April 12, 1993

Hiei awoke to pain.

It was groggy pain; the kind where something might be wrong, but it was difficult to pinpoint the issue exactly. It felt like gas pain, actually, but different somehow, a little sharper. Come to think of it, his back kind of hurt too, and that wasn't typical of gas, was it? Not that gas was a common occurrence for him anyway.

Just like the birds, Hiei was currently residing in a tree, where he had chosen to spend the night. As soon as he was fully awake, he jumped agilely to the ground—which was when he realized something was definitely wrong. Something very important was missing.

Hiei shook his hair out of his face, only to wonder why it was falling into his face to begin with. He grabbed one of the strands. Long hair, sort of like Kurama's, and did he really have to say it? What was going on here? Still trying to ignore the pain, like a rubber band around his lower abdomen, Hiei threw off his black cloak, tugged out the waistband of his pants, and…

Instead of what was normally in there, all he saw was blood. He meant to cry out in shock, but what came out of his mouth instead was a girlish shriek. The first thing he thought was that someone had horribly mutilated him in his sleep for some reason, but an investigation with his fingers (not the most pleasant thing he'd ever done) quickly revealed that, however unbelievably, he had a vagina now, and it was apparently in fine working order.

Hiei knew that certain types of female demons menstruated as part of their reproductive cycle, as did human females. But why was it happening to him? Last night, he knew he'd fallen asleep in his normal male body. So it didn't make sense at all that he would suddenly awaken in a female one.

This pain was really awful. Cramps, Hiei realized. Girl cramps. He knew Kurama gave their female friends, like Keiko and Shizuru, special tea for this kind of thing, but he was way too embarrassed to tell anyone he'd changed into a girl overnight, much less that his entire bottom half was practically soaked in blood. He put on his cloak again and started to walk, wondering what to do. The sun was barely rising, and since it was mid-spring, it probably wasn't even six o'clock yet.

Hiei was in the city now, walking along, and he stopped short when he caught his reflection in one of the buildings. He was even smaller than before, yet his clothes still fit him fine. His facial features had always been rather soft—heart-shaped face, pointed chin, smooth jawline, small nose and mouth. So that hadn't really changed much. His eyes were a little different; they looked more like Yukina's now, and his hair, now growing down instead of up, fell halfway down his back.

His new body had no hips or breasts to speak of, but his skin was softer, and he had a little more fat, a little less muscle. He still had that muscular body his active lifestyle afforded him, but…there was something soft about his body, too. His chest was tender; the miniscule curves he did have were smooth.

Hiei's observations of this new form were interrupted by another jolt of pain, like a current of lightning through what he realized must be a very cranky uterus, and he knew it was time to swallow his pride. He needed to get his hands on some of Kurama's famous tea.

…

Not much was visible of Shuichi Minamino, a.k.a. Kurama, as he slept peacefully through the early hours of Monday morning. Just a tangle of long red hair and one smooth hand clutching a red sham pillow, embroidered with a pink rose design. In a few minutes, his alarm would ring, signaling him to get up for another day of school—the second week of his second year at high school.

Sure enough, when the clock struck six, several loud beeps brought Kurama back from dreamland. But when he sat up with a yawn, the first thing he felt was something heavy on his chest, rising slightly with him as he stretched. And when he looked down, the sound of a woman's scream escaped his mouth.

His body was not his own. Under a see-through pink nightie embroidered with roses, he could see two large breasts, not perfectly round, but slightly tear-shaped, as they sagged to gravity's pull. He gasped as he realized—My penis is gone. And that…that is a vagina.

What on Earth could it be this time? Kurama stumbled out of bed, squeezed out of the nightie, and stared, openmouthed, at the reflection of his naked body in the mirror.

There stood not a boy, not a girl, but a woman, a gorgeous, redheaded woman with big green eyes, huge breasts, a slim waist, flat stomach, and pronounced hips. She stood about five-seven, shorter than her male counterpart's solid six feet, and as he ran his fingertips over the hills and valleys of her body, Kurama realized that this body was, in fact, his own. His hair was the same, his facial features were a little gentler, and his body was drastically changed. This wasn't the first time Kurama had to get used to a new body, but which was worse? Being a human male baby, or a human female teenager?

Well, the obvious advantage to the latter was that this time, at least Kurama had retained control over his basic bodily functions. He didn't have to wear a diaper. But this was still not a good situation. Kurama realized by now that he had been turned into a girl, but how?

Overwhelmed suddenly by curiosity, Kurama looked down at his newfound breasts and held one of them in his hand, marveling at the soft skin, his thumb wandering towards the soft, pink nipple—

"It happened to you, too, huh?"

"Hiei!" Kurama shrieked, as the various plants in his room snaked around to cover him, just in time. It appeared he could still access his power. "My goodness, a little privacy, please?"

Kurama noticed that his voice, while feminine, still came out rather low and sultry. Looking in the mirror again, he didn't think he looked sixteen at all. Hiei's voice, though, sounded more like a girl's. Examining him briefly, Kurama could see that his old friend, perched on the windowsill, had been changed, too. His body appeared to be the same, except everything was slightly smaller. He didn't have anything close to the full hourglass figure that Kurama had. But his hair was very long, longer than Kurama's, and there was something slightly more feminine about his face. He was also missing the scarf around his neck, and he looked ready to kill.

