Hiei's stomach felt jumpy on the morning of Christmas Eve, but in a different way. This time it was more excitement than nervousness, combined with the happiness and shock that his dreams were finally coming true—that he had met the man he never even knew he needed.

Kurama came over for lunch. Yukina's stomach was upset, she said, so she didn't eat much; they figured it was because she had quite a big day yesterday, and Kuwabara said she hadn't slept very well last night. Hiei wasn't surprised about that. In fact, he couldn't imagine how she ever managed to sleep at all.

Around three, Kuwabara left the house to get some last-minute groceries for Christmas dinner. But they soon regretted sending him out, because when they turned on the local news, the weatherman was reporting a blizzard. Hiei went to the window to look out. The snow was almost up to their mailbox, and it was showing no sign of stopping. When Kuwabara came back from getting the groceries, he almost looked like a snowman when he stepped inside.

"It's really looking bad out there," he said, as Kurama and Hiei took the bags from him. "They're not letting anyone in or out of Kosetsu, and nobody's dumb enough to try to walk on those roads."

"Walking is how I got here," Kurama pointed out. "I don't have much of a choice."

"No way are you walking anywhere in a blizzard!" Yukina protested.

"Maybe it will have stopped by the time I have to leave," Kurama told her.

"I doubt it," said Kuwabara, stomping his boots on the rug. "I'm not even sure it will stop by tomorrow morning."

"Let's see if it says anything on the news," said Hiei, gesturing to the TV. But the news wasn't what they wanted to hear. The snow was predicted to go on all night long, and not stop until halfway through Christmas Day.

"I'm sorry," said Kurama, looking disappointed. "If I leave now, I might be able to make it back home safely. But I don't think I'll be able to come back tomorrow morning. It's just not safe. I wish I could spend Christmas with you, but it wouldn't be a good idea."

"Kurama…" Hiei crossed over to him and held out his hands; Kurama sadly took them in his own. "This is our first Christmas together. We can't spend it apart. And besides…if you don't come back for Christmas tomorrow, you'll have to spend Christmas in your apartment on top of the store, all alone. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that no one should be alone on Christmas."

"Hiei, we can spend next year together," said Kurama, stroking Hiei's cheek. "You're moving to Kosetsu, aren't you? I'm sure there won't be a blizzard that year."

"Wait a minute!" Yukina's voice suddenly sounded considerably brighter, and the three men in the room turned to look at her. "Kurama, why don't you just spend the night here?"

"Thank you, but I couldn't possibly," said Kurama. "I wouldn't want to take advantage of your hospitality like that, Yukina."

"Oh, it would be our pleasure!" she said cheerfully. "This way, you can spend Christmas with us, but you don't have to risk your life in the blizzard."

"What about all the presents I was going to bring tomorrow?"

"We can head to your apartment after the roads are cleared," she told him.

"But I didn't even bring a toothbrush!" Kurama protested.

"We have plenty of spare ones in the bathroom cabinet." Yukina smiled and turned to her husband and brother. "Kazuma? Hiei? Do you mind?"

"Fine by me," said Kuwabara with a shrug. "He can borrow a pair of my pajamas."

"I-I guess it's okay," said Hiei, his face reddening. Of course, the only thing he could think of was where Kurama was going to sleep. "I'll take the couch. He can have the guest room."

"Oh, no, I insist, Hiei," said Kurama politely. "You can stay in the guest room. The couch will be perfectly comfortable."

"You're a guest," Hiei reminded him. "I really don't mind sleeping on the couch tonight."

"I don't want to impose on you, Hiei," said Kurama. "You can enjoy the guest room, and I'll enjoy the couch."

"No, you enjoy the guest room!" Hiei was beginning to feel flustered.

"I've got a suggestion," Yukina interrupted. "You two are in a relationship, right? Why don't you just share the guest room? It's a double bed."

