"You're right, Yusuke," said Kurama, stepping forward and looking into one of the bags. "It's time to get dressed. We need to make sure these fit for school tomorrow."

"Wait a second," said Yusuke, feeling a chill run through his body. "You're not seriously considering going to school like this, are you?"

"If nobody can tell, it doesn't matter," Shizuru pointed out. "And even if some kids are spiritually aware like Kazuma and me, they'll just think you're new students."

"I thought you told your mom you were sick," said Hiei.

"I'll make a quick recovery," said Kurama. "I can't miss more school. I'm finally in year two, and I was able to tell from the first day that this year is going to be a lot tougher academically than the last. I'm sure I've already missed important information by skipping even one day."

"Okay, nerd, I get the picture," Yusuke dismissed him. "Let's get this over with."

They climbed the stairs, with Yusuke in the lead, then Kuwabara, then Kurama, and Hiei bringing up the rear. Even though he didn't need to wear a bra, he did desperately need a shower. When they got to the bedroom, Yusuke dug around in his overnight bag, which he'd brought upstairs with him, and found the girls' uniform for Sarayashiki Junior High inside.

"I can't believe I have to wear a girls' uniform to school tomorrow," he complained.

"Relax, Yusuke, now you don't have to look up Keiko's skirt," Hiei quipped. "You can just look up your own."

"OKAY, HIEI, YOU AND ME, RIGHT NOW!" Yusuke hollered, throwing the uniform aside. "OW!"

"What's the matter?" said Kuwabara.

"I told you, these things hurt," said Yusuke, gesturing to his breasts.

"Let's see if some support will make them hurt less," Kurama said gently. "Everyone, just look in the bag and pick the one that belongs to you."

"Have fun with that," Hiei said, and Yusuke could swear he was finally realizing that he was at least lucky about something. "I need to take a shower. Kurama, you said I could borrow your robe?"

"Oh yes, of course," said Kurama, untying the robe and letting it fall to the bedroom floor.

"Thanks," said Hiei, picking up the robe and carrying it into the bathroom. He didn't seem shaken at all, yet Yusuke found that he could barely breathe. Underneath the robe, Kurama was wearing a silk pink nightie embroidered with roses, the kind he thought women only wore in porn. His nipples were completely visible through the gauzy material, and his breasts were even more obviously huge without the robe to shield them. Because he wasn't wearing a bra, it seemed that they swung delicately with even the smallest movement, and his cleavage was there for all to see, so big that he could probably bury a whole locket in it. The bottom part, too, barely disguised his crotch, and when he turned around, only the top of his ass was covered.

No matter how guilty he felt about it, Yusuke felt like he was short-circuiting, and although he couldn't have put it into words, by the time he had gotten such a tantalizing glance of the female body in all its glory, he noticed that his body was doing something strange to him. It kind of felt like he needed to pee, but everything was so close together down there now that it could be something else…

"Hiei!" Yusuke hissed, following his friend into the bathroom and grabbing onto his arm. "Listen, uh…how do I know if I have my period?"

"You check your pants, idiot," said Hiei, yanking his arm out of Yusuke's grasp. "How did you become a detective again?"

"Does it feel, y'know…hot?"

"No," said Hiei curtly. "And I really don't want to talk about this."

"But you're the only one I can—" Yusuke shook his head. "Look, if it doesn't feel hot for you, then why does it feel that way for me?" He hadn't really meant to say it, but the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"How should I know?!" said Hiei, turning around. "Now let me take my shower!"

Once Hiei was gone, Yusuke confirmed in the hallway that he did not, in fact, have his period. Then he slowly walked back into the bedroom, wondering if he should shut his eyes, but there was no need; although Kurama was standing there in some lacy panties and a decidedly non-sexual sports bra, at least he was covered up this time. The nightie lay abandoned on the floor. Kuwabara was wearing a blue bathrobe, and Yusuke figured he must look a little more decent underneath, too, but he didn't care to investigate.

Yusuke had already been wearing underwear underneath the clothes he was wearing as girls' pajamas, so he didn't need to worry about that, but he did feel like he was in the spotlight as he rooted through the shopping bags. He noticed another bag, which contained Kurama's school uniform, and he figured Kurama had brought the clothes from home when he came back from brewing Hiei's tea.

