They never did manage to take that perfect family picture, although Kurama did say he wasn't going to give up yet. Kurama said he wanted to make dinner for everyone, and Elvira said he could use her kitchen. By their standards, dinner was a fairly uneventful affair, but Hiei and Kurama were still exhausted when they fell into bed that night. They spoke in low voices, so as not to wake the children.

"It was nice of Elvira to let you use her kitchen," said Hiei. "Dinner was great."

Hiei thought Kurama would smile and thank him, but instead, he just stared up at the ceiling, a thoughtful look on his face.

"You don't think something is a little off about her, Hiei?" he asked.

"I've been living in Ningenkai for a long time, and I still don't really get humans," said Hiei. "That's part of why I'd rather stay home with five chaotic children than get a job."

"You almost achieved your plan to never have any more on a tournament year." Kurama smirked. "But #5 just happened a little early, didn't he?"

Hiei scoffed. Besides Masaki, Tommy was the only child of theirs that wasn't planned. Most of them ended up having the right timing—conceived just after a tournament, they'd have time to grow and Hiei would have time to recover before he fought again. But by the time Natsumi was born, it didn't seem so crucial anymore, which meant they weren't as careful as they used to be, and Tommy was a happy surprise (unlike Masaki, who Hiei would describe as a terrifying surprise).

"Don't tease me," said Hiei. "I thought we were talking about Elvira. You're suspicious of her?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that," Kurama replied. "It's more like…something is familiar about her. But how?"

"It could be she's not really human," Hiei suggested. "You know what I think? I think she's from Reikai, sent to spy on us. That would explain how she knows so much about us."

"Why would Koenma send someone to spy on us?" said Kurama. "If Koenma knows where we are, why hasn't he done something about our situation?"

"If you trust Reikai, you're crazy," said Hiei. "Trust me, I'm right."

…

Kurama wasn't so sure Hiei was right about Elvira working for Reikai, but that didn't mean she was just an ordinary human woman running an inn in the middle of nowhere. He had never met any demons that looked remotely like her, and while it was possible that someone he once knew had the ability to take on the form of a human being, nobody came to mind at the moment, and even if they did, why would they do it like this? She didn't appear to be lying in wait for nefarious purposes, and that was illegal in Makai now, anyway. And that didn't explain why he couldn't sense an energy signature. Usually he could detect whether someone was human or not by something as simple as their scent. But not Elvira.

Either way, there was no time to dwell on it. They had a lot to do to get ready for the Christmas Eve Ball tomorrow. Kurama's main job was supplying the Christmas trees and garland, because that was just the sort of thing a Plant Master was good at. Miyuki was helping with the rest of the decorations, and Hana wanted to help with the baking. Masaki did, too. Hiei was in charge of keeping Natsumi and Tommy out of the way, which he didn't seem too pleased about, but he wanted to set up for the Ball even less.

Miyuki had volunteered to play piano for most of the live music, and Hana was singing "O Holy Night" in Japanese as the last song of the night. Kurama was singing in English before that, a song called "No Place Like Home For the Holidays." Elvira said she was singing a fair bit, too, and that she was going to play her instrument, although she didn't happen to mention what it was. Kurama had never heard Elvira sing (that he knew of, anyway), but Hana had the most beautiful, clear, sweet voice, and he knew the townsfolk attending the ball would love it, even if she was singing in a different language. Masaki was talented on the guitar, but he was obviously too self-conscious to perform. Ryu was learning to play the drums, but he didn't seem interested in going onstage at the Ball, either.

Kurama didn't think it would be a good idea for humans to see him using his demonic powers, so he surrounded the party room at the inn with his "forgetfulness pollen," which was what he used whenever he wanted people to keep away from somewhere. Even though he didn't really need any help, he let Masaki assist him anyway, so Masaki could brush up on his plant skills. He'd inherited powers just like Kurama's, although he seemed to favor poison in his training instead.

Elvira, Masaki, and Hana emerged from the kitchen that afternoon covered in flour and cookie dough. Hana giggled as Masaki wiped some off of her nose.

"That was great!" she said. "Elvira was nice enough to let us sample some of the cookies, too. I love the chocolate ones."

