Hiei became desperate over the next couple of days, not only continuing with his previous "labor-inducing" methods of massage and fondling, but also doing things that he wasn't willing to do as recently as last week, such as getting off the couch and trying his best to walk (okay, waddle) around in the woods surrounding their little house. He ate spicy foods all the time, and he even tried pineapple, which, as predicted, only led to him being violently sick for a couple of hours.

Tension was rising, not only because they were moving to their new apartment next week (it was terrifying to think that Hiei might go into labor during the moving process), but because Jin and Touya's wedding was on Thursday.

Kurama knew he had to go because, as Touya's attendant, his presence was a crucial part of the wedding ceremony. Hiei had been planning on coming along too, but that was when he thought the baby would be born. He thought he would be wearing his new red fire demon kimono that Homura bought for him, but it seemed he would simply have to wear his old black one again to accommodate his belly. Walking hurt his feet and he didn't seem to want to do anything, and for these reasons, Kurama thought it was unfair to ask him to go. So on Thursday, he approached Hiei, who was lying on his side on the couch (as usual), wearing nothing but his underwear, his eyes shut, his arms flopping down listlessly, fingers dragging on the rug. He looked almost delirious from the extreme heat.

"Honey?" said Kurama softly, taking Hiei's hot, sweaty hand in his.

Hiei let out a soft but miserable moan in reply.

"Jin and Touya's wedding ceremony is this afternoon, love," said Kurama, setting his other hand on Hiei's blazing-hot forehead. "I have to go because I'm in the wedding party. But you can definitely stay home if you want. No one will hold it against you."

"No," Hiei said weakly. "I'll go."

"Really, you don't have to, Hiei," Kurama insisted. "I think you should just stay home and relax."

"I know I don't have to go." Hiei's voice was a little stronger now. "It's what I want to do. I don't want you to go alone."

Even though Kurama knew that making Hiei stay home and rest up was probably the right thing to do, he couldn't help but be a little relieved that Hiei wanted to go to the wedding and keep him company.

"Okay." Kurama smiled and ran his fingers through Hiei's hair, so drenched in sweat that it was as if he'd just gotten out of the shower. "I know it was a little hard for you to walk, but I'm sure you can keep some balance by pushing the wheelchair. And even if you don't get to wear your red kimono this time, you get to wear it to Yomi and Mukuro's wedding in August."

"D'you think the baby will have come by then?" Hiei mumbled, struggling to pull himself up.

"By August, he'll be here either way," Kurama reassured him. "If he hasn't come on his own by then, you'll have been induced."

"I hope so." Hiei managed to reach a sitting position, and he grabbed onto Kurama's wheelchair for leverage until finally, he got to his feet. It hurt Kurama so badly that he couldn't help Hiei as much as he wanted to, and he swore to work harder than ever in physical therapy this Saturday, and every Saturday after.

Homura helped Hiei and Kurama both get ready, since he was coming to the wedding, too. It was a struggle to keep Ru-Ru occupied, but Hiei agreed to keep his Jagan eye on her. When they were finally ready to go, they headed towards the little Makai portal by the backdoor. Since they were moving next week, the portal would soon be closed, and Reikai was going to set up a new one for them, hidden in the nature park by their building. Luckily, not only was there a portal to the city where Dr. Setchi worked, but there was the second portal that led to the Green Forest right beside it. Kurama supposed they would need a Green Forest portal by their new home, too, but they needed it now because Jin and Touya's wedding was in the Green Forest.

When they entered the Green Forest, Kurama was surprised to find that it was a little colder than he was used to, and a light frost covered the ground. He'd forgotten this forest extended to the north in Mukuro's former territory.

"I know this place," said Hiei, sounding a little more coherent. "This is close to where Shigure used to live. It's usually snowy here."

Jin and Touya were getting married in the portion of the Green Forest that was in Mukuro's former territory, because as it turns out, her territory was almost completely forest, and it made sense that Touya would choose the colder part. It spread into the neighboring territory (Yomi's), where most of the animal types lived, including kitsunes, but that was only a small portion. As he was surrounded by a forest he hadn't entered for so long, Kurama found his memories of Makai and its geography flooding back.

Raizen's former territory was the biggest and most varied, accommodating all kinds of climates, from scorching desert to wetlands to ice-cold tundra, which was probably why most of the elemental types lived there. There were no oceans in Makai, but there were a lot of lakes, mostly in Raizen's territory, but there were a few no matter where you went. Up north, there were even glaciers in some of them. But except for the relatively small Forest of Fools, there was hardly any forest in Raizen's territory, because it was extremely rare for a purely elemental type to be able to manipulate plants. That was almost always reserved for animal-type demons, like Kurama. There was much more forest in Yomi's former territory, which bordered the other two, for that reason—it even surrounded the capital city, Gandara. Down south there was the Atsusa Desert, a part of both Raizen's and Yomi's territory, as were the Northern Highlands, too cold for almost any demon, but beloved by ice users like Touya.

