"I am SO SICK OF BEING PREGNANT!" Hiei burst out, feeling once again that he either wanted to kill someone or burst into tears. "I am almost four weeks late, and I hate it! I hate it, I hate it, I HATE IT! JUST COME OUT! WHY WON'T YOU FUCKING COME OUT?!"

"Hiei, don't yell at the baby," said Kurama, looking concerned. "And don't swear, either."

"SHUT UP!" Hiei hollered. The tears were even harder to fight back now, not only because he was angry and upset, but also because he felt like he had wet himself again and that was extremely embarrassing. "That is IT! I'm getting the induction! If he can't come out on his own, they can just take him out!"

And with that, Hiei couldn't stop himself from sobbing hysterically. He didn't want to give birth with any medical interventions, and not in the hospital. He didn't want to get induced. And yet, he didn't think he could stand being pregnant one minute longer than he had to. What was right for the baby? What was right for him? Why was this happening?

"Come here, love," Kurama soothed, and Hiei crawled into his arms, tears still streaming down his face and turning into precious stones. Once Hiei was too tired to cry anymore (which took a surprisingly short amount of time), Kurama told him, "I'll make the appointment right now."

…

Kurama felt so bad for Hiei, and he was incredibly relieved when Hiei finally agreed to get induced. Sure, this wasn't ideal, but Kurama hated seeing Hiei in pain, and pregnancy was becoming that way for him.

"Hello, may I speak to Dr. Setchi?" Kurama asked the receptionist politely, after putting her on speakerphone.

"She's already left for the day," said the receptionist. "Is it something I can help you with?"

"Probably," Kurama replied. "I just want to book an appointment for an induction of labor, ideally as soon as possible."

"The earliest Dr. Setchi is available is Sunday the thirteenth," said the receptionist.

"It's the tenth today!" Hiei shouted. "I can't wait that long!"

"We have several other doctors that can perform inductions," the receptionist told him. "Only a few, but I'm sure you'll find them nice."

Kurama knew Hiei was having a debate with himself over this. Of course he wanted to give birth as soon as possible…but did he want someone he didn't even know doing the induction, especially if he hadn't been keen on induction to begin with?

"No," Hiei said. "Only Dr. Setchi."

"Well, then, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait until Sunday."

Hiei groaned, rubbing his hands all over his belly. Not only did he have to get induced, but he had to suffer three more days of pregnancy before he could get it. Fuck.

...

On Friday, two days before the induction, Kurama's circadian rhythm woke him just as early as always, despite the fact that he had temporarily closed his plant store down due to his injury. (Since his injury didn't prevent him from actually making his products, the mail-order service was still doing well, and they were advertising all over the place for tenants to live in their old house.)

The new apartment bedroom was smaller than the old one, and it didn't have a bathroom attached, either, but Kurama liked it all the same. It had been incredibly convenient for both him and Hiei to not have to deal with stairs anymore, and not having to drive, due to living right on a rail line, was fantastic. Not to mention they were now living in the same building as Yukina and Kuwabara, so visits with them would become much more frequent.

Kurama put his arms behind his head and gazed at the sun gleaming through the freshly-cleaned window. He loved the summertime, at least when it wasn't too hot. As he closed his eyes again, planning to get some more sleep, he sensed movement from Hiei.

When he turned to look at his husband, he was surprised to see that although Hiei appeared to be still asleep, he was holding one of the baby's new teddy bears in his arms, the way he would be holding the baby during co-sleeping. More than that…well, he wasn't just holding it, judging by the fact that the stuffed toy now had a familiar sticky purple liquid all over its furry face and nose.

Is Hiei trying to breastfeed that bear in his sleep? Kurama wondered, feeling himself smile. He remembered Hiei telling him once that towards the end of his mom's pregnancy, he had been able to not only hear, but to understand the things people around him were saying. Maybe their baby had the same ability. And if that was the case…he had probably heard that he was going to come out whether he wanted to or not, and now Hiei's body was preparing. One of the most obvious signs, of course, was that Hiei would be able to make that much milk before delivery, and that he'd be starting to breastfeed in the first place.

When he closed his eyes again and scooted a little closer, Kurama noticed another sign: the way Hiei smelled, especially from his head. At this point in his pregnancy, he was basically a walking pheromone, smell-wise. But today it wasn't so much stronger as it was…well, different. Hiei smelled unmistakably like a demon about to give birth.

Even in his human form, Kurama had a strong sense of smell, the kind that only an animal-type demon would have. And that could be quite advantageous if you were having a sexual relationship with an elemental demon—someone who had a chance to get pregnant every thirty days, no matter what time of year it was—because Kurama could always tell with his nose alone where on that thirty-day spectrum Hiei happened to be. Three out of four weeks he didn't smell much like anything in terms of pheromones, but the fourth week, when he was incredibly horny, Kurama was too, and it was partly because of the smell. That was when elementals simply had to have sex, and when other demons wanted to have sex with them. By no coincidence at all, that was the only week out of a month that elementals were able to get pregnant. The pregnancy smells were easy to pick up, too, and the fact that Kurama was the baby's father only boosted that ability.

It was a smell that made Kurama want to be closer to Hiei, and to protect him. As he tried to get some more sleep, Kurama thought about what the baby might look like. He hoped his son would look like Hiei. They would find out soon. Even though Hiei hadn't wanted to give birth in the hospital, at least they were able to plan when Hiei would go into labor. No more surprises.

Only about thirty minutes or so had passed when Kurama heard Hiei sit up in bed. He opened his eyes to see his husband staring down at his swollen breasts, and the milk trickling out. His nipples had been perky for a long time, but now they were somehow even bigger than before, comparable to small pencil erasers.

"Since when did I make so much milk?" Hiei said in disbelief.

Kurama didn't want to tell Hiei his theory about his body preparing for labor after the baby heard about the induction, because it might make him nervous, and he needed to be calm and relaxed before giving birth. But at the same time, it didn't seem right to make something up.

"It's just your body preparing for labor," Kurama reassured him. "Or, in this case, for motherhood."

"But they hurt," said Hiei. "It's like there's almost too much milk in them. And they won't stop leaking."

"Well, that's something I think I can help with," said Kurama, and he spent the morning giving Hiei some pleasant relief from the engorgement.

