Okay, guys - sorry for the wait! I've been on vacation with my mom and all of a sudden - I was hit with writer's block! Yeah, I know, it's balls. Well this, I'm sure, is a long awaited chapter. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you - Kuwabara's reaction. Enjoy!:P
"Are . . . are you serious?"
Shizuru nodded frantically, smiling through the pain of a contraction. Kuwabara jumped up, shaking.
"Okay . . . okay, guys!" He boomed, looking at them all. "Let's move it."
Botan helped Shizuru up as everyone ran around, cleaning up, moving things out of the way for her and getting ready to take her to the hospital. Kurama and Botan held Shizuru's hands, not minding if she squeezed hard.
"Just breathe, Shizuru, just breathe." Kurama's calm voice soothed her. "Just breathe."
She obeyed as they walked her down the stairs, the rest following behind. Shizuru looked over her shoulder at Genkai.
"You really, really need to get an elevator installed!"
Kurama and Botan helped Shizuru into the backseat of her car. Shizuru grabbed Kurama by the collar, pulling him down to her face.
"Go find Hiei." She whispered.
He nodded and she let go of him, watching him run off. Botan crawled into the backseat with Shizuru, holding her hand and whispering soothing words. Genkai hopped into the driver's seat before anyone could protest. Nobody cared at this point – the only people who could legally drive were Genkai, Shizuru and Keiko and seeing as how Shizuru was incapable of driving and Keiko had her own car to drive, Genkai took the wheel. She sped off, leaving Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko and Yukina standing there.
"C'mon, let's go!" Kuwabara shouted, running to Keiko's car. "Where's Kurama?"
Yusuke shoved his big friend into the backseat of his girlfriend's car, kicking him in the behind. He hopped in next to Kuwabara, slamming the door behind him.
"It doesn't matter, he'll meet us there."
"Oh, goodness," Yukina said softly, getting into the passenger seat and buckling up. "Oh, goodness. This is hectic."
Kurama ran into the Kuwabara apartment to check for Hiei. He fumbled for the key, almost dropping it a few times. He felt so rushed; he felt that he had to hurry to get to the hospital. His hand shook as he tried to stick the key in the lock.
"Damn it, why is this happening?" He cursed under his breath, his usually calm voice sounding shrill and frustrated.
Finally, the key fit into the lock and he turned it. He grabbed the door and opened the door, jumping in.
"Hiei!" He shouted.
He looked around the living room and kitchen, not seeing the short demon. He threw open the bathroom door and growled when he didn't see anything. He opened Shizuru's bedroom door and looked in. The window was closed and, by the looks of it, locked as well. He closed the door and ran from the apartment, only stopping to close and lock the front door behind him.
"Where would he be?" He whispered to himself as he ran. "Where would he – Oh!"
The park! Of course! That was like a second home to Hiei. He stopped and turned, realizing he was running in the opposite direction of Hiei's park.
Hiei folded his arms behind his head and crossed a leg over his bent knee. Something felt different all of a sudden, like something had changed drastically and had changed the world slightly. Something felt new.
"Hiei!"
He jumped, hearing Kurama's voice. He looked down to see Kurama's frantic face looking up at him.
"Hn. What do you want, Kurama?"
"Get down here now!" He ordered, pointing to the ground.
Hiei's eyes widened then narrowed into angry little slits as he glared down at Kurama. Where did he get off talking to him like that? How dare he think he could get away with something like that?
"What makes you think that you can talk to me like that, you stupid little fox –"
"Shizuru's about to give birth!"
Hiei stumbled and fell from the tree. He jumped up and ran side by side with Kurama.
"Are you serious?" He asked, panting as they made their way to the hospital. "She can't be, she's –"
"She is!" Kurama snapped. "Genkai and Botan are at the hospital with her. Yusuke and Kuwabara are on their way there right now with Keiko and Yukina."
"I don't care who's with whom!" Hiei shouted, stopping. "I just want to know if she's really giving birth!"
