Subject: [FF] (YYH) A Gift of Unusual Nature pt. 3

	"Kurama?" Yukina called into the darkened apartment.

	"Yukina!!!" Kurama's muffled voice almost wailed back from the
bedroom and she ran, leaving Shizuru to take the key out of the lock and
close the door.

	Kurama's expression was wild with concern and fear as she reached
out and put her hand on her twins rock hard stomach before she was even all
the way in the nest. She winced as his exhaustion communicated itself to
her through the link she established and he whimpered as a hard contraction
rippled under her hand. She 'looked' and saw the problem. One of the babies
was laying sideways across the birth passage.

	"Kurama, get behind him and let him lean against you. Hiei, I'm
going to have to move the babies," she told her brother as Kurama moved
into position. "It's going to hurt, but then we'll get them right out,
O.K.? Hold him still, Kurama."

	Kurama nodded as she put both her hands on Hiei's belly, one over
each twin, then she closed her eyes and concentrated.

	Kurama moaned in sympathy and tightened his arms around Hiei's
ribcage when Hiei screamed for the first time and writhed against him as
his belly rippled and bulged under Yukina's hands. He could see the kits
shift as they followed under the guiding glow of her palms.

	"Hiei, push now. Hard!"

	He felt Hiei's tremble against him as his muscles shuddered with
exertion and exhaustion as he strained in his arms with the next
contraction.

	"Good! One's coming now! Push hard, Hiei!"

	Kurama pressed his cheek against Hiei's and wished there was
something he could do to help. Hiei made a little sound between a sob and a
gasp as Yukina continued to coax and scold and Kurama felt Hiei's hands
close around his wrists and guide his hands to the sides of his belly.

	"Help," Hiei whispered, sounding desperate as his hands pressed
against Kurama's and made them follow the next contraction as it worked
it's way down.

	"Hard!" Hiei instructed with a grunt as his hands pressed against
Kurama's again as another contraction came right on the heels of the last
one.

	Kurama did and prayed to the Gods he wasn't hurting Hiei or the
kits as he did as Hiei asked.

	"Good! One or two more like that and this baby will be born! Just a
few more, Hiei!" Yukina encouraged.

	It took three. Hiei pressed back hard against him on the last one
with a growling hiss, then Yukina crowed.

	"He's out! Half way there, Hiei!"

	Kurama heard an angry squall and glanced up to see a towel wrapped
bundle get passed into Shizuru's waiting hands and withdrawn through the
entrance. He felt the other kit shift into position under his palms and
made himself focus totally on the rhythm of Hiei's contractions. It took
another seventeen to get the other kit out. Kurama counted each endless one
in a whisper. Toward the end, Hiei was limp against him, at the end of his
strength and he and Yukina basically pushed and pulled the last kit out by
force.

	He had a shiver of anxiety as the towel wrapped kit was passed
silent and still into Shizuru's waiting hands. Yukina gave him a reassuring
smile and followed Shizuru out, taking the soiled bedding with her. He held
Hiei gently against his chest and stroked his neck and shoulder with one
hand, waiting for that new cry. Why didn't the kit cry? Hiei gave a huge
sigh as his eyes fluttered open. Kurama schooled his fear out of his face
as Hiei focused on him and scowled.

	"I'm not ever going to do that again. Where are the babies? Are
they all right?" he demanded in a soft, tired voice.

	"They're fine, brother."

	They both looked to Yukina who was crawling back in. Once in, she
turned and reached back out, then placed a blanket wrapped baby into Hiei's
arms.

	"Your son!" she smiled and giggled a little at her brothers awkward
unease and showed him how to settle it into the crook of his arm. Hiei
glanced up at Kurama, then focused on the baby, moving the blanket away
from it's face with a slight tremble in his hand.

	Kurama watched from over his shoulder as a beautiful little face
was exposed, green eyes staring evenly back up at his parents.

	"Figures," Hiei grumbled as he brushed the cap of red hair that
crowned the infants head, then one finger traced the jagged white starburst
streak that ran through it with a feather light caress. "At least he
inherited something from me."

