Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

This story is for the Yu Yu Hakusho Big Bang (yyhbb) event on Tumblr, designed to reinvigorate the fandom, which is over 25 years old (when this was published)!

Hiei as an uncle was an idea that was too hilarious to pass up, so I wrote this story for anyone looking for a laugh. Hopefully they'll find it here!

HUGE shout out to littlegreenstrawberry, who was the corresponding artist for my story on Tumblr! Please check out their artwork because it's amazing! (Make sure to get rid of the spaces between words, the dots in front of the first four letters, and the two capitalized HEYs when using the URL)

h. t. t. p. : / / little green strawberry . tumblrHEY . HEYcom / image / 152741869535

Set about a decade after the events of the main story.

Uncle Hiei

Hiei was angry.

No. That wasn't a strong enough word to describe what he was feeling.

Hiei was livid.

Anyone who knew the fire demon personally would tell you that his current emotional state was not entirely unusual. Most of the time, his countenance could be described at best as apathetic, but there would be rare instances where he would be genuinely pleased or happy. Those moments were few and far between, but certain people could elicit these positive emotions from him.

When Hiei was not bored or content, he was usually mad. He was known for having a temper as fiery as his powers, though the ways in which he manifested this anger depended on the situation. Most of the time, a quick barb or sarcastic comment would be his response before he would ultimately ignore the person who was irritating him. On the rarer or more extreme occasions, Hiei would threaten the person's life and would make good on that threat.

However, there would be times when Hiei would experience emotions that would be considered unusual for him. Embarrassment, timidity, surprise, fear.

But his most detested emotion was that of humiliation. There were very few instances where this feeling would have a chance to manifest, but when it did, Hiei would take notice, and would then instantly flit over to being enraged.

Being a somewhat prideful demon, Hiei also had a certain moral code that he would never break, no matter what. Respecting and protecting those closest to him were at the top of his list of priorities. Of course, he could never be overt with these actions, as showing any form of caring could be taken advantage of and be used to exploit his most detested reaction.

This combination was why Hiei was currently standing in the door of Yukina's apartment, silently fuming as he listened to her giving him some last minute instructions.

"And don't forget," Yukina chirped as she picked up her bag and rummaged through it, presumably checking to make sure she had everything she needed, "Haruki and Ryu should be put to bed by eight, and Yukiko goes to bed around eight-thirty. So that means dinner should be around seven." Looking up from her bag and seeing the irritated look on Hiei's face, Yukina smirked. "That should be everything. Do you have any questions?"

Hiei squinted at her, knowing full well that she knew exactly how uncomfortable he was with the entire situation, but purposefully ignoring that fact. Hiei could never be cruel to Yukina, and she seemed to know this.

Yukina was one of the people whom Hiei felt extremely close to, but not for just any reason. Being that Yukina was in fact his twin sister brought out his brotherly instincts and mixed them together with his moral code, making her one of only very few people whom he could actually say that he loved.

Of course, he could never admit this out loud. His love for his sister could be used in all kinds of ways that would lead to sadness, most importantly from Yukina herself. Hiei had never told her of their relation, though she herself knew that she had a twin brother and had desperately been looking for him for most of her life.

However, Hiei had kept this information from her for a reason. He felt that she deserved a brother who was far better than he could ever hope to be. He had done things in his life that he was not proud of, most notably the murder of countless demons, and some humans as well. Though he rarely killed without good reason, it was murder nonetheless, and Hiei was afraid that his only living blood relation would reject him completely should he confess that he was the brother whom she had been searching for. It was better to leave her in the dark and stand by her side than to reveal the truth and have her banish him from her life forever. In fact, even though she was none the wiser to their relation, Hiei was glad beyond words that she still seemed to care deeply about him and considered him to be one of her closest friends.

Nonetheless, Hiei would do anything for the sister whom he cared for so deeply, and it was this unfortunate combination of his moral code and what he had to do that brought up feelings of humiliation.

Growling slightly, Hiei mumbled, "Of course not. Those instructions were as simple as could be. I'm not like your idiot husband."

Yukina giggled, used to Hiei's constant insults aimed towards the one she fell in love with. "You always say that Kazuma's unintelligent, but he must be somewhat clever to have won my heart. Or are you saying that I'm idiotic to have fallen in love with him?"

Hiei grunted, acknowledging his sister's ability to trap him with her question. "Of course I would never say that she's idiotic. And she knows that too. Damn her…" Crossing his arms and avoiding Yukina's knowing smile, he admitted, "I suppose he's not completely inept in every aspect of his life."

Knowing that was the best compliment of her husband that she would get, Yukina relented. "Thank you, Hiei." She turned away from the entrance to the apartment and shouted, "Kazuma! Are you almost ready to go? Our reservation's at seven-thirty and we wanted to spend some time window-shopping before we eat, right?"

Kuwabara's head popped out of the bedroom door, looking somewhat disheveled. "Yes honey! Just getting some last minute stuff and trying to calm the kids down a little." His head disappeared back into the bedroom, and childish giggling could be heard along with Kuwabara's voice.

"Good luck!" Yukina turned back to Hiei and smiled. "Thank you again for volunteering to babysit, Hiei. Everyone else was busy and we haven't had a night for ourselves in months."

Despite the situation, Hiei smirked. "That wouldn't be the case if you hadn't decided to have a whole litter of children."

Yukina giggled and rolled her eyes. "Three children, Hiei. Three. That hardly counts as a litter. Besides, how was I supposed to know that my second child would end up being two?" Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "I suppose it runs in the family?"

Hiei started but attempted to cover it up with a cough. "W-what do you mean by that?"

Yukina shrugged. "I mean that having twins must run in the family since I have a twin brother and all."

Hiei tried not to show his relief. "So that's all she meant by that."

Yukina titled her head and looked at him with curiosity. "What about your family Hiei?"

The fire demon's jaw twitched slightly. "I don't really have a family." Which, in all honesty, wasn't a total lie. Most of his family was dead or unknown to him, and the only sister he had was not even aware of this fact.

Yukina's eyes dimmed. "I'm sorry about that." She moved closer and placed a hand on Hiei's shoulder. Squeezing gently, she said, "Just know that we're all here for you. Kazuma, Yusuke, Kurama, and I. Though we aren't related to you by blood, we're all your family. Just think of us as the brothers and sister you never had."

Looking down at his sister's hand, Hiei felt a slight sting behind his eyes. He was grateful for the kindness that Yukina always showed him, and also somewhat bewildered. "She does this all the time," he thought, suppressing his emotions. "I sometimes question if she really doesn't know…"

Knowing that he had to respond in some way, Hiei barked out a laugh. "You mean the family I never wanted."

Yukina gave a somewhat sad sigh and shook her head. Letting go of Hiei's shoulder, she looked at him with a serious expression. The two stood in silence, not knowing exactly what to say. The only sounds that could be heard were the giggles and shouts of the Kuwabara children and their father's unsuccessful attempts at calming them down.

Eventually, Yukina shook her head again, though this time it was more out of exasperation. "If you say so, Hiei." To Hiei, it seemed as though she did not truly buy into what he had told her, but to his immense relief, she did not press the matter.

Instead, she turned toward the bedroom door again. "Kazuma? Need any help?"

This time, Kuwabara's entire body popped out from the bedroom as he made his way to the entrance. As he approached, Hiei assessed his rather formal attire. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a similarly colored bowtie and formal dress shoes that had obviously just been polished. His hairstyle was what he wore all the time, but it was much neater than it normally was, with no stray hairs to be found. All in all, it was obvious that Kuwabara had put a lot of effort into his usually unruly appearance.

"A tuxedo seems a bit extreme," Hiei mused, smirking slightly. "I'm surprised he was able to put it all on himself without incident."

Kuwabara stopped as soon as he reached the twins, looking over at his wife and smiling lopsidedly at her. Hiei did not particularly appreciate the look the oaf was giving his sister, and his irritation mounted as Kuwabara's face began to flush.

