The Trials and Tribulations of Parenthood

The Trials and Tribulations of Parenthood

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. They are owned by their respective authors. I only claim ownership of the plot.

A/N: A special thanks to Ryukotsusei for helping me hammer out a few points and getting Hiei’s reactions right, so he stayed in character.

Chapter 12

He got up while she dozed and made his way back to the kitchen. ‘I promised her a steak dinner, might as well make it a good one.’ He opened the door to the fridge and started pulling out everything he thought she’d like. ‘Let’s see, I know she likes her steak wrapped in bacon. Potatoes and green beans would be good too. Good, there’s garlic and butter in here. Looks like I have everything I need.’ As he started getting everything ready to cook he thought about what else he could do. ‘Maybe some roses to go with dinner or some candles would be a nice touch.’ His thoughts went back to the dinner that Shishiwakamaru had ruined and he growled. ‘And it was all so perfect.’

The steak was grilling and as he made the potatoes and green beans his thoughts wandered to his mate in the other room. They’d only been together just over a year but it was hard to remember what life had been like without her in it. Time turned backwards and his lips curved into a rare smile as he recalled seeing her for the first time.

She had been at the school talking to Keiko and he had gone with Yusuke, having had nothing else to do that day. The wind had been blowing and her hair was floating in it, looking like it was made of silk. Her face was amazing to him, but it was what came next that had him snickering in amusement.

“Stay here and watch this Hiei” Yusuke whispered and pretended to stroll past where the girls were talking. He had watched as Yusuke had reached out, intending to lift Keiko’s skirt and cop a feel. But the girl had been watching him and sidestepped at the last minute. Unfortunately, it put Kagome in his way and the wrong girl had gotten her skirt lifted. Hiei’s eyes had nearly fallen out of his head when that had happened. It was even more funny when Yusuke had the same reaction. Kagome had only been wearing a bikini thong under her skirt, giving them all a full view of her nicely curved bottom and just how toned her body was.

Kagome had whirled around and backhanded Yusuke so hard he had landed on the ground. Hiei had burst out laughing which had earned him a black look from Kagome and Keiko. He laughed even harder when Keiko had turned around and kicked Yusuke, one for trying to lift her skirt and second for lifting Kagome’s skirt. The look on Yusuke’s face had been priceless and Hiei had wished for a camera at that moment, it would have been perfect blackmail material.

Hiei had thought that Yusuke had gotten away after that kick, but the Toushin wasn’t quite fast enough. Kagome had poked her finger into his chest again and again, hard enough to leave bruises, making Hiei wince in sympathy. He’d heard her snarl out the word pervert before she turned on her heel and stalked away with Keiko throwing Yusuke black looks over her shoulder.

That had been the start of it. He’d asked Yusuke to find out who she was and where she lived. And he had taken to spending his free time haunting the places where he knew she would be. Kurama had teased him about being obsessed with Kagome but he hadn’t cared.

Kagome had finally spoken to him. She’d chosen a night when the moon had been full and her family gone to bed when she had opened her window and called out softly into the night. “Are you there?”

And he’d been shocked. Shocked at her knowing he was there and shocked that she had chosen now to speak to him. He’d sat on his branch staring at her, considering how to answer her when she’d gotten tired of waiting for an answer. “If you aren’t going to have the decency to answer me, then quit skulking around and following me.” She’d pulled her head in and started to close the window when he had landed on the sill, almost getting his foot caught in the closing window.

The smell of the steak broke into his musings and he turned his attention back to cooking dinner. The potatoes were finished and he put the green beans into the microwave. Then he took the steaks and put them on a serving platter, using parsley springs as a garnish. Once he had this finished he returned to his memories with a smile.

“How did you know I was here?” He’d quietly asked the question, not wanting to wake any of the rest of her family. Her answer had been more then a little shocking


"I felt your youki, that's not something you can hide from a miko even if you're masking it. Now it’s my turn to ask a question. Why have you been following me?” That question had left him silent for a few moments, not sure how to answer her and not sure she’d want to hear the answer. When she’d seemed to grow impatient, about to finish closing the window, he’d answered her surprising even himself with his words.

