A/N: After quite a hiatus, I finally have some more work to bring you guys. This is an idea that was totally last minute, and I've been frantically trying to finish it up before I travel back to my home state for Christmas. In order to pay my respect to my love for my dear and cherished siblings of Hiei and Yukina, I centered this idea around them and their sweet bond. Enjoy the first half, dear readers! Much love!

Disclaimer: I still don't own YYH. Dun think I ever will, either.

Part One

‘Two more days until Christmas,’ Hiei thought as he drove down the interstate, bumper to bumper traffic going in the opposite direction – towards the mall, of course. All of his holiday shopping was done, thank God, but regardless of his accomplishments, the season was a sad one. His job as a cop made him aware day after day that people were cruel no matter what time of year it was, and matters elsewhere kept a dark cloud over his head all the time. Christmas would never be as happy as it once was, not after this year.

He was not quite in a relationship with someone, had caring friends and a small, but loving family outside his home. Christmas wasn’t necessarily a lonely time for him, when in fact it was the sweetest and most giving time of season, it was just difficult. His niece and nephews were rowdy, yes, but fun to be around and to practice fathering… for the day he would be. He didn’t mind babysitting them once in a while, finding a peculiar sense of satisfaction when looking after them while their parents were away for a rare night out together.

According to his partner, he was already father material, treating the kids with a firm, but loving hand that they needed every once in a while. Hiei didn’t think much of the compliment and went about his everyday business of working his beat, visiting his sister, and occasionally having a guy’s night out with his partner and high school friends. There wasn’t much to him, really. But this simple, rather plain life was about to change.

After fighting a little bit of traffic, Hiei drove down the calm street of the neighborhood his sister and brother-in-law lived in, stopping by for his usual visit at the end of his morning shift. The outlines of Christmas decorations in the yards of other homes were visible against the bland green grass that was still uncovered this close to the holidays, much to the disappointment of the local kids. There was no snow forecasted so far for Christmas day, and Hiei knew that his niece and nephews would be the saddest of all of the children in town.

Locating the house as though it were his own, he pulled in the driveway, shut off the engine and stepped out before he would be greeted by hyper little four year-olds. He took a moment to readjust his blazer to the chilly winds, and in that split second that his attention was diverted, the front door flew open to allow two small boys to come running out to him.

“Uncle Hiei!” They squealed loudly, jumping on him with utter glee for his presence.

Though not as thrilled to see them as he would have normally been under the circumstances, he put on a smile and hugged his nephews. “Jin, Hiro – what has your father told you about wearing your coats outside?” The two boys looked at each other, taking note of the other’s attire then giggled to Hiei’s amused frustration. “I wish there was some snow so that I could throw you both in a pile and you could see how cold it was without your coats.”

Undaunted, the boys continued to laugh while their uncle took one in each arm and started up the sidewalk. Standing in the doorway was his shy niece, her hair in pigtails, and an adorable smile on her face, most likely reserved for Hiei alone. “Akira, you’re a good girl for staying inside and not being as dumb as your brothers,” he commented to her, her little blue eyes sparkling as she stepped out of the way to allow him in.

Once he set his nephews down, Akira immediately clung to his leg, hugging him tightly in delight for his arrival. Hiei smiled sadly and bent down to scoop her into his arms, twirling her around to finally emit giggles from her sweet voice that he wanted to hear more often. He couldn’t bear to imagine what she could be like in just a few short months should the worst occur.

“Hey, Hiei – I was hoping you’d come by a little earlier today,” his brother-in-law greeted him, a tall man with curly orange hair and a goofy grin. “I need to run to the store to get a few things. Do you think you could stay here and watch the kids?”

“Sure, where’s Kaemon?” Hiei replied, inquiring of the baby recently born in the late summer.

As he grabbed his coat off of the rack, the man replied, “He’s taking his nap in his room. I just put him down a little while ago, so he may not be quite asleep yet. You’re welcome to sing him lullabies if you want.”

Hiei smirked at his brother-in-law, hung up his own coat and commented, “Kuwabara, a cop never sings lullabies – not even to his infantile nephew.”

