One thing Hiei had noticed about being pregnant, ever since he started to show, was that whenever he was in a place filled with humans, they would blurt out comments (sometimes very rude ones) and try to touch his belly, even though they were complete strangers. Hiei didn't know why they thought they had the right to invade his personal space or comment on his body just because he was pregnant. But he knew he didn't like it, especially when the things they said to him were hurtful—everything from how huge he was getting to how sweaty he looked.

Needless to say, he didn't always understand their words, being in a foreign country and all. But he didn't need to speak English to understand how much attention his pregnant belly seemed to garner. Even if they didn't speak a word of Japanese, they'd come right up to Hiei and grab at his belly as if it were public property. It made him feel so violated. And if the tourists did speak Hiei's language, they didn't hesitate to open their mouths and let their stupid words come right out, words Hiei wished he couldn't understand, words that they never would have let escape if Hiei hadn't made himself so vulnerable to them by being pregnant.

Kurama had no problem lecturing people on personal space and manners, but Yusuke ended up thinking of a different way to deal with it. Hiei would just pretend to be a lot more hormonal and vicious than he actually was, so that the tourists would simply be afraid to get near him. If someone tried to get near him, all Hiei had to do was stage a violent fight with one of his friends, and the belly-grabbers backed off so that they didn't get killed in the crossfire. It tended to be more effective than Kurama's scolding, and Hiei had a way to let off some steam without hurting anyone.

There was a particularly horrible incident when they took a day-long tour of Oahu on a bus, along with a bunch of other tourists. The bus would drive along, with the driver pointing out interesting sights, and every so often, they would be let off the bus to snap some pictures. Then they were herded back onto the bus.

They had stopped by a sort of ridge overlooking the ocean, with a rail there to keep people from falling off. There were fish in the water, and the tour guide was handing out fish food to feed them. It was no secret that Hiei did not exactly love Kuwabara, but Yukina clearly did; nothing made her so happy as being married to him. And since Yukina's happiness was Hiei's happiness, it was hard for him not to be supportive of the relationship. He was even the one who had walked her down the aisle and given her away at her wedding. Even now, he still remembered how she'd resembled a floating angel in her beautiful rosy-white taffeta dress and matching veil.

"Oh my gosh, you're enormous!"

Hiei was snapped back into reality by an elderly female tourist, accompanied by a man who looked to be about her age, probably her husband. Without asking permission, the man set both hands on Hiei's belly, apparently waiting to feel for kicks. The baby didn't cooperate.

"Hmm…it's not kicking," said the man, keeping his hands where they were despite Hiei's squirming.

"That's surprising, considering it must be at least past the seventh month," added his wife. Hiei felt annoyed, embarrassed, ashamed, and hurt, all at the same time. Not only did he not like to be touched, especially by strangers, but it was also difficult sometimes to feel good about his body if people kept reminding him how gigantic he was getting.

"Maybe you've scared him," Hiei said angrily, but they didn't get the hint.

"I knew you were having a boy!" the woman cried in delight, running her hand over the curve of Hiei's belly. Hiei was feeling cornered, starting to sweat, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Hiei!" It was Yusuke. "I got that ice water you wanted!"

That was his cue. Hiei spun around furiously.

"I wanted my ice water NEAT, not ON THE ROCKS!" Hiei bellowed, and his bandaged fist soon collided with the hard muscle of Yusuke's abs. Yusuke let out a yelp of pain (faked, of course), and collapsed onto the ground.

"OW!" Yusuke hollered, curling up into a ball. It seemed that he was quite good at pretending to be injured. "OW! OW! OW!"

"I'm sorry, you two," said Kurama, walking up to them and setting one hand on Hiei's shoulder. "My beloved is a bit hormonal today."

"Get your hands off me!" Hiei shouted, slapping Kurama away. Then he crossed his muscular arms over his chest in a threatening way, turned back to the couple, and calmly asked, "Now, where were we?"

"Um, congratulations," said the woman, and she and her husband scuttled away. As soon as they were gone, Yusuke got up from the ground. He seemed to find this genuinely amusing, but Hiei had to force his face into a smile.

"Nice punch," said Yusuke, rubbing his abs. "You sure you haven't got a ball of lead in that fist?"

"No, it was just me." Hiei turned to his husband, his hands on his belly. The baby was kicking again. "Do you think I'm enormous, Kurama?"

"Is that what they said?" Kurama asked, looking displeased.

