Well, I'm not gone yet. I might still be here for a few days even. Thought I'd go ahead and update this again, as it might be the last time I can for a while.

Thank you all for the reviews- I especially liked the one from the "yaoi-hater." If I can make even you like this story, then I must be doing something right, huh? Whatever reason you have for not taking to yaoi, I just want to let you know that I really appreciate that you like my story enough to review it like you did

"Bye, Yusuke!"

He waved. "See you tomorrow, Yumi." As soon as Yumi took her place behind the counter he slipped outside, glad to be away fro the drugstore. If possible, his job there was worse than his job at the ramen shop. He liked Yumi though. A short, dark-haired woman of twenty-six, she was a single mother of two young children, yet always maintained an energetic, cheery personality in the workplace. She reminded Yusuke of Botan somewhat, though she was nowhere near as ditzy.

Yusuke yawned. He was tired, having worked for twelve hours since five that morning. Luckily, today was his day off from the ramen shop and, though he really wanted to go to bed, he didn't have to return to Keiko right away. Not that he was avoiding her, just that what he planned to do today he couldn't do with her present.

So caught up in his thought was he that he failed to see where he was walking and crashed into someone. However, before he could apologize he was met with a familiar voice:

"Watch where you're going Urameshi!"

"So nice to see you too, Kuwabara. What are you doing?"

"I'm visiting Kurama. Unlike some people, I haven't abandoned our friend in his time of need."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked defensively.

"When was the last time you went to see him?"

"I've been very busy," Yusuke retorted. "And I have visited him a few times. I tried calling him but all I got was a message saying that their phone's been disconnected."

"Uhm, yeah. Probably because Kurama went berserk and attacked their phone with his rose whip." Yusuke quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. They're using a cell phone now."

"Uh-huh," he said slowly.

"So, if you've been too busy to interact with any of us, what have you been doing?"

"None of your business. Stuff."

"I saw you at the drug-store." Kuwabara continued as they walked up the path to the Hatanaka/Minamino house. "Behind the counter."

"So? Hello, Suichi," he said as the boy answered the door. "May we see Kurama?"

"Yeah. He's in the greenhouse."

"Greenhouse?"

"Gee, it has been awhile since you came here," Kuwabara muttered, "hasn't it?" Yusuke glared at the carrot-top. "Come on, I'll show you." He led Yusuke to the new extension. "Mr. Hatanaka and Suichi built it for Kurama, you know, due to the Den Syndrome."

They went inside, greeted by scores of different plant species. "Hey, Kurama," Yusuke called. "You in here?"

"Yusuke?" The Fox appeared from amongst the foliage. "Hello!" he said in a surprised tone. "I haven't seen you in awhile."

Yusuke stared. "Uhm…" Yusuke managed. Kurama had grown…big. No, big was an understatement. HUGE was more like it. From his size, Yusuke wouldn't be surprised if the Fox dropped his twins right then and there. "Uhm, you've gotten, ah, rounder. OW!" he exclaimed when Kuwabara elbowed him in the ribs. "What! I meant round with children! Kurama, you know what I meant, right?" Kurama smiled and nodded. "See? Uhm, by the way, how far along are you?"

Kurama blushed. "I know I look full-term, but I actually have roughly two more months to go…" he trailed off. His voice faltered, and the cheerful expression that had a moment prior donned his face now dimmed to one his friends were unable to read.

"You look like you're about to pop," Yusuke said bluntly. The redhead blushed deeper but offered no comment. "Do you mind..?"

"No," he answered, knowing what he meant. "Go ahead." Yusuke hesitated, then reached out and rested his hand on his friend's belly. As if on cue, one of the twins began kicking. Kurama uttered a grunt of discomfort, but afforded a small smile and guided Yusuke's hand so he could better feel the baby's movement. "Whoa," he said, smiling when he felt it. "Hey Kuwabara, you've gotta try this!"

After Kuwabara had taken a turn, and (grinning like an idiot) gave a reaction similar to Yusuke's, Kurama turned and led them further into the greenhouse. They followed him to a small clearing littered with bedding of sorts, food wrappers, and a notebook. "What's that for?" Yusuke asked, pointing to the notebook. Kurama must have not heard him, for he didn't give an answer. Shrugging, Yusuke picked it up and looked inside. He quirked and eyebrow. "What are these?"

By now, Kurama had noticed, and he hastily retrieved the item from Yusuke's grasp. "It's nothing," he said. "Just some notes…"

"Why?" Yusuke asked sceptically. "Are you afraid of forgetting?"

"Maybe," the Fox muttered distantly. "Ah, welcome to my den. It's not the largest, but I believe we'll all fit." He sat down and invited them to join him.

An awkward silence fell over the three. "So…" Yusuke ventured. "How do you feel?"