In return the carrot top laughed. “I guess you’re right. Well, if you have any trouble, you know how to reach me. I’ll see you in a little while, kids! Listen to your Uncle Hiei and be quiet, too. Your momma’s trying to rest.”

“Bye, Daddy!” The three young ones chorused, hugging their father briefly before he stepped outside into the chilly early afternoon air.

Once Kuwabara was gone, Hiei looked to his niece and nephews, who all knew what was coming. They couldn’t fool him anymore. He was practically their second father. “Well, since your baby brother’s down for his nap, and your mother’s trying to sleep, I guess that means you three have to take naps, too.”

On cue, all three whined pathetically, mumbling excuses to their uncle who wasn’t going to buy into their desires to stay awake, even though that would mean that they would go to bed earlier that night…

“But Uncle Hiei, we’re not tired!” Hiro tried to sound convincing, bouncing in place a few times to prove his point.

“Not tired, huh?” Hiei said, the two boys and girl nodding at the same time. Already knowing the many tricks that could be used on these children, he strode over to the couch and sat down. “Oh, well then I guess you won’t mind if I just stretch out here and take a nap myself?”

Jin looked surprised. “You mean you have to take naps, too?”

Hiei shrugged, hiding a sneaky smile behind a sleepy one. “I don’t get them as much as I would like, but man do I love them. They make me stronger for when I have to work.”

“Do naps make us stronger, too?” Hiro asked, climbing onto the couch to curl up beside his uncle.

“You bet they do,” he replied, faking a yawn to look as tired as he let on. “And being strong is very important for what you’ll all be doing when you get older, like playing sports and doing well in school. I know they helped me get the job I have now.”

After a few moments of silence among the children, Hiei was beginning to think they had missed the point entirely, or were thinking about it too much for their juvenile brains to contemplate. But when Hiro spoke up again, he swallowed back the words he was about to say, “Uncle Hiei, are you a good cop?”

Surprised by the strangely deep, yet perfectly innocent question, Hiei thought for a moment then replied, “I try to be, but I can’t always win against the bad guys. Someday I could miss and they could get me instead, so that’s why I have to stay strong. I want to protect people and myself, too.”

Hoping to get a word in, Jin spoke up, “Do you want to protect us?”

“Of course I do.” Hiei told them reflexively, not having to ponder the question at all. “You’re all my family, and my family means more to me than my own life does.”

Smiling proudly, Hiro and Jin wrapped their arms around their uncle’s waist and snuggled into him. “You’re the best cop ever, Uncle Hiei! I wanna be strong like you so that I can be a cop one day!” Hiro exclaimed.

“Me too!” Jin cheered.

A little taken aback by their pride in his work, Hiei tried not to blush and accepted the warm words carefully, petting their heads tenderly to show his appreciation. At the same time, Akira came up beside him and pecked his cheek, her short eyelashes brushing against his skin for a tiny moment in time before she laid her head down next to his. Before long, all three young ones would be asleep, and though his mission to get them to sleep was accomplished, this was not quite what he had in mind.

Finding himself pinned and trapped by the kids, he sighed and decided to resign himself to a short nap, which he really did need. He hadn’t taken a nap since his last vacation in the summer shortly after Kaemon was born to help Yukina and Kuwabara out, and even then it was a short one. Ever since that day his sister came home from the hospital, he worried for her day and night, hoping to whatever deity was watching them that she would stay healthy and safe.

Hiei mentally shook off the brief bit of depression and closed his eyes, an arm draped over the backs of the boys on top of him, and the other hand was perched on Akira’s shoulder, fingers absent-mindedly playing with her hair. He tried not to worry about what he was dreading so much this Christmas by occupying his mind with the memories of his childhood. It was pure irony that he chose to be a cop, whereas back when he was in high school, he was the one getting into trouble with the law and causing mischief. After being convicted of his wrong doings, he dedicated his life to the protection of those that were innocent, as a means of repaying the debt he owed society. It sounded like something out of a prime time drama on television, but it was his adolescence that he had wasted, so he intended to make up for it in his adulthood.