"Don't let those assholes get to you, Hiei," said Yusuke. "They're probably just empty-nesters who don't have anything better to do than watch the Home Shopping Network and bicker over whose turn it is to microwave dinner."

"Probably," Hiei agreed, but his heart was still heavy.

"For what it's worth, Hiei, I think you look perfect," said Kurama, slipping his hand into Hiei's. "Come on, it's time to get back on the tour bus."

After the three of them got back on the bus, they told the others what happened.

"I don't know who those people think they are," said Shizuru. "If I see a woman I think is pregnant, I never bring it up. I figure if she wants to talk about it, she will."

"Now if only everyone had that philosophy," Hiei said wistfully.

…

The night before the wedding, the squad got the chance to attend a hula concert, the reason being that Yukina had been taking lessons. Kuwabara signed up with her, of course, and tonight was the night of their performance.

Kurama had spent the day with Hiei so far; Hiei had wanted a pregnancy massage at the hotel spa, but since you had to get naked, that obviously wasn't happening. Instead, Kurama was the one to give him the massage, which was better anyway, because Kurama was allowed to touch Hiei in places a masseuse probably wasn't, and they were allowed to do something afterwards that a masseuse definitely wasn't. That was why they were late to dinner, and the hula concert was after.

Throughout dinner, Yukina looked excited, but Kuwabara was clearly nervous. When Keiko got up to go to the bathroom, the other three girls went with her, leaving the guys alone at the table.

"I've gotta confess, I'm super nervous about the hula dance," Kuwabara told the table at large. "I didn't tell Yukina, because she's really good at it. But I suck, and I'm afraid she'll laugh at me."

"I'm more likely to laugh than she is," said Hiei.

"Trust me, Kuwabara, she's not going to laugh at all," Kurama added warmly. "She loves you. And you're doing it for fun, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Kuwabara nodded. "And for her. I just hope I don't disappoint her."

The waiter came by just then, interrupting their conversation, and they had to tell him to come back later because half their group was in the bathroom. Kurama was still trying to make his friend feel better about the hula dancing when the girls came back, so they had to stop.

"Hi," said Yukina, sitting down. "What are you all talking about?"

"Just how excited I am for the concert tonight!" Kuwabara didn't look to Kurama as if he was concealing his nervousness all that well, but Yukina didn't seem to question it.

"While you were gone, the waiter came by our table, but we told him to come back later," Kurama said, trying to change the topic.

"Thank you," said Keiko.

"Heads up, Hiei, obnoxious human at twelve o'clock," said Yusuke suddenly. Hiei was about to start fake-fighting with one of his friends, as usual, but this guy was too fast. Since Hiei was sitting in the aisle, his maternal form was clear to see for everyone who walked past.

"That's quite a bump you've got there," said the man, poking it. "Want me to ask the waiter for a high chair, just in case?"

Kurama felt anger flaring up within him when he saw the tears that were beginning to fill Hiei's eyes, and he fully intended to tell this idiot off. But to everyone's shock, Yukina beat him to it.

"Now you've made him upset!" she shouted, bolting upright and banging one fist on the table. "You're not going anywhere until you apologize to my brother!"

"Wait, he's a guy?" the man asked, raising his eyebrows. "So he's not pregnant, just fat?"

Yukina seemed confused at first, but she winced when the realization hit her. Kurama figured that, coming straight from Makai, she'd likely forgotten that human males couldn't get pregnant. But their bigger problem wasn't the differences between human and demon biology, it was Hiei. Now he seemed to be struggling not only to keep his tears from spilling over, but to get out of their booth as well.

"If you need to use the bathroom, Hiei, Kurama can take you," said Keiko, giving Kurama a pointed look. Kurama nodded in agreement, partly for comfort, but also because Hiei's steps were a little slower these days and he could use the support. The walk went a lot faster with Kurama helping out, and before long, Hiei was sobbing over the sink, the other guys in the bathroom doing their best to avoid him. Kurama didn't think he'd ever felt so sorry for someone in all his life.

"You shouldn't take that man seriously, Hiei," he said, rubbing his husband's back. "You look great."

"Don't lie to me!" Hiei wailed. "I'm fat! I'm fat and moody and I stink and I can't walk and I can't even sneeze without pissing my pants!"

Some of those things were true—most of them, in fact—but Kurama knew that now was not the time for brutal honesty. Instead, he took Hiei into his arms, rubbing his back. One good thing about Hiei's pregnancy hormones was that he was more receptive to romantic but more PG-13-rated gestures, such as cuddling, hand-holding, or above-the-neck kisses.

