Yusuke probably should have been relieved after Kurama told everyone what the doctor said, and that apparently he had a "clean bill of health"; therefore, nothing to worry about. But to be honest, things in Girl World were just getting way too complicated for him. Now, perhaps he didn't have to worry that he was getting sick anymore, but he did have to constantly wonder if today would be "the day" and it would happen in class, like it had to Kurama.

Well, maybe I just won't go to class, he thought. But then, plenty of girls went to class every day of the month. For example, as far as Yusuke knew, Keiko had never missed a day of school. So maybe the only solution would be to be "prepared," like Kurama said.

"Hey, Mom?" said Yusuke nervously as he stepped into the apartment.

"Yes?" called Atsuko from the kitchen. She was surprisingly sober, and microwaving what smelled like ramen.

"I, um…" Was this embarrassing, or what? "I have to tell you, uh…something. Or ask you something. I mean—"

"What did you do this time?"

"I think it's that time of the month," Yusuke blurted out.

"Go and get something on, then," Atsuko said apathetically. "I have some painkillers if you're having cramps. Dinner will be ready in about five minutes."

That was it? This was her big mom-reaction? She was acting as if he had just made a casual remark about the weather!

"I mean, I don't actually have it yet," Yusuke clarified. "I'm just having symptoms. But it'll most likely be this week, I think."

"Oh," she said. "Then why are you telling me?"

"Well, I don't know, actually. Never mind." Yusuke sat down at the table. "What are we having for dinner? Ramen noodles again?"

"What? Do you not like ramen now?"

"I do like it," said Yusuke, but that wasn't what was on his mind. He realized he had no clue what Kurama meant when he said to "be prepared." Why hadn't he asked? What could be worse than waiting for something you didn't know anything about? This was actually a little scary, not just an inconvenience.

Of course, he didn't have to do anything yet, because he was just having symptoms for now. But he remembered what Kurama said: Pack something in your school bag. But what was "something"? An extra uniform skirt? Cleaning supplies? Diapers, maybe?

Yusuke was a little too embarrassed to ask, because the way she spoke so casually, it was as if he ought to know everything already. He was half-hoping his mom would just be straight with him and take him through this step-by-step, but knowing her, she would probably get annoyed if he kept thinking that way. Why couldn't his mom be more like Kurama's mom, who was always so helpful and nice? Or like Shizuru, who wasn't exactly what you would call "nice," but who had certainly been helpful over the past few days? Why couldn't she just—

"You know, I remember when I was around your age," Atsuko said, taking the ramen out of the microwave and pouring it into two bowls.

"So?"

"So, I was pregnant when I was your age—well, a little older, actually, about Shuichi's age."

"What?" Yusuke's eyebrows raised. He knew she got pregnant as a teenager, but sixteen? That was really young.

"Some women really like being pregnant, and they do it on purpose," Atsuko was saying as she set a bowl of ramen in front of Yusuke at the table, then another one for her. "Not me. I didn't even know how my own body worked. Your father left me—of course he did, he was just a child, like I was. You were all I had.

"There was nobody to watch out for me, make sure I wasn't getting into trouble," she continued. "I wanted to make things easier on you growing up than they were for me. I guess I didn't do a very good job."

Yusuke remembered how his mother had cried when everyone thought he was dead, and all of a sudden he felt really guilty.

"You do just fine," Yusuke mumbled.

"That's one lesson you should definitely remember: Never have sex with a man unprotected," said Atsuko.

"No chance of that happening," said Yusuke.

"Taking care of a child is hard, but I would say the trade-off is worth it," Atsuko said, getting out of her seat to stand by Yusuke, running her fingers through his hair absentmindedly. "But the point is, now that you're growing up and everything, I want you to know you can always come to me. I want…I want to be for you what nobody ever was for me, starting now."

Hmm. Maybe this meant more to her than he had previously thought.

"Thanks, Mom," said Yusuke quietly, and paused for a minute. "In that case…I'll definitely need some help."

"All you ever have to do is ask, honey," Atsuko replied, bending down to give Yusuke a hug, and he hugged back, smiling slightly. Maybe, just maybe, some things had changed for the better.

…

That next morning, Kurama headed off to school again. Since he was growing ever sicker of all the attention he got in the streets (and he was starting to feel it was a little dangerous), he took the train that day. Over his school uniform he put on his favorite green fox sweatshirt, a baggy old maternity sweatshirt of his mom's, and a big winter coat he'd borrowed from his stepfather. Finally, he pinned his hair up with a comb so he could hide it in the hood of the jacket, donned a pair of his mother's sunglasses, and left the house in disguise. As a result of all this, he was seriously overheated, and he knew he must have looked ridiculous. But nobody looked twice at him, and that was just the way he wanted it.

When he got to school, he shoved the extra layers into his locker, let down his hair, and carefully stowed the sunglasses in a pocket of his book bag so they wouldn't get hurt. Then he went to sit down in class. Since he had taken the train, he was a little early, but he was startled when Yu Kaito stomped into the classroom, threw his books on his desk, and plopped himself down into his seat.

"Kaito," said Kurama, a little apprehensively. "You're back."

"Is she happy now, Shuichi?" Kaito demanded. Behind his glasses, Kurama could see that his eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying. "Is she pleased with herself, now that she's broken my heart?"

"What are you talking about?" Kurama asked.

"Aratani!" Kaito was obviously trying to sound angry, when really he was terribly hurt. "Didn't she tell you about how she left me?"

