Disclaimer:

Kiyoshi: *taking deep breaths* Oh thank God…she's not-

Stormie: *singsong voice* Hiiiii!

Kiyoshi: Crap…

Makoto: Well, the first chapter was…there's no danger yet.

Kiyoshi: That means nothing with her -_-'

Stormie: I'll be semi-nice this chapter if you do the disclaimer.

Kiyoshi: *growls* Fine. Firestorm doesn't own YYH of the characters…just us OCs that she tortures!

Stormie: ^_^ Thank you, Kiyo!

Kiyoshi: …


Excitement filled the apartment after Emiko and Makoto gave the family their news. Now that babies were coming, they wanted to be ready. Koenma implied that the maiden could give birth any time now, and so Yoshezame and Hiei were helping the young couple shop for everything they needed. Kiyoshi and Hintai also came along for the ride, wanting to offer their support to their family.

Of course, sometime during the shopping excursion, Hintai fell ill again, right in the middle of the mall.

This wave of nausea came over her so quickly. Hintai was completely embarrassed for throwing up in public. She never got sick like that before, and she kept apologizing. Hiei and Yoshezame exchanged knowing glances as Kiyohsi knelt down in front of his wife and comforted her while Makoto went to alert someone to the mess. "Hey, Tai, don't worry about it. This stuff happens. I guess we were a little too optimistic when you felt better yesterday. Maybe we should make an appointment to see a doctor."

Hintai nodded. "Yeah, I don't feel all that well."

"That would probably be best," Yoshezame stated. The two youths looked to the woman in alarm. The mother just smiled empathetically and warmly. "We just want you to be well."

"Why don't you take Hintai home?" Hiei suggested. He looked to the woman and said, "You should rest."

Kiyoshi nodded and escorted his mate away from the group. When they were alone, he asked her, "Are you okay, Tai?"

The woman shook her head. "That was humiliating."

"Seriously, don't worry about it." Kiyoshi soothed her and rubbed her back. "You can't help it if you feel sick. How are you feeling now? Is your stomach still bothering you?"

"That's the weirdest thing," Hintai informed him. "I feel fine again now. I don't get this bug at all. I felt queasy all morning yesterday and a little last night, then I was fine and it came out of nowhere again only to disappear."

"Maybe we should go straight to a doctor instead of making an appointment," Kiyoshi suggested. "I could take you to urgent care."

Another wave of sickness hit Hintai, and she nodded hurriedly. "I think that would be best. I really just don't know what's wrong with me."

Kiyoshi frowned. He felt incredibly worried for his mate, but he managed to bury it down and get her to his car. He shook his head to rid himself of that worry, but he couldn't. It was possible this was just a bug, but Hintai rarely ever got sick. Mentally, he cursed all of the idiots that came to class and finals with the flu and other ailments. It was possible Hintai picked something up from one of them.

Those idiots…


Kurama had a nice and peaceful morning with his family. His daughter, Ayame, stopped by before she went to her last final. She had one more year of grad school left and was hard at work on her research. The fox was so proud of his daughter. She made quite the life for herself since the first day she arrived. He was so happy that she was happy.

He was surprised when he got a call from Pyrius. A few weeks back, Pyrius, his brother, Pyre, and their friend, Trinten, decided to take a trip to Demon World. The three said they needed a bit of adventure, but both Hiei and Kurama suspected there was more to it than that. Though Hiei shrugged it off, Kurama pondered the reason for their impromptu trip. Things had been tense surrounding the events of the kids' senior year. Honestly, though they couldn't forget the attack on Kiyoshi's and Emiko's school, it seemed Hiei took a step back. The fire demon wanted to enjoy the peace he found for himself a little bit before he dove headfirst into this issue.

That's why Kurama decided to meet with the three in private. He had a feeling it had something to do with Hiei's old nemesis, Jirou.

"What did you find?" Kurama asked, immediately getting to the point when they came into his shop.

Pyrius shook his head. "Nothing good. We learned something about Jirou."