"You're being too hard on yourself," Kurama insisted. "This changing figure just means that your body is doing its job, giving our son a safe place to grow until he's born. Remember that man who was so rude to you earlier? You're doing an amazing thing that he could never do. While he's just another meaningless human, you're giving someone the gift of life."

Kurama found himself giving this speech to Hiei a lot. But it was worth it every time. Slowly, Hiei began to untense. The tears stopped, and Kurama was soon holding Hiei's soft, round, warm body in his arms, his nose buried in the sweaty, thick black hair.

"Maybe he was just jealous," Hiei mumbled finally, his voice muffled by Kurama's clothing.

"Without a doubt," said Kurama, relieved. "There's really no other explanation. Are you ready to head back out?"

Hiei nodded, and they separated. Kurama helped Hiei put some ice-cold water on his eyes to stop them from being all red and puffy, and they left the bathroom. When they came back to the table, everyone stopped talking abruptly.

"Are you feeling better, Hiei?" Yukina asked, her eyes wide and full of worry as Kurama slid into the booth. Hiei struggled a bit, but he finally got in, too.

"Yes," said Hiei, the slightest shadow of a smile on his face. "I don't have to listen to people like that. And thank you for standing up for me."

"You're my brother, Hiei," she said, warmly returning his smile. "I know you would have done the same for me."

"Well, I probably would have done a lot worse," said Hiei. "You've got better self-control than I have."

"And that's the strange part, you know," said Keiko. "People always tell themselves things they would never say to someone they loved. Hiei, I know you would never stand for someone being rude to Yukina, but you should enforce your own boundaries as well. It's just as important to value yourself."

Kurama didn't think Keiko fully understood that Hiei had a difficult time valuing himself as much as he valued Yukina. After all, it was the reason he refused so long to admit that he was her brother. But Hiei seemed to agree with Keiko's words.

"You're probably right," he said. "I should value myself more."

The waiter came by again and they ordered their food, which was absolutely delicious. It seemed that their waiter shared Shizuru's philosophy; Hiei didn't mention the pregnancy, so neither did he. When they were leaving the restaurant, Hiei went to walk with Yukina, and the other three guys hung back.

"I've never seen Hiei like that before," Kuwabara said to the other two, still looking shocked. "You know, all…emotional and stuff."

"Well, the poor guy's pregnant," said Yusuke. "Give him a break."

…

Hiei ended up enjoying the hula concert more than he thought he would. Kuwabara was awful, just as he'd predicted, but for some reason, it wasn't as amusing as Hiei would have guessed. Yukina was a great dancer, looking like a real wahine as she danced the hula in a coconut bra and grass skirt. Kuwabara also had a grass skirt, but no bra. Hiei wouldn't have done something like this to begin with, but he especially wouldn't do it now, with his newfound breasts barely fitting into the coconut bra, his large, naked belly hanging out into space, and…did they even wear anything under those grass skirts?

Near the end of the concert, it started to rain, but the performers didn't seem bothered, and most of the concert-goers stayed. When it was done, all those who had friends or family performing in the concert cheered extra loudly. Then everyone returned to their hotels.

Hiei was exhausted, and Kurama had to help him up to their hotel room. In fact, everyone seemed tired except Shizuru and Botan, who were both nervous and excited for their wedding tomorrow. Jin and Touya were going to attend, as well as a few other demons they knew, but the guest list was mostly human.

However tired they were, Kurama and Hiei obviously weren't tired enough that night that they didn't have sex, and Hiei always felt more confident and attractive after he did it with Kurama. Both of them got a good sleep, even though Hiei always had to sleep on his side now due to how big he'd gotten. On Valentine's Day morning, Hiei woke up to the glorious heavenly sunshine, still on his side, but somehow knowing that it would be a special day.

"Tomorrow afternoon we're all flying back home except for the newlyweds," he said, as Kurama gave him a sweet good-morning kiss. "How should we enjoy our second-to-last morning in Hawaii?"

"I can think of a way," said Kurama, and they were late to breakfast again.

In the afternoon, everyone got cleaned up for the wedding. In a traditional Makaian wedding, the bride and groom (or the two brides, in this case) entered separately and walked up to the stage at the same time with their respective attendants, and then exchanged their vows. In a traditional Western human one, the bride would walk down the aisle to the altar, usually with her father and the maid-of-honor, preceded by all the bridesmaids. Shizuru and Botan did a mix of this; Shizuru waited up by the altar in a women's tuxedo, which she pulled off perfectly, and her attendant, Keiko, was right by her side. Botan wasn't going to have anyone walk her up the aisle, but her own attendant, Yukina, would be right behind her.

