Kay, I got back from my vacation a few days ago. I went to see my relatives…in Pittsburg…where no one can hear you scream!But seriously, it was fun. We went to Ohio too and went to a total of three amusement parks: Kennywood in Pittsburg and Cedar Point and King's Island in Ohio. They all had awesome rides and I got a Tails (from Sonic the Hedgehog) plushy at King's Island. All and all though, I think I'm all parked out for a while. Anyway, enough of my rant let us continue with this lovely little story, shall we? ON WITH THE FIC!

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It had been three days since Kurama's discovery. He still hadn't told Hiei, mostly because he wasn't sure how. The first day after that night he had spent in the Reikai library, researching both Koorime's and fire demons. Neither subject turned up any useful results. The problem wasn't in merely telling the half-Koorime, but in proving it. Hiei wouldn't believe him unless he had absolutely indisputable proof.

Proving it would not be easy. The child was in a stage much too early to be sensed. It was merely a cluster of dividing cells at this point. It had no heartbeat, no characteristics, no ki, nothing. Kurama had finally managed to come up with one way the Jagan might be able to detect it, but he still wasn't entirely sure if even that would be enough to convince the touchy fire demon.

Kurama sighed as he set the table with the 'good' china his mother had given him upon his moving out. Today was the day, whatever the outcome Hiei would know today. He lit the candle in the center of the table, completing the somewhat romantic atmosphere of the room. Standing back, he admired the scene, checking for any detail he had missed, however miniscule.

He was decidedly nervous, more nervous then he could remember ever having been about anything before. Despite his careful planning to put Hiei in a good mood tonight, he still had no idea how the temperamental demon would react. If he didn't want the child…Kurama shuddered at the thought. His kitsune instincts were extremely strong in matters of family. In kitsune society, if a female refused or was unable to bare pups...she usually met a gruesome end. Kurama doubted he would go that far if Hiei opted to get rid of the child, but he knew in his heart that no matter how much he loved the little demon, his instincts would eventually make it unbearable for them to so much as be in the same room together. All the same, Kurama wouldn't let Hiei know that. The decision was his and his alone. Kurama had no place to influence the half-Koorime into making a choice he would later regret.

"What's the occasion?" a voice from behind him almost made Kurama jump, but he managed to limit the surprise to a mere widening of his sparkling eyes.

"Oh, just a human holiday you're probably unfamiliar with," Kurama answered casually, turning to face the dark figure that stood behind him. Hiei cocked an eyebrow, prompting the fox to continue.

"Father's Day," the redhead elaborated. The eyebrow climbed a little higher.

"Father's Day?" Hiei repeated slowly. Kurama nodded, smiling widely.

"Yes, there's a Mother's Day too."

"And…what is the purpose of these…parent's days?" Hiei wondered, still staring at the fox as if he were crazy.

"To celebrate parenthood I suppose," Kurama replied, slightly unsure of how to explain a holiday revolving around family to a demon who had never had one.

"Why?" Hiei asked, his look clearly saying that the whole idea sounded utterly ridiculous to him. Kurama sighed, trying to suppress the smile that tried so desperately to break free at his next words.

"When you have children, you'll know why," he stated simply. Hiei looked slightly taken aback by that statement. Obviously he did not intend to have children any time soon. Kurama's heart clenched, but he forced himself to remain cheerful.

"And why are we celebrating this 'Father's Day?'" Hiei questioned when he had regained his voice. Kurama flashed him a sly smile as he went to the stove to retrieve the meal he had prepaired.

"It's a surprise. I'll tell you after supper," he said calmly. Hiei looked confused again, but shrugged it off and took his seat at the table.

"How have you been feeling?" Kurama asked casually as he served Hiei his salad. Hiei glared at it. He didn't like salads. They were unnecessary, in his opinion.

"Fine," he replied curtly, sniffing his salad experimentally. Kurama smiled as he took his own seat. That was good to hear. He had been slipping catnip into Hiei's drinks to try and calm the morning sickness, but considering he had been gone so much between work and research over the past few days, coupled with the fact that Hiei tended to spend his days alone roaming the city's rooftops, he hadn't had a chance to see if it was working.

Most of the meal was eaten in silence. What little conversation there was consisted mostly of Kurama asking questions and getting grunts and hn's in response. By the time Hiei had finished his third bowl of the strawberry ice cream Kurama had served for dessert the fox was a frazzled, nervous mess, though he hid it well. Despite his best efforts to remain nonchalant, however, Hiei noticed the way he was tapping his spoon against his empty bowl for some outlet to his stress.

"Something wrong, fox?" Hiei asked, garnet eyes scrutinizing the fox closely.

"Huh?" Kurama blinked awkwardly as he was dragged from his troubled thoughts. Hiei's eyes narrowed and Kurama knew he'd been caught. It was now or never.

"Um…let's go to the living room, shall we?" he suggested, getting up hastily from his place and leaving the kitchen. Hiei followed, watching Kurama closely. Something was definitely wrong.

Kurama sat down on the couch, joined by Hiei, and silence hung in the air for several minutes. Finally Hiei could take it no longer. He didn't know why, but he had a burning suspicion that this 'Father's Day' had something to do with whatever was bothering the fox.

"Kurama, why were we celebrating Father's Day?" Hiei asked, eyes never leaving Kurama, taking in every detail of his reaction. Kurama sighed deeply, clenching and unclenching his fists in his lap.

