It was too early for this shit.
It was almost seven in the morning. That was too early for anything, anything at all, let alone this. Let alone crossing the thin strip of grass that separated their house from Mob's in order to give her a LONG OVERDUE talk. They….it was too early to give her this talk…no. They knew that they were being ridiculous. She had leg hair, she sort of had the beginnings of breasts, and she was obsessed with boys and kissing and love and also presumably other things which she wasn't about to share with her best friend. This was…it felt too early. She was only eleven…but Minegishi hadn't been much older than her when they had started….and that had been a shit show. They hadn't thought that they were dying, they had read enough to know that their period was coming, but they hadn't exactly been thrilled to wake up to sticky wet sheets and a stern talking to from matron about ruining their bed….like they'd had any control over…anything…..
Fuck group homes.
That had been…well the other girls had teased them….well not to their face. Not after they got solitary for fighting again. But still…the little bit of teasing that they had gotten….teasing which had made no SENSE! Everyone had to go through that. Everyone. Even twelve year old orphans and future orphans. Everyone had to go through this and…and fuck anyone who would tease Mob…not that anyone would if they had any sense…and fuck….fuck Minegishi for not warning her. They had just….dropped the ball on that one. They should have sat down with Mob and told her that she would start bleeding out of her vagina once a month until her late forties or early fifties. They should have…they weren't going to think in would haves and could haves and should haves. They were going to think about what their next course of action would be.
Mob had gotten her first period.
They could deal with this. Step one would be cleaning her up and giving her something to stem the red tide. Minegishi reached into their messenger bag and felt around as they got to Mob's doorstep. They only had overnight pads and super plus tampons….and they were going shopping. That would be step two. They were going to take Mob shopping and they were going to get her all the supplies she needed, since they knew that if they hadn't been planning for this little eventuality then obviously Suzuki hadn't either, and then step three…well step three would probably involve teaching her about sex because, yeah, she could get pregnant now and she was pretty damn boy crazy…and then step four…well that would involve teaching her little brother a lesson about privacy, basic manners, and respect. Then step five….
They were getting drunk. And stoned. Or stoned and then drunk. They still hadn't figured out the order yet.
There. They had a plan, they had supplies, and now all they had to do was open the door. That was all. They took a deep breath. They would have to add a step six, kowtowing, because they owed Mob a very big apology. Yes. They were the ones who had…well her mom could have said something before she died or ran away to live on a farm or whatever excuse Suzuki had given his children for his wife's absence. Mob had been seven, she had said, and seven….well Minegishi had no idea how young was too young. At what point Mob could have dealt with the whole 'blood will come out of your vagina' thing without freaking out….maybe there was no such thing as too young. Minegishi had read that are you there, God thing when they had been eight and…well the thought of bleeding from their vagina had disturbed them…they had no idea when it would have been age appropriate to teach Mob about this little biological eventuality. They were not a parent. This was the responsibility of her parent…her one remaining parent…her one remaining and useless parent….
And also the equally useless healer her parent kept around probably for reasons like this.
Minegishi saw Fukuda long before they sensed him. World was Suzuki was going on full force. There was Mob's aura, her dad's aura, and the weird color their auras made as they clashed together. They wondered what this sounded like, to Ryou, because he could hear aura. They could only see and sense them…and right now they saw and sensed fear and chaos…and Fukuda panicking at the top of the stairs.
Oh joy of joys.
Well then it looked like, as usual, Minegishi was the only person in the room with two brain cells to rub together. God. Those idiots…they got a better view as they got closer to the stairs. The walk was slow going. The house…well if Suzuki thought that Mob was cleaning this up then he had another thing coming. There was broken glass and plaster everywhere…bits of paper…half of a television was sticking out of the ceiling….yeah. This was….yeah.
They had really dropped the ball with this one.
But not as bad as Suzuki. He was her father. He was the one who was supposed to talk to his kids about this. What, did he think that his kids would just learn about these things on their own? Did he think that an eleven year old and a ten year old would figure it all out on their own? Minegishi hadn't even known everything that they should have known by the time they hit puberty…and they had been a ward of the government by that point so at least there had been an excuse there. What in the hell was Suzuki on and where could Minegishi get some? Drugs were the only explanation…unless he literally had no idea what a period was….yeah. They could believe that he could have been that stupid.
Especially since he was, apparently, trying to get Mob's door opened.
"Daughter! You are being ridiculous! Just open the door so Fukuda can heal you!" said Suzuki as he managed to get Daughter's door opened….and then slammed shut in his face. He felt…well his ears were ringing…and he knew that he had lost control and broken something…and now…well now he smelled blood and…and there was blood in his eyes and…and he could taste it and….
And….
And he was just….he was fine! He could feel Fukuda's aura and…and he was fine! This was….Daughter needed him! Daughter needed him but for some reason she was being….insane! Difficult! Insanely difficult! Didn't she know that she needed help! She was his smart child! She wasn't useless like Son! She knew that she was hurt and…and she was being like this!
"Suzuki, hold still. That looks bad." Said Fukuda as he got as close to Suzuki as he could. This was….he had to do something…and this was something that he could do. This was something that he could heal. Shigeko…that was not his…he had no experience with that but…but he could at least heal Suzuki.
"Leave me! Help my Daughter!" said Suzuki as he rubbed the blood out of his eyes. That had been…well he had managed to get her door opened….but then she had just slammed it into his face! Specifically his forehead! She had managed to overpower him…well he was scattered. He was so scattered and…and the house was in shambles…but who gave a fuck about the house! Daughter was covered in blood! People did not just bleed for no reason! She could have been hemorrhaging! She could have had her organs shutting down one by one! She could have spontaneously developed hemophilia! She could have…he didn't know….but he did know that she was in there covered in blood and she just would not open the god damned mother fucking door!
"Suzuki…she's going to be ok…you on the other hand-" said Fukuda as he tried his best to heal the massive gash on Suzuki's head. This was bad. This gash was…well Shigeko had slammed the door in his face. She had slammed the door in her father's face even though she knew what he was like, how tenuous his control was, and how poorly he coped with stress. Suzuki had gotten all stressed out over….well this was stressful….but it was normal! He'd been married, he'd had more long term girlfriends than Fukuda'd ever had…somehow….so he knew what happened to women every so often! He had no reason to be this freaked out! This was….
This was bad.
This was so bad. The house was wrecked, Sho wouldn't be happy about having to move again, and also Shigeko and Suzuki were both falling apart…and he had no idea what to do. He had paper towels and band aids….and he was loathe to use Sho's Zootopia band aids but he didn't have any others around…but that was what he had and…and if Shigeko would have just calmed down for a second then he could have passed her those and told her to do what she had to do to deal with…all of that and then….he didn't know….he really didn't. Masami…he wished that Masami would have given him something to tell Shigeko or to pass on to her because….he didn't know what to do and…and he had Suzuki to deal with. He had Suzuki freaking out…and Sho had been freaked out….and he had enough to deal with as it was! How could she not know what to do? She was always trying to be the little woman but now that she had actually become a woman she was just….acting like it was the end of the world or something! She must have known…something….right? She kept company with adults and….
And she was a girl. She must have known more than he did.
Because otherwise they were fucked. Royally, up the wall, and sideways with a sharpened stick. This was…Suzuki was not good right now and Fukuda…well he had no idea what to do. Give her something for the blood and then…what? Give her a ride to a drug store? What else could he do? He didn't know what to do and…and he wished that Masami was around or…or any woman really…
But not THAT woman.
