Summary: A look into the far future. Hiei and Yarika have been married over fifty years and decide to have another child. Hiei has to reconcile some of his identity issues before his son's birth and takes a journey where he finds out what happened to his father.

Warning: Major character deaths (old age) and medical procedures. The remaining main characters are in their 60s-90s (but are still young and hot looking)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Hiei never thought he'd be part of a family. Even the bandits who had adopted him had discarded him in his early teen years because they were terrified of him. But after he had inadvertently fathered a child by the half-demon Yarika Fujimiya, he was gradually folded into the Fujimiya family to the point where his human father-in-law officially adopted him. The increase of demons in the human world and Kenji's connections with the government made this process much easier than it had been when he forged identity papers for his demon wife in order to officially marry her. Hiei thought the man was a bit crazy; after all, he had named Kuwabara his successor at his law office, and now he wished to adopt a demon ex-felon as his new son. Still, Hiei had a lot of affection for the man, more than he held for any other human, (even his brother-in-law and nephew) so he agreed in the end.

As his sister had taken on the surname Kuwabara, Hiei took on his adoptive family's surname in the human world; his presence was now officially legalized in the Fujimiya family register as kin and by the Japanese government as a resident. With that, Kenji explained to Hiei, he was entitled to his share of the Fujimiya estate upon his passing. Hiei no longer craved riches and blood like he once did as a bandit, so he had no inclination to harm his adoptive father for his estate. For years he peacefully lived in Kenji's house with Yarika, watching Yona grow up into a young lady and watching Kenji grow elderly and frail. Hiei never thought he would grow so attached to a human (other than Yusuke before Yusuke resurrected as a demon) so he was surprised at his deep grief at Kenji's passing. It was a gentle death, Kenji had died in his sleep and remained as a ghost long enough to give words to his family.

"I'm going to where my dear Hinoki is, so don't be sad for me," Kenji's ghost had told them before Botan took him away. "I will be content in the afterlife as long as you two live a long and happy life together, and as long as Yona finds her own way in life."

Hiei took him at his word, the man never lied to him, nor tolerated lies in life. After the funeral and burial and the handling of the estate, Hiei took Yarika home with him to Demon World. Hiei was prepared for the long haul with Yarika; from the time he married her, he had intended to take her with him to Demon World upon Kenji's death. He had a comfortable home ready for her. Their house was large, but it wasn't as huge or ornate as any of the former Three Kings' castles, but it was more than big enough for them and could house a number of relatives or friends. Hiei had plenty of hoard buried still that he used to pay for the construction, and Yarika's substantial savings and their mutual inheritance would provide a nest egg for many years to come.

His foresight was right on the money. Yarika liked the house as it was similar to what she was used to in the human world. For years she was occupied with the finishing touches inside and laying out her gardens, with help from Kurama to get things growing. She planted ornamental trees, some of which Hiei adopted as a perch, as old habits die hard.

The house itself much like a modern small mansion in the human world, not a high tech city-state like Yomi's place or a creepy bug-shaped fortress like Mukuro's. It had five bedrooms, the large master with a dressing room for Yarika, a bedroom for Yona and for Yukina, as well as space for other relatives who might stay over in the future, as it was reasonable to assume that they may one day have grandchildren. It was huge for Japan, but as Demon World was vast, it had a lot of open space and low prices for land in many areas. It also had a built in dojo which took up a large part of the left hand side. It also had a nice wine cellar. In short, both Hiei and Yarika found it comfortable in their own ways.

It was located far enough from the nearest town to suit Hiei, who hated city living and enjoyed solitude, but not so far Yarika couldn't go there when she wished. Hiei's battle prowess was enough to scare most from trying to invade their property, but he had to dispose of them from time to time, mostly stupid thieves and stalkers. Stupidity was the eternal constant in all three realms.

For the first few decades, everything seemed to be going well. The nearest town, emboldened by a powerful demon residing nearby and scaring off any major riffraff, developed quickly. It had its own government which deferred to the strongest demon in the area, which in this case was Hiei. This setup was common in Demon World ever since the breakup of the three kings and their countries; the strongest local demons would watch out for their home turf. Hiei rarely interfered with the town, but he kept threats away by sheer reputation and sometimes force, so Yarika would have a safe place to explore while he was away on patrol, he was kept doing so due to excelling at locating lost humans. Since the losers-becoming-civil-servants policy was kept by successive kings, it gave the losers steady jobs to keep them from causing trouble while they trained for another shot. All strong demons wanted their chance as top dog and stick it to the losers, so this model had yet to be discarded.

Yarika became involved in Demon World's domestic entertainment industry instead of the humans', some of which got exported back across to the human world. She was popular enough to pick and choose what she wished to be involved with, she still worked to keep peace between the realms. Trade was still roaring, the barrier was still down and humans had gradually become fully aware of their existence, culminating in the veil finally being pulled and demons being fully integrated into human society. Forty years had passed since the unveiling, and she had gotten her wish that those like her were far more accepted. Hiei sometimes got ribbed for his odd taste in women, but few offered Yarika harassment anymore.

During this time Hiei did get lucky. Due to the match-ups in one tournament being in his favor, he had finally achieved what he had threatened to do for years: win the tournament. Some feared what the notorious former bandit would do with the reins of power, but fortunately for them, Hiei had a wife with plenty of ideas who told him what to do. Hiei, like many demons, had lusted for power but had little idea what to do with it once achieved.

Shortly after his win, Hiei lay in bed with Yarika massaging the tension out of his back and shoulders. It had been two weeks since he had won and he had been bombarded with requests for this and that, including lobbyists who wanted to make human-hunting legal. He was tense from dealing with them. Although Kuwabara had sadly passed away by then from old age, his family line was still extant through his son and the thought of having his human kin or Yusuke's descendants murdered for meat didn't sit well with Hiei. Time had changed him to be more sympathetic to humans, even if it was only because he had human relatives.

