Hiei was quite used to being alone, so he didn't get very lonely when his best friend was at school, like others might have. Once or twice he had considered going to Kurama's school anyway as the "foreign exchange student," but that was more out of boredom than loneliness, he thought. Kurama was at school for even longer these days, because those girls had talked him into joining the cheerleading squad.

The shadows were getting long, signaling the end of the day; most demons knew how to tell time like this, since many of them (including Hiei) preferred to live in nature and not be cooped up in houses all day. Kurama would probably be home soon, if he wasn't already, so Hiei headed over to the Minamino residence.

When he climbed into Kurama's bedroom, he saw that the time was 4:30. Kurama wasn't in his room, but Hiei could hear the shower running, so that meant his friend was already home. Hiei decided to just sit on the bed and wait for Kurama to get out of the shower.

Finally, the water shut off, and in a few minutes, Kurama walked into his bedroom, with one towel around his body, the other around his hair.

"Ack! Hiei!" Kurama shouted. "What are you doing in my bedroom?!"

"Is that any way to greet your partner-in-crime after a long day at school?" Hiei demanded.

"Fine, Hiei, I'm very happy to see you," said Kurama, rolling his eyes. "Now will you leave so I can get dressed?"

Hiei got up and went to stand out in the hallway, but he stopped halfway across the room and said, "It's weird, isn't it? When you were trying on that bra on Sunday, you seemed just fine with being naked in front of us."

"Yes, but that seemed different, somehow," Kurama told him. "Maybe this whole thing hadn't really sunk in yet. And that was before I knew Yusuke was sexually attracted to my female form."

"You're sure he is, then?"

"Obviously so, but I think he feels guilty about it," said Kurama. "I guess I should tell him that you can't help who you like, but to be honest, I think it would be less awkward for both of us if I just didn't bring it up."

"About that list of questions he gave you," asked Hiei, "are you going to tell us all what the doctor said, or just Yusuke?"

"I guess it depends on what she says, but I'll probably tell you all as a group," Kurama replied. "I've got to leave soon, so it's lucky I was able to get home to take a shower." He shrugged. "I guess you can stay in the room. Just don't look, okay?"

"Whatever," said Hiei, seeing that Kurama's plants were now blocking him from view, anyway.

"Believe it or not, if this hadn't sunk in before, it sure has now," Kurama was saying.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you'll never believe what happened to me at school today."

"Oh! Do tell." Hiei grinned and sat up.

"So you like to hear the gossip, do you, Hiei?" said Kurama. Now that he was wearing underwear, he let his plants go back to their normal flowering states. "At first it was just a lot of drama with Aratani being upset about breaking up with Yu Kaito, and Chizuko saying 'all men are assholes,' but around Biology class, well…Let's just say you're not really alone in your specific troubles anymore."

"You mean…?"

"Yes. Never let it be said that I don't appreciate women and what they go through monthly," said Kurama.

"I'll put that one down in the books," Hiei told him, falling back onto the bedspread contentedly; this was actually quite gratifying. "Now, tell me the horror story."

"It actually isn't that bad," said Kurama. "The only downside was that I got way too close with Aratani Fujisaki than I ever wanted."

"I thought you liked her," said Hiei.

"I'd like to take her out to dinner and possibly become her boyfriend," Kurama clarified. "I don't need to be in a bathroom stall trying to insert a foreign object into my body while she coaches me on the other side of the door."

"Huh?" said Hiei. Foreign object?

Kurama must have seen Hiei's confusion, because he laughed a little and said, "Aratani gave me something that's sort of like a plug. It's a very favorable alternative to wearing a diaper all day."

"What?!" Hiei sat up again furiously. "If I had known that earlier—"

"Then that cream-colored couch probably would have survived," Kurama finished. "I know. You know, you can try one if you want. I bought a huge box of them on the way home, which is why I'm running a little late."

"I-I'll just stick with the diapers," said Hiei, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "Mine's almost over with, anyway."

"Well, next month, you know where to find me."

"Who says we're still going to be like this next month?"

