Okay, so chapter four! I don't know if this one is very eventful or not - that's up to you, the reader!:P This one has some suggestive material so if you don't like that kind of stuff, stop reading this chapter. I mean, I don't think it's anything super bad. Also, I'm trying to make this humorous, but I don't know if it's working:P Tell me if I am in a review or something!:P Also also (:P) - Hiei is very, very out of character in this chapter, towards the end I think. Well, enjoy!:P
Hiei woke to the sun shining right in his face. He groaned, glaring at the rays of the sun that poured through the window and illuminated the room. He rolled over onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, his hands by his head. He glanced sideways at Shizuru's side of the bed; she was gone.
He sat up, holding himself up with his arms. His eyes scanned the room, taking it all in. He looked to the corner of the room where he had left his wet clothes. His clothes were gone and in their place was a dark damp stain on the lavender carpet.
"Hn."
He could hear the television on in the living room. He threw the blankets back and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His feet touched the plush soft carpet and he sat there a moment, wiggling his toes against the carpet. He stood and went over to the door, shooting one last look at the puddle in the corner of the room. The door was opened a jar and Hiei could see out into the living room.
Should he go out or just stay in the room until Shizuru came for him? Was Kuwabara there? No, he had school. And if the big idiot were home, why would she leave the door open? Hiei flung the door open all the way, letting it hit the wall, then walked out into the living room.
Shizuru sat on the couch, a hot cup of tea in her hands. She watched the steam rise from the cup, inhaling the scent of orange and spices deeply. She had gotten up early – to vomit, of course. She really couldn't wait until the morning sickness stopped. After she had thrown up a few times, she had gone back to the room and scooped up Hiei's wet clothes.
She had stood at the edge of the bed, watching him sleep. He looked so sweet and innocent, his head to the side with his mouth open slightly. He didn't look evil or threatening or anything else negative that described Hiei. She had smiled at the sleeping demon, wanting nothing more than to run a hand across his innocent sleeping face. She had decided against it, straightening her back. She didn't want to wake him and return to his normal self. She had left the room, leaving the door open a jar. She had washed his clothes and made herself a hot cup of tea then sat at the couch, flipping the television to see if anything good was on.
And that was where she was now. She was thinking about the baby – adoption seemed like the right thing to do. She really didn't want to be a mother at that point in her life. She knew that she had the others support and that they would be on her side no matter what she chose to do. She wondered about Hiei, if he secretly wanted her to have the baby or didn't care either way – just as long as she didn't have a 'repulsive' abortion as he had put it.
She sighed, closing her eyes. A part of her wanted to keep it, but the other part of her wanted to go on with her life. She cursed herself and Hiei for being so stupid and acting on an impulse. She wanted to talk to Botan, needed to.
She heard a loud noise coming from her bedroom, like something fell or hit the wall. She sighed, knowing Hiei was awake. She looked to the hall and saw him standing there, with his hands on his hips.
"Where are my clothes?" He asked in that bored monotone voice of his.
"In the dryer." She replied with a shrug. "I washed them for you."
"Get them." He said rudely. "I want to leave."
"I just put them a few minutes ago, if you take them out now they'll still be wet."
"What am I supposed to do until they're done drying?"
"You can borrow some of my brother's clothes if you want." She chuckled at his grimace. "Go put my bathrobe on, your clothes will be done soon."
He grumbled, going back to her room. He snatched the bathrobe of the back of her desk chair and put it on, tying the sash loosely. He went back into the living room to see Shizuru leaning forward, her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. Her body was shaking and she was sniffling and whimpering.
He crossed his arms over his chest, watching her cry. Jeez, what the hell had happened in the minute he was gone? What was he supposed to do? He was pushing those feelings for her away, trying to distance himself from her.
She sniffled once more then sat up, a little surprised to see him standing there. She wiped the tears from her face with her fingertips, her eyes looking up at the ceiling.
"I should go check on your clothes, I'm sure they're almost done." She mumbled through a water voice with a forced fake smile.
She didn't make an effort to get up. She just sat there, looking down at her lap. She sat up, sighing through her open mouth, and then put her hands on her stomach. This was driving her crazy. She looked up at Hiei.