Yarika added more oil to her hands and resumed rubbing. "If I may suggest something, perhaps you can encourage scientists to improve upon technology to create lab-grown or even wholly artificial human meat. Humans who don't want to kill animals are doing something similar."

"Hmm, that's not a bad idea," murmured Hiei, relaxing. "If the traditionalists who want human meat would go for it, that is."

"All you need is a highly influential human-eater to endorse it, and the masses will accept it." Yarika's experience with stardom and promoting products had proved that anything she promoted, her fans would be willing to try. Hiei had been in awe just how easy it was to get humans and many demons to do and buy things when he found this out. "There will be holdouts, but you can convince most if you can get endorsements."

Hiei finally allowed himself to fully relax, knowing he was very lucky to have a wife with insight into things like this. Maybe being king wouldn't be as stressful as it was shaping up to be with a clever consort by his side.

They met with Mukuro to discuss this idea. Mukuro, being experienced with ruling a country, might have some good advice, even if she was a traditionalist.
"I never cared where my meat came from, but I won't deny that public opinion is shifting away from eating humans," said Mukuro. Raizen and Enki really screwed the pooch on that one, in her opinion. "I can afford my supply, but the poorer human-eaters are hungry and restless."

"Change is inevitable," said Yarika, "It's the universal constant, nothing stays the way it is forever. The majority has shifted to wanting peaceful relations with humans, finding ways to not eat them would go a long way toward that. Filling their bellies would be a good strategy to win supporters."

"You have a point. Even us traditionalists can't stop progress for too long." Mukuro's willingness to tolerate change had vastly increased after meeting Hiei, and while still disliking changes, she had stopped resisting them. "If they can create meat that sits well in my stomach, I'd be willing to supplement my diet with it as an example. Even humans give me digestive upset sometimes."

"I'm not surprised, you never know where they've been," joked Yarika, which earned her a chuckle from Mukuro. Yarika remained a favorite with Mukuro, primarily because she still amused the scarred former king.

The three discussed further ideas for improvements to the realm. Yarika opined that having universal access to education would provide demons with less incentive to take the path of banditry and vice. Having been raised as a human, Yarika valued education. She also thought that child welfare matters could have some oversight, since cases of abandonment and trafficking were still far too common.

Mukuro agreed. She wasn't so irredeemably terrible that she wanted others to endure what she did, and had never allowed slave traders in her realm. "Those are good places to start from. You won't be popular with lowlifes, but average demons will probably be thankful for improvements to their lives."

With the blessings of his former boss and support from Yarika, Hiei went ahead and made his decrees. Most were surprised that the notoriously violent and cynical Hiei even bothered trying to improve Demon World, some calling him soft.

Yusuke and Kurama knew Hiei was doing it mainly to make his wife happy and create a less harsh world for their descendants, who would be at risk. Hiei didn't want his future grandchildren to be victims. Although he didn't care much about other demons as a whole, he did care deeply for his family. As Hiei's wife, Yarika was protected by his ruthless reputation, no one would dare touch her unless they had a death wish. In the fifty years they had been married, Hiei had only needed to make examples out of a few such foolhardy types, leaving their bodies in public as a reminder to others who coveted his Yarika. Yona was well able to take care of herself thanks to his training, so he didn't have to go to such lengths to protect her as he did Yarika.

"Hiei's whipped, even as a king," Yusuke said to Kurama. After being widowed after over 50 years of marriage, Yusuke had returned to Demon World where he spent most of his time with the monks that had served Raizen. His heart still belonged to Keiko, and like Raizen, Yusuke deeply mourned the loss of his love. Keisuke was still alive, with descendants of his own. Yusuke looking his own grandson's age had made family gatherings awkward so Yusuke had been avoiding them all lately, outside of occasional calls and an annual visit to Keiko's grave.

"Just as well, he never gets up to any good left to his own devices," replied Kurama. His Youko self merging with his Shuichi self had stabilized, becoming something of a hybrid that may not be as long-lived as his original incarnation, but was superior to a flesh-and-blood human. Kurama didn't mind this so much, he had been a loyal son to Shiori until the day she died. He meant to live his life in a way that honored her until he himself died.

The decrees were put into effect with some grumbling, but what the king said went. The development of human meat alternatives was in swing, with interest from less bloodthirsty types who didn't relish the hunt but still wanted a meal they could digest. Raizen's old warrior monk followers were particularly interested. The decree to allow young demons a basic education was obeyed, with all formal settlements setting up at least a one-room school to teach basic literacy and math skills for their young, with progressive cities founding more higher learning opportunities. The push for better welfare for children and for low-class demons was mostly well received, as low-class demons vastly outnumbered the high-class demons. More and more pockets of demon world were springing up with stable municipalities comparable to human world ones, including the corner that Hiei and Yarika were now occupying. By the time Hiei's term was up, the small town nearest their estate had expanded to a small city. Yusuke took the mantle from Hiei, as the worst of his grief for Keiko was spent and he needed something to fill his days with besides training with monks.

During Yusuke's tenure, Hiei noticed Yarika looking a little dull, dissatisfied even. He even tried and failed to pick a fight with her so they could loudly and destructively make up (they often destroyed their bed making up from a severe argument) as they often did when things got too monotonous. She didn't kick him out of bed like she did when he did or said something insensitive until he apologized, but still just lay quietly beside him. His anxiety flared up thinking it was perhaps that she was simply unhappy being with him. He had sworn to himself that since she was stuck with him for life, he'd do his best to make her not regret it.

Finally he got the nerve to say something. "You've been acting strange. What's wrong?" He hoped it wasn't him.

Yarika sighed. "I've been missing Yona a lot lately. This place feels big and empty with just the two of us."