"Oh, I don't know." Hiei wondered what was redder, his face or those Christmas pajamas. "We haven't been together for very long…Kurama probably wouldn't want to…"

"I'm fine with it if you are, Hiei," Kurama said serenely. Yukina and Kuwabara were both looking at Hiei, waiting for him to make a decision, and he felt his stomach jump again. What if Kurama expected them to…do things? Kurama had once been engaged, so Hiei doubted he was a virgin, but when it came to that sort of thing, Hiei was as pure as the snow piling up outside—experience-wise, anyway.

"I-I guess it's okay." Hiei shrugged, staring down at the ground. That stupid blizzard! Why couldn't it have struck the town some other time? But then…was it really so bad that Kurama got to sleep over? If Kurama did try anything, all Hiei had to do was say no, right?

"It's settled then!" Yukina was beaming as she rubbed her hands crisply together. Come to think of it, she was probably glad for this, and she'd likely been planning it all, including Kurama and Hiei sharing the guest bed, ever since she heard that there was a blizzard outside.

She really, REALLY wants Kurama and me to be together, Hiei observed. But then, he knew his sister just wanted him to be happy, just like he wanted her to be happy.

Hiei was nervous the rest of the day, and it was all he could do to choke down Christmas Eve dinner around six. But he did feel bad for Yukina, because when Kuwabara told a joke and she laughed, her eyes got wide and she blushed.

"I think…I think I need to go to the bathroom," she mumbled, struggling to get down from her chair. Kuwabara helped her. Hiei raised his eyebrows and turned to Kurama, in case he knew what had happened.

"The babies are sitting on her bladder," Kurama said quietly, once the two of them had left. "She probably had a bit of an accident."

"I took her to the bathroom," said Kuwabara once he got back. "It's not the first time this has happened, and it probably won't be the last."

"Let's continue with our dinner, then, shall we?" said Kurama, but just as they were beginning to eat, they heard a shrill, high-pitched scream from the bathroom.

"KAZUMA!" It was Yukina.

"Is she okay?" said Hiei, concerned.

"Yeah, she's fine," Kuwabara replied as he got up, though he looked a bit disturbed. "But I'd better get that. Sometimes she needs help getting off the toilet."

"I didn't really need to hear that," said Hiei, trying to sound nonchalant, but his heart was beating very fast all of a sudden.

Hiei and Kurama waited, neither of them eating, as Kuwabara tended to Yukina in the bathroom. But instead of both of them coming out and resuming the meal, Kuwabara stepped into the kitchen alone, his face pale.

"You guys," he said. "It wasn't an accident. Her water broke."

Kurama gasped, and Hiei yelped, "WHAT?!"

"Her water broke!" Kuwabara repeated, in a slightly louder voice.

"I heard you the first time, you moron!" Hiei shouted, pounding his fist on the table. "How is this happening? I thought she wasn't due until January!"

"That's true, but twins often come early, Hiei," Kurama reminded him.

"Can you bring her out?" Hiei snapped.

Only a few moments later, Kuwabara emerged from the bathroom again, this time holding Yukina by the hand.

"What do you propose we do?" said Kurama, addressing Yukina and Kuwabara.

"I'm not sure," said Kuwabara. "There's no hospital in this town, and like I said, they're not letting anyone in or out until the blizzard is over."

"We did take those childbirth classes," Yukina pointed out. She was holding onto her baby bump, and she was a little pale, but she didn't appear to be having any contractions…yet. "And, as you know, I'm a nurse."

"You can't have them here!" said Hiei in disbelief, bolting to his feet.

"Hiei!" said Yukina, looking concerned. "Are you all right?"

"Me? Oh, I'm all right! I'm just fine!" said Hiei, although his voice was reaching a higher pitch and his heart was beating way too fast. He also seemed to be having some trouble breathing.

"It…it doesn't really look like you are," said Kuwabara hesitantly.

"Why don't you focus on Yukina?" Hiei croaked. "She's the one who's gone into labor…early…in the middle of a snowstorm…with no hospital…twins…" It was pretty much impossible for Hiei to talk after that, because not only was his heart burning up in his chest, but he felt dizzy, too, and he still couldn't breathe. Kurama kept him from falling and set him down in his chair again.

