Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Pregnant Fathers ❯ First Trimester: Week Three ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

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Pregnant Fathers

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Month One: Week Three

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Amagoi - Praying for Rain

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"You missed the meeting," Hiei said. "Again."

"I know! You keep reminding me!"

"Because you seem to keep forgetting." He sighed, "Yuusuke, it would be nice if you came once or twice. We're not asking you to come all the time."

His eye twitched, "I know, but I'm busy."

"Busy doing what?" Hiei asked.

"You know, with work down at the ramen shop," Yuusuke said lamely. When Hiei raised an eyebrow, Yuusuke sighed, "I'll try to-"

"No," he interrupted, "you *will* come next time."

He grumbled something that sounded like compliance, and walked away, likely cursing as he did so. Kurama murmured from behind Hiei, "You shouldn't be so hard on him, Hiei. He's just afraid."

"I don't see how."

"He's afraid of being a tousan."

Shaking his head, Hiei growled, "But he already is an oyaji. I should be the nervous one. Yuusuke's a great oyaji." He walked back inside, heading toward his room, "What is there for him to be afraid of?"

"You have to understand, Hiei," Kurama started, "Yuusuke's otousan walked out on his okaasan. He's never known his otousan. Atsuko likely doesn't even know where he is."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Kurama sighed patiently, "Yuusuke never had a father-figure. The closest thing that he had to that was Takenaka, but, if you remember correctly, Yuusuke never really went to school, so that relationship went straight out the window."

"I think that I get it . . ." Since there wasn't anyone to show him how to act, he was afraid to talk about his parenting skills, thinking that he might be doing something terribly wrong without him knowing.

"Hiei-san!"

"Kuso," he whispered to himself, and Kurama snickered.

"Ah," he said, "it seems to be time for another type of meeting."

"Don't push it, Kurama . . ."

The silver youko chuckled, and retreated. Behind Hiei, Botan called, "Hiei-san, please? Pretty please?"

She was referring to having him join them in their daily ritual. The girls would pick a random hour of the day to sit down, and talk about all sorts of things from the condition of the babies to baby names. From what he understood, they were even thinking of names for *his* musuko.

Keiko said, "Hiei-san, it would just make you feel more welcome! We don't want you to be an outsider for this exciting part of your life!"

And then a new voice was introduced. One that hadn't tried this before, "Oniisan . . ."

Blanching, Hiei turned to look at them, "Just this once."

Botan nodded much too hard, "Oh, yes! Of course! Whatever you say, Hiei-san!"

They led him out to the living room, and sat him down in a chair. Just as they got settled, Shizuru walked in, took one look at him and then at the smug look on Botan's face, proclaiming afterward, "Hiei, you don't have to sit with us today."

"What?!" Botan cried out. "We just finally convinced him!"

Shizuru snorted, "You mean you sucker punched him in the face with Yukina."

"Eh heh . . . if you put it that way . . ." Botan and Keiko blushed, "anou . . . it worked?"

The older woman shook her head, and then placed a hand on Hiei's shoulder, "Go ahead, and leave if you want to. I'd rather convince you come to us willingly instead of using trickery."

Hiei chuckled, asking, "Why not use trickery?"

"Maybe for other things," she mused, "but not for this." He raised a delicate eyebrow, but said nothing, looking around uneasily until Shizuru barked, "Go on! Get!"

He practically ran to get away. There was just something so commanding about Shizuru. It was as if one didn't do as she said, she would slap them - and she wouldn't go easy on them like Keiko.

Just before he left the room completely though, he turned, and asked on a whim, "How come you're not always here?"

"Because," she said, "I have a job to go to, and a home to take care of, and a life to live." Shizuru smiled, "Why?"

He snorted, "It was just weird when you . . . when you weren't here."

Chuckling, she said, "If it makes you feel any better, Hiei, I'll try to be here every weekend."

"There's no need for you to-"

"Nonsense! This is important to you, and I'm . . . well, I'm your imouto's danna's neesan, so I guess that it would be kind of pointless for me to visit you as a friend."

"No . . ." if this didn't make him feel like a complete idiot then nothing would, "you're a . . . friend . . . Shizuru."

She laughed, "Hiei, you dog! I didn't know that you had a crush on me!"

"Bakayarou! I call you a friend, and you twist my words around!"

The woman laughed harder, "Some friend that I am, ne?!"