The two attendants had been allowed to pick their own outfits, and Keiko was wearing a dress that looked great on her. It was violet, tighter and held up by straps at the top, with a huge puffy skirt fringed by white eyelet lace. Her shoes were impossible to see under the floor-length skirt, but they must have been heels or wedges, because she looked a little taller than usual.

Besides his own, Hiei had been to two weddings so far: Yukina's wedding to Kuwabara, and Keiko's wedding to Yusuke. Both of those times, and at his wedding as well, people were always crying, which he thought was silly—what was there to cry about? True, he had found himself getting a little choked up when he gave Yukina away at her wedding, but who wouldn't? Hiei had been a groomsman then, just like Kurama, with Yusuke as the best man. But they let Hiei walk his sister up the aisle before he took his place next to Kurama. Hiei was sitting in the audience, waiting for Botan and Yukina, as the memories all came rushing back.

Keiko, Yukina, and Hiei finally arrived at the altar. Keiko took her place as maid of honor, and Hiei paused, Yukina still holding onto his arm.

"Yukina…" Hiei took a deep breath to keep his voice steady. "Only a few years ago, we met for the first time…I can't believe I'm holding onto your arm, walking you up the aisle. To start a new life with a man who loves you."

Hiei coughed, hoping this wouldn't get embarrassing.

"Don't think of it as losing a sister, Hiei," Yukina said softly as he let go of her arm. "Think of it as gaining a brother."

Hiei glanced at Kuwabara, and he could tell everyone was waiting with bated breath, especially those who knew of the friction between the two.

"I told you Yukina can make her own choices," Hiei continued, with just a ghost of a smile on his face. "But in this case…I agree with her choice. I may not love you, but she does. And that's all that matters to me."

The look of shock on Kuwabara's face was unbelievable, but it soon morphed into a grin. Hiei looked to his left at the groomsmen; they were smiling, too, though Kurama seemed to be beaming the most out of all of them. The bridesmaids were all wiping their eyes.

"You break her heart, I break your jaw," Hiei continued, to laughter from the guests. "Take good care of her."

"As your brother-in-law, and as a man, you have my word," Kuwabara replied gallantly.

"I love you, Hiei," Yukina whispered, kissing him on the forehead.

"I love you too, Yukina," Hiei whispered back, and she smiled too, as her brother left to take his place among the other groomsmen, right next to Kurama.

"That was quite a speech," Kurama muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I only did what you're always saying I should do," Hiei replied. "I said what I felt."

"Well, I'm impressed," Kurama told him. "Let's hope you can do the same in our wedding next month."

Hiei felt his stomach disappear, his face flush. How was he going to pull that off? But as soon as he saw the warm, teasing smile Kurama reserved for him and him alone, he knew it was going to be okay…

"Are you all right, Hiei?"

It was Kurama's voice, coming from somewhere far away. Hiei snapped to, realizing there were tears in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" he said, hoping Kurama hadn't noticed.

"Is there anything wrong?" Kurama handed Hiei a tissue. "The wedding hasn't even started yet."

"It's nothing," Hiei sniffled, and Kurama gave him a kiss. Now the only couple in their friend group who wasn't engaged or married was Jin and Touya. It was amazing how the time went by.

Shizuru normally wore her long hair down, but for her wedding, it was in a French braid with a small black bow that matched her suit, giving the "masculine" style a feminine touch. Keiko was holding a bouquet of flowers from Kurama's garden. Shizuru had her eyes on the door of the event room, waiting for Botan. And then, finally, the music got louder, grander. Everyone stood up. Shizuru's new bride was walking down the aisle.

Botan's dress was sleeveless and backless, though the front part of the dress came up to her neck. The skirt was huge, loose, tiers of fluffy white material cascading all the way to her feet, with white roses mixed in. Her hair was in a braid, like Shizuru's, but tied with a silken white scrunchie that matched her wedding dress, including the roses. She was also wearing elegant white gloves and silver jewelry that reflected off the lights in the event room. Hiei had never been that close with Botan, but he had to admit, she looked nice.