Kurama stopped and backhanded Hiei. Hiei was silent for a moment, looking up at Kurama.
"Just shut the hell up and run!" Kurama growled through gritted teeth.
Hiei nodded, feeling his reddening cheek. They began running again, getting closer to the hospital.
Shizuru breathed heavily, sweat matting her hair to her head. She turned to Botan, squeezing her hand.
"Where's . . . Where's Hiei?" she asked for the fourteenth time since she had arrived in the delivery room.
Botan shook her head, cupping Shizuru's hand in hers.
"He's not here yet, but he's on his way." She said in a shaky voice. "Just push, sweetheart, just push."
Kuwabara paced the waiting room, wringing his hands nervously with a hard look of nervous concentration on his face. Yusuke sat in between Keiko and Yukina, watching his friend.
"Cut it out, Kuwabara. You're making me nervous."
"Shuddup." He mumbled, pacing from one end of the room to the other.
He stopped in front of Yusuke and stared down at his friend, saying three little words that shocked everyone in their group.
"Ya gotta cigarette?"
"Yeah, I do." Yusuke shook his head. "But I'm not gonna give you one."
"Why not?" He shook. "I need it."
"Seriously cut it out, man. Sit down."
Kuwabara sat down next to Yusuke, burying his face in his hands. Yusuke put his hand on his friend's back, patting or rubbing occasionally. The two sighed deeply in unison.
"Just relax man." He said softly. "Just breathe and try to relax."
The waiting room was silent except for the sound of some 'Rosanne' rerun on Nick At Nite on the television bolted to the upper corner of the room and the sound of rapid footsteps headings towards them in the hall, shoes squeaking against the linoleum.
"There they are." Kurama said, breathlessly as he ran in. "How is she?"
"She's in the delivery room right now."
Kuwabara sat up and looked at Kurama and Hiei. His eyes narrowed at Hiei.
"Why are you here?" He spat. "I didn't think ya gave a shit about my sister, shrimp."
Hiei opened his mouth to speak but then closed it, looking away from his lover's younger brother.
"Hn."
He sat down in a chair that was the farthest away from everyone else in the corner of the room. He pulled his knees up to his chest and tried to breath, calming himself down. His heart was beating rapidly in his little chest. This was it. He was about to be a father. Shizuru Kuwabara was giving birth to Hiei Jaganshi's baby.
"All right, Miss Kuwabara, the baby is crowning." The midwife said in a calm voice. She gasped. "Oh, my goodness! This little guy's gotta full head of hair!"
Shizuru looked at Botan, pushing. Botan smiled at her squeezing her hand. Shizuru opened her mouth and Botan put her hand up, stopping her.
"Just keep doin' your job, mama." She said with her happy smile on her face. "I'll go see if the baby's daddy is outside."
She nodded and let go of Botan's hand, sweat dripping from her forehead into her eyes. She bit her lip and silently cursed Hiei for doing this to her.
"That bastard!" She thought. "I hate him so much for this!"
Botan rushed into the waiting room, watching as everyone's head snapped up to look at her. She smiled, seeing Hiei.
"The baby is crowning and has a full head of hair!"
He smiled to himself as Botan ran back into the delivery room. Everyone except Yukina and Kuwabara glanced at Hiei, sending him congratulatory smiles his way. He blushed slightly, burying himself in his cloak. He should be in there, holding Shizuru's hand – not Botan . . . but then Kuwabara would know.
He jerked suddenly at the thought. Shit! Kuwabara was going to find out, he was about to know! What was he going to do? What was Kuwabara going to do to him? Hiei really did wonder what was going to happen with Kuwabara.
Shizuru felt so much pain as she gave one last push. She looked at Botan who smiled widely back at her. Shizuru felt worried, she didn't hear the baby crying.
"It's a boy!" The doctor said, lifting the baby boy up in his arms.
The little boy did have a full head of hair; he had Hiei's exact hairstyle with the white starburst except the color was her light brown. The little boy wasn't crying and that worried Shizuru greatly; it didn't look as if he were moving. Her heart jumped at the thought of the baby boy being stillborn. But then she saw something that made that horrible thought vanish as quickly as it had appeared.