Drifting in and out of sleep, he didn’t quite notice the presence that had crept into the room, her smile soft as she looked upon her twin brother asleep with his niece and nephews. It was such an adorable sight, seeing her little ones curled up so. Hiei was such a wonderful uncle – she knew he deserved to one day be a father.

Taking up a blanket to place over her sons, Yukina began to drape it over the boys when Hiei’s eyes snapped open, ready and alert for a possible intruder. “Yukina-!” he nearly shouted, suddenly hushing himself for the sake of the children.

Embarrassed for startling him so, Yukina backed away and spoke, “I’m sorry, Hiei. I didn’t mean to wake you. I was just concerned about the boys…”

Hiei shook his head slowly. “No it’s okay, I didn’t mean to fall asleep myself, but your bundles of joy here decided to use me for a pillow.”

Yukina giggled quietly and lifted one of her boys off of Hiei, carrying him to the room he shared with his brother. Before Hiei could stop her, he had realized that he still had two more on him and was incapable of snatching both at the same time, so he carefully sat up, cradling Jin’s head with a steady hand, then stood up. On Yukina’s way back down the hallway, exhaustion written on her face, she reached out for her son, but Hiei wouldn’t allow it.

“You shouldn’t be doing this, Yukina. You’re sick and you need to rest,” he said firmly, glaring slightly at her.

She shrugged and gently smoothed her fingers over Jin’s forehead. “I don’t get to do much around here, and he is my son. Surely I have the strength to carry him for a few seconds.”

“You may have the strength now, but that’ll drain you for the rest of the day, you know that.” Hiei told her, mildly disappointed with his rather careless sister. “Let me take Jin and Akira to their beds. You go lay down yourself – don’t make me do it for you.”

Catching the slight hint of dry humor in his tone, Yukina complied and walked back to her bedroom, leaving Hiei to carry Jin to continue sleeping just above his brother in the top bunk. Once the little boy was secure, Hiei went back for Akira, gently lifting her into his arms, her head rolling to one side to bump his chest. Unfortunately, this awakened her from her sweet slumber and made Hiei growl quietly. But thankfully, she was sleepy enough that when she saw him, she merely waved her tiny fingers then fell back asleep. Relieved, he carried her to her room decorated in lavenders and laid her down on her bed, tucking the covers around her petite frame, then with a quick kiss to her forehead he left her to sleep.

With all the children down for their naps finally, he walked into Yukina’s room that she shared with her husband, finding her about to curl back into bed, much to her displeasure. She no doubt hated being cooped up in bed all the time now, but it was the only way to make sure she didn’t get worse. Hiei couldn’t really stand seeing his sister try so hard to do the things she loved, knowing she shouldn’t be doing such things. It was too dangerous for her…

“How are you feeling today, Yukina?” He asked as he went to grab his chair from the corner, setting it next to her bed to talk to her easier.

As she pulled the flowery comforter over herself, she replied, “Pretty good, actually. I was able to feed Kaemon this morning with Kazuma’s help. I think I’m finally getting better.”

Though he wanted to believe her cheerful disposition, Hiei knew that such a simple act wasn’t proof enough that she was getting well. The doctors said there was little or no chance for recovery from this, but he supposed a hopeful Yukina was by far much better than a dreary and sad Yukina.

“That’s good to hear. Kurama wanted me to tell you that he hoped you would feel well enough for Christmas. He and Botan were thinking of stopping by to prepare dinner for you and the family.” He told her, not able to make eye-contact. It was just something he couldn’t do anymore for fear of breaking down in front of his sister.

“Aww, that’s so nice of them! Then I’m sure I’ll be better by then!” She said happily, acting as if nothing at all was wrong and that she would be well in no time. “And how are things with Mukuro?”

Catching that hint of rarely heard mischief in her voice, he looked at her to see that sweet, yet sneaky sparkle in her eyes. Chuckling, he mustered a response, “Nothing’s really changed since yesterday. I was thinking about inviting her over to my apartment Christmas night, but I think that’s a little sudden…”

Then Yukina gave him that look - that one that said ‘you idiot’. “She’s a respectable woman, Hiei, and you’re just as honorable. You trust yourself, don’t you?”

“I trust my hormones, yes,” he said, looking away again. “But I don’t trust me in a kitchen.”

