It wasn't unusual for Yusuke to skip gym class, but most of the time, it was just because he didn't want to do whatever they were doing. In the boys' gym class, they were doing a unit on running, wherein the boys had to run around and around and around the track until either the bell rang or they collapsed from exhaustion, whichever came first. Even worse, the girls were apparently doing a gymnastics unit, and Yusuke wanted no part in that.

But this time, it was more than just his usual dislike of gym class. Yusuke had been feeling lousy since mid-morning, and by the time gym class rolled around, he felt downright terrible, and he couldn't place his finger on why. So as soon as all his classmates were doing either running or gymnastics, he snuck out and tried to take a nap under a tree, but certain people would not let him sleep.

"Urameshi!" It was Kuwabara. "Come on, you at least have to come to gym class every so often."

"The hell I do!" Yusuke shouted at him. "I've had a headache all day, I'm hungry, my back hurts, and to top it all off, I have to wear a skirt and a bra! Leave me alone!"

"You're acting almost as bad as Hiei," Kuwabara accused. "And you're not even in the same situation as he is."

"Well, I don't want to be," said Yusuke. "I SAID, leave me al—"

Yusuke's diatribe was cut off by his communication mirror ringing in his book bag.

"Hey, I'll bet that's Koenma!" Kuwabara said, barreling over to where Yusuke was sitting in the grass. "Maybe he has an idea of when we'll switch back!"

"I told you, someone did this to us," Yusuke insisted. "Now just let me answer the phone, idiot."

Unfortunately, it was not Koenma. It was Kurama, in his schoolgirl uniform.

"Kurama?" said Yusuke. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Hello, kettle, this is pot, I am black," said Kurama sarcastically. "I am at school, Yusuke. It's the end of my lunch hour. I just wanted to know if you and Kuwabara would be willing to come with me to the mall after school today. Hiei's invited, too, though I doubt he'll come. I need to get a birthday gift for my mother's fiancé. I also wanted to buy some new clothes for myself."

"Why are you inviting us?" Yusuke asked.

"I enjoy your company, first and foremost," Kurama answered. "But it would also be nice if Shizuru could drive us."

"She woke up with a bad case of food poisoning this morning," said Kuwabara. "I don't think she'll be able to."

"Well, I'm sure we can figure something out after school," said Kurama. "Yusuke, you aren't looking very good. Maybe we ought to put off the mall until tomorrow."

"No," said Yusuke, adjusting his uniform skirt for the millionth time. "My mom hasn't gone grocery shopping in forever. As long as we get something to eat at the mall, I'm game."

"Me, too!" Kuwabara added. "It'll really be convincing, too. I see packs of girls at the mall all the time."

"Okay." Kurama smiled. "Just come to my house after school. I have to walk my future stepbrother home from his middle school, so I might be a little late, but then we can go."

After the call was finished, and Kuwabara had given up on making Yusuke do gymnastics, Yusuke couldn't help but wish Kuwabara had been right, and that Koenma had been calling to help them with their situation. He was very annoyed that nobody seemed to believe his theory about what happened. Wasn't he supposed to be the detective? But Koenma didn't even seem to view this as a case.

…

Kurama was glad when school was finally over. Although he was glad Chizuko and Aratani had made up, the "girl drama" he had to deal with today was exhausting. Maybe now that the three of them were apparently best friends now, things would be better—as long as Kurama could figure out a way to keep Hanako from becoming the cheerleading captain next year, although he wasn't quite sure why he cared.

It was probably because of Aratani, he told himself. He'd both witnessed and caused horribly gruesome deaths in the past; a little cheerleading spat shouldn't have even made him turn his head. It would only make sense that Aratani's well-being would make him care about this sort of thing. But deep down, he wondered if it was more than that. It had been surreal, what he was privy to when he was "one of the girls," so to speak. Maybe, after experiencing a mere fraction of what they seemed to deal with on the daily, he felt differently.

For now, though, Kurama decided to put it out of his mind. If he couldn't pursue anything romantic with Aratani (considering she was both taken and, as far as he knew, did not play for the other team), he could at least get to know her better as a friend. They didn't spend much time together outside the Biology lab, and it would be nice to change that.

