Twenty weeks into pregnancy, Hiei seemed to have gotten his second wind. Compared to his first trimester, the second one was honestly easy, even enjoyable. The only real issues he had concerned his food cravings and aversions, but as long as he and Kurama kept a steady supply of what he liked and got rid of what he didn't, it wasn't so bad. He didn't throw up that much anymore, he didn't have to pee constantly, and he wasn't tired all the time. The mood swings were still there, but they were much less intense.

Plus, the baby was moving now, which he liked a lot. They called it "kicking," but it felt more like a fluttering sensation. Kurama hadn't been able to feel any of it yet, but they figured that would change once the baby grew. About two weeks ago, they found out the baby was going to be a boy, and now they were trying to agree on what to name him.

Hiei was especially happy today because it was May 12, his and Kurama's wedding anniversary. As of today, they had been married for one year, and they had been a couple for about two years. It had been hard deciding on a present; Hiei couldn't get Kurama any candy or anything, since that made him sick. So he tried getting him something like pretzels instead, but he ate them all. So eventually he just got Kurama a mug with a picture of a fox on it.

It was five in the afternoon, which meant Kurama was going to get home in about thirty minutes. The fox-demon had a bit of a commute, but he was always home on time. As he waited, Hiei got himself some coffee ice cream (the only flavor he could eat) and sprinkled salt on top of it (he was constantly craving salt). Then he got a glass of saltwater (again, blame the cravings!) and took his "meal" out to the living room. Then he turned on the TV.

Hiei was glad he was past the phase of his pregnancy where everything he saw on TV made him cry, and he enjoyed the fluttering feeling inside him as he got through an entire sitcom episode without shedding even one single tear. All right!

When the episode was over, Hiei heard the front door to their house opening and closing, and Kurama walked into the living room, holding a pink box tied with a red ribbon.

"Happy anniversary, Hiei," he said, smiling. Hiei reached out his hand, and Kurama helped his beloved off the couch.

"Same to you," said Hiei, as Kurama pulled him into a hug. It was clear by now that they were having a larger-than-average baby, and Hiei's belly looked even bigger due to his small, slight frame, but the bump was still small enough that it didn't quite interfere with hugs…yet!

"How's the baby today?" Kurama asked, setting down Hiei's present and sitting down on the couch. Hiei sat down next to him, and Kurama gently set one hand on his beloved's belly. It felt great having it there.

"Just as fine as it was when you checked in on us two hours ago," Hiei said snarkily, cuddling into Kurama's arms. Mm…Kurama sure did smell good, and he felt good too. That was another thing about the second trimester of Hiei's pregnancy: he found that he was always horny. "You know, Kurama, I can think of a great anniversary present. Want to take me to bed?"

"For crying out loud, Hiei," said Kurama, "don't you want to see your anniversary gift?"

"The only thing I want is you inside me, right now," Hiei demanded, placing his hands on Kurama's face. "And you're the one who says I shouldn't ignore my cravings!"

"But how do I know it's me doing this to you and not the pregnancy hormones?" Kurama asked, smiling. "I mean, we've been doing it at least twice a day now for weeks."

"It's not my fault you're so hot," said Hiei, staring up into Kurama's beautiful green eyes, his perfect face, his dreamy red hair, that sweet smile…Every waking moment, he felt like he had never longed so much for this gorgeous man, even though he saw Kurama every day. "It would be criminal to not do it."

"Okay, Hiei, I promise I'll do whatever you want," Kurama promised, kissing Hiei's cheek. "Do you think you can wait until after the gifts, though?"

"Well…I guess so," said Hiei reluctantly. "You can have your present first. It's on the kitchen island."

"Stay where you are," Kurama said kindly. "I'll go get it."

Hiei was tempted to look inside Kurama's gift box while Kurama was in the kitchen, but he resisted, partly because he didn't feel like hoisting himself up off the couch. The only thing Kurama expected Hiei to do was sit around the house, until he got home from work and it was time for Hiei to be nurtured and/or pleasured again. It wasn't long, of course, before Kurama returned to the living room, holding the mug.

"Do you like it?" said Hiei.

"I love it," said Kurama, kissing Hiei on the head. "It's a wonderful gift. And as you know, I got a little something for you, too."

Kurama set the big pink box on the coffee table and presented it to Hiei, who leaned over his belly to take the red ribbon off the box, just focusing on opening it without actually wondering what it would be. But when he saw it, he felt a little confused.

"What kind of gift is this?" Hiei asked, taking the contraption out of its box and examining it.

