Hi guys. I realize it's been a long time since I've updated and I apologize for that. I hope everyone's doing well, all things considered. Please stay safe and take the necessary precautions to ensure that you remain healthy and sane during this time.

This chapter is nothing but fluff, so I hope it lifts your spirits~

"Hey cutie," Botan greeted, tussling Kai's bedridden hair. "How would you like to go to the Spirit World with me today?"

The boy nodded eagerly from inside his crib. He looked around his nursery and then tilted his head to the side, peering up at her with curious eyes.

"Dada?"

"He's working, sweetie," she informed. "But you'll get to see Koenma and Jorge. How does that sound?"

Kai grinned and let out a happy squeal as he reached for her.

After feeding and changing him, the duo passed through the temporary portal leading to the Spirit World. Returning to the temple was always a comfort to the ferry-girl. Its high ceilings, bright colors and bustling workers were all stark reminders of her roots and origins. Within its familiar walls were years upon years of memories that were near and dear to her heart. As she walked down the main corridor with Kai propped up on one hip and his bag hanging from the shoulder of her free arm, she smiled down at her son.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's happy to be back!"

Kai grinned.

This wasn't his first time in this realm, but even so, the novelty of his existence hadn't worn off on its inhabitants. Botan ignored the thinly veiled looks of derision from the few who refused to accept change and instead focused on the warm and friendly expressions from those that did. Ignorant to many of the opinions surrounding him, Kai waved at everyone indiscriminately. He was usually a shy boy, but he had gotten used to the temple due to their many visits.

"Fu!" Kai exclaimed.

Botan turned to see the young woman rounding the corner. Soft, brown eyes warmed at the sight of them, a radiant smile stretching over her features as she approached.

"Hi Kai," Fubuki replied, poking his dimple affectionately. She moved to hug Botan next. "I didn't know you were coming today!"

"I could say the same for you," Botan responded. "Everything okay?"

"Nothing to worry about. Kaisei and I just got back from a mission."

Botan gave the younger woman a cursory glance over, pleased to see that she was without a scratch.

"I'm sure it was nothing for my star detectives," she praised.

"Well…" Fubuki paused to wave a hand at the ferry-girl, "we had a great mentor."

Botan smiled fondly in return. The years seemed to fly by lately and she could hardly believe how quickly her charges matured and came into their own. They hardly needed her anymore.

Kai suddenly reached for the brunette, pulling Botan from her thoughts. Speaking of those who don't need me anymore, she mused lightly, as she passed the eager half-demon into Fubuki's arms.

"Hey little bro!" Kaisei greeted, stepping into view. No matter how much time passed, he still possessed that boyish charm.

"Sei!" Kai called out happily, raising his palm for a high-five.

Botan's heart melted at the scene, but as much as she wanted to stick around, she had a job to do.

"Will you two watch him while I meet with Lord Koenma?"

"Yeah, no problem," Kaisei agreed, leaning down to squeeze Kai's round cheeks. "We'll have fun, won't we, little buddy?"

He let out cheery affirmation.

"Be good!" Botan warned as she handed his bag over to Kaisei.

The boy nodded obediently and Botan waved one last time before taking off.

Although she made the decision to relinquish her duties as a ferry-girl once Kai was born, she was still very much involved in Spirit World work. Living in the demon world afforded her a level of insight and perspective that those in the Spirit World were lacking. Koenma realized that fact and offered her a job on his counsel, giving her a chance to help strengthen the bonds and unity between the three worlds. It wasn't an easy job - not when they had so many roadblocks in the form of souls who were still steeped in the cynicism and prejudices of the past - but somebody had to do it.

It was just over two hours later when the meeting was adjourned and they were free to disperse. The ferry-girl was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. The discussions and roundtables ran well over the allotted time and all she wanted to do at this point was dive into her comfortable bed and crash.

