O.K. Here's the next bit. Help out if you wish...any feedback greatly
appreciated!

Enjoy...

Windlily

*******************************************************************************


	*Stupid Fox! Why didn't you tell me?* He leaned forward and took
Kurama's wrist to pull his arm away from his face. Kurama resisted but Hiei
just continued to move it gently until he had his lovers hand back in his
own.  Kurama turned his head away from him though his trembling fingers
closed tight around Hiei's own. Hiei gave a fast glance toward the curtain,
listening as he got up and grumbled to himself at how out of whack his
balance was, then leaned across the bed and grumbled some more as his belly
made him feel like he was teetering back and forth on the firm mattress. He
kissed Kurama's cheek gently, then rubbed his own against the dampness of
the tears there.

	"I," and he stressed that word, "won't let anything happen to these
babies, Kurama," and left it at that for the moment.

	Kurama turned his face back towards him, his expression surprised
and guarded. Hiei gazed evenly back into the bottomless depths of Kurama's
eyes as he focused on the footsteps heading up the room. It was the healer.
He growled softly as he tracked her almost noiseless tread and realized
that she was definitely heading for them.

	"I hate this place," he grouched as Kurama frowned at him while he
wiggled, trying to get off the bed.

	He'd be damned if he'd let a human see him being all mushy over
Kurama. He had to kick his feet a little to get his weight to shift back
down into his hips so he could slide off.

	Kurama was still trying to figure out what to make of Hiei's
statement when his lover wiggled off of the bed. Was it a threat? Or
something else? Knowing Hiei, it was probably both. Kurama wanted to
reassure him, but could not. Not yet. He knew in his heart that if there
had been some way he could have saved Hiei and let the kits slip away, he
would have done it. They were not 'real' to him yet, and he wasn't sure if
he ever wanted them to be so. He didn't know if he was willing to give
anybody the chance to hold that much power over him again, if he could ever
open his heart that much again, if he could dare to love them. Hiei's
fingers gave his own a reassuring squeeze, then were gone as a nurse
slipped through the curtain and smiled at him.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


	Kurama's hand shook slightly as he turned the doorknob to let
himself into the apartment. He rubbed at the tension that was almost a
headache between his eyes as he shrugged off the shoulder strap of his
satchel. It was stuffed full and heavy with a backlog of assignments. Gods,
he was tired. He had thought that he was ready to go back. Physically, he
was recovered, but his rei was still weak and it had been exhausting to try
to take notes and concentrate on blocking out lecture halls full of
undisciplined human auras at the same time. He hadn't realized how powerful
his unconscious shielding had been until now.

	His doctor had agreed to an early release from the hospital if he
would take a week off from the University and just rest. He had enjoyed it
immensely. Hiei had insisted that he could take care of both of them and he
had done so quite well with two helping visits from Yukina. They had mostly
just slept, eaten and taken long, slow walks when Yukina had given him the
O.K. to be up and about..and avoided the subject of Hiei's advancing
pregnancy.

	It had shocked him when he'd gotten his first look at Hiei's new
shape in the hospital. Hiei had gotten a wicked gleam in his eyes when the
nurse had come in to fuss over him that first time. Hiei had turned
sideways in his chair as the nurse had wrapped the blood pressure cuff
around his arm and yawned loudly, bringing Kurama's attention back to him,
then pulled the T-shirt tight against his body just as she had started
pumping up the cuff. She had almost sent for the doctor at the reading. He
had asked her to do it again, just to make sure, and had closed his eyes
and shut that evil little youkai out as he had relaxed and taken some deep
breaths.

	Yukina had assured him that Hiei was all right and the kits had
just taken advantage of the huge amount of nourishment he had so
generously, if unintentionally, supplied. She also assured him that the
kits had settled back down into what was regular growth for in-utero
Koorime, even though he thought Hiei was expanding at an alarming rate. And
so did Hiei. She had told them both not to worry when she had come on
Friday to check on them and had simply up-ed her estimate on how far along
Hiei was. Somewhere between eleven and twelve weeks. He rubbed harder at
his forehead as he stepped up out of the entrance way and into the main
room.

	He still wasn't sure what he was going to tell Shiori tomorrow when
he met her for lunch. That worry had gnawed at the edges of all his other
woes all day and he pushed it aside once more as he glanced down to pull
the folded section of newspaper out of the side pocket of his satchel
before he leaned it against the end of the sofa. He and Hiei needed to have
another talk about what was acceptable behavior in the Ningenkai. He looked
up and registered the untidy piles of food on the floor of the kitchen
behind the long piece of furniture for the first time.

