Instead, he treated himself to a good, long stretch. He didn't see the baby in her crib, but he could feel her and her other father close by, so he wasn't worried. It had been a hectic two months since her birth, with all the make-up work he had in his classes on top of the demands of a newborn. Things were beginning to settle into a more reasonable pace, however, and he could afford to be lazy for a few minutes.
He thought back to the first days after returning from the Reikai. Keiko and Yukina had outdone themselves planning a baby shower, and all their friends attended--including the Seishi ghost, though not everyone could see him. Hiei tried to sulk his way through the event, particularly since it was at the Kuwabara residence due to space considerations, but with so many people admiring his accomplishment, his arrogance soon got the better of him.
Kurama opened the presents while the guests took turns holding the baby. The gift from Yukina and her husband was the most elaborate: a mobile of sturdy tinted crystal snowflakes accented by a handful of gems shed as tears of happiness at the birth of the Koorime's niece. Even the fire demon noted the utility of Keiko and Yuusuke's offering of a pair of baby-carriers, one black and one red, which could be slung across the back to free hands for household tasks--or combat, if necessary. Kuwabara had picked out a stuffed kitten on behalf of his sister, and Botan provided an ample wardrobe that met with the vain fox's approval.
Amiboshi's music box, a recording of his own composition replacing the original melody, held the entire group captivated. Koenma's present provoked the greatest response, however; when the youko opened the small package containing a simple pink pacifier, the hapless deity was pounced by the leader of his detectives and forced to admit he had something further in mind. Whenever relatives weren't available, he told them, the Reikai would provide emergency babysitting services.
One anxious moment for the new parents occurred when Hiko seemingly vanished from the party during a distraction, though her ki could still be sensed in the vicinity. Kuwabara quickly tracked her to his bedroom. Hiei was not amused, but his mate couldn't suppress a laugh at the sight of a tiny fluffball of silver kitsune sleeping soundly in a nest of blankets with the matronly cat Eikichi curled around her. The kit wouldn't be powerful enough to take on youko form for at least a century, but in the meantime she could practice her foxy charms.
Yuusuke, in particular, was fascinated by the infant's palm-sized alternate form. He brazenly asked whether Kurama had ever been so small and impossibly cute. Kuwabara looked as if he wanted to add a comment about the height of her Koorime father, but he remembered his petite wife just in time and kept his mouth shut.
The redhead smiled again at the memory. Most youko kits had only one body to grow into for their first hundred years, whereas she was already comfortable in both kitsune and half-human forms. Yet it would be a while before she gained perfect control over the transformation between them, so her parents had to take extra care in managing the increasingly active little demon.
Slowly, although not too reluctantly under the circumstances, he shoved aside the covers and stood. He was curious to see how his two favorite youkai were faring this morning. He left the bedroom, his bare feet noiseless on the carpet, and leaned against the doorframe of the living room.
Hiei was lying in the middle of the floor, his fingers laced behind his head, wearing only a pair of faded jeans. Their daughter, currently in her furry guise, sniffed daintily at his toes. As Kurama watched, she scrambled up onto the fire demon's ankle and clambered precariously up to his knee.
Once attaining that peak, she made a dash toward his waist but didn't compensate for the abrupt lack of denim for traction and slipped to the floor. Undaunted, she padded around him, ducking beneath his elbow to nuzzle his ear. After a moment of lickage, she propped her front paws up on his shoulder, and from there she pushed herself onto his chest. She explored the new territory carefully, her legs attempting to remain steady on a constantly shifting surface, then she picked her way across the bridge of his neck and plopped herself down on his face.
"Hiko-chan," the youko called out teasingly, "don't smother your Chichiue. We might need him later."
The kit pricked her ears at his voice and turned to look at him, though she was still too young to understand the words. A semi-indignant "hn" emanated from somewhere near her belly.
He walked over to the pair and knelt beside them. The kit wagged her fluffy tail, her whole hind end wiggling, until--with an expression of utter surprise--she slid onto the carpet again. Kurama swept her up and held her tucked in the crook of his arm while he gazed down enigmatically at his bonded.
Hiei regarded him with suspicion. "What?" he challenged.
The redhead recalled hearing once that the sexiest vision on earth is a man caring for his child. From recent experience, he had no reason to dispute the point. "Nothing," he replied with feigned innocence, ignoring the growing patch of baby drool darkening his pajamas where the kit was chewing on his sleeve. "You know," he added in the same lighthearted tone, "she's going to wind up horribly spoiled if you keep letting her walk all over you."
The fire demon snorted his opinion of that philosophy. He crossed his ankles and rolled his eyes to glare at the ceiling.
The youko scratched behind his daughter's ears. She squirmed in his arms, trying to get him to reach all the itchy parts. "Hiei?"
A quirk of one brow acknowledged that he had spoken.
"Thank you. For everything." He set the wriggling bundle of fur on the floor. She immediately bounded off down the hall to investigate the kitchen. "What would I do without you?"
The unintentionally serious question hung heavily in the air. After a brief silence, the dark youkai sat up and faced him. A predatory smile touched his lips. "Same as you'd do *with* me, fox," he explained. He leaned forward aggressively. "Except without..."
And he proceeded to demonstrate.