Yusuke was stricken by his redhaired friend's first words, but had no time to really absorb the shock before the fox pressed on. The news that the problem could be mitigated somewhat helped to calm the volatile half demon but he still felt a tight band of fear constricting his chest. He forced himself to remain calm for Keiko's sake, breathing deeply and reaching out for her hand before he managed to reply. "What can we do?" His voice was thick with suppressed emotion and he had no doubt Kurama could smell his terror at the idea of losing his wife, but he hoped it wasn't too noticeable to Keiko.

Hiei gave the pair a chance to absorb Kurama's words before he voiced an idea of his own. "Yukina may be able to help as well. I can go get her." He waited patiently for acknowledgment from the shocked and dismayed couple. He didn't have the sort of medical expertise that Kurama did, but his sister had trained with first the Koorime and then with Genkai before the old psychic passed away. Her healing knowledge was extensive and he felt that she might have insight that Kurama's encyclopedic plant lore didn't cover.

Keiko hung onto every word uttered by the red-haired demon though her face blanched at his almost too-precise explanation. She took in his every utterance though her brain seemed almost too sluggish to immediately process the information. Instead it focused on the single phrase "either or both my perish" and looped it over and over again until her head began to spin and her knuckles whitened from her death grip on the apron.

Forcing the paralyzing fear from her heart, Keiko forced herself to concentrate on Kurama's possibly life-saving instructions, telling herself that Yusuke would never allow any harm to befall her. The comparison Kurama chose made her feel somewhat ill. Demonic child or not, she could not consider the baby, their baby, a parasite. She would have to be strong, for its sake, for the sake of their small family, and the redhead's final words offered her some hope. Yusuke's hand convinced her to release her grasp on the apron at last and she held onto it for dear life.

The color had completely disappeared from Keiko's face and she looked somewhat ill but Kurama mentally commended her for her composure given the situation. Yusuke's fear on the other hand seemed barely contained. He had risked his life on more than one occasion for the woman whose hand he held but this time he wouldn't be able to rely on beating anyone in his way a pulp to ensure her safety. There was no doubt that this feeling of helplessness would be difficult for him to overcome.

"I suggest you hire someone to wait tables as soon as possible and find something less strenuous for Keiko to occupy her time with. I will prepare herbal teas and other remedies to help in various ways but I cannot provide you with a cure-all." Kurama knew if there was anything that could be done, Yusuke would go to the ends of any of the three worlds to accomplish the task, but unfortunately there was no simple solution to their delicate situation.

Yusuke nodded at Hiei and the dark haired demon was gone without another word, leaving only a gust of

wind to mark his exit. The half demon then focused entirely on Kurama's suggestions. If they found someone to wait tables,

then Keiko would be left with only the bookkeeping, which would help occupy her without over taxing her strength. The main

issue would be paying the new help. They were doing okay but they had four people to support from the restaurant's modest

profits. He wasn't too worried though, Keiko wouldn't like it much but he could always pick up a little extra cash in the

fights.

Yukina was drinking some tea on the porch when she felt Hiei approaching. Curious about the unexpected

visit, she put down her cup and stood as he came into view. "Nii-san. Is everything alright?" She asked, noting her

brother's somewhat grim expression. Many would say Hiei always looked grim but she had gradually developed the skill to

discern his slight changes in demeanor, and he was worried about something.

"Come with me to Yusuke's." The fire demon said stiffly.

Yukina blinked at him in confusion, but nodded and allowed Hiei to scoop her up for a high speed trip across town. She wondered what could be going on but didn't ask, knowing her brother wasn't the sort to do things without a good reason.

Hiei focused all his attention on running, not wanting to stumble while carrying his sister. He hoped she would be able to set Yusuke and his human at ease. It was a knack that Hiei knew he was severely lacking, and Kurama, while brilliant and charming and cunning, was too much a predator to be a soothing presence to anyone who actually knew him.

The entire round trip took only ten minutes which, if he bothered to keep track of such things, would have easily been a new record for the fire demon.

Though she didn't voice her opinion on the matter, Keiko apprechiated Hiei's offer to summon Yukina. She wasn't often affected by such things, but the brunette felt awkward amidst the overwhelming male presence in the room and a bit violated that each of them seemed to be able to see right through her. The teal-haired girl was the gentlest and most caring individual she had met and she hoped her mere presence might offer some calming reassurance. If she recalled correctly, Yukina also possessed some sort of healing power which she used to heal Kuwabara on more than one occasion during the tournament.

