When Hiei got out of the bathroom, Kurama looked shaken, and the three kids were quiet. Upon closer examination, Kurama actually had streaks of tears on his face. Still holding Tommy, Hiei headed over to him.
"What happened?" he asked. It must have been something big, to make Kurama look like that.
"I have to be honest with you," Kurama replied, and his voice quavered a little. "Natsumi ran out into traffic. She almost got hit by a car."
Hiei's heart skipped a beat, but there was Natsumi, flipping contentedly through Miyuki's zebra book. "But—but she didn't?"
Kurama shook his head. "Miyuki saved her, believe it or not."
Miyuki was looking at a new book, and Hiei figured she just might have let Natsumi have the zebra one. Whatever had transpired while he was changing Tommy's diaper, it seemed that the children had been shaken up, too. Even Ryu seemed subdued.
Hiei didn't know what to say, so he was relieved when Masaki and Hana entered the bookstore, their cheeks pink with cold.
"Miyuki, Natsumi," said Hana brightly. "How would you like to go shopping with Elvira and me?"
Natsumi sprung up, eager to do something new, but Miyuki just raised an eyebrow.
"I'm reading," she said. "What could you possibly be shopping for now?"
"Dresses!" Hana replied, beaming. "For the Christmas Eve Ball. I'm so excited! Elvira says she'll help us get ready, and she's going to help all three of us girls pick out dresses. Come on, it'll be fun. Masaki said he'd hang back with the guys, so my dress will be a surprise."
"You're going to a ball, not getting married," said Ryu.
"I want to be surprised, anyway," said Masaki, glaring at him. "Besides, what do you know about getting married?"
"More than you, I'll bet," Ryu taunted. "I know you can't be afraid of kissing girls, at least."
"Who's afraid of kissing girls?" said Hana, turning to Masaki, who was suddenly very red.
"Ryu is just being an idiot, as usual," said Miyuki. "You know what, I'll go with you, Hana. Anything to get away from him."
"I wanna go too!" said Natsumi, almost stumbling over her own feet to follow them, but she paused at the door. "Where are we going, Hana?"
"We're going to pick out dresses for the Christmas Eve Ball," Hana reminded her. "And on the night of the ball, Elvira will make you look as beautiful as a princess."
"Like Hachikazuki-sama?" said Natsumi, referring to her favorite fairy tale.
"Even more beautiful than that," Hana replied, taking her hand. "Come on, let's go."
"Are you going to be able to get there all right?" Kurama asked, and Hiei knew he was thinking about Natsumi's near-tragedy from earlier. "Visibility isn't good."
"The clothing shop is on the same side of the street as the bookstore, so we don't have to cross the street to get there," Hana replied. "And I won't let go of their hands for even a minute."
"Very well," said Kurama. "Miyuki, Natsumi, make sure to be good girls and listen to Hana."
"Okay!" Natsumi chirped, looking up at Hana adoringly. As they left the shop, Hiei was relieved to see that Kurama was smiling.
"They really are like sisters, aren't they?" he said. "I'm so glad Miyuki and Natsumi have an older girl to look up to—besides Ru-Ru, that is."
"I don't want them looking up to Ru-Ru," said Hiei, but his and Kurama's attention was diverted by their two oldest sons. The minute the girls disappeared from sight, Masaki turned on Ryu. He looked angry, which didn't happen often. And when it did, he sure looked a lot more like Hiei.
"What's your problem, Ryu?" Masaki demanded. "You're always embarrassing me in front of my girlfriend!"
"Yeah, like you need the help," said Ryu, sticking out his tongue.
"Just because you're too immature to understand love doesn't mean you have to ruin it for me!" Masaki insisted. "Why did you tell her I was afraid to kiss her?"
"Because you are," Ryu told him. "I heard you tell Otou-san."
"Yeah, and I told him that in confidence," Masaki retorted. "You weren't supposed to repeat it."
"Well, that's dumb," said Ryu. "Why are you dating her if you're so scared you'll mess up? Isn't love supposed to make people happy? Half the time you're with her, you just look miserable."
Masaki didn't seem to have anything to say to that. He just gave Ryu another glare and plopped himself in a bean bag chair, arms crossed.
"Woah," Hiei whispered. "Ryu said something wise."