Not as nice as Yukina, though, he added to himself. His sister looked beautiful as well. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and held in place by a fancy ice-blue comb. Her dress was a sheath dress, shades of blue and green, seeming to change colors as she walked, and adorned with silver tassels at the bottom. Her hair was much longer than it had been when she and Hiei first met, making her look even more like their mother. Yukina and Botan were both holding bouquets, like Keiko.

Shizuru and Botan looked so happy and in love when reciting their vows, and Hiei was annoyed to find that his eyes were filling with tears—just like all the people he'd scoffed at when they cried during the other wedding ceremonies he'd attended. What was wrong with him? He didn't want to cry again. But he couldn't help it. He wiped his eyes and sniffled, and that was when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Kurama was smiling at him, holding a fresh tissue. Hiei nodded his thanks, wiped his eyes and nose, and stuck it into his pocket.

"As is the custom," Keiko recited, "the couple will now exchange their rings."

Hiei and Kurama watched as the attendants handed over the rings. Shizuru and Botan silently but gently placed the wedding rings on each other's hands.

"As is the custom," Yukina continued, "the couple will exchange their wedding vows."

"Will you, Shizuru Kuwabara, take me forever and ever as your lawfully wedded wife?" asked Botan, as they held each other's hands.

"I do," Shizuru replied. "Will you, Botan, take me forever and ever as your lawfully wedded wife?"

Botan didn't say anything for a moment. And then, to everyone's surprise, she stood up slightly, placed her hands on Shizuru's cheeks, and gave her a big, passionate kiss right on the lips. When the kiss finally ended, her eyes were shining, and Shizuru was grinning.

"Does that answer your question?" Botan asked cheekily.

"Yes," said Shizuru, beginning to laugh. "Yes, it does."

"As is the custom…" Keiko, of course, didn't sway from the script, but it was obvious she found it amusing, too. "The couple will exchange their first kiss of marriage."

"Again," Yukina ad-libbed, and everyone laughed.

Shizuru and Botan kissed once more, and everyone cheered. Once they separated, Shizuru took Botan's arm and they proceeded back down the aisle as a newly married couple.

When it came to Makaian weddings, usually there was a feast first, followed by the ceremony, and finally a huge party with lots of dancing and music. Anyone who wanted to could show up, and the more demons there were in attendance, the wilder the parties got. Shizuru and Botan, though, decided to have the ceremony first, then combine the feast and party for afterwards. They also said it was fine if Hiei and Kurama wanted to leave early, as long as they stuck around for the toasts. Hiei was glad, as he wasn't in the mood or the physical shape for dancing, and he figured the celebratory food might set off his aversions.

There was a little bit of time to socialize while the food was being set up. Jin and Touya managed to track Hiei and Kurama down, with Touya gushing about how romantic this wedding was and how he and Hiei were getting to be "belly buddies," which made Hiei want to bash Touya's face in, but he restrained himself.

Although the wedding party was wearing human dress clothes (a tuxedo, a wedding dress, and two bridesmaid's dresses), the stated attire for guests was to wear either formal human clothing or, as was standard for traditional Makaian weddings, a kimono in the traditional colors of whatever demon clan someone belonged to. If a demon guest was a "rogue" and didn't belong to any tribe or clan in particular, like Hiei, they could wear one in any color they wanted. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara all opted for the human tuxedo, but needless to say, Hiei wore a kimono, not only because he'd rather wear demon attire, but because it was just more comfortable for his pregnant form. He wore a kimono made for pregnant women, with the maternity obi Shiori gave him. All the other demons on the guest list were wearing kimonos, so Hiei fit right in with his black one.

Hiei was sitting in a collapsible chair with Kurama standing nearby, and they greeted people who walked past. At first, they had been walking around and mingling, but Hiei got tired and sore, so they had to take a break (although Hiei did promise to take a walk with Kurama on the docks later that night, followed by a "swim" in the hot tub). Kurama was rubbing Hiei's back when Yomi walked past them, wearing a bright-red kimono.

"I was hoping I would have a chance to speak with you two today," he said, turning to face them (presumably with the aid of his smell and hearing). "Hiei, I must say, your baby is in excellent health. Not only does it have very strong youki, but the heartbeat is stable and it's moving a lot."

"Well, that's good to know," said Kurama. "But what did you want to talk about?"

"Our business deal, of course," Yomi replied. "I set up a table in back where people can sign their names and pre-order products, and I've already hired some workers."

"Yomi, we were not officially going to start the business until the spring," Kurama said sternly. "It's still the middle of February. Do you want to lose your share?"