"Never mind that," the smaller demon said sharply. "What's happened to us?"

"We've been turned into girls, I suppose," Kurama answered, glad for an excuse to look away from the full-length mirror, but gazing upon the female Hiei was almost as disturbing as seeing the female version of himself. Quickly, he donned his nightie once more, though it didn't afford much modesty.

"Obviously," Hiei sneered. "I mean, why? How?"

"I don't know." Kurama shook his head. "I've heard of people leaving the Dark Tournament with strange afflictions before this, though. It might be something like that…"

"Any idea who did it?"

"No, I'm afraid."

"Great! Just great!" said Hiei. "Only a gigantic amount of spectators and combatants alike, most of whom are probably dead."

"Could you find them with your Jagan Eye?" Kurama asked hopefully.

"I have no idea what to look for," said Hiei. "Even if it saw them, I wouldn't know."

"Then it's going to be very difficult to find whoever did this." Kurama sighed, then looked at his friend sideways. "What happened to your scarf?"

Kurama was surprised to see Hiei blush.

"Yeah, about that…" Hiei cleared his throat. "Um…you aren't…menstruating, are you?"

"No," said Kurama, raising his eyebrows. "Are you?"

"Why else would I ask?" said Hiei, refusing to meet Kurama's eyes. "I need you to make me some of your tea."

"Having cramps?" said Kurama sympathetically. "Don't worry. I've got raspberry tea here, and since raspberry is a uterine tonic, it should really help."

"Fine, now just shut up," Hiei told him. "Can I use your shower?"

Kurama realized that Hiei must be a mess down there, and he knew he probably should do what a real girl would have done for her friend—ask about the flow and help stem it—but he really didn't want to. And he didn't know where his mom kept the pads. Or if she even had any. Kurama cringed at the idea of trying to convince Hiei to wear a tampon, much less help him figure out how to use one.

"Yes, you can use the shower, Hiei," said Kurama, deciding he would figure out what to do as he brewed the tea. He supposed he could ask his mother, but wouldn't she be shocked to find out that her son of sixteen years was now a daughter? In fact…how were they going to go out in the world? How would they explain this to any ordinary human who knew they'd been boys before? He was trying to formulate a plan when he heard his mother's voice coming from the stairs.

"Are you up, honey?" she called.

"Yes, Mother!" Kurama replied reflexively, then clapped his hands over his mouth. But to his shock, his mother didn't seem to notice that it was a girl's voice that had responded to her words. Instead, she finished walking up the stairs and entered Kurama's room, a perfectly happy smile on her face.

"Good morning," she said. "You'd better get in the shower, dear. And is that you, Hiei?"

"Uh…yes," said Hiei, looking at Kurama, eyes wide. "It's me. Hiei."

Kurama stared at his mother. Did she really not notice anything different?

"I don't think I can go to school today, Mother," said Kurama, and he faked a little cough. Since he had never pretended to be sick before, he knew it wouldn't be difficult to get her to believe him. "I'm not feeling well."

"Oh no!" said Shiori, as Kurama sent a telepathic message to his friend: Hiei, heat up my forehead. QUICK.

Hiei dashed forward and pressed one hand to Kurama's forehead. In seconds, it was blazing hot, which Shiori noticed when she came to touch it.

"Sakura, you're burning up," she observed, clearly concerned.

Kurama and Hiei locked eyes again. Hiei was about to say something, but Kurama shook his head. It wasn't clear why his mother was calling him by a girl's name if he had only just made this change, but he didn't want to arouse suspicion.

"Yes," said Kurama. "I feel awful."

"I'll have to call you out of class," said Shiori.

"Are you sure I have to miss school?" Kurama asked weakly.

"Do not leave that bed, missy," Shiori ordered. "I'm going to get the thermometer. Hiei, you keep watch over her."

"Actually, Mother, wait," said Kurama, making a mental note that apparently Hiei's name hadn't changed. "Hiei needs your help, too. She just got her first period. I would help, but like you told me, I need to stay in bed. Could you make her some tea, too?"

Kurama was hoping she wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but no such luck.

"Congratulations, Hiei!" she cried, pulling him in for a rib-crushing hug, which he did not return. "You're now officially a woman! What a special occasion!"

Distinctly, Kurama heard Hiei groan.

"Mother, I think she just wants some pads," said Kurama quietly. "And a shower, too."

"Very well," said Shiori, separating from Hiei. There were actually tears in her eyes. "I'm just so happy for you, Hiei. I'll get everything ready for you while you're showering. Just leave your clothes outside the bathroom, and I'll wash them. Come, now…"

When Shiori was looking the other way, Hiei discreetly dropped his sword on Kurama's bed.

"I'll keep this here for now," he muttered. "I won't need it in the shower."

"Not unless a crazy person with a knife is waiting behind the curtain to stab you to death," Kurama joked, referencing a movie he had seen once.