"Are you all right, Yusuke?" Kurama asked, approaching him, and Yusuke willed him not to get any closer, or he'd start feeling weird again.

He couldn't have been ugly and shapeless, Yusuke thought bitterly. He had to be hot.

"Why don't you just start putting your school uniform on, Kurama?" said Yusuke, pulling the smallest bra out of the bag, and that was when he felt something entirely unexpected. There was, of course, the horrifying, disturbing attraction he felt towards his friend, but he also felt the strangest sensation of inferiority as he held the A-cup bra in his hands. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't have to wear one at all, like Hiei. But if he did have to wear one, at least he shouldn't have to wear one that was so small that it made him feel like a kid. As if that wasn't bad enough, this one looked completely different than Kurama's, the biggest difference being that Kurama's didn't have a hook in back, and Yusuke's did. It was also white, as opposed to gunmetal like Kurama's.

"Why is mine different?" he said.

"They probably don't sell them that small," Kuwabara supplied.

Yusuke glared at him, but then he realized he was supposed to take off his pajama shirt, completely naked up top, and put the damn thing on. Perhaps Kurama was comfortable enough in his new body that he could stand around in his underwear in front of other people, but Yusuke found that he couldn't, even if those people were two of his best friends. He wasn't even sure Kurama could be his friend now, anyway.

"Look, guys, I'm going to go change in the bathroom," he muttered, grabbing the bra and heading for the door.

"You can't," Kurama told him, adjusting his new bra, presumably to make it more comfortable. "Hiei is still in the shower."

"Oh…right." That wasn't something Yusuke particularly wanted to walk in on. "The closet, then."

It came out sounding a little too casual, but Yusuke didn't stick around for Kurama and Kuwabara to say anything about it. He knew Kuwabara had a walk-in closet with more than enough room to change, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that, once he had his shirt off and his arms through the straps of the bra, he realized he couldn't hook it. It wasn't possible to see down his own back, of course, and there was no mirror, so he was pretty much lost.

Then there was knocking on the closet door. Kurama. "Need any help, Yusuke?"

Yusuke decided to be honest. "I-I can't clasp this thing."

"May I come in?"

"Yeah…sure."

When Kurama came in, he was wearing a white tank top and a short red skirt, which made his bare legs look even longer. Yusuke figured he had been putting on his school uniform. His feet were still bare.

"There you are," he said, hooking Yusuke's bra quickly. "Too tight?"

"Too loose," Yusuke told him, mortified. "Do you think I need a smaller size?"

"No, I can tighten it." Kurama worked with the clasp a little more. "There. How's that?"

"Better." Yusuke picked up his shirt from the floor with a sigh and slipped it over his head. "It's too bad we have to wear these, isn't it?"

"Actually, I feel a lot more comfortable," Kurama replied. "It's amazing what a difference it makes to have the proper support."

"The proper what?"

"Support," Kurama repeated. "You know, to keep them from bouncing around, like Shizuru said. They were really starting to hurt my back, and this helps."

"I guess so," said Yusuke, even though he couldn't say he had either of those problems. They were sort of tender, but they weren't really big enough to do any bouncing, and definitely not big enough to hurt his back.

"All right, Yusuke," said Kurama, crossing his arms. Yusuke couldn't help but notice that he had to kind of tuck them underneath his boobs instead of folding them across his chest the way he could when it was flat. "I can tell something's bothering you. What is it?"

"Besides the fact that we're girls, you mean?"

"Yes," said Kurama, and his expression turned softer. "I have the feeling that you're not very happy with your measurements, and that's why you didn't want to change in the bedroom."

"Very perceptive," Yusuke grumbled.

"Am I correct in presuming that you just felt a little undersized?"

"More like behind." Yusuke shrugged. "It wouldn't bother me if we all looked the same, but we're all different."

"That's because all girls are different, just like boys," said Kurama. "Besides, what good can come from comparing yourself to others?"

"I guess I just hoped that if I can't go braless like Hiei can, I could at least look a bit more grown-up," Yusuke explained. "I hate being an in-between."

"Every adult in the world was once an in-between, though," Kurama pointed out.

"It's still a stupid place to be." Yusuke gestured vaguely to Kurama with his hand. "What about you? You're not an in-between. You could pass for a college student."

"But I'm seventeen months older than you are," Kurama reminded him. "That's almost a year and a half, and a lot can happen in that time. You don't need to worry about these things so much, because they straighten themselves out. Trust me; I've been through puberty twice. Three times, I suppose, if you count this form."