"Hiei," said Yukina. "Hiei, can you breathe with me? In through your nose, out through your mouth, okay?"

In response, Hiei just choked.

"Breathe with me," she repeated, looking into his eyes. "Five counts in, five counts out. Ready?"

Kurama kept his hands on Hiei's shoulders while Yukina coached her brother with his breathing. It made him feel a little silly, but if she hadn't been breathing steadily with him, he might not have been able to calm down.

"Are you better now?" Kurama asked, giving Hiei a kiss.

"He was having a panic attack," Yukina explained, holding onto Kuwabara for balance. "Lots of patients and the people who love them have panic attacks at the hospital. I'm usually the one they call to calm them do—owwwn…"

"Yukina?" Hiei said faintly.

"That was a contraction, but not a very bad one," she said. "Listen, Hiei, don't worry. I'm a woman, a nurse, and most importantly, soon I'm going to become a mom. The babies probably aren't going to be here until the roads are open again anyway, and if they are…My body knows what to do. Just let nature take its course."

"How can we help, Yukina?" Kurama asked, massaging Hiei's shoulders.

"Hiei, will you get the bag we were going to take to the hospital?" Yukina asked. "It's in our room."

Just like the former track star he was, Hiei bolted upstairs and grabbed their hospital bag, then rushed down again as fast as he could, half expecting Yukina to be moaning in the thick of labor, but she wasn't. She was sitting on the couch with her leg propped up, as usual. It looked like she wasn't even laboring at all.

"Now what?" said Hiei, panting slightly.

"That bag has my stopwatch in it," said Yukina. "Kazuma knows what to do. We have to keep track of whether or not there are any changes in my contractions."

"Is—is that good?" Hiei still felt a little weak as he collapsed on the couch next to Yukina. Kurama sat on their other side, while Kuwabara waited with the stopwatch. As much as the man annoyed him, Hiei had to admit that Kuwabara was being a good dad-to-be.

"Yes, if the contractions will become longer, stronger, and closer together, that's a sign that labor is progressing."

"If you say so," said Hiei, leaning his head on Kurama's shoulder. Kurama squeezed his hand.

"It's all right, Hiei," he said. "Yukina is right. Everything will be fine."

…

Five hours later, labor had indeed progressed. Hiei and Kurama were there as moral support to Yukina, getting her everything she needed, while Kuwabara held her hand and kept track of her contractions and the pauses in between them. Hiei was glad to have something to do, fetching her food and water, or an ice pack for her forehead, or just telling her what a good job she was doing.

Yukina moved around a lot, and she seemed much calmer than Hiei had expected. He also thought she would be screaming in pain, but when he mentioned it, she explained that screaming would use up energy she should be saving for the birth. Those words scared Hiei a little again, so he didn't say anything more for a long time after that.

It was eleven in the evening, one hour until it was technically Christmas, and although Hiei was worried for Yukina, his eyes itched with tiredness, and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Kurama let out a yawn.

"You two can head off to bed if you want," she said. "I still have some time yet to go."

"Are you sure, Yukina?" Hiei asked. "There's nothing else you need us for?"

"I'll need you to be awake and ready to meet them tomorrow," she said with a smile. "So what you should do now is get a good night's sleep. Kazuma, will you take Kurama to get his pajamas?"

"Who's going to stay with you while I do that?" said Kuwabara, unwilling to leave her side.

"I can do it," Hiei said quickly, holding his hand out for the stopwatch. Kuwabara frowned, but he and Kurama headed upstairs nonetheless.

"Thank you, Hiei," Yukina said gratefully.

"It's the least I can do," he replied earnestly. "Now, um…what do I do if you have one?"

"Just time the space between the contractions, and then the length of the contraction itself," she instructed him. "By now, they should be about five or six minutes apart, lasting an average of one minute."