“Because you interest me. I’ve never known a female who wears strings under her clothes.”

“Strings under my clothes?” She’d had to think about that one for a minute and then her face had turned red. “You saw that? I swear I’m gonna kill him the next time I see him.” She had seemed to forget him for a moment and he’d cleared his throat.

“If you don’t want me to look, perhaps you should wear something more substantial.”

“More substantial?” If anything her face had grown redder and she had finished closing the window, once again muttering about perverts. But she hadn’t told him to go away and he’d felt that he could be open in his pursuit of her. She had often seen him after that, staring at her whether it was at school, walking down the sidewalk or even occasionally in her bedroom window. Sometimes she’d smiled at him, sometimes she’d spoken to him and sometimes she’d simply stuck her tongue out at him and shut the blinds. What was obvious was that she had been in no way afraid of him.

“And now I’ve ended up with the perfect mate.” He spoke aloud to himself as he took the green beans out of the microwave and arranged all the food on a platter, putting the dish on a tray along with a glass of wine so he could this once, serve her dinner in bed.

She was still sleeping as he walked into the room and carefully set the tray down next to her. Shaking her gently he gave her a smile when she cracked an eye open and looked at him. “I’ve brought you that dinner I promised.”

“You brought me dinner in bed? He never ceased to surprise her, just when she thought she had him figured out he’d go and do something totally unexpected and kind like this. It made her feel bad about her moods that she’d gone through lately and the tantrums she’d put him through, but he didn’t appear to be holding a grudge for a change

He watched as she ate her dinner, more then a little proud that he’d proved he could cook. She’d finished just over half of her dinner when he noticed she was taking longer between bites and gave her a frown.

“Hiei, it’s very good but I’m getting full. You’re going to turn me into a pudge if you expect me to eat this much all the time.”

His frown deepened slightly. “I assume by the word pudge you’re meaning round. And you’re supposed to be round, that’s what breeding females do. And what would that say about me as a provider, if my mate was supposed to be round and wasn’t? It would say I couldn’t provide for my mate and children.” He was starting to get agitated as he thought about it. “It will never be said that I’m not a good provider.”

“Or that you’re something of a worrywart. Who would have ever thought it.” She covered her mouth with her hand as a giggle escaped at the black look that remark earned her.

"I fail to see it as worrying, I am merely doing my duty as your mate. If you'd prefer to fend for yourself you should have expressed that concern before we mated." His offended tone of voice had her looking at him in mild surprise.

“I didn’t know you’d be so touchy about it. I’m sorry.” She hoped the apology would restore his good humor. She hadn’t meant to offend him, if anything he was acting more pregnant then she was.

“Hn. I’m not touchy.”

Now she began to wonder if she really had seriously offended him and the worry showed in her eyes and voice. “Hiei, are you still here just because you think you have to be? I don’t ever want you to think that.”

Glittering ruby eyes stared at her for a moment before he answered her. When he did his voice was low. “I will only say this once Kagome, you can believe it as you choose. I am here because I choose to be. I marked you as my mate because I chose to. And I take that very seriously. The twins weren’t expected this early, but I can’t say I’m sorry it happened. And I’m not here just because of them. Now, I don’t ever want to hear those words out of your mouth again.”

She reached her arms out to him, sighing as he stayed rigid. “I really am sorry I offended you Hiei. I just don’t feel very attractive anymore. I don’t understand what you could possibly see in me right now except a blob that’s only gonna get worse.” There were tears in her voice and they were threatening to spill over into her eyes.

“Oh hell, please don’t cry. Yell, scream, throw things, anything but tears.” Hiei was getting frustrated. “If I didn’t find you attractive, what do you call that little episode at the restaurant? The thing Shishiwakamaru interrupted. Remember that? And the way I keep trying to rub and suck on your boobs. Hell, you’re constantly pushing me off of them. Would all that happen if you weren’t attractive to me?” He answered his own questions for her. “I can assure you that they wouldn’t. So stop worrying and have some faith in me. I think a change of topic is called for.”