"I wouldn't count that form, because you're clearly already done," said Yusuke. "Look, maybe it doesn't matter who crosses the finish line first. But it's still shitty. As if going through puberty as a boy isn't bad enough, now I have to do it as a girl."

"I'm sure the universe will straighten this out before that," said Kurama, and he gestured for Yusuke to follow him out of the closet. "Come on. We need to make sure your school uniform fits. I've lain it out on the bed for you."

When they were back in the main bedroom, Kuwabara was dressed in the school uniform for his and Yusuke's middle school, but he was having trouble tying the yellow sash in front.

"Let me help you with that," said Kurama, tying it up as Yusuke quickly slipped off his shirt and shorts, then changed into the uniform. It felt weird, at the very least, to be wearing a skirt. Kurama was helping him tie his own yellow sash when they heard an impatient knock on the door.

"It's locked," said Hiei, jiggling the doorknob.

"Oh, yes, sorry about that." Kurama unlocked the door and Hiei walked in, wearing Kurama's robe. It was quite big on him, and he was holding it closed with both hands, clearly being careful not to trip over the hem. His cheeks were pink from the shower, and the whole back of the robe was soaked by his long, wet hair. He must have been more tired than usual, because as soon as he got into the room, he collapsed down on the bed.

"Hey, don't sit there!" Kuwabara yelped. "That's my bed!"

Hiei's cheeks went from pink to about the same shade as Kurama's hair, and he sprung up off the bed as if something had bitten him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kuwabara," Kurama scolded. "Hiei just took a shower, and I can guarantee you he's cleaner than you and Yusuke are."

"But what about the—" Yusuke began, but Kurama shot him such a terrifying scowl that he shut up immediately. Usually, whenever Kurama bared his teeth like that, a horribly gruesome death was sure to follow, so he decided it was best to leave Hiei alone for now.

"Sit down, Hiei, please," said Kurama, and Hiei slowly sank down onto the bed again. Although Hiei's fists clenched the comforter tight, Kurama kept one hand on his friend's shoulder, and when he finally looked up, Hiei was smirking.

"Thank you, Kurama, but maybe I'm not the one who has it worst after all," he said. "After all, not only do I not have to wear a ridiculous schoolgirl's uniform, but I don't have to wear a bra at all. And, if I'm not mistaken, my period will be over in a few days."

"I'm sorry you think my uniform is ridiculous, Hiei, considering I was going to treat all three of you to lunch," said Kurama airily. "But I guess your regular hunter-gatherer routine will suffice…"

Yusuke couldn't help but laugh. One of the things that made Hiei and Kurama's friendship work was that if one of them started a joke, the other could finish it, and usually their jokes involved pretending to argue. Kurama in particular seemed to enjoy getting his subtle jabs in, and Yusuke decided it would really be something to watch them verbally spar for real.

"All right, all right," Hiei conceded. "I get the picture. Finish putting your uniform on."

"Gladly," said Kurama, pulling a red jacket, some knee-high black socks, and a pair of brown buckle shoes out of the bag he'd brought from home. "I've got to admit, though, Hiei, you have a point about this looking ridiculous on me. The skirt is way too short, and the red color clashes horribly with my hair. At least the boys' pink gives me contrast."

"You should wear green, like me," Yusuke suggested.

"I'm surprised I don't wear green more often, actually," Kurama agreed as he buttoned up the red jacket that matched the skirt. Just as he was slipping on the black socks, there was a knock on the door.

"Everyone decent in there?" Shizuru called. "I have Hiei's clothes."

"At last," said Hiei, opening the door, and she handed him a bundle of black fabric, just out of the dryer. "I'll go put these on in the bathroom."

"Hang on, Hiei," Shizuru interrupted. "That bathroom is about to become my personal hair salon."

"That's right," said Kurama. "You were going to give them haircuts, weren't you?"

"Yep!" Shizuru grinned, and Yusuke could tell by the way her eyes lit up that this was her passion. "I'm always looking for people to practice on. Kurama, do you want one, too?"

"That's kind of you, but I'm happy with the way it is," Kurama told her with a smile. "But I think the other three could use some help."