She watched as a long yellow stream of urine flowed from the baby boy onto the doctor's chest. Botan watched wide-eyed with surprise, stifling a giggle with her free hand. Shizuru gasped at what happened next – the little boy let out a little giggle. It wasn't just any little laugh; it was a cute yet extremely evil high-pitched cackle.
Shizuru and Botan looked at each other and laughed. That little boy was most definitely Hiei's son. Shizuru gasped, feeling another contraction. She had forgotten that she wasn't done yet. The doctor passed the little boy to a midwife and turned all of his attention back to Shizuru.
Kuwabara was pacing again, his hands behind his back as he mumbled to himself. Hiei grimaced at him, wishing he would stop.
"Can you stop that?" He snapped. "It's irritating me and making me nervous."
Kuwabara stopped and spun around on his heels to glare at Hiei. He stalked up to him, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. He pointed an accusing finger at Hiei, poking him in the nose. Hiei wanted nothing than to bit the big oaf's finger off.
"Don't tell me how to act, shrimp. I care about my sister more than anythin'. I'm extremely worried about her and I'm nervous as hell. I wouldn't expect you of all people to understand the love somebody feels for another. You're a cold, heartless punk who doesn't give a shit about anybody but himself!"
Hiei smacked Kuwabara's finger out of his face and stood up, going toe to toe with the mother of his child's brother. He glared at him, pointing up at him. He mustered all of his strength not to punch Kuwabara right in the mouth or the stomach or even lower.
"You watch what you fucking say to me, Kazuma Kuwabara!" He growled up at him. "You talk a lot of shit sometimes and you don't realize that half of what you say can get you into very big fucking trouble!"
"You don't know shit!" Kuwabara spat at him.
Everyone could feel the tension between the two; see the electricity emitting from the death glare they gave each other. Yusuke got up, falling into step with Kurama as they rushed to pull Hiei and Kuwabara away from each other before a fistfight could break out.
"I'll kill you!" They screamed at each other at the top of their lungs. "I'll kill you, I swear I will!"
"Yo, Kuwabara – cut it out!" Yusuke grabbed Kuwabara by his forearms from behind, pulling him back to his chair. "You two are disturbing the other patients in here!"
Shizuru squeezed Botan's hand tightly as she cried. She had just finished giving birth to the little girl and she wasn't breathing. The doctors had taken her away from Shizuru to try to get her to breathe. Shizuru looked at Botan with sad scared eyes.
"She's going to be okay, right?" She asked through a watery voice. "She is, isn't she?"
Botan nodded and opened her mouth to speak when they heard baby cries. They looked to see the doctor handing the little girl a midwife to get her cleaned. The two women let out a loud sigh of relief in unison.
"Now, did you decide on any names?" The doctor asked with a smile.
"She's all right, right?"
"Yes, she's perfectly fine. They're just going to clean her up and put her with her brother."
Shizuru sat up and hugged Botan tightly. Botan laughed, holding her friend tightly. She let go and ran from the room, going to tell everyone in the waiting room the fabulous news.
"Twins!" She shouted, smiling widely and holding up a peace sign. "A beautiful set of tiny twins!"
Everyone's eyes went as wide as saucers as they stared at Botan in disbelief. Kuwabara jumped up, punching the air. Yusuke turned to Hiei and mouthed the words 'Way to go!' and held his hand up in an air high five. Kurama gave Hiei a small pat on the back and a smile. Hiei looked at his feet, blushing sheepishly. He felt so . . . proud. He was ashamed to admit that he felt as if he were about to cry.
"Yeah!" Kuwabara shouted. "Is my sis okay?"
"She's perfectly fine – a little exhausted, but that's normal." She giggled. "Now, let's go see those babies!"
Botan led them to the large window that displayed all the little babies in the next room. She pointed at the little boy who was asleep, curled in the fetal position with Hiei's seldom smile on his face, then to the little girl, also asleep, who was in the hospital bassinet next to her brother with her thumb in her mouth.
