
"Uh huh. You must not have heard him." She said, smiling. "He's actually a very quiet baby, just very regular in his meals." She pulled the bottle away again and put Kisho on her shoulder, patting his back firmly. He let out a little belch, and blinked; as if he couldn't believe that sound had come from him. Tohru brought him back down and let him resume his meal.
"Well, everything's out of the car." Shigure said. "Tohru, we've put his crib, changing table, and dresser in your room. There was plenty of room."
"We've unpacked the diapers, clothes, and put the sheets and bumpers in the crib." Hatori said. "The rest is up to you." He checked Kisho one more time, then left.
Tohru took the now drained bottle away from Kisho and burped him. "I'd better put him in his crib." She said, standing. "He'll wake up in a few hours, wanting to eat again." She disappeared upstairs, carrying a sleeping Kisho carefully.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Shigure, may I use your private phone?" Yuki asked, looking at his cousin.
"What for?" Shigure asked, surprised. "The main phone is free."
"Not anymore it's not." Kyo said, jumping up. "I have some calls to make too." He ran out into the hall and they could hear him dialing.
Shigure sighed. "Fine. Just keep it local, ok?"
"I will." Yuki replied, heading for Shigure's office.
"Now what are they up to?" Shigure thought out loud.
* * *
"I like this one." Yuki said, pointing to one set of blueprints.
"It's ok, but this one has more space." Kyo said, pointing to a second set.
"More space, less sense." Yuki said. "Look, there are four bedrooms, but only one bath."
"Good point." Kyo said. "What about this?"
"Mmm, it's nice, but isn't it really more space than we need?"
"Nah, I'm sure we'll find something to do with all that space." Kyo said. "And it even has a sun room, so you and Tohru can grow stuff." He pointed to the blueprints. "And a lower room that can be a gym or an office, depending on what we wanna do with it."
"True." Yuki said. "I think you're right. It has a lot of space, but that's a good thing, right?"
"Yeah, just in case, you know?" Kyo said, blushing.
Yuki blushed and cleared his throat. "I suppose." He said. "I'll call a construction company tomorrow."
"The logging company has already cleared the land, all they have to do is start the building."
"Start building what?" Shigure asked, sneaking up behind the boys. They jumped and clutched at their chests.
"Don't DO THAT!" Kyo yelled, a vein popping on his forehead. He turned back to the plans, a fierce scowl on his face. "Damn dog, always sneaking up on people." He muttered, rolling the different plans up on the table.
Shigure pulled one of them out of the pile, causing it to topple, unrolling all of Kyo's hard work.
"Cut it out!" Kyo snapped, snatching the plans back.
"Are these plans for a house?" Shigure asked. "Are you going to build a house?"
"Yes." Yuki said. "No offence meant to you, Shigure, but a little privacy would be nice."
"I expected it." Shigure said, smiling softly. "And I fully support your decision. After all, you're going to be married, you have a child now, you don't need an old man like me hanging around." He said, sighing. "Just leave me alone in this big, empty, echoing house, all by myself." He said, faux tears pouring down his face
"We'll just be down the road." Kyo said dryly. "It's not like we're moving out of the country."
"True." Shigure said. "I take it this is another surprise for Tohru."
"Yeah." Kyo said. "Looks like you'll have to hire a housekeeper after all."
"Or find a wife." Yuki said, smirking.
"I thought we settled that months ago!" Shigure said, hands on his hips.
"Settled what?" Tohru asked from behind Shigure, scaring all three of them.
"Oh! They're just trying to get me married off again." Shigure said, shoving the piles of blueprints under the table with his foot.
"Oh, did you meet someone?" Tohru asked, smiling brightly.
Shigure sighed. "No. They've stolen you away, and I fear I shall never find one such as you, so I wonder why I should try?" He said, tears pouring theatrically down his cheeks.
"Dry it up, you idiot." Kyo said, frowning. "You're gonna wake up the baby."
Tohru rushed forward. "Please, don't try and stand!" she said, pushing Mitsue back in her chair firmly. "You shouldn't be straining yourself."
"How is standing a strain?" Mitsue asked, grinning. "Thank you for the concern, dear." She said, patting Tohru's hand.
"Oh, you're welcome." Tohru said, smiling back. "Can I get you a plate?"
"No thank you dear. I've already eaten." Mitsue said. "But go get yourself something and come sit with me. Ever since I became pregnant, everyone in the family has either been treating me like glass or avoiding me." She grimaced. "I can't understand why."
"You're carrying the future Clan Head." Tohru said, shrugging. "They're gonna treat you differently."
