Chapter 4 It does not pay to be girl
Three weeks went by without any more embarrassing episodes. Hinata found it easy to step into her new routine. She was slowly (very slowly) adapting herself to seeing her suite mates in sometimes less than normal wear, except when it came to Naruto, no wonder Sai, and Sasuke thought she was gay, and techniquley she was.
And just when Hinata thought that all the hard parts were over something hit her, and it hit hard. She was at the sink area in the bathroom when she saw a little trickle of blood. Sasuke had gotten a cut lip in P.E. yesterday and had used the sink before her so she did not think too much of it until it hit her.
When was she supposed to have her period?
Sudden panic set into her chest. For all the planning her father had done, for all the precautions he told her about, for all the effort that had been put in to disguising her as a boy, for all the times Neji covered for her, not one of them had thought about what will happen the five days a month Hinata would have to hide her menstrual cycle. Hinata did not know what to do. She could not even discuss these issues with girls that she had known for years. She had never asked Neji about anything related to this topic. and as far as knew the ones who knew about her being a girl were GUYS!
"Hey Hiro are you almost done I need to shower," Neji called from the other side of the door. Hinata quickly exited the bathroom and ran to her room and looked at her calendar. She thought back to when she last had it. She calculated that she was three days late, though she wasn't completely surprised by this, she was after all living with five guys. But that was bad, that meant she had no idea when it would come and if any of the stories her friends told were true it would come heavy.
She needed to talk to someone about what to do, but who to go to? She didn't want to talk to anyone about this. But she had to, her identity depended on it. Hinata thought about who she could talk to, there was Itachi, Deidara, and Sasori. But she was not that comfortable with any of them. But she had to talk to one of them. Hinata thought for a moment and then decided that she would try to see Itachi first about this issue, after all he did seem to be the one running this operation. But if she could not find him then she would go the first one she saw. With her mind made up, she got dressed and went for the exit.
"Hiro aren't you going to come with us to breakfast?" Naruto asked from the couch.
"Um, n-n-no I-I-I have s-s-something I-I-I must do."
"Are you alright Hiro?" Neji could tell that Hinata was in somewhat of a panic.
"Y-y-y-yes. I-I-I'm f-f-fine." And out the door Hinata went.
Hinata ran straight to Itachi's office only to find the door locked. She knocked but heard no noise. He wasn't there. So to the halls she ran looking for any one of those three. She rounded the corner by her biology class and spotted Sasori unlocking his classroom door.
"S-s-s-sasori-sensei!" Hinata said as soon as she was in earshot. Sasori looked at the girl/boy student in front of him. She was trying to catch her breath when she approached.
"I-I-I-I-I h-h-have a-a-an e-e-emer-er-gency," Hinata said in a very low voice.
Sasori looked at the girl and waited for her to continue.
"Yes, what is the emergency?" He said very soothingly hoping to coax the girl to spit it out quick. He hated waiting.
"Huh…um…well…" was all Hinata could get out before she turned a dark unnamed shade of red at how this was going to sound. She quickly looked around to see if anyone was listening.
"Why don't we step inside my office," he suggested hoping it would alleviate some of her nerves. They walked to the other side of the classroom where he unlocked yet another door. Inside was a very well organized desk with a comfortable looking chair in front of it. There was a more practical chair in front of the desk.
"Please have a seat and tell me what the emergency is." Sasori couldn't help but think that his ability to keep a cool head under a huge amount of stress was why he was put on this case as he took his seat behind the desk. Hinata sat herself down before she began to speak.
"Um…well… y-y-y-you s-s-s-see…ah…" Hinata took a deep breath to calm herself. If she could just grit her teeth and spit it out this could all be done and over with. Sasori was waiting patiently with his hands folded under his chin. So she plucked up all of her courage, she opened her mouth to speak, and Deidara burst in through the door with exciting news, today was not her day it seemed.
"Sasori you should see this master piece that I created last night…Oh hello you are Hinata, ya? I am Deidara, we have not properly met." Deidara reached down and shook her hand as she was trying process what just happened.
Sasori realized another reason why he was on this case, his ability to stay focused.
"Hinata you said you had an emergency a moment ago. Can you please continue?"
"An emergency? What happened? Has some one found?" Sasori silenced Deidara with an icy glance.
Hinata swallowed hard, now she had to tell both of them.
"Y-y-y-y-yes. Um…y-y-you s-s-s-see…"
"Well come on spit it out," Deidara was trying to be encouraging, but it did nothing for Hinata's nerves.
Then taking a deep breath like before she closed her eyes and said very quickly as if it would hurt less.
"I-I-I-I-I-I n-n-n-n-need…" some deep breathing, possibly hyperventilating, "…PADS…"
Hinata did not open her eyes praying that that did not just happen. She slowly opened one of her eyes when she did not hear anything for several long moments. Sasori looked rather stunned with a light shade of pink gracing his cheeks. Deidara had a similar stain but was staring with a gapping mouth.
"This was not in the job description," Sasori said under his breath as he lowered his head trying to process what Hinata had just said.
"Well that is an emergency Sasori-san." Deidara was not helping.
In that moment Itachi walked through the door. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
"A problem." Sasori stated simply. "Hinata needs feminine products."
