As we lay

TITLE: As we lay
AUTHOR: Lemonychocolate
EMAIL: dragonechilde@yahoo.com
WEB SITE: n/a
RATING: Mature-Adult
DISCLAIMER: I make no claim to, nor hold any license to the original characters to this story. These characters are used for the sake and sole purpose of entertainment only. No profit shall be, nor will be gained from the writing found hereafter; nor shall any personal credit be taken as to the character designs, personalities or concepts stemming from the original characters used. All situations in the story below, unless otherwise stated, should not, in any way, have any bearing on the creator’s original work.
FEEDBACK: Yes!
SPOILERS: none that I can think of.

Chapter 6

Yusuke slept for over eighteen hours. During that time, Kurama woke, called his mother, called Kuwabara, contacted Botan and Koenma, and notified Yomi, Mukuro and Hiei. He fed the children a mixture of goat and soy milk, and he changed their diapers. He also cleaned up, raise a foot high barrier of plants around three sides of the bed, fed the children, took the bloody and soiled grass far, far away from the cave and buried it several feet underground. Exhausted, he forced himself to eat, took a nap, woke again, feed the babies, changed their diapers, counted their fingers and toes again, checked on Yusuke, fed the kits and changed their diapers again.

He also examined Yusuke’s birthing slit and was relieved to see it almost sealed. There was just a little puffiness around the edges. However, he was sure that once the swelling went down, it would seal itself, once again becoming nothing more than a vague reminder of what it was for.

He finally fell back into the bed. Limbs trembling, it was a chore for him strip. Naked, he crawled into the bed and fitted himself against Yusuke. Draping his tail over Yusuke’s hip, he fell asleep.

Yusuke swam to consciousness. Wiggling slightly, he was fuzzily appreciative of the heat against his back.

Okay, Yusuke, don’t panic, he thought. There’s got to be an explanation for all of it.

Then something else made him yelp in pain. Needle sharp pins were prickling at his sore stomach. “What the…?” The bed shook behind him. A long arm came into his field of vision and moved down his chest. Wincing, Yusuke hissed sharply as the needles were plucked out of his flesh.

“Kits usually have sharp nails,” Kurama observed neutrally. He moved the protesting kit further away. “Are you okay? Any damage?”

Yusuke tried to move his arm to check and froze as pain reminded him that it hurt. “Ohhhh,” he moaned, closing his eyes against the tears that welled up.

He felt more movement in the bed, then hands gently lifted him and eased him onto his back. He gasped, his eyes flying open and meeting Kurama’s blank stare. He was, however, able to see past it to the worry behind.

“How do you feel?”

Gritting his teeth against the urge to scream, he answered, “Like I spent two weeks training with Grandma, then had to take on all the teams in the Dark Tournament by myself and finished up with a nice little round of Beat the Hell Outta Yusuke with our old pal, Sensui. How do you think I feel?”

“That good…?” Kurama cautiously teased. His attempt at humor was dashed by the black look Yusuke gave him. He sighed in relief when the kits began making tiny, complaining noises. It neatly distracted Yusuke from deciding on how best to kill him.

“Whoa…” Yusuke tried to look. His body instantly vetoed that idea, subtly reminding him with painful throbs that it was sore and strongly encouraging him to remain still. As usual, he ignored his body and looked anyway. Fascinated by the clumsy, wobbling kits, he watched them moving about on the bed.

“Kurama…?” A thousand questions flew fast and furious in his dazed mind, all packed in one word. He simply couldn’t stop staring at what he had nurtured for ten long months. It was one thing to know they were there. It was another to actually see them.

“Yes. Our children.” Pressed as he was against the firm body, Kurama could feel the trembling coursing through Yusuke. A sudden doubt clutched at his heart. They had never discussed what would happen once the kits were born. Would Yusuke stay in the Makai or return to the ningen world? Carefully he picked up one squirming child and placed him on Yusuke’s chest. This time, Yusuke ignored the tiny pinpricks of pain.

He blinked rapidly. Inhaling, he held his breath before slowly letting it go. His jaw was tight with suppressed emotion. His hand visibly shaking, he gently touched a rounded cheek, smoothed his fingers over midnight curls.

Physically he was hurting more than anything. He wasn’t joking when he said that he felt like he had been training, fighting the entire Dark Tournament alone, and duking it out with Sensui, and losing. Breathing was even difficult.

But all that was lost in the wonder of seeing his children.

A tiny mewling sound came from his right. It sounded lost and uncertain. Miniature claws sank into his flesh as the other kit attempted to climb him, searching for his littermate. Gently, Kurama helped their second child find his brother.

The reunion was touching. Despite their current state of blindness, both brothers instinctively recognized each other and huddled together.

“Oh shit…” Yusuke exclaimed in a hoarse, raspy whisper. He sniffed. It was a watery sound. Kurama felt it too. Unashamed of the tears that fell down his face.

“Mine…”

“Ours…” Kurama corrected gently. He rested his chin on Yusuke’s shoulder

“Ours…” was the soft reverent response. Yusuke could not, would not stop looking at his children. They, becoming bolder and seeking more of the soft touches, set off on wobbly limbs to locate the source. Both fathers laughed as Kurama had to react quickly to prevent one from tumbling back to the bed.

“They’re beautiful…” Yusuke sighed. “What’s wrong with their eyes?” Not that it detracted from their looks, he still thought they were the most beautiful children in the world.

“Nothing,” Kurama replied, amused. “All kits enter the world like this. In about three days, their eyes will open.”

“What are we going name them?” Yusuke asked. He ignored the nagging ache in his arms to cuddle and stroke the babies. Though subliminally aware of both his nakedness and Yoko’s, he chose ignore that fact as well.

“I was thinking Hiei or Yomi,” Kurama teased.

Yusuke continued caressing his children. “My bad, I forgot you were an idiot,” he commented idly. “Seriously, we gotta start thinking of their names and not something totally dumb that they’ll wanna kill us for when they get older.”

“Why, me and Keiko started…” He stopped, his hand freezing on a downy head before resuming his stroking motion. He expected pain to bring him to his knees like it always did when he thought about her, but it didn’t. Maybe it was because he was already laying down, he thought confusedly.