Kurama approved of Hiei's idea as did the others in the room and in a moment Hiei was gone, leaving Kurama to deal with the heavy atmosphere alone. That didn't bother him however. He silently tracked Hiei's course for a moment before bringing his attention back to the couple before him. It would be a few minutes before the fire demon returned with Yukina and the redhead debated how to pass the short wait. On one hand, providing any more information than he already has might be overwhelm the couple, but on the other he decided that they could use something to focus on to keep their minds away from more unpleasant possibilities.

And so Kurama spent the ten minutes before Hiei's return detailing a dietary plan that would provide Keiko's body with the nutrients and energy she would need to support herself and the fetus inside her. He wrote out his instructions as he spoke so that the distracted couple would have a hard copy to keep on hand should they forget. No doubt the human doctors would attempt to do the same thing and, while their advice would prove useful for an mother expecting a human baby, they would prove dangerously inadequate in Kieko's situation.

To any passersby, Hiei and his cargo would have appeared to manifest out of the air as he stopped right in front of the shop to deposit his twin gently on her feet. Thankfully at that moment there weren't any passersby. "Keiko needs you." He said simply, as he pushed open the door and held it so Yukina could precede him into the restaurant.

Yukina nodded, her expression slightly puzzled as she entered the small shop and found the young couple looking pale and grim while Kurama calmly explained dietary requirements and jotted down notes. As she approached, it took her only a moment to discern the source of the couple's shocked state and to realize neither of them was hearing a word their well meaning friend was saying. "Kurama-san." She interrupted softly, her gentle tone warning him to stop before one of his listeners fainted on him, Keiko looked pale enough for it, and if Yusuke were to clench his fist any harder he'd draw blood. "Keiko-chan. I hear you are to be congratulated. A child is a blessing beyond measure." She bowed to the shell-shocked human, smiling sweetly. "May she dance with the snowflakes and sing with the winds." The traditional Koorime prenatal blessing rolled off her tongue before she could think better of it. It wasn't entirely appropriate for the child in question but she hoped the sentiment translated adequately at least.

OOC: Better late then never ne? That is, if you still want to continue this. I'm sorry I left it so long. I thought it might be good to have something fun to take our minds off our troubles. ^_^'

Keiko did her best to concentrate on the instructions that Kurama was slowly reeling off but her mind felt like a sodden wet cloth that couldn't possibly soak up any more water at this point. His words fell right through without sticking and the poor woman found herself feeling increasingly lost and overwhelmed. She knew Kurama was doing his best to help but she feared she wouldn't remember a word of his carefully relayed diet once he left. Fortunately the redhead seemed to sense that and as he spoke his hand scrawled across a sheet of paper that presumably summed up what he was telling them. Despite that small reassurance, she was more than relieved when Hiei reappeared with Yukina.

Kurama was so focused on the constant flow of ideas that running through his mind and out of his mouth that he almost didn't notice the state of his audience nor Hiei's return. He often found himself lost in his work in a similar fashion when he really let himself concentrate. His senses were trained to perk at any unusual disturbances but familiar ones such as Hiei wouldn't trigger the alarm. The redhead stopped mid speech and turned as Yukina's soft voice called his name. Kurama stood and bowed slightly in greeting before taking a step back to join Hiei and to allow the koormine his seat should she wish to sit. There was little doubt that Yukina's presence would be more soothing than his own and the fox mentally thanked Hiei for bringing her.

Keiko watched as Yukina bowed before her and gave her blessing. The words she spoke were beautiful but also the source of mild confusion on the expecting mother's part. Unfamiliar with the ice maiden's culture, she was left wondering if the young woman could already determine the gender of her unborn child. Keiko inclined her head politely, not trusting herself to stand at this point and thanked the gentle demonness for her congratulations, "Thank you so much for coming," she said with a weak smile, "Kurama-san was just trying to explain to me the proper diet but I'm afraid it's difficult to take in all at once... Keiko lowered her head slightly to hide her embarrassment.

((I think that might be a good idea. ^_^ I've missed this RP.))

Yukina smiled and shook her head. "Of course it is. Don't worry. We'll help you all the way, okay? Everything will be fine. I helped Genkai take care of several women with similar pregnancies and everything came out well for them and their children." She didn't mention the one time things had not gone so well, no sense in frightening the woman any more than her well meaning brother and his mate already had. She held out her hand hesitantly still smiling. "May I check on the baby?" She asked quietly.