As the day went on, Kurama noticed more signs of approaching labor in a pregnant demon. For one thing, if Hiei's nesting instinct had been strong for the past week or so, now it was off the charts. Even when Kurama insisted that he get some rest before the "big day," Hiei always seemed to be rearranging or cleaning something, even if it was completely pointless. Kurama even caught him meticulously sorting their VHS tapes in alphabetical order, something he never would've bothered to do before.

At one point Hiei went insane and decided he needed to go to the baby store to buy the baby an entire new wardrobe, set of toys, and furniture, even though they already had all those things. He was relentless, so Kurama had no choice but to go, although he tried to put his foot down when it came to spending too much money. Hiei wanted a gargantuan fluffy pink rabbit with a red silk ribbon around its neck—probably the most un-Hiei thing in existence—and he threw a fit when Kurama wouldn't buy it.

"The baby needs this!" Hiei insisted, clinging to it desperately.

"Why on Earth would he need that?" said Kurama. "Why would anyone need that?"

"For cuddling," said Hiei stubbornly.

"Hiei, that thing is almost twice as tall as you are," Kurama pointed out. "And it's creepy, too."

"But it's on sale!"

"No wonder, they've probably been trying to get rid of it for months."

Hiei finally caved when Kurama suggested they get lunch, since Hiei was showing yet another sign of impending labor, for a demon, at least—an increase in appetite. He would need to build up his strength for the birth, so he was very hungry and thirsty all the time.

"Remember to chew, Hiei," Kurama would say teasingly, as Hiei devoured an entire cheeseburger in about thirty seconds.

Hiei seemed to have more energy just on that one day than he had in the past several months combined. It was just another fascinating part of the process, the way his entire body just seemed to work in harmony as it prepared him to give birth. That included the way Kurama felt. It was sort of like the way he had felt when he first found out Hiei was pregnant—protective, ecstatic, and full of much more love than usual.

It was a challenge for Hiei to sleep that night, for many reasons, but mostly because the baby had more energy too. He was kicking like crazy; even Kurama could tell just by placing his hands on the baby bump. Kick, kick, kick. The baby's small feet pounded against his hands as he massaged Hiei's belly, all while enjoying his scent, giving him kisses, and every so often letting his fingers stray from the baby bump all the way up to Hiei's heavily leaking breasts. Clearly, his son was just about ripe and ready to be born.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, just like Friday. Hiei had some trouble getting out of bed; he complained of the baby weighing too heavily on his pelvis, and when he was standing up, Kurama could see that the bump had "dropped." This resulted in even more trips to the toilet than usual, and Hiei had a problem; standing was almost impossible, of course, but lying down or sitting was equally difficult. It was just the new position of the baby in Hiei's body, closer to exiting. Kurama spent most of the day feeding and massaging Hiei, all while making sure he stayed calm. Recently, he had been using his arms to get out of the wheelchair and onto the couch, so he could sit next to Hiei and cuddle him, still.

"It's almost over, Hiei," he would say reassuringly. "Just a few days from now, you'll be holding the baby in your arms instead of in your body." And he'd repeat the first part as much as Hiei needed to hear it: It's almost over…it's almost over…it's almost over…

…

Yusuke wasn't normally one of Hiei and Kurama's "helpers," but he asked to come over starting after lunch when Kurama left for physical therapy. Kurama wanted to pick up a few last-minute items for the baby, so he left around one in the afternoon instead of three, promising to be home around five-thirty, as usual.

"I'll see you later, honey," Kurama said, giving Hiei a kiss before he left. Yusuke came in around the same time, apologizing for being late. Hiei coughed.

"What the hell is that stench?" he demanded.

"Oh…sorry," said Yusuke, sniffing his arm. "Keiko and I were visiting a perfume shop."

"Well, you know all smells are stronger for me," Hiei told him. "Go wash it off."

Since he was smart enough not to pick a fight with Hiei, Yusuke went to the bathroom to wash off the perfume. Hiei was feeling just as heavy and strange as ever, and he struggled to keep still on the couch. Once Yusuke came back, he sat down next to Hiei, looking curious.

"So, why did you come over here to visit?" Hiei asked. "Playing nursemaid to an overdue pregnant youkai isn't really a recipe for fun times. You might have to help me off the toilet."

"Well, you're having the baby tomorrow, right?"

"They're going to induce me tomorrow," Hiei corrected. "I don't know how long the labor is going to last. They say induced labor could possibly take longer—and it might not even work on the first attempt." Hiei groaned and leaned back, still trying to get comfortable despite the baby's new position. "You still didn't answer my question."

"I guess I just wanted to see the baby one more time before it's born," Yusuke explained. "So let me get this straight—it really comes out your butt?"

"He's not an it, and yes."

"Won't that hurt?"

"I'm sure it will," said Hiei, beginning to feel annoyed. What kind of question was that? Of course it was going to hurt. "What's your point?"

"I don't know." Yusuke shrugged. "But Keiko said that before the baby is born, I should try to feel him kick."

Yusuke hadn't felt the baby kick throughout the whole pregnancy, but Hiei wasn't really against it. So he took his hands off of his belly and nodded, leaving the space free. Although he looked extremely nervous for some reason, Yusuke still set both his hands flat on the bump. Hiei couldn't help but grin a little through his discomfort when he saw the look of shock on Yusuke's face.

"He's got a lot of energy," Hiei explained. "I'm sure he wanted to stay in my body forever, but I got sick of it and now he's going to come out whether he wants to or not." Hiei set his hands on his belly again and smiled down at the baby. "Did you hear that, little guy? Forty-four weeks is long enough. You're coming out."

They spent the next couple hours watching TV, punctuated by frequent bathroom breaks. But Hiei couldn't concentrate on the shows they watched, because around three-thirty, he got a very small pain. It felt like the "practice contractions" he'd been getting, but at the same time…no. Mother's intuition was strong, and it was telling Hiei, It's time.

But it was okay. It was more than okay—it was wonderful! Hiei wasn't nervous or scared; he was too busy feeling excited, happy, and, most of all, relieved. Of course, he had a long time to go yet before the actual birth, but labor had started naturally, and he could call Dr. Setchi to cancel the induction tomorrow. Now he could give birth just the way he had planned. He leaned his head back on the couch, feeling such a sense of peace.

"Uh, Hiei?" said Yusuke, turning away from the TV to stare. "You all right?"