Hiei shrugged. He liked being alone with Yarika, or he liked being alone, period. It's not like they never saw Yona, Yona always visited for new years' and other assorted times, sometimes with whoever she was seeing at the time. "You never seemed to mind it before. You have had plenty of guests over." That was true, Mukuro sometimes invited herself, Kurama or Yusuke sometimes did as well, even Yukina and Yuuhi visited on occasion. Once in a blue moon guests like the Cult Trio and Enki and Kokou were in the neighborhood and stopped by for tea, as they had plenty of room for entertaining guests.

"I'm not unhappy… but I feel like we've all gotten into a rut, and it is kind of lonely here sometimes."
Hiei paused before answering. "Is there something you want? I'll do it for you, within reason." He occasionally brought back baubles and other nice things for her like a good mate or took her to places with scenic views. As a former bandit, he knew what quality goods looked like and was familiar with much of Demon World.

"Is that a promise?"

"Yes." Hiei sometimes hated it, but she always got her own way. Sometimes it was easier to just agree beforehand.

His word secured, she made her bid. "I want to have another child."

Hiei blanched. He was not expecting that. "We have one already."

"Yes, and she's grown up and been out doing her own thing for years. I miss having a child around."

Hiei frowned and told her he had to think about it, since a child wasn't some trinket he could fetch.

Knowing he was bound by his word but also needed to get used to the idea, Yarika didn't bring it up again until a fortnight had passed. Hiei was conflicted the whole time. While he had dealt surprisingly well with having Yona unexpectedly, Yarika now wanted a planned child, he could see now that she'd been wanting for a while, but didn't want to force him into it. Her happiness really did matter to him. He just wasn't sure that he was ready for it. Well, she never said when she wanted the baby.

"I was thinking I'd like to have a boy this time," she announced.
Hiei paused, not expecting that either."I thought your kind only had girls."

"It's possible, though extremely rare." she explained. "The traces of toxin in our bodies tend to poison our male offspring so they almost always miscarry before we even know we're pregnant. I'm thinking that if I didn't carry this one myself, it'd make it. I know there are specialists in that sort of thing that could make that happen, like how Yomi got Shura."

Ah, that's right, thought Hiei, he'd read books on rare plant demons like her and it briefly mentioned something like this happening. "Why do you want a boy?" he wondered out loud.

"I was thinking it'd be nice to have one like you. We could have an army of daughters easily, but a boy would be something special since my kind wouldn't naturally have them."

Again, this was strange to Hiei. Although he'd resolved a lot of his personal issues over the last several decades and accepted that Yarika truly did want to be with him, but he was uncomfortable with the thought of having a child just like him.

"Fire demons are not easy to raise. They're naturally aggressive, and they tend to burn things around them indiscriminately until they learn control." He should know. He remembered everything from the womb and beyond. He was a very aggressive baby even before he could crawl, he barely tolerated necessary handling from the bandits before either biting them or burning them.

"It doesn't matter to me. I believe that nurture can overcome nature the vast majority of the time. We aren't dealing with an animal that lives by pure instinct, we are dealing with a little person."

Hiei's personhood had been denied to him along with his mother's loving care at birth. He was not a person to the ice maidens, he was a curse. To the bandits, he was a wild killing machine. But Yarika wanted a baby fire demon just like him and had already deemed him as a person she wanted to nurture despite not existing yet. Yarika was clearly determined to have her way and love this child no matter what. This convinced him to give in, despite his nagging doubts.

"If you can find someone that could do that, we'll go from there," he said. That suited him. It would likely take a long time for her to find someone with the facilities to do so by herself, by then she might grow out of the desire. He was now willing to do it to make her happy, but hoped to put it off as long as possible.

He didn't have to wait long. Through her connection, Yarika eventually located a fertility clinic that catered to demons who either wanted clones or had difficulty conceiving due to being the same biological sex or had species barriers between partners. Hiei made a fuss out of going so far out of their way to get a kid, so Yarika had to convince him to hurry up by threatening to get Yusuke and Kurama to carry him, just like that one time they took a group photo after the Dark Tournament and had to force Hiei to be in it. Hiei knew she meant it, so he quit resisting but kept complaining the whole way.

As it turned out, the very same demon who had cloned Shura from Yomi and genetically altered him was the owner of the whole operation. Her success with Shura had made him the go-to for those wanting fertility assistance, although her fees could be astronomical for those who wanted a pint-sized dynamo like Yomi did.

"Ah, if it isn't former king Hiei and his mate Yarika," She said. "Please, come in. I am Doctor Shiyo, fertility specialist to the elite of Demon World."

They all sat down in her lavish office, clearly business had been booming. "If you're here, you must be wanting a child. We have plenty of ways to accomplish that," she said, businesslike. "I've helped those of the same sex have children and I've cloned them from individuals, like how I created Shura. I've even created hybrids no one thought possible by genetic alteration. I've even created artificial demons from the ground up. Of course fees vary, depending on how much work is involved."

"I suppose that choosing the baby's sex would be included?" asked Yarika.

Dr. Shiyo nodded. "That would be quite simple to do."

Yarika sighed sadly. "We can easily have daughters naturally, but I really want to have a boy. Unfortunately my body would poison him and I would miscarry."

"Of course we can do that. In your case it would be easy to do. A simple in vitro procedure, and a tank setup. Do you want genetic alteration for enhanced attributes?"

"No. I just want a healthy baby boy that's as natural as possible."

Dr. Shiyo looked disappointed. "Very well. First, we'll need to harvest your eggs after a cycle of drugs and Hiei will need to provide a semen sample so we can create your child."

Hiei spoke up at last. "How will we know that they won't be misused? I don't want clones running around."

The doctor had the answer to that. "We have the highest security standards, so no one but authorized personnel will have access to your genetic material. Everything is labeled by codes, so that no one but me and my most trusted assistant would know your samples from anyone else's. After all, I have clients like Yomi and it wouldn't do if someone stole his genetic material. We destroy any unused genetic material after a successful birth unless you wish to use it for further children."