"Yeah, some friend that . . . !" He trailed off, and then walked away stiffly, Shizuru's laughter chasing him.

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Oshujin, Shujin, Aruji, Teishu, Danna - Husband

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Hiei looked over his face, and grimaced. Behind him, Yuusuke snickered, "Gee, I would have thought that you've gotten past those awkward teenage years, pizza face."

"Stop calling me that!" He snarled, and punched Yuusuke. However, the hanyou continued to laugh, so Hiei ignored him, and groaned, "Shimatta . . . This happened in the second week, not the third! I thought that I skipped this crap this time around!"

His face had decided to break out into pimples. Major zits. It had done so when he hade been pregnant with Himoto and Enshou, but that had been earlier, so when that awkward time had passed, Hiei was fairly certain that it would begin then. However, now . . .

Well, he had heard that every pregnancy was different.

Yuusuke shrugged, "How should I know what a male Koorime is supposed to do, pizza face?"

"Just watch," Hiei grumbled, "when all of this is over, I can properly kick your ass."

He paled, "Anou . . . have I told you how much you seem to glow? I mean you're just radiating . . ."

"Hatred for you," he sneered. "Now, go!"

Yuusuke scampered away, leaving Hiei by himself in the bathroom, whom turned to the mirror again, "Shimatta . . ."

"Swearing at them won't make them go away," Shizuru said calmly.

She had snuck up on him, and he had jumped when she had spoken.

"Then," Hiei began, "what do you suggest that I do?"

"First, how long did this last?"

He sighed, "Two months. No matter how often I washed they wouldn't go away."

She nodded, "Maybe, I can pick some face-wash for you when I come back here. It might save you from most of it."

"You don't have to."

"I don't . . . but I'm going to anyway. I don't want to come here to see a pizza face, after all."

His grimace took an ugly turn, "Out!"

The older woman smiled, "I'm just saying, Hiei . . . a handsome face like yours shouldn't be viewed under all of that grime." Her smile became slightly more . . . Hiei wasn't sure how what it became, but he liked the glint in her eyes, "So, you won't mind if I bring something to help?"

He snorted, "Do what you want."

She shrugged, and left the bathroom. Afterwards, Hyouchuu and Nohara made an appearance. Hiei tried not to laugh, but his meichan were being so adorable. Since their hahaue and basan were so worried about Hiei, they had taken up worrying too, and demanding that they see their itoko-chan everyday. Sometimes Naji came, and once, the whole lot of them had wanted to do a check-up.

At least, they wouldn't call him 'pizza face.' On the other hand, Sasuke often took up what Yuusuke did.

He sighed, and sat on the toilet, "You want to do your daily check-up, Hyouchuu-sensei? Nohara-sensei?"

The futago giggled, and ran to his side, "Ne, Ojisan, we're not doctors!"

"Hai!" Hyouchuu chorused, "We're your meichan!"

He nodded, "Ah, gomen, I seem to keep forgetting that." Hiei lifted them up onto his lap, and lifted up his shirt. He asked, "So, my meichan, do you think that something might be wrong?"

They both got a serious look on their face as they turned a criticizing eye over their itoko-chan. Finally, Hyouchuu asked, "How are you feeling, Ojisan?"

Somehow, they knew when he was lying, so he opted to tell the truth with them at least, "A bit tired, but no more than usual."

"Did you eat?" She asked.

"Un," he said, "some ramen, those nuts that your hahaue likes so much, and some ribs."

They looked at each other, and then they nodded at him, Nohara claiming, "Ojisan, I think that you're okay."

Hiei smiled, "That's good to know."

Yuusuke peeked his head in, "Ever heard of washing your face every day, pizza face?"

"Yuusuke," Hiei said, setting his meichan down, and standing, "I think that you should run."

He sweated nervously, "Anou . . . oh, yeah . . . you kicking my ass . . . Ja!"

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While Hiei laid awake in bed, he listened to Botan down the hall. She should have been sleeping too, but that night something was keeping her awake. Namely her morning sickness which decided to show up in the very early morning. It shouldn't have stayed this long, so Genkai said, but that wasn't particularily a bad thing. It happened. It might not happen a lot, but . . .

It happened to Botan.