Hiei couldn't help but feel a little aroused when he heard Kurama talk like that. Usually, Kurama was soft-spoken and gentle, but when he got riled up…that was hotter than hell. The more he heard Kurama talking sternly to Yomi, the more he couldn't wait to get to the hot tub and tear the clothes from his husband's body, run his fingers over that soft skin, play with his thick, silky red hair, breathe in the wonderful scent of roses…and then the two of them could express their love for each other in the hot water, just as they had on their first Hawaiian vacation. And no mess to clean up!

Yomi suddenly turned around to face Hiei, and Hiei realized that even though the blind demon might not be able to see what was happening to Hiei, he sure could sense it. Yomi was an animal demon, like Kurama (goat, to be exact), and animal demons tended to have stronger senses of smell. Undoubtedly, Yomi had detected a change in Hiei's scent that indicated how horny he was. Hiei was embarrassed, but luckily, Kurama brought the topic back around to the business, and Hiei kind of tuned out until he heard another voice.

"Hey."

Hiei looked over to see Mukuro standing next to his chair in an orange-and-white kimono.

"Hi," said Hiei.

"How are you holding up?" she asked.

"Not that good." Hiei sighed. "Being pregnant can be tough."

"But at least Kurama is staying home with you, instead of moving to Makai for the business," she said, shrugging. "I'm sure that's why he's allowing Yomi to help, anyway, because although Yomi may have been a good King, he's not much of a businessman. I'm actually helping him a lot with that part."

"Really?" said Hiei, raising his eyebrows. "Doesn't that get boring?"

"Miserably so, but I don't mind helping him out, and I'm decent at it." Mukuro shrugged. "I guess it works, because Yomi's the exact opposite. I think he's in over his head, but he keeps my morale up."

"I'm still surprised you two are together," said Hiei. "I remember how it used to be…You two wanted to destroy each other."

"We were political rivals, nothing more," she corrected. "Once there was nothing to fight over anymore, we found we got along quite well. One thing led to another…and we found ourselves engaged. We're excited for the wedding in August." She smiled slightly. "You and Kurama can bring your baby, you know. Did you find out if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Yeah, it's a boy," said Hiei, rubbing his belly fondly. "For the entire wedding, he's been very active. I think he knows it's an important day."

"Smart kid." Mukuro glanced down at Hiei, who was trying to adjust himself in his seat. He winced as he felt that familiar pain in his back and hips. Mukuro must have noticed, because she added, "I see you were serious about this being difficult."

"Yeah, some pain," said Hiei with a sigh. "Pain, and a few other symptoms I really don't care to mention right now, but the worst part is, I can't seem to control the way I act or feel. It's like someone else is in charge."

"Mood swings?"

"Probably," said Hiei. "Whatever it is, it's the worst part of the pregnancy by far."

"Well, it's only temporary," Mukuro reminded him. She paused, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Listen, Hiei, do you mind if I…?"

"Oh." Hiei felt his face flush, but there wasn't really any reason why she couldn't feel the baby kick. He trusted her more than he trusted most people. "Sure. Most people don't ask first."

Even after getting permission, Mukuro hesitated, her hand hovering over the bump.

"If you're going to do it, do it," Hiei said shortly. "He's not going to jump out and bite you."

Hiei didn't know where to put his hands, so he kept them at his sides, clinging to the chair as if he was about to blast off. Mukuro touched his belly gingerly with one hand, almost as if she was afraid she would hurt him. But Hiei did his best to stay still, and she soon had both hands firmly on the bump. By her facial expression, Hiei could tell that she definitely felt the kicks.

"That's amazing," said Mukuro, taking her hands off. "You really feel that all day long?"

"Pretty much," Hiei replied, setting one hand on his belly again. Most of the time, he just couldn't keep his hands away from it. "I feel it a little less during the day, and the doctor says it's because my movements rock him to sleep. But I know he can feel my heartbeat, and he's always close to me."

"So maybe it isn't all bad," she said, with a slight flicker of a smile. Her dark blue eyes softened just a bit. Most people wouldn't have realized the significance of this, but Hiei knew something about Mukuro that "most people" did not. Something horrible had been done to her when she was young, something that left her unable to have children of her own. Maybe that was why she had been drawn to Hiei; in a way, he'd been her protégé, the potential heir to rule her kingdom when her reign came to a close. For multiple reasons, that hadn't worked out, but now that she was marrying Yomi, maybe she could see Shura as her child.

"No," Hiei said finally. "No, it isn't all bad."