"Even a broken clock is right twice a day," Kurama muttered back.
"Listen, Kurama, I'm worse than horrible at this sort of thing," said Hiei. "What are we supposed to say to Masaki when Ryu is right?"
"Ryu isn't completely right," said Kurama. "I don't worry like Masaki does."
"I used to," Hiei confessed. "I used to worry all the time. But after fourteen years of marriage, that stuff just doesn't seem important anymore. You don't have to worry about feeling gross or anything, because you're not going to leave somebody over them being gross."
Kurama smiled and gently reached for Hiei's hand.
"Well, Hiei," he observed, "it appears Ryu isn't the only one being insightful today."
…
Tommy needed to take a nap, and Ryu finally tired himself out as well, so the guys headed back to the inn. When they arrived, Elvira and the girls were still gone.
"It's okay," said Hiei, lifting up his headband. "They're on their way back now, carrying their dresses in shopping bags."
"Don't you say a single word when they come back, Ryu," Masaki warned.
"Whatever," said Ryu, glaring at him. "I don't care about your dumb girlfriend, anyway."
"Ryu, that was unnecessary," Kurama scolded. Even though he considered each of his children to be a blessing, their constant bickering was driving him up the wall. It was to be expected with Miyuki and Natsumi, and to a lesser extent Miyuki and Ryu, as it seemed fire demons got under her icy skin. But Ryu and Masaki had always gotten on fairly well. Why were they fighting now? "Please try to get along with your Onii-san."
"Hmph," said Ryu, then he decided to change the subject. "Do I have to dress up for this dumb ball, too?"
"Well, you'll need to wear a tie, at least," said Kurama. "We could get you a nice red one."
"But the rest of us guys are going to wear suits, right?" said Masaki.
"All except Tommy," said Kurama. "We can put him to bed early and he can sleep while we go to the ball. I can help everyone get ready—because Hiei still doesn't know how to tie a tie."
"Why would I want to learn something useless like that, anyway?" Hiei rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Especially when I have you to do it for me."
Kurama smiled and shook his head, just as the door opened, bringing in a whirl of cold air and the ladies along with it.
"Wait until you see my dress, Otou-san!" Natsumi shrieked, running to Kurama and scrambling into his lap. "I even got a tiara!"
"I'm sure you'll look beautiful, honey," Kurama told her.
"Mine is nice, too," said Miyuki. "But you should see Hana's."
"Yeah, yeah!" Natsumi exclaimed, twirling one of her pigtails with her finger. "Hana looks so pretty! Just like a real princess!"
"No, I don't," said Hana modestly, her cheeks pink.
"Yes, she does," said Elvira. "And with her makeup and hair done on the big night, she'll look even better."
"I'm allowed to wear makeup now that I'm thirteen, and heels too," Hana explained. "Natsumi walked around in a pair of heels for a bit, but she almost fell."
"You could break your neck in those things," Miyuki commented. "They're not sensible at all."
Hana had just turned thirteen last month, so she couldn't have been doing these things for very long. But her big purple eyes, the exact same as Botan's, were positively glowing with excitement.
"By the way, there's another activity," Elvira was saying, as she was messing with something behind the counter. "I always take photos of the families that stay at my inn, and considering what time of year it is, I was thinking we ought to make it a holiday picture this year."
"I think it would be nice to have something like that on the mantle," said Kurama.
"And look!" Elvira finally stood up, and then they saw what she had been fetching from behind her front desk: a red onesie covered in green Christmas trees, along with tiny matching socks. "I got this just for Tommy to wear in the picture, plus red blouses for the ladies and green ties for the other gentlemen."
"Not another tie!" Ryu moaned.
"Some of us have to wear ties every day, Ryu," said Masaki. "I have to wear one for junior high school, and someday you will, too. Even the girls wear ties in my school."
"Shut up, Onii-san!" said Ryu. "You think you know everything!"
"At least he knows something," Miyuki cut in.
"Be quiet, the three of you, or no dessert," Kurama threatened. That was a pretty big blow to both Miyuki (who loved ice cream) and Masaki (who loved sweets in general, just like Hiei). Ryu didn't seem as threatened as those two, but luckily he seemed to lose interest in the topic pretty quickly.
"How do you know our sizes, Elvira?" Hana asked, effectively fizzling out the latest spat.