"Nobody. I'm just saying."

Hiei shrugged, then looked over at Kurama. "Having problems?"

"I-I just can't fit into my new jeans," Kurama said, and sure enough, he was trying to fit into the pair he'd bought at the mall last Monday. "I don't get it! These fit right only two days ago!"

"Maybe you really are getting fat," Hiei commented.

"Thank you, Hiei, for being such a supportive friend," Kurama said sarcastically.

"Well, what am I supposed to do, lie?" said Hiei. "Look, just wear your sweatpants."

"I'm not wearing those in public," said Kurama. "They're called 'sweatpants' for a reason, you know."

"If you keep trying to squeeze your butt into those obviously too-tight jeans, you'll be late," Hiei told him. "You haven't even combed your hair yet."

"Oh…all right," said Kurama reluctantly, pulling on the sweatpants and slipping his green fox sweatshirt over his head. Then he combed his hair in front of his full-length mirror, frowning at his reflection. "I look awful. My skin is bad, my hair is soaking wet, and all I can fit into are my ugly sweatpants."

"Well, you're just going to the doctor." Hiei shrugged. "It's probably easier because you have to take them off and put them on again. Besides, I think you look good anytime."

"Aw, you do?" said Kurama. "Even if I'm fat?"

"Sure, but you're not really that fat."

"Well, thanks a lot."

"You know, I can go with you to the doctor, if you want," Hiei suggested. "I mean, I wouldn't go in the room or anything. I could just be your companion. You know, for moral support."

"Really?" Kurama looked over at Hiei in surprise.

"I've got nothing better to do at the moment, so I'll go if you want."

…

Overall, it went like a normal doctor's appointment. The exam part could have been worse, but it was still a relief to get dressed again.

"Everything looks good here, Miss Minamino," Dr. Wheeler said brightly. "You're a perfectly healthy and normal fifteen-year-old—oops, almost sixteen."

"Healthy? Yes. Normal? Not so much," said Kurama, smiling because she didn't know just how true that was.

"There's nothing to worry about, I mean," the doctor replied, smiling back. "It was smart of you to go in for a checkup. Do you have any questions to ask me?"

"Um, yes, I actually have a whole list," said Kurama, taking it out of his pocket and handing it to her. "Those are all for a friend, though."

Dr. Wheeler scanned the list, her brow furrowing a little. When she was done, she said, "Well, it looks like you've already got the answer for a lot of the questions on this list."

"Really? I have?"

"Well, this lengthy list of symptoms you've described all signal an upcoming period, and you got yours today."

"I told you, those were for a friend, not me," Kurama told her. "And it's a friend who's not going to like it, either. Oh, my gosh."

"You should probably tell her, as a friend," said the doctor. "That way she can be prepared."

"Oh, boy." Kurama took a deep breath. "That sure won't be easy."

"Hmm." Dr. Wheeler continued with the list. "This next one…"

Kurama hadn't actually read the list, so he said, "Yes?"

"The one about sexual attraction."

Dammit, Yusuke!

"What about it?" Kurama asked, as calmly as he could manage.

"It's common to worry when you get new feelings like that," said Dr. Wheeler. "But you can tell her that those kinds of feelings are normal, too—if she's not feeling any discomfort, I don't think there's any need for concern. And, of course, some masturbation is fine and healthy."

Woah! Kurama suddenly felt his whole body flare up like it had been lit on fire. Girls did it, too?

"There are some things even we don't discuss with one another," he said helplessly. "And besides, I'm not really sure how a girl would even do it…"

Why had he just said that? Why?

"Well, there are some adult toys you can get, but generally, I believe the best way is to just—"

"No! That's enough! Please!" Kurama shook his head, like that would get rid of the sheer mortification that this conversation had brought upon him. "I-I don't need to hear this right now."

"It's really nothing to be ashamed of," said the doctor, frowning.

"I know, but…I haven't had urges to do anything like that." It was the truth, actually. Ever since the switch, he had touched the area as little as possible. Considering how badly he wanted his real body back, any "experimentation" right now would probably just make him feel worse, and he was sure that the same went for all his friends.