Hiei seemed satisfied with this answer. "See that you destroy it. I don't want to have to kill you."

"Hiei!" scolded Yarika. Hiei still had the bad habit of threatening people.

After a round of various fertility drugs tailored to her physiology Yarika endured the uncomfortable procedure to harvest her matured eggs, while Hiei provided a deposit in another room, grumbling the whole time about having to do this, jacking off anywhere near others was embarrassing. Maybe the procedure would fail, he thought, and that would be that.

It didn't fail. They were informed shortly after that their new son was growing beautifully in his petri dish, ready to be implanted.

"The egg fertilized with no issue. Analysis indicates no genetic abnormalities. He should be perfectly healthy, all that is left to grow him to term," said the doctor. Hiei saw the excitement on Yarika's face and felt better about the hassle providing her another child in this roundabout way. He sighed, resigning himself to dealing with a mini-me that would no doubt be a murderous hellion, hopefully one with a sweet spot for his mother.

Yarika went frequently to visit their son's growth chamber in the following months, to bond with him as much as possible before he was born. She believed that the more attention he got in artificial utero, the tamer he'd be when he was ready to come out. Hiei was reluctant to go visit with her, he remained at home brooding about the months to come. For the first time he had even started wondering about his own father, the one whose name was only known to his late mother. He wasn't entirely wallowing in it, however. He did make an effort to make the house fire resistant, and obtained sealing bindings like he'd had to wear around his own swaddling clothes to contain his fiery aura. He wouldn't allow Yarika to be hurt, so having them around just in case was wise.

Yona came home, both to spar with him and catch up on everything going on.

"What's wrong, Dad? You're off today," she said, after getting in some easy hits.

Hiei picked himself up off the ground and wiped the grit off his face. "Did your mother tell you? You're going to have a little brother."

"Yeah! I'm excited, I've always wanted a little sibling." Yona was aware that Hiei had some personal issues owing to his abandonment and being raised by bloodthirsty bandits, and that was the main reason she was an only child for many years. He may have successfully raised Yona, but there was no guarantee future offspring would turn out so well. Kenji was long dead, so the new baby wouldn't have an alternate father figure like Yona had. This was wearing on Hiei's mind and playing on his fears about parenting.

Yarika noticed his moodiness. "I think we need to go away for a bit, I think the baby will be fine if I don't come to see him for a little while."

"Do you really think he notices when you do?"

"I think so. As small as he is right now, he calms down when I talk to him. He's not much of a looker yet but already he's quite active."

They set out to take their little vacation into an area in Demon World where lawlessness still reigned supreme and the wilderness was mostly pristine. Hiei preferred pure wilderness to any resort, it felt nostalgic to be in a territory that wasn't directly governed. Hiei was more than capable of protecting Yarika, so as long as she stayed close, he didn't fear for her safety. Now and then they ran into other demons, the vast majority of whom knew who Hiei was. They offered him little violence if they did.

A few days in, the weather turned bad. They sought shelter in what looked like a rundown cabin that Hiei located with his Jagan, ready to kill whoever was in it if they objected to company. A pair of demons was camping out in it and had already built a fire.

An orange-haired demon looked up and turned pale, like he'd seen a ghost.

"Haijin?" he gasped.

"No, fool," said Hiei. "You don't recognize your former king?"

The demon laughed nervously. "I'm sorry, I mistook you for a ghost. you look so much like someone I used to know."

Yarika sat near the fire to warm up, leaving the men to their verbal exchange. The pair of them didn't seem to mean them harm, they were probably just nomadic fighters looking for a challenge.

"I know you, you're that actress," said the green-haired demon.

"I am," said Yarika. "My husband and I are just taking a little camping trip."

Hiei made himself comfortable regardless of the demon pair's wishes. "Who is Haijin?"

The orange-haired demon, who was named Enshoku, answered him. "An old buddy of ours, we used to spar and roam the land way back in the day. He died a long time ago. You look a lot like him, with a different eye color. His were gold. He had the same face and the same hair as you. You look like you could be his son."

Hiei went quiet. Yarika was the one who asked the question Hiei was thinking. "What happened to him?"

"He was a hot-blooded fellow, one day he picked a fight he couldn't win. We found him and buried him near Thief Falls, by that funky rock formation that looks like an ogre," explained the green haired demon, whose name was Rokujou. "Poor devil, he got himself killed before he could elope with his gal. Pity, he was a hell of a guy. He was hot-tempered and arrogant about his fighting prowess, but he was an affable guy otherwise. The ladies found him charming, that ice demon girl in particular was smitten with him after he laid on the charm. She was timid around him at first, but after his bad jokes and some good wine she warmed up to him pretty quick. He liked her a lot and meant to steal her away from her village which forbid men, but he never got the chance. I wonder what happened to the poor broad."

Hiei's eyes widened. So that's what had happened to his father, he thought. There was too much similarity to be a coincidence. Hiei frowned and thought it over. So this Haijin actually had cared for Hina, but had been killed before he and Yukina were even born. If Haijin hadn't died, Hiei and Yukina would have grown up together far from the glacier. While Hiei felt resentment at his father for dying like a fool, he was at least comforted that he liked and hadn't meant to abandon Hina.

Enshoku and Rokujou gladly shared their food and wine with Yarika and Hiei. The two were apparently a couple who enjoyed the nomadic life and fighting those they came across, but were otherwise quite jolly. They had missed their third musketeer and treated Hiei like he was his old man much to Hiei's bewilderment. The two got rowdy with him and refilled his cup unasked. Hiei made several sarcastic quips that left the two in stitches.

"You two make a cute couple," said Enshoku. "How long have you been together?"

"Over fifty years," said Yarika.