"I'll be glad when it's born, so I can go back to being normal." Mitsue said. She winced as she readjusted herself. Tohru jumped up in alarm, but Mitsue waved her back. "No, it's ok." She said. "Just a bit of a back ache. I've had one off and on all day." She smiled ruefully and rubbed her stomach. "I guess it comes of carrying a few extra pounds." Tohru smiled. "I'm afraid I have to excuse myself, dear. Nature calls." Mitsue said, standing and leaving the room.
"Tohru!" Momiji said, running up to her. His blue eyes were shining. "Where did you sleep? I was going to invite you to stay at my house, and Kyo, and Yuki too, but you left before I could!"
"I'm sorry Momiji!" Tohru said, frowning. "We went to stay at Yuki's house." Momiji looked puzzled. "I thought it only had one bedroom now?"
Tohru blushed. "Well, it does." She said.
Momiji started grinning like a fool. "Did Kyo sleep there too?"
Tohru nodded. "Yeah. The bed was so big there was plenty of room!" Tohru said, smiling.
"Well, that's nice." Momiji said. He grinned. "Hey Kyo!" he said, waving at the cat, who was going past with a plate.
Kyo frowned. "What?" He asked, walking over and sitting next to Tohru with a smile.
"How did you sleep last night?" Momiji asked innocently.
Kyo immediately bristled. "What's it to you?" he asked, cat ears springing up on his head.
"No reason. I knew the house of the cat was still being changed around, and I was just wondering where you ended up, that's all." He said.
"Right." Kyo said. "I stayed at the rat's house." He said, taking a big bite out of the sandwich on his plate.
"Oh, I was gonna as you three to stay at my house, that's all." Momiji said. "I thought the House of the Rat only had one bedroom." He grinned evilly when Kyo choked on his sandwich, causing Tohru to slap him firmly on the back.
"Are you ok?" She asked, white eyed.
"Yeah." Kyo said, clearing his throat. "I."
"Oh! There's Haru! I have to go, see you later, Tohru!" Momiji said, pretending to ignore Kyo's reply, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
Kyo and Tohru sat eating peacefully, until Kisa came running up in a panic. "Guys, Mitsue just went into labor!" She said. "They got the delivery date wrong, she's seven months TODAY!"
"Crap!" Kyo said, shooting to his feet. "Is Hatori with her?"
"Yes, but she's having a really hard time." Kisa said. "They think her pelvis is too small."
"Shit!" Kyo said, running for a set of rooms at the far corner of the house, Tohru and Kisa following behind. They came to a halt at a set of closed doors, where the rest of the Zodiac, except Hatori, was standing. Tohru looked around at the anxious Zodiac members. All of them were perfectly still, listening for anything coming from the room. It was a little creepy, but their eyes were glowing in the dark, very slightly. Tohru shivered and leaned into Kyo and Yuki slightly, taking comfort from their presence and offering comfort in return.
The group froze at the sound of a babies' cry from the otherwise silent room, their eyes increasing their glow, almost pulsing with their heartbeat. Their new God had been born. Hatori came out of the room, holding a white swaddled child in his arms. "I bring to you our new God." He said, his eyes glowing just as much as the others. "I also announce that Mitsue has passed, giving birth. Shall her memory live on forever in our hearts and minds."
He pulled the blanket away from the baby's face and held the infant out Swear your oath of respect and duty to your new God." He said, holding out the infant for each Zodiac member to touch. As they did, the glow in their eyes faded. Finally, only Hatori, Kyo, and Yuki had the glowing eyes. Kyo reached out and the glow faded, as did Yuki's. Then Hatori held the baby out for Tohru to touch. "You are as much a member of this family as we are." He said, his eyes increasing their glow. "Touch, and know the child." Tohru timidly reached out and ran a hand over the baby's forehead. She jerked back quickly when the little eyes opened, revealing crystal blue orbs that focused unerringly on Tohru.
The rest of the Zodiac surrounded them and joined hands, putting Hatori, the baby, and Tohru in the middle. "The child has chosen." Hatori said. "Chosen a mother, chosen the person to raise him into the life of a Zodiac God." He held the baby out to Tohru. "Do you accept the responsibility?" He asked. "If you accept, know that you have to see the child through to puberty. You or the person of your choice will also serve as proxy, until the child is able to rule by himself."
Tohru bit her lip, then reached out to take the baby. She didn't realize it, but her eyes started to glow, too.
"The child has been accepted." Hatori said. "Raise him well, Mate of Cat and Rat." He bowed. "I must go in and comfort Mitsue's widower." He said. "He rejected the child when he found his wife was dead, and has asked me to erase his memory of the child being alive. He wishes to think the child died with the mother, so he can make a clean break." He looked at Yuki and Kyo. "Take them to the Head rooms. You will have a hand in raising this baby too, since you are her husbands." With that, he disappeared into the bedroom. They could hear muffled sobbing coming from the room before he closed the door behind him. A few minutes later, a bright flash shone under the door.