"I'm glad I have a girlfriend with good taste," said Masaki.

…

"Less pretend we're at the Ball, Touchan!" Natsumi shrieked as she jumped up and down on Hiei and Kurama's bed, where Hiei was sitting with Tommy in his arms. "Dance with me!"

"How many times do I need to tell you, Natsumi?" said Hiei, and gestured to the baby. "Tommy is sleeping. Do you want him to wake up?"

"Mm…no." Natsumi stopped jumping and landed on the mattress. "He cries super loud."

Yeah, you'd know about being loud, Hiei thought to himself, but he didn't say it. Instead, he said to Natsumi, "Why don't we read one of Miyuki's books?"

Even though he couldn't understand the words in the books, Hiei figured he could just make up a story based on the pictures, and since Natsumi didn't even read Japanese yet, she wouldn't be any the wiser. Thankfully, she seemed excited at the prospect of reading a book, and she ran into the room she shared with the other two girls to find one to read. It was the zebra one, her favorite.

From what Hiei could tell, this was actually a reference book for kids, not a story, but it was the one she wanted, so he'd make it work. Maybe he could even make it Christmas-themed. That way she wouldn't be so antsy about the Ball. He gently set Tommy in his cradle and reached for the book. Natsumi scooted closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Okay…" Hiei licked his lips thoughtfully. "Once upon a time, it was Christmastime in…" Hiei realized then that he had no idea where zebras actually lived. "It…it was Christmastime in Zebra Land."

"Zebras have Christmas too?" Natsumi asked, eyes wide.

"Um, of course they do," said Hiei. "So, it was Christmas Eve in Zebra Land, and a zebra was sitting in the grass, thinking about Christmas." Hiei turned to the next page. "And then he and his friends went to go drink some…" The zebras looked like they were drinking water, but Hiei knew it could be more interesting than that. "They were drinking some hot chocolate, because in Zebra Land at Christmastime, the rivers are full of hot chocolate."

"I hope I get to go to Zebra Land someday." Natsumi looked positively enchanted. Hiei's heart felt just a little soft, knowing he was probably doing parenting right.

"You probably will," he said, smiling at her. "Then the zebra met his little zebra friends for a big Christmas Zebra Ball."

"Do the zebras get to wear pretty dresses and tiaras?" said Natsumi.

"Not dresses, but they do get to wear tiaras," Hiei answered. "Why don't you get a glass of water before we finish the story?"

"Okay!" Natsumi ran off to the bathroom to get water, and while she did so, Hiei scrambled for a marker and doodled a tiara on a picture of a baby zebra several pages later. If Miyuki minded, he could buy her a new copy. Natsumi came back from the bathroom with her cup of water, and they continued the story.

"So anyway, um…" Hiei kept looking at the pictures as he turned the pages. "The zebra ate some Christmas grass, because zebras love eating grass at Christmas. Chomp, chomp!"

Natsumi giggled.

"Then the zebra went to her baby…" Hiei turned another page. "And she gave the baby a beautiful tiara, so the baby zebra would be able to go to the Zebra Christmas Ball."

"She's pretty, Touchan," said Natsumi. "How do zebras dance, with four legs?"

"Well, um…I'll show you."

Hiei honestly had no idea what got into him, but he actually had fun getting on his hands and knees and pretending to be a dancing zebra for Natsumi. The way she screeched with laughter and clapped her hands in delight was something he'd remember for the rest of his life. She ended up riding on his back, and Tommy slept like a log through it all, possibly because they had arranged for his cradle to constantly blow freezing air on him, which might not be comfortable or even safe for most babies, but was perfect for an ice demon. Miyuki had enjoyed it when she was younger, and when Yukina was around, sometimes they had her freeze the mattress first.

"Having fun, you two?"

Hiei paused, his eyes wide; Natsumi giggled. Kurama was standing in the doorway, clearly trying not to laugh. After he recovered from his initial shock, Hiei reclaimed what was left of his pride and lifted Natsumi up into his arms.

"Don't worry, Kurama," he said haughtily. "I was just showing her how a zebra dances."