Kurama stepped out from the counter and looked around the shop to make sure there were no customers left. When he was satisfied, he went to turn the sign to 'Closed'. After he locked the door, his hand remained as he coolly said, "Explain."

"We've learned of his whereabouts," Pyre indicated. "He's not that far from Mukuro's territory, but is still resting on the side of Gandara."

"Gandara?" Kurama repeated. That was his old thieving partner's territory, and the demon, Yomi, was rumored to be able to hear anything within his land. It didn't make sense to Kurama that Yomi wouldn't have reached out. After all, they both had their own attacks from demons because of their history as thieves. Maybe Yomi didn't know who they were at all, and therefore didn't care to say anything. "It seems like I'll have to reach out to Yomi."

Trinten nodded. "It may be a good idea. I know you two have your differences, but after meeting him after the one tournament, he seemed very cordial."

Kurama agreed. "We came to an understanding early on from the start of these tournaments, and since we've both been pursued, he understands our situation. I'll get in contact with him and find out what he knows. Is there anything else you've learned about Jirou?"

"Just that he's biding his time," Pyrius growled. "For what, we don't know. I just don't want my son and his family to be in the middle of it. They've all suffered enough. He plans to strike sooner rather than later, we heard, but we don't know how soon or how late."

"I will do everything in my power to ensure the safety of Hiei and his family," Kurama promised. "We've been through far too much together, and he is my friend and, quite literally, my partner in crime."

"Someone's gunning for you, too, Kurama," Pyre warned. "Don't forget the attack on your daughter you told us about."

Around the time Kiyoshi and Emiko were attacked by Haruki, Kurama admitted that a similar occurrence happened to his daughter. A snake demon disguised himself as one of Ayame's classmates, dated her for a while. Kurama had never trusted the stranger, and when he attacked, Kurama was ready. Ayame was shaken up by the whole ordeal, but she was able to conceal her emotions. Kurama was certain that this was why his daughter had not tried to date again since.

When Kurama entered the human realm, he had not truly been defecting from the life of thievery. He planned to return. He foolishly believed that he would be immune to the codes that existed in Demon World for he was a lone thief, no longer part of a band. Whoever was coming after him had a vendetta against Youko Kurama. When he found out that Yomi, too, had been attacked, he realized it was probably someone from almost a millennia ago, someone he couldn't remember who in cowardice refused to show himself.

"Any idea who?" Kurama tested, seeing if the swordsmen had found out anything more.

The men shook their heads before the exchanged secretive glances. They must have heard something through the grapevine. That suspicion was confirmed when Pyrius stated, "All we know is you aren't safe either."


Kenta was very happy when Pyrius returned in the late afternoon. Now he was heading home from the dojo, which he had held the fort with Genkai when the swordsman was away. It had been a while since he got home this early. He would be able to spend some time with Dana before she had to head over to Pyre's and Trinten's restaurant for her shift.

As he rounded the corner to his apartment, he was surprised to see a young, teenaged girl struggling with a huge box. It looked like she was moving in, and Kenta caught himself wondering where this girl's family was and why they weren't helping her. Quickly, he moved to lift the other side of the box, and the girl gasped when her burden was lightened. She tried to look around the box and saw Kenta smiling brightly at her. "Heya, neighbor," he greeted kindly. "Looks like you could use a hand."

The girl smiled and nodded. "Thank you," she replied as they got the box through the door.

A woman came out from the kitchen, covered in flour. She looked to Kenta in alarm, slightly surprised that there was someone else in the apartment. She looked to the girl questioningly. Kenta noticed and attempted to reassure her. "I saw her struggling with the package, ma'am. Are you just moving in?"

The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, we are, and thank you. My name is Aurori, and this is my daughter, Kintana. My m…er, husband, and son will be returning soon. We just moved to the city today."

"Well, welcome to the building," Kenta greeted jovially. "My name's Kenta, and If you need anything, my wife and I live a few doors down."