Yuki gently led Tohru away from the room and into the Head's room. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.
"I'm fine." Tohru said, gently rocking the baby. "Why?" she asked, looking down at the child, which had fallen asleep.
"I don't know." Yuki said. "Traditionally, if the God has to be raised by a family member, a member of the Zodiac is chosen."
"But I'm not a member of the Zodiac, why did the baby pick me?" She asked, eyes spinning.
"Not a clue, but I know you're stuck." Kyo growled. "I'm sorry. The family will expect you to raise the baby now, and that comes first. You can forget about school for a while."
"I don't mind." Tohru said, smiling slightly. "Will I have to live on the compound?"
"I don't think so." Yuki said. "The god is technically a law unto themselves. They don't have to live on the compound until they take over as head of the family."
"So we can keep living in Shigure's house?" Tohru asked hopefully.
"Of course." Yuki said, smiling. "As long as you want to."
The baby chose that moment to start fussing. Tohru looked down and smiled. "You know, Hatori didn't even tell us if it was a boy or a girl." She said, opening the baby's swaddling. A tiny, perfect male body was revealed. "That answers that question." She said. "It's a boy!"
"He's so tiny." Kyo said, reaching out a gentle finger to touch the baby's smooth skin.
"Babies usually are." Tohru said. She gently patted the baby's back, but he continued to cry. "He's hungry." She said, putting her fingers in his mouth to practice his suckling on. "Where can I get some formula?"
"Go to the kitchen." Yuki advised. "They always have some on hand, just in case."
"Well, that's good." Tohru said, standing. "It's always good to have something for emergencies." She headed for the kitchen, carrying the baby with her.
"Now what are we gonna do?" Kyo asked. "I never planned on a baby, at least not THIS soon!"
"Neither did I." Yuki said. "But she did look adorable carrying him, didn't she?"
"Yeah." Kyo said, smiling slightly.
"Kyo, I was thinking."
"Uh oh." Kyo said, smirking.
"Shut up." Yuki said, glaring. "I was thinking. Since Tohru now has a responsibility to the clan and can't go to school right away, maybe we should think about building a house."
"A house?" Kyo asked skeptically. "Why do we need a house?"
"We can't keep living with Shigure. Wouldn't it get awkward after a while?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kyo blushed. "Yeah." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where?"
"I was thinking we could clear a place a little way down the road from Shigure's and build one there." Yuki said. "It doesn't have to be big."
"But big enough for family." Kyo said.
"Exactly." Yuki said, smiling. "I can contact an architect and have three sets of blueprints to choose from by next week."
"How long will it take them to build it?"
"I don't know." Yuki said. "It depends on the model house we choose."
"You know, we could go ahead and clear the trees." Kyo said, frowning thoughtfully. "If we have that done, then the house will go up faster."
"That's true. And if we get it cut early enough, we can probably use the logs in the house." Yuki said.
"We'll start calling around as soon as we get back home." Yuki said.
* * *
"Now, are you sure he can breathe?" Tohru asked, hovering around the baby carrier in the back seat of Hatori's car. A blanket was covering the top of it, blocking the sleeping baby from sight.
"I'm sure." Hatori said, smiling. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."
"I still don't know if I can do this!" She fretted. "I don't know anything about being a mother!"
"You've done fine so far!" Shigure said. "You're the perfect mother for Kisho." He loaded the last of the baby paraphernalia into the trunk and snapped it shut, sighing with relief.
"You think so?" Tohru asked, wringing her hands. "He's so little, and I'm a little clumsy, what if I drop him?"
"I've heard babies bounce." Kyo said, sticking his head out the car window. Tohru frizzed.
Hatori sighed. "You won't drop him." He said, pushing her into the car, before getting in himself. Because of the size of the vehicle, Tohru had to sit on Kyo's lap, which made both of them blush while Shigure threw them teasing looks in the rearview mirror. Tohru routinely checked on the baby, who slept peacefully all the way home.
As soon as they went through the door, however, a cry came from the covered carrier. Tohru flipped the blanket back and picked him up, settling him against her shoulder like a pro. "I think he's hungry again." She said, patting his back. "And a its time for a diaper change. Will one of you make him a bottle while I change him?"
Yuki and Kyo nodded, sighing with relief to be excused from the more disgusting job. They went into the kitchen, carrying a can of formula, a few spare bottles, and some nipples they had gotten from the diaper bag. They quickly returned, but they were both liberally dusted with the powdered formula, after wrestling over how much they should add.
