Well, I must be brief: this'll be the last update for now because I'll be gone the morning after next. So enjoy this chapter, because I don't know when you'll see the next one, okay? Thought I'd better clarify something though- Kuronue's motive for the whole "crossing over" talk is exactly as Hiei theorized in the previous chapter; no, not the jealous theory, the one about doing it because he's Kurama's friend and Kurama would want Hiei to do it. No conspiracy, no questionable motives, just the purest of intentions.
Anyways, I hope I haven't left off at a cruel part or anything, I hope this tides you over till next I update, and please leave me some commentary on this, 'kay? Later.
"Take my advice," Yusuke grumbled. "Never get married."
"Huh?" Kuwabara gave him a weird look. "You're not married yet."
"Don't remind me. All this planning for the wedding is a pain in the ass. If I hear one more giggle over how 'cute' or 'perfect' something is I'll go crazy."
"Are they calling everything 'adorable' and 'precious' also?" Kurama asked.
"No, why? Or do I want to know?"
"I told Botan and Keiko they could help me choose baby clothes and such." He shook his head. "Now they've recruited my mother and Yukina- and Shizuru, I believe, for the more physical work- into taking over all things baby-related."
"What are they doing?"
"You didn't see on the way in? They're all in the nursery painting, or something like that."
"You're letting them do everything? You don't want to do anything?"
"They're not doing everything. I've been looking through the different selections with them and have final say over everything. I chose what color the babies' room will be, what furniture…." He shrugged. "Mother insisted I stay in bed today though. She thinks I need to rest."
"You're healing nicely," Yusuke offered. Kurama's wounds were nowhere near as nasty as they'd originally been: most of his bruises had faded, and the majority of the cuts were healed.
Kurama shifted into a seating position, wincing while he did. "I'm still rather sore," he admitted. "How is the wedding planning?"
Yusuke pulled a face. "Keiko wants and outdoor wedding. In the countryside. I hate the countryside!"
"Should have thought about that before you proposed to her, Urameshi."
"When do you plan to have it?" Kurama asked.
He shrugged. "Well, we're planning to wait until after you've had the twins."
The redhead gave him a startled look. "What? That's, um, that's okay, really. I wouldn't want to be a hindrance to your plans."
"No problem," Yusuke said, ignoring Kurama's excuses. "We really want you to be there." Kurama nodded half-heartedly, smiling nervously.
There was a knock at the door and Shizuru came in. "Hey Kurama, how's lactation treating you?"
He gave her a stricken expression. "M-Mother told you I began to…?" She nodded.
"What's that word you said?" Yusuke asked.
Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Were you smoking on the roof when they taught that class?"
Kurama turned pink. "Ah, Yusuke, lactation is how mammals feed their offspring."
Yusuke still seemed puzzled. Then Kuwabara chimed in. "What, you mean breast feeding?"
The Fox widened his eyes, debating whether or not to hide under the covers. "Wait, Fox-boy, you're gonna breast feed? Don't you kind of need a chest to do that?"
He gave Shizuru a lethal glare, then muttered, "I, um, kind of have one now, Yusuke. Shizuru, have you any other purpose of being in here?"
She tried to suppress her laughter. "Sorry, but everyone else planned on gaining up on you later to ask the same thing. I thought I'd spare you."
"What are you doing here anyhow?" Kuwabara asked her, while he and Yusuke stared at Kurama, trying to detect any sign of cleavage.
"I assembled the cribs. It's soothing. Don't give me that look."
"What do you mean, you kind of have one?" Yusuke asked Kurama.
His face felt like it was on fire. "I, it- it kind of just appeared one day. I woke up and it was there…." He received blank stares. Kurama sighed and unbuttoned his shirt, showing them.
The two stared, engrossed. Their friend's chest, normally flat, had swollen. It wasn't that large by any means, but to them it still looked… strange. Curious, Yusuke reached out and poked it, making Kurama flinch. "It's squishy," he commented.
"Um, yes," he said, buttoning his shirt back up.
"So when they're born you'll start giving milk?"
"Actually, I've already begun to produce it." He really wished Yusuke would stop asking questions. For once, Kurama was in no mood to educate.
Yusuke apparently didn't realize that. "So if I squeezed you'd give off milk?" He couldn't resist asking, he was feeling mischievous.
"You could," Kurama replied shortly. "But all you'd pull back would be a bloody stump." The mischievous feeling quickly disappeared.
"They're going to be powerful demons," Shizuru said. "You can sense it in their youki." The twins had begun emitting unusually strong youki for being fetuses, whereas no one had sensed Kurama's in months.
"Well, yeah," her brother commented. "Look who their parents are. Hey Kurama, you'll teach them to use their powers, right?"
"What?" The question had caught him off guard. "Well, yes, they'll learn to use their abilities. I doubt Hiei would want them to be raised as humans."
"So you are going to teach them?"
He slowly nodded. "They will receive proper training."
"What are you going to name them?"
"Um, I don't know yet." Kurama didn't want to discuss all of this right now. "I don't even know their genders yet."