"It's called a stethoscope," Kurama explained, taking the earpieces in his hands and setting them in Hiei's ears. "Human doctors often use them to listen to their patients' heartbeats, and I thought you might want to listen to the heartbeat of our baby. Regular demon heartbeats occur every minute or so, but an unborn baby's heart can beat as fast as once every twenty seconds."

"O-Okay," Hiei stammered as Kurama placed the chestpiece on the baby bump. Hiei felt very nervous for some reason, his horniness completely forgotten. He was acutely aware of his own heart, each beat loud and pounding in his chest.

"Can you hear anything?" Kurama asked, not taking his hand off the chestpiece. Hiei set his own hand, rough and calloused and dirty-fingernailed, on top of Kurama's soft, elegant, and manicured one. Secretly, he had always loved the closeness of their hands touching.

"I don't really know where he is," Hiei told Kurama, moving the chestpiece around on his belly. "Or maybe we missed his heartbeat…"

But then, after several minutes of seemingly fruitless searching, Hiei heard something—and suddenly, he felt his eyes welling up with tears.

"You heard it?" Kurama whispered.

"I heard it!" Hiei cried. "I heard his heartbeat!"

Kurama smiled. "Wait for another one."

Another twenty seconds or so later, there it was, another baby demon heartbeat. It was the most magical sound, a little thump that reminded Hiei of how he had a baby growing inside him.

"There it is again." Hiei wiped his tears away with the back of his hand, then took the stethoscope off. "Oh, Kurama, you got me such a great gift, and all I got you was a stupid mug."

"Oh, don't worry, love," said Kurama, giving Hiei a hug. "Now I have something to drink…um, to drink tea in. Or water."

"I figured you could keep it at work, and that way you could drink other things out of it," Hiei explained, since tea and water were the only beverages that didn't make him sick, therefore the only beverages they could have in the house. "Don't say what they are, though, okay?"

"No chance of that happening," Kurama reassured him.

"Kurama, there are so many wonderful things I would have missed out on if it weren't for you," said Hiei tearfully. "I never thought I'd be here doing this…yet it's just what I wanted."

"It's what I wanted too, hon," said Kurama in Hiei's ear. "And you gave me the best gift of all."

"The mug?" Hiei was confused again. "What was so great about that?"

"Not the mug, silly," Kurama told him, laughing now through his tears. "You're growing our baby. Family is certainly the most wonderful gift I can think of. You make my life complete, Hiei. I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

Hiei was felt his throat start to hurt all of a sudden, a telltale sign that tears were on their way; his nose started to get a little runny, his eyes a little watery, and he was furious. After his sobfest of a first trimester, he wanted to keep the tears in the second trimester to a minimum, but something about the way Kurama said those words just made Hiei feel like he was going to fall apart again.

"Don't hold your tears back, love," Kurama said soothingly. "Remember, whatever you feel, you can express it however you need to, as long as it doesn't hurt you or anyone else."

"But I don't want to cry anymore," said Hiei in a wavery voice. "I spent my entire first trimester crying—and over some really dumb things, too. I was so happy a few minutes ago, and now…"

"Hiei, listen to me," said Kurama gently, holding Hiei in his arms and cuddling him. "It's normal to have mood swings during pregnancy. You have a right to your feelings, even if they don't make sense to you. Nobody is going to judge you for being a little hormonal."

Kurama seemed to always know just the right words to say, and the right things to do. Oftentimes Hiei found himself wondering, Where did I go right, to get someone like him? And yet, Kurama thought he was the lucky one. Hiei found it so hard to love himself, even now, but Kurama didn't find it hard at all. It was ironic how, when Kurama said it was okay to cry, Hiei actually felt himself calming down.

"I know pregnancy is hard work, and I'm so thankful," said Kurama, setting one hand on Hiei's belly. "Every day, I'm more and more excited to meet—"

Kurama suddenly stopped talking, and he gasped audibly.

"You…you felt that, didn't you?!" Hiei cried.

"Has he kicked before?" said Kurama in shock.

"No!" said Hiei, and he really did burst into tears, except this time they were happy ones. "That was his first kick, Kurama! He's only fluttered before!"

"Shh, shh, let's see if he does it again!" Kurama said eagerly, this time putting both hands on the bump. So did Hiei. They waited; Kurama rubbed Hiei's belly a little, anticipation shining on his attractive features. And sure enough, the baby's first kick was followed by another. Hiei kept crying, and Kurama kept hugging him.

"I love you, Hiei," he whispered. "I love you so much. Our baby, too."

"I love you too, Kurama." Hiei wasn't even bothering to wipe his tears, despite the yellow stones being all over the floor. "Happy anniversary."

"And it's a very happy one indeed," said Kurama, leaning down to kiss Hiei's baby bump, and kissing Hiei, too.

-end-