He sensed her before he saw her…and she had been able to get VERY close and she looked VERY pissed off…and if he had been anyone else then he would have been dead. God. She….they…whatever. Minegishi was terrifying. He instinctively got closer to Suzuki even though it was painful being near him when his aura was like this. That was….Minegishi was glaring at him….and he didn't know why. For as much as she…they…called themselves 'they' they were still a woman and…and they should have waned Mob about this or taught her something or….or something! They had gone through this before. Fukuda….he'd never gone through this and any girl that he'd seen had dealt with it on her own and…and…and he was at least trying his best and….
And he got the feeling, based on how Minegishi was looking at him, that his best had not been good enough by their standards.
"So." Said Minegishi as they took in the scene before them. Suzuki was practically hyperventilating while his head wound dripped blood all over his white undershirt….also he had a metric shit ton of freckles on his arms…and Fukuda was squirming in place clutching a box of band aids and a roll of paper towels…not even a fresh roll….and WHAT exactly had he been planning on DOING with this?
"Minegishi. Good day." Said Fukuda. It took him a moment to find his voice. Their eyes were darting around like they were looking for something to kill him with. Good thing Suzuki had never been a fan of houseplants…though judging by the way that they were clutching their bag they might have had a plant or two in there…and if they had come to kill him then they had better have been planning on making it quick because he healed fast and Suzuki was right there and…and if he had been in his right state of mind he would have protected Fukuda…but he wasn't in his right state of mind. He was…well not well…right now.
"Yeah, good day or whatever." Said Minegishi. They took a step back as Suzuki focused on them and….yup. That was definitely Sho's dad. He certainly had the crazy eyes there….and that was…Minegishi wasn't afraid of Suzuki. They could be afraid of him tomorrow or whatever. Right now Mob needed them…or literally anyone other than these two morons.
"You….you're Daughter's best friend…talk some sense into her! She…she won't open the door and….and she could be dying…hemorrhaging….she's bleeding! Get her out of there this instant!" said Suzuki. He slammed his aura into their's…it had mostly been an accident…but the point should have been made! They were Daughter's best friend and that was what best friends did! They saved you from yourself! How many times had Fukuda dragged him out of his room when he'd had a setback? How many times had Fukuda pulled him from his work when he'd lost track of the time and made him eat and sleep and bathe? Minegishi…he didn't understand them at all…but Daughter had decided that this person of apparently no gender…however that worked…was her best friend and…and they had to do something but Suzuki was not going to lose his Daughter!
"Hemorrhaging? Really?" asked Minegishi raising a space where their eyebrow should have been. Well then. They had told the idiot brigade to teach Sho what a period was….and hopefully they could restart their lecture from the beginning since their exalted leader, the man who would conquer the world someday, had no idea what a period was….
This man had CHILDREN?
"Wait….is that what you honestly think is happening right now?" asked Fukuda. He had just thought that Suzuki was stressed because, yeah, seeing a family member covered in blood must have brought up some bad memories but….hemorrhaging? Had he forgotten….well he hadn't spent much time with Masami…so he very well might have forgotten about what happened to women…and he was not giving Suzuki the talk. That was just…oh who was he kidding? Of course he was.
"What he thinks is happening…what do you think is happening? You…what in the hell do you think is happening right now? I mean…you have paper towels and band aids. What in the hell are you planning on doing with paper towels and band aids?" asked Minegishi. What, was he going to tell her to make a napkin out of paper towels and then…what? Band aid her vagina shut? At least he had brought children's band aids….and those were Sho's….and if he was going to go and pick up children's band aids for Mob he could have at least picked up some Frozen ones….not that they would do anything…just…he'd seen a vagina, right? He knew what was happening down there…right? Well, no, probably not since he had just….showed up with….paper towels and band aids!?
Minegishi needed something stronger than grain alcohol and marijuana to deal with this.
"Ju-ju-just…..do you have anything better?! Because this was all I had on hand! I have no clue what do about this and….and I am doing my best! Where we you?! Huh?! Where in the hell have you been!?" asked Fukuda. No. They did not get to talk to him like that. At least he was helping. He had come all the way over here to help even though he should have been heading as far out of the coming blast radius as he could have gotten! Where did she get off telling Fukuda off?! She was the one who should have been there helping Mob with this! Fukuda was a man! Obviously he didn't have the proper….supplies…on hand! When would he have ever needed them!? They did not just get to come in here and talk down to him and make him look bad and just…..God!
"How about this?" asked Minegishi as they reached into their bag and pulled out a sanitary pad. Honesty. They would have thought that they had pulled out a handful of toxic waste by the way Fukuda recoiled. Honestly. No wonder the only people who could stand his company were ten year old boys…and Minegishi was not one to throw around wild accusations but maybe someone should have looked into that…or something. They didn't know. All they was that Mob needed them and she also needed to get away from these idiots.
Because really. Paper towels and band aids?
"What is that?" asked Suzuki. He knew…he had seen something like that before…but he couldn't remember where and…and he didn't care what it was just so long as someone could help his Daughter!
"A sanitary napkin to soak up the blood from period that your daughter is having right now." Said Minegishi. They spoke slowly and clearly and used lots of small words so that Suzuki could understand them. Well if he had no idea what a pad was then….well this lent credence to their turkey baster theory. Really. He was forty something years old and he had never….well this was Suzuki Touichirou after all.
"Oh….oh! My…oh my….that's….that is…oh…." Said Suzuki. He slumped backwards against the wall. Well that was certainly a load off of his mind. Daughter…she would be fine. She had just had her period, that was all, and that….well that made more sense than her having some kind of massive internal hemorrhaging…or having had spontaneously developed hemophilia and…and that…she was female and…and he knew that Masami….well that had been a thing which happened to her and…and Daughter…
She was only eleven.
She was eleven and…was that old enough to start menstruating? Well, obviously, it was…but he had always thought that only grown women menstruated…so that meant that she was a woman now….but she was so YOUNG. He was…he was NOT ready. He was not ready to let her go. She was…she was too young to be a woman! They…they had been planning on going to that shop that made unnecessarily detailed doll furniture on Sunday…and then she had said that she was going to teach him what frozen yogurt was….apparently it was like less sweet ice cream…and then they had been planning on having another viewing of the ice queen and…and she was going to show him the latest improvements to her Minecraft world…and then….then he was going to play Terraria with her and…and she was still so little! She was only eleven and-
And he needed to calm the hell down right now. Him getting upset was not good for her while she was in her delicate state.
"Yeah. It's 'oh'." Said Minegishi. Well this was….if they hadn't been so pissed off then this would have been hilarious. Two middle aged men freaking out because an eleven year old girl got her period…and Fukuda was still looking at them like they had been waving a piece of kryptonite around. Honestly. It was a fully wrapped sanitary napkin. What? Did he think that if he stood in close proximity to it his dick would shrivel up and fall off?
"…for the record I never thought that she was hemorrhaging. I knew that she'd gotten her period." Said Fukuda as he got to work fixing the gash on Suzuki's head. Well he was calmer, now, at least. That panful, stinging, feeling that had been hanging in the air was gone now. Now he was just…he looked like he was either going to laugh or to cry…or maybe both…and that was weird since he usually wasn't so expressive.
"Then what in the hell were you planning on doing with paper towels and band aids?" asked Minegishi. What? Did he think that he could save her from hemorrhaging with paper towels and band aids? God…two halves of a whole idiot. He and Suzuki were two halves of a whole idiot…and thank God that medical science hadn't advanced far enough for those two to reproduce.
"I…was going to do my best! I'm not a woman, I don't just…have these things lying around!" said Fukuda. What did she think? He was not Shigeko's father! He wasn't her mother! He wasn't her anything! This was not…this was not his job. He didn't know…he had no idea….but she did! She did and she did NOT have to rub it in his face like that!
"Right. Well you're relieved of…whatever you think that your duty was. I'll take it from here." Said Minegishi shaking their head. It wouldn't have been very much effort to take a car to any of the thousands of convenience stores in this city and picking up some actual supplies. It wasn't like they stuck their hands down your pants at checkout! But…he did have a point. This had been their job by default. Not because they had been born with a vagina but because they had been born with a functioning brain.
