JUNE 10—FULL TERM

It was the fortieth week of Hiei's pregnancy, a.k.a. the last. The not-so-small fire demon was antsy and restless, nervous but excited. Kurama could see that, so he tried to think of all sorts of things to fill the time, especially focusing on their new apartment. Yukina and Kuwabara helped them get it, vouching for them on the application, and once it was final, the move-in date was scheduled for the week after Jin and Touya's wedding. Shiori had already agreed to babysit, since everyone else was involved with the moving. Koenma also set up a portal that led directly to the Green Forest, so that Hiei and Kurama could head there as soon as Hiei went into labor.

The baby was technically due on June 11, but Hiei and Kurama weren't surprised when he didn't come that day. After all, the end of the week, June 16, was the due date they had originally predicted, before factoring in Hiei's custom details, such as height, weight, age, etc., and if the baby wasn't coming on the eleventh, it would probably be on the sixteenth.

Kurama realized that if Hiei was going to have the baby so soon, they should probably set up a last prenatal appointment, just to make sure everything was all right before the birth. He couldn't get an appointment until the fifteenth, and he and Hiei were both worried the baby would come before the appointment, but he was still inside Hiei's belly when they headed to the city to see Dr. Setchi. It wasn't easy for Hiei to move, and Kurama couldn't help him when he was so injured himself. In the end, Hiei kept his balance by pushing Kurama's wheelchair, holding onto it for dear life. He was also embarrassed that a nurse had to help him change into his hospital gown, seeing as Kurama couldn't do it. The nurse took Hiei's height, weight, and vitals, as well as the baby's, and had him pee in a cup again. Finally, it was time to see the doctor.

"So, still no baby, huh?" said Dr. Setchi as she entered the room.

"Nope," Hiei snapped. "He likes to make me miserable."

"I know it's difficult," Dr. Setchi said sympathetically, then she turned to Kurama. "Is everything all right? What happened?"

"I'm afraid I was severely injured in an accident about a month ago," Kurama replied. "I didn't have any brain damage, but there was a big blow to my spinal cord, and I can't access my Youko Kurama form anymore. The doctors are hopeful about the prognosis, though. I'm already going to physical therapy."

"Your determination is admirable," said Dr. Setchi. "Now, looking at your report, Hiei, I'm very pleased to say that you and your baby are still doing wonderfully. You are also at a much healthier weight since we started discussing improving your diet last January. Are there any other questions you would like to ask me?"

"Yeah," said Hiei irritably. "Why am I still pregnant? Did you get the date wrong or something?"

"Actually, Hiei, elemental-type babies are born less than 5% on their actual due date," Dr. Setchi told him. "If you count babies that are born within a week of their due date, the chances increase to about 70%. However, although human pregnancies rarely last longer than forty-two weeks, those of your type of demon have been known to last up to forty-five weeks."

"What are the chances of that?" Kurama asked, as Hiei balked.

"Not very high, as it's extremely rare for a pregnancy to last that long," she said. "There's no way to know for sure when he'll arrive, of course, but genetics play a factor, so that might help us a bit. Hiei, do you know how long your mother's pregnancy lasted? Were you early, late, or right on time?"

"I don't know about my mom," said Hiei, wishing he'd thought to ask Rui when she came to visit last March. "But I do know that years after I was born, my dad went through a pregnancy with my younger half-sister, and he went to a little over forty-two weeks."

"In that case, it could be that if your baby doesn't come by the end of this week, you might carry a little bit longer than anticipated," Dr. Setchi told him.

"You've got to be kidding me," Hiei groaned. "I can't take this anymore."

"Well…you could get induced," Dr. Setchi said finally. "But it's uncommon. Most doctors don't recommend it until the end of the forty-third week, or if there's an emergency. It might not even be allowed before you hit the forty-two week mark."

"Induction," Kurama repeated. "Doesn't that mean you start labor for him?"

"Yes, exactly." Dr. Setchi nodded. "I believe it's done at forty-one weeks for humans, but since you're a demon, Hiei, and your pregnancy is low-risk, you can carry safely for longer than that. If you do get induced, you would have to have the baby in the hospital, which I know you said you didn't want…"

"I said I didn't want any medical interventions," Hiei corrected her. "Being this pregnant is miserable, but the one thing I wanted most of all was to give birth in my natural state. I think that's what the baby wants, too. As long as he and I are still healthy and you don't have any medical reason for induction, I think I can hold out a bit longer."

"In that case, I would recommend putting you on observation until further notice," Dr. Setchi told him. "From now on, I would like to see you two in here at least once a week, more if possible. I'd also like to know if you're experiencing anything different, such as leakage, bleeding, or a change in how often the baby is moving."

"None of that so far," said Hiei, wincing. "Should there be?"

"It depends on the situation," she replied. "The most important thing is that you let me know. But if there are no more questions, it's time for the physical exam."