Her steps were sluggish as she searched the temple for any signs of her son, blinking back the weariness. Eventually, she found him in the break room, surrounded by Ayame, Jorge, Hinageshi and the Sato siblings. She found her second wind as she watched the scene unfolding before her. Kai was playing peek-a-boo with Jorge, purple eyes sparkling with joy as he giggled and grinned. These days were good; they were exactly what her son needed. He always missed Hiei, but it simply couldn't be helped. The fire-demon's work took him away from them for days at a time whenever a mission or excursion came up. Botan missed him, too, of course, but it was much harder for a child to understand why his father was gone than it was for her.

At least all the excitement and fun would keep him from worrying about his father's absence.

She watched them for a few seconds longer, committing the moment to memory, before eventually making herself known.

"Well, somebody looks happy," Botan announced.

"Mama!" Kai beamed.

She joined them at the table and fixed her smile down at the jaunty boy. "Did you have fun, honey?"

He nodded and muttered a mix of syllables in reply.

"I knew you would!" Botan said, stroking his cheek.

"How was the meeting?" Ayame asked.

Botan glanced up at the raven-haired woman and sighed.

"Well, it wasn't great, but it wasn't a complete disaster, either," she replied, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Let's see… we managed to get the approval for the diplomat proposal."

"Way to go, B!" Hinageshi cheered.

"But my favorite part was getting Daichi to agree with me," the bluette grinned.

"Now that's an impressive feat," Jorge commended.

"Yeah," Kaisei agreed. "Especially since the guy's a raging di-"

Kai let out a long yawn, cutting through the conversation as he leaned heavily against Botan.

"Aw, I think someone's all tuckered out," Fubuki said sympathetically.

"I'm not surprised. He and Kaisei were running all over the halls," Ayame revealed, staring pointedly at Kaisei with her patented frown of disapproval.

"Hey, I had to entertain him somehow," he defended lamely.

Botan bit back a laugh as she gathered Kai in her arms.

"I'm sure he had a blast. He really loves spending time with you all."

"You should bring him by more often," Jorge said. "This is the only time Lord Koenma lets me relax."

She giggled.

"I'll definitely do that. Oh, and before I forget, his first birthday is next weekend," she announced. "We're holding it at Genkai's temple. You'll all come, won't you?"

.

.

.

Kai was fast asleep by the time they made it back home. Botan deposited him in his crib carefully, pulling the boy's favorite yellow blanket over his tired form. She paused to brush the powder blue bangs out of his eyes and admire just how much he looked like Hiei in that moment. He was growing into his features more and more each day and the resemblance was uncanny. A chip off the old block, as the humans would say.

But this was no time to be reflective. Kai looked especially tired, so she chose to forgo her usual methods of tucking him in and quietly made her way towards the door.

"Mama."

His small voice caught her attentions. When she turned back around, she found Kai standing up, small hands gripping the bars of the crib while peering up at her expectantly. She couldn't very well ignore a cute face like that.

"Yes?" she asked, leaning down to hear what he had to say.

When she was close enough, he kissed both of her cheeks, the way she always did to him. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously close to a declaration of love and Botan's heart just about melted at the gesture.

"Love you more, sweetie," she replied gently.

Hiei's tensions drained away the moment he set foot inside the place he called his own. The floor was littered with a trail of human toys that Yukina and Kuwabara gifted to Kai, along with a stuffed animal from Haru whose counterpart was owned by Aki. He could hear Botan humming in the kitchen and Kai making noise with one of his many playthings a little bit further away.

It was good to be home.

The fire-demon made it all of two steps into the living room, barely having the chance to discard his sword, before a blur of blue attached itself to him.

"You're home!" Botan exclaimed, hugging him tightly. The ferry-girl detached herself in the next instant, checking him over for any injuries or wounds and smiling when she found none. "I thought you wouldn't be back until the party!"

"The excursion ended early," he divulged, barely having time to answer as she brushed her lips against his. He savored her touch, body relaxing against hers and giving into the exchange. Her hand came up to the nape of his neck, kissing him slowly and softly and much more gently than he ever thought he would like. In that moment, he was never surer of anything but them.

There was only one other person missing from this little reunion, but when he heard the pitter patter of uneven steps, he knew that their boy was close by.