Hiei tried to imagine what it would feel like to keep getting recurring pains that got worse and worse as an indefinite period of time dragged on, but he found he couldn't. So he just said, "Yeah, I can do that. Do you…do you want me to hold your hand?"

Yukina nodded and smiled, holding her hand out, but that was when she went into a contraction. Hiei pressed the button on the stopwatch just in time. It was surprising how strong the normally-gentle woman's grip was, and these were some noises Hiei had never heard her make before. He didn't want her to be in pain, so it was hard to watch, no matter how many times he attempted to reassure himself that this was normal, and simply a part of nature.

Still, he had to admire how strong and brave his twin sister was. When her water broke, he was the one who had freaked out and had a panic attack, and she had been the one to calm him down. Shouldn't it have been the other way around? This was no mean feat, what she was doing to start a family with the man she loved. And when he thought of it like that, the whole process still seemed scary, but also sort of beautiful in a way.

During the time Kuwabara was finding the clothes for Kurama, Yukina had two contractions. Hiei noticed that the time in between them was more like four minutes than five, and they lasted seventy and seventy-five seconds, respectively. Hiei wasn't completely sure what this meant but he had a feeling it meant Yukina was getting closer to the babies' birth. So he just rubbed her back and made sure to tell her she was doing a good job, like Kuwabara had been doing.

When Hiei was timing the break after the second contraction he had helped her with, Kurama came downstairs with Kuwabara right behind him. Before, Hiei was afraid he would look stupid in his red Christmas pajamas, but when he saw what Kurama had to wear, he wasn't so worried anymore. Kurama was wearing sky-blue pajamas with a pattern of kittens batting at balls of yarn, lying on their backs, or curled up sleeping. And at least Hiei's pajamas fit. Kurama's were a little too long and baggy, although he looked just as handsome as always.

"You look good in cats," Hiei told Kurama with a grin.

Yukina giggled. "That's what I told Kazuma."

They waited until she went into another contraction, and after that once was over, Kuwabara stayed downstairs with her as Hiei and Kurama went upstairs to the guest room.

"I'm so worried about Yukina," Hiei confessed, hearing a loud, low moan from downstairs. "And the babies, too."

"Everything's going to be all right," Kurama repeated, squeezing Hiei's hand. "I really think they have control of the situation."

"I—um, shall I just change in the bathroom?" Hiei blurted, blushing furiously as they entered the bedroom.

"Whatever you want," said Kurama mildly, climbing into bed. "Which side do you sleep on?"

"It doesn't matter," Hiei mumbled, snatching his pajamas out of the closet and heading into the bathroom. He wondered if it really would be embarrassing, stepping out of the bathroom in his pajamas, as if this was their wedding night and he had just changed out of his tuxedo, ready to present himself to his new groom.

After Hiei changed, he had a whole new set of worries. What if his pajamas were too loose or too tight? What if Kurama saw more than he, Hiei, wanted? What if he woke up with morning wood (or worse)? What if his feet touched Kurama's, and they were cold? What if he kicked in the night? Maybe he should stay awake all night long, just to make sure he didn't do anything annoying. Most of all, he just had to remind himself that since he wasn't ready for anything below the neck, not yet, he would just have to say "no" if Kurama did want to do those things. Knowing him, he would at least ask first.

Well, whatever happens, you can't stay in this bathroom forever, Hiei reminded himself. Gingerly, he opened the door and stepped out. Kurama smiled.

"That's adorable," he said. "Come here."

"Just so you know, I don't really think I'm ready to do anything, you know…that's not PG-13," Hiei said nervously. "I mean, this is my first relationship, and…"

"That's fine, Hiei," said Kurama, holding out one arm. "Do you want to cuddle? Maybe let me steal a few kisses?"

"I-I can do that." Hiei felt relieved as he shut off the light and climbed into bed next to Kurama. Then he leaned his head on his new boyfriend's chest, staring peacefully up at the ceiling as Kurama cradled him in his arms.

...