"I'm all good, snowflake. You… look really pretty." Kuwabara chuckled slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly finding it hard to look at her.

"Snowflake?" Hiei repeated with contempt. "The idiotic things that just spew out of his mouth without a second thought. I have absolutely no idea how this idiot won my sister over with the brainpower of a toddler."

Looking over at his sister, Hiei realized that he hadn't really taken in what she was wearing – he had been too preoccupied with trying not to incinerate the apartment due to his rage at the humiliating predicament he had trapped himself in. As he focused on Yukina, he saw that she was wearing a dark blue dress with black heels that gave her a significant boost in height, though she was still fairly shorter than her taller than average husband. Around her neck she wore a modest necklace made up of a small light chain with an aquamarine stone set in the middle, somewhat similar to the look of the Koorime tear gem. She had only a slight amount of blush on her face, with some darker eye shadow and reddish lipstick completing her appearance. She appeared as youthful as ever, though many people (especially Yusuke) teased her for being much older than her husband, sometimes calling her a cougar. Hiei would make sure that those who called her that would immediately reconsider their words.

All in all, Yukina seemed to have put in just as much effort into her appearance as her husband had, and Hiei had to admit that she looked beautiful.

He then noticed to his dismay that her face took on a similar hue to her husband's, and she nervously twiddled the strap of her bag. "Oh, thank you Kazuma! That's very sweet of you to say. You look quite dashing as well."

As Kuwabara chuckled, Hiei wanted to smack the embarrassingly lovesick expression off of his face at the thought that this look was directed at his sister, but he resisted. He was used to it by now.

After a moment, Kuwabara composed himself. "Thanks, Yukina." Turning to Hiei, he said, "And Hiei. Thanks so much for offering to look after the little ones." He clapped his hand onto his short friend's shoulder, whose emotionless expression did not change. "I know ya probably aren't too comfortable with this, but it means a lot to us that you're willing to step up and help us out when no one else can."

Hiei said nothing, but merely stared him down until he slowly removed his hand, chuckling awkwardly. Once Hiei felt that Kuwabara had been put in his place, he muttered, "Well, someone has to make sure that your children don't burn down the building while they somehow simultaneously freeze it over."

Yukina and Kuwabara chuckled as they looked at each other, obviously remembering times where their children had caused similar mischief. "Of course, Hiei," Yukina giggled. "Strange that my kids have my ice powers and fire powers very similar to yours." Her eyes twinkled.

It was all Hiei could do not to express surprise at the implication. "She's practically saying that I'm somehow related to her kids, and by extension, to her." Knowing that he had to say something in response, he grumbled, "Yes. Perhaps the oaf's tendency to set fire to all of our well-thought out plans was genetically passed down to your offspring."

Yukina giggled slightly at his response, while the target of his insult spluttered comically. "H-hey! That's not fair! I came up with a lot of plans that helped us out!"

"Yes. Such as catapulting yourself up to the Four Saint Beasts' window and crashing into the actual tower? Or when Kurama told me that you burst into his school and almost gave his cover away when you forgot to use his human name?" Hiei smirked, getting comfortable in the routine of insulting his clumsy teammate.

"Shut up!" Kuwabara shouted, becoming somewhat frazzled. "Nothing bad happened because of that, and there were other times where I –"

"Kazuma." A calm voice interrupted the bickering. The two men looked over at Yukina, who seemed to be barely containing her mirth. Reaching up to her husband's collar, she said, "Your bowtie's gone askew." Grasping the material, she straightened the apparel until it was as neat as before. Once she was done, she gently touched the side of his face. "There. All better." She smiled.

Kuwabara regained his goofy smile, all but forgetting the argument he had been having with Hiei. Said demon rolled his eyes slightly, amused at how easily the oaf could get distracted.

"Anyway." Hiei's terse voice brought the couple's attention back to him. "You two should probably get going, right?" He couldn't stand his sister and his idiotic teammate performing any more lovey-dovey actions without either throwing up or attacking the latter.

Kuwabara looked down at his watch. "Oh crap, you're right! It's already after six and it's gonna take a while to get to the restaurant." Taking hold of Yukina's hand, he asked her, "Are you ready to go, sweetie?"

Yukina looked quickly through her bag one last time before addressing her husband. "I believe so." Looking over at Hiei, she smiled. "Thanks so much again, Hiei. Just give us a call if anything goes wrong, okay?"

As Kuwabara turned the doorknob and opened up the door, Hiei scoffed. "Please. They're three children. I've handled hundreds of demons thirsting for my blood. This is nothing."

"Eugh. Kinda morbid, Hiei." Kuwabara shuddered. "Please don't tell the kids those kinds of stories."

"Anyway, Hiei. Goodbye! We'll see you around nine." Yukina waved to Hiei as she and her husband walked out the door and into the hallway. Once the door was shut snugly behind them, Hiei assessed the situation, talking to himself out loud now that he was alone.

"Okay. First things first. Why are the children not out here? And why are they so quiet?"

From all of the stories that Kuwabara and Yukina had told of their children, Hiei knew that they were never still for long. Therefore, he became instantly suspicious of what they were possibly doing, especially because of the racket they had previously been making when Kuwabara had been trying to calm them down.

Preparing for the worst, the demon slowly walked down the hallway, making no sound whatsoever. He figured he should appraise the situation before making himself known so that he would know what he was dealing with without being bombarded with children.

Hiei approached the bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. From here, he could now barely perceive some childish giggles. This was somewhat of a relief, for he was considering the possibility that something may have happened to them in the few minutes they had been unsupervised that may have rendered them unconscious.

"Failing in the first few moments of the job would not bode well… both for Yukina's trust in me and my own reputation."

Listening for any more sounds, Hiei noticed that there was a slight chill emanating from the bedroom. "Strange," he thought to himself. "I don't remember Kuwabara or Yukina saying that they turned on the air conditioning in the apartment. So that could only mean…" His eyes widening, Hiei surged forward, slamming the door open.

The next few moments were a blur, even to Hiei.

The first thing he felt was a chilling cold. In fact, it was so frigid, he probably would have instantly contracted hypothermia had he not instinctively ignited his demonic aura, which flared around him and warmed him considerably.

He had barely registered to the cold before a cry of, "Look out!" sounded and a soft mass crashed into him, knocking him off of his feet and flat onto his back.

Luckily he had had the reflexes to catch and hold onto whatever had fallen on top of him. Looking up, he saw a shock of ocean blue hair sprouting out of a head in a messy manner. Focusing more on the face, he saw gray eyes widened in surprise, a mouth making a comical 'o' expression.

He knew from previous meetings with the Kuwabara children that the person who had currently toppled him was none other than Haruki, the most outgoing of the three. Luckily for Hiei, Haruki had inherited the fire powers of his bloodline, so the demonic aura that Hiei was currently emitting was doing no damage whatsoever to the young half-demon child.

Unluckily for him, Haruki was what some people would call, 'a hugger.' Once the realization of what had happened had hit him, Haruki erupted into a huge grin. Wrapping his arms around Hiei's shoulders, he shouted with a high pitched voice, "Uncle Hiei! Hello!"

"Hrm…" Hiei did not return the hug, but he did tolerate it. He was never one for affection, and his teammates always took advantage of this fact. He couldn't count the number of times that Yusuke would roughly wrap an arm around his shoulder, or Kuwabara would clap him on the back or try to rustle his hair. Kurama tended to be a bit more mindful of his aversion, but there were still some times where the fox demon would pat his shoulder or give him a one arm hug. The Kuwabara children were young, and they were mostly oblivious to his discomfort.

After the hug had gone on for some time, Hiei eventually pried Haruki's hands off of him and sat up, making sure to hold onto his back to prevent him from rolling off and accidently slamming his head onto the ground. Once he had sat up, he grabbed hold of Haruki's shoulders and lifted him off of his lap, placing him to his right as he stood up and dusted himself, turning off his aura now that the cold was diluted through two rooms.

