AUGUST 1, 1997—EIGHTEEN DAYS POST-PARTUM

Well, today was the big day. It was Mukuro and Yomi's wedding, and Masaki's first trip to Makai since his birth. As a surprise for Hiei, Kurama bought Masaki a baby-sized kimono in green, the same color Kurama was wearing to the wedding. Usually, swaddled up tight as he preferred it, Masaki looked like an eight-pound blanket burrito with a wad of spiky black hair sticking out the top. But although Hiei pretended to despise it, he couldn't hide the joy he felt, seeing how adorable his baby looked in the green kimono, and matching his daddy, no less. When he opened his big green eyes, they seemed to shine more brilliantly than ever.

Hiei wore the red-and-black fire demon kimono his father got him, glad both that he could fit into it and that he could dress himself again. After finishing up with the ceremonial garment, he looked in the mirror and smiled. It was nice that, once again, he could look in the mirror and truly like what he saw. In addition to that, he no longer felt a need to wear bandages on his left arm, despite the scar that remained.

After they were done getting ready, all they had to do was wait for Kuwabara, Yusuke, Yukina, and Keiko to show up, then the seven of them would head to Makai, where they would meet up with their friends who lived there. The portal they usually used headed to Raizen's former territory, and that was where Mukuro and Yomi were getting married, but it was a big territory, and the wedding venue was miles and miles away from the hospital. Thus, a temporary portal had been set up in the park near their normal one (the one to the Green Forest had since been closed up).

"You look wonderful, Hiei," said Kurama, giving his husband a warm smile as Hiei came out of the bedroom. Masaki, swaddled up in Hiei's scarf, was now cradled in Kurama's arms, although he was awake, watching Hiei curiously.

"Thank you," Hiei said. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"I've noticed you aren't wearing the bandages," Kurama observed, his gaze drifting to Hiei's left forearm.

"I just didn't feel like it." Hiei shrugged. "If anyone asks, I'll just say I got it in a battle."

"Well, you did, in a way," Kurama replied. "And you won."

Hiei couldn't help but smile at that, since he knew exactly what Kurama meant—he had been in a battle with himself.

Yukina seemed to love Masaki's green kimono, too, when she arrived with Kuwabara; she squealed with delight and cuddled him in her arms, and he didn't even cry. Sometimes Masaki cried when Kuwabara held him, and sometimes he didn't. But he never cried when Yukina held him. She was dressed in an ice-blue kimono that looked similar to her regular one, but a little fancier, for the formal occasion. Kuwabara was wearing a navy-blue one, Yusuke was wearing brown, and Keiko was wearing hers in white with a beautiful floral pattern.

"Let me make sure I've got this," said Keiko, as they left the apartment and headed to the nature park, Masaki tied securely to Hiei's back with the scarf. "We eat, do the ceremony, then party?"

"Yes," said Kurama, the only one there who had ever been to a traditional demon wedding (not counting Jin and Touya's, of course, since it had been cut short). "I guarantee that it will be a great experience."

"I just wish they would have sweets there," said Hiei. "I've started liking them again, you know."

"They won't have sweets?" said Kuwabara curiously.

"Sweets are a bit of a Ningenkai thing," Kurama explained. "If you want something sweet in the demon realm, there are plenty of sweet fruits to eat, and we make desserts with them sometimes. But there aren't things like candy and ice cream."

"That's why I always say that if there's one thing Ningenkai does right, it's food," said Hiei. "But I'll get by. The fruit desserts are going to be good, anyway."

They didn't get to the venue too early, since there were already a bunch of demons there by the time they arrived. But the feast hadn't started yet, so Kurama insisted on "mingling" for a bit. Normally, Hiei would have been vehemently against this, as he didn't like socializing with anyone outside his inner circle. But the truth was, he wanted to show Masaki off, proud as he was of his new baby.

"You don't think the crowd will overstimulate him?" said Kurama, as Yusuke and Kuwabara went off with their wives to mingle, too.

"If it does, I can take him to sit down," Hiei replied, gesturing to the rows of chairs set out for the ceremony. There were also long tables, for the feast. Kurama's wheelchair had come along, in case he needed it, but he was getting better at using a walker instead. It was good that he had retained some feeling in his legs with an incomplete injury, and that there was a chance for recovery. Hiei folded up the wheelchair and set it by one of the tables, where they could keep an eye on it.

The first people they saw, in fact, were the bride and groom—Yomi and Mukuro, with Shura in tow. Yomi was wearing a brown kimono like Yusuke's, only in a lighter shade, while Mukuro was wearing a purple one.

"Welcome to the wedding," Yomi greeted them. "It appears as if the baby has been born."