Should I tell him? Hiei wondered. What if he freaked out? But then, what if Hiei needed his help? Besides, they were friends, and it didn't seem right to continue to labor without telling him.

"Yusuke," said Hiei calmly, "it's time."

Just like Hiei had predicted, Yusuke freaked out. In fact, he made a sort of raw gasping noise and fell off the couch.

"But…but I thought you were getting inducted!" he sputtered, his face white as snow.

"Yes, I was, but there was always the possibility that I could go into labor naturally," said Hiei, massaging his belly. Don't worry, little one, I'm here, he thought. I know you want to come out now.

"We've got to call Kurama!" Yusuke insisted, reaching into his pocket for his communication mirror, but Hiei stopped him.

"No, we don't," he said. "Kurama has to go to physical therapy today, remember?"

"His son's being born!" Yusuke argued. "I think he can skip!"

"I don't want him to skip!"

"Well, if you're not going to tell him to come home, we should at least tell him you're in labor," said Yusuke. "He needs to know about it."

"No, he does not," Hiei said back. "You know how he is. If we tell him, he'll be thinking about it the whole session, and he won't be able to focus on recovering. He's not going to physical therapy for shits and giggles, you know. We have to prioritize. Kurama needs to recover, and the baby's not going to be born for hours and hours. I only felt one small pain yet, and it didn't even hurt. Kurama's going to be home in two hours. The baby won't come before then."

"But Touya—"

"Trust me, Touya was the exception." Hiei sighed. "Now it's just a waiting game. We can tell Kurama when he gets home."

"Hiei…" Yusuke was still in disbelief. "You're…you're in labor. You seem a little bit too calm."

"There's nothing to be worried about," Hiei told him, but when the former Spirit Detective continued to look confused, he added, "Look, Yusuke, it's like this. My baby is almost four weeks overdue. And even then, I was ready to be done with this pregnancy. I had all those months to get ready, and now I am. My body knows what to do. I'll be fine."

"Well…all right," said Yusuke, getting back onto the couch, and finally giving Hiei a reluctant smile. "I guess this baby really is like you, huh? He didn't want to come out, but once he finds out about the induction, he does anyway, just so he can be born on his own terms."

"And more importantly, on my terms," Hiei agreed. "This is what I wanted."

"Is there…is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just wait with me, if you can, until Kurama comes home," said Hiei. "I-I don't want to be alone right now."

"Okay." Yusuke's smile widened and he gave Hiei a pat on the shoulder. "We can just hang out until Kurama gets here."

Over the next two hours, Hiei tried to relax as he waited for his husband to come home. He only had a few more contractions, and they were very mild and short. But he was completely sure he was in labor. Yusuke was a good help, too; he brought food and drinks for Hiei, to help him keep up his strength, and he helped him keep cool in the steaming-hot July weather. About a half an hour before Kurama arrived home, Yusuke helped Hiei change into a yukata, so that he would have something to wear while giving birth. Hiei didn't wear anything underneath it, not even a bra or underwear, but just like Homura, Yusuke acted like it was no big deal, so it wasn't.

Hiei wasn't in pain, at least not yet, and although his level of discomfort had increased, he was mostly excited for the baby's birth. It had just been so long, and now the baby was finally on his way out! He could still feel the kicking, the weight of the baby, and every so often a contraction that was barely noticeable. Finally, at 5:25, the door opened, and in came Kurama, along with some shopping bags.

"Oh, good, you're here!" Yusuke shouted in relief, getting up and running all the way to Kurama. "Guess what? The baby's coming!"

"Wha—really?" Kurama turned to Hiei, looking quite as shocked as Yusuke had been, minus the panic. "Now? Do we need to get going?"

"No, not yet," said Hiei, rubbing his belly. "I only felt the first contraction about two hours ago. I just want to stay here until the pains get…well, until they actually get painful."

"All right, honey." Kurama made his way over to the couch and set his hands on top of Hiei's. "Whatever you want."

Kurama and Yusuke stayed with Hiei the rest of the day while they waited for labor to progress. This was the one time Hiei actually wanted to be in pain; as Kurama said, the ability to feel pain was a strength, not a weakness. Kurama canceled the induction appointment (Dr. Setchi sent her congratulations), timed the contractions, gave Hiei massages, and cooked for him, while Yusuke helped out with everything Kurama couldn't. He even helped Hiei walk around and around the apartment for what seemed like hours (Kurama said that would help get the baby moving).

Night fell, and bedtime approached. According to Kurama and his stopwatch, Hiei's contractions were, on average, thirty-five seconds long and twenty minutes apart. They hurt a little now, about a three on Dr. Setchi's pain scale from the childbirth class, but he still wanted to try to get some sleep before he actually had to birth the baby. When he and Kurama were in bed and Yusuke had gone home, Hiei curled up against Kurama and squeezed his hand whenever he felt pain. He knew he couldn't be sure what was in store for him over the next day, but he didn't mind how it was going so far. Not at all.

...

In all honesty, Kurama had gone to sleep on Saturday night a little bit wary, as he knew it was possible that the baby would already be coming out by the time the sun rose. So when he woke up around nine in the morning, he was quite alarmed to find that Hiei was gone.

Did he go to the Green Forest without me? Kurama wondered, feeling a little hurt as he used his arms to get himself into the chair, then hurried out of the bedroom and into the living room. He was prepared to head to the Makai portal that was in the nature park nearby if necessary, but, as it turned out, it wasn't necessary after all.

Hiei was on the living room floor on his hands and knees, obviously in the middle of a horrible contraction. His teeth were clenched, his brow was furrowed, and his skin was far too red. Kurama waited for the contraction to finish, and after his husband's body had relaxed, he said, "Hiei? What are you doing out here?"

"This pain woke me up at five-thirty," said Hiei miserably, turning his head up to meet Kurama's gaze. "I…I just wanted to be alone, I guess."

It wasn't any surprise to Kurama that Hiei would want to deal with pain while nobody was around to bother him, but if it was getting that bad, maybe it was time to head to the Green Forest, the place Hiei had selected for their son to be born. Kurama decided that after the next contraction, he would start timing them for Hiei.

"How bad is it, honey?" Kurama asked, as gently as he could.

"Maybe a six," Hiei told him. "But I'll be fine."