Hiei watched his sister with a small amount of pride. He could feel her gentle efforts to subtly soothe Keiko with her healing energy and wondered if she even knew she was doing it. It seemed almost as natural as breathing. He acknowledged Kurama's mental thanks with a glance before shifting his attention back to his sister and the young couple..

Yusuke tried to absorb what Kurama was saying but it was lost in the panic brewing in his mind. He was very relieved when Yukina arrived and he could feel the way the tension in the room changed as she exerted her power just slightly to calm everyone. He might have protested someone trying to manipulate his emotions under normal circumstances but he could find nothing but gratitude for the little ice maiden's efforts and he hoped Keiko could be helped by them.

OOC: Okay. I'm off for the night. *hugs*

Kurama caught Hiei's glance and held it for a moment before turning to face his other friends as his partner had. Yukina's presence was already beginning to relax at least some of the tension in the room. The fox could feel the subtle waves of power radiating from the koormine and could see it's visible effects on her intended targets. Keiko's face took on a softer expression at Yukina's words and Yusuke's fist seemed to unfurl, even if just slightly. The fox was surprised to learn of Genkai's midwife activities however. Had he known Yukina had prior experience with women in Keiko's situation, he may have consulted her first before confronting the expecting couple...

Keiko felt herself begin to relax but didn't think to question the source of the sudden release in her tension. Yukina's words gave her the encouragement she needed that neither of Yusuke's male friends had been able to provide. The young woman nodded as if coming out of a stupor. Yusuke would be by her side every step of the way she was sure, and Kurama had offered to make her teas and various other things, and with Yukina too she would be in good hands.

"Yes, please do," Keiko responded to the other woman's request. Slipping her hand from Yusuke's grasp, she held it out for Yukina somewhat uncertainly. "I'm just so glad to hear that you have experience with this," Keiko confessed her gratitude as she waited for the gentle demonness to begin her assessment of the child that had barely begun to form in her womb.

((Maybe I'll get to sleep tonight, hopefully...))

Yukina approached Keiko calmly and began to exam her and the child in an experienced manner. She ran her hands over the human's abdomen pausing a few times to focus on some aspect of the developing child's state. "The child seems to be developing beautifully, Keiko-san." She told the young woman reassuringly as she finished and stepped back to put a more comfortable distance between them. "There is some sign of strain on your own energy but nothing too severe right now." The ice maiden's smile was meant to be calming. "You'll probably be feeling more tired than usual and that will likely become increasingly noticeable as the child grows but there are things that can be done to help balance the energy drain and keep you both healthy, okay?" She paused to ensure Keiko was listening and understanding everything so far.

Yusuke allowed Yukina's presence to relax him as he watched her perform her simple examination. He was greatly relieved when she announced the child and Keiko were both healthy. A knot of tension he hadn't realized he was still holding melted away at the repeated reassurances and he smiled gently at his wife. Somehow he felt things were going to be okay. They had good friends to help them and Keiko would be fine. They were stressing out over nothing, there was no way any child of his could hurt Keiko.

Hiei listened to his sister with interest. He hadn't had much experience with pregnancy or birth so the images that flashed through Yukina's mind, as she mentally planned out ways to make Keiko's pregnancy as safe as possible, were both enlightening and occasionally confusing. He kept his features blank and focused on absorbing the information being presented. Hiei was of the opinion that information was a source of power and one never knew what sort of information could prove useful in the future. Though he was unsure when he might have cause to use knowledge about reproduction in his own life. It wasn't like he or Kurama were likely to ever become pregnant.

OOC: Of course that depends on what fanfiction you read. lol. O_o' I happen to find some theories behind Hiei being able to give birth rather fascinating.

Keiko moved her hand out of the way when she realized that Yukina was looking to access her abdomen to examine her rather than through a simple touch. To be honest the young woman still had some difficulty understanding how the supernatural abilities of Yusuke’s friends functioned. The brunette felt her face flush slightly as Yukina’s hands slid over the fabric of her shirt. Each time the young woman paused, Keiko’s heart gave a rather uncomfortable leap. Had she discovered some anomaly, something to compromise her own health or that of the baby?