"What're we going to do, Hiei?" She sighed. "What am I going to do, I mean."
Everything was felt so mixed up, so cluttered. She felt so scatterbrained. She patted the spot on the couch next to her and he sat down, resting against the arm of the couch.
"Hey! You!" Kuwabara screamed, pointing at a random man walking by. "Did you knock up my sister?"
The man looked at Kuwabara with a shocked wide-eyed expression on his face and started to run when Kuwabara charged towards him.
Yusuke and Kurama watched as Kuwabara beat up the fourteenth random man he suspected had gotten his sister pregnant. Yusuke shook his head, clicking his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He smirked, watching Kuwabara jump the guy. "He's gonna be so pissed when he finds out it's Hiei."
"Yes, he is." Kurama sighed, closing his eyes. "Any little joke you want to make about Kuwabara's search for Yukina's brother and the person who impregnated Shizuru being the same person?"
"Nope." Yusuke shook his head again. "I got nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Absolutely nothing."
"Huh . . ." Kurama leaned back against the park bench, crossing his legs. "Where you shocked to find out Hiei's the father?"
"Yeah, totally." Yusuke blew a strand of hair out of his face. "I kind of thought it would have been you. I thought you guys had something going."
"No, we're just good friends. I actually thought she was a lesbian."
"Really?" Yusuke's eyebrows quirked as he looked at Kurama. "Shit, Kuwabara's coming."
Kuwabara sighed as he sulked up to the two at the bench, wiping blood from his nose. He flopped down in between them, draping his arms over the back of the bench. He tilted his head back, looking up at the sky.
"Man, this is hard!" He exclaimed exasperatedly. "I've almost beaten up all the men in town – except the little boys and the grandpas."
"Why the hell do you have beat them up?" Yusuke asked, stretching his arms above his head. "Can't you just leave 'em alone?"
"I'm pissed that someone knocked up my sister and she doesn't know who it is." He shrugged. "I'm just tryin' to help her out by tryin' to find 'im."
"So, what are you gonna do when you actually find out who it is?" Yusuke asked, a playful smirk on his face.
Kurama shot Yusuke a stern warning look. Yusuke just rolled his eyes at him; the playful smirk on his face widening. Kuwabara balled up his fists and pounded the back of the bench.
"First, I'll ask him what he plans to do, y'know, if he loves my sister, does he plan on taking care of her and the baby . . ." He said softly.
Kurama and Yusuke looked at each, letting Kuwabara's words sink in. Maybe, they should tell him.
"Then I'll fuckin' kill him." Kuwabara grumbled.
Kurama and Yusuke stared wide-eyed at each other, letting the shocking new words sink in. Kuwabara sounded angry, like he meant it.
"You don't really mean that, do you?" Kurama asked, looking at Kuwabara's dark eyes.
"I meant what I said and I said what I meant." He stated.
"Way to go, Horton Hears A Who." Yusuke smirked.
"Shuddup, Urameshi." He snapped halfheartedly. "Hey, guys . . . if you knew who got my sister pregnant, would you tell me?"
They looked at each other again as Kuwabara stared up at nothing in the sky. They opened their mouths to speak, mirroring each other's exact moves, but Kuwabara continued.
"I keep having this weird dream." He stated. "It's bothers me and I hate it."
"Well, what happens?" Kurama asked.
"Yeah, man, what happens?" Yusuke asked, turning his body completely towards Kuwabara.
"I keep dreaming we have a new cat . . ."
"Oh, that's so weird!"
Kuwabara elbowed Yusuke in the side, his lip curled in frustration. Yusuke giggled, pushing Kuwabara away.
"Would you listen to me, Urameshi?" He asked, his voice getting higher. "This is really serious!"
"All right, all right." Yusuke sighed, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Go ahead, continue."
"You giggle like a little bitch, by the way."
"Well, you – "
"Continue, please, Kuwabara." Kurama said calmly.
"Well, it's a black cat. He's really tiny, like a kitten – but he's full grown, I'm sure. He has this little tuff of hair between his ears that sticks up in a point with this little white patch on it – kinda like Hiei!"