Listening as she dragged herself back to bed - she had been dry retching for the past couple minutes - he sighed. Now, she would begin to cry again. No one else heard, but he did. He was the only youkai in the shrine other than Yukina, but Koorime's ears weren't much keener than ningen's. Kurama and his family slept somewhere out in the forest since it was more comfortable for them. Hiei shoved a pillow over his head, and pressed it tightly to his ears when her whimpers took up.

Finally, something seemed to snap in his mind.

She had been crying herself to sleep for the past week, and Hiei had reached the edge. He wanted to find out what was going on.

He got up, and straightened his pajamas - they had become tangled around his body from trying to find a comfortable position on the strange bed - heading toward her room afterwards.

Botan was lying on her side, a picture clutched in her hands, and she was wiping away her tears when he came in. Hurriedly, she stuffed the picture frame under her pillow, but the damage was done, and Hiei knew what picture that she was looking at.

It had been taken a couple years ago. Botan had come to the shrine to join them in looking at the cherry blossoms, and Koenma had surprised her by . . .

By being there.

The picture was of the two standing under a splended cherry tree in full bloom, in each other's arms. It was the day that their relationship had officially began. It was a testimony of their love. That Koenma would attempt anything to be with her. Even for one lousy day in the Ningenkai.

Hiei tried to remember the last time that Koenma had visited her at the shrine since she had started living there. Almost a month. Almost the entire time that she had started living there. While it wasn't uncommon for Koenma to be missing in action for half a year, it was strange because Botan was here, pregnant with his child. He should have been making *some* kind of effort to come and see her.

But, he wasn't there.

Either he was incredibly busy up there, or something was incredibly, horribly wrong with him.

Hiei would have put her crying off as something to do with her raging hormones, however, she had a right to cry. And he would be damned if he let her lay there and continue to do so - alone. He had a duty after all. Yuusuke had dubbed them as baby buddies; he wouldn't let his title down, and ignore his baby buddy. He laid down beside her, wrapping his arms loosely around her shoulders, and Botan burrowed into his chest, taking up whimpering anew.

"A month," she said. "A month. Not one visit, Hiei-san."

"I know," he whispered.

"What's wrong with me? Why doesn't he love me?"

Poking into the side of his head was the picture frame from under the pillow, and Hiei gritted his fangs in anger, but his voice was soft when he said, "I'm sure he still loves you. Why would he have tried to come to see you that day?" She would know that he was talking about the picture.

She shook her head against his chest, and she moaned, "How would you know?"

"I don't know, Botan, but . . ."

Botan growled up at him through her tears, "That's right, Hiei. You don't know."

"Botan, how am I supposed to explain how he feels for you? I'm not him, but . . ." Hiei took a deep breath, "but everyone can see it. Every time that he manages to escape his job to be with you - even for a few minutes - he just seems to . . . Like . . ." how to explain it without being sappy . . . 'It's impossible.'

However, now, Botan was looking up at him with a little hope in her eyes, "It's like what?"

'But she needs to hear it . . .' ". . . He reminds me of rain sometimes."

"Rain? What do you mean?"

He breathed in deep again, "It's always there. No matter how long it's been gone, it always comes back."

"But why?" She whispered. "Why would it come back?"

"Because the ocean isn't dry yet."

Her face was puzzled, "Ocean? I thought you said he was like rain."

So, he continued, "That's where the rain comes from, isn't it? That's . . ." he swallowed a dry throat, "that's how deep his love for you is . . ." She began to cry again, but she was smiling "Botan, he will always love you . . . That ocean isn't ever going to dry up."

"Never ever ever?"

"Never ever ever."

Giggling, she said, "That sure was some speech, Hiei-san."

He groaned, "And I better not hear about it ever again. I don't even know where half of it came from."

"Maybe your hormones were talking. Your sensitive side showed for a bit."

"And it was overly sappy because I've never been sappy before, so it went overboard?"

She laughed, "Something like that."

"Ch!"

"Aw . . . Hiei-san, you're so cute when you're sappy."

He gritted his fangs again, "Botan . . ."

"I'm hungry."

Hiei blinked in surprise, "Aren't you feeling sick?"

"I feel much better now."

After looking her up and down, he nodded, and stood, "I think there's some leftovers of dinner."

She stuck her tongue out, "I don't like soba. I want fruit salad and . . . horse radish."

He grumbled, and sighed, "Fine."

