Kiseki

Hi everyone, I hope you all have had a good year so far!

Chapter seven has finally arrived, and we will find out how many babies Lyserg has in his belly! The Hao/Horo torture has reached a new time high, and Amidamaru will be scared for the rest of his after life!

Now only that, but this is the longest chapter to date. Over 3,000 words. I have no idea why the chapters keep getting longer and longer, but they do. And I do apologize if the title is wrong. Japanese isn't my native language.

Disclaimer: If it were mine, Hao/Horo and Yoh/Lyserg would be cannon. Enough said.

Chapter Seven- Nyuji no Kazu, Number of babies

"Ahh." Ryu looked at the entrance of Yoh's house. "It is good to be among friends once more." Placing his helmet on his motorcycle, Ryu entered. "Helloo? Anyone there?"

"Maybe noone's home?" Tokogero suggested. It was quiet in the household, something rare to be sure.

"I don't think so my green friend."

Someone was in the kitchen; washing dishes by the sounds of it. Popping his head in, a large smile lit up his face. "Ah, Miss Jun! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Oh, hello Ryu." Jun looked up. She rinsed off her hands and grabbed a towel to dry them. "How was your trip?"

"Marvelous Miss Jun! Kyoto is a wonderful place, but it pales in comparison to your beauty."

In the years following the Shaman Tournament, Ryu had found the perfect job for himself. He worked for the popular travel magazine, Ronin. When the magazine had been looking for a columnist who was willing to travel, they were indeed lucky to find Ryu. The magazine wanted to appeal to the 'wandering traveler' of their readers, and Ryu fit the description perfectly. After all, who better to travel Japan and other parts of eastern Asia upon the back of his motorcycle?

"But, tell me Miss Jun, where are the others?"

"Ren is in the shower, Lyserg and Yoh went grocery shopping, Pirika is looking for Horo, who was kidnaped by Hao yesterday and hasn't been seen since."

"Tell me, how has Lyserg been since I have seen him last?"

"He's starting to develop mood swings, I'm afraid."

"Ah yes. Motherhood involves many challenges." Ryu nodded in all his wisdom.

Tokogero popped up next to the two. "Hey Jun, who's that fairy hanging onto Amidamaru?"

"That's Chibo-chan, Amidamaru's new friend." Jun turned back to the dishes.

"Oh, how adorable! Where did she come from?" Ryu gushed, his bad habit of loving anything cute and female rearing its ugly head once again.

"She's the spirit guardian of Lyserg's Hotaru."

"Hotaru?"

"Lyserg's doctor." Jun explained. "She flew in from South Korea to watch over Lyserg's pregnancy."

"That doesn't explain why she's clinging to Amidamaru." Tokogero muttered.

"He's her new friend and she wants to play with him. She did the exact same thing to Bason when she first met him."

"Did she braid Bason's hair with purple hair ties too?"

Jun looked up, the scene before her frighteningly familiar. "Oh dear..."

:-:-:-:-:

Thunk.

"Ow."

Thunk.

"Ow."

Thunk.

"Ow."

Thu-

Instead of the tree that Horo had been beating his head against, his forehead met the flesh of Hao's hand.

"Did I say you could beat yourself Horo?"

"I hate you."

"I love you too."

Horo sat, pouting. This was evil. This was cruel. This was gonna drive him insane.

"If you want to leave, just say it and we can go."

"I'd rather die first."

"Suit yourself."

"HAOO!"

:-:-:-:-:

"I had no idea little kids could eat that much." Yoh muttered, looking at the now used list of foods Jun had written for the two.

"I had no idea anyone could eat that much." Lyserg muttered, shifting the bags he carried. Yoh had taken most of the bags (along with the heaviest ones) and given Lyserg the lighter ones.

"At least we didn't have to cook for him." Yoh chuckled.

"Should we have let Jun do the dishes?" Lyserg questioned. While it was true that Jun had this motherly instinct thing that had started to develop not long after the shaman tournament ended that caused her to take care of the other shamans, Lyserg didn't feel comfortable leaving the mess in the kitchen to the Chinese shaman.