“Did I tell you I finally chose a doctor to deliver the babies? I have my first appointment next week. He said to bring you along to the appointment. And I expect you to be in the delivery room with me”

He looked at her suspiciously. “What doctor? And why do I need to go to this appointment. And you said he. What exactly will he be doing to you?” This was news to him, he hadn’t realized humans needed a doctor simply to have babies. A demoness simply littered her young and that was all there was to it. The male wasn’t even normally there, it simply wasn’t necessary. If Kagome needed to go to a doctor that meant a strange man would be touching her and for some reason he had the sneaking suspicion of where that man's hands would be.

Kagome looked at him as if he’d just grown a third head. “Hiei, humans go to doctors when they’re going to have a baby. That’s the way it’s done. We aren’t demons, we do things differently. As for why he wants you to go to the appointment with me, it’s better for the woman if her mate is there to give her emotional support.” She was watching him, waiting for his reaction.

“Fine, a doctor is a human custom. You still haven’t told me what he will be doing to you.” He sat with his arms crossed and a very stubborn look on his face. “Don’t even tell me that he will try touching you in a way that I’ll have to kill him for.”

“Kill him? Hiei, you can’t kill him. And of course he’s going to be touching me down there. With no underwear on I might add. How else could he check me and make sure everything is ok?”

“If you don’t want this human doctor to die I suggest you figure out another solution. You are my mate, and another male will not be touching you. Especially not there!” The very thought put Hiei back on edge, he was already thinking of all the ways he could kill this unknown doctor without getting in trouble with Koenma. Maybe if it was an accident.

“I guess I could always find a female doctor if that would make you feel any better. I know there are a few but this man came very highly recommended.” Kagome was looking for a way to bring the tension she could feel radiating off Hiei down to a manageable level and this was the only way she could think of to do it.

“A female? Do you honestly think I would trust a strange female touching you and delivering my babies? There’s a reason demoness litter on their own, another female is always ready to steal the young. I thought you knew that.”

“Humans aren’t demons Hiei. I thought you knew that too. Tell you what, why don’t you ask Kurama. He knows more about human ways. Ask him what Yukina is going to do.” Kagome didn’t tell him that she had already talked to Yukina and the girl was planning to use the same doctor she had her appointment with.

“I’ll do just that. And I can assure you there is no way that Kurama is going to allow my sister to use a human doctor. You’ll find out she’s planning to litter her young like a proper demoness is supposed to.”


‘Kurama?’ Hiei sent a light mind touch, not wanting to disturb his partner but feeling the need to settle this matter here and now. At the red heads answering thought he delved straight to the heart of the discussion. “Kagome says it’s a human custom to allow a strange male to put his hands on her body because she’s round. With no underwear on I might add. And she wants me to sit there and watch’

‘Human custom to what?’ Kurama was honestly confused. ‘Sit and watch?’ There was another moment of silence and then the feeling of laughing came across the link. ‘Hiei, by any chance did she happen to call this strange male a doctor?’

‘What’s so damn funny about it? If this is some sick joke I don’t get it. And you wouldn’t be laughing if it was Yukina that was saying she was gonna do this.’ Hiei’s irritation was traveling down the link in waves of rolling displeasure.

‘Don’t worry too much about it Hiei. Yukina is going to be doing this. I recommended the doctor to her. I think it’s the same doctor that Kagome chose.’ Kurama’s thoughts turned serious. ‘Hiei, humans aren’t demons. A lot of the females used to die during childbirth. Some still do. And if there were any problems I don’t know that I could save Kagome or the babies. Are you really willing to risk something like that happening?’

Hiei felt like he was being backed into a corner he couldn’t get out of. He looked over at Kagome who was watching him with sympathy in her eyes. She had known this part wouldn’t be easy on him, but she also knew that male or female, he was going to have to accept that somebody besides him would be touching her. It was just the way things were. She’d made the offer to find a female doctor, it was the best she could offer him.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my little story and also for writing the reviews. A special thanks goes to Ryukotsusei (I love your work btw) and badkitty, both of whom, I think, have reviewed every chapter I’ve posted. I love you guys.
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