"Uncle Hiei!"

"When did you get here?"

Hiei found himself tackle-hugged on both sides, a warm presence on his right and a cold one on his left. He looked down to see the other two Kuwabara children hugging him tightly, though less so than Haruki.

On his right, he saw Ryu. He looked very similar to his twin brother, though they were in fact fraternal twins. Ryu had the same coloration as Haruki, but his hair was a bit more tamed as opposed to his twin's tussled look. He was wearing cargo pants just like his brother, though his shirt was a cool blue, whereas Haruki's was an intense red. Ryu was a quiet child, his countenance somewhat similar to Hiei's. Not surprisingly, whenever Hiei would interact with the Kuwabara family, the two of them got along reasonably well. It didn't hurt that he was also a fire demon like Hiei.

On his left, he saw the oldest child and only female, Yukiko, dressed in jeans and a brown shirt. While the twins had just recently turned three, Yukiko was around six years old, though she was far more mature than her age would suggest. She alone inherited her father's hair coloration, which was currently styled in a mane similar to the time when Yusuke had channeled his Mazoku energy, though her hair was a bit less extreme. Her eyes were a reddish brown, and they seemed to always have a mischievous flicker in them. Out of all of the children, Yukiko was the only one who controlled ice like her mother, though her attitude was a bit more devious than Yukina's.

It often annoyed Hiei that the Kuwabara children would call him their uncle. Though this was factually true, he knew that there was no way that they actually knew this. This nickname was another result of him not being able to be cruel to Yukina, as she had introduced her children to him as such. They had latched onto this name instantly, and Hiei did not have the heart to scold them when he saw the joyous look in his sister's eyes. Kuwabara had merely shrugged at the title but went along with it, sometimes calling his teammate that whenever he wanted to tease him. Hiei had no problems venting out his frustrations when those situations occurred.

Hiei merely stood there, not wanting to tear the children away from him, but certainly not wanting to return their embraces either. Eventually, the two children released their uncle and stepped back, though the sparkles in their eyes did not fade.

Retaining a neutral expression, Hiei nodded at the children in greeting before looking around the bedroom, if it could still be called that. An ice rink would now be a more appropriate term.

Every surface of the room was covered in a thick layer of ice. Though the ice on the floor was the most noticeable, Hiei could see that the bed and wardrobe were also slick with the frozen liquid, though it appeared to be more bluish than normal ice would be, confirming the fact that it was indeed the result of Yukiko's demon powers. Luckily, the room had no windows, which surely would have cracked and shattered with the intense freeze.

Looking up, Hiei could see several dangerously sharp icicles protruding from the ceiling. Watching them glistening, Hiei made sure to step forward and push Yukiko and Ryu back behind him to stand with their brother. The children giggled slightly but luckily did not fight against him and obediently stood at Hiei's back.

Hiei took one more look around the room to ensure that there was no true danger before turning to the sources of the predicament. As a demon with a well-known reputation of threatening violence, Hiei could usually wring the truth out of someone with a scowl and a glare, but this unfortunately did not frighten the Kuwabara children. He still tried, starting with Ryu. Though he did fidget slightly, he did not lose his small smile. The result was the same with Haruki, though his smile was wider and he continued to giggle.

Finally, Hiei turned to the guiltiest ice-powered party, who looked back at him with a devious glint in her eyes. She stood still with her arms crossed, a confident grin on her face.

Hiei sighed slightly, as he knew he now had to resort to verbal discouragement. He was never very good with children, as most of what came out of his mouth was harsh and cynical, two aspects that were usually not compatible with small children. Though the Kuwabara children did have thick skin, he was always worried about upsetting them and having Yukina become disappointed in him.

Clearing his throat with a slight "hm," Hiei started out by simply saying, "What happened?"

The three children giggled and looked at each other, each nudging the others forward to answer their uncle's question. Finally, the oldest took responsibility. Looking up at Hiei, she answered, "We were ice skating."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh. And why exactly did you have to turn every surface of the room into a frozen wasteland?"

Haruki titled his head slightly. "What's a w-waste…land?"

"Not important. Just answer the question." Hiei was quickly becoming impatient with the limited intelligence of the children.

"Well…" The group turned their attention collectively at Ryu, who was barely audible. "Haruki was bored, and Big Sis said that she could entertain us, so she used her ice powers and froze everything."

Yukiko chuckled. "I guess I got a little carried away. I'm still kinda struggling with controlling my powers."

Hiei retained his scowl, not falling for her act. "Don't give me that, Yukiko. Your parents have told me that you are coming along remarkably well in terms of maintaining your aura. I would expect an occasional spurt here or there, but not blasting the entire room."

Yukiko shrugged. "Well I dunno. Mom and Dad must be confused. You've met my dad after all."

Hiei snorted, a slight grin spreading across his face. "Possibly, but your mother would be a bit more perceptive." Crossing his arms, Hiei took on a more authoritative tone. "Now then. We are setting some ground rules. First rule is no use of demonic powers. Ice and fire," Hiei added, glancing at the twins who smirked. "Second rule is that we will all eat at seven. The third rule is that bedtimes will be strictly adhered to. Haruki and Ryu at eight and Yukiko at eight-thirty. If any of these rules are broken, there will be consequences. Understood?"

He sternly looked at the half-demon children, who all looked back at him with various innocent expressions. Haruki and Ryu were closer to being truly naïve, whereas Yukiko had a more sarcastic look on her face. Nevertheless, all of the children chimed in with their agreement.

"Good." Hiei was not truly trusting of their acquiescence (as it had been entirely too easy to obtain), but he went along with it. It would only become a problem if they made it one. "Okay. I'm going to melt the ice in this room. Go to the living room and don't cause any trouble."

"Okay. Let's go you two." Yukiko took hold of each one of her brother's hands and led them to the living room where Hiei and the parents had been previously. She coaxed them onto a worn brown couch while she sat down on a reclining chair that was across from it.

Watching them settle in, Hiei made sure that no one was causing any mischief before he turned his attention to the room. Normally, Hiei would have made the twins heat up the room to melt the ice. But unlike their sister, the two of them had almost no control over their powers, so Hiei knew that would most likely result in an apartment fire. So, Hiei decided to do it himself.

He stepped into the room and ignited his aura to an intense degree, the floor under his feet melting almost instantaneously. He made sure to keep clear of the icicles, which would undoubtedly melt and fall from the ceiling.

He walked around the outskirts of the entire room, using enough heat to melt the ice and subsequently dry up the water, but not enough to catch anything aflame. The process was going well, and Hiei figured he would be done in a minute before returning to the children, who were again quiet.

"I just need to melt the icicles and then I'll check on them."

"Uncle Hiei!"

"Wha—?"

Startled, Hiei's aura flared for an instant, which caused a heat wave intense enough to dislodge the icicles. As Hiei was on the far side of the room, he looked from the ceiling to across the room and saw Haruki standing in the middle of the room, directly under the sharp ice.

"Didja need help melting—?"

"MOVE!"

Hiei flitted over to the boy, picking him up and continuing his trajectory to the door. Unfortunately, an icicle had been in the process of falling, and it grazed Hiei's arm as he ran to the other side of the room.

"Damn it." Hiei thought as he winced.

Hiei stopped at the door and placed Haruki on the ground. Looking him over, he shouted, "You idiot! I told you to stay in the living room!"

Haruki seemed a bit rattled. Nonetheless, he explained himself. "S-sorry, Uncle Hiei. I was bored and I wanted to help. I've got fire powers too ya know!" He puffed out his chest proudly, smiling widely.

Seeing that Haruki had suffered no damage, Hiei huffed. "Fine. Just… just be more careful next time."

Haruki nodded. "Okay." He ran back out into the hall, presumably returning to the living room.