"She didn't seem to mind." Yoh shrugged as best he could with an arm full of groceries. He looked at Lyserg's load and couldn't help asking, "Are you sure you don't want me to carry that?"

Lyserg held a cringe. Only a month pregnant and Yoh was already worrying about how much weight he was carrying. "Yes Yoh, I'm fine."

"If you want me to carry-"

"I'm. FINE." The green haired angel looked at the shaman king with a glare that would shock even Hao.

Mood swing, Yoh silently registered. "Okay, just making sure." Only one month along and the mood swings were already this bad? The next eight months would be worse than any training Anna could have ever come up with.

:-:-:-:-:

"Um, Chibo-chan?"

"Chibo-chan?" the fairy asked, blinking. She had been concentration so hard on her task and was almost complete.

"What are you doing?"

"Chibo-chan!" tying off one last twist, Chibo-chan picked up a mirror.

Amidamaru stared. And stared. "This is... interesting..."

"Chibo-chan?" The poor little fairy was close to tears. Her new friend didn't like her artistic creation; and she worked so hard on it too!

"No, it's lovely." Amidamaru answered hurriedly. While he and Mosuke may have raised several other orphans, consoling crying children was something he would avoid if he could.

"Chibo-chan!" the fairy fluttered away to get the others so she could show them her masterpiece.

Amidamaru continued to look into the mirror with a mix of awe, wonder, and more than a little embarrassment. Chibo-chan had somehow managed to take Pirika's entire collection of hair ties and used them to sculpt the samurai's long, white hair into a mass of tiny braids. How she was even able to use Pirika's hair bands on a ghost was a mystery in itself. The spirit shuddered at what Chibo-chan might do next.

Regardless of all that, Amidamaru was beginning to sympathize with Ren.

:-:-:-:-:

"Ah my boy! He has returned!"

Yoh winced slightly at the extremely loud yell that came from the doorway. "Ryu's back."

Lyserg didn't have a chance to respond before the biker was at his side. "My boy, you have grown even lovelier since I last saw you! How is the baby?" Ryu quickly whisked the bags from Lyserg's arms. "You must be starving; come inside and eat." Ryu all but dragged the dowser inside, and sat him at the table.

"I'm not hungry." Lyserg protested.

"But Miss Jun has informed me that your doctor ordered that you eat more, so you must!"

Lyserg opened his mouth to protest once more, but closed it with a sigh at the look on Ryu's face as he prepared a dish. It seemed the dowser was doomed to be feed by everyone.

After depositing the groceries, Yoh had abandoned his lover in order to find his spirt. What he found was an imagine that would haunt him until the end of time...

:-:-:-:-:

"Say it Horo. If you do, then we can go back to Yoh and the others. I'm sure your sister is worried about you by now."

Horo glared at the shaman. Using his sister against him was against the rules dammit!

"Not to mention your spirit. Kororo should be rather lonely right now, shouldn't she?"

Horo increased his icy glare by twenty percent. Using his spirit against him wasn't just against the rules, it was against... something more important than the rules! Yeah, that was it. Using his spirit against him was against the rules of humanity and common decency itself!

"Humanity is worthless as is decency." Hao's amused voice whispered in the ice shaman's ear.

If Horo had proper use of his arms (which were quite cramped by the way), he would have grabbed his head in a pitiful attempt of self defense. Since he didn't Horo settled in jerking as far away as possible. "Stop reading my mind dammit!"

"Just say it and we can leave."

"Hao! I already told you! There is NO way in Hell that you could ever make me say that. Not in a million, billion years."

"Well if you aren't going to say it, at least put your mouth to good use."

"What?"

Hao crept towards Horo much like a cat that stalked its prey. A look of pure hunger shone dangerously in his amber eyes as his tongue darted out to dampen dry lips.

"Hao? Hey Hao, we don't need to do this, do we?" Horo chuckled nervously, inching backwards. "Hao?"

"If you still refuse to obey me by saying a few simple words, then it is obvious that; how should I say this; a more aggressive training method is needed."