Even in a life of thousands of years, Kurama had seldom ventured into Mukuro's territory (most demons didn't, unless they lived there or had business there), but he knew enough about it. King Enki lived there with his wife, as did a lot of demons that weren't elemental or animal types, monstrous demons that varied wildly in their power set, appearance, and size. Copy demons, those with the ability to manipulate objects, those who used energy-based attacks, or those who simply used their teeth and claws—they all tended to live in this territory, formerly under Mukuro's ruthless, isolationist rule. The area was mostly forest, snowy and cold in the north, sunny and warm in the middle, and turning to wetlands in the south.

"That's a coincidence," Kurama remarked. "I wonder who lives there now?"

"Anyone who needs shelter, I suppose," Homura replied, although he and Kurama were both shivering a bit, as was Ru-Ru, who was sitting on Kurama's lap. "I do wish Touya had chosen a warmer area."

"It's his wedding," said Hiei, who actually seemed relieved to be standing in the cold air. "I don't feel cold at all."

"Well, not all of us are half ice demon, you know," Kurama teased him with a little grin.

It was clear when they had gotten to the venue, a clearing in the middle of the northern woods. They seemed to have gotten there a little late, as the clearing was packed with demons, so much that the crowd spread into the surrounding trees. There was a platform where Jin and Touya would exchange rings and say their vows, with Kurama and Yusuke by their sides. There were little tables for the guests to sit at, a long buffet table full of food, and a huge area cleared for the dance party that was sure to come. Kurama knew he couldn't dance this time, and neither could Hiei, but it would be fun to watch everyone else. Hiei shot his most menacing glare at most people who tried to approach them, but he made an exception for Yusuke and Keiko.

"Hey, guys! You're here!" said Yusuke, running up to them with Keiko beside him. "This will be awesome! I've never been to a demon wedding before."

"They're great fun," Kurama told him with a smile. "I just hope you're a good dancer."

"Uh…not exactly." Yusuke's excitement seemed to turn into nervousness, until Kurama laughed.

"I'm only joking," he said. "There will be a lot of dancing, but I doubt there will be any pressure to be good. You remember what to do, right?"

"You mean as Jin's best man?"

"His attendant," Kurama corrected. "But yes. Do you remember?"

"Sure," said Yusuke. "There were only a few lines I had to memorize."

"Do you want to go practice, just in case?" Keiko offered.

"Yeah…I'd better," Yusuke agreed. "See you later!"

Kurama could hear Hiei panting with exhaustion behind him, and he wondered if it wasn't time for someone else to push the chair—or even for Kurama to move it himself, of course. Hiei was previously using it as a walker of sorts, but maybe it was time for him to take a break.

"Listen, Hiei, I can move the chair," Kurama offered. "Why don't you just have Homura help you walk for a bit?"

"That's…p-probably a good idea." Hiei sounded winded as he let go of the wheelchair.

"Can I still ride with you?" Ru-Ru asked Kurama, her huge golden eyes staring up at him as her tail swished gently back and forth.

"Of course you can," said Kurama, smiling and scratching her behind the ears. As a fellow fox-demon, he knew that she would like it.

Soon after, though, Homura saw some people he knew, and left with Ru-Ru to go mingle, leaving Kurama and Hiei on their own again. Hiei, after having rested a little and needing leverage, started to push the chair again. Not long after, they were approached by another couple, Yomi and Mukuro, accompanied by Shura.

"Kurama!" said Mukuro in shock. "What on Earth happened to you?"

Secretly, he was a little tired of people asking that, but Kurama didn't want to be rude, so he told her what he told everyone else: that he'd been in an accident and seriously injured his spinal cord, but that the prognosis (outlook for recovery) was hopeful, and he and Hiei were doing the best they could. Hiei would sometimes add that it was okay because he couldn't walk either, but today he didn't seem to be in the mood. Besides, although Yomi and Mukuro were focusing on Kurama's predicament, Shura seemed more interested in Hiei.

"How come you get fatter every time I see you?" he demanded.

"Shura!" Yomi reprimanded him, as Mukuro whistled low, but Hiei already had his fist around the young demon's neck.

"Just one flick of the wrist…," he growled.

"Hiei, please let go," said Kurama, as he didn't particularly think it was a good idea for Hiei to snap Shura's neck, especially not at someone's wedding.