Besides, the memory of what had happened this morning hadn't left his mind so easily. Who knew what could happen to Aratani on the way home? Once Kurama saw that Kaito was staying late at school for a yearbook committee meeting, he caught up with his lab partner at her locker.

"How would you like me to walk you home, Aratani?" he asked politely. "I have to pick up my younger brother from his middle school, but you can come with if you want."

"Sure." Aratani smiled, zipping up her spring jacket and slamming her locker shut. "I didn't know you had a younger brother."

"Well, my mom's engaged to his dad, so he'll be my stepbrother, but we get along really well," Kurama explained. Then he told her the name of Kokoda's school.

"My house isn't too far from there," Aratani said. "Come on, Sakura! I'd love to meet him."

"I'm going to the mall with some of my friends after," said Kurama. "You don't know them because they go to different schools, but they're, um…interesting. You're welcome to come along."

"No, thank you," she said. "I have way too much homework. But I can definitely come after, for those self-defense lessons you promised me."

"Sounds good," said Kurama. "You'll be able to defend yourself in no time."

On the way home, they were greeted with catcalls and jeers, the way Kurama had been on the walk there, but it felt stronger to be together.

"Hey, redhead!" Kurama turned around to see a greasy, overweight old man leering at him. "Nice tits you've got there."

"She says thank you," Aratani called back. "But they're nothing compared to yours!"

That left the man in shock, while Kurama and Aratani burst into hysterics. They were still laughing when they reached Kokoda's school. Kurama hoped his friend and stepbrother would get along.

"Sakura! Over here!"

They turned, and there was Kokoda, running towards them.

"Good afternoon, Kokoda," Kurama said brightly. It was strange, but Kokoda suddenly seemed a lot taller, only a few inches shorter than Kurama himself. But Kurama knew the truth. Kokoda hadn't grown; Kurama had simply shrunk. Aratani, though, was an inch or two shorter than Kokoda.

"Hi," she said with a smile. "My name's Aratani. I'm a friend of your sister's. What's your name?"

"I'm Kokoda Hatanaka," he said shyly. "Hi."

After the introductions, the party of three headed to Aratani's house.

"So what's the matter, forgot the way?" Kurama joked, smiling down at his younger brother.

"I just thought that since my dad is marrying your mom, we should be spending more time together," said Kokoda, but he avoided Kurama's eyes, and Kurama got the feeling it was something more than that. But the truth would come out at Kokoda's discretion, Kurama decided.

"Yes, I'd love to spend more time together," he replied honestly. Kokoda beamed.

They walked up the street. Kurama was familiar with the unwanted attention by now, but this time it really annoyed him, not because of how they were treating him, but because of the bad example they were setting for Kokoda. He held the shoulder strap of his messenger bag tight with one hand and grabbed Kokoda's with the other. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

Perhaps noticing all the men being disrespectful to his future stepsister and her friend, Kokoda asked, "Why don't you have a boyfriend, Sakura?"

"Excuse me?" said Kurama in surprise.

"Well, you're really smart and pretty and nice," Kokoda explained. "I would think all the boys want to be with you."

"Well, just because a boy likes a girl doesn't mean he gets to be her boyfriend, and vice versa," Aratani pointed out. "Both of them have to like each other."

"She's right," said Kurama. "But we do seem to be getting a fair amount of attention from them."

The worst, though, was when they were passing a construction site where a new store was being built.

"Hey, baby, how 'bout you let me fill your hole?" one of them shouted, and Kurama couldn't believe he'd said something so obscene, especially to a teenage girl.

"Back off my sister!" Kokoda yelled, much to Kurama's horror. "Dirty old men like you make me sick!"

"Oh, no," said the man sarcastically. "We just got threatened by a puny little middle schooler, boys! Whatever shall we do?"

"You can try apologizing!" said Kokoda, but Kurama pulled him back.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Kokoda," he said, "but please, it isn't safe."

And he was glad he did, too, when he saw one of the workers actually approaching them.

"Can I have your numbers, girls?" he asked, slicking back his greasy hair with one hand.

