As soon as the two of them were out of the tub, Kurama wrapped a towel around Hiei in the most loving of ways. Hiei had to admit, he found it sweet how even though Kurama was obviously shivering and Hiei was just fine, he still toweled Hiei off first. Another good thing was that if he was toweling Hiei off, Kurama couldn't put a towel around himself, and standing there naked, dripping wet, while an equally wet, equally naked Kurama toweled him off was something Hiei had no complaints about.

"That's better," said Kurama, giving Hiei's cheek another kiss. "Now you're all clean, and after you put on some fresh warm pajamas, I'll tuck you in for a nap, okay?"

"Kurama, you're babying me again," Hiei complained. He felt that a lot of the time, Kurama just loved to spoil him and dote on him, and though it was a little embarrassing, the prospect of a nice warm nap sounded pretty good. So he added, "But I guess I'll do it anyway."

After they both were dried off, and Kurama was wearing his bathrobe, the two of them headed into the bedroom. Kurama helped Hiei into some new pajamas, tucked him into bed, and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Have a good nap, honey," he whispered, and Hiei smiled as his beloved left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Since it was October, the sun was going down earlier and earlier, which was good for Hiei, since he wanted the room dark for his nap. But he found that he was hardly able to sleep. All he could think about, alone in his big, dark bedroom, was the possibility that he could be pregnant.

Hiei wasn't exactly sure how long an elemental demon pregnancy lasted, although he had heard that it was about the same length of a human's, since elemental demons resembled humans in many ways. Kurama had spoken about pregnancy in terms of weeks earlier, but Hiei was pretty sure he'd heard humans saying on TV that it took nine months. Today was October 19, so Hiei counted nine months from then and got July 19. So the baby would come on July 19…if there was a baby coming at all.

If the baby really was coming, what were they going to do? They couldn't keep it, of course, but they couldn't exactly leave it in a box that read, "Free to a Good Home," either. Hiei had been abandoned as a baby, and there was not a snowball's chance in hell that he would ever do that to his own child. He would have to find a good home for it. That certainly wouldn't be easy, not least because Hiei would have to be pregnant while doing it.

Besides, Kurama had been acting really, really weird lately, and Hiei couldn't quite figure out why. It was obvious that Kurama was working hard on keeping his cool, which made Hiei nervous because he wasn't sure what was brewing underneath. Could he be worried, too? Maybe he wanted the baby even less than Hiei did. Maybe he blamed Hiei for the pregnancy, because Hiei was the one who had initiated sex that day. Maybe he was secretly furious! Of course, that didn't explain why he'd been whistling, or walking with a spring in his step, or acting so lovey and tender, but there was no way he could actually be happy about this. Kurama was a planner, and Hiei doubted he would be happy about overturning his whole life just because Hiei had to be penetrated in the middle of a supermarket. Besides, he probably agreed that Hiei would be a terrible parent. How could someone be a good parent if they didn't even have a model?

Hiei thought of going through the rest of fall, all of winter, all of spring, and half the summer as a pregnant youkai. If he thought his symptoms were bad now, he was sure they'd only get worse. Not to mention how fat he would get. What if Kurama didn't find him attractive anymore, after all those pregnancy changes? Hiei was pretty sure he wouldn't feel very attractive.

Was it just being pregnant he feared, or was it actually being a parent that he feared? What would happen if he went through with the pregnancy, but he was able to give the baby to someone who wanted it? As glad as he would be to get rid of the baby, its new family would be that much happier to adopt it. Every baby has a loving home and family somewhere, Hiei reminded himself, even if they never find it…which happens all too often in the demon realm. It would be nice, he figured, to help a baby find the loving home he never had.

Going through pregnancy would be difficult, but he and Kurama could probably get back to their lives once the baby was out of their hands. Maybe the nine months would be hell, and his body would change in ways he didn't want it to, but at least after it was over, they could forget about the baby, still with the knowledge that they had nurtured it while they could, and were giving it to someone they knew would take good care of it. Hiei knew that, as the baby's "mother," there was one thing he owed it: its life. But that would be as far as it went. Hiei would give birth to the baby and, perhaps with Kurama's help, find it a good forever home, but nothing else. After that, the baby was no longer his problem. He would never throw his own flesh and blood off a cliff in hopes of getting rid of it, as his mother's people had done to him, but neither would he keep it and raise it as his own.