Kurama was proud that Hiei was getting more comfortable with his body, even if it was just in front of the doctor. He hadn't forgotten that Hiei used to be shy in front of him, too, and that consummating their relationship had, at first, been difficult. Although Hiei was still far from total confidence in what had initially caused him to be rejected, it seemed that just realizing the problem had helped him a little bit. And again, it didn't hurt that Dr. Setchi had a wonderful bedside manner.

Hiei looked relaxed as she was examining his breasts, and Kurama remembered what Hiei said about them feeling good when touched, although he didn't know if that extended to the doctor as well. The fox-demon asked if they were ready to feed the baby, and she said they were almost reaching their fully-functional state. But when they got to her examination of the ninshinsu, Dr. Setchi's face turned from calm to shock.

"Well…that's a bit unusual," she said.

"What is it?" Hiei, too, looked concerned, and Kurama felt a rush of fear surge throughout his body as well.

"I can't tell for sure without further examination," Dr. Setchi replied, "but from this examination, I think the baby is breech."

…

Hiei heard Kurama gasp at Dr. Setchi's words, but he himself didn't know what she meant.

"What's breech?" he demanded, his hands flying instinctively to his belly.

"It means his feet or bottom are going to come out first, Hiei, not his head." Kurama was obviously trying to conceal his worry, but it convinced no one.

Hiei tried to remember all the babies he'd seen born on TV, but they never actually showed the baby coming out. But then he thought of his childbirth class, when he had to watch that video of a baby being born in real life, and when he had to maneuver a baby doll through a sock. Both times, it had been head-first.

"But…but wouldn't I have been able to tell if the baby was upside down all this time?" he asked faintly.

"Probably not, since he's your first baby," said the doctor matter-of-factly. "But it's okay. We can tell with an ultrasound if he's truly breech or not, and if he is, there's a procedure I can do to switch him around in the womb. I must warn you, though, that there may be some discomfort."

When doctors said there would be "discomfort," in Hiei's experience, it generally meant that there would be pain. Of course, he was no stranger to pain, but just because he had experienced horrible pain in the past didn't mean that this would be a piece of cake, and he felt nervous, especially since he barely even knew what was coming. Kurama, seeming to read his husband's mind, reached out and held Hiei's hand.

Not long after getting the news, Hiei had been set up for an ultrasound, which he hadn't gotten since his second trimester. This time, he was too nervous to feel the cold of the jelly the doctor put on his baby bump, or the transducer wand she used to show the baby inside him.

"Just as I thought," said Dr. Setchi. "Your baby is indeed upside down. In fact, you'll notice that one of his feet is crossed across his leg, which would make a natural birth more difficult and even risky. So I would strongly suggest that you let me turn him before you go into labor, so that he will come out head-first."

"Do whatever you need to," Hiei told her firmly, squeezing Kurama's hand. Even if the procedure was painful, if that was what it took for the baby to be healthy, then he was willing to do it. And he had been through worse, after all.

Dr. Setchi called an assistant to help her with the procedure, which didn't make Hiei feel any better about the whole thing; he had been used to her being able to do these things on her own. It was the most worrying because he and Kurama both thought they had been going to a routine appointment, when in reality, it felt to Hiei almost like he was being operated on or some such. They took him to another room once the assistant arrived, and he found himself hooked up to machines that monitored him.

"Remember, Hiei, this is perfectly safe," Dr. Setchi tried to reassure him, but he was squeezing Kurama's hand so hard. This was actually scary. They were monitoring him with an ultrasound, and they lifted his hospital gown, making him feel very exposed and vulnerable.

"If it gets too painful, we can stop," added the assistant. "Ready?"

Hiei was too nervous to speak, so he just nodded. It was followed by a procedure that was, indeed, quite painful—but what did he expect? With the help of an ultrasound, a doctor and her assistant were moving the baby around inside him, making sure he would come out head-first instead of butt-first. He tried to keep quiet, so they wouldn't worry, but he couldn't. It was made annoying as well because the assistant constantly asked if Hiei was doing all right and if he wanted them to stop, especially due to his groans of pain. Normally he would enjoy looking at the ultrasound, but now, it just reminded him of the pain he was experiencing.

At the same time, Hiei knew it probably would have been worse if Kurama hadn't been there, holding his hand. It made him think of his Jagan implant, too; would that have been easier if he had someone there he loved and trusted? Shigure was not known to be sociable with people if they weren't his patients, and Hiei never thought he would have a true friend, much less a husband and child. But just look at me now, he thought. This procedure wasn't just for the hell of it; he was doing it for the baby. He kept repeating that over and over in his mind, squeezing Kurama's hand until finally, it was over.

"Take a look at the ultrasound," Dr. Setchi said, a pleased tone in her voice. "Your baby is now in the correct position."

Hiei was still a little sore, but he looked at the screen anyway. His baby's head was facing down, in a position where he would come out head-first.

"Congratulations," said the assistant. "He should be coming any day now."