"No thank you," said Kurama, trying to keep his voice calm.

While he was focusing on that man, though, someone grabbed his hair from behind, sending a rush of ice through his blood, and he reflexively spun around, knocking the man out of the way. Couldn't they take no for an answer?

"Stop it!" Aratani commanded. "Look, my friend and I would love to give you our numbers, but we can't. Our boyfriends wouldn't approve."

The construction worker paused. Aratani and Kurama both glared at him, while Kokoda clung to Kurama's arm, obviously terrified.

"They're lucky men," the construction worker said finally, pushing Kurama along with a pat on the rear, and then he left. Kurama was angry, yet relieved that nothing worse had happened.

"I thought you didn't have a boyfriend, Sakura." Kokoda's voice was breathy, and his face was pale.

"It was a bluff," Aratani explained. "I mean, I really do have a boyfriend, but Sakura doesn't. It was just a way to make him go away. And believe me, I didn't want to give him my number, whether my boyfriend would have approved or not."

"You see, brother, these types of men don't see women as real people," Kurama said quietly. "They see them as objects. There's no way he'd respect a real-life woman, but he would respect this imaginary man and not touch his property."

"It's awful, but that's the way it is," Aratani agreed sadly. "At least I know men aren't all bad. Yu Kaito, my boyfriend, is so sweet and kind. Smart, too. But Sakura, Kokoda is right. You could have any boy you wanted."

"Yeah, maybe," said Kurama.

"You know, Kaito might know some guys," Aratani suggested. "He could introduce you, and then we could go on double dates."

That sounded like nightmare fodder, but Kurama forced his face into a smile.

"We'll see," he said, yanking his hands downwards to put them in his pockets, but then he remembered he was wearing a skirt. This wasn't the first time that had happened today; Kurama had a habit of always sticking his hands in his pockets when he wasn't using them, and it always threw him off balance when he remembered that the girls' uniform at his school didn't have any pockets. As soon as he got home, he was going to change into a nice pair of jeans.

"So this boyfriend of yours," Kokoda said to Aratani. "How did he ask you to be his girlfriend?"

"It was when he was tutoring me, of all things." Aratani laughed. "And he seemed so nervous. It was adorable."

"Adorable?" said Kokoda in surprise. "Girls like that?"

"Oh, those shy guys are always so cute, aren't they, Sakura?" Aratani said, looking at Kurama. "When a boy lets his guard down like that, it shows the girl that he's willing to let her into his emotional life. That's why girls like when boys talk to us about their feelings. It makes us feel closer to them."

"You also have to be willing to go after what you want, though," Kurama added. "Not the way that construction worker did, but if you like a girl, she wants you to tell her, as long as you understand what 'no' means."

"Yes," said Aratani. "It tells us that you were willing to risk rejection to show us how you feel."

"So what's better?" asked Kokoda. "Shy or forward?"

"Why?" Kurama smiled, realizing the true reason Kokoda had wanted to walk home with him. "You wouldn't be trying to ask out a girl, would you, Kokoda?"

Kokoda didn't say anything, but the sudden patches of pink in his cheeks told Kurama he'd guessed right.

"Bingo!" said Aratani, laughing good-naturedly. "It's okay, Kokoda. We've all been there. You just have to think of something romantic to do."

"Like what?"

"Girls love flowers," said Kurama. "Do you know where her locker is?"

"Y-Yeah." Kokoda looked even more embarrassed at that question. "I…I've watched her there when we're at school sometimes."

"All you need to do," said Kurama, "is obtain one rose. Write your name on a piece of paper, tie it to the stem, and slip it in between the air vents of her locker. I can get you the rose."

"Oh, Sakura," Aratani said dreamily. "How do you think of these things? I wish a boy would do something like that for me."

"Kaito's never given you flowers?"

"No, he likes to write long love poems about me and put those in my locker." Aratani sighed. "Epics, he calls them, because they're always something like five pages long. I'm not a poetry fan, but I don't have the heart to tell him. He's such a sweet guy, and hurting him is the last thing I'd ever want to do, but…I don't know, sometimes I'm not sure if I really like him as anything more than a friend. I feel like something more is out there, waiting for me, something I'm missing. Do you ever feel that way, Sakura?"