Hiei drifted in and out of sleep for the rest of the evening. At one point he was aware of Kurama coming into the room, putting on pajamas, and joining him in bed, but Hiei pretended to be sound asleep. And eventually, listening to Kurama's soft breathing and soaking in his wonderful scent, Hiei fell asleep, too.

…

Kurama smelled it before he saw it.

It was a beautiful aroma, one that floated through the window and tempted the fox-demon's nose before his eyes even opened, one that resembled the freshly turned earth under which its seeds had been sowed. And that made sense, for that was what it signified: life. Something wonderful and new, here to bring joy and laughter and the pitter-patter of little feet into their home.

However nice the smell was, though, Kurama couldn't keep his eyes shut for long. As soon as he was fully awake, his eyes flew open, and in one quick move, he sat up and turned around, staring out the two-story window. And there it was, the tall, majestic Tree of Life, its branches swaying slightly in the October wind, its petals slowly fluttering down to the ground.

Kurama was just barely able to keep from crying out, but he held it in, for fear of waking Hiei. When had it ever felt so amazing to be correct? This had to be the happiest day of his life! Well, that and the day he married Hiei. Kurama stared down at his true love, fast asleep on his side. Naturally, Kurama's gaze drifted down to Hiei's still-flat abdomen, where it was now confirmed that a baby was growing. Kurama placed one hand on the lower part of Hiei's abdomen, below his belly button, so that it was right on top of the ninshinsu.

"I know we don't know each other very well yet, little one," he said softly. "But I want you to know that I love you with all my heart, and I always will. You're going to be very happy here. I promise."

Giving the baby a kiss would probably wake Hiei up, so Kurama didn't try it. Instead, he smoothed his beloved husband's bangs back with his other hand and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Hiei was sleeping so peacefully, but in his slumber, his hand drifted over to his abdomen, so that it was right on top of Kurama's. As he looked at the grubby little fingernails, at the small, calloused hand, weathered from years alone in Makai and countless swordfights, Kurama couldn't help but tear up all over again.

"Thank you, Hiei," he whispered. "Thank you for bringing our baby into the world."

Kurama took a shower and got dressed as quickly as he could. Since he and Hiei lived far from the train station, they had one car, which had been Kurama's wedding present from his parents. On workdays, he would drive the car to the train station on weekdays and finish his commute to work on the train, then drive the car back home in the evenings. Today was Sunday, but he had some places he needed to go anyway.

As soon as he got in the car, Kurama turned the radio to a station that was known for playing happy, upbeat songs, even singing along to the music. Instead of driving to the train station as he would on a workday, he drove a little closer to the heart of the suburbs, where there was a nice outdoor shopping mall with a few shops. One of them was a dusty but charming secondhand shop, owned by a nice old woman with whom Kurama was good friends.

"Good morning, Megumi," Kurama said as he entered the shop, the bells above the door chiming to signal his arrival.

"Why, hello there, Shuichi!" the owner said sweetly. "And how is my best customer doing this morning?"

"Never better!" Kurama told her, beaming. "I just found out I'm going to be a father!"

"That's wonderful!" Megumi looked almost as happy as Kurama felt. "Let me see what I can do…"

At the old woman's insistence, Kurama ended up receiving many free gifts, including balloons, flowers, a giant stuffed gorilla, and all the baby clothes Megumi had in stock. Then he stopped at the drugstore and bought some diapers. Kurama was very well aware that they wouldn't need the baby clothes or the diapers for a very long time, but he just couldn't help himself. For any other celebratory occasion, Hiei would have liked to get chocolates, but this time Kurama skipped the food, because of Hiei's pregnancy sickness.

Once he had everything he needed and much more, Kurama got back in the car and drove home with everything in the trunk. His happiness was only growing, because he was sure Hiei was awake by now, and just as pleased by the good news as he was.

…

Hiei was definitely not pleased.