Kurama remembered that on the pain scale Hiei was using, Level 6 had been one step above "severe period cramps." Not that he would know firsthand how bad that actually was, of course, but he was pretty sure it was no cake walk. Hiei must be in great pain.

"All right," said Kurama. "Just let me know if you want anything to eat, or if you need to use the bathroom, or your water breaks, or you want me to hold your hand, or—"

"Stop being so fussy," said Hiei. "I mean it. You're just like your mom."

"I know, I'm sorry." Kurama sighed. In truth, he'd been hoping Hiei would want to hold his hand, since he wanted so badly to be a big part of the birth. But he knew that for now, at least, he had to give Hiei some space. Part of the birth plan was that, during the first stage of labor, nobody would touch Hiei unless he asked, and nobody would speak to him unless he spoke first, so Kurama decided to go make himself some breakfast. If Hiei needed him, the living room was right next to the kitchen.

Kurama was making some tea when he heard Hiei cry out in pain again and he knew it was the next contraction. It lasted about thirty seconds—thirty seconds that seemed very long to Kurama, and he felt guilty because he knew he had inflicted this pain upon Hiei. What he wished the most was that he could take the pain on for Hiei, the way he had at the childbirth class. But he knew it wasn't possible.

For the rest of that morning and heading into the afternoon, the contractions were on average thirty seconds long, and fifteen minutes apart. Hiei didn't report them getting any more painful, and they weren't getting longer or closer together. Kurama knew things probably wouldn't progress very far until Hiei's water broke, so they needed to get started on that.

The first thing that came to Kurama's mind was for them to have sex, especially because that could relieve pain and (according to the doctor) ejaculation sped the process up considerably. But due to his injury, Kurama had been having some issues with "performance," and Hiei, huge as he was, would have to practically be a dead fish, not a good combination. But there had to be other ways.

…

Hiei's baby was in an uncomfortable position, but Kurama told him he should still try to move around. So the laboring fire demon ended up in all sorts of positions—hanging on the back of the couch, walking around the living room as he clung on the walls for support, squatting against the wall, bouncing up and down to the best of his ability on a couch cushion (they didn't have a "birthing ball"). Kurama used leaves from the Tree of Life to make some tea for him, since the tree's leaves were said to help with that sort of thing.

But even after drinking the tea, and moving around in all the ways he could think of, Hiei still wasn't sure if the baby was coming out or not. Apparently, he had sent Hiei into labor a day before the scheduled induction, just so he could be born on his own terms. Very stubborn indeed. But in the same vein, what if he had decided he didn't want to come out after all? How long would he drag this out?

"Kurama," Hiei moaned. "I-I don't think he's coming out."

"Of course he is," said Kurama. "You're in labor."

"And for how many hours?"

"Well…" Kurama glanced at his watch. "It's almost three-thirty, so…wow. Twenty-four hours."

Hiei groaned as he stood behind the couch, gripping onto the back as he moved his hips back and forth. It had been an entire day? The fact that he had been in labor for so long somehow made the pain even worse. He cried out as another contraction ripped through his body. The paradox was horrible; on one hand, he wanted to be in pain because that supposedly meant he was getting closer to the baby's birth, but on the other hand, he was getting sick of labor pain. "I told you! He's never coming out of me!"

"Listen to me, Hiei." Kurama set one hand on Hiei's back. "I know this is tough, but—"

"Tough?!" said Hiei in disbelief. "I'm in the worst pain of my life!"

"Very well, maybe it's more than tough," Kurama acknowledged. "But still, you have to try to relax. However tense you are, that will make the birth that much more difficult. Try to focus on the parts of your body that do the work, all right? Think about everything coming together in harmony to help you deliver."

"W-What do you mean?" Hiei asked, thinking that this idea was absolute crap.

"Close your eyes," Kurama instructed, so Hiei did. He jumped when he felt some plants touch him, but then he realized the plant was just giving him a shoulder rub, since Kurama wasn't really in a position to do it himself. Hiei smiled at the thought and felt himself relax a bit, as he listened to Kurama's words. "Now…take a deep breath, and picture the ninshinsu in your mind. The baby, too. Try to imagine what the baby looks like—face, hair, eyes, everything. We know he has your nose, for a start."

Hiei breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, and thought of the ninshinsu inside him—the place in his body that held the baby, the special organ that enabled a male demon to carry a child. He thought of the baby in there, swimming around, happy to be out but also maybe a little nervous. And then it finally clicked in Hiei's mind. Was that why the baby was so insistent on staying in? He was afraid? Maybe he thought Hiei was going to throw him off a cliff if he wasn't good enough. Hiei felt a little sad at this, but all of a sudden closer to the baby than ever. He felt the baby still inside him, not just in the arguably uncomfortable physical sense, but in a spiritual sense, too. He took his hands off the back of the couch and set them gently on his belly instead, one hand underneath the bulge and one on top.

"Don't worry, little one, I'm still going to be here for you after you're born, and so will your daddy," said Hiei, his eyes still closed as he rubbed his belly. "When you're not inside me anymore, I can hold you in my arms, I can kiss you and nurse you and cuddle you, and you'll still always be with me. Won't that be wonderful? Your daddy and I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

It may or may not have been a coincidence, but that was when Hiei felt his worst contraction yet. Not that it didn't hurt, but was it really his son saying he was okay now with being born? Well, whatever. Hiei remembered the doctor saying that contractions happened from the ninshinsu opening wide enough to let the baby out, so that was what he pictured in his mind as he tried to deal with this pain. He kept his hands on his hardening belly, unable to hold in a grunt of discomfort, but instead of just wondering if it would ever be over, he told himself that even if he had some time until the birth, the contraction would be over soon, and he pictured the baby and the ninshinsu in his mind—the baby with his head right near the entrance, waiting to come out. With every single contraction, that opening was growing a little wider. And somehow, the pain became more tolerable when Hiei thought of it this way. He felt more at peace.

Hiei and Kurama did everything they could to interact with their son, based on the theory that he could be lured out if they could just convince him that he would really enjoy his life on the outside. Kurama read books to him while Hiei walked around to get him moving, and whenever Hiei had a contraction, he instructed Kurama to ignore it and keep reading, while he took a break from walking, voicing his pain whenever he wanted to, listening to Kurama's soothing voice, and keeping the birth process at the forefront of his mind. He tried to ride the contractions like a wave, remembering above all else that he'd be meeting his son soon.