Hiei huffed again. "Damn kids," he muttered. Looking at his arm, he saw a tear in the black fabric of his clothes near his bicep, some blood seeping through. "Not too bad."

The fire demon shrugged off his black cloak, not wanting it to soak through any more than it had. Slinging it over his shoulder, he looked and was relieved to see that the cut was far enough down his arm that it had not stained his blue shirt.

"Okay. Time to babysit. Great." Hiei walked out of the bedroom, closing the door snugly behind him to ensure that the kids could not just run back in.

He arrived in the living room, seeing Haruki and Ryu talking and giggling to each other while Yukiko was slowly forming different ice figures in her palm. Hiei watched the shapes change from an intricate snowflake to a blade that resembled her father's Spirit Sword.

Hiei had to admit that she was remarkably talented, though this demonstration proved how her earlier claims had been lies. Control of one's powers required intense patience and focus, and he knew despite her blasé attitude, Yukiko really did try to develop her powers as well as she could.

She eventually noticed Hiei watching her. Her head snapped up, the two pairs of reddish-brown eyes meeting. Hiei's took on a more stern expression, showing how he was irritated. Yukiko was in fact breaking the rules that Hiei had just set a few minutes ago.

Yukiko merely stared back at her uncle. Eventually, she tilted her head and forced an innocent look, her eyes going wide and her mouth making an 'o' shape. She raised her hand in front of her eyes, and a swirl of icy wind spun above her palm. Hiei watched silently as the wind subsided, and he glared at what resulted when the air cleared.

In her palm sat the figure of a plump hamster, his paws held up to his face with a cute, wide-eyed look on its face. It's puffed out cheeks gave it an overall dumb appearance, and the message it sent was clear.

"That fool must have told his daughter his nickname for me," Hiei internally grumbled, remembering the countless times his comrade had called him 'hamster legs.'

Focusing back on Yukiko, he saw that her innocent look had melted away and had formed into a smug smirk, her amusement clearly evident. Had she not been the child of his sister, Hiei knew that that action and look alone would have led her to an early grave.

Still, though he would take no violent action against her, Hiei retaliated. He shot out a quick burst of fire, making sure to aim it so that it would hit the hamster squarely in the face. The fire plus the girl's shock caused the ice figure to disappear in a blast of mist.

Hiei walked past the boys who had suddenly quieted after watching what had happened. He stopped in front of the girl, who was for the first time showing some signs of sheepishness due to the fact that Hiei had actually taken action against them instead of just warning them. Her smile was now genuinely embarrassed, and she was giggling slightly.

"Yukiko," Hiei said firmly. "What did I just tell you?"

The half ice-demon giggled nervously. "I, um… No ice powers?"

"Correct. Yet you used them anyway. Why is that?" Hiei continued to stare at her, not backing down.

Yukiko fiddled with her hands. "Because… I forgot until just now."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Don't play games with me. I know that you knew exactly what you were doing." He sighed. "Alright. I said that there would be consequences, and I mean it."

"But what should I do? Most of my punishments are a bit too… extreme for children." Hiei pondered for a few moments before ultimately reaching a simple solution. "Yukiko."

"Yes?" The half ice-demon asked, slightly concerned.

"You are to sit in the corner. No sounds from you for fifteen minutes."

Yukiko did a double-take. "Really? Isn't that punishment kinda…?" She trailed off after seeing the look on her uncle's face. "I mean… Sure thing, Uncle Hiei!"

The girl got up from her seat and practically sprinted over to a corner of the room. Plopping herself down, she pantomimed a zipped lip gesture.

"And you are to face the corner," Hiei added, smirking slightly.

Yukiko's normally snarky attitude shined through for a moment when she groaned and rolled her eyes, but she did as her uncle said. Scooting around, she eventually faced the wall, crossing her arms.

"Perfect. Now then." Hiei looked to the twins, who were watching the situation with barely concealed giggles that they held back, worried that Hiei would become irritated and subsequently punish them. "Since it's…" Hiei glanced at a clock on the kitchen wall, which was directly across from the hallway separating the living room and the kitchen, "quarter to seven, I think I'll start to… prepare dinner." Wondering how his life had led to this ridiculous moment, Hiei shook his head.

"Okay, Uncle Hiei! What do you want us to do?" Haruki bounced on the couch, causing the entire piece of furniture to shake and for Ryu to sway back and forth, unease evident on his face.

"I want you two to keep an eye on your ignorant sister." There was a splutter of indignation that emanated from the corner of the room that Hiei easily ignored. Placing his cloak on the arm of the couch so that it would not get in the way of his cooking, Hiei added, "Just stay here and I'll let you know when dinner is ready."

"Okay," Haruki mumbled. He settled back down into the couch, muttering dejectedly. He turned to watch his sister, who was still facing the wall and grumbling at Hiei's slight.

As Hiei made his way to the kitchen, a cry of, "Uncle Hiei!" sounded. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a concerned Ryu running up to him. The child pulled on the bottom of Hiei's shirt, untucking it slightly from his belt.

Hiei sighed. "Yes, Ryu? What is it?"

"You're hurt."

"Hm?" Hiei followed Ryu's line of sight to see that he was casting a worried gaze at the scratch on his arm. Hiei had practically forgotten about it in the chaos of everything that had followed the injury. Shrugging slightly, he grunted, "It's nothing."

Ryu looked down shyly but was still clutching tightly onto his uncle's shirt. Quietly, he murmured, "C-can I heal it for you?"

Hiei was about to refuse the child when Ryu looked back up at his face. Hiei had to hold back a gasp when he saw how much of his sister was reflected in the young half-demon's face. "Gentle and kind… just like her…" Hiei sighed again, knowing that he couldn't say no to a face like that. "Fine."

Ryu's face lit up, his eyes shining like two silver coins. "Yay! Alright, come sit on the couch, Uncle Hiei."

Hiei chuckled slightly at Ryu's unusual enthusiasm. He knew from the stories that Yukina and Kuwabara had told him that Ryu was the only child that had inherited Yukina's healing abilities. Ever since the child had discovered this power, he would insist on healing anything in sight, both to test out his powers, and because he usually couldn't stand to see any living creature hurt.

He followed Ryu back to the couch and sat next to Haruki, who was looking over at the two of them with interest. Ryu stood at the side of the couch and lifted his hands up over the cut. Very slowly, a bluish light emitted from the boy's hands. The light sluggishly fluttered overtop of Hiei's injury. He took note that the sensation was different than when his sister had healed him countless times over the years. While hers was more of a soothing chill, Ryu's was more of a pleasant heat. It was, in fact, a fairly weak force, and it did nothing for a few moments.

"Hm… Let's see…" Ryu shuffled closer and flexed his hands, evidently struggling to produce a stronger healing energy, annoyed at his slow progress.

Hiei was about to tell him that he was fine and that he should stop when the sensation suddenly strengthened. Slightly shocked, Hiei closed his mouth and looked more intensely at his arm. He found, to his surprise, that the cut was slowly closing up, and that blood no longer continued to seep through. After a minute, the wound had closed up completely, and all that was left was a slight pink line that would definitely heal up in time.

"Wow! Nice one, Ryu!" Haruki was leaning over his uncle to get a better look at the process. He seemed genuinely amazed, not blinking.

Ryu stepped back, breathing deeply. "T-thanks, Haruki." He looked at Hiei's face and smiled slightly. "All better, Uncle Hiei."

Hiei was surprised. "The boy is coming along remarkably well for someone his age." The fire demon lifted up his arm and inspected it. He looked back at Ryu, who seemed eager for any feedback. Giving a small, genuine smile, Hiei murmured, "Good job, kid."

Ryu blushed and giggled. "T-thanks, Uncle Hiei!"

Hiei chuckled at the child's happiness at such small praise. "Sure. Now then." Hiei stood up abruptly. "Sit down and rest. I'll go make dinner." Hiei strode over to the kitchen as Ryu took over the previously occupied spot on the couch.