His whole body felt like it had been caulked in ice, his fingertips gripping the windowsill so hard his knuckles were turning white. His heartbeat was loud in his ears, surrounding him like the beat of a drum, and he was absolutely paralyzed.

Only about five minutes ago, he had awoken to the unmistakable sight of the Tree of Life, and he had been staring out the window ever since, watching it wave its branches at him. It was like witnessing an accident on the road; it was a terrible sight, but at the same time, he couldn't look away. Now it was certain. He was pregnant.

All of a sudden, Hiei felt nauseous again, and luckily the feeling came back in his legs soon enough that he made it to the bathroom in time. When he was finished, he flushed the toilet and stood up shakily. Even in there, he could smell the scent of the tree coming in from the open window. It smelled like fertile soil, deep from the earth.

The smell was even more prevalent when Hiei went outside to get a closer look. The tree was absolutely huge, over forty feet tall. How had it grown overnight? Sure, it was one of Kurama's trees, but…

Kurama.

Hiei swallowed. The fox-demon was gone, but there was no way he could have missed the tree. And come to think of it, wasn't it Sunday today? Kurama didn't have work today, so where else could he be? Why didn't he at least wake Hiei up to tell him where he was going?

And then the most horrible thought of all struck Hiei. What if Kurama hadn't told Hiei where he was going because he didn't want him to know? What if he had seen the tree and took off for good?

For the second time in two days, Hiei felt hot tears filling his eyes, but this time he couldn't hold them back. He scrambled up into the tree, as safe up in a tree surrounded by leaves and branches as he would be anywhere else, and felt the heartbreak let itself out of him, one of his fists clinging tightly to the stone around his neck. It didn't calm him now.

What about his promise? Hiei wondered, as his shoulders shook with sobs. But then, when had anyone ever kept a promise to him? Why should they? Why should Kurama keep a promise to stay by Hiei's side if all Hiei was going to do was get pregnant? Kurama wouldn't want his whole life turned upside down by a baby. He liked to have a plan. And a baby was not part of their marriage plan.

Hiei realized that Kurama was going to go off and live his own life, and eventually, everyone else would move on, too. Nobody wanted to be surrounded by a screaming infant that did nothing but eat, cry, throw up, and poop. Hiei would have no choice but to go back to Makai, where he would have nine months to figure out what to do with his baby. But the thought was so lonely that it started up his tears all over again. He didn't want to go back to Makai. He wanted to stay with Kurama and live their nice little life, just the two of them in this big house surrounded by trees. But he couldn't do that unless Kurama wanted to stay, too.

If he doesn't want to stay, it's only because you brought it upon yourself, Hiei reminded himself, now frustrated and angry as well as sad. This was his fault. He was the one who had insisted, who had argued against "keeping it safe," until Kurama finally relented. It was careless and stupid of Hiei, and now…look where it had gotten him. Hiei pulled his knees up to his chest, ready to collapse in on himself in his little nest of branches and leaves, when he heard something that startled him out of his tears.

Was that the car?

Yes…indeed it was. Hiei climbed farther up into the tree's branches, making sure to stay out of sight as the car pulled into the driveway. Kurama hadn't abandoned him after all? Hiei watched, intrigued, as his husband went around to the trunk and took out a bunch of shopping bags, along with…what on Earth was that thing? It looked like a stuffed animal, but it was almost as tall as Kurama. This seemed like an odd time to be buying gargantuan stuffed animals. Hiei jumped right down out of the tree and sped around the side of the house so that in an instant, he was facing Kurama.

"What's that?" he demanded, pointing at the stuffed animal.

"Hiei!" Kurama looked a little blindsided. "What are you doing outside?"

"Checking out that tree of yours." Hiei tried to disguise his voice, to make it sound like he wasn't worried. "It's gotten very big overnight."

But his voice cracked just a little, and before he knew it, Kurama had dropped the bags and just wrapped him up in the softest, most tender embrace the two of them had ever shared. It wasn't the way they normally hugged; Hiei could feel the difference in the way Kurama held him. It was protective, it was special, it was almost…it was almost like he wasn't just hugging Hiei, but trying to hug the baby, too.

"Of course it has." Kurama's voice was gentle, seeming to surround Hiei quite as much as his hug. "You're with child, Hiei."