"Yes." Kurama looked down at the ground, not meeting Aratani's eyes. "I do."

"But then I worry that I'm being selfish," Aratani confessed. "Maybe instead of wishing on some dream guy, I should appreciate the guy I've actually got. But then I wonder if maybe there's someone out there who's better for him—someone who loves him as much as he loves me. Maybe Kaito and I just weren't meant to be. It's really tough."

"So how do you know if someone's just a friend, or more?" Kokoda asked.

"Not even the greatest philosophers of the world have been able to answer that question," Kurama replied. "I know two high school girls certainly couldn't."

"Well, they say you just…know," said Aratani. "Maybe that's why I'm not feeling it with Kaito. You know when it's right, but you don't know it when it's not right. I'm so confused."

"I suppose love is cruel." Kurama gave her a wry smile.

"Love sounds awful," said Kokoda. "I feel sick to my stomach."

"You don't have to," Aratani told him. "Not yet. All you have to do now is follow your sister's advice, and let it go from there."

After Kurama dropped Aratani off at her house and Kokoda at his father's (plus one rose), he set off for home. When he finally arrived, he didn't see Yusuke or Kuwabara, but he was pleased to see Hiei out in the front yard, practicing his swordsmanship.

"It's good to see you up and about, Hiei," Kurama told him.

"Yeah, I feel much better than yesterday." Hiei sheathed his sword and walked over. "School's out?"

"Yes, and believe me, it was the most exhausting school day of my life." Kurama walked over to sit on the porch, and Hiei followed him. "What have you been doing all day?"

"Training, mostly," Hiei replied. "Exercise really helps. Even more than the raspberry tea."

"Then maybe you should come to the mall with us," Kurama suggested. "Yusuke and Kuwabara already agreed to come along. Why don't you come, too?"

"Why should I?"

"Because you're my very best friend in the whole world, Hiei!" Kurama joked, pulling Hiei in for a rib-crushing hug.

"Get off of me, you freak!" Hiei snapped, wriggling out of his grasp.

"Thanks, Hiei, I love you, too," Kurama said sarcastically.

Hiei just made a derisive noise in his throat and turned away.

"Look, we can discuss the mall when Yusuke and Kuwabara get here," said Kurama. "High school is ridiculous if you're a teenage girl, and to be honest, I've wanted to take my Rose Whip to something since this morning."

"Now you're talking." Hiei stood up. "Think you can beat me in a skirt?"

"Undoubtedly." Kurama stood up, too, excited for a good fight. "Think you can beat me on your period?"

"With ease," said Hiei.

…

After a long, grueling day as a girl, Yusuke was seriously wiped out. He was feeling so ill that Kuwabara had to support him on the way to Kurama's house, but he was momentarily cheered when he saw Hiei and Kurama fighting in the trees, with Hiei in his black pants and matching black tank top, and Kurama still in his schoolgirl uniform.

"Hey, Kurama!" Yusuke called. "Nice panty shot."

Almost simultaneously, both Hiei and Kurama dropped gracefully to the ground. Hiei glared, while Kurama asked pleasantly, "What can we do for you?"

It never failed. Kurama and Hiei always had this good cop/bad cop thing going on. Perhaps it was because of this that, as soon as Kuwabara let go of him, Yusuke fell right into Kurama's arms, the last of his strength giving out. Those things weren't just huge, they were soft, too…woah, concentrate!

"Rough day, Yusuke?" said Kurama.

"You don't know the half of it," said Kuwabara. "Urameshi's been awful. When he skipped gym class, it wasn't just because he didn't want to go, like usual. He was actually sick."

"It's these things on my chest," Yusuke said weakly, indicating.

"That's the same problem you had yesterday," said Kurama, and Yusuke didn't like the concerned tone in his voice.

"I think I need some herbs," Yusuke mumbled.

"Come inside, and I'll make you something." Kurama headed towards the house, and Kuwabara helped Yusuke follow him. Hiei brought up the rear, shooting them apathetic glances every so often.