In the kitchen, Botan looked through the fridge, and groaned, "We only have apples. You need to go get some bananas, and kiwis, and peaches, and stawberries, and grapes . . ."

"Me?!" He shook his head, "Oh, no! You're coming too. I've never gone shopping in the Ningenkai."

"Oh, it's not too much different from shopping in the Makai, Hiei-san," she reassured.

"You've never shopped in the Makai, have you?"

"Anou . . ." she said uneasily, "Iie, I haven't, but . . ."

He snorted, "Whatever. It doesn't matter. You're coming with me."

She pouted, but consented by sighing and nodding, and went to her room to get dressed, saying to Hiei, "You should put on some normal Ningen clothes."

Grumbling, Hiei went to his room to change too.

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Botan had pulled on some loose jeans, and a light yellow sweatshirt. She seemed to be convinced that she was the fattest woman on earth, so she covered herself up. Of course, she had just barely begun to show that she was with child.

The Koorime had - surprisingly - found a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt somewhere in his drawers, and some black jeans; he refused to part with his boots, and Botan finally relented after Genkai had chewed their ears out. She had given them a wad of cash to pay for the fruit, and practically shoved them out of the shrine, so that she could get some sleep.

On their way down the shrine stairs, they ran into Byakko. She smiled, "What are the two of you up to at this time of night?"

"Shopping," Hiei snorted.

She looked them up and down, "I'm sure you are." A slow, strange grin crept onto her face, "I won't tell Koenma anything, Botan-chan."

Botan blushed a thousand shades of red, "Wha - what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means," she winked. "Silly Hiei-san, you should pick better lovers."

"We're not lovers!" She half shrieked, and then blushed at Hiei's groan.

He rubbed his temples in irritation, and gritted out through his fangs, "Byakko, go play elsewhere. I'm pretty sure that you have your own affairs to deal with. Not a supposed one between Botan and I."

Byakko snorted, and walked away in a huff, saying over her shoulder, "Go easy on her, Hiei-san. She's pregnant with another man's child after all."

Hiei began to walk down the stairs, but stopped when he realized that Botan was not doing so, "What's wrong?"

"Affairs?" She whispered.

"It doesn't matter."

"Hiei-san, what affairs are you talking about?"

"Just drop it."

"Byakko's cheating on Kurama?"

Sighing, he began walking again, motioning to Botan to follow. After he was certain that he was far enough away from the shrine, he still murmured, "A youko is not a very trustworhty individual. Kurama is the exception, but only just so. If given enough initiative, he would kill the lot of us. Or at least try."

"Hiei-san, what about his okaasan?"

"*Nothing* would make him touch one hair on her head wrong. He's risked his life for her, remember?"

"Hai . . . but he's risked his life for you as well . . . for all of us."

"He didn't seek it out though, Botan." At her frown, he resumed, "Kurama stole the Mirror of Utter Dark, and intended to use it to save his hahaue knowing that it would kill him. He actively searched to seek out his own death to give his hahaue life."

"What does this have to do with Byakko?"

"A female youko is among the most vile and disgusting creatures in the Makai. They are a hundred times as devious and untrustworthy as their male counterparts. Affairs are quite common among youko."

"What about Kurama?"

"What about him?"

"Does he . . . Is he cheating on Byakko?"

"Maybe. If he is, he hasn't told me."

"So, this is supposed to be normal? What if she leaves him altogether?"

He stared at the ground as he walked, "She's already stayed long enough. Kurama might have be saying goodbye to his cubs soon."

"What . . . ? But . . . doesn't he . . . doesn't Kurama have the right to keep them? They're his chidren too."

"As a male youkai, he has no right whatsoever."

"What?"

"When dealing with offspring, the female rules over their upbringing. So if she leaves Kurama, she can take the cubs with her and do what she wills with them, or she can dump them on Kurama, or she can split them up . . . She could even take them and kill them, though not many would. Byakko could do anything, and Kurama wouldn't be able to lift a finger against her. The best thing that he could attempt to do is talk her into letting him have them."

Botan swallowed nothing, "What if Kurama doesn't want them?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Botan. He wants them. Why would he go to our meets otherwise? He wants to be their oyaji, and stay that way."

She giggled nervously, "Look, Hiei-san! It's that little shop that Genkai was always talking about. It's still open! Let's get our stuff there."

The shopping trip was silent the entire way through, except for the strange episode at the counter. The cashier chuckled, saying in her motherly voice, "Is this you two's first one?"