Kurama stiffened slightly before forcing himself to relax. Despite this happy moment, he felt a cold anger. Whether it was towards Yusuke for refusing to let go, or for Keiko and her strangehold on Yusuke, he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t even sure if he was angry at himself for being angry. He chalked his feelings up to still being hormonally and instinctually driven.

Minimally, he wanted a relationship similar to what he had with Hiei. They had enjoyed a sexual relationship, and the fact that they had been friends before they became lovers was an added benefit. And he missed that. Closeness. Or at least as much closeness as both he and Hiei would allow each other.

He frowned. There had been restrictions on his relationship with Hiei, though, something of which he was just now becoming aware. There were boundaries that each respected and did not cross. To Yusuke, a boundary was simply put in place for other people…and certainly not intended for him. All the interesting stuff was always on the other side or so he frequently claimed.

Still, he and Hiei had had something…good. They were monogamous when they were together, and if they found someone…interesting, well, they would calmly discuss the matter with the other and simply take a break from each other

His frown returned at the thought of Yusuke with another. Of his toushin enjoying similar pleasures, doing things that made him cry out in passion, writhing in his lover’s embrace. Kurama’s breath grew short and his eyes narrowed to ominous golden slits. A muscle ticked in his clenched jaw even as a red haze darkened his vision. He was surprised at the low growl that struggled to escape him. Or how possessive he suddenly felt.

That would not do at all, he realized. Okay, perhaps Yusuke can’t take another lover, he thought, shaken by his fierce emotional response. He was chagrin at how pleased he felt at the idea of his Yusuke remaining monogamous, perhaps even celibate…just as long as Yusuke’s celibacy included having frequent sex with him. He chose to ignore the contradictory nature of his desire.

Next he explored the idea of him taking another lover, of doing similar enjoyable activities with someone other than his Yusuke. He was a bit amazed at the lack of enthusiasm he felt. He had to prod and push his mind in that direction.

What was the reason behind this strange reluctance?

He started, realizing Yusuke was still talking. “I’ve always liked Rei and Morio,” the toushin said slowly. A slight pink colored his cheeks. “I've, uh, kinda been thinking about names and stuff for a while,” he stated gruffly, as if such an admission would forever ruin his macho pose.

Kurama looked at the two kits. With tiny, helpless cries they tumbled gently onto the bed. Their wailing immediately stopping at the delight of this new game. Blindly seeking, they attempted to climb their father’s body. Wincing, Yusuke looked pleadingly at the kitsune for rescue. His arms were still sore.

“I think imagining one being cool and calm would perhaps be a misnomer,” Kurama replied diplomatically as he plucked the children away from Yusuke’s flesh. Having expended their energy, they quickly curled up and went to sleep.

“Though Morio, with its meaning of forest boy, sounds reasonable to me; however, it is the name of Rei that I have my doubts about. I think you need to remember that both you and I are their parents. Neither of us are cool and calm. I may pretend, but I do have my moments.”

“Moments my ass…episodes, sagas are more like it.”

“You wound me. And if you don’t hush, I won’t help you out of bed,” Kurama pronounced haughtily. There was a twinkle in his eyes that let Yusuke know the kitsune was again teasing.

His eyes narrowed. “Okay, that’s the third time you said something funny,” he said accusingly. “Who the hell are you and what did you do to my kitsune?”

‘My kitsune?’ Kurama thought, pleased. “I have been known to laugh and joke,” he responded dryly.

“Yeah, but your kinda jokes usually involve maiming somebody.”

“Ha ha,” Kurama replied evenly. Getting out of bed, he ignored the faint squeak Yusuke gave at the sight of his nudity. Leaning over, he carefully lifted the blushing young man into his arms and set Yusuke on his feet.

“Christ…!” Yusuke bit out. His eyes were tightly closed; his body hunched over as pain insistently demanded that he immediately return to a horizontal position. He wavered, struggling to control the pain with the stubborn tenacity that helped them win the Dark Tournament.

Holding on to Kurama, and gritting his teeth, he began a shuffling walk towards their makeshift bathroom.

Yoko cast a worried look over his shoulder. Though the room was warm and the kits were sleeping, if one woke up, the other would too. Quickly making a decision, he swept Yusuke up in his arms.

Yelping in surprise, Yusuke would have tried to struggle if his body didn’t hurt so much. He settled for glaring threateningly at Kurama. Harshly, he ordered, “Put. Me. Down.”

He was taken aback by the icy look Kurama gave him. Who's bad guy here? Not me, he told himself. Opening his mouth, he was prepared to blast the high and mighty silver haired yokai.

“Is your pride more important than your kits?”

That soft question took the wind out of his sails. His jaw tight, Yusuke shook his head and averted his eyes. His cheeks went from bright red to white at the thought of his children left alone. “I can look after myself,” he stubbornly insisted.

“As you wish.” With a fine disregard to Yusuke’s physical condition, Kurama set his idiot toushin back on his feet. Seemingly ignoring the look of manfully suppressed pain, he smirked and bowed mockingly. “I live but to serve.”

“Oh, yeah…? Well serve this…” Yusuke yelled at the kitsune’s retreating back. Anger lending him false strength, he tried to give Kurama a time honored gesture. His entire body, growing tired of his refusal to remain horizontal, took matters into its’ own hands. His body seized up in a throbbing, eye-popping fist of pain. His breath whooshing out, Yusuke’s eyes bulged.

With a cry of alarm he fell to the hard packed ground.

“Ohhhhhh,” he moaned faintly, tears springing to his eyes. “Ku…ra…ma,” he whined pathetically. He hardly dared move now. Actually he wasn’t sure if he was capable of moving. He stared at the ceiling, focusing on it to distract. He counted the number of jutting, craggy stones above him.

As the pain died down, pulsing at a manageable level, he frowned. It had been several minutes since he had called Kurama. Maybe he hadn’t heard him. “Kurama!” he yelled. Though still hoarse and raspy, he had sufficient volume to be heard.

Seconds ticked by. No Kurama.

Perhaps he had been a little…hasty in refusing Kurama’s help. After all, friends helped each other all the times. And now would be a good time for a friend to help him.

“Um, a little help…” he called, injecting a note of joviality in his voice.

“Oh dear, look at daddy…” Yoko murmured to the kits he cradled in his arms. He leaned against the craggy wall of the cave. “Doesn’t daddy look funny? Can you say…funny?”

