Moments in Time

By: wolf demoness

Chapter Twenty-Four: The End

Shuichi's POV:

Mom and I stayed in the human world for two days and one night. We left as soon as possible. The police in the human world took us to Shiori's house and had us identify anything that was missing. Fortunately all of the really valuable items had been moved into the safety deposit box at the bank and anything that Shiori kept as remembrances had been taken with us to the Makai. Imagine trying to tell the officers that though. The insurance forms took a day to fill out and a company was hired to repair damage to the house. This time though I asked Kuwabara to watch over the house for us. Yusuke, though I have the greatest respect for him, is a bit irresponsible. Mother and I thought that Kuwabara would be the better choice, and Shizuru would keep him in line. We gave him a house key and asked him to keep an eye on things until we got back. Mother told him he could stay in the house if he wanted to. He seemed very pleased, apparently Shizuru is scary to live with.

I was impatient to get back home. My husband was less than four weeks away from giving birth and I was a whole world away from him. Kuronue had taken me aside and stressed the importance of my being present for the birth. Kurama would be in danger if I weren't there. If labor started without me present instinct might not allow him to seek out help if anything went wrong with the birth. Kuronue told me that very often Kitsune would use the plants around them to prevent anyone, other then their mates, from entering their dens when they were giving birth. If the mate was not present only a trusted blood relative could approach, very rarely a friend. Since Kurama didn't have any blood relations that we knew of, let alone trusted enough to deliver his kits, it was up to me. If I wasn't present I could loose them all. Every hour I was away I agonized over how quickly we could get home. Shiori was no better. We both wanted to get back to the demon world, hang the house and the human world authorities! Kurama needed the both of us and we wanted, no we needed to be there.

The moment that everything was in order we called Botan to take us home. She was a bit disgruntled at being woken from her beauty sleep, but I think she understood our concern. We arrived home at six thirty in the morning on March fourth. There was something strange going on. The rose bushes the hid the doorway from general view looked like brambles. The thorns had grown to several inches in length and the usually neat rose vines were twined in a mass barring entry to the doorway. Even the plants around the den looked different, sinister and threatening. Light was blocked from the few above ground windows by vines that waved threateningly when approached. Shiori and I paused outside of the doorway. I was hesitant to go near the disturbed plants. They looked as if they'd destroy anything that came within range of their thorns. Some of the vines began to writhe as we stepped into the clearing outside the den.

I slowly walked up to the doorway and extended my hand to touch the vines blocking my path. A group of vines wrapped around my arm as soon as I grazed my fingers over the first vine. I heard Shiori gasp behind me and I yelled at her to stay back. The thorns began to lengthen dangerously then the vines released me and pulled back from the door. I motioned Shiori over to me and held her as we quickly stepped into the den. The plants were outraged that there was another person with me, I think that they wanted to test her as they'd tested me. I wasn't going to risk her though. We got inside quickly. The plants wouldn't hurt me and I bodily shielded Shiori as best I could. Inside the den I closed the door as quickly as possible. Some of the vines were reaching into the den, but I slammed the door closed on them and braced myself against it to hold it shut. I locked the den door and waited, after a few moments the vines calmed and I backed away from the door.

"What's going on?" Shiori whispered to me.

"I don't know. Stay here." I didn't see anyone in the living room or down the hall. It was quiet, which wasn't unusual so early in the morning, but with how agitated the plants outside the den were I was worried. "Kurama!" I called from the living room. "Kuronue!" I started to move down the hallway.

"Quiet. You'll wake him up." Kuronue came walking out of the laundry room. He looked terrible. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, his hair was rumpled and unkempt, and there was blood on his clothes.

"Kuronue, what's happened? The plants outside are going nuts! I though they were going to attack us before they let us in!" He just looks at me.

"I think you should go see your Fox, Shuichi." I didn't wait for an explanation; as a matter of fact I think that I was rushing past him before he'd finished speaking. At the moment though I didn't particularly care. I ran into our bedroom and switched the lights on. Kurama was asleep in the bed surrounded by three small kits. I was aware that Kuronue was behind me.

"When? When, did this happen?"

"A few hours ago. I was going to call you."

I walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. My children were here. They were so beautiful and so small. There was a little red fox cuddled up to another black fox sleeping against my husband's side. On his chest was a very small silver fox. I reached out to touch the silver kit's face. Her nose scrunched up and her ear flicked back, but she didn't move other than that. It was the most endearing thing I've ever seen. I looked at the two curled up together and immediately began to count fingers and toes. I lifted the red kit into my arms. My sons fussed when I separated them from one another and the red kit opened his eyes to look up at me. He stared at me as if he were appraising me, then curled up into my arms and closed his stunning amber eyes. I guess I'd measured up to his standards after all. My other son had snuggled up to my husband's side and tangled his small fists in with his long hair silver hair. I looked over at my daughter cradled in my husband's arms; she too was studying me. She had the vibrant green eyes of Kurama's human form. She looked angelic curled up in her father's arms. My beautiful demon daughter.

"Hi," Kurama whispered.

"Hi." I reached out to stroke his hair. He leaned into my touch and briefly closed his eyes sighing in contentment. "They're beautiful." I kissed him. "I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"'S okay," he slurred, sleepily. I could tell he was struggling to stay awake.

"Sleep, koi. You deserve it." He smiled up at me then closed his eyes. He draped one arm over our daughter and drew our son closer to him with his other arm. He'd never looked so handsome to me. All I could think was how much I loved him, them, and how luck I was. I am the luckiest human being alive. Glancing up I can see light filtering in to the room from the open widow. For the first time I watch the sun rise with my son sleeping in my arms and the other three great loves of my life sleeping in my bed.

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The End.

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A/N: 1) Bet you thought I forgot about you huh? Happy Christmas Eve everyone! It's been really fun writing this and I'm so happy with the great response I got! I want to thank everyone who gave me a review. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that people enjoyed my little project. Reviewers are the best people!

2) In other news, last week I asked if anyone would be interested in an idea I've been turning over in my head for awhile now and the votes are in! My Inuyasha fic goes forward as planed. Which between you and me I'm glad about because I already have a six-page outline and rough drafts up to chapter sixteen written. ;-) Guess I was excited. So it your not sick of me yet check out the first chapter of Enter the Wolf's Den and don't forget to click that little purple button!