"First one . . . ?" Botan asked. "First one what?"

"Why your first child, dear."

Hiei shook his head, "We're not married."

"Don't have to be to have a babe," she snorted, now looking Hiei up and down disdainfully.

"I - What I meant is that the child is not both of ours," he said quickly. "She's the married one."

She nodded, "If you say so . . ."

As they left the store, Botan began to giggle. When they were far enough away, she started laughing aloud.

Finally, Hiei asked, "What's so funny?"

"You should have seen the look on your face when she said: 'Don't have to be to have a babe.' Your face twisted in this really weird face!"

"Did not!" He exclaimed.

"It did!" She cackled. "Hiei-san, I've never seen such a silly look on anyone! You got all pale in the face, and then you stumbled over your own tongue!"

Hiei sighed, and waited for her to cool down. Soon enough, Botan was just smiling quite amused. And then a thoughtful look crossed over her face, "Hiei-san?"

"What?"

"If you were to get married-"

"You mean if I picked up a mate? Someone to help look after my musuko?"

"Hai . . . Well . . ."

Hiei looked over at her. She looked incredibly worried, and he asked, "What?"

"What if . . ."

"Come on, spit it out!"

She said in a great rush, "What if she left, and tried to take them away from you? Would that count?"

Hiei growled darkly, and deep in his throat, "If she even thought it, I would tear her throat out."

"But you said-"

"They are my musuko," he said. "Not hers. She would have no right."

"Why not?"

"They are of my blood, and my blood only. She didn't carry or birth them . . ." he smiled, and touched his stomach. "Come to think of it . . . I haven't birthed them either."

Botan laughed, and even Hiei offered a few chuckled before they were quiet once more.

Halfway home, it started to rain. It downpoured. Hiei tried to get her to walk under the trees, but she ran out the middle of the empty road instead, and began to dance, laughing hysterically. Growling, Hiei barked, "What's wrong with you?! What about your baby?! It could get sick!"

That seemed to slap some sense into her because then she came back to him, and walked beside him, clutching his arm, still giggling like a woman possessed.

He asked again, "What's wrong with you?"

"The rain!"

"Un, it's the rain. Have you gone mad?"

She quickly kissed his lips, causing him to blink several thousand times in surprise, and Botan whispered, "It's the rain."

'She . . . ? She kissed me?' He thought to himself, 'But she's married to Koenma! I just told her . . . !' "Oh . . . the rain . . ."

"Do you think he heard you?"

Hiei chuckled, "If he did, then he probably saw you kiss me."

Botan blushed, and then shouted, "Sumimasen, Koenma-sama, but you weren't down here! . . . Oh, what am I doing? He's not paying any mind to me . . ."

"I think he is."

"Really? Really?"

"Hai, Botan." Hiei said, "And if he's not, he's going to be paying attention to you pretty soon."

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Yeah, I thought it sounded kind of cute. In my head anyway. Like this . . . Well, that's your opinion, I guess.

Maybe, I'll be able to post this up on FF.Net. A fic of mine's been taken down, so I probably won't be able to put this up until . . . I don't know. I have no idea how long those restriction things are supposed to last. Whatever. Bastards. At least, the same problem won't show up in MM.Org. Not that I'm taking sides. Both sites are crap right now. MM.Org is slower than hell, and FF.Net is full of stuck-up pricks.

Seriously. Every single one of you! Okay, maybe not everyone.

But a lot are!

Whatever . . .

If no one's noticed, I changed Hahaue and Chichiue. It's Ofukuro and Oyaji, respectively. I hope that no one's too confused by the change. I put it up in the prologue thing, so that newcomers know what it means. Just for those that still don't get it: ofukuro - mother; and oyaji - father. They are the more rude forms; it took me a while to remember them. Gomen!

I got a brand-new haircut, and I feel so spiffy! My bangs are long - about to my chin - and the hair on the back of my head was cut choppy and short. It's so cute! The hairdresser chick zigzagged my part for me, and my only regret is that I will be unable to do that again. I can't zigzag my own hair. Whatever. It looks pretty damn cool right now, so I guess that's all that matters.

It's all cool and spiffy-like!

So, now that everyone - even those that aren't pulling sticks out their asses - think that I'm weird - if this fic didn't convince you - I get to say this . . .

Ja mata!

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