"Didn't you hear what he said?!" Hiei snapped. "I may be pregnant, but I didn't come here to be disrespected, especially not by this bratty and brainless little shit!"

"I know, Hiei," Kurama pleaded, "but you know this isn't the way to solve things."

"Oh…all right," Hiei grouched, letting go of Shura's neck. "But consider that a fucking warning."

"Hiei!" Mukuro, Yomi, and Kurama all scolded him at the same time.

"What's going on over here?"

All five of them turned their heads in the direction of the friendly voice. There was Touya, wearing an ice-blue kimono like all the other ice apparitions present, but since he was one of the grooms, it was slightly more decorative, especially his maternity obi, which he probably bought just for this occasion.

"Just some old friends catching up, Touya," Kurama said serenely, although he was pleased beyond words that the former Shinobi had interfered when he did.

"Well, the feast is starting!" said Touya almost ecstatically. "There's a good amount of everything, but just for you, Hiei, I made sure there were a lot of super-salty foods!"

"Um…thanks," said Hiei.

As soon as the feast began, Hiei's baby and Touya's seemed to be extremely hungry. Hiei's little boy demanded some salty snacks, while Touya's baby (he and Jin wanted to be surprised) seemed to gravitate towards foods that were sweet, although Hiei had been told that Touya didn't have any food aversions, so he ate a bit of everything. Hiei was glad that the food was being served buffet-style, so he could eat whatever he wanted, and as much as he wanted, sort of like the breakfast buffet back in Hawaii. But it was over far too quickly, and then it was time for the vows.

Hiei sat at a table with Yukina, Homura, and Ru-Ru, while Kurama wheeled himself up to not stand, but sit to Touya's left. Meanwhile, Jin was on Touya's right, with Yusuke on Jin's right. Jin said his vows first, and just like almost everyone else, Kurama had no clue what he was trying to say. Touya seemed to understand perfectly, though; he nodded and smiled. Right now, he looked just as happy as any other groom on his wedding day, but Kurama had seen him wince and kind of tense up a few times during Jin's speech, although he didn't think anyone else noticed. Were some of Jin's vows awkward, perhaps?

When it was time for Touya to say his vows, he seemed to be struggling to open his mouth; he was biting his lip instead, his eyes squeezed tight, his hands in fists. It didn't seem right, and Kurama didn't know what was going on…until he smelled it.

Kurama's hand flew to his mouth to muffle the gasp. Touya seemed to be in too much pain to notice the amniotic fluid trickling down his leg. Kurama could now see it as well as smell it; just like they said it would be, Touya's "water" was clear with a faint pink tinge. Kurama knew right then that they couldn't continue with the wedding and he needed to get the ice master's attention, but how to do so without alarming him?

"Touya," Kurama whispered, tugging on his kimono. "Touya…"

Finally, the pain, which Kurama now knew to be a contraction, was over, and Touya turned to glance at Kurama, looking shocked and confused at the sudden pain.

"What?" he whispered back, his voice shaking.

"I need you to stay calm, Touya, and listen to me," Kurama said slowly. "Look down."

Touya looked down, all right, but he certainly didn't stay calm. As soon as he figured out what was happening, he completely freaked out. Not only that, but his state of mind seemed to make the next contraction hit him much harder. Kurama, for his part, was concerned that they were coming as fast as they were. Touya had seemed fine just a half an hour ago.

"Whas' wrong, love?" said Jin.

"Touya is in labor, Jin," Kurama replied over Touya's screams of pain. The audience were muttering amongst themselves, not knowing what was happening. "Look closely at the ground."

"AHHH!" Jin shrieked. "Touya, me love!"

"It's all right," said Kurama, realizing that, once again, he was going to have to put himself in charge lest the situation descend into complete chaos. "I can tell you how to help him. Just listen to me."

But it was no use. Jin had completely frozen up. Meanwhile, Touya had forgotten himself; he was now on his hands and knees, still howling in pain. Yusuke was peering over Jin in confusion. Once the contraction was over, Touya looked more worried than ever.

"You have to help me, Kurama," he said, staring up at the fox-demon, his eyes filled with tears. "I-I think the baby might be coming now!"

Jin fainted.

"Oh no," Kurama muttered, pinching his nose in worry. If they didn't do something now, Touya was going to give birth on the wedding platform, right in front of everyone.

"Please," Touya moaned, gripping his belly. "I can't move!"

"Yusuke, get Jin and Touya off the platform and somewhere private," Kurama directed. "Things are about to get a lot messier."

It only took one look to convince the former Spirit Detective to listen.