"Ah, we've been together for ninety or so. We liked Haijin, but he was a bit of a third wheel sometimes. Any kids?"

"One daughter who's grown up and a baby son."

"You ought to go home to him soon, then" said Rokujou.

"We will," said Hiei.

Hiei felt much better about being a parent when they returned. He went with Yarika to see his son while the kid developed. Hiei was a little creeped out when he saw the room and its occupant. The dimly lit room was reminiscent of the healing chamber Mukuro had placed him in after being dismembered. In a tank tabled with a serial number floated the fetal form of their son, his placenta attached to an artificial womb wall that fed him the nutrients he needed to develop. He got a closer look. The kid still looked more like a spindly alien than either of them. He was kicking out his limbs like he was sparring with an invisible opponent.

"He can hear us, so watch your mouth," said Yarika. "I don't want him picking up bad language before he's even born." The warning was not unjustified, as Hiei's language was not exactly refined.

"Hn," said Hiei, not liking the fact that this child was aware of them.

"Hey there little one," Yarika crooned through the glass. "Mommy is here. Daddy is here too." The spindly little being ceased his solo training and turned his head toward the sound of her voice.

"He knows me," said Yarika. "You should say something so he knows what you sound like."

"Like what, exactly?"

"Something you think he needs to hear."

Hiei thought. "Hey, kid. We need to get one thing straight. When you're born you are absolutely not to harm the women in our family, especially your mother, in any way. I know it's fun to burn and bite things, but you need to control yourself."

The baby heard him. His eyes, a dark, indeterminate color, opened halfway and stared hazily at him. Hiei stepped back, startled. Hiei got the uncomfortable feeling that the kid understood him, the same as he himself had started understanding in the womb.

"Oh, he's never done that before," said Yarika. "I think this is the stage where they're able to first open their eyes." She thought. "We should start thinking about what to name him. I think we should call him after my father."

"That would only be appropriate." Yona had been named after their mothers so why not name the boy after Kenji?

"Do you have any suggestions?"

Hiei thought a long time. He scratched an itch on his arm, the one with the dragon tattoo on it. It peeked out through the bandages before Hiei set them straight. "How about Kenryuu?"

Yarika smiled. "I like it. How about you, son? Do you like that name?" she asked. The baby did a little flip in his amniotic fluid. "I think that's a yes."

It was a long wait for Yarika for Kenryuu's birth. She nested with a vengeance, preparing his little outfits and his nursery. Between fits of nesting, she went to read to him or sing him little songs. She also made sure to pamper Hiei with affection and made his favorite meals so he wouldn't feel resentful of the baby taking up her time even before he was born.

The day he was born soon approached. It was a rather unceremonious affair compared to a natural birth, but after his airway was cleared and he had started to squall, Kenryuu was handed to Yarika, squirming hard in his blanket. He settled down as soon as she held him to her bare chest, as she'd opened her shirt before receiving him.

"What are you doing?" asked Hiei.

"Newborns should have skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible after birth and throughout infancy. It's beneficial for their development and for bonding."

"That is correct," said Dr. Shiyo's assistant, pleased to see that Yarika was well-versed on caring for babies already.

Hiei waited, tense, for the Kenryuu's aura to start burning Yarika as he dried out, ready to snatch him away. But he never manifested it, that is, until Hiei himself held him. He could feel Kenryuu's flaming aura, but of course it didn't affect him at all. Kenryuu's violet eyes opened, looking Hiei right in the eye.

A thought come to Hiei, his Jagan picking up his son's thoughts directed toward him. You said not to hurt her.

Good boy, Hiei thought back at him.

Kenryuu was willingly holding his power back, showing control most newborn fire demons lacked. It wasn't perfect, but he didn't want to hurt Yarika, she who already loved him dearly and made every effort to bond with him. Since Hiei could take it, he didn't bother holding back. He also didn't hold back when he was handled by the medical staff; although as they were not particularly vulnerable to fire, they just wore heat-resistant gloves and used the seals Hiei had helpfully provided them over his swaddling clothes when he got too hot to handle.

As soon as Kenryuu was medically cleared and the bill for his creation paid, he went home with his parents. The first weeks were hard on Hiei, as Yona was a toddler when he met her and he had briefly held Yukina's twins when they were born, but he otherwise had little idea what to do with a baby. Yarika patiently showed Hiei how to care for their son, how to feed him, how to clean him, how to swaddle him and how to soothe him. Her gentle care was a far cry from what he remembered from his own infancy among the bandits; he was mostly ignored unless he needed feeding or cleaning, until he was old enough to begin learning to steal and to fight.

Kenryuu allowed Hiei to do the necessary for him, sometimes even cradle him without too much fuss, but he rarely fussed when Yarika did it. With her he was as gentle as a newborn lamb. With Yukina or Yona, he obeyed his father's order not to hurt them but soon began to fuss until he was given back to his mother. Yuuhi declined to hold him, as she wasn't terribly fond of babies, but she grudgingly admitted her cousin was cute.

Yusuke came by after things had settled and Kenryuu was thriving. "I hear you have a new rugrat."

Yarika showed him the baby who she had dressed in an ogre onesie with a tiger skin loincloth printed on it and a horned hood, a gift from Koenma who still wished to keep on their good sides. "This is Kenryuu."

"Hey there, little man," said Yusuke, reaching to pat the spiky hair that Kenryuu had inherited form Hiei. "You look just like your old man. Same glare and same hair, only you're missing the third eye."

Kenryuu narrowed his eyes at the hand and grasped it when it came close, biting it.

"Yowtch!" cried Yusuke, nursing his bitten hand. "I think he got down to the bone!"

Kenryuu buried his face in his mother's chest with one eye peeking out, daring Yusuke to try to pat his head again. Hoskushin, who had tagged along with Yusuke, asked Yarika if she had any bandages.