"Da-da!"

The excited shout pulled the two apart and Hiei looked down at the sunny baby.

"Kai," he greeted.

The boy held his arms out, reaching up for his father expectantly. The fire-demon knew that look. The longer he took to react, the more the tears would well up in Kai's purple eyes and the more his bottom lip would quiver. He didn't make a habit out of coddling the child, but he would rather spend his afternoon in silence than with a wailing baby. And, truth be told, he may have missed his son in the few days they were apart.

The moment Hiei collected the child in his arms, his tears instantly dried up. Kai let out a contented noise as he gripped the front of Hiei's shirt and relaxed in his hold.

"Aw, he missed you," Botan gushed, a tender smile on her lips. "He loves you a lot, you know."

Hiei knew that and yet, it still did not stop his heart from doing that annoyingly sentimental thing, where it flipped and fluttered for no reason.

"He even forgets all about me when you're in the room," she joked. "Right Kai?" When the boy failed to pay her any mind, she pouted. "You see? No loyalty!"

"It's only because I'm not around as often as you," Hiei supplied.

Botan shook her head, expression softening.

"No, it's because you're a good father to him."

Kai snuggled further into Hiei's hold and he wasn't sure how much more of this his heart could take. The unending devotion and love that the child afforded him was more than he could handle sometimes.

"We were going to have a little picnic in the backyard," Botan mentioned. "Are you feeling up for it?"

He nodded wordlessly and she clapped her hands together.

"Perfect, I'll get everything sorted and then we'll have lunch."

She kissed both his and Kai's cheeks, before heading towards the kitchen with a new bounce in her step. Even after all this time, it didn't take much to make the ferry-girl happy.

Hiei moved towards the opposite direction, kicking aside one of the toy cars that were in his way as he settled down on the couch.

"Dada!" Kai said, calling Hiei's attention to him once more. "See?"

He pointed a chubby finger at his clothing and Hiei frowned.

The boy was wearing a child's sized version of that atrocious pajama set Botan forced upon him in the other reality. The dragon caricatures stared back at him mockingly, while Kai beamed up at him. He must have liked it if he went though the trouble of alerting Hiei to it, so he refrained from showing much of a reaction and simply nodded his head.

Pleased with the response, Kai hummed and then proceeded to bury his face in Hiei's chest and hug him again. He patted the boy's back soothingly, the two remaining that way until Botan returned.

"Ready?"

The bluette had a rolled up blanket in the crook of one arm and a wicker basket clutched in her hands. She changed into a dress, the thin material flowing a few inches above her knees. He didn't think it necessary to go through all the motions when they would only be venturing a few feet, but he had long since learned not to question his wife's eccentricities. He grunted his assent and followed the woman into the backyard, enjoying the view of swaying hips and long, slender legs.

It was a clear day, only a few clouds in the distance and a sort of calm that came around every once in a while lingering in the air. He set Kai down, letting the boy run around while Botan set up the picnic blanket. The little half-demon pulled one of the cosmos from its roots and grinned triumphantly. He held the white flower out towards Hiei - most likely because he was there and the boy liked to share - and Hiei cocked his head towards Botan's direction instead. Mauve eyes lit up, immediately understanding his father's intent. He teetered over to her excitedly, pushing the flower into her line of sight.

"Oh my! Is this for me, dear?" she asked as she accepted the offering.

Kai nodded.

"Thank you," Botan said, slipping through flower stalk behind her hair. "How do I look?"

Kai clapped his hands, signaling his approval. Once she was finished laying out their food and drinks, Hiei joined them.

"It's only a few sandwiches, nothing fancy," she stated. "I didn't realize you'd be coming home early."

"It's fine," he replied, grabbing one from the bunch and taking a bite.

Kai was seated in front of them, draining his bottle and as contented as could be.

The trio ate their respective lunches while enjoying the warmth of the sun in the afternoon breeze. In between the bouts of silence, Botan asked about the excursion and Hiei told her as much as he was allowed to. She filled him in on her work in the Spirit World in turn, and the struggles that came with of trying to effect change after centuries of injustices.