Yukina outright laughed at her brother, his insatiable tendencies to make her giggle on account of his own faults never letting her down. “Still reliving those memories of the time you tried to cook for Kazuma and myself after the triplets were born?”

Hiei cringed and nodded. “Unfortunately – I think I permanently ruined your oven after that fiasco.”

“It wasn’t that bad. Trust me, I’ve done worse,” she said, trying to sound encouraging. “Remember the time when we were kids and I tried to cook dinner for Mom before she got home?”

It was a memory he couldn’t forget and he chuckled. “And I was doing laundry, too. Man, I’ll never be able to live that down, either.”

The twins giggled for a few more moments, reliving the embarrassing, but hilarious memory that they could never get over. While her brother continued to laugh, Yukina went on with the story, “But even though I burned the roast and you accidentally dyed Mom’s favorite shirt red by washing it with the towels, she was so appreciative of our efforts. I distinctly remember her eating every bite and even wearing that shirt one day when we went to the park together. She wanted us to feel proud of our work. I know I was.”

Finding a sweet sense of emotional renewal in his sister’s bright and positive spirit, Hiei nodded and replied, “Yeah, she was pretty nice about the whole thing. I see a lot of Mom in you, ya know.”

Yukina looked touched. “Really?”

“Yeah, you appreciate everything that’s done for you, whether it’s done right or not, you love your children equally, and you always try when you don’t have to. Mom would be proud of you. I know that I am.” Hiei replied, giving her that smile he knew she loved.

“Aww, Hiei you’re so sweet to me. Tell you what - if you’re that nervous about having Mukuro with you alone, then why don’t you invite her to come over here for Christmas? I’m sure Kazuma wouldn’t mind, and the kids would like to meet their future aunt,” she said with a smirk.

When Hiei caught the hint at the end, he immediately tried to slow things down. “Whoa, whoa, whoa – she’s not even close to being their aunt yet. I haven’t even asked her for a date!”

“Then I think somebody needs to get down to business,” his sister teased, knowing that she had Hiei cornered. While her brother tried desperately to hide his embarrassment, she saw right through his invisible wall of protection and reached out to touch his hand. “Hiei, you deserve someone else to love besides us, and I think Mukuro would be a good match. From what you’ve told me about her, she sounds ideal. Why not give it a chance?”

He looked at the perfect shape of their hands together, wondering briefly if Mukuro’s would fit just as nicely as Yukina’s did. It was something to hope for if this Christmas really did end tragically like the doctors predicted. “I guess you’re right. Mukuro and I do get along really well, so it wouldn’t hurt too much to ask her to come here for Christmas. I’ll ask her tomorrow when I go to work.”

“Sounds great, and I know it’ll work for you,” Yukina said cheerily. “She’ll make you happy, I’m sure of it!”

Hiei smiled, trying to look hopeful for his sister’s sake. She thrived on joy and happiness, the sense of elation for the Christmas season no doubt keeping her so bright now. They both knew that she didn’t have much to look forward to anymore, so this holiday was to be particularly special. Only by some miracle could she look to a future of being with her children and watching them grow up.

As his gaze wandered away from her weak and dainty frame, he caught sight of the photo album leaning against her nightstand. Curious, he picked it up and opened it, pictures from when they were children setting up the theme for the rest of the book.

“Been looking at pictures, have we?” Hiei said, flipping over to the next page to see a photo of him and Yukina together as kids.

Leaning over just slightly to get a better view, she replied, “Yep. I haven’t been able to do much lately, so I asked for Kazuma to get me a photo album or two to look through. I like all the memories I’ve been getting, too. Lots of happy ones in there, wouldn’t you agree?”

He merely nodded, continuing to look at the pictures as they commented here and there on certain ones. Photos from birthday parties, family outings, and other special occasions were depicted the most, but the one photo that caught his eye was one without Yukina or himself – it was of a pair of small and rather rough-edged snow angels. He immediately assumed they were of her little boys’ creation, but the sweet smile on Yukina’s face told him otherwise.

“Do you remember that, Hiei?” She asked him, touching the plastic covering the photo with love.