Fortunately the expecting woman’s worry was for naught and Keiko couldn’t help but beam at the confirmation that her tiny joy was doing well. The news that followed concerning her own state weren’t as happy but at the moment Keiko found this to be of little consequence. If Yukina didn’t think it was a concern at the moment then she wouldn’t worry herself over things just yet. Keiko caught her husband’s gaze and smiled warmly back at him before returning her attention to the ice demonness, ”I can’t thank you enough for the reassurance you’ve given us,” Kieko said with a bow.

Then realizing that Kurama and Hiei were still in the room the brunette addressed them as well, ”Thank you for your concern Kurama-San, I’m sure your remedies will prove useful, and thank you Hiei-san for bringing Yukina here, I feel much safer knowing that she’s dealt with this before.” Keiko then bowed to each in turn before slipping her hand into Yusuke’s warm grasp. She felt like wrapping her arms around him out of happiness but decided against doing so in front of their guests.

Kurama watched with mild interest as Yukina performed the examination. Though his sense of practicality didn’t allow him as much optimism as Yukina seemed to radiate, he understood what she was doing to calm the couple. Still, his instincts naturally warned him of the dangers of overconfidence and he made a solemn resolution to bear this in mind and bring it to Yusuke’s attention should the couple forget.

Even so, Kurama was happy to see the couple smiling and enjoying a moment of joyous celebration for the gift that life had given them. After Keiko thanked each of them in turn, Kurama returned her bow, ”As Yukina said, we will each play our part to see you through this Keiko. Concentrate on your health for now, the rest will come later.”

((I haven’t read any fanfiction in years so I honestly don’t know of any of these theories. O. o))

Hiei gave an almost imperceptible nod in acknowledgement of the human's gratitude. He wasn't used to being thanked for his efforts and it made him slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't like he'd really done much and Keiko's seriousness and sincerity left him with highly mixed emotions. Annoyed with himself, he clamped down on the confusion he was feeling and shoved it aside, maintaining his usual calm facade. Only Kurama might have caught the flicker of uncertainty as he looked away after he had given his miniscule gesture of reply.

Yukina nodded. "It's no trouble at all, Keiko-san. Now, you should start taking some easy precautions. Okay?" She paused to make sure the couple was listening. "Keiko-san, if you feel tired or weak you must rest. Very simple, ne?" The Koorime looked to Yusuke. "Yusuke-san, you should try feeding energy to the baby every day. Just a little bit for now to get used to to it. It will help immensely later in the pregnancy if you can reduce the amount of energy the child has to pull from Keiko." She continued to explain carefully, laying out a schedule for Yusuke to transfer youki to the child in order to minimize the risk to Keiko and ensure the child had the proper amount of energy to grow.

Yusuke listened and nodded to show he understood. "Sure. That sounds easy enough." He grinned and squeezed Keiko's hand reassuringly. Everything would be okay. He'd even get to help the baby grow. How many fathers got to do that. The half-demon's grin grew even wider.

Yukina then turned to Kurama. "Kurama-san, you were saying you have some herbal remedies that might help as well?" She asked politely. She wasn't as familiar with Kurama's sort of healing so she was more than happy to confer with him in the hopes of giving their friends' child the best chance possible. "Perhaps you would like to come out to the temple to discuss your ideas sometime in the next few days. We don't want to overwhelm Keiko-san any further right now." She smiled at the woman in question, hoping she wouldn't take offense. "Then we can all sit down and figure out the best course of action together, okay?"

Basking in the happiness of the moment, Keiko was unable to detect Kurama’s inner thoughts nor Hiei’s discomfort at her words of thanks. Turning her attention back to Yukina, she listed to the smaller woman’s advice and nodded to convey her understanding. It was a simple concept but it would be harder to put into practice. Keiko was used to working hard and pushing herself but this was different; now she had someone else inside of her to worry about. The young woman was sure this would drive her to take care good care of herself for the sake of her unborn child.

The latter half of her instructions were directed at Yusuke but Keiko did her best to follow what she said even so. It didn’t sound very complicated but Keiko wondered what Yusuke’s energy might feel like. She had never been on the receiving end of any supernatural powers (that she was aware of anyway). Yusuke seemed happy with the arrangement however; his smile was so big it was contagious and Kieko’s heart beat with excited happiness rather than crushing anxiety.