"No!" Horo half moaned, half cried when lips descended upon his unprotected neck (why oh why did Hao have to dress him in a tank top?). "Stop! I'll say it! I'll say it!"

More than slightly disappointed, Hao reluctantly pulled away from his bound lover.

"I, I'm..." Horo swallowed. Forget his pride, if he didn't say this here and now... There was just too much at stake!

"I'm waiting Horo."

"I am Hao-sama's obedient slave who thinks only of pleasing Hao-sama! And if I am truly blessed, Hao-sama will take pity upon my worthless self and take me to a world of pleasure that no one else can!"

:-:-:-:-:

"Please Yoh..." Amidamaru looked up pitifully at his shaman.

"I-I'm sorry." Yoh managed to squeak out. "But, you look so- How did-" he couldn't hold it any longer. The great, powerful, almighty shaman king fell to his knees in hysterical laughter.

"Yoh, this isn't funny." Amidamaru was near tears himself. After getting the same reaction from Tokogero and Ryu, Chibo-chan had scurried off somewhere (where to exactly, Amidamaru didn't know; nor did he wish to ever find out). Taking no pity on the samurai what-so-ever, Ryu, Tokogero, and Jun had left him. This would not have been so bad if not for the fact that Amidamaru had no idea how to remove the infernal hair ties of doom.

"Okay, okay." Yoh chuckled one last time before straitening himself. "I'll help you get them out. How did Chibo-chan do this anyway?"

"I don't know Yoh." Amidamaru sighed. He could feel Yoh's fingers painstakingly remove each hair tie and untangle the long strands of hair.

Yoh frowned. He wasn't even halfway through untangling all the tiny braids, yet it was taking forever. "How long did this take her?"

"Only a few-" the spirit stopped when a green streak passed by. A moment later the familiar sounds of Lyserg paying homage to the porcelain god were heard.

"Be right back Amidamaru!" Yoh ran from the room to help his lover.

Amidamaru sighed once more and attempted to remove the braids himself, when someone made her presence know.

"Chibo-chan!" Oh, how the fairy sounded completely devastated that her masterpiece was coming undone! The devastation however, lasted only a moment before a new grin lite her feature. "Chibo-chan, Chibo-chan. Chibo-chan."

Amidamaru's complection paled despite not having a physical body, and therefore blood. In the small girl's hands were various bottles of hair spray, bobby-pins, glue, and glitter.

:-:-:-:-:

The food Ryu placed in from of Lyserg had seem normal enough. And Lyserg had felt perfectly fine as he lifted the chopsticks laden with food to his mouth. But once he had swallowed, the all too familiar acidic vile began to rise up his throat. It was all the dowser could do to run to the bathroom before his stomach rejected what it had been offered.

And that was how Lyserg came to be hunched over the toilet, emptying his belly. Yoh held his lover's hair; rubbing Lyserg's back and whispering soothing words. Once Lyserg's body had decided it was finished tormenting the dowser, he sank back into Yoh's arms and moaned wearily.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah." Lyserg wrinkled his nose. No matter how familiar he had become with it, vomit never had a pleasant aftertaste.

Yoh noticed his lover's discomfort. Chuckling softly, he kissed Lyserg's forehead. "Brush your teeth and take a nap. I'll wake you up when Hotaru comes back and we'll ask her how many there are, all right?"

"Okay." For a moment Lyserg had forgotten about the number of lives that were developing in his stomach.

Yoh wanted to say something to reassure his lover; but as he parted his lips to speak the front door slammed open.

"Let me go and stay away from me! I hate you!"

"Where are you going Horokeu?"

"Away from you!" The sound of Horo stomping up the stairs pounded throughout the house, followed by the sound of a slamming door.

"Kisama! Get out of my room Ainu Baka!"

"No! I'm hiding from Hao!"

Hao poked his head into the room, a questioning expression playing upon his features. "You are aware that your spirit is being tormented by a fairy wielding hair care supplies (some of which are mine), aren't you outouto?"

"Err..."

"Go on Yoh." Lyserg grabbed his toothbrush.