When they got inside, Kuwabara set Yusuke down on the couch, then sat nearby, while Hiei perched on top of the back. That was the weird thing about Hiei, or one of the weird things about him, anyway. He rarely sat on couches and chairs; instead, he'd sit on windowsills or tables or rails or headboards. He would enter houses through windows instead of doors, and sleep in trees instead of beds.

"Maybe we should hold off on the mall for now, Yusuke," said Kurama, as he started making tea.

"No, I want to go today," said Yusuke, unhooking his bra and pulling it off. It was driving him insane. "You just need to tell me what I have, and cure it."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," said Kurama. "Your symptoms could indicate a few things, and my herbs can only go so far. I'm not completely sure if it's normal to have pain in your—"

"Don't say it!" Yusuke interrupted him. "How would you know?"

"I don't, but I can tell you that mine don't hurt." Kurama frowned. "Is anything else the matter?"

"I've got a headache, I'm hungry, and I feel bloated and gassy," Yusuke told him, not embarrassed in the slightest. "Plus, I want to kill anything that moves."

"Gassiness I can take care of," Kurama told him, "but I can't treat an upset stomach with the same plants as I would a headache."

"My mom's got headache medicine she uses for her hangovers," Yusuke suggested. "Maybe you could get some of that."

"You mean like aspirin?" said Kurama. "Of course. We've got some right here in the kitchen. You can have it with some tea that should settle your stomach."

"I'm surprised this bothers you at all, Detective," Hiei put in, looking down at Yusuke from his perch on the top of the couch. "It can't be that terrible, at least not compared to what you endured in the Dark Tournament a week ago."

"I know, but it's still annoying. I feel, like, restricted."

"Then stay home," Kurama insisted.

"I'll be fine," said Yusuke irritably. "I have a really bad hankering for those chocolate buns they have at the mall."

"Oh, yeah, I love those," said Kuwabara. "Especially the ones with sprinkles on top. They're the best dessert ever."

Yusuke groaned again, but this time it was in ecstasy. "I can practically taste them…"

"This is probably bad if not even you know what's wrong with him," said Hiei, addressing Kurama. "You don't suppose his condition has anything to do with our current…situation?"

"That's possible, though I'm not sure how," Kurama replied. "I'll have to think about it."

"While you're thinking about it, could you please get me my tea and headache medicine?" Yusuke said.

"I'll get the headache medicine," Kuwabara volunteered, heading into the kitchen. "And some water to wash it down with."

After Yusuke was done with the medicine, he asked, "So, has anybody given any thought as to how we'll get to the mall? Shizuru has food poisoning, so she can't drive us."

"Well, it's definitely too far to walk there, and none of us are old enough to drive yet," said Kurama, handing Yusuke the tea that he had finally finished brewing. Yusuke blew on it to cool it off before he drank it.

"I won't stoop so low as to riding a bicycle, if that's what you mean," said Hiei, obviously unwilling to engage in so human an activity.

"Wait a minute, Kurama!" Yusuke sat up. "I know you can't drive until you're eighteen, but you can get a motorcycle license at sixteen!"

"That doesn't mean I have a motorcycle license, Yusuke," Kurama reminded him. "Nor do I even own a motorcycle. What do you want me to do, go to a dealership and hotwire one?"

"I guess I didn't really think that through," said Yusuke.

"Obviously not," said Hiei. "Again, how did you get to be a detective?"

"I'm not breaking the law, Yusuke," said Kurama. "Not only is it wrong, but my mother would be so disappointed."

"Well, my mom doesn't care what I do." Yusuke set his tea down on the coffee table and sat up. "I may only be fourteen, but maybe I can drive her car to the mall, and nobody will be any the—"

"Over my dead body," Kurama said sternly, and gestured to the couch. "Now sit down and drink your tea."

"Jeez, Kurama, I know I don't have the best home life, but that doesn't mean you get to be my mom." Yusuke sank back onto the couch. His words were met with an exasperated, yet dignified sigh.

"There's a bus that leaves in twenty minutes that can take us," said Kurama. "Let's go."