"That's right," said Hiei, not even bothering to ask how he knew this. "Don't you notice anything else?"

"You're referring to Kurama, right?" said Mukuro, glancing at him. "I see you've improved. You were still using the wheelchair at Jin and Touya's wedding, weren't you?"

"Well, I work as hard as I can every day to improve, but most of my motivation comes from Hiei and Masaki," Kurama said politely, and Hiei had to marvel at his skill at pretending nothing was wrong. Only Hiei knew how much Kurama wished he could be with his family or at his store instead of at physical therapy. Only Hiei knew how much pain Kurama was sometimes in, and how difficult it had been for him to reach this stage. To the average eye, Kurama had it together, and for the most part he did, but there were some things he just kept to himself.

"It's too bad I can't see him," Yomi remarked. "Who does he look like most?"

"Definitely Hiei," said Kurama, "but he has green eyes. And some red in his hair."

"Plus, we think he's going to be a Plant Master," Hiei added proudly.

As they continued their conversation, Hiei began to wonder if any of them were going to ask to hold the baby, although that could potentially cause problems. He felt that he could trust Mukuro to hold him, but definitely not Yomi or Shura. Mukuro, though, didn't seem to trust herself to hold him, and Hiei was fine with that. It was best, he thought, for the baby to stay with him or Kurama.

The next demon they ran into was Homura, with Ru-Ru on his shoulders. They were dressed in fire demon kimonos, just like Hiei was.

"So I see you wore your kimono," Homura observed. "It looks excellent on you, Hiei."

"You're just saying that because it's true," said Hiei with a smirk.

Homura looked like he was about to say something else, but that was when the bell sounded for the feast, and they all went to eat. Hiei still hadn't mastered one-armed breastfeeding, so when Masaki needed to be fed during the feast, he had to pause his own meal. Of course, he pretended to be annoyed when Kurama offered to help, but he secretly thought it was sweet.

"What a good Touchan you are," said Kurama, holding a spoonful of Makaian fruit up to Hiei's lips. "We can't have you going hungry, can we?"

"You're the most ridiculous fool I've ever met," was Hiei's reply, but he opened his mouth anyway and ate all he was given.

The food at the feast was especially delicious, and although Hiei could honestly say he still liked Ningenkai food more, there were some foods he had missed since leaving Makai. They were serving some of his favorite exotic fruits, and they had been made into some delectable pies and other types of desserts. Once the baby was in Kurama's arms again, Hiei ate as much as he could, not just the desserts but all the delectable goodness that could only be found in Makai.

When everyone was nice and full, it was finally time for the vows to begin. Since both Hiei and Kurama were attendants, they let Yukina hold Masaki. In this case, it would be similar to Shizuru and Botan's wedding, except Mukuro and Yomi stepped up to the platform at the same time. Yomi stood to Mukuro's left, Hiei stood to her right, and since the ceremony might not be that short, Kurama didn't stand, but sat to Yomi's left. Hiei leaned over and smiled at Kurama, so glad it was Yomi marrying Mukuro and not him. As much as they respected each other, it would never have worked out.

After the two of them had said their unique vows, it was time for the ceremony to wrap up. Hiei was glad he hadn't forgotten his lines, but they were simple.

"As is the custom," Kurama recited, "the couple will now exchange their rings."

Hiei handed Mukuro her ring, while Kurama handed over Yomi's ring. Yomi and Mukuro put the rings on each other's hands.

"As is the custom," said Hiei, "the couple will exchange their final wedding vows."

"Mukuro," said Yomi, reaching out his hands, and she quickly held onto them. "Will you take me as your husband, be my wife, and spend your days by my side, through adversity and prosperity, through feast and famine, through war and peace, as long as time shall stand?"

"I will," said Mukuro. "Yomi, will you take me as your wife, be my husband, and spend your days by my side, through adversity and prosperity, through feast and famine, through war and peace, as long as time shall stand?"

"I will," Yomi replied, giving her a small bow, and she bowed back.

"As is the custom," said Kurama, "the couple will exchange their first kiss of marriage."

Hiei caught Kurama's eye as the couple kissed, and he couldn't help but smirk. Nobody ever would have thought this possible; less than a decade ago, Yomi and Mukuro were lead players in what could have been a full-blown, devastating war. But maybe there was some sense in what she had said. Once there was nothing to fight over anymore, they got along better than expected…well enough to get married.

Once the kiss was over, everyone clapped. And now that Yomi and Mukuro were officially a married couple, it was time for the dance party. Kurama seemed a bit wistful, although of course he didn't complain, as he sat on the sidelines while most of the other demons in attendance moved in to dance. Botan was heavily pregnant by now, of course, so she couldn't dance, either. Hiei took Masaki from Yukina and went to sit down next to Kurama.