"Sorry about that, Yusuke," said Yarika apologetically. "Kenryuu dislikes being handled by anyone outside the family," She fetched the first-aid kit, now usually employed for house-guests who tried to touch the adorable baby fire demon.

Kurama also stopped by, bearing gifts. He wisely didn't try to touch Kenryuu like Yusuke had. "I heard from Yusuke that you have a piranha on your hands."

Hiei smirked. "Kenryuu can protect himself."

"Well it's not good if he's always biting hands, so I brought him an indestructible teething ring."

"That's thoughtful. He's already destroyed some of his toys," said Yarika. Yarika offered the teething ring to Kenryuu, who grasped it and promptly went to town on it, making cute growling noises as he gnawed. Even Hiei privately thought that it was an adorable sight to watch.

Mukuro also came to inspect the baby. It didn't phase Mukuro one bit when Kenryuu violently objected to her holding him, as she was incredibly powerful and he was a mere infant. "He's just like his father," she remarked. Kenryuu looked confused, usually people minded when he bit or burned them. For the first time in his short life, he looked spooked and quit resisting, giving her dirty and anxious looks the whole time. When Yarika took him back, he buried his face in her front, whimpering.

"I think he knows he's far too outmatched and he doesn't like it," remarked Yarika, soothing him.

"He will be a strong fighter," said Mukuro. "Raise him up right like you did Yona, Hiei."

Not even steel wool could scrub off the proud smirk Hiei had on his face. "Of course I will. What sort of father would I be if I didn't train my children?"

As a toddler, Kenryuu showed just as much potential as his big sister, with a lot more bloodlust. By the time he was five he was happily taking out prowlers and those who showed too much interest in his mother. When Yarika took him with her to go shopping, he stayed close to her to protect her from her fans, sometimes shooting flames out at those pressing Yarika for an autograph.

Kenryuu happily bounced in, clothes covered in blood and clutching flowers. "I picked you some flowers, Mom," he said. He'd killed a prowler on his way, he was better than any guard dog around the estate.

Yarika was used to her son coming home like this. She took the bunch of wildflowers and kissed his forehead. "Thank you, my sweet boy. Go wash up and change." Kenryuu glowed with the praise and obeyed.

Hiei was relieved that his son wasn't a wanton killer like himself at the same age, as his standards for his children were higher than for himself. He and Yarika had taken pains to channel Kenryuu's natural fire demon aggression into a productive direction, namely home security. Kenryuu was particularly devoted to protecting his mother, who he was very close with. He was a typical sweet little boy with her, mostly obedient to Hiei, and cordial to friends and family. Yarika had insisted on teaching him manners, so he wasn't as rude as Hiei was, but that fire demon arrogance came out with strangers. He was rather aloof with them, partly because he was a bit shy and didn't know how to engage, so picking a fight was his way of saying hello. In private he was much warmer and more openly affectionate, valuing his family above all else. Kenryuu was very much his father's son, and his mother's baby.

What Hiei didn't like was that Kenryuu was the ultimate cock-block. He clung to his mother most of the day, leaving Hiei little opportunity to get close. After Kenryuu walked in on them at night claiming bad dreams and wanting to sleep with them for the umpteenth time, Hiei put a lock on the door. Night was his time to spend with Yarika.

When Yarika next left the realm filming a human-demon collaborative project, Hiei found himself alone with his son for a several week long stretch. While he now felt more confident about parenting this go-round, the fact remained that Kenryuu was much less attentive than Yona and far more reckless. Like he did with Yona, Hiei took the time and effort to train his son for battle without taking shortcuts or allowing unnecessary risk. As they were both fire demons, Hiei could also impart more of his skills on Kenryuu than he could on Yona, which were all dangerous.

It sometimes frustrated Hiei trying to keep his son from attempting techniques beyond his capability. Hiei knew how dangerous that was: he himself had narrowly avoided permanent loss of the use of his right arm the first time he called the dragon of the darkness flame as a teenager. He didn't want to admit it, but it scared him to think that one of his own children could make such a horrible mistake like he did and be maimed for life. Kenryuu loved using fire, although he was frustrated that he could only use mortal flame techniques. Hiei refused to teach Kenryuu his stronger techniques, fearing the boy would try to call the dragon instead of the lesser darkness flame techniques if he did with terrible consequences. All demons but Hiei who had used the technique had succumbed to it. If that happened with Kenryuu, Yarika would never forgive him.

Hiei had errands to do, he left one of the few staff they employed in charge of the estate to guard it until his return. Like many powerful demons strong enough to rule, he now had groupies trailing after him; and to minimize annoyance, he put the most trustworthy to work looking after his family and home from a guard house on the property. It kept them feeling useful and gave him loyal soldiers to use if he should ever need them. Yarika employed her own help when needed, including the ever-present personal assistant. She could usually get Yona to look after her little brother when she and Hiei had to be busy, but sometimes an outside babysitter had been needed. Hiei made sure to vet each and every one by reading their minds to check for any threat to himself of his family. Being a telepath was highly useful in this instance.

"Where are we going, Dad?" asked Kenryuu, trotting dutifully after him. Like Yona, Hiei made a point of spending time with Kenryuu, utilizing parenting skills he had learned like positive reinforcement instead of corporal discipline. Sometimes Hiei did have to get physical because of Kenryuu getting reckless, since it was hard to stop a riled-up fire demon from hurting himself or others; but he avoided it when possible.

"Weapon-smith. You broke my last good sword, remember?" Kenryuu had gone overboard and destroyed all available weapons during practice, unlike Yona who had treated hers with care. Hiei had not been pleased but he held back and gave Kenryuu a stern lecture instead of a beating like he'd have gotten as a small child for breaking things. Kenryuu was impassive and sulky at first, but later he apologized for it upon Yarika's urging.