Yusuke gritted his teeth and struggled for calm. “Kurama, I know you're not used to making with the jokes and stuff. Being funny is not for an amateur. Look at Kuwabara, he tries, but he’s never gonna get it. But as an expert in being funny, I gotta tell you this ain’t funny. Completely opposite of funny. Now get me up!”

“Daddy’s mad,” Yoko said confidingly to the babies.

“I have to use the bathroom. Bad.”

“Well, the floor’s dirt, so go right ahead.”

When next Yusuke spoke, it was with the rigid control of a man at the end of his leash. “When I get up, I’m gonna hurt you. No, I’m gonna shave all your pretty silver hair off,” he vowed.

Yoko cocked his head. Then pushing away from the wall, he took his time about sauntering to Yusuke’s side. Crouching, he peered at the angry face. “You really think my hair is pretty?”

“Not anymore…” Yusuke grated out.

Blinking slowly, his ears flickering, Kurama had a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Tell me my eyes are beautiful and I’ll help you up,” he said.

“Fuck you…”

Smirking nastily, Kurama all but purred, “But you already did…remember?”

Screwing his eyes shut, his bladder threatening to explode, Yusuke pleaded. “Yoko, please…”

“You always beg so nicely.”

It was a matter of seconds and Yusuke was upright. Handing the squeaking children to Yusuke, Kurama swept him in his arms and hastened to the bathroom. He politely waited, leaning against the wall outside as Yusuke attended to business. He only entered when Yusuke called his name. Tactfully he chose not to comment on Yusuke’s red cheeks.

Sweeping the toushin back in his arms, he headed for the hot springs. Hesitating at the lip of the pool, he peered doubtfully at the bubbling water. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked, nodding meaningfully at the irritated looking birthing slit on Yusuke’s abdomen.

“Yes…” was the short, snappish reply.

Kurama frowned. He eyed Yusuke’s averted face with misgivings. The boy sounded too sure, which usually meant Yusuke was bluffing. His eyes narrowed ominously.

Yusuke sighed and rolled his eyes. “Look, you’re not the only one that can read a book you know,” he said exasperatedly. “I asked, OK? Satisfied?” he added snidely. He was growing more uncomfortable by the minute being naked in Kurama’s arms. There was a feeling that he was missing something, something important.

Shrugging, Kurama carefully set Yusuke back on his feet. Then taking the mewling kits, he set them on the ground and used his power to surround them with stalky plants. Turning, he swept Yusuke into his arms then knelt and lowered the boy gently into the bubbling water.

Hissing, Yusuke clutched at Kurama’s arms as heat sank into first his thighs then stomach. He whimpered, his eyes closing as revitalizing heat began to work its magic on his limbs. When he was able to bend his knees, he lowered himself to a sitting position with only a small wince.

Closing his eyes, he sighed blissfully, relaxing further amid the frothing water. Both males found the noise coming from the bubbling pool, a soothing, hypnotic sound.

Several minutes passed. Kurama released the kits and played idly with them, tumbling them onto their backs and rubbing their fat stomachs. All the while he watched Yusuke with a narrow-eyed intensity; his tail sweeping the ground restlessly.

Eyes the shade of crushed velvet opened. On Yusuke’s face, there was a look of drugged pleasure. Turning his head, he cast an unconsciously sensual look at Kurama over his shoulder. His eyes heavy-lidded, Yusuke slowly licked the water from his lips.

The tock-tock movement of the silver tail ceased.

“Coming in…?” Yusuke asked. His voice held a husky, raspy tone that played on Kurama’s senses.

One hand continued its easy play with the kits; the other left deep furrows in the hard packed ground. “No. One of us needs to watch the children,” Kurama replied calmly.

Shifting a little, Yusuke slid to the deeper side of the pool. There he stood up and turned around. Folding his arms on the lip of the pool, he eyed the wobbling, unsteady gait of the kits. A soft smile pulled at his lips. “They’re so cute.”

Kurama smiled as well, looking down at the children. “Of course they are. After all, I’m their father,” he remarked arrogantly.

Yusuke snorted, looking amused. “Yeah, but I’m their other father, so…”

“They’ll still be beautiful. You’ve always underestimated your attraction to others,” Kurama stated without appearing to look at Yusuke. “You’ve always had confidence in me, Hiei and even Kuwabara, but you’ve never shown the same in yourself. Try it. I think you might be surprised.”

For an answer, Yusuke ducked beneath the water. Why am I always getting embarrassed around him? he thought. I’m gonna win up looking like some friggin’ lobster. He was also annoyed at the tickle of pleasure he felt.

Kurama thinks I’m beautiful.

* * *


Their days settled into a pattern; and Kurama, the first one awake, didn’t even notice how quickly it became routine. After changing the babies, feeding and burping them, both he and the kits would return to the warm cocoon of the bed. Tucking them into the protective curve of Yusuke’s body, Kurama would wearily crawl back in bed and fit himself around them all. Slinging an arm over Yusuke’s hip, he would quickly descend back into slumber.

Three hours later, the piteous mewling would begin again and it was Yusuke’s turn. While he fed the babies, Kurama would dress and go hunting. Usually by the time he returned to the cave, Yusuke would have the babies sleeping and sometimes lunch started.

During the day as he waited for the kitsune to return, Yusuke began a series of exercises designed to regain his strength and dexterity. He practiced next to where the children romped, although his practices were often interrupted by his fascination with their clumsy, awkward little bodies.

After their eyes opened, they had finally decided on a name for them. After much cajoling, Kurama could not resist the wide-eyed pleading look in the soulful eyes. He was thankful Yusuke had yet to realize just how effective a weapon those velvety eyes were.

Their little green-eyed child was given the name Rei, while their golden-eyed son was given the name of Morio. Privately, Kurama did not hold out much hope that either of the children would live up to their names. Already in Rei’s eyes, he saw the spark of mischief; and Morio was definitely a bit on the finicky side.

A forest boy…more than likely not.

There were times Kurama would return early. If he timed it right, he could hear the throaty sounds of laughter. A quick glance into their living quarters would reveal a chortling Yusuke. Sprawled on the floor, the dark-haired toushin would play the helpless ‘victim’ of one or both of the children's attacks.

Unfortunately most of the laughter would stop when Yusuke became aware of him. He didn’t pretend not to know the cause. He was extremely aware of the strange atmosphere when they both occupied the same area.