…

Kurama felt pleased that Hiei seemed to be a little more relaxed now, better able to handle the pain of his contractions. He was reading The Rainbabies, a book that was good in general, but also seemed fitting for the situation. It was about an old couple that longed for a child, and during the night, they found a bunch of tiny babies in the grass and raised them. After being put through test after test, they had to give up the Rainbabies, but in return, they got their own daughter. It was in English, so neither Hiei nor the baby actually understood the words, but they seemed okay with that.

"'Twelve perfect little ones, all in a row," Kurama read, smiling at the thought. Soon he and Hiei would be parents, just like the old couple in the story. "'The old couple smiled and cooed at the babies until they began to yawn and rubbed their eyes with tiny fists…'"

During this scene, he heard another low moan coming from Hiei, but he kept reading, as he had been told to do. It was supposed to help him connect with the baby, and at any rate, his voice seemed to have a calming effect.

Now that Hiei seemed to have a better handle on the pain, Kurama felt less guilty and more…well, fascinated by what his partner was experiencing as he prepared for delivery. Hiei groaned louder and sunk to the floor, rocking back and forth in a kneeling position, his hands still on his belly. He seemed to be lost in his own world, the world of birthing his baby, and that was just fine.

…

Hiei's contractions were definitely longer and stronger, but he felt calm now, and so focused on laboring, supported by his mentality and environment. Because he didn't understand English, Kurama's heavenly voice came across to him almost as white noise instead, something soothing in the background to help steady his nerves. He kept feeling for the baby, picturing his son inside him, and the ninshinsu just opening up. It was almost like if he put his mind in a different place, he was able to handle the pain so much better; though the contractions were just as intense, the pain of them felt so much more manageable than it had before. Had he really been able to achieve this by changing his mindset and his environment? It was pretty amazing.

By the time Kurama finished the book, Hiei was on all fours again, and still rocking. In the total time it took for Kurama to read The Rainbabies (about fifteen minutes or so), Hiei had been through two extremely intense contractions, and when the story was over, he was in the middle of a third. Just as his belly was hardening yet again, and it all was getting so strong, he felt a wet sort of leakage down the back of his legs, a bit like pee, but from the anal opening instead of the urethra. Hiei let out a loud, "Eeeeeyaaagghhh," which was enough to actually get Kurama to put down the newest book and look up.

"What's wrong?" he said, but then Hiei heard him gasp.

"Whaaaat."

"The back of that yukata is soaked," Kurama said, wheeling himself over to Hiei. "I think your water broke. If we're going to Makai, we had better do it now."

"Oh, man," Hiei mumbled, his brain feeling a little foggy as Kurama stretched out one hand to help him up. The contraction was over, but his bottom half was dripping with liquid, and his whole body felt tingly.

"How do you feel, honey?" came Kurama's voice, from far away.

"I don't know," Hiei mumbled, honestly unable to describe it. All he knew was that Kurama was right; they needed to get to the Green Forest immediately, lest the baby be born right here in the living room.

"Can you walk?"

"If…if I'm not contracting." Hiei grabbed onto the wheelchair. "But you'll have to guide my way."

"I can do that," said Kurama.

With that, they left the apartment, making sure to bring everything they needed. As always when he pushed it, Kurama's wheelchair helped Hiei keep his balance. It wasn't a long walk to the portal, but they had to stop every time Hiei had a contraction, and that was happening now every seven minutes or so, lasting a little less than a minute.

Hiei noticed that it was dusk, and he couldn't believe he had spent an entire day in labor, and more than that, technically. It was a quarter to eight by Kurama's watch, meaning he had been in labor for almost twenty-nine hours now. Kurama and Hiei had both eaten, and Kurama had used the bathroom equipment Hiei really didn't want to know about, but neither of them had been able to take a shower because nobody was around to help. Their friends called and offered to come over, but Hiei and Kurama both turned them down, insisting that they should just be with each other and the baby on this special day.

When they got to the nature park, Kurama searched for the portal, while Hiei leaned up against the trunk of a tree in a squat, the kind he had been doing against the wall back in their apartment. How heavily this baby weighed on his hips, his back, his bladder, his pelvis…His breasts were leaking, staining the white yukata purple, and his belly was as hard as a rock. The contraction seemed to fill his whole body, flowing through him like a breaking wave. He couldn't help but moan at the sensation, his voice loud. It wasn't pleasurable in a sexual way, but it wasn't what he would call painful, either. Just so…so intense. So strong. Sensual, maybe.

"Honey," said Kurama softly. "I've found the portal. Time to go."

…

When they reached the Green Forest, a little bit of the pressure was off. There was no more tension over when they would have to leave, because, well, they had already left. Now all they needed to do was wait.

Kurama was proud of Hiei for managing his pain so well, but also a little surprised. He had been Hiei's lover for years now, so he was able to tell the difference between Hiei's pain moan and his pleasure moan—and the noises he was making were unmistakably his pleasure moans. Kurama wasn't really sure how he felt about that as a whole, but he did know that he'd rather see Hiei moaning with pleasure than moaning with pain.

Night fell and Hiei continued to labor. He could no longer walk or talk during his contractions, but between them, he walked all around the little clearing, and he spoke to the baby, telling him all about what his life would be like when he came out.

Around eleven, Hiei was absolutely insistent on going to the large pond nearby the clearing where he had planned to give birth. He said he didn't want his baby to be born in the water, but there was nothing wrong with soaking in there for a bit before the birth. That pond was also very close to the kitsune communities, and Kurama fondly remembered swimming trips with his family when he was a child. Before his injury, he had been a strong swimmer. Hiei was a demon, so his vision easily adjusted to the dark, just like a cat's. Kurama was in a human body with human eyes, but the moon would be full in less than a week, so there was at least some light for him to use. It was nice to watch Hiei.

"This is called a pond, baby," Hiei explained, stroking his belly. Now that he was in the water, he had shed his yukata and left it on the grass, and now he was completely naked. His pain seemed to have decreased even more because he was in the water. "It's good for swimming or fishing. In a few years when you're a big boy, we can take you here, too, and you can learn how to swim."

