Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or the characters

This chapter is dedicated to the loving memory of a dear friend dezzydoesthings/Just 2 Dream of You, the one who got me into the HB pairing and joined so many people together over various online platforms. Rest in peace, my friend.

~What Comes Next~

If anyone ever thought having a child was easy, they were foolish. Although, considering all the literature out there, it seemed everyone recognized the challenges that came with having a child. Hiei never expected things to be so complicated. Of course, in the beginning of this ordeal, he assumed he'd be far away in the Makai by this point, and Botan would have been left to raise their son alone.

What came with the baby was a bunch of decisions the two were forced to make and confront. Yoshio could not live in either Spirit World or Demon World, meaning they had to make the apartment their home for when their duties were put on hold. This also meant the apartment needed to be well stocked, not just with goods for the child, but for the two parents as well.

Shortly after Botan gave birth, she realized that the majority of the human clothes she owned were the maternity clothes she needed for the pregnancy. The only exception in her mind was the sweater Hiei got for her. Hiei reminded her that she did have some clothes from the beginning of the pregnancy, but they were geared more for the spring and summer weather. She had next to nothing for the winter.

A sigh escaped the ferry girl as she lamented. "What am I going to do?" she asked as she pushed through the clothes in the closet. "I can't very well wear summer clothes when it's so cold out."

Hiei stood behind her, his gaze stoic, but his words full of understanding. "You could always go shopping again." Botan grimaced, hesitant, and the fire demon noticed. "What's wrong?" The woman always loved shopping.

Botan turned to meet his gaze, one arm holding the other in discomfort. "You're going to think I'm ridiculous."

Hiei moved toward her, took her hand, and laced their fingers together. "I won't," he assured her.

The woman seemed to relax, felt less shame as she explained, "I know it won't happen again, but I keep remembering what happened the last time I went shopping with the girls."

Hiei remembered, too. Botan's ligaments were loose due to different pregnancy hormones, and she hurt her ankle and fell. It wasn't a terrible fall, but it was terrifying for her back then. If Hiei was being honest, it was terrifying for him too when Kuwabara tracked him down to get him to the hospital.

"It makes sense that it bothers you," Hiei replied. "It's only been a couple months since that happened, but you and Yoshio are here and safe. You've recovered, and the same things won't happen to you again. Even so, it's okay to remain cautious. You had a very difficult delivery."

Botan's gaze softened. Hiei continued to hold her hand and allowed Botan to pull him toward her. She kissed his cheek affectionately and leaned her head on his. Hiei snaked his arms around the woman. He allowed her to seek comfort in him. It always reassured him that she was here in his arms, warm, soft, and alive.

"I know you're right," Botan murmured. "Thank you for not thinking I'm ridiculous."

Hiei scoffed a laugh and pulled away. He headed to their bedroom door to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Botan asked, her brow raised in uncertainty.

Hiei turned back to face her. "I'll get Yoshio ready. We will go together."

When Hiei left the room, Botan's lips curved into a joyful smile. After Yoshio's birth five weeks prior, and Christmas the week after, Botan was certain Hiei would leave and return to Makai. After all, she kept him for almost nine months. He did have his life he needed to return to, but instead he was here with her and their son and said nothing about leaving. Botan was so happy the three of them got to do these things together, just like a true family.

Nothing was more surprising to Hiei, that a family outing seemed no different than the many times he'd accompanied Botan. The only difference was that the two took turns pushing a strolling contraption that held Yoshio so snuggly. Botan was bright and happy, calm and serene, the way Hiei always associated her and not the downtrodden visage she'd been the past eight months.

The two stopped for a meal, which Yoshio slept through. The boy only fussed a couple times, especially when he decided it was his time to eat. Hiei held the child as Botan prepared the formula, and he could hardly fathom how he created a life so fragile but precious. There were lingering doubts that remained with the demon, that he could hurt the child by accident. As such as the few times he held Yoshio before, that was not the case. He handed his son over to the woman when she was ready to feed him. Afterward, the family continued on, and Botan was able to get the wardrobe she needed for the bitter cold, thanks to the generosity of their friends and the credit card given to her by Koenma.