The woman thanked him, and Kenta left the apartment to return to his own. Once he was inside his place, his brows furrowed. He couldn't be certain, but he felt something akin to demonic energy inside that apartment, very faint and well-hidden. It made him a little wary, but his new neighbors seemed harmless enough. Perhaps they were like himself and Dana, two demons adjusting to a new and peaceful life in the human world.

"Oh, you're home early," Dana chimed as she came down the stairs while putting on her earrings. "I'm surprised. I take it Pyrius and the others returned."

"Yup, they did," Kenta replied with a grin. "Hey, you look great. Trying to enchant some of your customers?"

Dana laughed at her mate's teasing and shook her head. "Don't worry, Ken. I only have eyes for you."

Kenta beamed at that, his momentary wariness gone and replaced by eagerness to spend time with his mate. They hadn't had much time together since Hiei's father, uncle, and their friend had been away. At least now, everything was going to go back to normal for a while.


Hintai felt anything but normal as the doctor tried to keep her nausea at bay. They gave her some tepid water and some crackers as they did a blood test. Both the nurse and doctor tried to ask her some questions, but she wasn't in the mood for it. She got sick another time and was only just now starting to feel like her body was regaining some control.

Kiyoshi was worried. He wondered what Hintai could have caught that would make her this sick. It didn't make sense. She was feeling fine days ago, although she did complain about feeling a little rundown and sluggish. He should have known then. What if something was really wrong with her?

"How ya feeling, Tai?" he asked lovingly as he took a seat on the table beside her.

"Better," she told him, "but I felt better after the last time I got sick, and look what happened."

Kiyoshi frowned at her logic; he knew she was right. "Hopefully the doctor will be back soon and will be able to shed some light on this."

As if hearing Kiyoshi, the doctor did return, and the woman smiled at the couple. Kiyoshi felt a little put off by that. His wife was sick. Why was the doctor smiling? "Is everything okay?" he asked hopefully, not really knowing how it could be with how ill the woman was.

"I want to offer you both my sincerest congratulations," the doctor chimed.

Hintai was now surprised. "Huh? Congratulations…for what?" The next words out of the woman's mouth were life-changing.

"The two of you are going to be parents."

The couple was shocked, both dazed for a moment before the gears in their minds started to turn again. Kiyoshi was the first to break out into a huge grin, and Hintai's expression soon matched his. They looked into each other's eyes; the doctor's presence was completely forgotten as Kiyoshi kissed his wife with fervor. This was the best news they could have received.


Elsewhere in the three dimensions, not everyone was as thrilled with life on this day.

Lord Yomi stood at his viewing window and looked out over the land he claimed for his own centuries earlier. Oh course, despite keeping reign over his territory, he could not rule it the way he so desired. The various demon kings since the days of Enki kept this farce of a unity between all three worlds. Humans were now starting to become aware of the infiltration into their world. Of course, most of the demons had already established themselves right after the first Demon World Tournament.

Yomi had a different idea when he thought of unification. He believed that all of Demon World should be unified, not with Spirit World and Human World. Each time the tournament came around, he fought his hardest with his son, Shura, by his side. His son was an exceptional fighter with his strength steadily catching up to his father's. Still, between the two demons, they were unable to claim victory. It had been nearly twenty long years since that first tournament, and he still wasn't victorious.

Having to see his dreams crushed again and again did something to the demon.

"Lord Yomi," Youda called out, coming to see the king. Youda was one of the few who still gave Yomi all of his loyalty. There were some others in his territory, including rebellious demons who would attempt to cause trouble for the current ruler. Yomi allowed for them all to stay in his lands. He hoped that one day, they could find a way to change everything. "One of your associates has come for an audience."

"Send him in, Youda."

"As you wish."

The sound of footsteps rang in Yomi's ears as he turned to face the demon that entered. He could feel the coolness of the man's countenance yet feel the heated excitement that flooded the room. Yomi could smell the demon's sadistic bloodlust, and he knew from the amused energy that this demon was grinning. Irritated, Yomi spoke out. "What can I do for you, today…Jirou?"