Kurama read a small amount of confusion in Hiei’s body language but merely smiled. Human encounters remained an awkward thing for the smaller demon but the redhead couldn’t help but feel that they were possibly doing him some good. When called upon, the fox replied with a simple, “yes”. There was no sense in elaborating at this moment and Yukina seemed to be in agreement. The redhead simply nodded in response to the koormine’s subtle suggestion and answered, ”I should have time the day after tomorrow in the evening.”

Keiko watched the exchange between Yukina and Kurama with interest. Some may have felt excluded from the conversation but Keiko was merely relieved that further discussion on diets and remedies could wait another day or two. Her mind already felt numb with the overload of information discussed over the past hour or so. ”That sounds fine,” she responded lightly with a brief nod.

"Good. That's all settled." Yukina bowed slightly to Kurama and then to the young couple. "If you don't have any questions, I'll be going now. Take it easy and I'll come back in a couple days to check on you and go over what Kurama-san and I come up with." She smiled brightly.

Yusuke nodded. That sounded like a good plan to him (as long as Keiko didn't have anything to ask) and he was looking forward to snuggling up with his wife and getting some rest as well. Having your emotions yo-yo several times in the space of a couple hours really took a toll on a person.

Hiei stepped forward, ready to take his sister home, but the petite demoness waved him off.

"I can see myself home, Niisan. It's not too far. You should go with Kurama-san and get some rest too. Both of you." Yukina smiled sweetly at her brother. "Will you be coming with Kurama-san to see me?"

Hiei responded with a slight shrug. "I don't know." He said simply, before elaborating at the sight of his sister's crestfallen expression. "I have some things to take care of...but I'll try to make it."

OOC: Bedtime! ^_^ Nighty-night! Oh, and the theories I was thinking of generally have to do with Hiei being half Koorime and them all being female and being able to reproduce asexually. I've actually read some stories like that that were really well thought out and made it sound plausible. I've also read plenty that were garbage. Such is the way of fanfiction. lol. Anywho. Night. *huggles* Talk to you tomorrow.

Keiko nodded in agreement with Yusuke, ”Thank you for everything, I hope we will meet again soon,” she said with a bow. She didn’t want to chase away their guests but also yearned for some alone time with her husband. Since their surprising discovery, the couple hadn’t truly had a moment to themselves and Keiko decided that it would be nice to relax together in the empty apartment upstairs before heading off to bed early to get some needed rest.

Following Hiei’s lead, Kurama prepared to leave but paused when Yukina dismissed her brother. The fox tried to catch some hidden meaning in her words while pretending not to notice their exchange. Overhearing the vague reasoning the fire demon provided his sister with, Kurama couldn’t help but feel a bit curious about what Hiei’s plans for the next few days might be. He had already decided not to pry however and remained out of the way until his partner appeared ready to leave, at which point he bid everyone a good night and quietly exited the restaurant.

((Sorry it's so short, I wanted to at least post something before disappearing for the weekend...))

Yukina bowed to her hosts before leaving the restaurant at a serene pace. She was perfectly content to enjoy the night as she made her way home and she was capable of taking care of herself in most situations, despite her brother's opinion to the contrary. Anyone watching her would likely have thought she was unaware of her surroundings but the sharp eyed demoness took in everything happening around her. Therefore she wasn't surprised when several large humans stepped out of an alley as she was passing it and surrounded her. The petite woman held her ground without flinching, her features frozen in a blank expression that would have made her brother proud and scared the crap out of her fiancee

"What's this?" The obvious leader leered down at her. "Don't you know it's dangerous to walk around at night alone?" His expression belied the concern in his words. "Cute little thing like you, somebody might...try to take advantage of you."

Yukina frowned in disgust. The cretin was practically drooling as he leaned towards her, a knife appearing in his hand as he made his move. "That is very unlikely, sir." The petite demoness said with false politeness, sidestepping the clumsy attempt to grab her and using her power to cause the metal handle of the knife to drop to painfully low temperatures.

The thug dropped the blade as if he'd been bitten and stared at it in confusion.

Yukina took advantage of the momentary distraction to spread ice across the ground around her in an unobtrusive but slippery sheet. Then she darted between the confused men and listened in satisfaction as they yelped and crashed to the ground in a fool-hearty attempt to follow her. "I can take care of myself." She murmured serenely as she slowed to a walk a few streets away.