	Hiei unwrapped the blanket and proceeded to begin to examine every
bit of his son. Kurama rested his chin on his lovers head and smiled,
pleased that Hiei was so fascinated by his baby, but still couldn't enjoy
watching his lover as he listened for that unheard cry. Surely the girl was
all right. Yukina would have said something if she wasn't. Hiei was just
starting to marvel at the babies perfect, tiny fingers when Shizuru called
for Yukina softly.

	Yukina blocked the entrance for a moment, then turned back with
another blanket wrapped baby and Kurama felt a huge weight lift off his
chest as she offered it to him. He shook his head 'no'. He wasn't ready yet.

	"I'm sure Hiei will want to hold her first."

	Yukina saw Hiei look up at Kurama out of the corner of his eye with
a little frown.

	"Take her. I've got my arms full at the moment," he commanded.

	He and Kurama had never gotten a chance to talk about what happened
to his other children yet, but Hiei knew it had been bad. He also knew that
his lover was terrified of becoming attached to these babies, was afraid
that they would die on him too. He cuddled their son against his chest and
slid his tired and sore body over onto a pile of pillows as he gestured at
Yukina with his head to give Kurama the baby.

	"No...I..." Kurama tried to back away but had no where to go in the
small space and suddenly had a baby cradled between his hands.

	He closed his eyes, unwilling to look at her. He would hold her for
a just a second, then give her back to Yukina. She was so small and light
that he almost opened his eyes to see if there was anything in the blanket.

	"Here," he started to offer her back to Yukina, "I've held..." a
soft, rhythmic trill drifted up from the blanket and he glanced down,
startled.

	Another pair of huge green eyes blinked back at him out of a tiny,
porcelain white copy of Hiei's face. He stared, instantly entranced. Unlike
Hiei, there was none of the anger and mistrust in her face or the loving
eyes that studied him back. He realized that she was...purring! He moved
the blanket that covered her head away and shook his head in wonder. His
daughter was an exact negative image of Hiei. He eyed the jagged black
stripe in her white hair as he put his head down close to her own so he
could nuzzle her chest and memorize her scent. She trilled a little louder
and one tiny hand escaped the blanket to rest on his face. He looked up at
Hiei, tears stinging in his eyes.

	"She's beautiful, Hiei."

	"Of course she's beautiful," Hiei answered with a smirk. "What
else...HEY?!"

	Kurama had unbuttoned his shirt earlier so he could put some cool
washcloths on his chest while he was struggling with the babies. One side
had fallen far enough open when he had moved for his son to nuzzle it aside
while he had been watching Kurama fall in love with their daughter. He
glared down at his son, who had latched onto the nipple he had found and
was happily sucking away.

	Both Kurama and Yukina laughed as Hiei blinked and frowned at the
baby at his breast.

	"Hiei, you should let them nurse at least once, since you've still
got the equipment," Yukina advised around her giggles.

	Hiei glowered at her out of the corner of his eye but shrugged and
grumbled, 'Fine."

	He had no idea how to get the little demon to let go without
hurting him, anyway. He shifted his focus back and forth between their son
and their daughter, watching with a critical eye as Kurama examined the
girl, kissing her little fingers and the bottoms of her feet after he had
counted all her toes. He wanted to hold her desperately, but knew he could
wait for just a little bit. With one, last, noisy gulp their son let go and
fell instantly asleep, his little belly round and full. Hiei couldn't help
but smile a little at the contentment on the baby's face, but quickly hid
it before the others could see.

	"Here," Hiei held out their son toward Kurama. "Take Kithi and give
me that one and let me get this over with."

	Kurama raised his eyebrows. "Kithi?"

	Hiei nodded back with a little challenging gleam in his eye. Kurama
shrugged and grinned. Kithi. Not bad. He liked it. And he knew that Hiei
was giving him a chance to name their daughter. He knew what her name was
as soon as he had looked at her.

	"Time to see your other father from the outside, Sekka," he cooed
down at her as he let Hiei settle Kithi into the crook of his arm, then
passed Sekka over.

	Hiei looked down at his other baby and nodded. It was a perfect name.

	"Sekka," he greeted her with a kiss on her forehead.

	Yukina smiled softly as she left the couple to the joys of their
newborns, on her way to make some phone calls.


End Part I of A Gift of Unusual Nature.