I'd say he's a pretty big boy already, Kurama thought as he looked at the massive baby bump, but of course he didn't say it. Hiei moaned with several contractions, and Kurama wished he could join him in there, but due to his injury, it was impractical for him to try to go in now. Oh, well. The important thing was that he was a good "support person." And no matter what happened, that was the one thing he knew he could always do.

…

Around 3:30 a.m. on Monday morning—the 36-hour mark of Hiei's labor—there were no words to describe how he felt. It wasn't pleasure, wasn't pain; in fact, the two once-opposites now seemed to run into each other and interchange, supported by the common denominator of the intensity they caused. Hiei was back from the pond and in the forest again, though he was far too hot to have put the yukata back on.

The contractions were about thirty seconds apart, and they lasted ninety seconds on average. Hiei knew there wasn't much time until the baby was born. Kurama was currently out of his wheelchair and sitting against a tree, the trunk supporting his back so he wouldn't tip over. He had been learning how to do this in physical therapy, so eventually he would be able to sit up on his own again. Hiei was in between Kurama's legs, another "wave" crashing over him while he and Kurama interpreted "support person" in a rather unconventional way.

They might not have been able to have sex, but there was no reason Kurama couldn't get in some stimulation with his still-perfectly-functional fingers. Hiei leaned into Kurama's chest as the fox-demon massaged his nipples, not only as a pain-relief sort of thing, but also hopefully to help lead Hiei into the pushing stage as well. It reminded Hiei of how much he just wanted to get this over with and nurse his baby for real.

"It looks like we can safely say he's coming soon," Kurama murmured, tugging on Hiei's sensitive belly button.

"Mm…I know," Hiei moaned. "He is."

"I can't wait to meet him," Kurama whispered. "And I know you can do it, Hiei. You may be small, but you're strong. Anyone whose body can bear the Dragon of the Darkness Flame with ease can most certainly bear a child as well..."

Hiei wasn't even sure if he was listening to Kurama's words. The stimulation from his husband's soft fingers and the intensity of the contractions was, as a mixture, almost too much for him to handle. He had a feeling he was in the middle of "transition," which he had heard was supposed to be painful, and apparently he was supposed to feel like he couldn't do it…but it wasn't like that at all, for some reason. He knew he could do it, without anyone telling him so, and although his contractions rocked his insides so deeply, he still couldn't call them painful. It was almost like he was in a bit of a haze, but confident in his body and, more importantly, himself.

"How long's…it been?" Hiei panted, with barely a fifteen-second respite between contractions that lasted almost two full minutes. He saw that there was a faint glimmer of light on the dark horizon, which was surprising but somehow made him happy, too. My baby's going to be born with the new day, he thought to himself.

"It's ten to five," Kurama observed. "So…let's see…thirty-seven hours and twenty minutes."

That was still a little shocking, but no longer distressing. So that was how long the baby wanted to stay inside…but he was definitely coming, VERY soon. Hiei decided the best thing for it was to stay upright, letting gravity help him out, and he soon found himself squatting against a tree, his eyes closed, riding his contractions like waves as he just tried to focus on his body and breathing.

Before it happened, Hiei wasn't sure what to expect when it was time to push the baby out; he had never given birth or even witnessed a real-life birth before. The only "experience" that came close was what had happened to Touya at his wedding, but he had gone practically from zero to one-hundred in the time it took for him to listen to Jin's vows; he hadn't even had time for his own. That, Hiei knew, was exceedingly rare.

So he was a bit surprised when he found he was absolutely familiar with the feeling of the baby needing to come out. It was basically the same as when he needed to use the bathroom in a hurry (the baby was coming out of the same exit, after all), but a lot more intense. There was no sound but the birds singing their "good morning" songs and the soft breeze drifting through the treetops, rustling Hiei's damp hair. No one was talking to him, no one was touching him, and that was the way he wanted it. He felt completely peaceful, in tune with his body and nature both.

Hiei reached up and wrapped one arm securely around the trunk of the tree, enjoying the sensation of the rough wood against his hand. The other he used to press lightly on his opening, searching for a head. And not just any head. His son's head. Come on out, little one, he thought. I love you.

There was nothing there, but Hiei reassured himself that there would be soon. And that was when the feeling really began; even though he'd been told about this, he didn't think it was actually going to happen to him. When he let go and gave into his pushes, the baby started to come down the birth canal, leaving in his wake not pain, but something that was quite the opposite.

How could birth feel this good? Well, all that mattered was that it could, and did. The baby's head, as Hiei recalled from what the doctor told him, was pressing against his "sweet spot." Even when he moved his hips, trying to work with gravity, the head just sort of moved back and forth, giving his prostate gland quite the massage. He faintly registered that this was probably obvious to Kurama, given the physical reaction he was bound to experience, but he didn't care, especially when he finally felt a round bulge against his fingers. The baby was about to crown.

As soon as he felt his opening stretch wide to accommodate the baby's head, Hiei felt the sensation go from moderately pleasurable to absolutely euphoric. It got more intense and felt even better as Hiei pushed, just letting his body do its thing. He had been vocal this whole time, but now he was louder than ever, moaning as the feeling of being pleasurably stretched, as well as something fairly big still brushing against one of the most sensitive parts of his body, exploded inside of him.

The baby's head began to reach its largest circumference, and the burning Hiei felt only added to this experience's wonderful sensuality. His heart melted as his fingers came into contact with the baby's thick, wet hair. He had only been pushing for about three more minutes when the rest of the head came out. Hiei could feel his son's eyes, nose, lips, and chin, wet with birth fluids but clearly there and, somehow, perfectly sculpted.

"Kurama," he managed to get out, his chest heaving. "What…what does he look like?"

"He looks just like you, Hiei." Kurama's reply sounded a little tearful, but Hiei had no time to focus on that right now.

Come on, contraction, Hiei thought to himself as he waited. Come on, baby. Don't be afraid.

Hiei cradled his son's head in his hand when he pushed again, feeling the baby's shoulders stretch him once more. And then, with only one more push, in tandem with the beautiful summer sunrise, the little one slipped out of his body and into Hiei's hand. Then there were a newborn's wails echoing through the forest, scaring the birds, as Hiei lifted the baby up and into his arms.

Now that the baby was born, Hiei had no idea why he was crying, but he was. He held his son out in front of him as the little boy still screamed on. It was as if a fog had suddenly lifted, and Hiei was in complete shock. Did this baby really just come out of me?!