"It's okay, Hiei," said Kurama, giving him a smile. "I don't want you to have to miss out. You can go and dance."

"I agree," said Botan, her hands on her belly. "I told Shizuru she can dance all she wants. I just want her to have fun."

"Dancing is stupid," Hiei declared. The truth, though, was that he knew he would look stupid if he tried it.

"All right, everyone!" said one of the hired musicians. She was the lead singer of a band, standing on a small platform to the left of the dance floor. "Who's ready to party?!"

There was a huge cheer from the guests, most of whom had already crowded onto the dance floor.

"Before the official dance begins, I have a special surprise for you," the singer continued. "We will have a dance contest, with the members of my band as the judges. Everyone, grab a partner, and let's get started!"

As a lively guitar riff, along with drums and piano, began, the crowd cheered once more. Hiei didn't remember the song at all, but it seemed quite popular with a large portion of the crowd. To his shock, Hiei noticed his father dancing with Dr. Setchi, of all people; until then, he hadn't known she was in attendance at all, but this was the wedding of two former Kings, after all, so probably all of Makai would be there.

"Hiei," said Shizuru, heading over to where they were sitting and holding out her hand. "I need a partner to enter the contest. What do you say?"

"I-I'm not sure," said Hiei, looking at the crowd. Some of the contestants were doing some pretty complicated steps. "I don't know any of these dances."

"I don't either." Shizuru shrugged. "The point is to have fun, and I can't enter without a partner. Hurry, before it's too late!"

"Come on, do it, Hiei!" Botan encouraged. "Hiei will love dancing, won't he, Kurama?"

"Go on," said Kurama, giving Hiei a smile. "You'll love it. I'll hold Masaki."

Seeing that he was clearly overruled, Hiei sighed and stood up, handing the baby to his husband, and Shizuru led him out onto the dance floor. It was clear that they weren't going to win the contest, as he felt like his feet were going everywhere, but Shizuru was steering him through the steps as best she could. Hiei couldn't understand why he was usually so adept at anything having to do with his feet and the ground, yet when it came to dancing, he hadn't a clue.

"Where did you learn to dance?" Hiei asked Shizuru curiously.

"Kazuma and I took a class last summer," she replied casually, nodding her head in the direction of her brother, who was dancing with Yukina. Hiei was surprised to see that he was actually quite good, better than Hiei.

"But he took those hula lessons in Hawaii, and he still stunk," Hiei recalled. "How is he so good at this?"

"Maybe he just couldn't learn hula," said Shizuru with a shrug. "As long as he's not making a fool out of himself for once, right?"

"I like the way you think," said Hiei with a grin.

As the dance went on, though, a funny thing happened to Hiei. The music seemed to reel him in, to fill him somehow. His feet just seemed to move to the guitar's strains, the singer's lively voice, the beat of the drums and the of the steady accompaniment of the piano. The catchy tune boosted both his energy and his mood, making him long for more, and he realized he was beginning to enjoy himself.

It was also interesting to see how well the other dancers were doing. Homura and Dr. Setchi, for one, were absolutely amazing. Hiei would have thought it was embarrassing to have his father dancing in front of everyone, but he and Dr. Setchi really seemed to know what they were doing. Yusuke and Keiko seemed to be closer to Hiei's skill level, not really familiar with the steps or the song, while Kuwabara's dance lessons seemed to have paid off.

Once the song was over, everyone clapped and separated from their partners, and when the singer asked Homura and Dr. Setchi to step up to the platform, Hiei wasn't surprised. He saw Ru-Ru, who was standing near Kurama, cheering extra hard for her daddy.

"Thank you," Homura said, bowing. "I've always loved dancing."

"Well, you and the lady here are very talented," the singer replied. "Congratulations!"

After she handed them both a little plastic trophy, they headed back to the dance floor, and she started the next song. Hiei never even thought about heading back to his seat by Kurama. He didn't give a damn anymore if he looked like an idiot. He knew Kurama would want him to have fun, and he had never realized until now just how much fun dancing could be. Hiei hadn't spent his life in very populated places, so despite living in Makai for his whole life until very recently, he didn't know any of the songs or steps. But he didn't have to know them, because once he got the hang of it, he could dance well enough.

Hiei danced for about an hour, until Masaki was hungry again. Sweaty and hyped up with energy, Hiei sat out the next song to feed his baby. Masaki seemed to be enjoying the music, too, judging from the way his ears twitched as he listened, and the way his little body stayed calm and relaxed. It was good that he hadn't become overstimulated, as Hiei had feared.

"Well, you certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself," Kurama said with a smile.

"See, Hiei?" said Botan. "We told you you'd love dancing!"