And so was Yusuke.

Eyes narrowed and suspicious, Yusuke would surreptitiously watch his every move, as if he would attack at any moment. Still, he could see the dark fascination, the reluctant interest, in that gaze.

The burgeoning sexual awareness that spiced the air wasn’t all on his side.

Despite all his experience, Yusuke, he believed, was remarkably innocent. Otherwise, the boy would understand the effect of those dark sultry eyes; heavy-lidded, smoldering with the latent fire of desire. He could feel them, trailing up and down his body, caressing him like an invisible hand.

He remembered how ecstasy had turned those beautiful, velvety eyes black with passion; the soft, supplicating moans that spilled from Yusuke’s mouth, the ravenous, greedy sounds Yusuke made. The rapacious attention Yusuke had devoted to his lips….It made him burn even hotter with the sweet, stinging pain of anticipation.

It was only a matter of time.

His body clenched, heat spreading like wildfire through him. He felt empty. He ached to fulfill a need, a need that could only be satisfied, slaked within the heat of Yusuke’s sensuous body.

He had always thought his ideal mate would be someone more like him. Clever and ambitious; cool and cunning. And being a beast in bed wouldn’t hurt. In retrospect, he saw that Yusuke embodied all the traits he imagined. With the exception of the ambitious part, which was acceptable considering ambitious people had a tendency put their own needs above anyone else’s.

In any case, whether what he felt for Yusuke was real or the product of his hormones, he no longer cared. He remembered their first time, how hot it was. The erotic sensuality, the sizzling electricity that connected them; the near insatiable need they had for each other.

It was still there.

Just waiting.

Yusuke probably thought his secret desires safely locked away. Kurama intended to prove just how wrong Yusuke was. He was going to do everything in his power to force Yusuke to open that door.

He smiled to himself as he neatly skinned the animal he had killed. He could wait. Endurance and patience were traits he had in abundance. As much as he wanted Yusuke writhing beneath him, he would wait.

He had no doubt that he would win. They would become a family.

Yusuke glanced out the corner of his eyes at Kurama. His skin twitched, a shiver coursing down his back despite the fact the sleek, silver head did not look his way. Finally looking away, he carefully put the yipping kits back in their playpen. There was an abstracted look on his face. Unaware that it was becoming an all too frequent expression he wore.

Though he tried not to stare, Yusuke found his eyes continually returning to the deceptively slender Yoko Kurama. As hard as he tried to deny it, he got a rush of sensation every time Kurama took off his shirt.

He tried to convince himself that he was just comparing Kurama’s body to his own. Guys checked each other out in the locker room all the time, he argued silently, so it was perfectly natural for him to look at Kurama.

The thrumming ache that set up shop in his groin convinced him otherwise.

It wasn’t any one thing that Kurama did that drew his eyes or that the other was deliberately doing. Which was why Yusuke was feeling so frustrated.

Silky pants, riding low on Kurama’s narrow hips to accommodate the plume of the silver tail, unintentionally drew attention to the well-shaped contours of Kurama’s ass. The tight, forest shaded t-shirt Kurama wore revealed, more than concealed, the rock-hard torso. The dark pants and shirt provided a startling contrast for the creamy, ivory skin of Kurama’s bared muscled stomach.

Unaware of his actions, Yusuke licked his lips. His eyes were glazed as excitement built, quickening his blood. It surged through his veins. Tension coiled in the pit of his stomach, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. The memory, the pulsing, pounding memory of what lay beneath the thin, silky material of Kurama’s pants made breathing normally a struggle.

Yusuke tried to swallow past the constriction in his throat. He recalled the provocative way that sleek, sensual body moved beneath his that one, incredible night. His body hardened pleasurably.

The sheer power in that slender, willowy body had stunned him that night. The way Kurama undulated, winding about him—the hot, honeyed kisses from that all too tempting mouth. They had fought for dominance in the bed, until he gave way to Kurama’s greater experience.

Grateful that he had did so as those lips, hot and pliant, and desperately hungry, crushed his lips. So deep, stroking his mouth, sucking at his tongue….Yusuke suddenly became aware a glittering, highly amused look from exotic eyes.

Fuck! Kurama was looking at him.

His face turning beet red, Yusuke hastily looked away.

He was laughing at me, Yusuke thought, stiffening in outrage... and something else. Something that he dared not examine too closely. Growling under his breath, he turned and stomped to the other side of the large cave.

If he was smart, he would take the kids and run, he thought angrily. They'd leave the teasing, tormenting kitsune far, far behind. To no avail he tried denying the shiver of excitement at the thought of Kurama chasing him, finding him.

Punishing him.

“You are sick…” he muttered to himself. Furious at himself for allowing Kurama to get to him, he noisily rummaged through the various bowls and cookpots. “Lousy bastard. What’d I ever do to him? Running around, taunting me…always laughing at me.” He continued his litany of complaints against Kurama’s imagined sins.

Kurama shook with silent laughter.

Yusuke, happening to glance up as Kurama licked his lips, shuddered helplessly.

* * *

Nighttime, for Yusuke, was the worst. He had taken to sleeping on the hard ground, with only a thin blanket for protection, hoping to escape the thickening tension that shared the bed.

Each morning he would wake, grouchy and out-of-sorts. Back stiff and aching, he would walk hunched over, a horrible, black look on his face. His expression dared Kurama to laugh.

Sober-faced, Kurama would simply hand him a cup of hot tea. But Yusuke was all too aware of the lively amusement that danced in the golden eyes. On the one hand, he was kinda glad Yoko Kurama was showing more emotions; on the other hand, he hated being laughed at.

* * *

Four weeks later, Kurama pronounce the kits old enough to be introduced to the rest of the world. His mother, in her last phone call, had let him know in no uncertain terms that if she did not see her grandchildren soon, well…

Kurama was no fool.

Matters were swiftly arranged.
They would return to the Keep.

It was arranged that Hiei would bring Shiori; Botan and Koenma would bring Kuwabara and Shizuru, and Yukina would bring Genkai.

Yusuke sighed as he looked around the cave. There was a bittersweet ache at the thought of leaving. He had called this place home for two months

“Are you ready?” Kurama asked quietly. He was also feeling the pangs of leaving the den. Things would change once they reentered the outside world. Whether the changes would be in accordance to his plans remained to be seen.