It was a perfectly normal afternoon. The sort of life an imiko was never destined to live. Fortunately for him, he never believed in destiny. And he much preferred his present to the tumultuous and unstable volatility that characterized his past.

"Now that you're home, you can help me plan Kai's birthday party," Botan suggested, her voice cutting through his thoughts.

Hiei swallowed the last of his third sandwich and frowned.

"I don't know the first thing about parties," he replied sordidly. "Besides, the boy doesn't need much if the others are there."

"That's so sweet-"

"-Between the oaf and the detective, there will be plenty of entertainment," he continued with a less than innocent upturn of his lips. "I happen to know for a fact that Kuwabara excels in the field of clownery."

"Well, that's not way to talk about Uncle Kuwabara, is it, Kai?" she pouted.

The boy pulled away from his bottle long enough to butcher the psychic's name, "Ba-ba!"

"That's right!" she encouraged, ruffling his hair and then looking back at Hiei. "In all seriousness, though, I could use your input."

"For what?" he pressed. "Decorations and children's playthings hardly fall into my area of expertise."

"You'll need to make it your business, mister." She poked the middle of his chest playfully. "This is a milestone and there's no reason for you not to be involved."

"..."

"All you have to do is let me know your opinions," she continued. "Surely you can do that much for Kai."

"Hn."

"And for me?" she said, leaning closer to him. "I'll make it worth your while."

He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy her sudden proximity. The soft curves of her body on his, the gentle touch of her hand as she dragged it down his chest and towards his—

"Botan," he bit out, glancing at Kai, whose back was turned to them. "Not in front of the boy."

She pulled away with a coy grin. "As you wish, my prudish husband."

Hiei rolled his eyes, but there was hardly any heat behind the gesture. The ferry-girl still made fun of him for believing that Kai would be able to recall everything from his childhood in the same, detailed way that Hiei himself could, but he wasn't budging from his stance. The boy was already close to a year old. He was walking and speaking – albeit clumsily – and his avid curiosity had him attempting to make sense of the world that surrounded him. Hiei could see the understanding in those bright eyes as clear as day.

The boy was growing and developing in the blink of an eye. He had already progressed so much. He had already changed from the helpless infant who relied on them for everything. It wouldn't be much longer until the child didn't need them at all.

"Oh Kai," Botan chuckled, drawing Hiei's gaze to their son. "You're a mess!"

The half-demon had grass stains all over that horrendous outfit of his and a large clump of dirt in his grabby, little hands.

"Come on, kiddo, let's get you out of those dirty clothes and into the bath," she proposed, moving to stand and motioning for Kai to follow suit. "Your daddy can handle the clean up out here and then we can all go to the human world to look for party decorations!"

Kai let out an excited sound.

"That's right! We're going to have so much fun!" she claimed. "Maybe your grumpy dad will even crack a smile!"

Hiei watched them retreat into the house with a frown.

The last thing he wanted to do was travel to one of those human world shops. They were always overcrowded and loud, filled with bratty children, loud teenagers and indecisive adults. Botan often spent far more time than necessary in them, enthralled by each and every ridiculous knickknack on the shelves. It was a colossal waste of his time, but he had no choice except to resign himself to his fate.

He could never say no to either of his blue-haired menaces.

A few days later, all of Botan's planning and preparing came to fruition.

The whole gang was here, along with her friends from the Spirit World and Hiei's from the Demon World. Balloons, streamers and paper garlands decorated the perimeter of the room and a growing pile of gifts sat in the left corner, just waiting to be unwrapped. A large banner hung over the dessert table, overlooking the two-tier cake, mini cupcakes and party favors. On the opposite end of the room stood another table, filled to the brim with drinks and food courtesy of Yusuke. Botan might have gone a little overboard with the embellishments and such, but as they all gathered around the cake and she watched the joy light up her son's face, she couldn't find it within herself to care. It was her baby's first birthday and she wanted it to be an affair that they would all remember.