"Oh, I just kind of eyeballed it," said Elvira. "I'm really good at guessing."
"No one's that good at guessing," Hiei commented. "Are you sure you're not spying on us?"
"Now why would I do that?" said Elvira, although Kurama saw her cheeks go a little pink. "Are we doing the photo or not?"
"Well, I would hate to be the one to break a longstanding tradition," said Kurama. "If there are no objections, I think we should do it."
"Great!" Elvira clasped her hands together in excitement, and Kurama couldn't help but notice that her eyes looked a little wild.
…
Hiei didn't expect the family Christmas photo to be easy, but it was even more difficult than he'd predicted. Hana couldn't get her hair to look right, Masaki hated being photographed under the best circumstances, neither Ryu nor Natsumi could sit still, Miyuki was inconvenienced because she wanted to read the books she got at the bookstore, and Tommy was crying furiously. Nobody could figure out why.
"Make him stop!" Ryu howled, putting his hands over his ears.
"He's just a baby, Ryu," said Miyuki. "Maybe he doesn't like having his picture taken."
"Why would a baby care about that?" Ryu said back. "At least he isn't being strangled by a dumb tie!"
"Please stop," Kurama told them, and took a deep breath. "We're trying to take a nice family picture here."
"Fat chance," Masaki muttered under his breath—and he wasn't normally a sarcastic person.
Nobody could concentrate on the picture with Tommy crying, and it took the family a full five minutes before Hiei finally figured out what was wrong. The stitching of the Christmas trees on Tommy's onesie could be felt on the inside, too, and that was surely what was bothering him.
"Tommy can only wear things with a flat pattern," said Hiei, after the offending garment was changed. "He can't have anything itchy on his skin. Most things bother him, actually…"
"Is that why he wouldn't eat the baby food I had?" Elvira asked.
"Most likely," said Kurama. "Right now, he only has a few safe foods. But we're hoping to help him expand his palate in time."
"Tommy is a little different," Miyuki explained. "But it's okay. We love him for who he is."
"I see," said Elvira. "He reminds me of a guest I had here a few years ago. Is he having trouble meeting developmental milestones? Or hitting them unusually early, maybe?"
"The former, I'm afraid," said Kurama. "He's the only child of ours who hasn't walked by nine months, and he hasn't said a word. Sometimes when he's crawling around, he bumps into walls."
"Hmm…" Elvira tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, have you ever considered getting him tested for autism?"
"What's that?" Hiei demanded, clutching his baby to his chest protectively. He had no idea what "autism" was—he hadn't even heard the word before—but he didn't like the idea of Tommy having to be tested for anything. "We said he's different, not that there's something wrong with him!"
"It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with him, Hiei." Kurama, to Hiei's surprise, looked almost relieved. "In fact, it actually makes a lot of sense."
"Well, if there's nothing wrong with him, then what…?"
"It's complicated, and we can do more research on it when we get home," Kurama told him. "We'll definitely need to speak to his doctor to investigate it further. In short, it means just what you said before—that he's wired a little differently. But there are a lot of others like him, and if he does get a diagnosis, there are things we can do to help him live his best life."
Out of everything Kurama said, all Hiei heard was "diagnosis."
"You just said there was nothing wrong with him." Hiei was surprised to hear his voice shaking. "Why does he need a diagnosis?"
"It will help us understand him, and we'll be able to get the tools we need to help him," Kurama explained. He must have seen how worried Hiei was, because he pulled his husband into a hug. "The diagnosis won't change who he is or what he can accomplish. On the contrary, it will make it easier for us to give him the childhood he deserves. It's just like what we do with the other four, if you think about it. Every kid has needs. His are just a little different."
"Well, then why does he keep bumping into walls?" said Hiei, still keeping Tommy close to his heart. "Is that an autism thing, too?"
"Could be," said Elvira. "Or, I don't know, maybe he just needs glasses."
That was something Hiei could understand, at least. He gave Tommy a quick kiss on the head, and he knew Kurama was right. They now had an idea of what made him "different." But it meant that they could help him, and underneath it, he was the same old Tommy.
"We'll be sure to get that checked out, too," said Kurama. "Thank you, Elvira."
"Anytime," she told him with a self-satisfied smile.