"Great!" Shizuru rubbed her hands together. "Hiei, you get dressed in the bedroom while I get started on Yusuke and Kazuma's hair. Then come into the bathroom when you're done, so I can style yours. Kurama, do you know anything about hair?"

"More than the average man, I suppose," he replied, fluffing his beautiful red locks.

"Then you can be my assistant," she told him. "Come on, guys, let's get cutting."

…

Kurama followed Shizuru, Yusuke, and Kuwabara to the bathroom, giving Hiei some privacy in the bedroom. He didn't know what she had planned; in fact, he hadn't known until today that she was an aspiring hairdresser at all. But between Yusuke's greasy, slimy locks and Kuwabara's out-of-control curls, only a true hairdresser would take on a challenge like this.

Shizuru washed her brother's hair in the sink first, then Yusuke's, and by the time she was done with that, Hiei was dressed again. Shizuru put a towel around his neck the way she had for the others, so he wouldn't get wet again, and started to wash his long hair. Hiei leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and sighed in relaxation.

"It's great, isn't it?" said Yusuke. "Like a scalp massage."

Hiei could only nod, his face pure ecstasy.

Once everyone's hair was washed and towel-dried, Shizuru closed the top lid of the toilet and told Yusuke to sit down on it.

"Wait, Shizuru," said Kurama, beckoning for her to come close. When she heard his plan, she giggled.

"Okay, guys, change of plans," she said. "Line up, all three of you. Kurama's my assistant, so he's going to cut your hair."

"Yep," Kurama agreed. "Ready to get your hair cut?"

"Just get on with it!" said Yusuke.

"If you insist." Kurama smiled pleasantly, then reached into his hair and pulled out a rose. In an instant, it had transformed into his signature weapon. "ROSE WHIP!"

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and even Hiei all scattered and ducked for cover, letting out high-pitched shrieks of terror. But when they looked up, huddled on the floor with their arms over their heads, they saw that Kurama was laughing, the Rose Whip hanging limp in his hand. Shizuru was laughing, too.

"KURAMA!" Yusuke shouted. "WE WANTED OUR HAIR CUT OFF, NOT OUR HEADS!"

"For the Spirit Detective and his friends, you three sure are gullible," Shizuru teased, as Kurama put the Rose Whip away. "Did you actually think Kurama was planning on Rose-Whipping your hair off? And you know I'd never let my assistant to all the work."

"See, you two?" said Hiei, apparently the one to recover first. "This is why you want Kurama on your side."

"Whatever, let's just get started with the haircuts," Yusuke grumbled, sitting back on the toilet. "This is like wearing a knit winter hat. Just cut it the way it was when I was a guy."

"Are you sure?" Shizuru asked. "It'll look kind of strange, especially because your facial features are structured differently now. I'd like to give you something like the one I gave Keiko when her pigtails burned off in the fire last year."

"You want to give me Keiko's hair?" said Yusuke. "Get real."

"Your female counterpart has a very similar face shape and hair texture," she insisted. "It'll look great. And if it doesn't, I'll cut it all off and give you your old style. Promise."

"Oh…all right," said Yusuke. "I guess you know best. Don't make it exactly like hers, though. I don't want her to think I'm copying her."

Shizuru sent her brother to the linen closet for a towel to keep hair from getting on Yusuke's shoulders, and Kurama kept a hand mirror and comb at the ready, with the blow-dryer nearby, plugged into an outlet underneath the sink.

"Keiko doesn't have layers," Shizuru mused, as she went to work on Yusuke's horrible split ends. It was lucky his hair was still wet, because that made them easier to see. Kurama noticed how she used her fingers to measure and make sure the cut was straight. "Want me to give you layers?"

"What's that?"

"It's when your hair is cut shorter in some places than others."

"I don't think that would look so good," Yusuke told her. It was obvious by his facial expression that he was imagining a choppy sort of style, with clumps of hair sticking out at odd angles.

"Not at random," Kurama told him, trying to keep his patience. "In specific, strategic places."

"It's meant to give the illusion of extra length and volume," Shizuru explained. "I'll give you bangs and layers, with the cut falling slightly above the shoulder. It'll be a similar style to Keiko's, but definitely not the same."

Yusuke tried to wait patiently for his hair to be cut, but he started squirming after about two minutes.

"Stop moving your head," Shizuru ordered. She said it in her I-mean-business sort of voice, so Yusuke seemed to make a better effort after that, and finally, the cut was done. Kurama handed him the mirror.