"Hiei…I'm going to tell you something…and you have to promise you won't lose your temper or leave until I'm finished. Do you promise?" Kurama asked, never making eye contact with Hiei as he spoke. Hiei was slightly bewildered by the request. A bad feeling settled in his stomach. If the fox was this worried about how he would react, it couldn't be good news.

"Do you promise?" Kurama asked again. Hiei stared for another moment before sighing and closing his eyes. The fox had been acting decidedly strange lately.

"Alright, fine. I promise," he half grumbled, still wondering what all of this was about.

"Hiei…" Kurama trailed off, completely at a loss. How could this be so hard? "Your…what I mean is the other night I…anou…"

"Just say it!" Hiei interrupted impatiently. Kurama winced, looking even more troubled then before.

"You're pregnant!" the fox finally cried, deciding that straight to the point was the best way to go. He had closed his eyes as if he expected to be struck as he had shouted the words, and now he opened them slowly. Hiei sat staring at him, absolutely stunned. He blinked a few times. His mouth opened slightly in an expression that would have been comical had Kurama not been so worried over Hiei's reaction at the moment. Finally, the half-Koorime regained enough composure to say one word.

"What?" It was hardly a whisper, but Kurama heard it. Taking a deep breath he met his lover's shocked gaze.

"You're pregnant," Kurama repeated. "When you were sick the other night, it was a side effect of the pregnancy. It's referred to as 'morning sickness.'"

"How…?" Hiei trailed off, still unable to quiet process what Kurama was telling him.

"I'm not entirely sure how it happened," Kurama continued, speaking a little faster then was his custom. "But if you mean how I know, it's because I smelled the pheromone on you the night you were sick. Hiei…I'm not going to force you to keep it but—"

"You're wrong," Hiei cut in quietly. Kurama blinked.

"What?"

"You're wrong," he repeated louder. "I can't…I…"

"There's a way to prove it," Kurama said quietly. Hiei looked up, the emotions in his eyes unreadable.

"How?"

"A baby is like a parasite, it gathers nutrients from the moth—one carrying it," Kurama explained quietly. "In demons, the child takes not only nutrients but ki. If you use the Jagan, you should be able to sense where the ki is being…siphoned from you. It will be an extremely small amount and hard to find, but I think with the Eye you can see it." Hiei stared for a moment, processing that.

"But…that doesn't necessarily prove—" he began, but Kurama cut him off.

"The pheromone proved it three days ago, Hiei!" Kurama cried, exasperated. Hiei blinked in slight surprise at the fox's outburst. His eyes drifted down until they rested on his stomach, a hand resting there absently. It couldn't be true…could it? No. But…he had said himself three nights ago that he wasn't sure if it was possible or not…

"Alright," he sighed quietly after a moment, reaching on hand to the ward on his forehead. "I'll look."

He yanked the cloth free, the purple eye beneath opening. He closed his crimson eyes, letting the Jagan take over his sight completely. He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. He had never used the Jagan on himself like this before and he certainly had never looked for anything like this in himself or anyone else.

"What am I looking for?" he asked uncertainly after a moment.

"The ki flows through the body in a system just as blood does," Kurama explained quietly next to him. "If you follow the system, you should come across a pin sized leak in the chain somewhere in the…er…abdomen."

Hiei concentrated and soon found he could see the faint lines of ki the fox was talking about. They branched like veins through his body so much so that he probably would have mistaken them for veins without the redhead's instructions. Tracing the path the ki made he reached the area the fox had specified and hesitated again. Did he really want to know if his ki was being siphoned off? What would he do if it was true, if he was…

He clenched his fists in determination. He might as well look now. No reason not to, except for the unsettling feeling of indecision in his heart. With a deep breath he forced himself to look closely at the ki flowing through his stomach. There…near the middle…a small portion of ki was trickling away from the system. The small thread of ki was so thin he would have overlooked it for certain if he had not been looking for it. The thread led to a destination so small it was currently microscopic, too small for even the Jagan to see, but it didn't matter. He had his answer.

He reopened his eyes slowly, shock and disbelieve numbing his system. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. He couldn't be…

Kurama watched his partner and lover lose himself in a sea of confused thoughts. His heart ached to say something, but he had sworn to himself he wouldn't interfere. After a moment, he realized that there was an option that Hiei probably wasn't aware was opened to him, but his heart bled at the thought of bringing it up. He took a deep breath and ignored the almost physical pain rising in his chest. Hiei had a right to know.

"You know Hiei…" he nearly choked on the words but forced himself to continue. "If…if you don't…want the baby…you can have an……abortion." The last word felt almost as if he had stabbed himself in the heart. 'Traitor!' his instincts screamed at him. He felt hot tears from behind his eyes but stubbornly held them back. Hiei's face went completely blank.

"Are you finished?" he asked suddenly, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"What?" Kurama asked, looking at the demon once more. Hiei's head was tilted down and his bangs overshadowed his eyes.

"Are you finished?" he repeated, a bit more forcefully. Kurama blinked, before he remembered the terms of the promise he had made Hiei make before. Miserably, he nodded and turned away.

"Yes, I'm finished," he whispered. He closed his eyes as Hiei's presence next to him disappeared and the front door slammed.

"Please Hiei, make the right decision."