Once Hiei entered the kitchen, he realized abruptly that he had no idea what to make for the children. Thinking back to Yukina's instructions, he could not remember her saying anything about a certain meal to prepare.

"Maybe they left a note on the fridge." It was as good a guess as any, and the fire demon walked over to the appliance, only to find it covered in art made by the children, as well as various photographs of the different family members.

One photograph that Hiei noticed was one that included every member of the family. It was clearly taken during the summer, as everyone was dressed in casual shorts and t-shirts. It was also set during the current year, as all of the children appeared to be the same age as they were now.

The parents stood in the center, with Kuwabara on the left side of the image wrapping an arm around his wife, both of them smiling joyously at the camera. Yukina was using both hands to hold onto the shoulders of the twins, who were also grinning at whoever was looking at the picture. Haruki's smile was wide and toothy, whereas Ryu's mouth was closed and his expression was somewhat calmer. Kuwabara had his free hand on his daughter's shoulder, who was winking at the camera and holding up a peace sign.

Hiei had to admit that the scene was heartwarming, and he was pleased to see his sister living out her life happily with a family that she loved. He was even willing to overlook the Kuwabara part of the equation, though he would never admit this aloud, even with his dying breath. It was the principle of the matter.

The uncle let a small smile spread across his face before ultimately returning to the task at hand. "No note… no idea what to make…" Hiei stoked his chin, pondering any other remaining options. "I might need to call in for backup."

Turning to the phone hanging on the wall, Hiei picked up the device and dialed the local ramen stand's number. He had two options, and while he knew Kurama was more logical than Yusuke, he figured that the fox demon was still busy working overtime at his step-father's office. Yusuke was also working (as this was the reason the two men could not babysit), but Hiei figured he was not nearly as occupied, and he also did not have to keep up a polite appearance like Kurama did. And, most importantly, Yusuke cooked for a living, so it was a reasonable assumption that he would know of some easy recipe that Hiei could replicate.

Hiei waited as the phone emitted the customary dial tone. After a few rings, Hiei heard the person on the other end pick up the phone and shout, "You've reached the best damn ramen stand in town! What can I get for ya?"

The fire demon rolled his eyes at his comrade's enthusiasm. Ever since Yusuke had started up his ramen stand, he had become infinitely more obnoxious as he constantly bragged about his cooking prowess. It did not help matters that the collective group tended to eat out at his stand on a fairly regular basis.

"Stop with the bravado, Spirit Detective," Hiei muttered, already regretting calling his hyperactive teammate.

"Hiei? Is that you? I'd recognize that snarky little voice anywhere!" Yusuke laughed loudly. "So I finally convinced you that my food kicks ass? That's great! What can I get for ya, buddy? It's on the house!"

Hiei responded instantly. "You really are still an idiot even after all of these years, Yusuke. Of course I still despise your inedible cooking. I merely had a question for you."

Yusuke chuckled. "Aw man. I knew it was too good to be true. Sure, Hiei. What do you need to know?"

"You cook food for humans. What do they like?"

"Uh… You're gonna have to be a little more specific. What kinda humans are we talkin' about here? Plus ya gotta have the right ingredients, and –"

"Small children. Between the ages of three and six. A girl and two boys. As for ingredients," Hiei opened up the fridge and peered inside, "I have various lunchmeats and cheeses, a bottle of mustard, juice boxes, and a… half-eaten peach. Eugh… disgusting humans."

"Okay Hiei, stay with me here. It sounds like you're taking care of Kuwabara's little ankle-biters." Yusuke chuckled. "I'd say that they'd like some sandwiches or somethin' like that. Kids like it when you cut the crust off and make the sandwiches into different shapes."

Hiei snorted. "Such as?"

Yusuke groaned a little. "I dunno, Hiei. Use your imagination. Whatever the kids like, I guess."

"You're even less help than I thought you would be." Hiei smirked. "Shouldn't you be more adept at figuring out what kids enjoy, seeing as you're going to be a father soon?"

The baby that Hiei was referring to was, of course, the future child of Yusuke and his wife, Keiko. The two of them had been married for a few years, and it had come as a slight shock when the mother-to-be had announced that she was pregnant. Keiko had always expected that the two would have kids eventually, whereas the former Spirit Detective was a bit more skeptical. But when the father-to-be had found out about his wife's pregnancy, he had been… emotional to say the least. Yusuke had frozen for a few moments before ultimately smiling one of the biggest smiles of his life as he started yelling phrases such as, "I'm gonna be a daddy!" It was also one of the few times that the group had seen him cry tears of joy.

There had been congratulations all around, and the Kuwabara children had been the most excited, as this meant that they would finally have playmates outside of the family. That had been around eight months ago, and the couple was eagerly preparing to greet their little one into the world. That included intensive research on Yusuke's part on the many aspects of diets of children, from what was healthy to what would taste delicious.

Yusuke chuckled happily. "I happen to be a culinary expert, Hiei. I know the foods kids like to eat, but the other thing you have to take into consideration is that kids are super picky. What my awesome kid will love can be completely different from what Kuwabara's kids like."

"Hmpf. I see. I suppose I can figure out what shapes to cut the sandwiches into."

"That's the spirit, Hiei!" Yusuke cheered. Lowering his voice, Yusuke murmured, "It can't be any worse than dealing with a hormonal pregnant wife with weird cravings." He chuckled. "Just the other day, Keiko asked me for chocolate chip pancakes with melted cheddar cheese on top. I mean come on! What the hell kind of meal is that? Course, I still made it for her. You know how Keiko can be when she gets mad."

Hiei chuckled, remembering the multiple times in the past where Keiko had vented her frustrations out on Yusuke. "Of course. Though only someone with a temper like hers could have the strength to deal with your antics."

Yusuke scoffed. "Thanks, Hiei. Anyway, I gotta get back to manning the stand. Gotta be able to put food on the table for Keiko and the little one. Talk to ya later!" With that, the phone clicked and went silent.

Hiei chuckled again as he put the phone back onto the receiver. "Okay. I suppose I'll start to make the sandwiches." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out the mustard and the various lunchmeats and cheeses, taking out three juice boxes for the children to drink. He put everything onto the counter before realizing that he had yet to check and see if the Kuwabara family owned a loaf of bread.

"I swear, if they are as inept as I think they are, that could be a real possibility." Hiei walked over to the pantry and opened it, relieved to see that there was a half-loaf of bread on a shelf. Unfortunately… it was on the top shelf.

"Curses…" He looked up at the shelf angrily, trying to figure out how he would reach it without going to any extreme measures.

As he pondered the shelf, he heard a flurry of footsteps behind him. Turning to see which of the children were deciding to bother him now, Hiei watched as Haruki approached him. "Heya, Uncle Hiei!"

"Haruki."

The child stared at Hiei as Hiei stared back. Eventually, Haruki blurted out, "Didja need help getting to the bread?"

"Hm… And just how did you know that?"

Haruki grinned. "I saw you getting out stuff for sandwiches, and I didn't see the bread. Plus it's kinda high up. Dad makes the sandwiches, and he can reach pretty high."

Hiei shook his head. "Of course the oaf has to put the bread at his freakishly tall level. No one else in this house could even reach it."

Haruki laughed. "Yeah, yeah. So can I help?"

Hiei considered the energetic child for a moment. It wouldn't hurt to have him help, especially because Hiei could keep an eye on him this way without overtly stating that that was what he was doing. His pride wouldn't be hurt if this assistance was only known by children and none of his teammates. "Okay. I think the best way would be if…" "I feel like I may regret this…" Hiei cleared his throat. "If you get onto my shoulders. I'll get you high up enough to reach the bread."

Haruki laughed and clapped his hands excitedly. "Yeah! Okay, Uncle Hiei! Let's do it!"

"Very well." Hiei knelt down. "Get on."

Haruki jumped onto his uncle's shoulders, slamming his feet down. Had Hiei not been as strong as he was, the landing would surely have fractured something. "Easy, Haruki."

