NOVEMBER 5—TWO MONTHS PREGNANT

…

The following Saturday afternoon was when Hiei had his first ultrasound. Even though Hiei still wasn't feeling well, he had to admit he was looking forward to this a little, since he would get to see the baby for the first time and hear its heartbeat. At the same time, though, he felt sort of uneasy, and he couldn't quite place his finger on why.

Kurama had managed since to work with Reikai to set up a temporary portal to the demon realm, directly leading to the city where Dr. Setchi worked. Portals like these took days to approve, but Prince Koenma had pushed it through when Kurama explained the special circumstances. That was one more person they told before the second trimester. By now, Shizuru, Yukina, Jin, Touya, and Koenma all knew about the baby, and they weren't even keeping it!

As they stepped outside into the crisp fall air, Hiei couldn't help but smile a little as he saw a leaf flutter down onto the ground, shed by the Tree of Life. Fall was his favorite time of year, and the weather was perfect for hoodies. Hiei was hooked on hoodies and sweatshirts; he had been wearing nothing else since Halloween, and he wasn't sure he would ever wear his old black cloak again, at least not during the pregnancy. Hoodies were loose, comfortable, and warm, almost like pajamas, but socially acceptable to wear outside. Today, Hiei was wearing a loose butter-yellow sweatshirt with dark-blue pants that looked like jeans, but weren't. They were more like yoga pants than anything else, except with pockets, but they looked better with his hoodie than his regular black pants, which didn't look all that great without a belt to begin with.

"All right, Hiei, here's the portal," said Kurama, opening it up. "You ready to jump in?"

"Yes," Hiei replied. As soon as the portal was open, he jumped into it and landed on the outskirts of the city. Still, he wondered how he was going to do this when he really got fat. Right now, he could still land on his feet, but in a few months he'd land flat on the baby if he wasn't careful.

This time they were able to navigate the hospital just fine; the elevator trip was still unpleasant and did no wonders for Hiei's newfound motion sickness, but at least nobody was eating anything this time. They arrived in the ultrasound room without incident, escorted in there by the nurse, who gave Hiei another paper gown.

"It's weird that they want me to use one this time," said Hiei as he changed into it, while Kurama neatly folded up all his clothes and stored them under the chairs. "Can't they just pull my shirt up?"

"No, because this early in your pregnancy, the baby is too small and still too deep in your pelvic area to do it the normal way," Kurama explained. "They're going to probe you anally."

"Well, that would explain why you gave me all those laxatives," said Hiei. "How many times during this pregnancy am I going to have things shoved up my ass, exactly?"

Kurama grinned. "If you didn't like getting things shoved up your ass, Hiei, we wouldn't be here to begin with."

"Oh, shut up," said Hiei.

This time, Hiei got the hospital gown on before the doctor came in, and he climbed up onto the examining table, dangling his legs as he observed the ultrasound machine and all the other equipment.

"Good afternoon," said Dr. Setchi, walking into the room. "How are you doing, Hiei? Anything out of the ordinary? Are your symptoms getting any better?"

"No, they're getting worse," Hiei told her miserably.

"I know it's no walk in the park, but you're nine weeks along, so they won't last for too much longer, although like I said, it's possible for you to have nausea until your baby's birth," she replied. "Did you come with a completely empty system?"

"Yes," said Hiei. "Kurama has plants that helped me with that."

"Good. Now lie on your left side, please."

"W-What?"

"Well, we certainly can't do it sitting," said Dr. Setchi. "I have my male patients lie on their side while the probe is inserted."

"Oh…right," said Hiei, lying down on the examining table and turning onto his side. Although he was relieved to see that she lubricated the wand-like device first, and that it wasn't very big, he hoped it wouldn't cause any embarrassing bodily reactions. Needless to say, he still didn't want her to think he was getting off on it.

But Hiei had bigger issues than that. Whenever he thought about seeing the baby or hearing its heartbeat, even though he was excited in a way, he got a strange feeling, which he just couldn't put into words. Unease? Nerves? It almost felt like an instinct, deep down, one that was warning him, but what about?

"We'll be able to see inside the ninshinsu this way?" Kurama asked, holding Hiei's hand.

"Yes, this opening leads directly to it," said Dr. Setchi. "We'll also be able to hear your baby's heartbeat, which should be about 80 beats-per-minute."

"That's a normal human heart rate, isn't it?" Kurama observed.

"Correct," said the doctor. "It will slow down to a normal rate for a demon towards birth. Now, Hiei, just relax, okay? This might feel a little strange, but it won't hurt."

Hiei hissed in discomfort as the cold, hard, slightly wet probe was inserted; Kurama gave his hand a gentle squeeze as he, Hiei, tried to discern whether the feeling in his stomach was nervousness or regular pregnancy nausea. The smaller demon was staring at the ground, trying his hardest not to be too nauseous, when there it was.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump…

Hiei's head jerked up suddenly; his eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. That sound, that peaceful, steady sound…It was just like Kurama's heartbeat, when Hiei cuddled up to him at night and felt a familiar, soothing rhythm.

"There it is." Kurama's voice seemed to come from far away. "Hiei, look…"

Hiei looked. There was a grayish image on the screen, sort of like static, with what looked like a small black hole (the ninshinsu) in the middle. And inside that hole…

"Yes, that's the baby," said Dr. Setchi with a smile. "It's quite a healthy one, too. Good size, strong heartbeat, signs of movement in the womb, no problems to be seen here."

Kurama still held Hiei's hand tightly, but with his other hand he pointed at the screen. "Can you see it, Hiei?"

"I-I think so," said Hiei, squinting.

"I'll just give you two some time alone," Dr. Setchi said with a knowing smile, and she exited the room, leaving Kurama and Hiei both still staring at the screen.

"It's…it's really him," said Hiei, his voice hushed. "Or her."

"I know," said Kurama, his tear-filled green eyes following the small movements of the baby on the screen. "Oh, Hiei, you're creating life!"

"Y-Yeah…" Hiei felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched the baby, his hand still in Kurama's tight grip. "I-I think…I think I can see its head…Maybe the legs…the arms…"

"Don't forget the heart," Kurama said gently, indicating. "See it pumping? It's really small, but if you look closely, you can see it."

Hiei studied the screen some more, and indeed, there it was, the tiny but fully-developed essential organ beating in time with the sound they heard. Thump, thump, thump.

"Kurama!"

The word came out high-pitched and quavering as Hiei kept swallowing, over and over, trying to hold back his tears. But it just seemed so…so surreal, all of it. Of course Hiei had known he was pregnant, but now that he saw the baby there on the screen, he realized what being pregnant truly meant. That baby was inside him, growing, on its way to being full-term and born.

"Thank you, Hiei," said Kurama, hugging Hiei with both arms and kissing him on the head, then on the lips. "Thank you for bringing our baby into this world. I love you so much."

"That's right…" Hiei was still being hugged and kissed by his husband, but his crimson eyes never left the ultrasound screen. "Our little baby. You're welcome, Kurama."

…

The next day, Kurama and Hiei invited Yukina over to watch the videotape of the sonogram, as well as look at the photos. Yukina cried openly, her yellow tearstones landing onto the couch and the hardwood floors.

"Oh, Hiei, it's just so wonderful," she wept, watching the baby move around on their television screen. "I love it already. When are we going to tell everyone?"

"Twelve weeks," said Hiei. "I guess I just want to take my time."

"It's your choice, I suppose," she replied, wiping her eyes. "But I can't wait."

"Neither can we," said Kurama, giving her a smile.