Chapter Three- Research

"I don't know," Yukina said as they stood in her room and she shuffled through some papers she had taken with her when she left the village for good. "This kind of change with twin girls states both change to male at the same time and change back together."

"Well, we're twins, but one boy and one girl. It would seem a different set of circumstances apply to us."

"Yes, it does. I just wish I knew but the papers don't mention our kind of twins. Any aspect of ice apparitions concerns only girls and women."

"Of course. Any males born are banished or killed so any studies on them are non-existent."

"Perhaps not," came a new voice and both spun around to see Kurama. His green eyes calmly assessed the situation before adding, "You are a lovely girl, by the way, Hiei."

"Thanks, Fox," Hiei said grudgingly. "But what did you mean by perhaps not?"

"I should be able to find some files in Yomi's library and have some answers to why you are still female."

"Still? Fox, how do you know about this?"

Kurama chuckled. "I studied Yomi's files during my time as his second-in-command though I admit I didn't dig too deep into them, but I intend to this time."

"I would appreciate that." As Hiei locked eyes with Kurama, she felt her breath catch and her heart actually beat. Whoa. I've never really noticed how handsome Kurama is, especially in his human form. She tried to banish these thoughts, convinced that her hormones were affecting her thoughts. They likely are as they did guide me in my actions yesterday. But I must not let them influence my thoughts. I will not let myself be more female than I've allowed myself to be.

Kurama went through the files of Yomi's library, the owner still traveling with his son to get stronger. He found the file on ice apparitions and opened it. He allowed it to fully download and, while he did, reflected on what he saw today.

He had come to the compound to see Yukina and ask if she had seen Hiei recently. It was the fire demon he wanted to see for he had a confession to make: He had fallen in love with Hiei. The friendship they had had for years had been enough for Kurama until a couple of months ago. He knew a little about Hiei but it was enough for him to be attracted to him. He had been hoping to tell Hiei how he felt today but his confession would have to wait.

He had been surprised to see Hiei female, but covered his surprise well. He truly did find Hiei lovely in her current form. Her hair had flattened to lay down against her back and her eyes were wide and a softer red that complemented her curved feminine face. Her voice was as attractive as her body was. I had read that ice apparitions turn male for a day or two every fifteen years and that twin girls do have the same time period with the change. So the question is, why didn't Hiei change back when Yukina did? The download was finally finished and Kurama eagerly read the file.

The file was long, much to his surprise as most ice apparitions don't leave their homeland. Perhaps Yomi had captured one and tortured her for information. It was the kind of thing he would do. Some of the information he already knew such as the Hiruseki stones, having daughters on their own every 100 years, and able to conceive with men whom they despised as a whole.

He located the section on the gender change and read it carefully. When a woman became a man, the stone they wore identified them as an ice apparition and not a male intruder and yet they tended to stay in their houses until they were female again. Signs of the change occurred hours to minutes before it happened. These signs were simply acting in a manner contrary to their normal behavior so they didn't change without warning and cause a momentary panic in public.

Twins were rare but they did occur and they also experienced the change. They became men at the same time and returned to normal at the same time as well. The change also happened to any boy born to an ice apparition. Most boys were banished or killed since men weren't allowed on their world. Some mothers went into hiding with their sons until he reached the age when the change would occur. The hiding aspect was the mother simply claiming to be moving to another village so her actions would be viewed as suspicious. A boy who goes through the change tends to remain female and can blend in with the rest of her kind and become male once every fifteen years, at which point she and her mother could return to the village. A rumor had persisted that if the boy acted female and received love from another and returned those sentiments, then he would return to his original gender. After that, his change would be just like the women…or be able to change whenever they wanted but had to do the fifteen year change.

Kurama stepped back to take it all in. So, some boys do survive and change into girls when they reach the age of the change. They then remain female, only being male every fifteen years. Well, Hiei certainly does not want to go that way. She wants to be male again and luckily the file holds the solution. But Hiei does not indulge in the type of love necessary to regain her original gender. I would guess that she has fifteen years to return to her male state before the change reverses the gender switch. I will tell her what I have learned, but not my guesses.

Hiei, despite her resistance, indulged in her female behavior. She assisted Yukina in her chores and provided a delicious lunch for both of them. It was during lunch that Hiei brought up her actions and her feelings about them. "Yukina? I'm…a bit afraid."

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"Of how I'm acting. I mean, I'm a man in a female body and it's influencing me to act like a woman. I want to fight it, but I find it difficult to do so."

"Hiei, there's nothing wrong with acting female right now. Don't be afraid to act like one, especially since you'll go through it again in fifteen years."

Hiei gazed down at her plate in silence for several minutes. Finally she said, "You have a point. I should act like a woman at this point so that when the time comes again, I won't be fighting them again. I do hope Kurama finds a solution."

"I hope so too."

"I found a solution but the file called it a rumor," Kurama spoke up from the outside door.

Hiei startled at Kurama speaking up and then fixed a stern gaze at him. "Damn it, Fox. Don't do that!" Hiei inwardly frowned. She had been having trouble sensing others and wondered if some of her powers had weakened due to her change. She hated being weak and desperately wanted to be herself again.

"Kurama, what did you learn?" Yukina asked.

"There have been boys born to ice apparitions and some survived by the mother going into hiding with him and waiting until he experienced his first change. As long as he didn't give or receive love, he could act female and stay that way. Then, he would only be male every fifteen years."

"I don't understand," Yukina said. "A mother loves her daughter and vice versa. So, the new female would turn male again once the one or two days have passed."

"Ah, yes. I forgot to clarify. I meant to say romantic love not family love. In order to return to her male form, Hiei needs to act female, receive love from another, and give that love in return. When that occurs, Hiei will be male and will change every fifteen years. The file speculated that the man would be able to change between male and female whenever he wants once the solution has occurred. The fifteen year change will occur regardless."

Love? Hiei thought. I have to love or be a female who changes to male every fifteen years?