Once Botan was satisfied, the pair took a break. Hiei parked the stroller next to a bench and sat down beside Botan. They were surrounded by fountains, the sounds much like the waves of the ocean. There weren't many people around, either, so it really was like being in their own little world.

"This is nice," Botan hummed in contentment. Surprisingly, Hiei grunted an affirmative. The ferry girl let the peace of the moment wash over her until the reality of their situation hit her full force. The woman became conflicted as she voiced, "When…do you have to go back?"

The tranquil air between the two became heavy with tension. Ever since the day of Yoshio's birth, Hiei was reluctant to revisit the topic of returning to Demon World. He was surprised Botan broached this discussion first. They hadn't spoken about it for weeks, and Hiei dared not rock the boat after he nearly lost her.

If Hiei was being honest with himself, he did not want to leave, but he knew he would have to return to his duties soon.

"Not sure yet," he replied with a half-truth as he tilted his head to regard the ferry girl. "I want to make sure you're out of the woods first."

Botan felt stupefied at first, but then she beamed as brightly as the sun. "Oh, don't be silly, Hiei. I'm much better. Don't get me wrong; I'm very happy you're here and getting to spend time with Yoshi, but I don't want to keep you if you're needed elsewhere. We'll be fine."

The woman was simply being honest and sincere in her words, and Hiei knew it. She meant nothing by it, wasn't trying to send him away. In all of their interactions, the fire demon knew his ferry girl enjoyed spending time with him and their offspring. She enjoyed being a family, but she didn't want to hold him back. Of course, Hiei didn't feel like she was doing so. He needed this connection to them as much as she did, if not more. He didn't want to leave his family. The demon general struggled with this dissonance between who he was and what he wanted.

Botan noticed the unnatural, heavy silence. She saw the flicker of frustration darken her lover's eyes. Hiei got like this sometimes, ever since Yoshio's birth, but he never expressed to Botan what he was feeling in those moments. Maybe he just didn't know how to put it into words, or maybe he didn't want her to know. Either way, they were a team, and Botan refused to let Hiei deal with whatever was bothering him alone.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine," Hiei lied. Although his voice sounded like his usual tone, there was a curtness to its abrupt delivery. Knowing Botan, she probably saw right through his defensiveness. He decided to swallow his pride and tell Botan the truth. "Mukuro wanted me back a few weeks ago, once you and the baby were home. She didn't want to keep me long, but she needed my expertise. I told her I couldn't leave. The witch said you needed to take it easy after the birth, that you could do irreparable damage if you didn't give yourself adequate time to heal. I couldn't leave you."

Botan moved closer to Hiei on the bench, her gaze full of compassion and understanding. Hiei couldn't bring himself to look away, getting lost in her tide, letting her pull him closer as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and placed her other hand on his. "Hiei, that was over a month ago. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You would have told me to go," Hiei replied matter-of-factly.

"And?" Botan questioned. "I thought you were ready to go back."

Hiei's eyes cut to hers, and the look in his crimson depths startled the ferry girl. "Botan…it's… I can't explain it to you. I'm not ready to…"

Although Hiei couldn't bring himself to utter words of explanation, Botan seemed to comprehend his unspoken issue. She had been in a pretty dicey situation, and she remembered how concerned Hiei had been after the birth. She knew she and Yoshio both could have died. If it wasn't for Hanako, they would have. Hiei must not have dealt with the emotions of terror that came along with such an ordeal. He was probably worried that if he left, something would happen to them. Even if that wasn't the case, maybe he just didn't want to leave this special little bubble of a world they'd created together.

"We'll be okay," Botan assured him again. Hiei stiffened but did not argue. "But if you aren't ready to go, you don't have to."