	*What in the hell?* he frowned, then realized he was looking at the
contents of the refrigerator.

	He stalked towards the appliance, seeing the faint glow of the
light that came from the slightly ajar door and noticed that there was a
towel tied to the handle that disappeared around the edge and into the
interior. He yanked it open to see Hiei sitting cross-legged on a pillow
inside, one of the richly illustrated childrens books he had bought for him
open and propped on his very distended stomach. Hiei looked up from his
book, blinked once, then reached for the towel and pulled the door closed.
Kurama stared at the closed door for a moment, amusement warring with
annoyance as he replayed that image in his head. His hands went to his hips
as the annoyance won.

	"Hiei! Get out of the refrigerator!"

	"No." Hiei's muffled voice replied calmly.

	"Hiei..." Kurama yanked open the door again, "you can't stay in the
refrigerator."

	"Why not? I'm hot. Isn't that what this thing is for? Making things
cold and keeping them that way?"

	"Things, Hiei. Not people," Kurama tried to keep his tone reasonable.

	"I'm not a 'people'." Hiei reached for the towel again as he
continued, "I'm a very hot, very pregnant Youkai and I'll stay the hell in
here if I want to!" With that he pulled the door shut again.

	"No, you won't!" Kurama yanked the door open again and glared at
Hiei. "All this food is going to go bad, if it hasn't already. Get out."

	He realized as they glared at each other that his weariness was
making him snappish. He was about to suggest some alternate ideas for
getting and keeping Hiei cool in apology when Hiei uncoiled and slid out.
Kurama knew that dark look.

	"Hiei, don't use your Rei!" he warned and retreated fast, knocking
over food and containers as he backed.

	He managed to bat the book off of it's trajectory for his head and
held up his hands to block the egg that followed it. He turned and ducked
his head as the shell broke and spattered him with white and yoke. The rest
of the dozen hit on various vital areas of his body in blurred succession
as he leapt to dive over the sofa. He thanked the Gods that Hiei was only
throwing eggs. He peeked over the top and threw himself sideways as a
carton of juice buzzed his cheek and continued on to spatter against the
wall.

	"Hiei, calm down!"

	"I am calm."

	Kurama crawled to the other end of the sofa and risked another
glance over the top and ducked as Hiei saw him and launched a whole chicken
at his head. It made a very ungainly flight to crash into the wall also.

	"Hiei..." Kurama put warning into his voice as he looked over the
sofa top again, worried that Hiei might realize that there were forks and
knives very handy.

	"Hiei?" His lover was standing very still, his hands on the side of
his stomach and wearing a very perplexed expression.

	"Hiei?" He came around the sofa cautiously as Hiei blinked twice,
then seemed to focus.

	"Kurama, come here!" Hiei whispered.

	Kurama did, slowly. When he was in range, Hiei reached out and
grabbed his hands and put them against his stomach. Kurama cocked his head,
wondering what Hiei was doing, then he felt it. He felt them. Little bumps
and pushes. Suddenly, in that one instant, they became real to him. These
where his kits moving under his hands. His and Hiei's.

	"Is this the first time you've felt them?" he asked back in an awed
whisper as whichever one was under his right hand seemed to know it was
there and kicked against it several times.

	Hiei shook his head. "No, I've felt them move, but never like this.
Ooof! Stop it!"

	Hiei glared down as the kit under Kurama's left hand moved with
enough force to bounce his hand off of his lovers stomach.

	"I don't think they like you being upset," Kurama said softly as he
pressed his hand back against Hiei's stomach and felt both of the kits
shift violently again.

	In fact, it felt like Hiei had an insane super ball bouncing off
his insides as Hiei addressed his stomach, "Well, they had better get used
to it!"

	Kurama smiled as the kits responded with another intense series of
maneuvers. The smile flew into a frown as Hiei flinched, his brows coming
together as he let out a small hiss.

	"Hiei, are they hurting you?"

	Hiei shrugged one shoulder as he rubbed the top of his belly, then
flinched again. Kurama swept him up into his arms and strode quickly for
the sofa.

	"Should I call Yukina?" he asked as he put Hiei down prone on the
cushions, then knelt next to him and began to stroke the curve of Hiei's
belly.

	Hiei considered it as a tentative purr was coaxed out of him from
the gentle, soothing feeling of Kurama's caress, then shook his head 'no'
as the babies frantic movements started to slow. He blinked in surprise as
Kurama put his cheek against the side of his belly and started to sing very
softly. His purr fell into the rhythm of Kurama's lullaby and within
seconds, the babies were still. He let out a mental sigh of relief and felt
his eyelids get heavy as the song and Kurama's hands soothed him also.


to be continued...