"You can't just dismiss-" said Fukuda. They did not get to just…order him around like that! He just…he would listen to Suzuki…he would listen to Shigeko…but he would not listen to Minegishi! She didn't even outrank him and…and…and-!
"You. You know what to do about this? How to fix it?" asked Suzuki. He pointed at Minegishi. They were a woman…and it was easy to forget that…but they knew what to do about this. He just….he wanted this to be over already.
"It's….a period. There is no 'fixing' it. This is just something that's going to happen to her once a month for the next forty or so years. I can help calm her down, I can clean her up, and I can help her get supplies but…yeah. This is going to keep happening to her every month until the day you die and then probably for some time after wards." Said Minegishi. They omitted the fact that they were planning on killing him someday, him and that wheel-less shopping cart of a human being over there, for putting Mob through all of that. Honestly. What was WRONG with those two….they just…they could not with those idiots right now.
"Good. Do all of that. You have all of Claw's resources at your disposal just….help my Daughter." Said Suzuki. He decided, in that moment, that he liked Minegishi. They were going to help Daughter. They were confusing, and somewhat annoying on long plane rides when they fought with the others, but he liked them. When he conquered the world they would be favored in the new regime.
"…can I have a plane?" asked Minegishi after a moment. They didn't really want to fly but they did want to see exactly how much they could got way with here. Suzuki was being….well usually he did his best to be commanding and terrifying but now…well now he was just….he looked like he was about to kiss them or something….which was going to be a hard 'no' if he tried it. Just…no. He was Mob's father and…and also a very weird and unpleasant human being by anyone's standards. Just...no.
"If you need one." said Suzuki. He had no idea what they would need a plane for, and also he didn't really want Daughter flying without him, but….well he wanted Daughter to get better or just…to not be the way she was now…and he had no idea what to do about this…so he would defer to Minegishi. She was, they were, the expert after all.
"Suzuki, you can't be serious." Said Fukuda. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Minegishi…what were they doing? Trying to get ahead or take advantage or just….what? This was just…no. There was no way that Suzuki didn't see through this transparent attempt at manipulation. Really this was the perfect opportunity to get ahead and Fukuda, well he would have done the same thing if he had been in Minegishi's place, but he wouldn't have been so bold as to do this while the only person who could see through the bullshit was standing right there.
"I am serious. Minegishi…well I had forgotten that you were a woman...but you…but she…they. Daughter said to use the gender neutral conjugation with her…them. Minegishi knows best. They've done this before and I put all of my faith in them. Whatever they need will be at their disposal. Whatever I can do to help I will." Said Suzuki. It was the same as if he had been talking to Masami. She was a woman, like Masami was a woman, and she knew what to do about this. Suzuki…he was at a loss. He knew that Masami had dealt with this but…well he hadn't really been around her for long enough to figure out what it was that she had done. He knew to make her tea when she asked for it and to leave her alone when she told him to get away from him but…well beyond that he was at a loss. He was a man. This was not something that he knew about and…and that was alright. Sometimes you needed to consult an expert and Minegishi, for as masculine as she…as they….presented themselves they were still a woman and they still knew best.
"Right. Well first of all you had better not have been thinking of having Mob clean this mess up…or any mess. Don't make her cook anything or clean anything….and just don't bother her to do anything at all. Also if she needs something then just get it for her no questions asked….and if you see her drinking or smoking don't stop her because, trust me, she's going to need it." Said Minegishi. Yeah. Fuck moderation. Mob was going through a lot…and the first was always the worst…so yeah. If she wanted to get drunk and stoned then she could have at it.
"She's eleven. What could an eleven year possibly need to-" said Fukuda. Nope. There was no way that Suzuki was going to agree to that. He hated smoking and drinking and he wanted Shigeko to stay a child for as long as possible. There was no way that he was going to let her smoke and drink, and let's be real, get high right there under his roof.
"Cramps. Sore breasts. Tender stomach. Digestive upset. Mood swings. Depression. Anxiety. Really anything that you would be feeling if blood and chunks of bloody tissue, some as big as a ping pong ball, were pouring out of your penis right now." Said Minegishi. They wished that they had been recording that. Both Suzuki and Fukuda looked upon them with horror, and they had never seen Suzuki emote like that too so that was weird, and they both clenched their legs together. Honestly. They didn't have to be quite so dramatic about all of this….but maybe with that mental image they could have some empathy for the scared and bloody eleven year old on the other side of that door.
"Ok, we get the message." Said Fukuda. He crossed his legs in disgust. Had she really had to be so….graphic? That was just…graphic. Too graphic.
"Ping….pong…..ball?" asked Suzuki. That had been…ping pong ball? Like….regulation sized…ping pong balls…of bloody tissue? He had never heard…well Masami hadn't given him any details….and neither had any of the other women he had ever been involved with romantically or sexually….but just…ping pong balls? That was….happening to Daughter? Right now? That was just…that sounded…he crossed his legs. All female staff were getting extra personal time because…just…ping pong balls?
"If you're lucky. If you're unlucky they can get up to softball sized." Said Minegishi. They weren't exaggerating…but they were oversharing…but maybe now these two morons could develop some basic empathy skills.
"That…sounds truly awful…." Said Suzuki. He…he had never been happier to have been born male at any point in his life than he was now. This was just…Masami had gone through THAT? She had gone through that and she hadn't told him? Well he had no idea what he would have done with that information if she had told him…or what he was supposed to do with that information now but…soft ball sized? That was…bigger than a baseball….right? He didn't know, the only sport he followed was kendo, but he did know that….poor Daughter. He just…he would help her in any way that he could. If she had to smoke like a chimney and drink like a fish then so be it. Ping pong ball sized….soft ball sized….no wonder Masami had always been so cross with him. He would have been cross too if he'd had to pass giant balls of tissue through his…he crossed his legs again. Nope. Stop thinking about that, Touichirou, just stop it.
"Yeah, it really is, so maybe the best thing to do while Mob is going through this is to wait on her hand and foot…but don't smother her either. It stresses her the hell out and she does not need to be stressed out right now. Got it?" asked Minegishi. Wow. They were giving orders to the great Suzuki Toucihirou. Heh. Now they knew what true power felt like…or whatever.
"Y-Yes…I can do that. I can…get the house fixed and…and wait on Daughter and…and she….is going to be fine." Said Suzuki. He said it more to himself than anyone else. She was in there passing ping pong ball….or soft ball sized pieces of tissue from her body and…and he just…he did not want to think about this…so he wouldn't. He had work to do…and he would skip breakfast this morning…and he would just…do as Minegishi had told him. She was…they were….the expert there after all.
"Yup. Fine and dandy like sour candy." Said Minegishi sarcastically. Fine? How could he possibly think that Mob was fine? This was the most traumatic way that she could have had her first period…and this was not all Minegishi's fault. Two fully grown men couldn't put their heads together and figure out that the little girl, who was clearly going through puberty as Fukuda apparently could not keep his mouth shut about, was obviously having her first period. No. Suzuki, apparently, loved to catastrophize. Hemorrhaging? Really? And Fukuda….paper towels and band aids? What? Had he been planning on telling her to band aid her vagina shut and fold a pad out of paper towels? That was just….useless. Everyone was useless…but especially Minegishi because they had been the ones to let it get this far.
"Right….Daughter! Good news! You aren't going to die! You're just menstruating!" said Suzuki. She should have been overjoyed at this news, he knew that he was, but instead of being happy that she wasn't going to die, women didn't die of this Masami had been quite clear the first time he had ever woken up to her side of the bed being bloody like someone had been stabbed several times, so Daughter should have been happy or at least not….well her aura felt…terrible. Well that would be the ping pong sized…or soft ball sized….bits of bloody tissue and…and poor Daughter….thank God he would never have to deal with Son going through this….he would have been insufferable but Daughter…she did not deserve to suffer like this.