Yusuke and Kurama looked at each other again, just staring at each other while Kuwabara continued to speak about his dream.
"He doesn't have normal green eyes like a cat does, he has these weird . . . red eyes – kinda like Hiei!"
Kuwabara looked from Yusuke to Kurama, who stared at each other.
"Hey, what's wrong with you guys?" He asked; his eyes furrowed in confusion. "Ya look like you've seen a ghost."
"It's nothin', dude."
"Yes, please continue."
"Well, okay . . . Every time I try to pick the cat up, he scratches the hell outta me! He scratches at me 'til I bleed and he hisses like crazy until I drop him. Then Shizuru comes outta nowhere and she picks the cat up and he, like, automatically calms down!
He rubs up against her and purrs. And then! And then, all of a sudden she puts him down and morphs in a skinny brown cat. Then the two are all rubbing against each other and purring and then outta nowhere, there all these little kittens runnin' around that look exactly like them. The black cat starts howlin' and the kittens start runnin' at me, tryin' to attack me."
Kuwabara sighed, closing his eyes.
"Then I wake up."
"Wow, Kuwabara . . . that sounds crazy." Yusuke bit his lip, looking at the floor.
"Yes, it does sound very crazy."
"Thank God it's only a dream, right?" Kuwabara chuckled and stood. "C'mon, let's go back to my place and get somethin' to eat. I'll kick your ass at Nintendo, Urameshi!"
He laughed then turned, walking away from the two on the bench. Yusuke and Kurama stood, walking side by side as they followed Kuwabara and spoke quietly to each other.
"Jesus Christ, Kurama!" Yusuke said, glancing at Kuwabara to make sure he was far enough not to hear them. "That dream is so obvious! What if he figures it out? He said he'd kill him."
"Just calm down. You should know better than anyone that Kuwabara's not the brightest crayon in the box, as they say. He still hasn't figured out that Hiei is Yukina's brother yet, and that's a bit obvious too, don't you think?"
Yusuke nodded, sticking his bottom lip out. He shoved his hands into his pockets, shrugging.
"I guess you're right, Kurama."
"Aren't I always?"
Hiei groaned softly, holding Shizuru close to him. She had been crying for about the past hour. She clung to him, twisting the warm black fabric of his shirt in her hand. He would awkwardly patted her on the back and occasionally unconvincingly say.
'There, there. It's all right.'
"It's not all right." She replied, burying her face into his shoulder. "I thought I'd be married first before I got pregnant. I thought I'd be in love with a great guy who felt the same way."
Hiei froze, his hand in mid-pat above her shoulder. His body tensed and his heart began to race. He gulped as Shizuru sniffled, resting her head on his chest.
"I . . . love you." He grumbled, hoping that she wouldn't hear.
Her crying stopped and she was quiet for a moment. She slowly sat up and looked at him with bloodshot eyes and tearstained cheeks.
"What did you say?"
'You idiot!' The voice in Hiei's head screamed. 'Why would you say something like that? Lie to her; tell her you said something else – meant something else! Oh, you stupid little idiot, you've messed up big time!'
"Nothing." He said, his voice coming out breathless. "I didn't say anything."
"Yes, you did." She said, leaning away from him as she sat on the edge of the couch. "You said you loved me, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't." He said defensively. "I would never say anything like that."
"Hiei, stop being a dick." She said, closing her eyes and sighing. "Just tell me the truth."
"All right, all right! I said I love you!" He snapped, throwing his arms up into the air dramatically. "I love you, okay? Are you satisfied?"
She sat there, staring at him with her mouth open slightly. He stood and grabbed his cloak.
"I should go. I should leave."
"Hiei, wait." She reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.
He turned to her and looked at her, a sad yet happy smile on her face. He took a step towards her, dropping his cloak.
"I love you, too." She whispered.
He slumped back down onto the couch, looking at her.
"Hiei, I really love you. I haven't been able to get you out of my head since that night and –"
Hiei's eyes widened as he listened to her speak. Her words were his thoughts, the thoughts he tried to push away and forget. His feelings.