Hiei followed Kurama out and walked beside the fox as they made their way home but his mind was far away as he used the jagan to track his sister. Seeing the men emerge from the shadows around her, he stopped, his muscles tense as he fought the urge to rush to her side and tear the insolent humans limb from limb. Hiei waited, every sense attuned to the drama unfolding halfway across town.

Yusuke locked the door behind their unexpected guests with some relief. It had been quite a day. Returning to his wife, the half demon held out his arms to her with a weak smile.

Kurama strode silently through the night, Hiei by his side. Both were silent but it wasn't unusual for them. Darkness had settled over the city and people were spilling out of restaurants and milling about on sidewalks, enjoying the chill of the evening air. Settled into his own thoughts, Kurama didn't remark Hiei's concentration until the shorter demon stopped dead. Kurama halted midstride when he realized Hiei wasn't at his side and swiveled on his heel to look back at him, wondering what was amiss. Sensing the power of the jagan, answered Kurama's question for him and the fox waited patiently, hands in his pockets, as Hiei did what he must. He had no doubt that the koormine could defend herself from any human advances.

Keiko smiled when Yusuke came back to her after locking the door and slipped easily into his arms. "I love you Yusuke," she sighed into his neck, feeling at home pressed against his warm body with the tiny speck of life in her abdomen between them. Though she knew it was too soon, she hoped that the baby would somehow sense the love between its parents and grow strong because of it.

((Meh, sorry it isn't much for the delay. V_V))

Hiei blinked, feeling Yukina's parting words directed at him despite the fact that his sister couldn't possibly know for certain he was listening. However, her intuition and her excellent handling of the situation brought a small, grim smirk to his lips as he brought his focus back to his own surroundings. He nodded at Kurama to assure the fox that all was well before falling back into step beside the redhead as they continued towards the apartment. Hiei shoved his hands in the pockets of his new coat, liking the way it felt almost as natural as his cloak though the heavy fabric would take some breaking in to be truly comfortable.

As they walked, Hiei thought over his plans again, considering the drastic changes his relationship with Kurama was going to wreak on his life. He expected to feel uncertain about joining the fox in his human charade, even temporarily, but oddly the fire demon felt at peace with the decision. It was an unusual feeling for Hiei and he accepted it cautiously. He knew what he wanted, it was simply a matter of making it happen. The first step was likely to be the most unpleasant, he had to talk to Koenma. He knew the godling was unlikely to leave him to his own devices indefinitely if he remained in the human realm. He'd made no secret of his longstanding dislike for humans and Koenma was almost certain to suspect him of treachery if he didn't apprise the brat of his plans ahead of time.

Once that was out of the way, he would simply have to retrieve some of his wealth from Makai and use that to build himself an identity as a human. Humans were all about papers and numbers rather than reputation so it shouldn't be too difficult. Then he'd have to find some manner of work to occupy his time. He had been bored out of his skull the last time he was trapped in the human realm and working among the humans would be a small sacrifice to ward off the stultifying endlessness his days had taken on back then.

Hiei considered the job offer he'd received from Kurama's company. It would allow him to stay close to his fox and he could do the work with his eyes closed (literally), but somehow he didn't think a simple security position would satisfy him. He'd have to come up with something else.

The fire demon remained lost in thought all the way back to the apartment he had now dubbed home. Reaching the front of the building, Hiei waited patiently to see if Kurama wanted to enter through the balcony door or if he wanted to take the slow way up to use the main door.

Yusuke buried his face in his wife's hair. "I love you too." He said quietly. Pulling away, he took his beautiful wife by the hand and led the way up to their room for some much needed alone time.

Yukina arrived back at the temple without further incident and was soon settling in to sleep. She thought over the things she would need to discuss with Kurama and with Keiko in the coming days, before her mind drifted to her own impending marriage and future with Kazuma. The gentle Koorime drifted off to sleep with visions of red eyed, orange haired children playing in the temple yard dancing through her head, and a wistful smile on her lips.

OOC: I think we can leave Yusuke and Keiko there for now unless you have something particular you want to do with her. ^_^ Sorry Hiei got long winded in his introspection, I was just refreshing my own memory about his plans and decided to go through them again so you (but not Kurama) would know what he's gonna be up to starting the next morning.

Kurama gazed intently upon the shorter figure, studying his expression and relying on Hiei's body language to tell him what was going on. The fire demon remained motionless, betraying his intense concentration. When he finally did move, it was only to blink. A moment later however a satisfied smile spread across his face and Kurama knew all was well even before Hiei gave him the nod.