"Look at you," Hiei sobbed, barely able to see through his tears. "Look at you…"

Both of them were still crying, but Hiei set the baby on his chest, right in between his breasts, bouncing him just slightly. He was here, after so long. And it had been so worth it. How could he have even thought about complaining during pregnancy, he wondered, if this beautiful child was what he got at the end?

"I love you, little one," said Hiei. All he wanted to do was hold this baby in his arms for the remainder of his natural life, and he wouldn't let anyone take him away. Hiei buried his nose in the baby's hair, smelling birth, fresh and new. It was as if they were the only ones in the universe, safely cradled in their own cocoon of love. One blue tear gem leaked from Hiei's eye and fell softly to the ground.

Finally, Hiei's tears subsided, and so did the baby's. But someone else was crying, Hiei realized, as he looked up to see his husband, and the father of the baby in his arms. The fox-demon was wiping his eyes and nose with a handkerchief, but the tears just seemed to keep coming.

"You don't need to cry, Kurama," said Hiei, stroking his little boy's slimy back. "He's here now."

"That's why I'm crying," said Kurama with a sniff. "Well done, Hiei. You were amazing."

"D'you think so?" Hiei said. "I think he's amazing."

Hiei decided to examine the baby closer, to know exactly what his newborn looked like. The baby's eyes were shut, but his spiky hair looked exactly the way Hiei's had as a newborn, with only one difference—the part that was white in Hiei's hair was red in the baby's, the exact same color as Kurama's. He was also the temperature of a normal human baby, meaning he probably wasn't going to be an ice or fire user. He told Kurama all of this.

"Well, that means he will likely be a Plant Master, like me," said Kurama. "It's very unusual for an elemental to have that power, you know."

"He's an elemental? Like, a pure one?"

"Since his DNA from me comes from my human form, not my youko form, yes, he has no animal-type blood."

"But then I would have thought he'd be half-human," said Hiei.

"If I were a regular human, then yes, he would be," Kurama clarified. "But I'm not. I'm a bit of a special case, a demon in a human body. I already spoke with Koenma, and he said that since you're a pure elemental, Reikai is going to register the baby as one, too. I can feel his youki, anyway. He's definitely a demon, just like you and me both."

"So, one of the very few elementals to be able to manipulate plants," Hiei said softly, looking down at his sleeping baby. "I like that. It makes him spec—oh, Kurama, look!"

"What is it?" said Kurama, his legs still not willing to work with him. "I can't see! Is something wrong?"

"N-No," said Hiei, and he started to cry all over again. "His eyes…just look at his eyes."

It was absolutely wonderful. The baby may have resembled Hiei in terms of almost everything, but his eyes were an exact replica of Kurama's—big, beautiful, emerald-green orbs that seemed to resonate with the earth. Now it was certain. This baby really was perfect.

"His eyes." Kurama smiled. "Let me guess. Mine?"

Hiei just nodded, trying to stop crying, but he couldn't. He thought all his hormones would leave him once he gave birth, but he felt more emotional than ever.

"Isn't he perfect, Kurama?" he asked, over and over again.

"Yes, he is, he's absolutely wonderful," Kurama would always answer.

Hiei played with the baby's tiny hands and gave him little kisses, still completely unable to believe that the baby was here, and his to love forever. He passed the placenta with one effortless push and no pain. Kurama hoisted himself into the wheelchair again and headed for Hiei and his son under the tree. They waited for the cord to stop pulsating, and Kurama expertly cut it.

After a few more moments with his baby, Hiei started to wonder if he should try to nurse the baby. He had been planning on doing that, after all, hadn't he? But now that the baby was here, he had some concerns. What if his nipple didn't fit in the baby's mouth? What if his milk tasted bad, and the baby wouldn't drink it? What if no milk came out at all? What if it hurt? What if the baby bit him? (Demon babies, unlike human babies, were born with teeth, for self-defense.) Hiei took a deep breath, suddenly hesitant.

"What's wrong, Hiei?" said Kurama.

"I want to feed him, but I probably won't do it right," Hiei explained.

"You two are both beginners," Kurama reminded him, smiling slightly. "It's okay if you don't get it completely right at first. But I think if you want to breastfeed, you have to try."

"O-Okay," said Hiei, tucking the baby into the crook of his arm. Now there was another fear. What if he dropped the baby? Well, if he really was a youkai, he wouldn't be hurt by that, but still, it didn't seem like something a good parent would do. Hiei was very well aware that he didn't know what the hell he was doing as he kind of nudged the baby's head towards his right breast, but, it seemed, the baby knew exactly what was going on.

To Hiei's amazement, his newborn casually stuck his tongue out, licking away a drop of milk that had leaked out in preparation for the feeding. After that it was just a matter of Hiei hoisting his son's head up so he could latch on. Hiei understood now why his nipples had become so perky; it was so they would be easier for the baby to grab in his mouth. Still staring down in disbelief, he felt (and saw) the baby's tiny lips brush against his nipple a few times, licking it, mouthing it, getting the feel of it and trying to secure a good latch. Once it slipped out of his mouth. But he got the hang of it quickly, and soon he was latched on, drinking Hiei's milk with a look of complete contentment on his little face.

Hiei felt content, too. After his "fog" had lifted, he'd realized his opening was very sore, but the discomfort seemed to go away when he was nursing. He felt very calm and relaxed all of a sudden, almost sleepy. And most importantly, he felt so much closer to the baby. It was sort of a pull-and-tug sensation, a little strange and unfamiliar, but certainly not unpleasant. The baby was sucking, so Hiei didn't feel his teeth—that is, until he actually got bitten.

"Ow!" said Hiei, startled out of the haze he was drifting into. "What was that for?!"

"That's what baby demons do," Kurama explained. "When they're done with one breast and they want the other, they bite to let the mom know it's time to switch. You didn't know that, Hiei?"

"No, I didn't!"

"Well, just switch him around, and feed him from your left breast the same you were doing from your right," said Kurama, as the baby ripped his lips off Hiei's right nipple, which was a little painful. Then he started to whimper a little, tears leaking out of his big green eyes.

"It's okay, baby, Touchan will feed you," said Hiei, using the title he someday wanted his son to address him with. "Just give me a second."

But the baby was already crying, reaching his little arms up and grabbing for Hiei's breasts. Hiei found that it actually physically pained him a little when his son cried.