She fell back into the couch, draping an arm over her face to cover her eyes, her hand on her stomach. She sighed, smiling. She felt relieved. She finally let him know how she felt and he felt the same – he actually felt the same. She closed her eyes, her eyelashes grazing her arm. She felt Hiei's weight shift, the couch squeaking. She moved her arm to see Hiei crawling over to her.
"Hiei, what're you doing?" She asked through a laugh.
He ignored her and crawled on top of her. She moved her arms out of the way, letting one hang off the couch.
"Hiei, seriously, what're you doing?"
"Sh." He said, smirking as he put a finger to her lips. "I'm being out of character."
He moved his finger and she opened her mouth to speak when he silenced, pressing his lips against her. She smiled, accepting it.
It was just like the kiss in her dream, the first kiss they had shared. Those memories came flooding back to her; she just had to smile. She slid her arms around his back, pulling him closer. One of his hands propped him up as he kissed her, the other exploring her body as if it were the first time he had touched her. She arched her back, pressing against him. He groaned into her mouth as he grinded his hips against hers.
"Look what I've got – Hiei?"
Their eyes snapped open and Shizuru gasped, pushing him off of her. Hiei lost his balance and fell to the floor onto his back. He rubbed the back of his head as he and Shizuru stared at Botan standing in the open doorway, two large shopping bags in her hands. Hiei glared at her for interrupting his moment with Shizuru then turned to glare at Shizuru.
"Why does Botan have a key?" He growled.
Shizuru sat up, propping herself up on her elbows. She looked at Botan, her cheekbones turning a pale rose color.
"I gave it to her so she could feed the cat when Kazuma and I went out of town one week to visit family. She hasn't given it back yet."
Botan giggled, a nervous smile on her face as she looked at them.
"What's going on here?" she asked in a singsong voice.
"Close the door, Botan. We'll tell you."
"If you tell that idiot brother of hers, I will kill you."
"Hiei, shut up."
Botan closed the door, setting the bags down by her feet. She stood in front of them with her arms crossed over her chest and her classic smile on her face.
"Oh, Hiei." She playfully scolded. "You dog, don't you know she's pregnant?"
"Yes," He replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Don't you know I'm the father?"
Botan's eyes widened and she gasped. She opened her mouth to speak when Hiei pointed an accusing finger at her.
"Don't you even dare say 'what', you heard me damn well!"
Botan squealed, stomping her feet lightly as she shook her hands excitedly. Then she seemed to remember something and stopped, dropping her hands to her sides.
"Shizuru, does your brother know?"
"No, not yet." Shizuru answered, shaking her head. "We're not ready to tell him yet."
"So don't do it." Hiei warned, glaring at Botan.
"Well, who else knows?"
"Just you and Yusuke."
"And Kurama."
Shizuru turned her head to look at Hiei on the floor, her hair flinging.
"You told Kurama?"
"Yes, I did. He practically forced it out of me."
"Oh, my goodness," Botan said, putting her hands on her face. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness."
Shizuru turned her attention back to Botan. She glanced at the two large shopping bags at her feet, pastel colored cloths inside.
"What's in the bags, Botan?" She asked, swinging her legs over the side of the couch and accidentally kicking Hiei.
"Ow!"
"Sorry, honey."
"Honey? So, you two are -?"
"Yeah, I guess as of a few minutes ago, we're together. Please, don't tell Kazuma."
"Oh, okay, okay." She said, waving away the idea of telling Kuwabara.
'So, I'm going to ask again – what's in the bags, Botan?"
Botan jumped, remembering the bags at her feet. She dropped to her knees, pulling a bag close to her.
"I was thinking about your baby and I did a little shopping!"
"Botan, you didn't . . ."
Botan smiled widely, laughing cheerfully as she held up a pink onesie.
"I did!"
"It's pink." Hiei grimaced, spitting out the word as if it were poison.
"Oh, I know!" she said, delving back into the bag and rummaging around. "I've got an arrangement of different colors!"
She showed them different colored onesies – pinks, blues, red, greens, yellows, purples, oranges, a white one and a black one.