"Hey . . ." Kuwabara said, poking the glass as he pointed at the little boy. "That kid looks like Hiei."
He squinted to read the nametag at the baby boy's feet.
"Haru Jaganshi – Kuwabara . . ." He said slowly. "Huh . . . that's weird."
He turned to see everyone else looking at him. He shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head in confusion.
"What, you guys?"
"Kuwabara," Yusuke blinked. "Hiei's the father."
Kuwabara's eyes widened until they took up half his face. The room began to spin, the color floating in and out. He stumbled back and Yusuke ran to his side, easing his friend down into a plush green chair. Kuwabara's chest heaved, his breath coming out labored and heavy. He scratched at his chest, ripping open his jacket.
"Kittens . . ." He whispered. "The dream."
"Ku . . . Kuwabara?"
"Kazuma, are you all right?"
He shook his head frantically, staring at nothing on the ground with wide eyes. He kept clutching at his chest, his breath quickening and sounding more labored.
"I can't . . . I can't breathe!" He choked out. "I can't breathe!"
"Nurse!" Yusuke screamed, running to the nurse's station. "Nurse, quick!"
"I think he's having a heart attack!"
Kuwabara stared at nothing; sweat seeping from every pore in his body. He felt lightheaded, claustrophobic. He was shaking and hyperventilating. His stomach hurt and he felt as if he were about to throw up. He was exhausted and there was an incredibly loud ringing in his ears that blocked out everyone's voice. Suddenly everyone disappeared and was replaced by white.
"I can't see!" He choked. "I need to get outta here! I can't see!"
He felt hands on him, grabbing at him and pulling at him. He jerked and flailed, throwing wild blind punches everywhere. He needed to get out of that hospital now.
Kuwabara woke up an hour later, his eyes fluttering open. He looked around to see everyone forming a half circle around him. Hiei stood in the corner, looking out the hospital window. Kuwabara looked at Yusuke, who sat at his right. Yusuke smirked at him.
"Hey, sleepin' beauty." He said softly.
"Urameshi . . . what happened?"
"You had a panic attack, man." He said. "You scared the shit out of us."
Kuwabara saw the familiar black blur in the corner of his eye and glance towards Hiei. Hiei turned and looked right at him.
All those feelings returned to Kuwabara; the tightness in his chest, the heavy breathing. He was having another panic attack. Yusuke's eyes widened and he snatched a brown paper bag from the bedside table. He put it to Kuwabara's mouth, hitting him on the back.
"Breathe, ya big idiot!" He ordered. "Breathe!"
Kuwabara's breathing evened out as he calmed down, inflating and deflating the bag with his mouth. He took the bag away from his mouth and glared at Hiei, pointing.
"Get out! Get the fuck out!" He screamed.
Hiei turned to retort when Kuwabara jumped at him, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground. He felt Kuwabara's massive hands around his neck, tightening his grip. Kuwabara shook Hiei, strangling him. Hiei choked, his eyes watering.
"Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted, pulling him off of Hiei. "Get the fuck off him! He can't breathe!"
Kuwabara jerked away from Yusuke and glared at everyone in his hospital room.
"Who knew about this?" He shouted, his hands shaking. "Who the fuck else knew about this?"
Everyone except Yukina raised their hands, looks of shame on their pretty faces.
"Oh, fuck, you guys!" He screamed, grabbing his head. "Why didn't you tell me?"
They looked at their feet, at the wall, out the window or the ceiling, anything except Kuwabara's face.
"Why do you guys have to keep everything from me?" He whined. "What else haven't you been telling me?"
"Hiei's Yukina's brother." Yusuke said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Kurama elbowed Yusuke hard in the stomach while everyone else except Yukina and Kuwabara glared at him. Kuwabara fell to the ground with a 'thud', fainting.
"Oh, shit." Yusuke mumbled, running to the door and sticking his head out. "Nurse!"