The Fox sighed. Why did everyone keep asking him that? "Fine, I'm fine. I'm experiencing chronic fatigue due to the energy loss, but that's all."

"Energy loss?" What did he mean? "As in youki loss?"

He nodded. "A demonic fetus matures somewhat differently than a human fetus. While the child of a human takes nutrients from the mother, the child of a demon also takes youki to establish its own energy. Consider it a form of inheriting abilities."

His friends both nodded uncertainly. They didn't like the idea of something draining Kurama from within. It sounded dangerous. "So does that mean they'll both inherit your powers and not Hiei's?" Kuwabara asked.

"No. They may inherit mine, Hiei's, both, or neither and develop their own- though it's most probable they'll inherit a combination of both. When the embryo is formed, it contains a mixture of both parents' youki along with their DNA. The twins are using my youki as starter energy, building blocks if you will."

"Right," Yusuke said, though he still didn't fully understand it. He wanted to ask Kurama how he'd kept his powers if he'd been reborn from a human womb, then realized that when Kurama became a spirit he must have kept all his powers. "Does it hurt you at all?"

Kurama was silent for a moment. "Usually the fetus only weakens its mother, but otherwise causes no harm," he finally said.

Usually. Yusuke exchanged a look with Kuwabara. A rather vague answer. Then again, Kurama was known to be vague.

"So, how have you been?" the redhead inquired, changing the subject.

"Can't complain. Uhm…actually, I came to ask for some advice."

"About?" He settled into a reclining position and observed how nervous Yusuke was beginning to look.

"Uh, I want to do something for Keiko- something romantic- and…" he trailed off, a faint blush spreading across his face. Kurama raised an eyebrow. If Yusuke was blushing this had to be good.

"What's the occasion for, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked teasingly.

"I just want to do something romantic, okay! Get off my back!"

"I bet this has something to do with why you've been so busy lately! What are you planning?"

"Shut up! It's none of your business!"

"Did you have dinner in mind?" Kurama asked, interrupting the argument.

"I don't know. Would that be a good idea?"

"I took Yukina out to dinner last Thursday," Kuwabara announced proudly. "Girls love that kind of stuff."

"How do you know? You were probably too busy stuffing your face to notice if she liked it or not."

"Excuse me!" he made to punch Yusuke, but Kurama reached out and stopped his fist halfway to the other boy's face.

"Hiei and I had dinner together frequently," he told Yusuke. "Sometimes we went out, and other times we stayed home and cooked for each other."

"Shorty could cook!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Oh yes, very well too." He went quiet for a few moments, apparently reminiscing. "Hm, during our last month or so together he insisted on cooking for me all the time. I kept telling him not to fuss over me, but he wouldn't hear it…"

"Whoa…did he know you were- no, you didn't find out until after…it."

"All the same, I think he knew. It's probable the Jagan gave him the awareness to sense I was pregnant. I suppose he didn't tell me because he thought I wouldn't believe him." He heaved a sad little sigh and rubbed his stomach.

Yusuke frowned. To think, all of this grief, caused by one little doubt. "So," he pressed. "Hiei was very romantic?"

"You find that hard to believe," Kurama said in an amused tone. "Yes, very. There were times when he spoiled me rotten."

"Yeah, uhm, what all did he cook for you?"

"Hm…various things. Sometimes rather expensive things like steak, shrimp, lobster, oysters--I still wonder how he managed to afford all of that- a lot of times dishes he made himself from scratch- he could cook practically anything." Then, smirking, he said, in a proud tone, "Hiei even knew how to properly cut and cook a puffer fish."

"What!" Yusuke knew very little about delicacies, but from what he did know the puffer fish only had a specific area where the meat wasn't poisoned. People studying to be chefs had to be taught how to prepare the fish so the person eating it wouldn't die. "Hiei could do that?" The Fox nodded, beaming.

"I don't believe it," Kuwabara said stubbornly.

"Then don't," Kurama replied edgily. "Whether you believe Hiei's abilities or not doesn't matter. Lest my memory fails me, he was dating ME and not you."

Mood swing. "Uh, what else did Hiei do?" Yusuke asked quickly. Kurama was revealing to them a nature of the Jaganshi neither boy had ever seen (or had even thought existed), and Yusuke was making mental notes for his own preparations. That, and remembering his and Hiei's romance appeared to have a mellowing effect on the Kitsune.

"Hm…I don't know. He just did nice things for me."

"Like?"

"Little things here and there. Things lovers do. But I suppose you mean the more extravagant stuff?" Yusuke nodded. "Uhm, sometimes he'd suggest we do…things…"

"Things? What things?"

Kurama flushed pink. "Things like…games. Uhm, the kind of games where you lose clothing, and lick sake out of each other's navels." His friends gave him a weird look. "Or whipped cream," he continued, his face growing redder than his mane. "Or cheese fondue."