"Sorry!"

"Hm…"

The fire demon slowly stood up, holding onto Haruki's ankles to prevent him from falling forward or backward. He straightened out to his full height and waited while Haruki reached forward, grasping the bag containing the bread.

"Got it!"

"Good. Now I'll kneel back down so you can get off."

As Hiei started to kneel down, Haruki began to wiggle slightly in anticipation of jumping off of his uncle's shoulders. Unfortunately, this movement resulting in him slipping out of Hiei's grasp, which led to him falling backwards.

"HARUKI!"

Hiei tried to turn around, but he knew that Haruki was already so close to the ground that he could not reach out quickly enough before he hit the ground.

The child hit the ground with a soft "oof" emanating from his lips.

Hiei's blood ran cold at the thought of having his sister's child hurt. "Haruki! Are you alright?"

The commotion had caused Ryu and Yukiko to sprint over to the kitchen, concern etched in their faces. They were silent as everyone turned to look at Haruki.

Haruki lay there, his eyes closed. Hiei saw that he was breathing, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still hurt.

Hiei knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Haruki!"

Suddenly, Haruki's eyes popped open. "Boo!"

The two children jumped and subsequently laughed, but Hiei did not move an inch. "Haruki," he muttered darkly. Everyone's attention shot over to the fire demon, who was not amused in the slightest. "What happened?"

Haruki giggled sheepishly. "Well I fell." Yukiko snorted while Ryu continued to giggle.

Hiei's expression did not change. "What happened after that?"

The child sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. "I used the bread to land on something soft." He picked up the bread that had been laying on the floor. The group looked at it and saw that almost every slice contained within the bag had been squished. "I guess I kinda ruined it."

Hiei sighed. He was angry that Haruki had played him like this, but he was also relieved that he had been quick-witted enough to protect himself from harm. "I see. That was good thinking, Haruki."

Haruki brightened. "Thanks!"

Standing up, Hiei reached out a hand to the child, who eagerly took it and pulled himself up. Haruki then handed him the bread, chuckling slightly.

"Okay." Hiei looked over at Yukiko, who was currently dusting off her brother's back and murmuring words of pride to him. "I believe that your time-out has not yet been finished, Yukiko."

Yukiko froze in her movements. Looking up at Hiei, she whined, "Come on, Uncle Hiei. I had to check on my little brother." She clapped Haruki's shoulder. "Besides, I had like five minutes left anyway."

Hiei smirked. "Then you still have to sit facing the corner for five more minutes."

Yukiko sighed. "Yes, Uncle Hiei." Letting go of her brother's shoulder, the half-demon girl turned and walked back towards the wall, her shoulders slumping dejectedly.

Hiei chuckled. "Stop with the pitiful act, Yukiko. Is it truly the end of the world to sit in a corner for a few minutes?"

"Yes!"

Hiei shook his head. Turning to the twins, he said, "I'll make your sandwiches now." Recalling Yusuke's advice, he added, "Is there any particular… shape that you would like them to be cut up in?"

Ryu and Haruki looked at each other with stunned expressions. After a few moments of silence, Ryu turned back to his uncle. "Really?"

Hiei grunted. "Of course, really. Why do you seem so surprised?"

Ryu fiddled nervously with his fingers. "B-because… the shapes thing seems too… uh… kiddy for you to do."

The fire demon raised an eyebrow. He knew that what he was suggesting was a bit more domestic than his nature would imply, but now that he had offered it, he wasn't going to go back on his word. And he knew exactly how to get the children to go along with his plan. "I see," he muttered. "Does that mean that you don't want your sandwiches cut into shapes?"

"No!" Haruki yelped. Covering his brother's mouth with his hand to prevent him from saying anything else, he begged, "Please, Uncle Hiei! Make us cool-shaped sandwiches!"

Hiei chuckled. "Children are too easy to manipulate sometimes." He watched as Ryu struggled to pull his brother's hand off of his mouth, while Haruki looked at Hiei with puppy-dog eyes. "Alright, you two. I'll make you your sandwiches. What shapes would you like?"

Haruki jumped and clapped his hands, thereby freeing his brother. Finally able to speak, Ryu cut in before his twin had a chance to respond. "A dragon!"

"Hey! No fair going before me!" Haruki shoved his brother, who shoved him back. The two bickered slightly as Hiei watched them, amused.

"As entertaining as this is," he finally interrupted, causing the two to pause in their actions and look back up at their uncle. "I still need to know what you would like, Haruki."

The son's eyes lit up happily. "Yeah okay! I want a dinosaur!"

"Got it."

"And I want a hamster," Yukiko's voice peeped up from her corner in the living room.

"Yukiko?" Hiei asked, turning to look at her back.

"Yes?" She responded, still facing the wall.

"Ten more minutes."

"Aw come on!"

"Now then." Hiei turned back to face the boys, who were sniggering. "You two go back in the living room and wait. I'll let you know when dinner is ready."

Both boys nodded. "Okay!" The two rushed back to the couch and jumped onto it, giggling.

Hiei shook his head at the boy's antics as he walked over to the counter, placing the bread with the rest of the food. He opened up the bag and managed to pick out enough slices that were reasonably undamaged.

"Ah," Hiei realized with a start. "I should wash my hands first. I haven't fought with any demons recently, but you never know what residual germs could be left over." The fire demon walked over to the sink and washed his hands, noticing with irritation that the soap that was there a floral scent. He grabbed one of the towels hanging from a hook on the wall above the sink and dried his hands.

"Now then." Hiei walked back over to the counter and unscrewed the lid to the mustard. He then reached into a drawer and took out a knife, which he used to spread the condiment onto each slice of bread.

Working quickly, he layered the bread slices with the lunchmeat and cheese before returning everything to the fridge (while leaving the rest of the crushed bread in the bag on the counter). He returned to the sandwiches, placed them on some plates he removed from a cupboard, and brandished the knife once again.

"A dragon, a dinosaur, and…" He looked over at the children. Haruki and Ryu were playing some form of patty-cake, while their sister was still facing the corner with her arms crossed, no doubt muttering under her breath. Thinking that he shouldn't leave her out completely as she was following his punishment, he mumbled, "We'll see."

Taking the first sandwich, Hiei shaped it into a form similar to his Dragon of the Darkness Flame. It was fairly less detailed than the actual dragon, but it would suffice. He used the portions that he had cut off to become the fire that spurted out of its open mouth.

The second sandwich was somewhat similar in terms of attention to detail, but Hiei was impressed with how well he was doing, considering this was the first time he had done more than just slap two pieces of bread together with some lunchmeat and cheese. He used the extra pieces to form a sun over the dinosaur's head.

Finally, Hiei turned to the third and final sandwich. He pondered for a moment what shape he could carve it into, and ultimately decided to use the shape that she had formed with her ice powers earlier. Cutting into the sandwich, Hiei made intricate angles that eventually formed a half-decent snowflake. Pleased with his work, he placed the extra parts of the sandwich around the snowflake to give it a sprinkling effect.

"Everyone!" Hiei announced. "The sandwiches are almost ready." He glanced at the clock, which read a little after seven. "Go sit at the table so we can eat sometime before midnight."

He heard scuffling behind him, but rather than stopping at the table, he heard the footsteps approach him directly. He turned to see all three children behind him. "What exactly about sitting at the table do you not understand? You do know where it is, right?"

The children giggled. "Yeah, we do." Haruki giggled. "But we wanted to help you cook."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "But I just finished. All that's left to do is eat."

"But we wanna cook it like grilled cheese," Ryu piped up.

"And we know exactly how to do that." Haruki grinned.

"I see." Hiei turned to the daughter. "I don't recall saying that your time-out was up."

"But it's dinnertime!" Yukiko whined.

"You can eat when your punishment has been completed. Now go back to your corner." Yukiko grumbled and returned back to the wall.