Itachi looked over at Hinata to see her face buried in her hands wishing she could fall through the floor. Itachi now had a matching stunned look and pink stain. All of them seemed to be unable to look at Hinata, the situation being what it was. Once again it was Sasori's ability to keep his cool and ability to think in stressful situations that saved the day.
"Ok. So here is what is before us. Hinata needs female sanitary products but the problem does not stop there. She needs to be able to dispose of them without anyone catching on. She will also need to keep them concealed somehow." Hinata just sank further into her seat; this had to be the most humiliating thing she had ever gone through. The three of them stood there thinking of a plan.
"Well…" Itachi started," have you…started?"
Hinata only shook her head.
"When will you start?" Sasori asked.
"I-I-I-I d-d-don't-t k-k-k-know."
"How could you not know? I thought girls kept track of these things." Deidara said. Sasori and Itachi both gave him a look that would hopefully keep him quiet the rest of the time.
"Do you have a guess maybe?" Itachi asked carefully.
"A-a-a-a-a-any d-d-d-day n-n-n-n-now." Hinata said it so quietly that Itachi and Sasori had to lean forward just hear her.
"Are you sure?" Sasori asked.
Hinata nodded her head. "I-I-I-I-I-I-I a-a-am th-th-three d-d-d-days l-l-l-late." Hinata could not believe she was having this conversation, with guys, older guys, older guys she barely knew!
"Well if you are late, then maybe you are pregnant?" Deidara just had to open his mouth. It took all Hinata's strength to keep from fainting.
"Could that be possible?" Sasori asked with a straight face no less.
"N-N-N-N-NO!" Hinata said indigently.
"It's probably from living with all those boys." Itachi interjected.
Sasori's wheels had been turning as to how to handle the situation. he sat in deep thought for several minutes when he can up with a plan.
"We need to get you these things as soon as possible. One of us will go out buy some of whatever you tell us too. We will put them in an unmarked box. Itachi will give it you under the pretence that you received a package from your father. You will then hide them in your room and will be up to you to keep them concealed."
"What about disposing them?" Itachi asked.
"That will be trickier. Hinata you will put the used products (twitch) into plastic bags which we will put in the box. You will put those bags in an unmarked bag that you will keep hidden until you are able to dispose them or if you are unable to then let me know and I will. You can also dispose of them in the community bathrooms around the school as well. The girl's bathroom of course. Just do not get caught. It would be easiest if you fake needing to use the rest room during class when it will most likely be unoccupied." The plan seemed pretty fool proof to Hinata.
"O-o-ok." was all she said as she got up and left the classroom. But before she opened the door Itachi spoke," Stay home today. I will write you a pass to your other classes. Ok? You're pretty stressed. So get some rest." And with a final nod she left the room.
When Hinata closed the door all three of them let a breath of relief out.
"That was the most awkward conversation I have ever had. And that includes the first time I had sex." Itachi said.
"My god. It makes me hope I never have daughters, ya" Deidara commented.
"That is why you have a wife. She explains those things. However in Hinata's case this can be dangerous. She could be discovered and then we'll have a mess on our hands." They all three nodded in agreement.
"I know," Deidara said." Put her on birth control." Itachi and Sasori gave Deidara disbelieving looks. "You know, the four periods a year pill. It will regulate her so they are predicable, and we will only have to deal with this two maybe three more times."
"You know Deidara you may have come up with an idea that could work."
Hinata went straight to her room and fell asleep. She did not dream, and when she woke up could feel it was around diner time. She got out of bed and made her way to the dining hall where she only grabbed portable food to take back to her room. But instead of going to her room to eat in peace she was met with a very annoyed Sasuke when she came into the room.
"Where the hell were you all day?" He asked as he glared at her from his bed.
"I-I w-was sleeping."
"Why?" Sasuke asked very sharply. Hinata winced at his tone. How was she supposed to explain herself, she did not even want to remember why she needed to sleep.
"I-Itachi-sensei s-s-said I-I w-w-was s-stressed and t-t-told m-me to get s-some s-sleep," Hinata said. She felt a version of the truth might get her passed his lie detecting abilities.
"Really? And what had you stressed out?" damn was this kid was nosey. And he claimed he valued privacy.
"I-I w-would r-rath-ther n-not talk a-about it." Hinata moved to her bed and began eating her food; all the while Sasuke kept watching her. Sasuke couldn't figure it out. Why was this kid so special? What was it about him that Itachi and two other cops form his unit team would be here undercover?
Sasuke was a lot of things, cold, distant, rude, brilliant (in his mind), but Sasuke Uchiha was not a fool. There must be something about his roommate that required this much protection. Maybe his roommate was more important to the Hyuuga clan then they let on? Was that why he was here, so his cousin could look out for him? Along with three undercover cops looking out for him? Maybe he was a target? But that still did not make sense. The most likely target for the Hyuuga clan would their precious heiress. Why wouldn't they have the security at the girl's school? Maybe they did, but because she may be too hard to get to, the clan was taking precautions and covering all their bases; including protecting second and third runner up inheritors. Who would be after them if that was the case? Whatever the reason, it didn't really matter. Someone was paying good money to ensure this kids safety.