Her warm, inviting smile twisted Hiei's insides in a pleasing way. He didn't have the heart to tell her that wasn't what he meant. True, he wasn't ready to leave her and their son, and he did struggle with that. Still, there was another reason he didn't want to leave just yet. The day of Yoshio's birth, Hiei had a revelation about Botan and the importance she had on his heart and soul. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in love with her. He figured that making this realization along with the knowledge that Botan loved him as well, it would be easy to say the words and reveal how integral she was to his life. In the weeks that followed, Hiei accepted that he wasn't ready to verbally tell her the extent of his feelings. Any time he tried, the words would not make it out of him.

Hiei needed time, and it felt like time was running out. He wondered if he needed to say the words now, or if his actions spoke louder. Part of him felt like a coward while the other part tried to practice patience with himself. He remembered his sister's advice, that he didn't have to rush anything. He just needed to make the moments together count. The rest would come naturally with time.

Until then, they needed to plan for the immediate future together.

Originally, Hiei intended that he and Botan would remain with their son separately for months at a time. It made the most logical sense, especially for his duties at Mukuro's fortress. However, after spending so many months with the child, watching Yoshio grow both in utero and this past month, Hiei didn't know if he wanted to spend so much time away. He knew it would crush Botan if after a couple months, their son would be so much bigger and she missed all that time. These thoughts fired in his mind almost daily, and the only solution he came up with might not be feasible.

"What if we trade off weeks," Hiei proposed. A silence rested between them, and the fire demon chanced a glance at the ferry girl.

Botan was floored by Hiei's suggestion. She was certain they'd talked about taking extended time away. It would have been the most feasible solution for their respective worlds. Hiei was an important general who needed to train Mukuro's troops regularly. She was also vital in the happenings in Spirit World. It wasn't that she didn't like the idea, and she was certain Koenma would grant her all the time in the world to be with her son. Besides, she could trade off her duties in Spirit World, work remotely aside from ferrying souls. Hiei was the one who'd be sacrificing the most time.

"Are you sure about that?" Botan questioned. "What about Mukuro?"

"Mukuro told me that she expected me back once we came up with a parenting plan," Hiei revealed. "This may not be what we discussed before, but everything is different now. Yoshio needs us both, needs balance. I also don't want you to miss out on his milestones."

Botan smiled knowingly. She could hear the underlying, "And I don't want to miss them either."

"I think we can make a week-by-week plan work," Botan assured him, "but we should also talk about important events."

Hiei's brows furrowed in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"Yoshio's birthday," Botan replied, "all our birthdays, Christmas, other holidays, important educational milestones, summer vacations. These will all be important times for Yoshi. I think for those things, we should all be together, as a family. He'll need that stability."

Hiei didn't know the first thing about these special occasions, but there was some merit in her suggestion. There would be times that Yoshio would need the presence of the two of them. The fire demon grew up alone, with no stability and no family. He did not turn out the best, in his opinion, and he didn't want that lifestyle for his child. He'd be lying if he said the thought of being with Botan wasn't appealing as well.

"We can work those things out as we go along," Hiei relayed, "but I'm open to returning at those times."

Hiei didn't know why Botan seemed so relieved. He told her once before, back during the pregnancy when she felt so low thinking they would never be together again. Even then, he acknowledged there would be times the boy would need them both. Even though they were re-verbalizing it, Hiei didn't think Botan still had doubts.

"I'm glad you still feel that way," her soft, light voice reached him. "I was worried that you'd get a crazy idea like the beginning where you thought we didn't need you."

The two looked at one another, and Hiei felt his heartbeat flutter erratically, an anomaly in demon hearts but always caused by the woman. She was always so selfless, worrying about him when he felt there was no need. It was for his benefit that she revoiced this topic, so that he would know he had a place with them, a home. It was something he never knew he needed, but now it was something he knew he couldn't live without.

Hiei didn't really know how everything would play out, what came next on this unexpected journey. What he did know was that he had a partner. He clasped her hand in his, felt the warmth between their palms, and just let the moment be. No matter what would happen in the future, they would forever be in this together.