Kurama and Yomi walked over at that moment, and Hiei was relieved that they were done talking about the business for now—because, like Mukuro, he found it incredibly boring. All he could think of was the hot tub and Kurama's naked ass.

"They're starting the toasts now," Yomi announced. "We'd better get going."

"See you two around," said Mukuro, holding her arm out to Yomi, and the two of them headed off to one of the dining tables. Kurama held out both hands, and Hiei, with quite a bit of effort, got up off the chair. It was embarrassing how so many things that had once been easy were now quite difficult to do without assistance.

"When can we go, Kurama?" said Hiei, trying to keep the irritability out of his tone. Not only was he in pain, but he was exhausted as well, and he was starting to feel a little cranky again.

"We just have to stick around for the toasts, honey, and then we can leave, I promise," Kurama whispered in Hiei's ear as they headed for the main table.

"Now that everyone's here, we can start the toasts," said Shizuru, as Kurama helped Hiei into his seat, then sat down himself. "Then you two can head out. We don't mind."

"Thank you for understanding," said Kurama.

"Oh, no problem!" Botan grinned. "We wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable, Hiei."

Hiei just glared at her. Didn't she know he was already uncomfortable? But any possible scene was prevented by Keiko tapping her fork on a glass of champagne.

"Thank you, everyone," she said, as the room quieted down. "I would just like to say that being Shizuru Kuwabara's attendant on this special day is the highest honor. Shizuru and I met when my husband and her brother were competing in the Dark Martial Arts Tournament. From the beginning, she was always a source of calm for me, keeping her head no matter how hectic the situation became. On my own wedding day, she was a wonderful maid of honor. She's like an older sister to me, and one of my best friends. I know that she and Botan have a lifetime of happiness awaiting them."

Keiko sat down neatly as all the guests clapped. She really was good at public speaking. There was silence for a moment, but then Keiko gestured to Yukina, who stood up, biting her lip. She was the exact opposite of Keiko—nervous, shaky, unprepared.

"Botan and I met at the Dark Tournament, too," she began, but her voice was quivering. Hiei was surprised to hear that; he knew they had met before, during Yukina's rescue. But maybe she didn't want to bring up memories like that on what was supposed to be a happy day. "I…I hope she and Shizuru will be very happy, b-because this wedding was so romantic, and…oh, no!"

Yukina, in all her fear of public speaking, had accidentally knocked over and shattered a glass of champagne, the liquid spreading steadily over the tablecloth. She looked humiliated, but that was when Kuwabara stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Sometimes you just don't have the words," he told the audience. "But I think what my beloved Yukina is trying to say is that when you're married to someone you really love, every day is special. Nothing makes me happier than to wake up beside Yukina every morning, to take walks with her, to kiss her, to eat dinner with her at night. I want to spend the rest of my life with her, because the way you know if you really love someone is if you can't imagine spending the rest of your life without them. I know my sister and Botan will have this happiness too, when they're married. And that's from me, and Botan's wonderful attendant, Yukina. Right?"

Yukina nodded, looking relieved, and hugged him. Everyone clapped.

"Don't worry about the tablecloth," said Shizuru. "That was some speech, baby bro."

"Kazuma…" Yukina looked up at her husband, her eyes shining. "Did you prepare a whole speech just in case I messed mine up?"

"No, baby, I had it all here in my heart," Kuwabara declared, thumping one fist to his chest. She giggled, and they kissed.

There were a few more toasts after that. Kurama had given one at every other wedding so far, and he made no exception with this one, though he kept it short because he knew Hiei wanted to leave. And as soon as the toasts were over, that was what they did. Congratulations were exchanged, so were some hugs on Kurama's part, and Shizuru and Botan were officially married.

Hiei took a nap as soon as they got back from the reception, and around dusk, he felt refreshed. So he and Kurama took a walk on the docks by the ocean, just as promised.

"This really is a beautiful place, isn't it?" Kurama said quietly as they stood together on the dock, looking out across the ocean.

Hiei nodded, but he stayed silent, just taking it all in. The ocean had its own dark beauty, especially at night; the waves were repetitively soothing but mysterious, and there was nothing to see but ocean, miles out and miles down. The breeze was cool and the air smelled salty. The only lights visible were those from the little shops that were open on the docks. From the roaring waves to the inky night sky, everything else was all dark. It surrounded Hiei like a comforting blanket.

"Would you like to check out some of the shops, Hiei?" Kurama suggested softly. "We could get gifts, souvenirs, things like that."