"Leave him alone, guys," Shizuru reprimanded, sensing his discomfort. "He's got another month to think about it." Another month. That reminded him…. "Actually, I was sent to tell you guys that we're done. Your mom wants to see what you think."
"You're just now getting around to telling us?" Kuwabara asked.
Kurama got out of bed (slowly, as moving was still somewhat painful) and allowed Shizuru to lead him down to the end of the hall, to what had been the guest bedroom.
Instantly he was surrounded by feminine voices and hands feeling his belly. "What do you think, Kurama?" He looked at Botan and fought the impulse to laugh, for the ferry girl had paint on her nose matching her hair.
The Kitsune looked around the room. "It looks… great," he managed. They'd really done a great job. The walls had been painted a pale blue with sparkling white trim on the windows and door frame. Curtains the same soft yellow one may find in the dawn or in the petals of spring flowers hung at every window. Shiori had influenced him to agree on having the cribs and all the other furniture to match- white with pastel roses colored pink and yellow. Someone had made the cribs, both with lavender bedding. He smiled at his mother and her helpers. "Thank you."
The next few minutes were spent exploring the room. "Hey, Fox-boy," Yusuke called, opening a dresser drawer. "What are you going to do with these if they're both boys?"
Shiori saw the source of his question and raised an eyebrow. "You know, Yusuke, boys can wear pink clothing." Her own son had no problem wearing the color- a good thing, as she didn't know what would have happened had he refused to wear the school uniform.
Kurama laughed. "I would prefer not to limit my children to gender taboos established by a narrow-minded society." What else would they expect from him? He, after all, had fallen in love with another man, something many members of society sadly viewed as being 'unnatural,' 'wrong,' or 'perverted'. Even his own body had chosen to break the rules of sex.
"I see the genius is returning to normal," Yusuke muttered sarcastically. The redhead smiled to himself.
"So, uh, Kurama," Botan carefully ventured, "how do you manage to lactate anyway?"
"What are you writing?" Shiori asked.
"Nothing important," he replied. A lie, as it actually was of extreme importance.
"Did you have enough to eat?"
Kurama nodded. "Thank you," he added. "The nursery's beautiful."
She smiled. Then everything went quiet again. "If it's not an intrusion, may I read what you're writing?"
He frowned and at first didn't answer. Then he managed a small, tight-lipped smile. "I promise, you'll read it soon, when the time is right. Not right now though." He returned to writing.
"Oh. Okay." She watched him, sitting up in bed, using his belly as a makeshift table, while trying to think of something to keep the talk flowing. "Um, have you thought about cutting your hair after the babies are born?" Kurama blinked and gave her an appalled look. "It's getting rather long," she added, trying to lead him into discussion.
The Fox twisted a strand around his finger and looked at it. "I believe the hormones may have added a few inches to it. However, it was already long before that- for several years- and you never complained. I prefer to wear it long rather than short. And to tell you the truth, if one or both twins are boys, I kind of hope they won't cut theirs either when they're older."
Shiori hadn't realized he was so zealous about the length of his hair. "All right, if you're happier with it long." She really had no problem with it- she actually liked his long hair. She'd simply been trying to keep him talking. Kurama sensed that was the reason, but wasn't in the mood to humor her at the moment. He felt starved for time, and wanted- no, needed to finish writing. The content, in his view, was absolutely crucial.
"Have you picked out any names yet?"
The redhead nodded. "I have a few ideas I like."
"Oh. Um, have you tended your wounds today?"
"Mother, I'm not due for another month. You needn't keep constant watch over me."
His tone was as gentle as ever, but to her it felt like a slap across the face. Kurama's behavior lately mystified her. While normally he was easily warm and sociable, he'd recently taken to isolating himself from everyone, doing who knew what. She thought it a small miracle he still voluntarily accepted the company of his friends. Though he remained affectionate toward her, he apparently had no desire to communicate with her much, and at times treated her in a near-cool manner. He hadn't behaved this withdrawn from her since before everything had come out in the open between them. It concerned her.
And confused her. Since Genkai and she had urged him into bed rest she had opted to work from home so as to keep an eye on him. Usually late in the morning she'd help him downstairs to the greenhouse and he'd relax in there a few hours, either reading or writing whatever it was he put in that notebook. They would then eat lunch, but she did most of the conversing. After that he would disappear until the evening, when he'd be present at dinner and afterward in the living room with the family, though he never said much.
"Um, okay then, Suichi," she said, trying to remain cheerful. She got off the bed and forced a smile. "I've, um, I have some paperwork to do, okay? I'll come back up to say good night." Then she hastily left the room.
Kurama watched her go, cursing himself as he did. He'd evidently hurt her, though she tried hiding it. What right had he to do that? She'd done nothing but good to him. All she wanted was his companionship, his affection. Not too high a price, considering everything she'd done for him.
The Fox sighed and resumed writing, wishing he had more time. He felt so stressed, everything was rushing by too fast.