"Wow!" said Yusuke in surprise. "This looks awesome!"

"You're gonna be the best hairdresser ever, sis!" Kuwabara added. "Do mine next!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Shizuru. "I've got the perfect hairstyle for you, baby bro. You ever heard of a perm?"

"Yeah, I think so," he said. "But I'm not sure what it means."

"It means you'll get to keep your curls, but they'll be under control, and take care of themselves," Shizuru explained. "I like my hair the way it naturally is, but sometimes I do perms to change it up, and my friends like them. Super-curly hair is very fashionable right now. It's going to be an extensive process, and I'm going to need you to change into clothes you don't mind getting the perm solution on, but the end result will look great."

"Be right back!" Kuwabara shouted, thundering into the bedroom, then coming back in with his blue bathrobe on. "How's this?"

"Perfect," said Shizuru. "Ready, bro?"

"I was born ready," he said. Kurama saw Hiei roll his eyes.

"Okay," said Shizuru, slipping on some gloves. "Now, I didn't condition your hair the way I did Yusuke and Hiei's, because the perm solution wouldn't set properly if I did. Kurama, give me that comb over there, will you?"

Kurama handed Shizuru a small rat-tail comb, which she used to separate Kuwabara's damp hair into sections. In fact, he ended up fetching all kinds of items for her as she continued the process, including but not limited to a curling iron and rods, a cotton strip, little patches of paper to put on Kuwabara's curls, and of course the perm solution, which she said she'd purchased when she was out buying their bras. Then, once she was finished with the solution, she guided him over to the sink again, where she rinsed his hair for a few minutes. Then she blow-dried his hair, put in something else, which she called "neutralizer," waited exactly ten minutes, then rinsed again.

"We're going to let your hair air-dry in the rods while I do Hiei's hair," she instructed. "Then we can take them out, and you'll look great. Perms are my specialty." She gestured for him to get off the toilet, and Kurama gently nudged Hiei to sit there instead. "Now, Hiei, what would you like?"

"You're the hairdresser." Hiei crossed his arms. "Isn't it your job to know?"

"Fine," she said. "What you need, Hiei, is a short feather cut."

…

Unlike the other three, Hiei had never had an official "haircut." Usually he just used his sword to slice off the tips if they got out of control. It normally grew upwards, so only his bangs tended to get in his face. Shizuru removed his headband to start the cut, and he tried not to move his head as he felt her tying his hair into a ponytail. Then—snip! His stomach jumped as he watched a long lock of jet-black hair fall to the ground.

"You're going to have some layers, too, Hiei," Shizuru said, as she kept cutting. "But your hair will be shorter than Yusuke's."

As she continued her work, Hiei tried to focus on everyone else. Yusuke looked immensely better, in his opinion. Normally, he wouldn't trust anyone around him with a pair of scissors, but Yusuke's hair actually looked amazing, and Kuwabara's perm had taken so much dedication and focus that he finally decided she knew what she was doing. When all the cutting was over and Shizuru had blow-dried the remainder of wet in his hair, fluffing it up with the comb, Kurama handed Hiei the hand mirror.

"Very nice," Hiei admitted. It was a relief to have the long hair gone, and his bangs were swept to one side, keeping those out of his face, too. Hiei tied his headband back on and got off the toilet.

"I'm glad to hear it," said Shizuru. "Your hair is still a little wet, Kazuma, so I'm going to blow-dry it again. Then you can take the rods out, and we can see your curls."

Before they knew it, the rods were out. Yusuke, Hiei, and especially Kuwabara were gawking.

"Is this…is this my hair?" he said, gently touching one of the curls. Hiei never thought he would think anything about Kuwabara was gorgeous, but "gorgeous" was really the only way to describe the perfect curls that now graced his head.

"Don't touch," said Shizuru, slapping his hand away. "You're not to do anything to it without asking me first, or you'll ruin it."

"Got it, sis," said Kuwabara in a squeaky voice.

Once the bathroom was cleaned, Shizuru was downstairs, Kuwabara had changed back into his school uniform, and the four of them were sitting in the bedroom again, Hiei realized he was starving. "Hey, Kurama, is that offer to treat us to lunch still good?"

"It's going on one in the afternoon," said Kurama, looking at his bedside clock. "I'd say that sounds perfect."