"Come on, Touya, walk with me," said Yusuke, after throwing the still-unconscious Jin onto his back. Kurama realized Touya would probably give birth before Jin came to, but although that was unfortunate, it couldn't really be helped.

After Yusuke left, that just left Kurama up on the stage alone, which was incredibly awkward, and as he sensed he was no longer needed, he wheeled himself back to Hiei's table.

"Is he in labor?" Hiei demanded, looking nothing short of livid.

"It certainly seems that way."

"But he's not due yet! I was due before him!"

"I know, Hiei." Kurama set a comforting hand on his husband's shoulder. "But there's no way to predict when these things will happen. Babies come when they want to. Besides, his official due date is only about two weeks from now. They'll be fine."

"Hn," Hiei grumbled. "I hope his baby comes out backwards and upside down."

…

As the two grooms were obviously occupied, the wedding was cut short, and all the guests went home. Hiei snapped at Kurama to "stay the hell out of my way," and went back to lay on the couch, as usual.

This is so unfair, he thought to himself, shoving his face in a pillow. Why can't my stupid baby just come out already?!

"Hiei?"

"Fuck off!" Hiei shouted at Kurama. "Can't you see I want to be left alone?"

"Yes, and I will, after just this one thing," Kurama promised. "You know you're going to be forty-two weeks pregnant on Tuesday, right?"

"I hope you have a point here," Hiei grouched.

"Of course," said Kurama. "Forty-two weeks is when Dr. Setchi said inductions can be performed, remember? So if you want, I can schedule an induction for after you hit that point."

"Well, that's my decision to make," said Hiei, avoiding a direct answer, since in truth, he had already been grappling with the situation. It was tempting, he had to admit. After all, he so wanted it to be over, especially after seeing Touya go into labor two weeks early. It would be wonderful to finally hold the baby in his arms instead of in his body.

But on the other hand…it didn't really feel like he was doing right by the baby, forcing him to come before he wanted to. It would be one thing if there was some medical reason, but there really wasn't. There were no complications of any sort besides the usual expected discomfort. If Dr. Setchi thought an induction was necessary, she would have said so. Besides, Hiei really did not want the medicalization that came with an induction—and at their last appointment, Dr. Setchi had told him that an induced labor might be a bit more painful as well. There were certainly many cases where the procedure was necessary or at least recommended, but Hiei's was not one of them.

"No," Hiei finally said. "I can wait. We'll see how I'm doing after another week."

"Well, if you're sure," said Kurama, looking surprised.

"I am," Hiei snapped, and he shoved his face into the pillow again, where it stayed until he heard Kurama's communication mirror ringing.

"That must be Touya!" said Kurama, putting the communicator on speakerphone. "Hello?"

"It's me!" came Touya's cheerful voice over the phone. "And guess what?"

"What?" Kurama was smiling.

"It's a girl!" Touya told him. "She came out so quickly, I didn't even have to push! It was like she just fell out! She didn't even wait for Jin to wake up. It was only her crying that made him come to."

"And what was his reaction to the news?"

"I don't think I'd ever seen someone look so shocked," Touya replied, "but he was happy, too. We named her Kazekori. And since she was a normal temperature and not cold at birth, we figure she'll probably inherit Jin's powers. I'm pretty happy about that. She has red hair, too, and her eyes are just like his, big and deep blue."

"She sounds beautiful, Touya," said Kurama. "When can we meet her?"

"Hmm, we're pretty busy right now, but maybe you can see her at Mukuro and Yomi's wedding in August," said Touya. "And we're getting together for Christmas again, aren't we?"

"I would assume so," said Kurama, but that was when they heard a baby's cry in the background.

"Uh, I've got to go," Touya told them. "See you in August!"

"Take care," Kurama replied, and hung up. When he turned, he seemed to notice that Hiei was glaring at him more than ever.

"Just as I thought," Hiei grumbled. "He had a completely easy birth, just like he had a completely easy pregnancy."

"Well, Hiei, I don't know what to tell you," said Kurama. "Every pregnancy is different."

"Whatever," said Hiei, and then, to change the subject, "Have you managed to sell this house yet? We're moving next week, y'know."

"Actually, Hiei, I thought it would be better to rent out the home," said Kurama. "We could make a lot of money by becoming landlords…and maybe…" Kurama smiled. "Maybe someday, if I make a full recovery, and our family grows, we can move back in."

"You must be crazy," said Hiei. "I'm never having another baby. Never, ever, ever. And don't think I'll change my mind, because I never will!"

"That was why I said 'if,' Hiei," said Kurama, rolling his eyes. "I just want to know what you think of the landlord idea."

"Do you honestly think I care?" Hiei demanded.

Kurama just smiled again, though. "I think I'll take that as a yes."