"Sweet dreams." Yoh gave his lover a smile before going to find Amidamaru and the others.

It was time for damage control.

:-:-:-:-:

After ridding his mouth of the vile taste his morning sickness had left him, he plodded up to his room. He had taken his time brushing his teeth. Given the current situations going on inside the Flame Inn, the dowser had decided it was best he didn't leave the bathroom until the screaming had diminished.

Once safely inside the haven that was his room, he curled into a ball on his bed. A hesitant hand slipped under his shirt. Gently, Lyserg massaged his stomach. No matter how many times people told him, no matter what his body told him, it just didn't seem real. That there was another little life inside of him. And there could be more then one! It just couldn't be real... It just...

Morphine pressed herself against her shaman's cheek. She was worried. Lyserg acted like he was excited about the baby, but she knew that there was more to it. Her shaman was scared of what was happening to him. And the worst part was, she didn't know if she could make it better.

Lyserg rolled onto his back, causing Morphine to settle upon his chest. His hand reached out to his spirit. Morphine caught one of his fingers and rubbed her cheek against it. Sending her shaman a look, she released Lyserg's imprisoned digit.

Lyserg knew that look all too well. That was her 'I know something's wrong, tell me what it is' frown.

"I fine Morphine. It's nothing." Lyserg tried to convince his spirit.

He received the 'don't lie' look and crossed arms.

"I'm just worried about the baby and how my body's going to react."

Morphine pushed forward with her 'and?' expression. The pixie wasn't going to back down.

"I don't know what I'm going to do."

Finally. Morphine hugged her knees to her chest and listened.

"I don't know anything about babies, or how to take care of them. Everyone is so happy and excited, that they haven't even wondered how it happened. I mean, I'm a boy. I shouldn't be having babies. And now, there could be more than one. Hotaru said that there wasn't enough room in my stomach for one baby, and is there is more..." Lyserg trailed off and bit his lip. "And it doesn't feel real. Even though tests proved it, and I can feel the mana developing in me, it just doesn't seem real." His hand slid under his shirt to touch his belly once again. "And I can't tell Yoh. He's so happy that we're having a baby. I don't want him... I just... I don't know any more. I don't know anything anymore."

Morphine was at a loss. She didn't know that her shaman was this upset about what was he going through.

"I... I want the baby." Lyserg said softly. "But I don't know if I can have it."

Morphine stayed at her shaman's side until he succumbed to sleep.

:-:-:-:-:

"We're back!" Hotaru called out to the house.

"Yeah, we're here!" Daichi added.

"Chibo-chan!" Hotaru's spirit guardian flew forward to glomp her shaman. "Chibo-chan! Chibo-chan!" She began to drag her shaman to the other room, where her masterpiece awaited.

"Aww! Amidamaru, you're so cute!"

Amidamaru was currently wishing for a second death. While half his hair was still in tiny braids, the other half was spiked, curled, and adorned with massive amount glitter, bows, and ribbons.

"Hmmm." Daichi had a hand on his chin, regarding the spirit with a look of utter concentration. "You look funny." Daichi finally concluded.

"Oh, Hotaru. I'm glad you're here." Yoh said. "I have a question for you."

"Whaties?" She covered Daichi's ears with her hands. "If it's about the boinking-"

"NO! No, it isn't." Kami-sama, was this girl obsessive? "How far along do you need to be to know how many babies there are?"

"Actually... If I use my mana to check... I could find out right now."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Lyserg was worried about how his body would handle more then one baby." Yoh explained.

"Bring him down and let me check it out." Hotaru removed her gloves in preparation. Doing such a detailed check up would required as few barriers between the baby and Hotaru's mana as possible.

A few moments later, a sleepy Lyserg and everyone else in the house were in the living room.

"How many do you think there'll be?"

"Shut up Horo. Let the she-demon work."

"Kay Lyserg, I need you to remove your shirt and lay down on the couch here."

Lyserg gave her a wary look, but did as he was told. With so many people present, he felt a bit more secure. After all, more people, more witnesses.