Kenryuu had never been to the weapon-smith before. He was instantly fascinated by all the shiny finished weapons and the ones in progress. While Hiei haggled with the clerk over some swords, Kenryuu took in all the various swords and other blades for sale. He wandered into the area the smith was working in. He stared at the glowing-hot lump of steel the smith was hammering, his eyes big and bright. He forgot to be aloof in his fascination. "Cool!" he declared.

"You like this, kid?" asked the smith.

Kenryuu nodded, noting the strength that went into hammering out the edge. "It looks hard."

"That's right. A lot of strength and finesse goes into it. You look like a sharp kid. Maybe you can try your hand at this when your skinny little arms are bigger and can handle the tools."

Kenryuu nodded. Fighting was fun, but making weapons might be cool, too.

Hiei took Kenryuu on a training trip after collecting his brand new weapons. Much like he'd done for Yona as a child, he intended to train Kenryuu into a top fighter. "We can use this time to train without distractions. When you're ready, you can try your hand at the Demon World Tournament like your sister."

"Will Mom let me?" asked Kenryuu.

"Only if you drop out when faced with opponents you can't win against. There is no division for children, so you're up against adults who can and will kill you, so it's better to give up if you can't win and fight another year. If you don't, she'll probably kill me for letting you get killed."

Kenryuu was dubious. "Mom is way weaker than you."

"She couldn't kick my ass, but still..."

"Mukuro can kick your ass six ways from Sunday." Kenryuu feared Mukuro, knowing instinctively that she could end him in point five seconds if he angered her. With his arrogant attitude he was right to fear her, he trod lightly when he saw her. His mother and Yona was more easygoing with Mukuro, as they never forgot their manners with her.

"Your mom is scarier than Mukuro," said Hiei in a matter-of-fact tone. "She's like Kurama, being on her good side is best since she could do worse than simply kill you."

"Then why did you marry her?"

Hiei sighed, not believing he was having this conversation with a six-year-old. Little boys tended to be endlessly curious and Kenryuu was no exception. "She sacrificed her potential future with a better mate without a second thought to save my life. Even though I hurt her, she never gave up on me." The part that he dearly loved her went unsaid but not unmeant.

Kenryuu understood what he meant about not giving up. He had tried his mother's patience many times, but she still made it clear he was her precious baby boy even when she was upset with him and when she disciplined him.

"Who says you're not better? Mom thinks you're the best. She doesn't look at other guys or ladies the way she looks at you unless has to for work."

Hiei's eyebrows rose as he gazed down at his son. Although Kenryuu looked just like a miniature Hiei and had his impulsivity and hot-headedness, he had gotten his mother's perception along with her eye color. The brat was observant and could see that his parents cared for each other and did their best to make their relationship work despite their respective quirks.

Kenryuu smirked. "But unlike you, I'm her precious baby." This was where he differed, he just had to get in one last jab after something sensitive and insightful.

Hiei snorted. "Thanks, kid," he said sarcastically. "Now come along, daylight won't last."

They had just come back from the human world. The family went there to visit the graves of departed family and friends twice a year. They visited Yarika's parents and they visited Kuwabara, and time allowing, others. Hiei was tired and wanted a nap from the journey, but Yarika pestered him.

"I'm just a little worried about Kenryuu," said Yarika. "He's not making friends at school."

"He'll be fine," said Hiei, irritated for her bothering him for what he saw as a non-issue.

Yarika sighed. Some things never changed. Of course Hiei didn't see a problem. He always had been a loner and hung around the fringe of things. He was like a cat, he was aloof with most people and he only liked receiving affection from very few. She sought out Kenryuu, who was reading about different types of weaponry up in his favorite tree in the garden.

"Your teacher told me you don't play with your schoolmates often and complain when you have to be in their group. Do you not like them?"

Kenryuu glanced over his book down at her. "I don't hate them. I just don't feel like playing with them much. They're too weak to spar with and their games are boring."

"You could teach them to spar," Yarika pointed out. She was still good at convincing people. "I'm sure you can find two or three who want to be strong. Then you can boss them around."

Kenryuu smiled a bit to himself as he thought it over. Like Hiei before him, he did like challenges. Yona was still too much of a challenge, as she was still far better than he, even with the type advantage. Perhaps training up some peers would be a good one. "You're right, Mom. I'll think about it." he buried his nose back in his book.

By the time Kenryuu was eight, he'd assembled and reigned over a small fight club in school, which helped to alleviate his recess boredom and helped burn energy. He had even made their practice weaponry by hand for the club. This being Demon World, it was allowed at school, as long as they didn't badly injure or kill each other on school property.

Kenryuu surveyed his underlings. "We defeated the Yamanba school punks, but we need to beat Onidaru," he said. "You can't count on me to do it for you, I have to train for tournament. I'd better see progress by the time it's over."

"Ossu!" cried the ragtag group of demon kids who sucked up to him hoping to get strong. Kenryuu was still the strongest and reigned supreme among all the very young demons in town and in the region. Being the son of a former king also boosted his reputation. The surviving members of Team Urameshi would battle it out for supremacy again during the next tournament, and Yarika had consented to let Kenryuu try his hand at last.

Kenryuu diligently trained when not in school. While it was unlikely he would best everyone, he could at least beat out a bunch of fodder demons and maybe even his big sister. He loved his sister and she doted on him in return, but it frustrated him just how much better Yona was despite the type advantage he had. Hiei was pleased at Kenryuu's dedication. Yarika rolled her eyes a bit, smiled and made sure to stock them with meals to go. Having two active meatheads in the family meant big grocery runs.

At last, the tournament arrived, with all the usual pomp and circumstance. The old crowd greeted the remainder of Team Urameshi enthusiastically and looked over Kenryuu, sizing him up as an opponent. As Yona was strong, they had every reason to expect her little brother would be. Most of the old crowd complimented him and Hiei, a small minority had uncomplimentary things to say.