Hiei turned back to the children and saw that they were igniting their hands and moving them towards the sandwiches. Knowing that the two had very little control of their powers Hiei shouted, "No—!"

Before he could even complete his warning, the entire counter burst into flame. The other towels that were hanging over the sink ignited, and smoke instantly began to billow up.

"Get out of the way!" Hiei flitted forward and pushed the twins behind him, blocking them from the fire made all the more intense due to the fact that it was demon fire. He withstood it without incident, but he was not sure whether or not young children would be able to handle more than his previous aura.

The fire continued to spread and was engulfing more and more of the counter space, eventually spreading out to the rest of the kitchen. Fires always moved unfortunately fast, and Hiei backed up with the children behind him. They watched as the bright flames licked the walls of the room.

Knowing that he couldn't stop the fire, he turned to the one person who could. "Yukiko!"

The child had turned around after hearing the commotion, but she was now looking at her uncle with a smug expression. "Yes, Uncle Hiei?"

"Use your powers to put the fire out this instant!" Hiei continued to back up. He looked directly behind himself and noticed that the children were no longer right there. Instead, they were running around the apartment and shouting.

"Ah! Fire! Fire!" Haruki ran and tripped over the rug, crashing to the floor. "Ow…"

"Ah!" Ryu, who had been too busy flailing his arms had failed to see his brother and had tripped over his prone body, falling on top of him.

"Hm…" Yukiko stroked her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. She chuckled at her brother's antics, seemingly unconcerned with the fire spreading around the Kuwabara apartment.

"Sorry, but I can't."

"Yukiko!"

"Sorry, Uncle Hiei. But you said that I can't use my ice powers. Plus I'm still in time-out for like, five more minutes." Yukiko smirked.

The situation was getting out of control quickly. The fire was about to spread into the living room with its much more flammable carpet (where the boys were laying) and fabric furniture. Hiei groaned. "Okay, Yukiko. If you put out the fire right now, I will rescind the powers rule and your punishment will be up."

Yukiko's eyes dimmed with confusion. "What does rescind mean?"

Hiei shouted in outrage, having no time for childish intelligence. "The rule is gone! Now do what I say!"

Yukiko laughed. "You got it, Uncle Hiei." Jumping up from the wall, the half-demon ran over to the kitchen (which was now completely in flames). Looking at Hiei next to her, she said in a serious voice, "Get back. I'm gonna use really cold ice and I don't want to hurt you."

Hiei nodded once. Picking up the twins, he flitted over to the couch and placed them there. He stood next to the couch and watched Yukiko, making sure to be ready to move her out of harm's way if need be.

Yukiko watched them with a grin before turning back to the flames. Raising her arms, she summoned a gust of wind that chilled Hiei even from where he was standing. The ice immediately melted upon contact with the flames, and the resulting water doused them completely.

The girl turned back to the rest of her family, smiling broadly. "I did it, Uncle Hiei!"

Meanwhile, Haruki and Ryu were cheering their sister on.

"Nice one, Big Sis!" Haruki remarked, laughing.

"You did it!" Ryu cheered, clapping his hands.

After thanking her brothers for their praise, she looked to her uncle, obviously awaiting some form of encouragement.

Hiei had to admit, he was somewhat impressed with Yukiko's performance. Had it not been for her, though Hiei could've found a fire extinguisher eventually, there were would have likely been far more damage. Though he was still annoyed at her manipulation of getting him to drop the rules, he figured she still deserved praise for her help. "That was very good, Yukiko. Your parents would be proud at that demonstration."

Yukiko beamed. "Thanks!"

"Now that that's out of the way…" Hiei turned to Ryu and Haruki, who were cowering slightly, fully intending to be punished for causing so much trouble with their powers. "Let's have dinner."

The twins were flabbergasted. "B-Buh—?

Hiei smirked. "You thought I was going to punish you?"

The boys nodded dumbly, not speaking.

"I see." Hiei walked over to the kitchen and over to the counter. "Perhaps I normally would. However, your sister demonstrated how these punishments ultimately won't last, so why should we even bother with them?" He raised an eyebrow at Yukiko, who chuckled. "I'll just repeat this one last time. Be more careful with your powers. I would prefer that you do not use them, but if you must, at least make sure that the use is small enough to be contained."

"Okay!"

"But… aw man!" Haruki looked over to the kitchen countertop with disappointment. "Now our sandwiches are ruined!"

Hiei looked to the counter. Miraculously, the entire area around the meal had been burned, but the sandwiches were not damaged in the slightest. In fact, they had been slightly toasted due to the fact that they had been surrounded by intense heat. The juice boxes had, however, exploded.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he picked up the plates and showed them to the children. "Somehow… they actually ended up exactly how you wanted."

No one said anything for a moment. The kids just stared at what Hiei was presenting them, disbelieving. All that could be heard was the residual water dripping from the previous power usage.

"Wow! That's awesome!" Haruki pumped his fist into the air.

"Cool." Ryu grinned.

"What are the odds?" Yukiko chuckled.

"This is even more proof that none of you deserve punishment," Hiei said, walking over to the kitchen table with the kids following behind him. "When you used your powers, it actually made things better… except for the icicles."

Everyone took a seat at the table as Hiei placed the sandwiches in front of each child. Returning to the fridge, Hiei picked up three new juice boxes before going back to the table so that they could eat.

& After Dinner &

By the time the kids had finished their dinner and Hiei had finished cleaning up what was left of the kitchen, it was almost eight. Remembering that the twins had to be put to bed at that time, Hiei dusted off his pants as he walked back over to the table, where the children were talking to each other about everything that had happened tonight.

"Haruki. Ryu." Hiei looked at each child in turn.

"Yes, Uncle Hiei?" Ryu asked, looking up at him.

"It's time for the two of you to go to bed."

"Aw man!"

"No fair!"

Yukiko looked over at her brothers and sniggered. "Sorry, guys. You've gotta be mature like me to be able to stay up past baby bedtimes."

Relishing his ability to get back at her, Hiei quipped, "Yes. Staying up a whole half hour later is very mature, Yukiko. You're an advanced infant."

Ryu and Haruki snorted at this, while Yukiko's face went slightly red with embarrassment and rage. "That's mean, Uncle Hiei!"

"Perhaps. But it's also the truth."

"Hey—!"

"Anyway," Hiei interrupted. "Go to your room and get changed you two. I'll be in to check on you in a few minutes."

"Fine… Let's go, Ryu." Haruki hopped off of his chair and trudged over to the bedroom the children shared, his shoulders slumped.

"Okay…" Ryu followed with a similar walk.

Hiei watched them until they had entered their bedroom before turning back to the remaining child. She was watching him as well, smirking.

"And then there were two," she joked, chuckling.

"Speak for yourself." Hiei shook his head. Walking over to the couch, he laid across it with his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. "I'll let you do what you want for the last half hour. Within reason," he added. "I'll be right here if you need anything." Truth be told, he was rather exhausted from the tumultuous evening – not that he would admit that out loud.

"Okay, Uncle Hiei." Yukiko got up from her chair and walked over to the reclining one in the living room. "I think I'll just practice controlling my powers." She sat down.

Hiei cracked an eye open to observe. "Do you do that every night?"

Yukiko nodded, her eyes concentrating on her cupped palms. "Uh huh. I'm getting pretty good, don't ya think?"

Hiei merely chuckled and did not respond. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, listening to the gusts of wind that were the result of her powers.

After he had listened for a while, Hiei opened his eyes and stood up from the couch. "I'm going to check on your brothers. I'll be right back."

Yukiko nodded, still focused on her practice. "'Kay."

Hiei walked over to the children's bedroom. Seeing that the door was closed, he knocked softly. "Haruki? Ryu? Are you all settled in?"

"Yep!" Haruki's voice piped up from behind the door. "Come in, Uncle Hiei!"