"Yeah…and don't draw attention to this either….actually you'd better just leave me and her alone for now and focus on making this house livable and then I guess…Claw stuff? Just go. I can take it from here." Said Minegishi. Mob, apparently, did not think that this was good news based on the way that the entire house shook. A piece of plaster hit Minegishi on the head. Wonderful.
"Right…I can do that…I can…make the house livable and…and she isn't going to die...she isn't going to go…." Said Suzuki. He didn't much like being given order but…but he had no idea what to do for his Daughter. This was….he had never had to deal with this before. Not since that first time when he and Masami had been married…and Son had been born some time ago…and he had woken up to find her gone and her side of the bed bloody…and he had been ready to call Fukuda because he had been sure that she'd been having post birth complications even though son had been born months ago…but then she had just said…
You're being ridiculous Touichirou, it's just my period, now leave me alone and see what Sho needs.
That was what she had said and…and he was being ridiculous now…and he had maybe….been a little ridiculous before….and now he would leave his Daughter alone. Yes. Minegishi said that they needed to be alone with Daughter…and he had nothing to contribute to this besides financially….so he would just…see to getting the house made fit for human habitation again…because…well a lot of this had been him….
And he was so grateful that Daughter was alive…but he was equally as grateful that he got to walk away from this whole….situation.
"You can go too. Nobody needs you." Said Minegishi. They debated throwing a napkin or a tampon at him to get him to walk away…but that would have been an insult to perfectly good supplies…but then again maybe this weak stringed, light days, scented, off brand, cardboard applicator tampon of a human being might have deserved it…and it might have done him well to see what a functional tampon looked like,
"You know, right, that he's going to remember that you spoke to him like that and-" said Fukuda. How could Suzuki have just let her talk to him like that? He had sent people to the traitor holes for much less. Why did she get to get away with that? Because she was Shigeko's friend? Because she had the things that Shigeko needed on hand? Well if he hadn't been panicking then he could have just headed down to a store and bought…well whatever the salesgirl or whoever said was good for….all of this. Not that he wanted to be involved. Quite the contrary. He wanted to go back to bed but…well he had a lot to deal with now and….and Suzuki had better not have been in his room getting dressed for work…because he had no idea how he was supposed to have a normal workday after this. God. He just wanted…he just wanted to go the fuck to sleep already….or something. He didn't know. Maybe he would join Sho for poptarts and cola or something.
"Did I fucking stutter? Go. Away. I don't need you, nobody needs you, and right now you are working my last nerve. Just get the hell out of here and take your paper towels and band aids with you….God. Get out of here. You're embarrassing yourself." Said Minegishi. They held eye contact with him. They held aural contact with him. Aural contact…could be a lot of things. It could be pain, as was the case with Suzuki, it could be pleasure, not that Fukuda would ever come close to that, or it could be something as simple as a dominance display. They were smaller than him, he could heal, and they didn't have any close plant life…but they could still kick his ass down the stairs with one foot and up the stairs with the other if he felt like going at it with them. He was useless here. He didn't need to be here. If he wanted to be here so badly then he could follow Suzuki to his bedroom, get down on his hands and knees, and get fucked in probably the most unpleasant way imaginable.
He had earned it after all.
But he didn't stay and fight, and he didn't follow Suzuki to his room to be the living flesh light that he was, he walked down the stairs and out the door. Good. Minegishi waited until they felt him FAR from the house. Suzuki was still home but…well better he was inside where he could be kept away from people than outside where he could find his son and figure out some way to pin this on him….God. That guy…that fucking….
Calm down, Toshiki, this isn't about that.
This was about Mob. They had come here for Mob and they were going to be here for Mob….and that was just about the only thing that they could do, be there for her. If there was some way to make it so that she didn't have to go through this, well there was but they were not going to be putting an eleven year old on birth control, they would have done it. Like if they were some kind of puberty fairy or something and they could, like, make this all better…or something….without putting Mob on a massive dose of hormones at the age of eleven. They just…they were alone, there, outside of her door and…and they were not the one who got to feel powerless here. They weren't powerless. They knew what to do. They were the adult, the only functional adult, and they were not going to leave Mob high and dry like this.
Responsibilities of the bracelet.
"Hey Mob? Can I come in? Those two are gone now, it's just me and you. This is a dick free zone. Well I can be a dick sometimes but…you know what I mean." Said Minegishi. Maybe she didn't. They didn't know. They just knew that they would have killed for her to have told them that she didn't get it…or something like that. Anything. Anything more than this silence.
"Mob? Come on, I know that you're in there. I know that you're in there and I know that you're pretty freaked out too. There's blood coming from your vagina and you don't know why it's happening to you….and I know because the same thing happens to me every month…and just about everyone else on the planet with a working set of female reproductive organs. You're freaked out and it's ok to be freaked out. I was freaked out too when I was your age…actually a little bit older…but I was still freaked out and I knew that it was coming. Mob….I can't imagine what you're going through in there but…but if you just let me in then I can help. Please let me help. I love you." Said Minegishi. There was another moment of silence before Mob's door opened up just a crack. Minegishi opened it up slowly the rest of the way. The room was….well it might have been a bedroom at some point…but now it was just a mess of toys and clothes and…feather? Oh. A pillow or two had broken open…but that was fine. There was nothing in that room that couldn't be replaced.
Nothing aside from Mob.
Mob who was curled up in a corner hiding under her Frozen blanket. That snowman was entirely too happy for this situation. Mob…her aura was nothing but fear and pain and embarrassment…but she was going to be ok. Minegishi was here now and….and there was nothing for her to be afraid of. Minegishi would have laid their life down and protected her from anything…and this wasn't anything that she even needed protection from. It was just her period. She was going to be ok….
She just had to be made aware of that fact.
Minegishi knelt down beside Mob and put a hand on the lump of blankets. That could have been her back or her head or her shoulder…they didn't know. All they knew was that underneath that blanket was a terrified child…a terrified child who was most likely under the impression that she was bleeding to death….well Minegishi would be there for her. This was…this was a hell of a lot of work for this early in the morning but they would be there for Mob.
Even if it meant kneeling on Legos.
"Minegishi…." Said Mob softy. She didn't want to talk to them…and she did. She just…she wanted to die alone…but also she didn't want to die….and then dad had said that she wasn't dying….but she just….people knew! Dad knew about the blood and so did Fukuda and Sho…Sho had been the one to find out…and now if Minegishi was here then he had gone and told EVERYONE and now…now everyone knew about the blood and…
And she just wanted to die alone, in peace, under her Frozen blanket!
Was that really too much to ask?! She just….everyone knew about the blood and…and Sho had SEEN IT and Dad…well he had seen it when he managed to get her door opened and….and then Fukuda had been there and now he was probably thinking all kinds of thought about her and…and how she was bleeding from her…from a place that she did not want him to think about and…and how she was just…she just wanted to be alone! She wanted…she wanted to be alone and…
And she wanted Minegishi to keep on rubbing her back.
"Hey Mob…come on. It's going to be ok. I'm here for you." Said Minegishi softly. They made soothing noises as they rubbed the warm lump of blankets under their hand. She sounded so small and lost and…and she was just a kid. It was easy to forget that, sometimes, but even with the powers of a living God she was just a little eleven year old girl….and she was dealing with so much…and she had been dealing with so much already….and if Minegishi ever saw her mother's spirit then they were going to exorcise it themselves even if they had no idea how to.
Because. Really.