"It's okay," Hiei insisted, beginning to panic. "Milk is coming, just wait!"

Finally, Hiei managed to switch the baby around and get his left nipple in the little one's mouth. (It was a bit easier the second time around.) When the suckling began, the baby stopped crying immediately, content once more. Hiei sighed in relief.

"That's good," said Kurama. "And don't worry, they don't bite when they're done. Usually they just fall asleep."

"I think I might, too," said Hiei with a yawn.

"Hiei, you're forgetting something very important," said Kurama. "We haven't even given him a name yet."

"I'm still just not sure what it should be," Hiei admitted. "Do you have any ideas?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Kurama replied with a smile. "How about 'Masaki'? It means 'elegant tree.'"

"Well, that name does seem fitting," said Hiei. "He's going to be a Plant Master, isn't he?"

"It's not a given, but probably," said Kurama. "Besides, he was literally born underneath a tree, so even if he doesn't get powers like mine, he'll still always have a connection to the forest. That's why I liked that name for him. He'll grow into an elegant man himself, perhaps, with the beauty of nature always close to his heart."

"Hmm…" Hiei thought for a bit, then nodded. "Yes. I like it very much."

"Then Masaki it is," said Kurama serenely. Hiei looked down and saw that his baby's eyes were closed, and though he was still sucking, he seemed to be asleep. Hiei ran one hand through the baby's spiky wet hair, unable to hold back a smile.

"Welcome to the world, Masaki," he whispered, giving his newborn a kiss.

...

Hiei had already nursed baby Masaki to sleep, and, exhausted as he was, he soon followed. Kurama wanted to sleep, too, but he figured he ought to stay awake and stand vigil (they were in Makai, after all). He used his arms to get out of the chair again and sat next to them, getting a closer look at the baby. His baby. His brand-new son.

Besides his eyes (which Kurama had been told were green), Masaki was the spitting image of Hiei—same smooth jawline, same pointy chin, same small nose and mouth, same ears, and certainly the same hair, save for the red streak. His eyes were closed in his slumber, anyway, so that made him look even more like his Touchan than he normally would. He was just so absolutely beautiful and perfect.

But that made sense, Kurama thought; this, after all, had been the Miracle of Life at work, certainly much better than the video they watched at the childbirth class. It hadn't been clean (there was blood and amniotic fluid on the grass and on Hiei, and the baby especially was a mess), and it hadn't been quiet (Hiei rarely was), but Kurama was still moved by what he had just seen. It wasn't the first time he'd witnessed a birth; his demon mom had carried more litters after his, and as an adult, some of his bandit underlings had children with each other. Maybe it was the fact that Hiei had been the one giving birth, and that he had done so well, that made it special. Hiei had worked so hard over these past several months to carry their baby, and birth him, and feed him…all for the sake of their family.

Kurama wanted to hold Masaki, but he knew he couldn't do that yet, or even make any sudden movements. Immediately following the birth of a baby demon, the mother would go into instinct mode, attacking anyone who dared to come close to the baby, even said baby's father. And that was how it would be until the mother said otherwise. Sometimes it was after the baby had nursed, sometimes it was after the delivery of the placenta, and sometimes they just had to spend a certain amount of time together. If this bonding process was interrupted, it could have disastrous results (just look at Hiei's mother being separated from her baby). But the bottom line was that Kurama knew he had to stay away until Hiei said it was all right.

Since he'd had an adult brain the whole time, Kurama couldn't help but look back on his human infancy as well. He remembered that his human father (long dead) had presented his mother with a gift for giving birth—a beautiful gold necklace. For this reason, Kurama wanted to give Hiei a gift, too, for having his baby. But what? Hiei probably wouldn't want a gold necklace, or any jewelry for that matter, and any type of food probably wasn't a good idea, considering his tastes would probably change again, either back to his old ways or to something entirely new. What else was there?

Lost in thought, Kurama glanced down at the grass, and that was when he noticed the brand-new Hiruseki stone Hiei had cried for their new baby—and it gave him an idea. He plucked a blade of grass out of the ground, then used his youki to make it the exact right size for what he was doing. He drove a sharper, shorter piece of grass into the top of the stone, then tied the longer string of grass around it and stuck it in his pocket. Now, the Hiruseki stone was a necklace for Masaki to wear. The "chains" of Hiruseki necklaces were usually string, with a metal bit driven into the top, but this one would be unique.

Hiei slept through the morning and into the afternoon, when the summer sun was high in the sky and beating down on Kurama's head. The fox-demon was sleepier than ever now, having had no rest for over twenty-four hours, with the added warmth of the July sun, but he knew that in Makai, falling asleep out in the middle of nowhere with a helpless baby was a very stupid thing to do. Besides, if no one was on guard, the freshly-shed blood would call to other demons like a dinner bell.

Speaking of that, Kurama had learned in his babysitting days that newborns were supposed to eat every two to three hours, and it had been almost seven. But it was also apparent that although Hiei slept soundly, Masaki had awoken several times, and since he was still in Hiei's arms, he simply helped himself. It was pretty amazing that he was born knowing how to do that. When he was awake, Kurama noticed the stunning emerald-green eyes Hiei had told him about—and the fact that they seemed to follow him.

"It's nice to meet you, little one," Kurama whispered, giving Masaki a small smile. "I suppose you recognize me?" Kurama paused, trying to think of what to say. "Listen, Masaki…I'm sorry I may not be able to be there for you and your Touchan as much as I would like. I'm trying to recover from my accident, and I'm trying to get by the best I can, but sometimes it feels like it's never enough." Kurama laughed dryly. "Look at me, talking to a newborn. But then, I talked to you while you were inside your Touchan, so maybe it's not so crazy."

It was about half-past noon when Masaki, his eyes still on Kurama, suddenly unlatched from Hiei and let out a loud, high-pitched squeal, causing Kurama to jump and Hiei to finally awaken.

"What was that?" Hiei demanded.

"Masaki," said Kurama. "Maybe our new baby is ready to see what his apartment looks like. And he might want to meet his grandparents, too." Kurama let a little please tone slip into his voice there. He wanted his mom to meet Masaki right away.

"Ugghhh…" Hiei groaned exaggeratedly and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Get yourself in the chair again and let's head back. I'm starving."

-end-