"Sake? Whipped cream? Cheese fondue?" Kuwabara pulled a face. "Out of your belly button?"

"Yes," the other boy said. Then, dropping his voice to a mutter, he added, "And some, ahem, other places."

"Eeew!" he exclaimed. "I can't imagine the Shrimp doing something like that- of course, I don't WANT to imagine that…" He involuntarily shuddered.

"Well, in all fairness, I taught him most of the games." He received a pair of appalled expressions.

"Yeah, uhm, thanks for sharing that, Fox-boy," Yusuke said uneasily. He wasn't homophobic or anything, but the thought of two of his friends licking cheese fondue off each other's….just wasn't an image he wanted in his mind. "I'm almost afraid to ask more, but what else did you two do?"

"I'd light candles if I were you. Atmosphere," he explained before Yusuke had the chance to ask. "And if you're housekeeping hasn't changed, you may want to burn incense."

"Was that an insult? Uhm, anything else?"

"Yusuke, just how far do you want the night to go?"

"What?" he asked nervously. "Uhm…what do you mean?"

Kurama donned a quizzical expression. "Do you simply want to have dinner, or do you plan to become more physical?"

"Uh…I don't know…uhm…" Yusuke felt like he was dying. Kuwabara laughing his ass off next to him didn't help. "Why are you asking me this?"

"You DID ask my advice," he pointed out. "And the majority of dinners Hiei and I shared began at the table but ended in bed."

Kuwabara made a squeaking noise and looked as though he may faint. Yusuke merely stared. "Uhm, I can tell." He glanced at Kurama's swollen gut. This made the Fox turn beet-red, and he sat up and wrapped his arms around his belly. "So, uhm, let's say that IF dinner leads to, ah, bed, uhm…what do you suggest?"

"Romantic lighting, candles will work again. Special bedding- not sheets you tend to sleep on everyday. Music…" He paused, then a sly smile adorned his face. "Do either of you like 'games'?"

"Kurama!" he exclaimed, startled. The Fox was straying form the path of behavior he usually tread.

"I'm joking," the redhead replied good-naturedly. "I'm sure you and Keiko would prefer your romantic life to remain private."

"Uhm, yeah. Nice to see you still have a sense of humor. Thanks for the advice." He rose and brushed the dirt off his pants. "Sorry man, I'd really like to stay, but Keiko's going to kill me if I don't go home soon…WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT!" he yelled at Kuwabara, who was making a whipping sound.

In reply, Kurama yawned. "Fine by me. I'm rather tired as it is. I may go take a nap." He tried to get up but failed. Both of his companions laughed.

"Need a hand?" Kuwabara asked. He glared but accepted the offer.

"It's been growing difficult to move," he muttered, embarrassed.

"Yeah," Yusuke commented, having noticed how Kurama walked with a waddle now. "I'll bet you can't wait to push those kids out, huh?"

He'd meant it playfully, but received a somber look from his friend. "Kurama?"

The redhead sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't matter. I can live with carrying them around." His tone had changed once again, having grown flat.

Yusuke frowned. Had he said something wrong? "Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course." Kurama smiled. "I just really need that nap." He bade his two friends good-bye and they left.

"Was it just me," Yusuke said when they were outside, "or did he seem kind of down back there?"

"Yeah," Kuwabara agreed. "Could have been a mood swing. Or do you think he might be afraid of giving birth?"

"Huh? Afraid? It's childbirth, Kuwabara. Kurama's been in worse situations. Hell, he's almost died how many times? Why would he be afraid of child birth?"

The carrot-top shrugged. "It's just that lately whenever someone brings up what'll happen when it's time to deliver the twins, he acts really nervous and changes the subject. I don't know why, but for some reason I think he's scared."

He thought about it for a moment. "Could be, I guess. He'll calm down once it's all over though." Kuwabara shrugged. Yusuke was probably right.

"So, just what's the special occasion anyhow?"

Suichi checked the fridge. Damn, all the good food was gone. Kurama must have already been here. Speaking of which, he hadn't heard or seen his brother since he came home. He must be sleeping.

Bored, he sat down in the living room and looked through the newspaper. "Wow" he said, seeing one or the front-page articles. It was another murder in the area, a group murder. Five boys, ages eleven and twelve, had been found on the banks of a nearby river under the bridge. To be more accurate, PIECES of the boys had been found. Suichi nearly gagged thinking about it. The world had some sick people in it.

Well then, a little note on a few things mentioned in this chapter:

The "game" involving the sake is actually based off of a game that I've heard about that my uncle and fellow Rennies do sometimes, except with tequila

If you haven't read Cheese Fondue yet, it can be tied to this story, or it can stand on its own. Basically, it pertains to what Kurama was talking about, but in more detail XD If you're looking for some lemon, go check it out and let me know what you think.

I think that's all I have to address for now. Later.