Minegishi was no stranger to bad mothers, theirs could have given bad mothering seminars and toured Japan, so they knew one when they saw one…or the aftermath of one. Mob…if this woman had truly run away to live on the happy farm with all the other mothers who ran away from home then, in addition to saying high to Ryou's childhood dogs, she maybe could have taken the time to drop Mob a line and tell her about this. What to expect. Or she could have done that before she ran away….or she could have told Mob something before she died. Because, really, Minegishi was not Mob's parent…and there had been no way of telling if Mob would ever have had Minegishi or someone like them in her life. Mob was being raised by her father, a man who's first thought had been that his Daughter was hemorrhaging, and in Claw, and organization that was OVERWHELMINGLY male especially when you got to the upper echelons, so for all the mysterious Missus Suzuki had known Mob would have been going through puberty all on her own. Puberty was hell but female puberty….well that was a special kind of hell. God. All boys had to worry about was stinking to high hell, random erections, and waking up in sticky shorts…and they were NOT giving Mob's little brother the talk…let the idiot brigade explain male puberty to him. Minegishi had their hands full already here….
They did not get to complain. Not when Mob needed them.
"Minegishi….I'm bleeding…" said Mob. They knew that already. She knew that they knew that already. They had already said that they knew about the blood….about where it was coming from….and that it was normal…but if it was normal then why was it only happening now? Why hadn't she just…had to deal with this blood…at any other time in her life? She was just….she knew that this was her fault. She was the one who had been doing…all kinds of embarrassing stuff…and she had broken…she had broken it and…and they had said that she wasn't going to die but….
Everyone knew!
They knew and…and how was she supposed to speak to her friends….or her brother….or her dad….or anyone ever again?! It felt like the entire world knew. It felt like the entire world was looking at her and…and talking about her…and how she was bleeding from an embarrassing place and how she had been doing embarrassing things and thinking about embarrassing things and…and about how she had only herself to blame for…this whole situation…..
She just wanted this all to be over….somehow…..
"I know….and you're going to be alright." Said Minegishi as they rubbed the lump of blankets known formerly as Suzuki Shigeko. They needed to calm her down and then they needed to get her cleaned up…and then they needed to get her some supplies and then…and then in ten years or so this would all just be a distant memory….or something. They didn't know. They remembered their first period with crystal clarity….so maybe this would be a deep source of shame and trauma for Mob for the rest of her life. They didn't know. If it did turn out to be like that then…well then they would be there for her.
That's what friends were for.
"I did this. This is my fault." Said Mob. She moved so her head was on Minegishi's lap. They were the best friend that she had ever had in her life…and if anyone had to be there with her she was glad that it was them. If she was dying…or not…she was so glad that it was them who was sitting with her while…all of this…happened.
"Hang on let me….ok, that's better…fucking Legos….ok. Mob, this is not your fault. This is a natural thing that…that I should have warned you about. I guess that I figured that you were too young…or I was too caught up in my own bullshit around this…or I just had too much faith in your father to, you know, act like a father. I'm sorry that I put your through this, I truly am, and if you weren't using me as a pillow…and if the floor wasn't covered in Legos…then I would be kowtowing right now." Said Minegishi. The pulled the blanket off of Mob slowly, just enough that they could see her hair, and they began to rub her head like they were petting a cat. Mob….poor Mob….she just…she did not need to deal with this…but she was dealing with it…and Minegishi was there to help her deal with it. All of it.
"Why would you have to kowtow? This was my fault. I did this to myself." Said Mob softly. She didn't want to talk about it…the embarrassing things that she had done to herself. The stuff that she did when she was all alone in bed or in the tub…and the stuff that she thought about. About being loved and being kissed…and stuff. She didn't want to talk about it but…but everyone already knew about the blood…so they must have known how it got there….so then she had might as well tell her best friend that, no, they didn't need to kowtow because Mob had nobody to blame but herself.
"Mob….what do you mean by that exactly?" asked Minegishi. Well then. They had been thinking first period but…well Mob was pretty boy crazy…and it wasn't like there was anything wrong with a little self-love…and it wasn't like Minegishi was going to be hypocrite about this. They had gotten up to the same things when they had been her age…and if Mob had…accidentally hurt herself in the course of figuring herself out….well then this was going to be a totally different talk than the one that they'd planned…and they might have even needed that flat can of diet soda known as Fukuda after all…great. Just great.
"I…did stuff….stuff that felt good but…but I shouldn't have been doing….and now I'm bleeding and…and I think that I broke it." Said Mob. She didn't want to talk about it but…but Minegishi was her best friend and she knew that they would never make fun of her…and they already knew about the blood so they had might as well know what had caused it in the first place.
"Broke your…vagina?" asked Minegishi slowly. She could have….well they hadn't been prepared to explain all of that….and there was no need to be squeamish. Sex was normal and self-love was normal…and stop being a hypocrite, Toshiki, it's not a good look on you.
"Yes…but please don't call it that." Said Mob. She hated that word. She knew that her privates were called that but…she just hated that word. You were supposed to say privates, that was more polite, mom had said so.
"That's the word for it…well technically it's a vulva on the outside and…you know what? I am not here to split hairs. Ok. Privates, is that a better word?" asked Minegishi. They were not going to call it something cute like a tutu or a cookie or a special place. It was a vagina…well a vulva and a vagina….and privates were as far as they were willing to go. Too much shame in the world about that part of the body already. Minegishi was not going to add to it.
"Yes. Privates is fine." Said Mob. That was the polite way to say it. You weren't ever supposed to talk about those places, mom had said, but when you did then you had to say privates. It was more polite than saying the real words…and also less embarrassing. For everyone. The talker and the listener…not that Minegishi seemed even the least bit embarrassed by any of this.
"Ok. So, Mob, how did you…why do you think that you broke it? Did you…if you stuck something in there then tell me now because if that's the case then this is going to be an ENTIRELY different conversation." Said Minegishi. They mentally prepared themselves just in case their suspicions were true…but also she was getting the period talk even if she had just broken her hymen and not started her period because at eleven, she was due for that talk….a lot of talks actually. Better they give Mob the talk now then have to listen to a bunch of Minori-isms later. Yeah…that would go over well. Minori said that drinking mountain dew after sex was a form of birth control. Minori said that you can't get pregnant the first time. Minori said that if you jump up and down after sex you won't get pregnant…or whatever other nonsense the kids believed these days.
"What?! No! That's so gross! Pee comes from in there! Just….why would I do something like THAT?!" asked Mob as she came up from under her blanket. She had no idea how they even came up with this stuff….maybe from their manga. Yes. That was it. They had read too many under their bed mangas and now their mind was poisoned. That was just…not right. Something inside? Of where she peed from? Just….no. That was just….very wrong.
"Well hey there. So it was you under there this whole time." Said Minegishi with a smile that they were only beginning to feel. Well at least Mob was out from under that blanket now and they could get a good look at her…and she didn't seem that freaked out…well less mortal terror and more disgust to the core of her soul…but, hey, they would take what they could get.
"You knew I was under there….you called me Mob…and no, I didn't put anything in there! I just…touched it a bunch and…and now it's broken! It's broken and everyone knows that I broke it and…and my DAD knows and my BROTHER knows and….and if you're here then he told EVERYONE and…and FUKUDA was here and now he knows and….and now he's probably thinking that I go around doing….naked stuff…with boys and I don't want him to think like that and-" said Mob
"Mob, no. First of all if Fukuda EVER thinks about you in a sexual way I will personally see to it that he suffers. Second of all….ok. Everyone knows…you brother was VERY vocal about what was, is, happening to you….and that's ok. You know what the good thing about being friends with adults is? We're all capable of acting like adults. Nobody is going to tease you. Actually everyone is worried sick about you…and your brother actually kicked down my door he was so worried…so don't be worried about everyone knowing. I'm pretty sure that everyone knows when I have mine so, yeah, we're all adults here. Hell…even your ten year old brother is more of an adult than some of the adults you know….paper towels and band aids? Fucking idiot…" muttered Minegishi. That used discount store glass dildo….God. He was going to suffer….this was…well not all his fault but…Mob had been bleeding, for a while if the blood stains on her ass and her bed were to be trusted, and she had been too nervous around the only healer in all of Claw because he had to be all….disgusting! What if she had been actually hurt? She would probably have just resigned herself to die….God. That man…..