…

The squad made it onto the bus with no time to spare. They'd all taken time to get ready, each of them making sure their clothes were fine, that they had enough money, that they had all used the bathroom, that Kurama's hair looked okay (it did)…Hiei, in particular, was feeling angry that he had to go on the bus, because he knew that if he'd been traveling alone, he would have been able to go a lot faster.

"Fare?" asked the bus driver, raising one eyebrow strictly. She was getting on in years, and driving the bus was probably her job in retirement. Luckily, they'd brought plenty of money for shopping, so they all pooled their money for the fare.

"Here you are," said Kurama, handing the money over.

"Thank you." The bus driver took it without a smile, then turned to Hiei. "Now, make sure you stay close to these older girls and do what they say."

"How nice of you," Hiei said sarcastically. "It warms the space my soul would occupy if I had one."

The bus driver stared, but Kurama prodded Hiei in the back to keep him moving. At this time of day, it was extremely crowded, what with everyone trying to get home from work, and all the seats were filled. The four of them made to grab onto poles, prepared to stand for the entire ride, but four men stood up.

"Please, ladies," one of them said courteously. "Please take our seats."

"Um…sure." Yusuke sat down in the newly open seat, and the other three followed suit. Kurama sat in between Yusuke and Hiei, and Kuwabara sat on Yusuke's other side.

"Human custom?" Hiei muttered to Kurama, who nodded.

"Hey, Kuwabara, want to hear a bus joke?" said Yusuke. After the headache medicine and some of Kurama's tea, he seemed to be feeling a lot better.

"Sure," said Kuwabara.

"What happened to the guy who took the 5 o'clock bus home?"

"I dunno, what?"

"They made him bring it back!"

Yusuke and Kuwabara exploded into laughter, while Kurama groaned, and Hiei leaned over to glare at them. Unfortunately, that was when the bus (which didn't have any seat belts) bounced over a pothole, and Hiei was catapulted with a scream into Kuwabara's lap.

"Hey! Get off me!" Kuwabara shouted.

"Do you think I wanted that to happen?" Hiei snapped. One of the men who had given them their seats bent down to help him up, but he shoved the hands away, then got up on his own and sat down next to Kurama again. All three of his friends had changed into shirts and jeans, and Hiei couldn't help but notice that Kurama's V-neck was rather low-cut, and that his jeans were so tight they had little zippers down the sides. Apparently, Kurama's female counterpart really liked clothes that showed off her body. Even his toes were painted bright red, just like his fingernails.

Hiei was glad none of the men were looking at him the way they were at Kurama. He looked the oldest of them all; he could easily have passed for eighteen, if not twenty-one. Hiei thought he looked more like Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were in that in-between stage, which was more visible in girls than in boys. At least boys didn't grow a whole new body part when they went through puberty, one that men really seemed to like looking at.

"So, where are the four of you headed?" one of the men who had given up their seats asked politely.

"Just a nice day of shopping with my friends," Kurama replied coolly.

"How do I let you talk me into stupid things like this, Kurama?" Hiei muttered. "Honestly, a human city bus?"

"I don't know how you'll ever come to like the human race if you never give them a chance," Kurama whispered back.

"I'm not trying to—ahhh!"

Hiei had been tossed the other way, this time across the laps of Kurama and two strangers.

"Watch out there, Hiei," Kurama told him, standing up and hoisting Hiei up by his armpits. Then he set him back in his seat, only to be knocked to the ground himself with another bump in the road.

"Hey, bus lady!" Yusuke hollered, standing up and grabbing a pole. "Are you going out of your way to hit every speed bump in town?!"

"SIT DOWN!" they heard her screech back.

"I think the biggest bump so far is up here." Kurama winced and rubbed the top of his head.

"You two better hope Kurama doesn't have permanent brain damage," Hiei said scathingly, extending his hand downwards at the same time Kurama raised his up, and pulling his friend up back into his seat.

"Don't blame me, Hiei," Yusuke said. "Kurama was the one who told me I couldn't drive my mom's car."

"Yes, my mistake," Hiei retorted. "If Kurama had let you drive, we'd all have permanent brain damage."

"Oh, ha-ha," said Yusuke, and the ride went on.