“Yeah.”

Yusuke, meeting expressionless golden eyes, for some odd reason found himself blushing. Looking hastily down, he carefully picked up the bag that contained the two squirming kits.

Though highly amused at Yusuke’s reaction to just looking at him, Kurama said nothing.


* * *

When they returned to the Keep, the people welcomed their returning Lord with glad cries and tears, which thoroughly embarrassed Yusuke.

They oohed and ahhed over the babies. Kurama was treated with hostile, angry glares. Unfazed, he met their looks with his usual cool savoir faire. Clearly Yusuke’s people did not appreciate the fact that he had absconded with their Lord.

Not that he cared about their opinions. However, at the disappointed look Yusuke gave him, he sighed. These were Yusuke’s people, and soon, by proxy they would become his.


Several days later, the others arrived. The women, not even bothering to say ‘Hello’ to Yusuke and Kurama, impatiently shoved the bags of baby presents they had brought into the arms of a nonplussed Yusuke and Kurama.

The women made a beeline for the twins.

Kuwabara, draped under mounds of bags and a cradle, staggered into the room. Hiei, his face fixed into his normal icy, detached mask, sauntered casually behind the lumbering, beleaguered human.

Kurama's mother got to the children first. Cooing, she picked up Morio in gentle arms. Initially fearful, the tiny kit soon relaxed in her arms, mewling softly in response to the soothing sounds coming from her mouth.

Kurama’s ears laid flat to his skull at the sounds of baby talk coming from her mouth. His cheeks burned with color at the snickering coming from Yusuke.

The five males stood in the helpless, ill at ease way males all over did when cooing females gathered around new babies. Sheepish and a little awkward, they made desperate small talk, occasionally casting hopeful eyes at the tight circle of women.

Even Genkai was smiling.

Yusuke smirked. He had bet Kuwabara that it was just gas.

The room grew momentarily still as the door opened. In walked the shy koorime, Yukina, with her wife, both bearing gifts. Everyone froze and looked fearfully at Kuwabara…wondering if the sight would send him into a fit of depression.

He, in turn, smiled at them, blue eyes suddenly opaque and hiding his thoughts. “What…? She’s still family ain’t she?”

Relieved, though they cast secretive looks at him, the women eagerly welcome their friend into their circle. Yusuke resolved to have a long talk with his friend.

After half an hour of listening to the women coo and babytalk, Kuwabara, ignoring the men’s pleas, stormed carefully to the female circle. Koenma, Yusuke, and Kurama stood in stunned awe as Kuwabara, using tactics learned from years of watching Kurama, stole the babies and ran back to the men.

One look into their wide, innocent eyes, and he instantly fell under their spell. His face softened. Although Hiei made a disgusted face when the human began cooing at the children, he peered interestedly at the chubby, murmuring little kits. His eyes lost some of their hard, challenging stare.

Yusuke collapsed against Kurama in a helpless fit of laughter.

The women finally eased their way into the group and formed a circle of friends.

Yusuke stood, his cheeks red with embarrassed pride, as he and Kurama were praised and congratulated on their children. Kuwabara was the worst, telling him that motherhood looked good on him.

Unfortunately he couldn’t smack the idiot since Kuwabara was holding his children.

“What about you?” he challenged without a thought. “When are you gonna make some lucky woman …” His voice petered out at the blank look that swiftly fell over the redhead’s face. “Damn…”

Kuwabara gave him a tight smile. “Probably as soon as Hiei. Maybe sooner since I’m still awesome. Tall, good looking…I got a good job,” he bragged.

“Hiei…? So when are you gonna produce your own anklebiters?” Yusuke asked with a teasing little smirk. He wasn’t afraid of the fire demon, especially not with Kurama around.

Glaring around at the interested faces, Hiei’s eyes narrowed. Refusal to answer was written in the way his lips flattened, almost disappearing on his face.

“Shorty married…? That’ll be the day,” Kuwabara muttered under his breath.

Hiei heard him. His eyes glittered with some strange emotion. He looked away from the prying eyes. “Adoption,” he said firmly. “Unlike toushin, male fire demons can not give birth; and since he’s a human, Kuwabara would also be unable to carry our children.”

The room went deadly quiet. Kurama allowed his amusement to show. He had always suspected something like this was the root cause of Hiei fighting with Kuwabara.

Fire demon courtship rituals generally involved some violent or near violent means of attracting a mate.

As one everyone looked at a stunned Kuwabara. Hastily Botan took the babies from his numb grip.

“Hiei…” he said with the tight control of a man fighting not to scream, “may I have a word or two with you in the other room?”

Shrugging, the diminutive yokai strolled in the direction Kuwabara indicated. Though they affected disinterest, everyone was vitally aware of the shouting and screaming that was taking place in the next room.

“If they break anything in my bedroom,” Kurama said to Yusuke, his eyes glinting with sudden humor, “I’m sleeping with you.”

“No friggin’ way, man!” Yusuke replied swiftly. He backed away, his hands held out in front of him. “We’re home and there’s plenty of bedrooms in this joint.”

The others looked torn between listening in on Kuwabara and Hiei’s fight and the one taking place right in front of them.

Indecision written on their faces, they decided to concentrate on the fight in front of them.

Yusuke glared at Kurama. “Look, you are not sleeping with me! No way, no how, no sirreebob! There’s millions of rooms in this place. Gazillions,” he stressed, exaggerating wildly. “If they mess your room up, FIND ANOTHER ONE!”

At that loud shout, the babies began whimpering then went into a full-scale screaming.

“Great, now look at what you’ve done,” Yusuke snarled at a nonplussed Kurama as he snatched the children from Botan. Juggling them in his arms, he paced back and forth, whispering and cooing to calm them.

As the shrieks rose in volume, his ears flickering wildly Yoko turned towards his mother. “Please tell me that screaming babies are not normal.”

She smiled and gently patted his cheek, unfazed by the restless tail or furry ears. “You’ll get used to it,” she soothed before going to take one of the babies from Yusuke.

His eyes desperate, Kurama’s ears laid flat.

Hours later, and with everyone settled in their respective rooms, Yusuke returned to his now quiet suite. He snickered. There was a time when peace and quiet were the total opposite of what he craved. Fighting, picking at people, anything that would stir the waters, liven things up. There'd be plenty of peace and quiet when he died, was his favorite argument.