Maybe it was the way he said it, or the words themselves, Hiei did not know, but before he could stop it, all his tears came back, this time right in Kurama's arms. Kurama didn't let go, just held Hiei a little closer and rubbed his back with one hand, the other buried in his spiky black hair. And once he'd started, Hiei couldn't stop. He completely broke down.

"I-I thought y-you were never c-coming back," he sobbed, staining his husband's floral-scented shirt with tears.

"Hiei, I was only out buying some things for us," Kurama soothed. "I would never leave you. We promised each other we would always be there. Remember?"

"B-But…but the baby…"

"Look, honey, I know this is huge, but we'll get through it together," Kurama whispered, giving Hiei's head a kiss. "I love you so much, never forget that."

Hiei pulled away and looked up at Kurama, his eyes still streaming with tears.

"You're not mad?" he sniffed.

"Why would I be mad?" said Kurama, looking confused, but when Hiei didn't say anything back, he pulled gently on his husband's hand and added, "Let's go inside, honey, okay?"

Hiei numbly followed Kurama over to the living room couch, where Kurama cuddled him close, not saying any words at all, until Hiei finally felt himself reach a sort of calm. When they let go, Hiei fell back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

"I…I just can't process it," he mumbled.

"It's okay if you need some time," Kurama told him gently. "Eventually, we'll have to discuss our plans for this baby, but it's normal to be a little overwhelmed at first. That's how I feel, too. We don't have to discuss this right away."

"Yes, we do." Hiei gulped. "We need to get it over with."

"If you insist," said Kurama, looking surprised. "Did you have something in mind?"

"You're the planner," said Hiei. "I want to hear what you think first."

"Well, it's true that I've thought about this quite a bit already." Kurama smiled and started checking things off on his fingers. "The first thing we need to do is find a good Makaian doctor, preferably one who specializes in obstetrics with elementals. The more experience, the better. We need to analyze our finances and recalculate where they're going to go. We need to do some research on our own, maybe buy some books on parenting. There are a lot of other things we'll need to decide on for you, such as recommended activity and nutrition, but most of those will be preceded by your first prenatal visit. And then there are things that are more fun, like deciding when to tell our friends and family, picking out names, shopping for baby clothes, baby-proofing the house—"

"Wait." Hiei held out his palm to interrupt Kurama's speech. "Say that again."

"Which part? Weren't you listening?"

"I was listening, but, well…"

"Well, what?"

"What was that last part?" Hiei blurted out. "The names, the parenting books, the clothes, the baby-proofing—we don't need to do any of that, remember? That's up to the adoptive parents."

"The…the what?" Kurama looked more confused than Hiei had ever seen him, but then a thought struck Hiei. Suddenly, it all made sense—Kurama's smiles, his promise, the spring in his step, the loving touches and words. Why hadn't he seen it before?

"Kurama," said Hiei softly, looking down at his lap. "Were you planning on keeping this baby?"

The fox-demon's smile was long gone, replaced by an expression of utter shock. "Weren't you?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Hiei cried. "We can't have a baby! I thought we were putting it up for adoption! I thought we were giving the baby to somebody who wants it!"

Kurama didn't say anything, but the shattered look on his face told Hiei everything he needed to know. The pregnant demon felt bad all over again; he didn't want to be the one to make Kurama's face look like that. But he was equally certain that they were not ready to be parents, so he didn't say anything, either. Finally, Kurama took a deep breath, and broke the silence.

"Very well," he said calmly, setting one hand on Hiei's shoulder. "We'll still need to consult with a doctor about having a healthy pregnancy. But when I get home, I'll help you look into the adoption process."

"Home?" said Hiei, his heart starting to beat fast again. "Where are you going?"

"I need to make some returns." Kurama stood up and headed woodenly for the door. "And to answer your question, Hiei…that was a gorilla."

Hiei stared at the door long after Kurama had shut it behind him. Looking back, he couldn't believe he had worried about Kurama blaming him for the pregnancy, or even being angry about it. No, he had wanted to keep the baby. And however terrifying Kurama was when he was angry, seeing him so heartbroken was about a million times worse.