"Yeah, let's do it," Hiei agreed.

Sure enough, there were many interesting things in the shops. Kurama bought some earrings and a necklace for his mom, and Hiei picked out some for Yukina, too. Besides earrings and necklaces, there were bottles of perfume, soaps, apparel, books, key chains, mugs, and any other tourist trap souvenir you could imagine. Kurama bought a wooden sign to hang in the kitchen that read No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem. It was only when they had been in about ten shops when Kurama said, "Have you noticed that none of these shops have a bathroom?"

"Well, they're really small," said Hiei. "Barely enough room for the displays. You need to go?"

"Yes," said Kurama, looking uncomfortable. "It's that blasted champagne."

"You only had one glass."

"It doesn't matter with me," Kurama told him. "When it comes to alcohol, one glass is all it takes."

"That's why I stay away from the stuff, even when I'm not pregnant," said Hiei. "Come on. We can go back inside one of the shops and ask where the nearest bathroom is."

They went back into the shop they had just left, one that had just sold them a painting of the ocean to hang in their living room. Kurama went up to the counter and asked the cashier where the nearest bathroom was.

"There's a grocery store a few shops down," she said. "I think they have one in there."

"No, not anymore," said her coworker, who was a few feet away, fixing up a display. "They got shut down for health code violations last month."

"Oh, yes, that's right." The cashier smiled at them apologetically. "You might have to hold it until you get back to your hotel, then."

"Let's hope I can," said Kurama, and they headed back outside.

They walked a little faster on their way back to the hotel, but they couldn't go much faster because of Hiei being weighed down by his baby. Hiei was seriously concerned Kurama was about to have an emergency.

"Listen, Kurama, you just have to pee, right?" he said.

"Why does that matter?" Kurama asked, giving him a curious but pained look.

"Well, you're a guy," said Hiei with a shrug. "You can easily take care of it right here."

"Hiei, that's disgusting."

"More disgusting than wetting your pants?" Hiei pointed to a part of the dock that stretched out into the water. "Look, just stand on the dock, and I'll keep watch. It'll seem like you're just taking in the view."

"Well…all right," said Kurama reluctantly, dashing past Hiei to get to the water.

Just as promised, Hiei stood a few feet away from him, in case anyone decided to stroll by. At least when he heard Kurama's groan of relief, he knew they didn't have to worry about an accident. After all, he knew how embarrassing that could be. It took a minute or two, and Kurama didn't look like he was gazing out across the majestic ocean, but soon he was back by Hiei's side, looking much better.

"Let's get back to the hotel," said Hiei, giving him a grin. "There's a hot tub calling our names."

…

Kurama was extremely horny by the time they got to the hot tub, and he could tell Hiei felt the exact same way. Of course, having sex in the public hot tub was illegal, so Kurama put up some "forgetfulness" pollen around the pool. Anyone who breathed it in would suddenly remember that they had important business somewhere else.

Hiei's naked, pregnant body made Kurama even hornier than before. When they got in the tub, Hiei sat on the seat, and Kurama knelt in between his legs, fondling his husband's dick. Kurama didn't forget Hiei's top half, either. The pregnant demon produced a little bit of milk every so often, but Kurama just kept it on his tongue for a few seconds, swallowed, and continued to lick and suck at Hiei's breasts.

Soon enough, Hiei was sitting backwards on the hot tub seat while Kurama stood up in the water and penetrated him from behind.

"Tell me you want my dick," Kurama breathed, his hands placed firmly on Hiei's shoulders.

"I want your dick," Hiei moaned, and he definitely sounded sincere.

Kurama kept one hand on Hiei's shoulder, but moved the other to one of his breasts, fondling the nipple with all his skilled dexterity. Before long, he felt himself orgasm inside Hiei, spurred on by the pregnant demon's uninhibited squirms of pleasure. Hiei's moans, always indulgent, grew louder and more high-pitched, until finally he had his release too. After it was over, Kurama and Hiei cuddled each other in the hot tub, still as bare as the day they were born.

"Thanks for putting up with all my crap, Kurama," Hiei murmured, burying his face in Kurama's chest.

"Oh, honey, it's not crap," said Kurama, giving Hiei's head a kiss. "I love you, and I want to help you in any way I can. You're doing a wonderful thing for our son."

"Yeah." Hiei reached up and started playing with a lock of Kurama's red hair. "And for our family."

Our family. Kurama smiled at the thought.