After Biki was born, with the midnight feedings, diaper changes, work, grocery shopping…somehow, fighting just didn’t seem important. Besides, who had the energy? Somewhere along the way, he…grew up.

Stretching to ease the stiffness in his body, he cocked an ear to check on the kids. Still sleeping. Thank god.

He headed for the bathroom, deliberately not looking at the far door. The one that lead towards Kurama’s room. They shared a pair of kids, and that was all they’d share, he thought darkly.

Standing under the hot, pulsating water, he braced his hands against the tiles and tilted his head back. Shaking his head from side to side, though his thick ankle-length hair had become heavy and full with water, still he reveled in the almost sensual pleasure of such activity.

Unwillingly, his mind flashed to an incident that took place last week in the cave…

“Kurama…?” He frowned, raised up on an elbow to look around for the kitsune. He was mostly annoyed at how the quick-silver kitsune could disappear at times. He glanced at the children, his frown easing at the sight of their fat little bodies snuggled together as they slept. Carefully he eased from the bed, to avoid jarring and waking them. Quiet babies were good; screaming and piercing cries were definitely not good. Something he well remembered from Biki’s infancy.

Leaving the main room and walking down a narrow passage, he called the kitsune’s name again. Still no answer. A light went on in his eyes. He turned left, heading for their bathing area. Kurama was most likely to be there, taking a shower. Giving little thought to the kitsune’s privacy, he hurried in that direction. He'd forgotten why he was looking for Kurama. He was just pressed by an urgency to see him.

Rounding the corner, he came to an abrupt halt. Obeying some unconscious edict, he crouched behind a rocky outcropping and spied on Kurama. His mouth dried, his breathing becoming hoarse…he was intimately aware of the blood in his veins rushing southward.

Kurama was facing away from him, arms braced against the rocky wall and back arched in obvious enjoyment. Thick, water logged ropes of hair snaked down the surprisingly broad back, leading the eyes inevitably to a pair of succulently inviting round globes of creamy flesh. As Kurama straightened then bent over, stroking a hand down his leg, muscles slid teasingly under his skin. His sensual ass was displayed to perfection.

Yusuke’s hands tingled, remembering the feel of the sleek skin, flexing in his hands.

Turn! Turn! His mind softly urged the oblivious kitsune. And as if he heard, Kurama turned. His eyes were closed, his face tilted to the lukewarm water pouring from overhead as he ran a hand over his chest. Slowly, almost as if he suspected an audience, one hand stroked teasingly over the pale chest finally coming to rest and plucked gently at a pert nipple. The other traveled lower, much lower, to the nest of silver curls and the thick shaft dangling below.

Yusuke was unaware of the whimpering sounds coming from his throat. He leaned against the cave wall, breathing hard. His hands gripped the rocky surface hard enough to bruise his hands. His eyes flickered between the movement of Kurama’s hands, his imagination running wild as he imagined those hands touching him, fondling him, in that same slow sensuous way.

His dick tented his pants and throbbed unmercifully. More than anything he wanted to touch himself to relieve the spreading ache.

Licking his lips, he remembered the musky-sweet taste of the kitsune. Gritting his teeth he wrenched his eyes away, only to meet equally aroused golden eyes that were watching him just as avidly.

A slow smile curved the kitsune’s mouth.

Heat and dismay slamming into him, Yusuke turned and ran. Confused by his feelings and chased by the low laughter that caressed his body like warm, he rushed back to the presumed safety of the main chamber. Huddled around the children for protection, he pretended not to notice as Kurama sauntered into the room.

Though neither spoke of the incident, it was a noticeable presence in the cave.

Shaking his head roughly, his breath coming harsh and fast, Yusuke tried to banish the lurid images. In the safety of the bathroom, he could admit that he was scared.

Scared of someone turning away from him…scared of failing again.

His hands clenched helplessly against the tile.

As far back as he could remember, Keiko was there.

When he was hungry, she fed him; when he needed a safe place to stay, she snuck him into her room and under her bed. She was always there for him. She'd never given up on him, no matter what mistakes he'd made

She was always there for him. And now she wasn’t.

She had said she loved him.

He roughly slicked his hair back, squeezing out the excess water. Dark, brooding expression shadowed his eyes, hardening his face.

He wasn’t sure if the others had suspected, or if it was only Kurama. He wasn’t sure what he would do if the others knew that Biki wasn’t his child. Though his mouth tightened, still he shrugged, running the soapy cloth harshly over his chest. It hadn’t mattered at the time.

All he knew was that he wouldn’t let Keiko and her child, end up like him and his mother. Even if he hadn’t loved her, he owed her too much to let her go it alone. Bending, he ran the rough sponge briskly up and down his leg. It had hurt at the time, to know she had slept with someone else, but after all the shit she’d to put up with because of him, he kinda figured he deserved it.

He hadn’t wanted to know who Biki’s real father was…couldn’t know. Otherwise, he would have wound up in jail for murder. However, he had his suspicion.

Unfortunately the only way he could be sure would have been to come right out and ask Keiko. Maybe it was cowardly of him, but he couldn’t afford to risk what he had, just to satisfy his need to know. If he had asked, if he had gone there, things would changed drastically between him and Keiko.

He drooped. Not like it didn’t change anyway.

Standing under the pounding spray, Yusuke sighed dispiritedly. Dropping the sponge, his hands again braced against the shower wall, he arched into the water, letting it wash away the darkness of his thoughts.

Shutting off the water, the silence an abrupt assault on his ears, he stepped from the shower. Drying himself with a soothingly soft towel, he slid silky pajamas pants on. He hesitated slightly with the shirt, then slowly laid it back on the shelf.

His head cocked to the side, he let his eyes drift half-closed. There was something in the air, a certain anticipatory feel that pulsed against his senses.

His back tightened, the skin twitching visibly. The feeling was similar to the way he felt just before a fight.

Ready. Eager.

Half fearful, wondering if this time, maybe he would meet his match.

His shoulders tensed, muscles bunching impressively beneath pale, gold skin. He drew in a deep breath before he opened the bedroom door. Crossing to the bed, he stared for a time at the rich, jewel colored sheets. His hands went to his pajama bottoms and slowly slid them off.