Dr. Wheeler still didn't look satisfied, but she could see Kurama wasn't interested in talking about it, so she dropped the subject.

"Now, this last question is one that a lot of teenagers have," she said, beginning to smile again. "Your friend here just wants to know why she seems to be behind all her friends when it comes to growing up."

"Oh, we already talked about that," said Kurama. "I said it was pointless to compare."

"And you were quite right, Miss Minamino." Dr. Wheeler nodded. "But that's not very easy advice to follow when you're the one whose body isn't changing at the pace you want it to, be that too fast or too slow."

"The word she kept using was 'in-between,'" Kurama recalled, remembering at the last minute to swap the pronouns (it didn't feel any less weird today than it had on Sunday). "Stuck in between childhood and adulthood, I suppose."

"It's not easy, but maybe she'll listen to a doctor," said Dr. Wheeler. "Just tell her from me that there's no 'right' time for any of these things. It happens when it's supposed to happen, because the right time refers to your friend as an individual, not the people around her, and for heaven's sake, not her classmates."

"Okay," Kurama said warmly. "I'm sure that will help."

"What I'd like to know is, why didn't your friend ask her own doctor, or any adult woman she trusts?" Dr. Wheeler asked. "I mean, why did she feel she had to have you ask for her?"

"Oh, you know how it is, when they're younger," said Kurama with a shrug. "I think it was just embarrassment."

"That's not a good attitude to have." Now, the doctor's voice was serious. "If something is ever wrong, she needs a medical opinion. Besides, even if everything is just fine, she still shouldn't have to feel any shame or embarrassment, and especially not confusion or worry."

"I'll tell her that, too," said Kurama.

"Now that your friend's questions have been answered," said Dr. Wheeler, "do you have anything you want to ask me?"

"I guess…why couldn't I see my own girl problems coming?" Kurama asked. "I mean, it happened to one of my friends, and now to me, and soon it's going to happen to another, as you say…But none of us are really experiencing the same side effects. My other friend seems to have had it a lot worse than I do right now."

"Periods are different for everyone," said the doctor. "No two girls are completely alike, so no two cycles should be alike, either. In fact, some girls don't experience any PMS."

"Maybe that's just as bad. You don't see it coming at all."

"Well, like I said, tell your friend what I said, and make sure she keeps protection in her purse or school bag so she won't be caught off guard like you were."

"I've got it," said Kurama. "Thank you so much, Dr. Wheeler."

After that, the appointment was over. Kurama went back out in the hallway and found Hiei sitting there in the waiting room, reading a magazine.

"So, how did it go?" Hiei asked.

"I've got a clean bill of health," Kurama told him. "So does Yusuke, apparently."

"Good for you," said Hiei. "Come on, let's get something to eat and then we can go home."

The two of them walked to a sushi restaurant near their bus stop, and then they caught the bus home. Kurama told Hiei everything that happened and every single word the doctor said, except her grim prediction about Yusuke's various ailments. Kurama decided he wouldn't share that unless Yusuke said it was okay.

"I'm never going to a place where they make me undress and put my feet in stirrups," Hiei declared. "Especially not when I'm bleeding, for crying out loud.That sounds just too awful for words."

"Well, maybe there were things I'd rather be doing, but at least I know I don't have an infection or something like that," said Kurama. "And about the sweatpants—good call."

"I knew you wouldn't want to struggle in and out of your jeans twice," Hiei replied.

…

"Would you stop worrying?" Kuwabara was saying. "You'll be okay."

"I'm not worrying, and how would you know?" Yusuke snapped. "You're the one who has something wrong with you, remember."

"Just this unbearable sort of itchiness, though. I—"

"For the love of God, shut up!" Yusuke shouted. "Why do you think I need to hear about that?"

Needless to say, he didn't listen for an answer. They had been here a long time, waiting for Kurama to finish his cheerleading practice and then to get home from the doctor. Unsurprisingly, when the fox-demon finally showed up, he had Hiei tagging along.