"You guys, wake up!"

Hiei grumbled and moved his body around, not sure if he was still dreaming. Vaguely registering that someone was shaking his shoulder, he opened his eyes, nearly blinded by the sunlight that was now streaming in through the windows.

"Kuwabara?" Kurama blinked and sat up in bed.

"Yes! You'll never believe it!" Kuwabara looked happier than Hiei had ever seen him. "Guess what? The babies were born! 5:30 AM sharp on Christmas morning!"

"Really?!" Hiei, suddenly wide-awake, sprung out of bed and grabbed for his bathrobe. "Can we see them?"

"Yeah, follow me!" said Kuwabara, bounding out of the room and heading downstairs. Hiei looked at the clock and saw that it was seven in the morning. He quickly donned his bathrobe, but he waited for Kurama to get up, too. Kurama stretched and yawned, then climbed out of bed himself. Hiei couldn't but smirk; Kurama looked cute with his red hair all messed up. Hiei knew his own hair must be sticking in every direction, and his breath probably stunk, but right now, all he could think about was the babies!

By the time Hiei and Kurama were downstairs in the living room, Kuwabara was back with Yukina on the couch , holding one of the babies, while she held the other. Both babies were wrapped in blankets and wearing little hats. They both looked like they had been fed and bathed, and now they were both sleeping peacefully. Yukina looked tired, but ecstatic.

"Merry Christmas, you two," she said with a smile. "Meet Yoshihiro and Mari."

"May I hold one?" Kurama asked, approaching them carefully. "I know how to hold babies. I used to babysit a lot when I was younger."

"Of course." Yukina smiled and held out the baby she was holding. "This is Mari."

"She's absolutely beautiful," said Kurama, as the newborn baby girl was transferred from one pair of loving arms to another. Hiei was surprised at how…how right, how natural it looked to see Kurama holding a baby. Mari was relaxed and sleeping in his arms.

"Hiei," said Yukina. "Do you want to hold Yoshihiro?"

"Oh…I don't know," said Hiei, feeling a surge of fear. "I've never held a baby before."

"Yukina, if you hold Mari for a minute, I can show Hiei how to hold Yoshihiro," Kurama offered.

"Right," she said, smiling. "This is something a good uncle will need to know."

Kurama set the baby girl back in her mother's arms, and took Yoshihiro from Kuwabara. Then he walked over to Hiei, whose heart was beating extremely fast again. What if he dropped the baby? What if it cried? What if his own nephew couldn't stand him?

"Like this, Hiei," said Kurama gently. "Support his head and neck with one hand, and use the other to support his bottom. Be careful, now."

Kurama showed Hiei how to hold the little one in the crook of his arm, with the baby's head leaning against his chest. It was amazing how small he was, considering how much bigger he had made his mother, but then, his sister had been in there, too. Hiei thought little Yoshihiro would start to cry, but instead, he snuggled comfortably into Hiei's arms.

Hiei looked down at the baby, shocked that someone could be so trusting and innocent, still untouched by the harsh realities of the world. Yet somehow, unlike Hiei, this baby and his sister would always have a family to come home to, including Hiei, their uncle.

Slowly, Yoshihiro opened his eyes. Hiei saw that they were blue, the color the staff at the institution said his mother, Hina, had. If only she had lived long enough to know him—but maybe she was watching over them anyway. There was a lock of hair hanging in those icy-blue eyes, and when Hiei went to brush it away, the little boy reached out and grabbed his finger in a tight grip, one soft, perfect little hand wrapped firmly around Hiei's calloused finger.

"Did you guys see that?" said Hiei, looking up for a moment to stare at everyone else in the room. "He grabbed my finger!"

"I did see it, Hiei." Kurama was smiling, just like the other two. He was also holding Mari again.

"Christmas miracles really do happen, don't they?" Hiei whispered as, once more, he gazed into the baby's beautiful eyes, the ones that so resembled his grandmother's. "Welcome to the world, little guy. Merry Christmas."