"Yeah, but she didn't seem happy about it at all," Kurama told him. "She was sad that she hurt you."

"Well, then why hurt me? Why not just stay together?"

"Because I think it would hurt you all the more if she stayed with you and didn't love you, Kaito," Kurama said seriously. "Don't you think it was better that she was honest?"

"I don't know," said Kaito. "But I just don't know what I did wrong, Shuichi. I tried to be the perfect boyfriend."

"Kaito, you're never going to get over her until you realize it's nothing that you did wrong," Kurama said patiently. "You two just aren't meant to be. The situation can be absolutely perfect, and the couple can have 100% compatibility, but if there's no spark—well, then all the rest means nothing. Just because someone is your ideal partner doesn't mean you two are going to love each other." Kurama smiled slightly. "Love is weird that way."

"But I do love her," Kaito said sadly. "She just doesn't love me."

"And someday, Yu Kaito, you will find someone who loves you just as much as you love her," said Kurama. "Why not try Chizuko? She likes to write, like you."

"Shuichi, she writes a gossip column," said Kaito. "Do you really think I would sink that low?"

"Chizuko used to write a gossip column," Kurama corrected him. "She's trying to become a better person now, and in order to do so, she swore to stop libeling people."

"Hn," said Kaito, sounding an awful lot like Hiei. Kurama could tell Chizuko didn't really appeal to him, and to be honest, he probably wouldn't appeal to Chizuko too much, either. And because Chizuko was Aratani's best friend, Chizuko going out with Aratani's ex-boyfriend probably violated some Girl Code law or another.

Aratani entered the room next, and Kurama knew she saw Kaito. Her face fell, her brown eyes staring down at the floor. Kaito saw her, too.

"Where did I go wrong?" Yu Kaito cried to nobody in particular, looking like he was going to bawl. Aratani obviously heard, because she actually did burst into tears, and ran from the room. Oh, for crying out loud! Quite uncharacteristically, Kurama found he couldn't keep his temper anymore.

"Listen, Kaito, I've already had to deal with a lot of bullshit this week, and I don't need yours, too," Kurama said sharply, getting to his feet and pushing his chair in with a bang. "Now do us all a big fat favor and stop feeling so goddamn sorry for yourself!"

Leaving Kaito's jaw on the floor, Kurama stormed out of the classroom, heading not for Aratani, but for the courtyard, because he just needed some time for himself. For a little while he just sat there, taking deep breaths to calm down. Now he kind of knew how Hiei felt. First he would overreact, then he would feel guilty about it. But then he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Shuichi?"

It was Yu Kaito. Kurama nodded, and the bespectacled book snob sat down next to him.

"What do you want?" Kurama mumbled, but not in a mean way; more like just a very, very tired way.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry if I said anything to upset you," Kaito said quietly. "Vary rarely do I hear such immoderate language escape your lips."

"Oh, it's not you, Kaito, it's everything." Kurama put his face in his hands. "I want all my friends to get their heads on straight, I want to win that stupid competition this Saturday, I want men to stop treating me like a sex object, I want my skin to clear up and my fat to go away, and most of all…" Kurama was a little embarrassed to hear his high-pitched, wavery voice. "I just want some potato chips."

"Oh, Shuichi, you're not fat," said Kaito. "Your beauty is simply resplendent."

Kurama sniffed and wiped his nose with his hand. "Try telling that to my new jeans."

"Even if you were fat, which you're not, since when do you get upset about that kind of thing?" Kaito asked. "In my experience, you take most things in stride."

"Well, it all gets to be too much sometimes," said Kurama.

"I can make it just a little better," said Kaito. "At lunch, I'll buy you the biggest bag of chips I can get my hands on. No need to pay me back."

"Oh, no, Kaito, you don't need to—"

"No need to thank me, the pleasure's all mine." Kaito stood up and held out his hand. "Let me help you up. You don't want to be late for class."

…

Yusuke's teachers were impressed that he was actually attending class, and Keiko was obviously pleased. But all Yusuke could think of was the horrific next few days that were in store for him. How would he even know it had happened? There was the option of asking, but he was kind of afraid of the answer. At least his mom put a pad in his school bag for him, and once she was gone he had jammed a few extra dozen in there just in case, but who knew if it would be enough?

Around lunchtime, Kuwabara came to eat with him.

"Hey, Urameshi?" he said. "Can you do me a big favor? It's really important."

"Shoot."

"Well, I was wondering if you could possibly come with me to the doctor today."

"Wasn't Shizuru supposed to take you?"

"Yeah, but she got food poisoning," said Kuwabara. "I need a friend to go with me because I'm really nervous, especially after what Kurama told us yesterday."

"You mean, the part about getting naked and putting your feet in stirrups?" said Yusuke. "Not to be a bad friend or anything, but I don't really want to be in the room during that part."

"I didn't say you had to go in the room," said Kuwabara. "Just take the bus to the medical building with me and sit in the waiting room."

"Can't you get Kurama to do it?" asked Yusuke, knowing it was pointless to even suggest Hiei.

"Kurama has cheerleading practice," Kuwabara reminded him. "Besides, you're my best-best friend."

"I don't know what your game is, but if you're trying to guilt-trip me, it isn't working," Yusuke told him.

"I'm not," said Kuwabara, and he looked truthful. "I just really need someone to go with me, and I thought you would be the best."

"Oh…fine," said Yusuke. "I'll go with you, but don't expect me to be any help."

"Thanks, buddy," said Kuwabara gratefully, and they finished their lunch.