"I like that one." Hiei said, eyeing the black one with a smirk.
Shizuru smacked Hiei on the back of the head and when he looked up at her, she patted the spot next to her on the couch. He got up and sat next to her, letting her hold his hand.
"Oh, you two are so cute together! Can I take a picture?"
"No!" Hiei snapped. "No damn pictures!"
"What's in the other bag, Botan?"
"Oh, you know! Bottles and rattles and bath toys and the such."
"Oh, Botan . . ." Shizuru groaned, holding her head in her hand as she looked at her friend, a smile on her face. "You really shouldn't have."
"But I wanted to!" Botan giggled.
The front door opened and Hiei let go of Shizuru's hand then flitted to Botan's side as Kuwabara came in with Yusuke and Kurama following behind him.
"Hey, sis. Botan, Hiei. What're you guys doing here?"
Yusuke and Kurama looked at Hiei, wondering what he would come up with. Botan shrugged, smiling at Kuwabara.
"I just did a little shopping for your sister's baby. I met Hiei on the way here so I invited him to come over with me."
"That's cool." Kuwabara nodded at Botan then turned to Shizuru. "I didn't find the baby's father yet. I think he might've skipped town, the slime ball."
Yusuke, Kurama and Botan snickered as they watched Hiei ball his hands into tight angry little fists at his sides. HE threw them a death glare and the shut up, smiles on their faces. Kuwabara turned to Hiei, jerking his head up in a 'hello'.
"Hey, shrimp. D'ya hear my sister's pregnant?"
The snickering started up again and Hiei wanted nothing more than to bash their heads in with the blue rattle Botan had bought. He kept his composure, his face calm.
"Hn. As if I couldn't tell by the baby clothes and toys, idiot."
"Ooh, I oughta beat the shit outta you!"
"I would really like to see you try."
Kuwabara charged at Hiei, his fist ready to land against the side of his face. Hiei rolled his eyes and took a step to the left, watching as Kuwabara throw the punch at the air and fall to the ground. He sat up, glaring at Hiei.
"One day, Hiei, one day." He warned. "One day, I'm gonna beat you worse than I'm gonna beat that deadbeat who knocked up my sister!"
The snickering erupted into full-blown laughter. Shizuru, Hiei and Kuwabara watched as Yusuke, Kurama, and Botan held their sides laughing hysterically. Kuwabara got up and put his hands on his hips, a look of confusion on his face.
"What the hell, you guys? What is so funny?"
"Yeah, guys – what is so funny?" Shizuru shot an evil warning look at the three at the door.
"No – nothing." Yusuke giggled, wiping away a tear. "Nothing at all."
"You guys hungry?" Kuwabara asked, wandering into the kitchen, suddenly forgetting everything that had just happened.
"No, thanks Kuwabara!" Yusuke called to him. "I gotta get goin'."
"I think I should go as well." Kurama said softly.
"Yeah, me too!" Botan chirped.
Hiei wanted them to leave; he wanted to spend time with Shizuru. He suddenly realized that the three of them were looking at him. They were expecting him to say something. He made a face, curling his lip up and rolling his eyes.
"Hn."
"Bye, guys!" Kuwabara called from the kitchen. "Seeya later!"
Shizuru bit her lip in a way that sent shivers down Hiei's back. She tilted her head to the side, a pouty pleading look on her face. She didn't want him to go and he didn't want to, either. He gave her a half shrug, his eyebrows quirked in a sympathetic way. Botan and Kurama gasped in unison and Yusuke stifled a giggle at the sight. Hiei's face returned to his indifferent bored expression and he turned to glare at them. They turned away, pretending they hadn't seen anything.
Hiei looked back at the kitchen, making sure that Kuwabara was still in there and wasn't coming out anytime soon. He could hear the big idiot rummaging in the refrigerator. He looked back at Shizuru, who sat at the side of the couch closest to Hiei, her hands resting on the arm. He flitted to her, cupped her slightly more smoothly shaped face in his hands and kissed her quickly before leaving with Yusuke, Kurama and Botan.