She sat in front of the cake with Kai in her lap and Yukina and Hiei flanking her sides. They all began to sing, save for Hiei and some of his more hardened soldiers, while Kai clapped along excitedly. He was the epitome of handsomeness in the outfit Shizuru picked up for him: a simple white t-shirt with black suspenders and a bowtie stitched into the design. A pair of soft, dark wash jeans finished the look. Botan attempted to tame his hair and comb it back, but by the time the party started, it had already reverted into its usual, wild style. Botan's hands were on his shoulders to prevent him from leaning forward as his purple eyes lay transfixed on the flame, watching it flicker and dance in time with the chorus of voices.

"Alright, honey, time to blow out the candle!" she instructed. "One, two, three!"

She may have had to help him, but Kai was none the wiser as he soaked up all the applause for his great feat.

Yusuke then took it upon himself to cut and distribute the cake, passing large slices off to whoever was in the general area. The cake was every bit as sweet as it looked and Kai appeared to enjoy it greatly. The ferry-girl was in the middle of wiping some blue frosting off of Kai's cheek when she heard Haru's complaint.

"Dude, this is way too much. Can I get a smaller slice?" Haru asked. "I don't like sweets and Aki can't eat all of this."

She glanced up to see the emotion-reader with Aki secured in one arm and a plate with a massive slice in his other hand. The girl was wearing formal green formal robes that were currently in fashion in Makai, orange hair tied up into double buns.

"It's a party, man!" Yusuke countered. "Live a little. Bend the parenting rules for one night."

"Easy for you to say," Haru pouted. "You're not the one who'll have to deal with a sugar high baby."

The ex-detective grinned knowingly. "Them's the breaks, lover-boy."

"We can split it, if you like," Ayame offered, dressed in a dark kimono not unlike the one she wore for work. "That is an exorbitant amount of sugar, especially for a little one."

"Ah, thanks," Haru replied with a relieved smile. "I would've hated to waste it. You're a lifesaver."

"Actually, I'm a soul courier."

The emotion-reader let out a hearty chuckle. "You may pretend to be all doom and gloom, but you're a regular comedian, aren't you?"

Ayame blinked once, then twice.

"…I wasn't joking," she replied blankly.

"Oh." Haru hardly missed a beat, passing Aki off to Ayame in order to defuse the awkward tension. The ferry-girl's purple eyes widened – clearly out of her element, but careful all the same. Haru flashed her a bright, encouraging grin. "C'mon, this cake's not going to split itself, yeah?"

Botan watched the two walk off together in amusement. It was odd seeing all of their worlds collide like this, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing. Even despite cultural differences, they could get along harmoniously all the same.

"Mama!"

"Oopsie, here you go," she sang, breaking off a small forkful of cake and feeding it to the eager baby in her lap.

"I think he's had more than enough."

She glanced up at Hiei. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport," she chided. "It is his birthday, after all."

"And I'll be the one up with him all night, after you undoubtedly fall asleep."

She grinned up at the fire-demon sheepishly. "Isn't that what fathers are for?"

"Hn."

The evening continued to progress in smiles and laughter as the sun made its descent below the horizon. Botan was able to make her rounds and chat with nearly everyone, getting caught up on all the juicy gossip and updates in the process. She was currently holding Aki and pestering Shizuru about her latest relationship when the young demon piped up, her voice quiet and words indiscernible among the noise.

Botan followed the girl's gaze and spotted Haru over by the karaoke machine with Kuwabara.

"Please tell me Kazuma isn't about to sing…" Shizuru groaned.

"It certainly wouldn't be a party unless he belted out a tune or two…" Botan noted.

"I think the word you're looking for here is 'croaked', Botan," the elder Kuwabara corrected. "My baby bro can't carry a melody to save his life."

"Papa…" Aki said quietly.

"Oh!" The realization dawned on the ferry-girl as she saw Haru pick up the second microphone. "Do you want to go watch your papa sing?"

Aki hummed in agreement, the barest hint of a smile on her face.

