Disclaimer: Do I own anything? Nope.

Chapter 1: Yusuke's retirement

It was about five years after the events in the Makai and Koenma had confirmed Yusuke's termination from Spirit Detective. Now, the half-demon was married and living in an apartment with his beloved Keiko.

The couple waited patiently in the bathroom staring at a white stick on the sink, waiting to see it change color. Keiko was seated on the toilet lid with her husband on the tank holding her.

"Calm down," Yusuke ordered softly. "You're shaking, you need to calm down." He began to rub Keiko's arms up and down to try and soothe her. "It's gonna be okay."

His wife would not look away from the pregnancy test. "I can't," she replied almost in a whisper. "What if it's like last time?"

"It won't be." The man's voice was quiet but still held the weight of a leader. There was no way he was going to let it be like the last time they did this.

Several months ago, the couple had gotten a positive result on a pregnancy test and even had it confirmed by their doctor. But not long after that, Keiko felt some pain and began to bleed around her usual time. The doctor told them she had miscarried. Yusuke held Keiko's hand during the diagnosis; she didn't cry then but as soon as they had returned home, the brunette broke down in her husband's arms. For a while after that, they had stopped the physical part of their relationship. Keiko didn't want to risk another accident and Yusuke didn't want to put Keiko through the pain again. But they took a leap and were now waiting to see what their risk had gotten them.

Five minutes had passed and the results were in. Keiko reached over to the sink cautiously as if the stick was a small snake ready to strike. Yusuke observed how slow his wife was moving and grabbed the test instead without a second thought; he was getting too impatient from all the waiting.

Keiko pulled her hand back when her oldest friend grabbed it. She didn't snap at him like she usually would but instead leaned back on the toilet until her head was in Yusuke's lap. She stared up at the former Spirit Detective who was holding the stick in both hands, examining it like it was a map.

"You know I peed on that right?" she sighed. A few beats passed before Yusuke registered her words and dropped the test with a disgusted expression. Keiko giggled lightly as the stick landed in her lap. "Every time," she sighed.

Picking up the test, Keiko's face fell when she saw the result was negative.

"Keiko?" Yusuke asked when his wife didn't respond. "Blue means negative, doesn't it?"

The woman nodded slowly and stood up, not looking at her husband as she walked out of the bathroom. She tossed the test into the waste basket on the way out.

Yusuke stared at the tiles of the bathroom floor, not sure how to react. Part of him was glad that they did not have the possibility of another miscarriage, but that was only a small part. The rest of him wanted a baby. He didn't want to be a father, well not a whole lot. He just wanted Keiko to be happy and he knew she had wanted a baby since they got married. He wanted to make her happy after all the crap he knew he put her through over the years and now that they had finally settled down and Yusuke was sure he wasn't going anywhere, it seemed cruel that they couldn't even have a kid.

It didn't make sense to Yusuke: nothing was wrong with either one of them, so why was it so damn hard? Was Yusuke finally being punished for all the reckless stuff he did? But didn't saving Ningenkai from Sensui and keeping the peace among the three realms make up for it all? Or was it all some kind of joke that he could never make Keiko happy?

Yusuke shook his head. He refused to believe that kind of bullshit. Then, an idea hit him. Without a second thought, he got up from his perch and walked out of the bathroom. He walked by the living room and saw Keiko sitting on the couch, supposedly watching television but the volume was too low for him to hear and it was on a sitcom made in the '80s. He knew Keiko did not like sitcoms, preferring something more intelligent like documentaries or quiz shows with the occasional soap opera thrown in.

Keiko stared blankly at the screen, her face completely emotionless but Yusuke knew that only meant she was trying not to feel anything, at least for now. Yusuke stood beside her and said, "I'm going to go pick up something to eat, do you want anything?" His wife just shook her head. Yusuke leaned down and kissed the top of her head softly and whispered, "Love you," then left the apartment.

He walked down the sidewalk a few blocks, his destination a target in his mind. On his way, Yusuke passed a preschool that was just letting out. All the little kids left the building with one or both of their guardians holding their hands. Yusuke saw a little girl with long black hair and big brown eyes being escorted by her mother. He couldn't help but smile, thinking a daughter might be fun. The girl's laughter was high-pitched and sweet like a bird call. He imagined a girl very similar to the one in front of him in his head running up to him calling him "daddy." He imagined picking the girl up and tossing her in the air as she giggled and placing her on his shoulders.

Again, Yusuke had to shake his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to get where he was going, no time for daydreaming.

He returned home as fast as he could, holding the new bundle of joy in a blanket. It wiggled around in his arms and he had to stop to readjust the wrappings. "Stop moving around so much," he ordered. Upon hearing his voice, the bundle froze. "Good, now stay like that."

He hurried and got his keys out of his pockets to unlock their door. When he entered the apartment, he saw that his wife hadn't moved from her spot on the couch. Yusuke quietly closed the door so as not to provoke the active being in his arms. He walked into the living room and squirmed behind the couch. Taking Keiko's lack of response as a sign that she didn't know he was home, Yusuke slowly lifted the bundle to the back of the couch beside his wife's head. The bundle came to life and a curious black nose sniffed by her ear. Keiko turned in surprise toward the sound, only to have a small pink tongue flick out of the blankets and lick her nose. Yusuke laughed and stood up from behind the couch, still holding the bundle. The blankets were finally shaken off to reveal a small beagle puppy. Keiko stared at it, unsure of how to react.

"What's wrong, Keiko?" Yusuke chuckled, barely able to hang onto the wiggling pup. Keiko continued to stare even when the pup finally broke free of her husband's grasp and began climbing into her lap.

"Yusuke?" she finally responded. The pup danced on her lap, trying to entice her into playing with it. "Why...?" She couldn't find the words.

Yusuke climbed over the back of the couch to sit next to her. He looked into her brown eyes and said, "I wanted you to be happy. I know you want a kid, Keiko, but that just isn't happening for us right now." Keiko looked down when he said those last words. He cupped her face in his hands and lifted it so she was still looking into his eyes. "I know this isn't going to replace a baby but until we are able to have one, I thought it might do some good to take care of something just as small and warm and shits no matter where it is." Yusuke smiled warmly and Keiko couldn't help but return it with her own.

Keiko looked down at the pup still trying to get her attention and smiled. "It is cute," she conceded. She looked back at her loving husband and said, "Thank you."

"No problem." Then he kissed her gently as the pup whimpered, asking for attention.