Falling back into step, they continued on in the direction of the fox's apartment. The rest of the trip was made in silence without anything else to interrupt either party's individual thought processes. Unaware of Hiei's plans, Kurama slowly turned his mind from thoughts on the plants he would need to start cultivating for Keiko to the visit he was planning on making to his mother the next day. Though he would be happy to see her, the redhead's insides curled at the thought of it. What exactly would he say to her? How would she react?

Kurama mentally shook himself as they approached his apartment building. There was no sense in deliberating over it now. He would enjoy the rest of his evening with Hiei before the fire demon's departure and worry over planning his conversation later. With that he leapt up to his flat's landing and slipped open the door, setting a mental reminder to drop by his workplace to retrieve his keys on his way to visit his mother.

Slipping off his shoes after clearing the doorway, Kurama didn't bother with the light. Both demons could make their way in the faint light spilling through the sliding door. "I'd say that was an eventful day..." the redhead said to break the silence of the past ten or so minutes. The fox turned to face Hiei, taking in the sight of him as if it might be his last in a while. Kurama had little doubt that the fire demon would return but he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive about his partner's departure. The last time Hiei left, it took him nearly ten years to return.

((Sorry for the delay, I've been having trouble focusing lately...))

OOC: Hey Zig! ^_^ Do you want to start this up again? I should be able to commit to posting at least once a day on weekdays. I was reading through this and it's really good. I was having a lot of fun with it. I've missed hanging out with you and roleplaying. This would be a way to do both at once since I have such limited interweb time right now. ^_^ Here's a little something to get us rolling again if you are interested. *huggles*

Hiei followed the redhead up to the balcony and navigated the darkened apartment easily, heading for the kitchen to raid the refrigerator. In the glow from the cooling appliance's bulb he rummaged for something to eat. His whirlwind trip to get Yukina had forced him to burn most of the calories he'd consumed that day.

He snorted at Kurama's comment. Eventful was not the word he'd use, annoying maybe...or possibly tiresome. Either way he didn't dignify the fox's words with any other response.

"Let's go to bed, Fox." He said instead, his arms full of an odd mix of foodstuffs and a chicken leg hanging out of the corner of his mouth. "I have to leave early in the morning." He headed for the bedroom with his midnight snack, half expecting the fastidious redhead to try to stop him. In fact, he was rather looking forward to it.


OOC: I can't recall...I think I was gonna play Shiori for you and you were gonna play Koenma for me so we wouldn't end up talking to ourselves....or did we never sort that out. lol

((I've definitely missed this RP as well! I'm super excited about starting this back up and getting back into touch with you. I'm also pretty sure that you're correct about Shiori and Koenma.))

Kurama followed the light of the open refrigerator and paused in the doorway of the kitchen when he found the fire demon with his arms loaded with an assortment of “Snacks”. “Let’s go to bed,” he said as he passed the fox, heading in the direction of the bedroom.

Kurama shook his head, doubting that the food they had just bought would last the week. Following the scent of cold chicken, he called out, ”Hiei, please don’t tell me you’re taking all of that into the bedroom…” the disgust in his voice making it apparent that he disapproved.

It was true that they hadn’t yet eaten dinner, but that didn’t mean Hiei should take his buffet into their sleeping quarters. That thought gave Kurama a moment of pause. When had “his bedroom” turned into “theirs”? Smiling ruefully, Kurama found he rather liked the idea, so long as it didn’t involve cold cuts in bed.

Rounding the corner to their bedroom, Kurama caught sighed of his black-haired boyfriend. ”Some couples bring food to the bedroom as an interlude to sex,” Kurama informed him, a serious expression on his face. He didn’t mention that not many couples indulged in this sort of food fetish. Instead he let Hiei imagine the ways his fox could get creative with the foodstuffs he had chosen. Perhaps that would make him think twice before brining food into their bedchamber…

Hiei thought that over for a moment, fairly certain the redhead was mostly trying to shock him out of his course of action. "Hn." He let the simple acknowledgement stand alone, refusing to let the fox bait him so easily. Nonplussed, the jaganshi flopped down on his claimed corner of the bed with his prizes and calmly set about working his way through them. The chicken leg was quickly demolished and the bones were piled onto the bedside table to be disposed of later.