"Good. Now Mr Shaman King man, over here please."

Yoh sat on the ground next to Hotaru, who was on her knees.

"Now give me your hand."

"Can I ask why?"

"Yeppers. You see, even though I can tell how many babies there are right now with my mana, it takes a lot of the shaman juice. So, if you feed me mana while I check the baby-waby-kins, it just makes it safer for me."

"Oh." Yoh placed his hand in hers and began to feed the Korean shaman mana. After all, it wasn't like he didn't have enough to go around.

"Okay now Lyserg. This is gonna tickle a little, so don't freak out on me."

Lyserg squeezed his eyes shut.

Hotaru laid her hand on his stomach, directly over the developing child.

And, it burned. It wasn't painful, but still, it burned. He could feel mana pouring into his stomach to surround the baby. The sensation began to prickle.

"Stop."

"Relax sweetie, almost done." Sweat ran down Hotaru's face. She was bending her mana, wrapping it around the child so she could feel it's shape.

Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. Lyserg jerked up, panting slightly from the mana that lingered inside of him. Hotaru sagged against Yoh, completely drained.

"Congratulations boys." Hotaru panted. "There's one widdle baby waiting to be born."

And, there you go. Lyserg and Yoh are going to have one little bundle of joy. I apologize to all those who wanted there to be twins, but I wanted them to have one. As for the gender, that's still a surprise.

Next time, we will be skipping ahead three months. That means that Lyserg starts his second trimester, and is beginning to show! And thus, comes the cravings. But, not everything is happy. Lyserg want to know what the gender of the baby is, but Yoh wants it to be a surprise. Then, Yoh's parents visit and discover that they soon will be grandparents. As for Hao and Horo... Let's just wait and see.

So, the question now is who do you people think should win? Should Lyserg find out what gender the baby is, or will Yoh be able to keep it a surprise. It's a vote reviews, and whichever is wanted most in the reviews, wins.

Also, on a side note, I will be moving within the next week, and starting school at the beginning of next month. That, along with writing my novel, will keep me busy for a while, so please be patient.

I want to thank everyone who reviewed with... a CD with me singing my thanks. Reviewers, I apologize for my horrible singing before hand.

Dear NaTsUkO-ChAn, I was happy to answer your question. The website was loads of help, and Horo appreciate the concern. As for Anna, there is a reason that she's so out of character. I agree that after the initial shock, she would probably except Yoh and Lyserg as long as Yoh was happy. Anna's disdain will become know later on. Thank you for reviewing.

Beloved Luna-san, the term is Pennsylvanian. I have no idea where New Castle or Zombieland is, sorry. As for the man, while the woman does go through the most pain, she also has the experience of creating a new life within her, something men will never have. And as for men, you will see with Yoh, that dealing with the pregnant wife can be pain itself.

E n t w i n e d d e s t i n y, thank you for your review and kind words. No, I don't have pocky. I have PanPan, which a brand of Korean pocky where you did the sticks in frosting.

To souloverdrive, we all love Lyserg... Except for that one reviewer in chapter three. But he's just so cute, who couldn't love him? Many thanks for reading and reviewing!

Sonseray, I understand the confusion of having more than one account. I have two other accounts myself, not counting the one I share with Gemini Princess, but I'm not telling what they are! I'm glad you like Chibo-chan, although I don't think Amidamaru's going to be so enthusiastic. Thanks for your review!

Sweet celestial-gal fanfic really does need more Daichi love, as does Beyblade. I don't mind the late review, and here's the next chapter. Thank you for your review!

Dear, beloved Grace, I am honored that you see me as such a wonderful friend. Lyserg will start showing signs of pregnancy next chapter, and I don't think you are rude at all and I hope you keep reviewing. Good luck at the hospital and thank you for your review.

Soul-bandit, we all feel pity for Horo, but he knew what he was getting into when he agreed to date Hao. Many thanks for the review.

Dear Tai, thank you for your kind words and praise. Lyserg's going to waddling a in few chapters, so just wait for that. Thanks for the review!

I love you all!

Ja min'na-san!