"Thank you!" Tohru said, taking the warmed formula away from the two boys. "Can you throw this away while I feed him?" She asked, holding out a smelly diaper. They turned green, but they disposed of the diaper while Tohru settled on a cushion and started feeding Kisho. He suckled eagerly, gulping down the formula before settling into a steadier pace.
"Damn he's a fast eater." Kyo said, amazed as the bottle quickly drained. "Don't you have to burp him or somethin'?"
"Not yet." Tohru said, pulling the bottle out of the baby's mouth and looking at how much was still in it, leaving him still sucking on air. His face screwed up, and she quickly stuck the bottle back in his mouth and he started suckling contentedly.
"He's very demanding." Yuki said, smiling.
"Yes." Tohru said ruefully. "He woke me up several times last night."
"He did?" Yuki asked, surprised.
"Uh huh. You must not have heard him." She said, smiling. "He's actually a very quiet baby, just very regular in his meals." She pulled the bottle away again and put Kisho on her shoulder, patting his back firmly. He let out a little belch, and blinked; as if he couldn't believe that sound had come from him. Tohru brought him back down and let him resume his meal.
"Well, everything's out of the car." Shigure said. "Tohru, we've put his crib, changing table, and dresser in your room. There was plenty of room."
"We've unpacked the diapers, clothes, and put the sheets and bumpers in the crib." Hatori said. "The rest is up to you." He checked Kisho one more time, then left.
Tohru took the now drained bottle away from Kisho and burped him. "I'd better put him in his crib." She said, standing. "He'll wake up in a few hours, wanting to eat again." She disappeared upstairs, carrying a sleeping Kisho carefully.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Shigure, may I use your private phone?" Yuki asked, looking at his cousin.
"What for?" Shigure asked, surprised. "The main phone is free."
"Not anymore it's not." Kyo said, jumping up. "I have some calls to make too." He ran out into the hall and they could hear him dialing.
Shigure sighed. "Fine. Just keep it local, ok?"
"I will." Yuki replied, heading for Shigure's office.
"Now what are they up to?" Shigure thought out loud.
* * *
"I like this one." Yuki said, pointing to one set of blueprints.
"It's ok, but this one has more space." Kyo said, pointing to a second set.
"More space, less sense." Yuki said. "Look, there are four bedrooms, but only one bath."
"Good point." Kyo said. "What about this?"
"Mmm, it's nice, but isn't it really more space than we need?"
"Nah, I'm sure we'll find something to do with all that space." Kyo said. "And it even has a sun room, so you and Tohru can grow stuff." He pointed to the blueprints. "And a lower room that can be a gym or an office, depending on what we wanna do with it."
"True." Yuki said. "I think you're right. It has a lot of space, but that's a good thing, right?"
"Yeah, just in case, you know?" Kyo said, blushing.
Yuki blushed and cleared his throat. "I suppose." He said. "I'll call a construction company tomorrow."
"The logging company has already cleared the land, all they have to do is start the building."
"Start building what?" Shigure asked, sneaking up behind the boys. They jumped and clutched at their chests.
"Don't DO THAT!" Kyo yelled, a vein popping on his forehead. He turned back to the plans, a fierce scowl on his face. "Damn dog, always sneaking up on people." He muttered, rolling the different plans up on the table.
Shigure pulled one of them out of the pile, causing it to topple, unrolling all of Kyo's hard work.
"Cut it out!" Kyo snapped, snatching the plans back.
"Are these plans for a house?" Shigure asked. "Are you going to build a house?"
"Yes." Yuki said. "No offence meant to you, Shigure, but a little privacy would be nice."
"I expected it." Shigure said, smiling softly. "And I fully support your decision. After all, you're going to be married, you have a child now, you don't need an old man like me hanging around." He said, sighing. "Just leave me alone in this big, empty, echoing house, all by myself." He said, faux tears pouring down his face
"We'll just be down the road." Kyo said dryly. "It's not like we're moving out of the country."
"True." Shigure said. "I take it this is another surprise for Tohru."
"Yeah." Kyo said. "Looks like you'll have to hire a housekeeper after all."
"Or find a wife." Yuki said, smirking.
"I thought we settled that months ago!" Shigure said, hands on his hips.
"Settled what?" Tohru asked from behind Shigure, scaring all three of them.
"Oh! They're just trying to get me married off again." Shigure said, shoving the piles of blueprints under the table with his foot.
"Oh, did you meet someone?" Tohru asked, smiling brightly.
Shigure sighed. "No. They've stolen you away, and I fear I shall never find one such as you, so I wonder why I should try?" He said, tears pouring theatrically down his cheeks.
"Dry it up, you idiot." Kyo said, frowning. "You're gonna wake up the baby."