Hiei twisted the doorknob and pushed, walking into the room. He saw the twins in their respective bunk beds, eagerly awaiting their uncle's arrival.

The fire demon was not quite sure what to do at this point, as he had never put children to bed before. He slowly walked over to the bunk beds and crossed his arms. "Everything good here?"

"Yup!"

"Uh huh!"

"Excellent." Hiei looked around the room, not sure what else to say. "Then… goodnight. Your parents should be home soon." With that, he turned to walk out of the room.

"Wait!" Haruki's voice sounded.

Hiei's eye twitched. "I should have known that it wouldn't be that simple." Turning to face the children once again, he asked, "What is it, Haruki?"

The child in question was looking at Hiei with puppy-dog eyes. "It's just that… Mom and Dad give us goodnight kisses before we go to bed…"

Hiei responded instantly. "No."

"Aw… please, Uncle Hiei?" Ryu asked, mirroring his twin's expressions.

"Absolutely out of the question. Goodnight." Hiei turned to walk out of the room yet again before hearing sniffling behind him.

"What is it now—?"

A hard, clattering sound cut him off. Hiei faced the children yet again, forming the question regarding the source of it. It sounded as though marbles were rolling around on the floor.

However, when Hiei looked at the twins, he saw that they were crying slightly. But that was not what surprised him (as he expected this line of attack from the children at some point tonight). What was taking him off guard now was that there were small, bluish spheres falling out of their eyes and onto the floor, rolling across the room until they bumped into Hiei's shoes.

"The Koorime tear gem…" Hiei mumbled, in awe. He had no idea that the children (or at least the twins) had inherited this ability from their mother. Picking one up, Hiei looked at the children, who had stopped crying once they had seen the peculiar expression on their uncle's face. "I didn't know you could do this."

The twins seemed to be unsure how to respond. "Well… we can," Ryu answered. He looked up at his brother. "Haruki and I have always been able to cry those out. Big Sis too."

"Are you mad?" Hiei looked up at Haruki to see his face filled with the most concern that he had seen from him tonight.

Hiei was silent for a long moment. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling. Seeing these tear gems reminded him of the time when he had rescued his sister way back when. It also symbolized the connection between the two of them, and it had always given him mixed feelings. His and his sister's tear gems were the only remaining relics from his mother, and he was currently wearing his sister's around his neck, concealed by his shirt. The fact that he had witnessed (or possessed) three generations of his family's tear gems… was hard to comprehend.

Finally, Hiei responded with, "No. I'm not angry. I just… It's nothing." He dropped the tear gem to the floor and kicked the rest away.

"Uncle Hiei…"

Said demon looked at the children, who looked genuinely upset and confused. He sighed, calming the storm of emotions that had been overpowering. "I'm fine, you two. It just… reminds me of your mother."

The twins looked at each other. "Okay…"

Deciding something, Hiei walked over to the twins' beds. "It just… reminds me of how we're family." His voice was barely a whisper. After saying this, he reached down and gently pat Ryu's head. He strained his arm up and did the same for Haruki.

The two boys seemed stunned, but happy nonetheless. The two of them beamed at their uncle.

Hiei himself even let out a small, genuine smile. Walking back towards the door, he murmured, "Goodnight, you two."

"Good night!"

"Good night."

Hiei exited the room and slowly closed the door behind him. Walking back into the living room, he threw himself back onto the couch, sighing slightly.

Yukiko looked up from her practice and over at Hiei, obviously amused. "They wore you out, huh?"

"Mm."

The two sat in silence for a while, with Hiei resting his eyes, and Yukiko forming various ice sculptures in her hand. The evening had seemingly come to a grinding halt, and the exhaustion was now hitting everyone like a pound of bricks.

Eventually, Hiei cracked open his eyes to look at the clock in the kitchen, which read a few minutes after eight-thirty. He sat up and stretched, feeling his shoulders, sore from supporting Haruki, pop.

"Alright, Yukiko. It's time for bed now."

Hiei looked over to see the girl slumped in the reclining chair, lightly dozing.

"Heh."

The fire demon stood up and walked over to the chair. He didn't want to disturb her, but he knew that she would be much more comfortable sleeping in her own bed.

"Here we go." Placing one arm under her legs and the other behind her back, Hiei picked up the child and started to head towards the bedroom that she shared with the twins. He walked slowly to make sure that he didn't wake her. He could hear her mumbling incoherent phrases.

He eventually reached the door. It was a bit awkward to turn the doorknob and open the door while holding Yukiko in his arms, but he managed it.

He strode over to the girl's bed and gently laid her on top of it. She immediately snuggled her head into her pillow, and smiled contentedly. Remembering what he had done for the boys, Hiei reached out a hand and gently pat her head. Hiei looked over to the bunk beds and saw the boys both snoozing away.

"Goodnight, you three," Hiei murmured. He then exited the room and softly closed the door behind him.

"All in all, it could've been worse." He walked over to the couch and plopped down onto it. "Guess I'll just take a quick nap and wait for Yukina and the oaf to return." Laying down, Hiei closed and his eyes and let the exhaustion from the evening take over.

& One Hour Later &

"Hiei! We're hooome!"

"Kazuma! Remember the kids."

"Oops. Sorry sweetie."

Kuwabara and Yukina walked through the front door, slightly surprised to find all of the lights out. They looked at each other before closing and locking the door behind them.

"Hey. Why do you think it's all dark? I get that the kids are asleep, but Hiei should still be awake, right?" Kuwabara shook his head. "I mean, I know the dude's into hiding in the shadows and stuff, but it's a little creepy to turn all of the lights off, right?"

Yukina raised a hand to her chin in thought. "I do admit, it is very strange. Let's go figure it out."

With his arm wrapped around his wife's waist, Kuwabara led the way into the main living room. It was particularly hard to do this because of the lack of lighting. If the couple had not lived here for years, they likely would've stumbled into something.

"Hey, honey? Does it smell… burnt in here to you?" Kuwabara asked, sniffing the air and scrunching up his nose.

Yukina sniffed as well. "You're right, Kazuma. I wonder if the twins had an accident."

Kuwabara chuckled. "Or, knowing Hiei, he lost his temper and caught everything on fire."

Yukina giggled. "I doubt Hiei would lose control like that." Her eyes twinkled. "But you never know."

The couple continued to walk through the apartment before stopping in front of a lamp next to the living room couch.

"Ah. Here's the lamp." Yukina felt through the darkness. "Let me just… find the switch…"

After a few moments of searching, Yukina found the switch and flicked it on. As their eyes adjusted to the new brightness, the couple looked down at the couch and saw a heartwarming scene.

"Would ya look at that…"

"How precious…"

On the couch lay Hiei, who looked peaceful. He had a small smile on his face, and he was breathing quietly, obviously in a deep slumber. But he was not the only one on the couch.

Yukina and Kuwabara looked on in awe at the children currently snuggled up to the fire demon. Haruki lay on one side, holding onto his uncle's arm and nuzzling his head into his side. On the other side, Ryu was lying in a similar position. Both of the twins had smiles just like their uncle's, and they were snoring quietly.

The third and final child was lying behind Ryu, sandwiching him between herself and Hiei, holding onto him with a calming expression.

Overtop of everyone was Hiei's cloak, ensuring that the happy family was nice and warm. That, along with the mixture of chilling ice aura and searing fire aura made the area around the group very soothing.

"Kazuma… Isn't that beautiful?" Yukina turned towards her husband, tears forming in her eyes.

"I've gotta admit… yeah." Kuwabara looked over his wife and smiled before they both turned back to look at the scene before them. "Heh… I never thought I'd see the day."

And it was decided then and there that Hiei would have to babysit more often.

And, the next morning, one could now see a freshly printed picture of the sleeping group hanging on the fridge, right next to the Kuwabara family portrait.

And that's it! Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to check out the Yu Yu Hakusho Big Bang event on Tumblr (yyhbb) to see even more awesome stories as well as artwork!