Blood was surging in his veins. His hand went to chest. He felt his heart beat—thump, thumpthumpthump—a rare quickening. What was causing it to beat, to move at a near human speed in anticipation he choose not to think about.

Breathing rapidly, he crawled between the sheets, laying flat on his back. Throwing an arm over his head, he lay tense and still under the silken covering. Uncomfortable, he shifted agitatedly, his body throbbing. Agitation made him squirm. He was restless, a feeling coming over him like a slow moving wave of fire. On edge, an electrified tingle skittered over him.

A hand drifting beneath the sheets, he cupped himself, pulling and stroking his thickening lazily. His legs moved restless under the sheets as tension crept higher.

Waiting.

Silently the door to his bedroom opened. A tall, willowy figure was momentarily silhouetted against the living room light. The door closed.

In the dim light of the room, Yusuke met shadowed eyes and conversely the tension riding him vanished.

Finally.

Now another more insistent feeling arose.


* * *

White robe trailing behind him like a train, Kurama ghosted to the bed. Locking his eyes to the darkening rich chocolate gaze, he slowly untied the loosely belted robe. With a slight movement of his shoulders, it slid silkily to the floor. Sharp ears caught the betraying sigh from Yusuke’s lips.

Golden eyes burned, heated approval darkening the kitsune’s eyes at the tell-tale movement of Yusuke’s hand under the sheets. There could be no misunderstanding of what that particular hand motion entailed.

Still not speaking, Kurama pulled back the sheets, his eyes hooded as he watched Yusuke masturbate. His swelling shaft, pointing towards the ceiling, dripped with visible excitement. He was hard, his erect towering organ holding Yusuke’s wide-eyed attention. He crawled into the bed, his movements animalistic and predatory.

Then sat, his body becoming impossibly still in the darkened room. His face was shadowed, impossibly remote. All expression was wiped from his face. Other than his body, potent and hard, no other trace of his desire for the toushin lying before him betrayed his hunger.

“I’m not a nice yokai,” he said quietly. “People call me ruthless, cold and manipulative. I am all those things and more.” Now that the moment was at hand, oddly enough he felt nervous. He laughed at himself. He, the great Yoko Kurama, scared of a boy.

Yusuke swallowed hard, understanding why Kurama was saying these things. “I…I know.”

“I can be inflexible,” Kurama said warningly. “And I have a temper,” he said as if confessing to some secret sin.

“No shit, Sherlock.” Yusuke felt humor come to his rescue.

Kurama felt a tug at the corners of his mouth. “Tell me to stop…here and now…and I will leave. We can go on pretending that we are nothing more than friends.”

“Stay…”

After that, words became superfluous. In any event, actions spoke louder than words.

And Kurama’s actions tonight were a definitive shout.

With all the expertise at his command, Kurama stroked the fire. Hardly aware as he, step-by-step, increased the raging hunger between them, the reins of his control was gradually slipping through his grasp.

His hands never still, he touched and caressed the lean, smooth flesh with possessiveness. He groaned, crushing his lips against Yusuke’s and drinking his fill from the warm darkness with. The breathy moans that seeped from Yusuke’s mouth excited him and aroused him even more.

He couldn’t get enough of Yusuke.

His lips trailed a hot, scorching path to the fitfully heaving chest, pausing to take suckle at a flesh nub, raising the nipple to a pebbly hardness before shifting his attention to Yusuke’s belly.

Ignoring for the time being the organ that butted insistently at the underside of his throat, he cast his eyes up Yusuke’s body. Holding Yusuke’s eyes, he stared into the wondering gaze then deliberately—slowly—licked across the raised indentation of Yusuke’s birthing slit.

That it was still quite sensitive was obvious judging by the ragged scream Yusuke gave. Kurama chuckled low in his throat at the anxious buck of Yusuke’s body. His chin was wet from Yusuke’s seeping shaft. The pungent tang that wafted to his nose excited him.

The slow, sexual smile of intent that curved Kurama’s lips made Yusuke tremble, his eyes widened in fearful excitement.

By the time he opened his mouth, it was too late.

Kurama held Yusuke’s hips in a tight grip before dipping his head. He settled in earnest learning the taste of birthing slit. For so long, he had been curious about just how sensitive it was. That brief touch, and Yusuke’s reaction, only wetted his curiosity and need to…investigate.

The babbling, breathless cries that spilled from Yusuke’s mouth provided a wonderful indicator of how sensitive it was. Though he would regret when it was completely sealed, tonight he would enjoy its effects on Yusuke.

This would be a night he intended neither of them forgot.

Kurama licked, suckled and probed at Yusuke’s flesh; Yusuke writhed and squirmed.

And it was not long before Yususke’s body convulsed. The twin sensations—his rigid flesh rubbing against Kurama while his birthing slit was subjected to a sensual tongue bath—was ultimately too much.

Pleasure, so unbelievable, overloaded his mind.

Yusuke cried his release, his back arched off the bed. His hands fisted in Kurama’s hair pressed the kitsune tightly against his body.

Kurama’s throat and chest was liberally stripped by sticky, white clotted lines. Pearls dotted Yusuke’s chest—and were hungrily consumed by Kurama as he slowly made his way up Yusuke’s body.

Surging upwards, he took greedy ownership of Yusuke’s mouth. Feeding on the warm, sweetness within, he moaned.

He was shaking, his mouth almost harsh against Yusuke’s as he struggled not to lose control. But Yusuke was so sweet…so incredibly sweet. He couldn’t get enough of Yusuke’s kisses.

As the heat raged between them, they were oblivious to everything, only conscious of the intense need to satisfy the raging hunger that burned between them.

By the time Kurama slid into the haven of Yusuke's body, his vaunted control had nearly eroded by sleek body that writhed enticingly against him. The thick, fragrant cream he used to prepare Yusuke was dripping, liquefied from the heat generated between them.

He wanted in.

To feel the snug, constricting walls welcome him, wrap around him.

And never let him go.

Pulling his fingers from the dripping sheath, his body drawn taut with need, he turned a volubly protesting Yusuke over

Yusuke initially protested the move. Loudly in fact.

He felt a keening sense of loss when the caressing fingers slid out and Kurama shifted away. The stinging pain had ebbed, leaving in its wake pleasure unfolding.

And a shattering truth.

No longer could he hide behind pretend outrage, or sidestep the truth.

He wanted Kurama.

He needed Kurama.