Shizuru watched him glance back at her before he closed the door just enough to mouth the word 'window' at him. He gave her a nod then closed the door behind him. Kuwabara stood in the entranceway of the kitchen, munching on something. She looked at her brother, who looked back at her. He smiled at her, his cheeks puffed out from the food in his mouth. She forced a smile; looking at the goofy boy she called a brother.
"So, how was your day?" She asked, folding her arms over the arm of the couch.
"It was all right," He mumbled through a full mouth, shrugging. "I beat the crap out of some guys I thought might've got you pregnant."
She sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head on her arms.
"Kazuma, you really shouldn't do that."
"I think it's messed up that a guy can knock a girl up and then just leave, like she's gonna take care of everything."
"Did you feed your cat?"
The subject needed to be changed – why not change it to something her brother loved? His face lit up as Eikichi padded into the kitchen, circling around Kuwabara's feet and meowing. He looked down and smiled proudly.
"Speak of the devil!" Shizuru said. "Can you make me some soup?"
"Sure, what kind?"
"Doesn't matter, nothing gross."
"'Doesn't matter, nothing gross' she says." He mumbled going back into the kitchen to make Shizuru her soup.
She sighed again, looking at the bag of baby clothes Botan had bought. The black onesie was on top of the others. It was so unique and alone in a sea of pastels. She smiled. That one had become her favorite.
Hiei stood outside her bedroom window, watching her as she walked in and locked the door. She lifted her shirt above her head, revealing her back and the back of her bra. He pressed his face against the cold glass of the window, watching her undress. She had stepped out of her pants and was about to take her bra off when she stopped.
"Oh, hell!" Hiei growled under his breath.
She turned to see him at the window and smiled at him. He smiled back, giving her a little wave. She walked towards him but stopped short about half a foot away from the window. She was so close. His eyes widened as he watched what she did.
Slowly she shrugged her shoulder, letting the bra strap fall and expose more of her skin. She smiled as his breath came out in short quick gasps, fogging up the window. She shrugged her other shoulder, repeating the action before putting her hands behind her back.
She had him panting after her like an overgrown flea-bitten dog! He growled to himself, watching her take off her bra. In one fast jerky movement, he yanked the window open and rested a foot on the windowsill, lowering his face until it was an inch away from hers.
"You are such a tease!" He growled at her.
She just smirked and put her hands on her hips, watching him jump into her room. He was making her feel like a teenager again with the way he snuck in through her bedroom window.
He was trying to be intimidating, looking up at her as he slowly stalked towards her. It was rather hard to keep from laughing at the little demon's attempt to intimidate her. She bit her lip, backing away from him. The back of her legs touched the edge of her bed and she fell back onto the bed. She smiled up at him when he straddled her, his eyes taking in her body, her beauty.
"You're so beautiful." He whispered.
She rolled her eyes then flipped him onto his back, pinning his hands down by his head. She had caught him off guard and had surprised him by rolling on top of him.
"I thought I was just a tease." She said tauntingly.
"Well, you are." He pretended to struggle to break free from her, making her tighten her grip on his wrists.
"Can't we just cuddle?" He asked sarcastically, attempting to make an innocent look on his face.
She laughed at him then rolled over onto the bed. The two crawled underneath the warm blankets together. Hiei put an arm around Shizuru's bare stomach, burying the side of his smiling face into the plush pillow. She smiled down at him as she reached out and turned off her light. She lied down, turning towards him and cuddling with him.
"What're you doing?" He laughed softly.
"Cuddling with you, you said you wanted to."
"Oh, yeah."
He put his arms around her as she did the same to him, the two entwining their legs together. She smiled as he traced her jaw line with little kisses.
"Hiei?" Her voice was so soft and quiet.
"Hm?" The noise vibrated against her skin.
"Did you mean it when you said you loved me?"
"Yes, why?"
"I was just wondering . . . You're not going to leave me after the baby's born, are you?"
He stopped kissing her neck and looked at her shadowed face in the dark.
"Never." He grabbed her hand and kissed the palm. "I love you."
She smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.
"I love you too. Now, let's get some sleep. I have to work in the morning."