"Huh?" asked Mob. She had no idea what they had meant at the end…and also…also the beginning. She didn't want them to hurt anyone, and they knew that, but…she knew that she was being mean but…part of her wouldn't have minded if they hurt Fukuda…not enough for him to suffer but…enough that he would stop thinking about her naked and stuff.
"Nothing. Just….you didn't do this to yourself. No amount of masturbation has ever induced a period….ok? You may bleed the first time you put something in there…or if you try something too big…or something when you're not ready….but that's a whole different conversation than the one we're having now." Said Minegishi
"I…I don't get it. Why would I put something in my…in there…in the first place? And what does that have to do with…with this? And if I didn't break it then where is all of this blood coming from? Because I checked and…and I'm one hundred percent sure that I know where this is coming from." Said Mob. She didn't want to talk about it, the blood, where it was coming from, and how she had made sure that it was coming from where she thought that it was coming from. She didn't want to talk about it at all…but Minegishi…had said that they knew about this and…and if they knew then….then it was ok to talk about it….even if they had gone quiet.
"Mob….what do you think that sex is?" asked Minegishi after a moment. Well it looked like they were going to have to have the big talk…but they had no idea how to have the big talk with her. She…well she had said that she knew what sex was but…she was eleven. Who knew what she thought that sex was? She got all of her information from another eleven year old after all.
"….I don't see what that has to do with…this." said Mob. Sex was….too embarrassing! She knew what happened, people fit together. Like puzzle pieces…or maybe more like hotdogs and buns. Minegishi knew what sex was….so why were they asking!? Wasn't the blood embarrassing enough!?
"Humor me." Said Minegishi with a shrug. They were prepared to hear any and all outlandish theories that their eleven year old best friend had come up with.
"Ok. Um….what's black and white and red all over?" asked Mob. She didn't know why Minegishi wanted to be humored…and also she was bad a humor…but she would gladly remember every single joke that she had ever heard in her life if it meant that he never had to talk about sex again. Ever. For any reason.
"What?" asked Minegishi. Well Mob was certainly the master of the non sequitur….but changing the subject…not so much.
"A penguin with a rash. Get it? Because….a penguin is black and white…and rashes are red….well Sho and I think that it's funny…and you told me to humor you….and I'm not really in the mood to tell jokes." Said Mob. She didn't want to tell jokes but she also didn't want to talk about sex….or the blood…or anything….but if Minegishi wanted to be humored then she would humor them all day and all night too.
"That was pretty funny…but I meant that I wanted you to just answer the question. What do you think that sex is?" asked Minegishi. Mob was Mob and….that had been pretty funny….and it was to see that she was done freaking out…but they were not out of the woods yet when it came to all of this. No. They weren't anywhere near the woods even.
"I know more jokes…if you want to hear more jokes. Like…why do owls always get invited to bird parties? Because they're a hoot. Do you get it?" asked Mob. She had read that one on a popsicle stick…well Sho had read it to her…and she knew a lot more jokes even though they weren't originals! She just…she would even think up originals, too, if it meant that Minegishi never asked her to talk about sex ever again!
"Mob…I would love to sit here all day and listen to your popsicle stick jokes but right now….right now I just need to know what you think you know about sex. Ok? It's important because based off of what you know…that's how I'll know what to tell you when I explain the blood to you…ok?" asked Minegishi with a sigh. Maybe this was why their parents had never taken the time to teach them anything. Well that and the loathing and blaming them for every single thing that had gone wrong with the world since the year 1988….and this was hard. Minegishi was nothing like their parents but…but they still…they were doing their best. They just had to do better to explain this in a way, to figure out how to explain this in a way, that Mob could understand.
"Ok…um…I know that people fit together like puzzle pieces…and then a baby grows in the mom's stomach. That's all I know…um….I know that you have to be naked to have sex…and you have to be in a bed…and there's kissing and…and the boy feels the girl up…which means that she lets him touch her on her….breasts…and then….and then when you have sex you're supposed to say bad words and yell the other person's name really loudly….and stuff. That's all I know about sex." Said Mob. She wanted to go back under her blanket…but that would have been rude. She couldn't just run and hide in the middle of a conversation but also….also she just…didn't want to talk about sex!
"Uh-huh. Well that's a lot to address….ok. Let's start at the beginning. People fit together….how do you think that works?" asked Minegishi. They knew how people fit together….but Mob might not have. Hell, for the longest time they had thought that just lying in bed with a boy was enough to get you pregnant. Mob…who knew what she had thought up…or heard from the little friend of hers…
"Um…like…do you know how hotdogs work? Like…like the boy is the hotdog and…and the girl is the bun….and stuff…this is so embarrassing!" said Mob. She shook her head and closed her eyes. Minegishi…why did they have to ask? They knew how this worked. This was something that they knew about already and….and why did Mob have to explain something to them that they already knew about?! And had done before!
"Hey, it's not. Sex is a normal thing that people do. There's nothing embarrassing about this…and there's nothing embarrassing about not knowing everything. You…have a basic idea but…you're off the mark. It's less like hotdogs and more like…like….more like a hand in a glove." Said Minegishi. They knew, as soon, as they had said it, that Mob didn't get it….and how could she…well she was eleven…but her mother could at least have been bothered to explain the basic fact that sex involved penetration! That was just….well the turkey baster theory was looking more and more viable. Maybe Suzuki and his wife had just never had sex….and that made sense. What kind of woman would willingly sleep with Suzuki Touichirou?
"….I don't get it." Said Mob. Hands went inside of gloves….like actually inside…but people did not go inside of people. People were not nesting dolls.
"Well…bear with me here this is the first time I've ever given anyone the talk….ok. So you know that the blood is coming from your vagina? Well…you said that you thought you peed from there. You don't. There's a separate opening for pissing and a separate one for…well blood, dicks, and babies." Said Minegishi. They had said the word vagina…but it was the right word! It was the right word and this was no place for misunderstandings! Not when Mob had no idea that sex involved actual penetration and…and thank God that they were having this talk now and not nine months from now when Mob met some boy her own age or something. God….kids were hard…thank God they weren't planning on having any. They could not do this again. There was no way that they would survive.
"Oh…wait….so….when my mom said puzzle pieces she meant that…that boys actually went…inside…of girls? Like….like sticking your finger inside of a…a belly button…or something?" asked Mob. No. Mom would have told her the truth and…and how did babies get in the stomach, then, if they went inside….where blood and pee came from? They couldn't make it to the stomach that way…but then again they couldn't make it to the stomach the…hotdog…way either and…..and this whole thing was too confusing!
"No….well….no. Your belly button isn't an opening to your stomach, first of all, and neither is your vagina. Just…once again bear with me here I've never had to explain it to anyone let alone an eleven year old. Ok. Yes. The place where the blood is coming out is also the place where dicks go in….and it feels a hell of a lot better than shoving your finger in your belly button. That's why I thought that you had shoved something up there…..it's normal to want to. Just like it's normal for it to bleed sometimes." Said Minegishi. They were just confusing Mob more and more with each and every word. They could tell. They just…they had never explained this to anyone else before today…and they had never had it explained to them. They had just managed to cobble together knowledge from books, the internet, and some very unhelpful lectures they had received back in the group home.