"All right, all right," said Hiei, leaning back in his chair. "So I'm having a good time. That's what you wanted, isn't it, Kurama?"

"Of course," Kurama replied, leaning over to give Hiei a kiss. Hiei was relaxing, his eyes shut, when he heard Kurama's voice again, this time laced with disbelief: "Touya!"

Hiei's eyes snapped open and he sat upright. As soon as he did, he saw why Kurama looked so shocked. Touya looked nothing like he had back at the wedding. Hiei, through spars with Homura and Yusuke, as well as some light exercise of his own, had managed to lose a little bit of his baby weight. Touya, however, clearly had not. And it wasn't just that. Both he and Jin looked utterly exhausted. Touya looked like he was wearing eyeshadow under his eyes, and his once-neat hair looked like he hadn't combed it in days, the spiky green parts bent at odd angles and the blue part full of knots. Jin looked just as tired, his ears pointing down, and he looked like he had gained some weight, too. Their baby—who had red hair and pointy ears, just like Jin—was screeching as she floated above them, despite Touya's half-hearted attempts to grab her out of the air.

"Is this Kazekori?" Botan said finally. "She's beautiful."

"The lass be crazy," Jin said miserably, rubbing his finger in his ear. "Going out of me mind, I am…"

"Oh, that's a shame," Hiei replied, trying to hide a smirk. "She cries a lot, I see. Masaki doesn't cry too much. All you have to do is hold him, and he's a perfect little angel, isn't he, Kurama?"

"Yes, he can be," said Kurama. "Overall, I suppose he's well-behaved."

"It's so difficult to get her fed," said Touya. Even his voice sounded completely worn out. "She has such problems latching. And it hurts a lot. I don't know if it's a tongue-tie or what…but I've been doing horribly at nursing."

"Will she take a bottle?" Kurama asked.

"No." Touya shook his head. "And half the time the problem is that she's floating and I can't get her to come down. I'm always afraid she'll bang her head on something."

"It's a good thing Masaki can't float, I suppose," said Hiei, "and that he likes nursing. I had some problems the first few days, but then we got the hang of it."

Kazekori stopped screeching, choked a little, and threw up all over her dress. Then she started screeching again. Touya groaned and collapsed into a chair, his face in his hands.

"Pregnancy is so easy," he moaned. "I thought parenting would be easy, too."

"Yes, it's funny how these things work, isn't it?" said Hiei, fighting back a laugh. Pregnancy, for him, hadn't been easy at all, and he actually enjoyed parenthood a lot more. Karma's only a bitch if you are one, he thought, looking at the mess that was Touya. Normally he'd feel sorry for him, but Touya had been gloating so much about how easy his pregnancy was, and Hiei thought it was about time he faced some reality.

"I think she might need a diaper change," said Botan, sniffing at the air. "Now that I'm pregnant, I can smell things much stronger than before."

"Ugh…you're right." Touya got to his feet, though unsteadily, and headed off with Jin.

"Honestly, Hiei, you could have at least tried to look sympathetic," said Kurama, but he was smiling.

"I did try," said Hiei. "Besides, he's the one who should have looked sympathetic towards me."

"It's difficult to argue with that, I suppose," Kurama replied.

Once Masaki was finished, Hiei handed him back to Kurama and went back onto the dance floor to join the flock of wedding guests again. There was about an hour and a half more of songs, until finally, the singer announced that it was the last song of the night.

"Everyone, grab your partner," she told them, "and get ready to dance real slow."

Hiei didn't really want to do a slow dance with Shizuru, and she seemed to be of a similar mind, because she stayed sitting down, holding Botan's hand. But before he could sit down, Hiei saw that Kurama was struggling to get to his feet.

"Oh, no, Kurama, you don't have to—" Hiei began, but Kurama just smiled.

"I can do this well enough," he said. "You might have to help hold me up, but I want one dance with you tonight. Botan, will you hold Masaki?"

"Of course!" Botan reached out her arms, beaming. It looked like she wanted Kurama and Hiei to have their dance, too.

Hiei helped Kurama up and helped him walk to the dance floor, the same way Kurama had helped him up and helped him walk so many times before. Without the walker, Kurama was certainly not light on his feet, and Hiei did indeed have to help hold him up. But it was so worth it just to have that one dance with him.

The song was lovely, and the singer's voice only made it more romantic as they swayed back and forth in each other's arms, getting lost in the sound. Hiei leaned his head on Kurama's chest, listening to the beat of his heart just as well as the beat of the song, breathing in the scent of roses that had always calmed him so much. How lucky they were to be here now, just the two of them, surrounded by guests yet all alone in their own beautiful world—through adversity and prosperity, feast and famine, war and peace, as long as time shall stand.