"Huh?" said Hiei.

"Never mind," said Kurama.

"Listen, Kurama…" Hiei swallowed. "I know this is normal and all, but just don't go telling the world about it, okay?"

"Of course," Kurama promised. "I won't tell anyone else unless you say it's okay."

Shiori beckoned firmly from Kurama's bedroom door, and Hiei followed her without looking back. As soon as they were gone, Kurama got out of bed and looked in his drawers. There was only female clothing—women's jeans, V-neck sweaters, fitted T-shirts, girly socks. When he looked in his closet, it was the same thing. He saw skirts, dresses, and several sets of his school's female uniform. On the floor of his closet he saw many different pairs of women's shoes. There was a gold jewelry box on his dresser, filled with flower-themed jewelry, with the name Sakura emblazoned on the front. He had a vast array of makeup there, too, and when he looked in the mirror, he saw that his ears were pierced.

What was going on?

Being turned into a girl was weird enough, but other things were strange, too. Why did Shiori not notice the change? Why did he have a new name? Why was his room full of girls' clothes? It was…it was as if he had always been this way. Like his previous life, his previous body, had never existed. What if they hadn't been "turned into" girls? What if they had simply awoken in an alternate reality where they had always been girls? The thought made sense, but it was terrifying, and Kurama wasn't going to share it with Hiei until he knew for sure.

…

Hiei wasn't going to stop to figure out why or how this happened. All he wanted to think about was how to reverse it. Kurama would probably say that they needed to know how this had happened in order to change back, but Hiei didn't agree.

But he had another, more immediate problem: making himself at least a little more comfortable. There was no way actual girls and women went around soaked with blood every month. It was humiliating, the way Shiori had reacted, but at least maybe she could help Hiei stem this flow before it got even more out of control. He hadn't even argued when she offered to wash his clothes.

The shower floor was covered in blood, and it was more disconcerting than he ever could have imagined to suddenly have female plumbing. He'd meant to pee before he got in the shower and remembered at the last second that he would have to sit. That difference would probably be a lot more inconvenient if he ever had to pee in the great outdoors.

Hiei's long, long hair was heavy on his head, more so now that it was wet. He supposed he should wash it, but he had no idea how to wash long hair. Besides, as he was even shorter than before, he couldn't reach Kurama's many hair products on the shower shelf. That was where the soap was, too. Hiei finally managed to get the soap to levitate to him, and he washed all the regular places until he got to where his penis and "family jewels" used to be. Were you supposed to use soap there? He decided to play it safe and not touch the area at all. Maybe it was self-cleaning or something.

Once Hiei was as clean as he could be under the circumstances, he turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist (there wasn't really anything to see up top), and walked carefully into the bedroom, where he saw Kurama lying down on his front in bed. Hiei couldn't help but notice that his friend kind of had to prop himself up on his elbows to accommodate those gigantic breasts.

"Where's your mom?" he said shortly.

"Right here, honey," Shiori answered, stepping back into the room with an empty laundry basket. "I just threw your clothes in the wash and brewed you some tea. Then we'll get you all set up, and things will be much better."

Hiei didn't know what "all set up" meant, and he was a little afraid to ask. But he had little choice, so he followed her anyway.

…

Once Shiori had left with Hiei, Kurama got out of bed again and continued his search for something to wear besides this see-through nightie. Finally, he grabbed a fluffy bathrobe out of his closet and slipped on some sandals. It would simply have to do until he could get used to putting together female outfits. At least he was covered up now.

Kurama was propped up on pillows in his bed, reading a book, when Hiei entered the room once again.

"I have never been so humiliated," he declared, plopping down onto the bed.

"It's like you said, Hiei," Kurama told him tentatively. "This is a normal process."

"Not that," Hiei snapped. "I mean your mom. It's great that she helped me and all, but I hated having her fussing over me like that. I just don't want to bleed all over my clothes. She didn't need to make it into a whole thing."

Hiei was dressed again in his shirt and pants, which were clean and dry, and he was holding his cloak and scarf, which he set down next to him on the bed.

"Are you still in pain?" Kurama asked.

"I only drank the tea a few minutes ago, so yes." Hiei sighed. "It's mostly in my stomach and my back. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I have to wear this thing that feels for all the world like a diaper for the next three to seven days. Your mother gave me a whole pack, and I'm supposed to change it whenever it gets full. I feel pretty miserable, but it's probably all in my head."

"It's not in your head," Kurama said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. "Your hormones might mess with your emotions a little. If you feel irrationally angry or upset, don't be concerned. It's the rest of us who should be concerned," he added, trying to make it into a joke.

"I don't even want to talk about it anymore," said Hiei.

"Well, here's a change of topic, then," said Kurama. "How do you suppose Yusuke and Kuwabara are dealing with this?"

Hiei looked up. "You think they got switched, too?"

"It stands to reason," said Kurama. "I'm sure I heard Yusuke say he was sleeping over at Kuwabara's house last night, so we should find both of them there."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Hiei stood up and threw on his cloak and scarf. "Let's go."