"But….if it's so normal then why did it only start happening now?" asked Mob. This had never happened before and…and they had said that she wasn't dying…and she could believe that…but they were saying, now, that this was normal…and she couldn't believe that. This had never happened to her before…so how could it possibly be normal?
"Because right now you're going through something called puberty. It's hard but also…not that hard to understand. Your body is getting ready for you to become an adult and adults' bodies can make babies. That's what the blood is for. Your body…ok. You know how with boys everything just sort of hangs out for the world to see?" asked Minegishi. This would have been easier with visual aids or a book….and they added a trip to the bookstore to the agenda. Yeah…books might have been better at explain this than they would ever be.
"Yes. That's why they aren't allowed to wear dresses." Said Mob simply. Poor boys…they would never know what it was to wear dresses…but they didn't have to bleed…or at least she figured that they didn't…so it was a fair trade off. Maybe. They might have had it worse because they just….couldn't wear dresses…and she knew that it was mean to wish this on boys but also…also she just….kind of wanted something like this to happen to boys. But not Sho, though, because she loved him….and not Shibata or Hatori or Shimazaki because they were her friends…
But maybe Fukuda….because he was a jerk and dad….for not warning her about this….
But he probably hadn't known. Dad was a boy and what did he know about this? Boys knew other things, boy things, things that Mob didn't know about. That was why dad had told her, through the door, that she had to let him in or she would die. That she had to let Fukuda heal her or she would die. Or that she would just….die. He had thought, told her, so many times that she would die and also…also she just…she might have heard him crying. He might have been crying or…or choking….through the door….but she didn't really have any clue since she had been busy with her own things…like thinking she was dying.
"Well they can….not what we are here to address right now. Ok. Yeah, for them it's all on the outside but for you…for us….it's all on the inside. The place the blood is coming out of is your vagina but the blood starts up higher in your uterus. That's an organ inside of you where the baby would grow if you were pregnant….and the blood that's coming out of you would have nourished the baby if you were pregnant. What's happening to you is called a period. Every month or so your body…well the blood is sort of a use it or lose it sort of deal….and right now your body is getting rid of the old blood to make room for the new blood. That's all. This is going to go on for the next five to seven days, then you'll be back to normal, but then it'll come back again. Any questions?" asked Minegishi. There. That was it. That was what was happening to her body…and now there would be questions…but at least they had finally gotten the meat and potatoes of it out of the way. There. Now there was time for the questions….which Mob's eyes were brimming with….
Bring it on.
"….I get to have babies now?" asked Mob after a little bit. She put a hand to her stomach. She liked babies….and that was her job. To make more esper babies…dad had said so…and now she could. She missed Mukai so much…and now she could have her own baby. Not to replace Mukai or anything but…but to have a baby to take care of and be her friend again. That would…that would have been great and…and she wondered if Hatori liked babies. He must have. He was a nice person and she was sure that he must have wanted to have a bunch of babies. At least two or three to start with. Maybe four to make an even number. That would have been pretty good….
She got to have babies now.
Which meant that she was….was she an adult now? She didn't feel any different…well happy that she wasn't going to die…and embarrassed that everyone knew about the blood…but she didn't feel like…like she was an adult…or that she could have babies…but Minegishi said that she could. She had a whole part of her body devoted to making babies…which made more sense than the baby coming out of her stomach because, well, wouldn't your stomach acid hurt the baby? But then how did mom get that scar on her stomach from where they cut Sho out of her? But still….this just…she didn't have to know how to make babies, just that she could…
She wondered if Hatori had any names picked out.
"Slow down, Mob, slow the fuck down. You. Are. Eleven. I know that you like babies…and that your dad hasn't given you any other option in life besides being the happy homemaker….but you need to get off of that. You're eleven and…well I have no right to tell you what to do with your body…but for the love of God don't start having sex yet, I was your age…well I was twelve but same difference…no. Not the conversation to be having now. Right now I have to teach you what to do about the blood and then…and then I can explain safe sex to you when we go to the drug store." Said Minegishi. That was…they had NOT LIKED the look in Mob's eyes at all. She had been WAY too excited about that and…and it was nice to see her happy but….she was eleven! She was too young for…for all of that!
"The drug store? Minegishi….I don't want to go everywhere. I'm…all covered in blood. See?" asked Mob. She had been excited but now…going to the cake dinner yesterday had been hard enough….and now the blood was worse and…and she knew that she wasn't going to die but also…also she knew that she did not want to walk around all day with blood all over herself.
"Whoa. Well…you need a bath. You need a bath and then we're going to the drug store because you need supplies for this and I need to teach you about supplies…and also about safe sex since the family planning aisle is right next to the feminine hygiene aisle." Said Minegishi. They were not looking forward to stumbling their way through a safe sex talk…because how did you even explain safe sex to an eleven year old? Well they would have to figure it out….and books could help. Yeah….like…they must have sold health class textbooks in the stores…and Mob…well she deserved to have it explained better than Minegishi ever could.
Reading was power!
"But…Minegishi…even if I take a bath….I'm still going to get blood on everything. I tried….before I tried toilet paper but then that wasn't enough and then…and then I tried wearing a lot of layers…but that's not enough anymore either and…and you can see what happened. I can't go outside like this…" said Mob. She stood up and turned so Minegishi could see the mess…and she didn't want anyone to see…but she knew that she could trust them. She could trust her best friend not to make fun of her. That was what best friends were for after all.
"Yes you can, that's what the supplies are. Just….here. Let me just….ok. Mob, find me a pair of your underwear that you don't really like." Said Minegishi. Yeah…no free bleeding. That was….that was a lot of blood and…and they weren't sure if there was any salvaging that nightie…and this would be the easiest thing to teach Mob about. They had their supplies on the ground in front of them. Everything that they had on hand…not everything that she would need…and also she probably wouldn't need to spend her whole period in overnight pads…lucky kid…but this was the best that Minegishi had on hand.
"Um…why?" asked Mob. She liked all of her underwear….and also she didn't know where her underwear drawer even was. She had kind of…broken the dresser when she had been freaking out…and also dad had helped because he had been freaking out too….and she had so much to clean up….and stuff…and also she had no idea what it was that Minegishi had taken out of their bag but…well it seemed very important…even though she really didn't get it.
"Just do it." Said Minegishi with a sigh. They could see a ton of clothes everywhere….and they could have just found a pair themselves….but that would have been an invasion of Mob's privacy….and also they didn't want to pick through this mess. Mob, thankfully, had stopped questioning them. She reached over to a pile of broken wood…Suzuki had better not have been expecting her to clean this mess up, and came back with pair of purple underwear with one of her princesses on it…
They added a trip to the store to their day's itinerary.
Mob…she was only eleven but…black. She needed black underwear. The cotton kind…and they would need to teach her the important of cotton underwear…and what to do when she had a yeast infection…and how to avoid them…and just…a million and one other things that every vagina owner needed to know. Well they would…they would explain everything that they knew…since nobody else was qualified for the job…
And not just because nobody had a vagina.
"Here. I don't really like these because they have Aurora on them…and her movie is kind of boring." Said Mob as she handed Minegishi her least favorite pair of underwear…well that she could find. Her favorite least favorite pair was the Cinderella ones where the waistband dug into her too much….but she didn't feel like going through the mess right now and finding those…or anything. She just…she had a lot to do and…and she would deal with it later…
Because she was not going to die and now she had all kinds of time on her hands that she hadn't been planning on filling…because he had been planning on being dead…and stuff…
"Mob…do you own any underwear at all without patterns or characters on them? Just a plain white pair or something?" asked Minegishi. The Disney corporation had taken over every aspect of this child's life…also she had enough to deal with without ruining any more of her clothes….not that she would be free bleeding anymore….but she was eleven and that meant pads and pads were the worst.