Not wanting to hurt Yukina’s feelings, he nodded, but really had no idea what the memory was of. Trying to act casual, he spoke, “Yeah. That was a good memory.”

“I haven’t made a snow angel with you since. We should do that this Christmas!” She exclaimed, taking Hiei by surprise.

He and Yukina had made those snow creations when they were kids? He was shocked that he couldn’t remember it at all, the picture causing his memory to blur in and out in confusion. Considering he was never the type to play in the snow like that, he honestly didn’t think Yukina’s memory was straight, but perhaps she had caught him on a rare and happy day? It was possible, but for the life of him, he just couldn’t recall such a time…

“If you’re well enough I’d be glad to,” he told her, not able to look her in the eye on account of what he said. ‘If she’s well enough…’ he repeated mentally. Would she ever be well again? Not likely, but she had a right to hope. Hope was all she had these days. It would be cruel to take that away from her, too.

Yukina looked at him thoughtfully, sensing the discomfort he was feeling in the way his posture had stiffened over the last few moments. It was obvious that he wasn’t being very optimistic like her, but that was just the way he was. He didn’t reach for the stars since he knew he could never attain them, so he applied the same type of thought to the situation they were now in. She was growing weaker and weaker by the day and Hiei knew it. She couldn’t fool him, not even if it was for his own good.

Mulling about in her head for something to say, she turned the page in hopes of finding something new to discuss. Much to her delight, the first photo on the page was of she and Hiei together right before their high school Christmas dance, the twins dressed in their best and ready for a night of music and friends. Since Kazuma had yet to enter her life at the time, Hiei volunteered to take her, and had even suggested that she could mingle with his friends if she wanted. It was through her brother that she met Kazuma, and ever since that night, she steadily grew happier and happier. She owed Hiei for bringing her the love of her life.

Hiei saw her eyes sparkle with merriment over the first picture, joy dancing about freely as memories resurfaced for the both of them. This was definitely something he did remember, and seeing as how one picture they both could recall made her so happy, he found himself determined to remember the story behind the snow angels. If it would make her hope again, then delving deep into his mind for a change would be worth it.

Brought back from their soundless reminiscing, they heard the cries of the baby in the room across the hall. With an almost happy sigh, Yukina spoke, “I think some little boy wants attention. Hiei, would you mind bringing Kaemon in here for me?”

Responding quickly, he set the photo album aside and strode out of the room to the nursery. Within moments, he was in the boy’s room to see the baby squirming about in his crib, crying out for attention, rather than more need for sleep.

“Hey, quiet now. You’re gonna wake up the other three rascals.” Hiei said with a smile, snatching up a clean blanket from nearby to wrap Kaemon in. As he scooped the baby up, his cries seemed to soften, but continued quietly, Hiei promptly moving back into Yukina’s room to deliver her package.

“Aww, is my little boy not tired anymore?” She said, welcoming her baby into her arms for the second time that day. It was amazing that she found so much joy in just being able to cradle her son for a little while, but with her condition, holding her baby boy was a small, yet cherished blessing. “There, there, let’s not cry. Your Uncle Hiei’s here, see?” She then directed the boy’s tiny blue eyes Hiei’s way, her twin waving at Kaemon to acknowledge his own presence.

“Hi, Kaemon,” he tried to sound cheery – he had become pretty good at that lately. “Do you like it when your mom holds you?”

Kaemon cooed lightly and squirmed a bit in his mother’s arms, situating himself for what looked like another nap. Apparently all he wanted was a change of location, but that was all right with Yukina. She loved being able to hold her son as he slept, dreaming of a day when he would grow up and tell her thank you for all the lullabies she sang to him at night.

Hiei wanted that day to come, too, and so he hoped and prayed that somehow his sister would be granted a rare Christmas miracle to live to see all of the smiles her children would share with her as they grew up.

A/N: Well, that's one part down, one more to go! I know AU Hiei & Yukina isn't nearly as angsty and sad as it is in their normal verse, but I didn't feel like trying to juggle this idea within the series. I think it works regardless. Hope you guys liked it and I look forward to giving you all the last part in a very short amount of time!

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