As Kurama had told him so many months ago, it wasn’t about gayness or his presumed straightness. It was simply about feeling an intense connection with someone else.

A feeling he had experienced years ago, but only now recognized what it was. The day he had met the sad emerald eyes of the yokai he had been sent to capture.

Instead, he had been the one captured that day.

His distracted musing was brought to an abrupt halt. Feeling hands tugging at his hips, he quickly complied with the silent prompt and resettled on all fours.

Despite his eagerness, he stiffened knowing what was poised between his cheeks was not Kurama’s fingers. His hands fisted in the sheets.

The white-knuckled grip spoke eloquently of his uncertainty.

He wanted this…and feared it at the same time. Before his fears overcame him, Kurama took matters out of his hands. One long thrust through the guardian ring and Kurama was nestled deep within the blistering warmth.

The closest expression Kurama could describe the feeling was…home.

Every nerve in Kurama’s body screamed for him to move, to plunge deeper into the scorching haven of Yusuke’s body. He couldn’t…he wouldn’t. His teeth clenched, there he paused, his face tight and hard as he struggled not to move. But it was so tempting, so very difficult to resist the impulse to move.

It was with strained patience that he silently waited for Yusuke to adjust around his flesh.

“Whoa…” Yusuke breathed. His eyes were wide and startled at the intrusion. He swallowed hard and tried not to move, but fitful shudders coursed along his spine. To feel something so thick and foreign inside him took a bit of getting used to, he decided.

As the burning, insistent pressure subsided, he frowned. He was a bit disgruntled because all the lovely feelings from before had died down.

Okay, so the foreplay was kinda nice, but…his thought was abruptly derailed.

Feeling Yusuke’s walls soften around him, Kurama could no longer hold back.

His withdrawal then rapid plunge into Yusuke’s body wrung a strangled cry from his lover.

A tactile memory of just how much pleasure Kurama was capable of generating when the kitsune put his mind to it played along his body.

And Kurama had no intention of holding back. Not now…not ever.

When Kurama began plunging into him, an overwhelming sense of heat and fullness came over Yusuke. The delicious sense of completion he felt, he was desperate to retain it. Thrusting back he sought to escape the feeling of emptiness each time Kurama withdrew.

The lure of heat, the sliding caress of Kurama’s hands on his body…it was like a terrible, all-consuming craving. An addiction he couldn’t shake. Or want to shake for that matter. It suddenly became a point of vital necessity to feel Kurama touching him.

The scent of crushed greenery enveloped him. Wild-rose and musky fur.

Nothing mattered to him, only Kurama’s touch. His fox…touching him. More than anything he needed Kurama.

He shook, shuddering and bucking wildly in response to Kurama’s driving lunges. Every plunge into his body set off shockwaves that only seemed to intensify with every delicious foray.

Yusuke cried out blunt teeth scraped over his skin, searing across his nerves with an unexpected jolt of ecstasy. His body involuntarily tightened, drawing a deep groan from Kurama. The unexpected pleasure at this new, sexual kink startled him. A velvet tongue stroked soothingly, almost apologetically, over the indentations. Yusuke rubbed his slick, hot body against Kurama, his meaning clear. No apologies were necessary.

And heat continued to build inexorably, driving them both towards a distant summit...where pleasure awaited.

His straining erection cupped and fondled, their bodies settled into a rhythm expressively designed to bring them both to fulfillment. Moaning, Yusuke blindly turned his head, hungrily seeking Kurama’s mouth as fingers plucked an erotic pattern on his nipples, skillfully stroking the flame…the fire between them.

Yusuke willingly drowned in Kurama’s taste.

Everything faded for them. All their attention locked on one another, neither was aware of anything but their relentless drive towards completion.

Yusuke’s body began glowing, pulsing with an odd bluish light. The plants in the room stirred, a rustling sound underscoring the moaning and liquid sounds of sex. Leaves, stalks and vines began lengthening, stretching towards the oblivious duo.

The glow pulsed brighter, spreading away from his body, illuminating the room as if it were daytime. With each succeeding pulse the subdued light traveled further, passing unnoticed through Kurama to the edge of the bed, becoming opaque and hiding the lovers.

The plants scattered about the room rustled, trailing up the walls and floor, and snaked over the glowing dome. Layer upon layer of vegetation covered the glow and the room grew darker until finally the only illumination in the room came from the moon outside, shining benignly through the windows.

The room grew still.

Ever so slightly the leaves would rustle, shifting ceaselessly over the plant ball. Hiding its light.

A baby whimpered in distress. His initial whimper did not result in the expected blurry thing that usually picked him up, murmuring rough, soothing sounds and providing calming touches that made him wiggle happily in reaction. The frown that pulled at his delicate brows proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, just whose child he was. There was also a possibility that based on the law of osmosis he may have had a bit of Hiei in him as well, judging by the fierceness of his miniature scowl.

Rei decided, after a few seconds, that more was needed. It was the principle of the thing. There was an implied contract between him and the big, blurry things. He whimpered, they came…it was as simple as that. Besides, he was hungry…well, not actually hungry but food would be nice.

So he cried louder, incidentally waking his brother. Their twin wails were usually enough to summon both Blurry Things with food. They both began whimpering, wailing their little hearts out. Their demanding cries picking up volume the longer their needs were left unappeased.

The leaves rustled softly.

Purposefully.

A thick, ropey vine, as thick around as a woman’s thigh, undulated across the floor towards the door to the nursery. It was trailed by a succession of smaller vines, much like honor guards. Reaching the closed door, it drew itself up. Rearing up, much like a cobra, wide leaves with serrated edges, sprouted like a hood.

There was an impression of intelligence. A terrifying sentience in the way the thick vine seemed to examine the door.

The smaller vines swarmed up the door and encircled the latch. Tangling together, and united they bore down. With a quiet click the door open and the plants poured into the room of the crying children.

Once inside, they massed ominously, coiling slowly, higher and higher until they towered over the crib. Wide, innocent eyes stared upwards, their woe forgotten in the wake of new, Blurry Things.

Then they seemed to remember why they had been crying, and faces screwed up, they opened their mouths again.

As vines spilled downward into the crib, a shrill, startled cry cut off abruptly.

The door slowly closed with a sharp finality.

And save for the rustling vegetation, silence once again reigned.

Chapter 6/8
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