"No, I don't like the plain kind. They're boring." Said Mob. She didn't see why she had to have the plain if she could have nice ones…not the pretty silk ones with bows and lace that girls with boyfriends wore. Just….ones that were nice and cute. She didn't intend for anyone else to see them…and she still didn't….even though she was old enough to have babies now. To do that she would have had to have let a boy see her naked…and other stuff that she didn't want to do…not even with Hatori…it was just too embarrassing.
"Ok…well then we're going to have to stop by a store, too, to get you some plain pairs you can ruin…black ones, not white ones, black doesn't show blood. Anyway just sit down and watch." Said Minegishi. She was staring at them. What? Had she never…right. She had never seen any of this before. She hadn't grown up with a mother…and she wasn't being forced to live in a group home surrounded by a million other girls….she was here to learn and that was what she was doing, leaning, and that was all that they asked of her.
"Watch what?" asked Mob. She sat down next to Minegishi and watched them unwrap…a white….thing. It was long and white and….and Mob had no idea what she was supposed to do with that. She was even more confused when Minegishi picked up her pair of Aurora underwear and stuck it…so the bottom was sticky….right into it.
"This is a pad otherwise known as a sanitary napkin or towel depending on what country you're in and how old you are. Ok, now watch. You're going to want to always get the kind with these bits on the side, they're called wings, because then it won't shift to the side and you won't have an embarrassing accident. This is super thick because it's an overnight pad. There are different sizes and levels of thickness that I'll explain at the store. Right now just watch me put it in. See? Always over the guest, that's the cotton part in the middle of your underwear, and then fasten it at the bottom and then there." said Minegishi as they went through the whole thing slowly for Mob's benefit. Once they were done they handed the whole thing to Mob. She picked it up and just….stared at it.
"…it looks like a diaper." Said Mob. She was not a baby and she did not have to wear a diaper and…and also she just….she didn't want to have to wear diapers but…but also she didn't want blood on her clothes and also…also why…why hadn't anyone told her about….well she knew about this thing now and…and that was what mattered. Nobody had told her before because she hadn't needed to know before…even though it would have been nice to know about all of this before the blood had happened.
"Yeah, I know, and it feels like one too. I only use those on days when I have to double up…which brings us to part two of health class. This is a tampon. See? You just…well hang on I have to figure out how to demonstrate this so you understand…and also so I don't scar you for life…there is no way to do a practical demonstration with this…." said Minegishi as they opened up one of their few remaining tampons…they would need to pick up their own supplies while they were out….and held it up for Mob to see. She stared at it like Minegishi had pulled an alien egg out of their bag and told her to let it assimilate her….or something….but at least she wasn't recoiling from it like a certain forty something year old waste of existence that they knew….
"What…is that?" asked Mob. She had thought that it was…well she had no idea what she had thought that it was….and she had no idea what it could even have been. It was just…a purple plastic tube….with a string on the end and…and she had no idea how that was supposed to stick to her underwear. Was she supposed to use the string to tie it in wit but…but that string didn't look long enough to tie around her underwear and also…also how was that little tube supposed to soak up all of her blood?
"Here, watch. Pretend that my finger and thumb are the opening where the blood is coming out. You just put it up there and push on the bottom….and then the tampon slides out…and you just throw away the applicator." Said Minegishi. This wasn't a perfect demonstration but it was better than scarring her for life…or leaving her all alone in the bathroom on a group home trip to the pool desperately trying to figure out how any of it…worked.
"Minegishi….are you telling me that….that thing goes INSIDE OF ME….like…like a boy's….?" asked Mob. No. Nope. Not happening. That was…she had never even….before two seconds ago she had never imagined that a boy's…thing….could ever even go inside of…her…thing. Now Minegishi was telling her to put…that thing…and…and they DID that? Well they did do…stuff…with Shimazaki….so….Mob didn't know and she never wanted to see that thig again….
And she didn't want Minegishi to dump that into her hands.
It was…it felt huge. How could something so huge fit inside of her? She just….she didn't want this thing. She handed it back to Minegishi. She just…didn't want to ever even look at one of those things again. That…no. She was sticking to the diapers. She would gladly have worn the tiny diapers….pads….whatever for the rest of her life…which would be a long one since she wasn't going to die at eleven after all.
"Well yes to the inside of you part but this is nothing like a guy…unless we're living in a land called every man's wort nightmare." Said Minegishi with a dry laugh. Mob…poor Mob. This was a little too advanced for her…and it was nice to know that he wasn't all grown up…even though she had looked like she had been ready to rob a sperm bank ten seconds ago. Mob was….still such a kid. Good. She was a kid and…and she was happy again…and it was so nice to see her happy again.
"Huh?" asked Mob. Why would boys be afraid of this? Well blood was scary….Sho had gone running…and…and she didn't want to think about how he knew now and…and she just…she didn't want to think about the blood or Sho knowing…or anything like that…but especially not the cotton tube that Minegishi had handed them.
"Nothing. Just….come on. Here. Let's get you in the shower and we'll pick out some clothes you don't mind ruining, and we're going to have to introduce more black to your wardrobe, and then we'll head out…ok?" said Minegishi. There. A plan. A plan and…and that was good. Mob…she was still staring at that tampon like it had crawled out of the black lagoon….but at least she wasn't freaking out again. Good. This was….Minegishi had this.
"Ok…and Minegishi….am I really….I'm not dying? I mean just to be clear. I just…I thought for so long that I was dying and….and I just want to make sure that this period thing…isn't going to use up all of my blood…or something. So am I…will this…make me run out of blood?" asked Mob. She held the underwear with the diaper thing in it. She was going to lose more blood, Minegishi had said so, and….and she knew that she was supposed to lose blood but…but she also knew that she only had so much blood and…and stuff.
"Mob, if periods could kill then I would have been dead a hundred times over. You're going to be fine, ok? Now let's get you out of those bloody clothes…and we'll have to pick up some peroxide while we're out…" said Minegishi. That was a hell of a lot of blood on her nightie…and blanket…and bed…and that was something else that she could have to learn to deal with and…and no. Something else that they would have to teach her…and that was ok. She had a lot of learn and Minegishi…they had a lot to teach. That was what friends were for.
Best friends.
The kind of friends who hugged. They were the kinds of friends who hugged…and they were hugging now. Mob…God. She was better…better-ish….now…and that was good…but she never should have been hurt in the first place. She should have been…she should have been ok for the whole time. She should have been warned….and there was no point in these should haves. There wasn't any point in speculating because there were here, now, and no they weren't done with everything yet but….well they were on step one of however many steps this day was going to have….
And Minegishi was ready for all of them.
"Minegishi…thank you so much…..I love you." Said Mob as she hugged Minegishi. They had come for her and…and she knew that she wasn't in any danger of dying…but it still felt like Minegishi had saved her from the brink of death and…and stuff. Like it had been a movie and she had been dangling from a cliff and Minegishi had pulled her up and…and she was just…she knew that she wasn't going to die but also…also she felt like she had been saved….
But mostly she just felt like getting hugged.
"I love you too…now come on. You need a shower and I….need something too." Said Minegishi. They needed a drink. They needed to smoke. They needed a cigarette. They needed a Xanax. They needed some of Ryou's mysterious research chemicals that he hadn't even tried yet. They needed….most of all they needed to…to….they needed to get Mob sorted out. There was still so much that she needed to know…so much that they needed to teach her and….and they could. They could and they would. About periods and sex and all of that puberty stuff that she didn't have a mom or a dad to teach her. Mob…she needed someone. She needed someone and Minegishi could and would be that someone…even though it was just…a lot…a lot to do but….
But at least it was still early in the day. At least they had time to teach her…all that she needed to know.