I swear, they're like Siamese twins or something, Yusuke thought as he headed for the door.

"Hi, Yusuke!" Kurama chimed. "How was your day at school?"

"Fine," Yusuke told him nervously. Kurama seemed overly cheery, which couldn't possibly be a good sign.

"Wonderful," said Kurama, stepping over the threshold with Hiei right behind him. Hiei went to sit down on the couch, where the cushion had been flipped over (they hadn't managed to get the stain out), while Kurama set one delicate, long-fingered hand on Yusuke's shoulder. "May I have a word, Yusuke?"

"Um, sure." What choice was there, anyway? They walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"I went over your list at the doctor's office," Kurama began, as soon as Yusuke had settled himself in the chair. "The good news is, you've got a clean bill of health, just as I have."

"Then what's the bad news?"

"Well, it's not bad news, per se," said Kurama. "It's just…how can I put it? Unexpected, maybe."

"What is it?" asked Yusuke. "Just tell me!"

"Okay. Like I said, I talked with the doctor about all those symptoms you listed…" Kurama took in a deep breath. "Well, you know how when you're about to get a cold, sometimes your throat hurts? Like a warning sign?"

"Yeah," said Yusuke. "What does that have to do with it?"

"Well, there are warning signs for other things, too."

"Like…?"

Kurama let out his breath and said, "Like a period. That's what the doctor says you're going to get in a few days."

"What?!" Yusuke shouted, jumping up so quickly that he knocked his chair over. "Y-You mean, like what happened to Hiei?"

"That's right," Kurama said calmly, but he was avoiding eye contact.

"I can't have that!" Yusuke felt himself beginning to panic. "What am I going to do?"

"Be prepared," Kurama advised, standing up. "You just have to pack something in your school bag, so if it happens at school, you'll be able to take care of it quickly."

"It can happen at school?!"

"I'm sure it can happen anywhere."

"This is SO FUCKING STUPID!" Yusuke shouted at the top of his lungs, then collapsed into his chair again, his face in his hands.

"What's going on in here?" Kuwabara demanded, charging into the kitchen with Hiei right behind him. "Are you okay, Urameshi? What did you tell him, Kurama?"

"I thought you said nothing was wrong with him," said Hiei.

"Nothing is," said Kurama. "But he's a little overwhelmed."

"Make that two of us!" said Kuwabara.

"Three," said Hiei.

"Four," said Kurama.

"Five," said Yusuke, and dropped his head down onto the table.

"You can't be number one and number five," Kuwabara argued. "Can't you count?"

"I'm two numbers because I'm the most overwhelmed out of everyone," Yusuke told him.

"I wouldn't say that," said Hiei. "I think I had it exponentially worse than you do, and for an obvious reason."

"That's the same problem I'm having, okay?!" Yusuke blurted out.

"Oh." Hiei looked surprised. "Right now?"

"No, but the doctor said it will happen to him in a few days," Kurama said to the room at large. "I don't know, Yusuke. Should I not have told you?"

"It's probably better that you did." Yusuke sighed. "But so far, Hiei is still the only one of us who actually had to experience it."

"Well, not exactly," said Kurama.

Yusuke looked up. "What? You, too?"

Kurama nodded, but Kuwabara said, "Well, that stinks! I'm left out, then."

"What is this, an eighties teen drama?" Yusuke said back. "When it comes to these things, I'm pretty sure you want to be left out."

"I don't get those movies," said Kuwabara. "I know they're supposed to make you laugh…but somehow they always make me cry. Especially when they have kittens in them."

"Is something wrong with you?" said Yusuke, but at least he was laughing again.

"It's okay," said Kurama, gripping Hiei's waist. "The one we watched last night made Hiei cry, too. I have the tearstones to prove it."

"You cried way more than I did!" Hiei protested.

"Well, girls are allowed to cry, so it's not so bad," Kurama pointed out. "Anyway, let's go out into the living room. You'll never believe what Dr. Wheeler had to say…"