"The brat has human in him, so how good can he be?" said one pretty-boy demon, who seemed to be stealing all of Shishiwakamaru's thunder lately. He had started getting fans, and was disdainful of everyone. Everyone who actually spoke to him couldn't stand him.

Shishiwakamaru, who was normally was a bit of a cocky jerk, rose to Kenryuu's defense because he hated this dandy rival. "Even a pure human could beat you, you must be jealous of him."

Yusuke looked at the guy like he was a dog turd he'd just stepped in. "Racism isn't cool nowadays in any of the three worlds, did you miss the memo? Plus my great-granddaughter could take you, and she's barely toilet trained."

Kurama frowned, watching the exchange. Old attitudes still existed in pockets.

Kenryuu's eyes narrowed, looking exactly like Hiei when he met someone he wanted to flame broil. Kenryuu was not angsty about having a human grandfather. He'd never met his namesake, but he'd seen photos and videos and heard stories about him, both his parents remembered him fondly. Same for his late uncle Kazuma, who Hiei was more fond of than he let on. No one was allowed to insult the humans in the family. Or insult Yarika.

Hiei put a hand on his shoulder. "Do it in the arena."

Kenryuu obeyed. He tore through the weaklings in his block to get to his goal of turning the pretty boy into charcoal. He got his wish, he got matched with pretty boy Soubi.

The two circled each other, sizing each other up before the match was started.

"You've bitten off way more than you can chew, kid," said Soubi.

"It's the other way around. Ever hear of hybrid vigor?" taunted Kenryuu. "I'm not weaker for having human in me, I'm stronger."

Yarika had raised him to appreciate his human ancestry and told him often he and Yona and herself had something most demons lacked as a result, something that went deeper than blood. It was something in his soul itself. "Humans may be weak with short lifespans, but their spirits are indomitable. We have that in us, which gives us a little extra," she had said. Kenryuu was proud of his heritage as a result.

The match was called to start. Kenryuu had Hiei's speediness, he easily zipped around avoiding Soubi's attacks while he gathered up his power to shoot fireballs.

Soubi squawked as the lobbed fireballs got close and started to damage his hair. One well aimed fireball set it ablaze, making Soubi drop his sword and frantically try to put it out. Kenryuu shot toward him like a bullet, his fists flying.

Kenryuu was too fast for Soubi. Blood and teeth went flying as he pounded.

"You're not even worth killing. Be satisfied that all I did was mess up your face and your hair."

This was the last easy fight Kenryuu had.

"Kenryuu easily defeated Soubi in his last match, but this time it won't be easy! This time he's up against his own sister, who has decades of experience as a fighter and Kenryuu is still in grade school!"

The match began. Kenryuu leapt at Yona, who nimbly dodged him. Kenryuu glowered at his sister, trying to look tough, which was difficult. To her, he was still practically the baby whose diapers she had once changed.

"You're still too much of a baby face to be scary, little bro," giggled Yona.

"I'll show you!" cried Kenryuu. His moves, while powerful, were too unrestrained and reckless. Even fire didn't faze her. Yona was well able to dodge fire and take hits, as Hiei had relentlessly trained her to dodge and withstand up to moderate fire attacks to compensate for her natural weakness against them. Even with ice she was gaining resiliency thorough experience fighting their cousin Yuuhi. Yuuhi was also a tournament regular, determined to one day unseat Touya from his throne as strongest ice demon.

The two siblings fought all-out. Kenryuu lobbed punch after punch and fire attack after fire attack, Yona using her fists to strike back and her sword to draw blood. Kenryuu made a valiant effort, but Yona used her sweat from the fire attacks to create a vapor that poisoned her brother. Some such as her father had developed some resistance after years of exposure to her and her mother, but Kenryuu didn't require much to be put out.

"The winner, Yona!"

Yona beamed, giving her signature victory pose for the camera. She quickly gave her brother the antidote.

"Meanie," sniffed Kenryuu, showing his true age.

"It's just how it is here," said Yona, hoisting him up over her shoulder. "Best for you to have a taste of going up against the seasoned fighters early, otherwise you won't learn anything. Baptism by fire if you will. Next time you'll be so much better." she carried him to the stands to their mother.

Yarika took Kenryuu from Yona. "You'll be all right, son," she said, taking him to the seat she was observing the fight from. Kenryuu was too tired to protest being treated like a baby in front of everyone, and rested quietly on her lap as they watched the jumbo screens. Yuuhi lost to Yona, and Yona lost to Shura. Hiei took on Mukuro again and lost, just barely. His strength was now more on par with hers. Yusuke beat Mukuro due to the latter being exhausted, but Kurama's clever traps gave him his very first win. Mukuro's prophecy of the three frequently passing the crown between them was coming true.

"At least it's someone we don't hate in charge," remarked Yarika, petting her son on her lap. Kenryuu didn't answer. He was so comfortable he'd fallen asleep just before the end of the last match.

"He's still just a child," said Hiei, joining her after his own recovery nap.

"Yeah," said Yarika, smiling. "I don't want him to grow up too soon. Let's go home and enjoy what's left of his childhood together."

The two left before the ending ceremonies carrying the sleeping Kenryuu, Yona trotting in their wake.

Notes:

I headcanon that after the barrier came down, Demon World became far more stable, importing more of the positive aspects of the human world. While full democracy isn't in play, most demons are now ready to try to improve the realm. Older demons feel that their time is coming to an end, but most are cautiously optimistic or at least resigned to the changes. Up and coming demons hope to make Demon World a better place to live than the human world.

Uterine replicators are cloning are canon in the YYH series, as Yomi did it to have Shura. An IVF procedure and tank birth would be very easy to do there.

Haijin is entirely my invention. I thought that Hiei needed some closure on what had happened to his parents, so he could move on.

Kenryuu is what Hiei would have been like if he'd been raised by loving parents and had no identity issues.