Then the little demon began to munch on some orange vegetables he had decided to try. They weren't too bad he thought...crunchy and just slightly sweet. He thought he might have had them before but they'd been cooked.

Even though he had expected it, he didn't honestly see why the fox was bothered by him eating on the bed. It wasn't like he was a messy eater. He always picked up his crumbs before they could even hit the floor and he was careful to lick his fingers totally clean once he was finished with his meal. It was habit. Too many creatures in the makai hunted by scent for him to go around smelling like food.

It was fun to push the humanized fox out of his comfort zone a little bit though. Certainly the fox had eaten in his dens at times before he had been reborn. Besides, Hiei felt that as hard as he was working to adapt to the redhead's human life, he deserved to rebel a bit when they were at home.

He blinked, half a carrot poised in his hand as that word flickered through his thoughts again. It didn't shock him as much this time but it still felt strange to consider the modest apartment as anything more than a shelter for the night. 'Hmm...maybe it isn't the building that makes it home.' He decided, looking at Kurama again in dawning comprehension of the truth of those words. Still he kept the thoughts buried deep behind an impassive mask. It wouldn't do for the fox to think he was winning.

He munched the rest of his carrot thoughtfully before trying a bright red fruit that smelled a lot like the gooey stuff he had put on the rabbit the night before.



OOC: I posted from my kindle. Will fix the typos after work. EDIT: Which I have now done, and I expanded my post a bit because I wasn't satisfied with it. ^_^

Kurama sighed. The carrots he could deal with the greasy chicken he could not. He realized that in Hiei's (and Yoko's) terms he was being irrational, but that didn't prevent his human-bred inner neat freak from cringing. Still, he wasn't going to make a fuss mere hours before Hiei left on his secretive mission. Stealing the last carrot from Hiei's stash, the redhead made himself comfortable on the bed and began carefully nibbling the long orange vegetable as the fire demon sampled an apple.

((Short post. Let's just say he had two carrots. >.>))

OOC: Sure.

Hiei took the redhead's theft of his vegetables as a win and quickly polished off the crisp red fruit seeds and all. His pile pf goodies was nearly gone and he was satisfied enough that he didn't feel it was necessary to go get more. He ate a small portion of leftover rice and rabbit meat, heating the refrigerated meat in his hands one piece at a time.

"Will you be staying overnight with your mother?" The fire demon asked curiously. He was not sure what a visit to ones mother entailed having never had one to visit. He also wanted to know so he would know whether the redhead would be home the next night. Hiei might be okay with the apartment but he was not going to stay there without his fox.

OOC: Please excuse any typos and the lack of color coding. I'm using hubby's phone to post. ^_^

Unaware of Hiei's personal victory, Kurama watched the fire demon eat and decided he should definitely stock up on a more food for the week. Between bites of carrot, he answered Hiei's question, "No, it isn't far by bus. I should be back by nightfall." He had been planning on calling his mother to inform her of his plans to visit but it was too late to phone now. Shiori wasn't unaccustomed to her son dropping by for surprise visits however and Shuichi knew he would always be welcome.

((No worries!))

Hiei nodded to acknowledge the answer. He couldn't say if he would be back by dark or not. It really depended on how annoying Koenma decided to be. His business in Makai would only take a couple of hours at most but the Reikai red tape could take a lot longer if the brat wasn't willing to expedite the process for him. He had heard of cases where demons with much less smaller criminal records than he had, had waited years to get the sort of legitimate papers he wanted and then still got turned down.

'If that happens I'll just have to get Yusuke to help me with a forger.' He decided, unwilling to wait in bureaucratic limbo for more than a day or two.

However the godling had rushed papers through for Yusuke after the half demon discovered his heritage and he had taken care of the forms for Yukina as well. That made Hiei cautiously optimistic for his own chances.

He still dreaded what the temperamental toddler would want in return though the fire demon had a few ideas that were less distasteful than others. He wondered if it would be best to offer one of those to begin with rather than let the brat come up with something on his own.

The fire demon licked the last of the meat juices from his fingers and swept the chicken bones into the now empty dish before disappearing for an instant to drop the dish on the kitchen counter. He felt he had won the battle. There was no need to rankle the fox further.

In a moment he was back in the bed ready to assume his usual sleeping position.

---------- Post added 07-18-2013 at 08:37 PM ----------

OOC: So many typos. Let me know if anything is confusing. Sorry.