As Botan and Shizuru walked over to the small group amassed near the machine, the ferry-girl realized she hadn't seen Kai or Hiei in quite some time. While it was normal for the fire-demon to go into seclusion, it was odd for the birthday boy to be mysteriously absent from all of the action.

"Have either of you seen my sweet son or grumpy husband?" Botan asked as she approached the orange-haired duo.

"I think I saw Urameshi with Kai," Kuwabara replied helpfully.

"And Hiei skulked off a while ago," Haru informed.

Botan nodded.

"You go on, I'll take her," Yukina offered, holding her arms out for Aki.

"And I'll try to keep these two from rupturing our eardrums," Shizuru added.

"Be nice!" Botan said, although her words were undermined by the amusement in her amethyst eyes as she passed Aki to Yukina.

The ferry-girl then set off in search of her two favorite boys. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much, but she couldn't help it. Everyone was having a grand old time – Kai most of all. She couldn't wait to develop all the pictures and add it to the baby album.

"Alright Kai."

Botan paused upon hearing the muted sound of Yusuke's voice. She crept a few steps closer, spotting Kai and Yusuke around the corner. The ex-detective was crouched down low so that he was at eye-level with child and he had that familiar, conspiring look on his face.

"Your dad's in that room, just down there," Yusuke whispered.

"Dada!" Kai exclaimed.

"Shh! Keep it down, kid!" Yusuke hushed. "You remember your mission, don't you?"

Kai shook his head.

"All you have to do is go over to your dad and make him do something cute."

"Koot?" Kai mimicked, round eyes blinking up at Yusuke in confusion.

"Yeah, you know, like a hug or a kiss or something."

Realization flashed through the half-demon's features as he nodded.

"Good. Now, go get 'em tiger!" Yusuke cheered, pushing him forward gently and watching the boy totter off.

Botan stepped out of the shadows and into the light. "You really are devious, Yusuke Urameshi."

"Aw, you know you love it," he smirked cheekily in return.

Hiei heard the soft, uneven pad of footsteps drawing near long before he saw powder blue hair and mauve eyes.

"Dada!" Kai exclaimed excitedly.

Hiei nodded down at his son. The boy had a habit of seeking him out whenever they were apart, finding him despite the distance that separate them. Hiei had a feeling he already knew how to sense energy. It wasn't unfathomable; the fire-demon was able to do the same at that age as well.

"Up?" Kai asked, reaching his arms out towards the fire-demon.

Hiei shook his head. Kai was clearly capable of standing and moving around on his own. He didn't see the point in coddling him.

"Pease?" Kai tried, blinking his wide eyes up at Hiei. He continued to curl and uncurl his fists as he leaned up on his toes.

Hiei uncrossed his arms. His will was always weak when it came to family, doubly so when it came to the blue-haired boy staring up at him now. Although he wasn't the affectionate and loving type, he made the effort for Kai. Turning him away might be detrimental, especially since Hiei wasn't all that good at showing his emotions in the first place. The fire-demon sighed, cursing his own weakness, as he lifted the child up.

"Happy?" he asked flatly.

Kai nodded and grinned at him. He expected the boy to yawn, bury his face in his chest and fall asleep as per usual, but Kai just continued to smile at him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Kiss!" Kai instructed.

"You must have me confused for your mother," he stated.

Kai frowned, shaking his head stubbornly.

"Dada, kiss?" he insisted again, pointing a finger to his cheek.

Hiei only showed the boy such sentimental acts of affection at home - and only if Kai requested it. The most he did in front of the others was hold him. It wasn't as if he was embarrassed. He simply believed that some things should be kept private. But Kai was currently looking at him with a quivering lip and rounded eyes and Hiei felt his resolve slipping. He didn't want the boy thinking that he didn't care. He didn't want him to misunderstand. He resisted the urge to sigh as he glanced around. They were relatively secluded. There shouldn't be any harm in bending to the child's will just this one time.

"Fine," he relented.

Kai clapped his hands and angled his cheek upwards expectantly. Hiei gave one more cursory glance around the area before leaning down and pressing his lips against the boy's cheek.

And then a flash of light caught his attention.

"That'll make for a nice addition to the family album, don't you think?" Yusuke stated.

Kai grinned in satisfaction as Hiei seethed.

"Did you put him up to this?" he snarled.

"Maybe," Yusuke replied flippantly. "Or maybe I just happened to be passing by and caught a tender moment. The world may never know."

"I'll kill you."

Yusuke's eyes narrowed doubtfully. "Not in front of the kid, you won't."

"Try me," Hiei challenged. "I'm sure Kai would enjoy the entertainment. Wouldn't you?"

Kai cheered as Hiei's aura began to rise around them dangerously. The boy really and truly thought everything was a game.

Yusuke gulped.

"There will be nothing of the sort on Kai's first birthday," Botan declared.

"Saved by the grim reaper," the ex-detective narrated with a smirk. He glanced down at Kai, wiggling his brows. "C'mon, kiddo, let's see who else we can pull a fast one on."

Kai reached for Yusuke, so Hiei dumped the little traitor into the ex-detective's arms. He watched the two as they retreated, Yusuke monopolizing a majority of the conversation and leaving Kai to fill in the gaps with incoherent babbling. When they were out of sight, Botan slipped her hand into his.

"Enjoying the party?" she asked.

"I hate parties."

"But this one is for your son. Think of how happy he is."

"A little too happy," Hiei noted darkly.

"Aw, are you mad that he was scheming with Yusuke?"

"The boy needs to learn a thing or two about loyalty."

She laughed.

"Come on," she urged with a kiss to his cheek. "You can't very well hide out all night."

He swallowed down the retort that 'he most definitely could' and let her lead him back into the main room. Haru and Kuwabara were belting out a song he didn't know on the karaoke machine, making more ruckus than melodies and causing several others in the room to wince. He noticed Shizuru dialing the volume down and made a mental note to thank the woman later.

Aki was seated in Yukina's lap, the two of them smiling up at the horrendous singers. They were surrounded by the blue ogre, a few ferry-girls, the oaf's sister and two of Mukuro's soldiers.

The detective, his woman and Koenma were with Kai near the food, while another group consisting of the fox, the Sato siblings and soldiers from Mukuro's camp convened near the desserts. Hiei's eyes narrowed as he saw Fubuki sidling up to Hiten, a well-known playboy among their ranks. He would have to squash that immediately.

"Hiei," Botan warned, tugging his hand meaningfully.

He tore his gaze away from the scene to frown at his wife.

"What?"

"I already know what you're thinking."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do," she insisted adamantly. "You're thinking something disparaging about the adorable little connection budding near the cupcakes, aren't you?"

"And what if I am?"

"You're going to ruin Fubuki's night if you storm in there like an overprotective teacher."

"Hiten is too old for her," he gritted.

Botan shot him a withering look.

"You do realize she's no longer the inexperienced girl you took under your tutelage years ago, don't you?" she reasoned. "Fubuki's already an adult."

"An adult who clearly doesn't know what she's getting into," he maintained.

"She does. So will you please relax and give her the respect she deserves?"

He pressed his lips in a firm line. Those damned siblings wormed their way into his life without a care. If he didn't get a say in theirs, then what was the point? Crimson eyes drifted back to the pair in question and narrowed as Hiten flashed a lopsided grin at the brunette. Despite Botan's urgings, he couldn't let it go. He resolved to deal with it when his wife was preoccupied. At least that way he could have some sort of peace of mind.

Botan leaned into his side, a small smile on her face.

"This is nice, isn't it?" she remarked suddenly. "Everyone together under one roof like this."

It was admittedly a bit of a shock to see the mix of humans, demons and spirits coexisting despite years of bad blood and volatile tensions, but he supposed it wasn't all that strange. The times were changing. Perhaps for the better.

"It isn't bad," he admitted.

Botan hummed in agreement, wrapping her arms around his middle. He wound an arm around her, the edges of his hard expression softening slightly as he caught sight of their grinning son.

Despite his aversion to all things social, this certainly wasn't bad at all.

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