Author's Note: Hey guys! Alright, so I'm trying to keep up with the weekly updates but sorry if this one came a little later than expected. I've just been really busy with schoolwork and this Friday I had two tests, one of them being math, so I needed to study! Anyway, this chapter has a pretty humorous tone to it so anyone who's in a little need of cheering up will probably enjoy it! Now, on with the ficcy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
On one particular morning, Rin awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and the sight of the sun smiling bright and cheerfully at her. However, it wasn't the sun or the birds that had made her stir. Her abdomen had been tightly constricting for the past hour, causing her to be in a state of constant pain. Unsure of why she would be in any pain, she arose gently, careful not to wake Kakashi and almost screamed at the sight before her.
Blood stained her sheets; there wasn't a lot of the sticky red substance but it was enough to form a miniscule pool near the bottom of her sheets. Realizing immediately what had happened, she quickly took the sheet of the bed, ready to wash it, and was relieved to find that the blood didn't soak through to the mattress. Rushing with the sheet to the washroom, she turned on the bath's faucet and attempted to clean what she could of the blood, when a knock on the door made her freeze.
"Rin? Are you ok in there?" she heard Kakashi call from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" Rin replied, but she figured that Kakashi hadn't heard her because he knocked on the door with more urgency.
"Rin, answer me. Are you ok?"
"I'm fine!" Rin screamed her reply this time and she thought that Kakashi had heard her for the knocking on the door stopped.
Meanwhile though, Kakashi hadn't heard her replies at all and continued to try and get a response. "Rin, this isn't funny. Answer me." His only response was the sound of running water. "God damn it Rin, if you don't answer me, I'll come in!" Still he was met with no more than the sound of water.
Kakashi wondered if he should go in. Maybe there really was nothing wrong with Rin and she just hadn't heard him because of the water running, but what if there was? What if she was injured or worse, dying? Would he ever forgive himself for not entering? Deciding that he'd go in, no matter what consequences he'd have to face if it turned out she was ok, he turned the knob gently and entered the small washroom.
Of all things, Kakashi did not expect to see Rin scrubbing blood out of her sheets. "What is that?" he pointed to the blood spots on her sheets.
"Blood," she replied in a tone that suggested it was the most obvious thing in the world.
At having his suspicions confirmed, Kakashi's eyes began to hold a little bit of fear and panic, scanning her body for any signs of injury. "Why are you bleeding? Did someone attack you? Are you injured?"
Rin shook her head, turning her eyes to face the floor. "Then why were you bleeding?" Kakashi asked her, not sure if he should be angry because she was probably lying or confused because she might not be.
Her cheeks flushed red out of embarrassment, something that managed to only puzzle Kakashi further. "I…" she coughed shyly, "It's biological," she hinted, trying to make him get the message without flat out telling him. Geez, she thought, what an embarrassing situation. She mentally scolded herself for not having prepared for it.
"Biological?" Kakashi repeated. "You mean it runs in your family? Is it some kind of sickness? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"
"It's not just in my family," she explained, her face getting redder by the second. How was she going to explain this to him? "It's a biological process common with all females…" she trailed off, giving him time to think about what she'd just told him. If he really were the genius everyone acclaimed him to be, then he'd figure it out.
Kakashi let the idea mull over in his head. Blood…a female biological process…Oh hell no. Instead of blushing, he blanched completely. This was quite possibly the most awkward situation he had ever been in – or would ever be in for that matter. "Uh, do you have what you need or do you need to get something from the drugstore?"
Rin coughed lightly again, and Kakashi was sure that if she turned any redder she'd burst a vein or something. "I…I need to get something from the drugstore."
"Ok, well don't let me stop you," Kakashi said, walking briskly out of the bathroom.
"Wait!" Rin called after him and he stopped dead in his tracks. "The drugstore's like 15 minutes away and I can't leave the apartment like this."
He turned around, his muscles moving mechanically. All he wanted was for this uncomfortable moment to cease. "Well, then what do we do about this?"
Rin bit her lip nervously. "Could you go to the drugstore?"
Kakashi's heart nearly stopped beating. "Excuse me? I-I don't think I'm qualified for that."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously and Kakashi could only think of one thing before she erupted into anger: Mood swings. "There are no qualifications for this! Be a man Kakashi! I am in a hell of a lot of pain right now and you know, it wouldn't kill you to do this one thing for me! I never ask anything of you, and now that I need this one tiny favour from you, you're running off! What kind of friend are you?"
"Rin, I- there's a lot that a guy has to lose here! His pride, his dignity; that's a lot to ask of even a husband!"
"Yeah, well we both know how good you're going to be at being a husband then, don't we?!" She didn't even blush at that for she was much to busy releasing her steam at Kakashi.
He however, did notice what she had said and his now sheet white face took on a light pinkish hue. His mouth opened as if he were about to say something, but then he closed it.
Rin heaved an aggravated sigh, finally starting to calm down but still annoyed at the boy before her. "You know what? Just forget it. I knew you were too chicken to be able to do something like this."
"What?" Kakashi snapped.
"You heard me!" she snapped back.
"I am not chicken!" he protested.
"You know, I could always just call up Gai. I'm sure he'd be man enough to do it," Rin suggested out loud, already knowing a way to get Kakashi to agree to help her.
"Gai?" Kakashi asked through gritted teeth. "Are you implying that I'm less of a man than Gai? Sunset hugs Gai?"
"I'm not implying it," Rin replied, shrugging, "it's a simple fact."
Kakashi glared at her momentarily, before saying, "I'll be right back," and exiting the bathroom.
Rin watched his retreating back, confused. Was he leaving already? But she hadn't even told him what she needed yet. Her curiosity was only further piqued when he returned to the bathroom was a stack of small yet thick papers.
"You may not have prepared for something like this," he told her, "but I did." Turning the papers in his hand right side up, she noticed that they were photographs of all the different packaging of pads and tampons that the drugstore had to offer.
If there was a sight that Rin never imagined she'd see in her life, it was most definitely Kakashi in the bathroom, holding up pictures of tampons and pad packages.
She chuckled at the mere sight of them and Kakashi was once again unsure of whether he should be happy that the mood swing passed or upset that she was laughing at him. He opted for finding a middle point, and gave the pictures in his hand a shake. "So, which one is it?"
Stifling a laugh, Rin pointed to one on the right and managed to say, "The pink one."
Looking towards the one she'd pointed to, Kakashi quickly pocketed the photo and headed towards the door, Rin yelling a "Thank you!" after him. As he walked down the streets of Konoha towards the drugstore, he discovered that this little trip he was taking could quite possibly be the ultimate test of manliness. If he was able to retain his pride and dignity throughout the whole scenario, then he could truly call himself something of a man; well, at least more than Gai could.
Lost in his thoughts, Kakashi barely registered that he was now in front of what he'd forever call the drugstore of doom. Opening the door warily, he proceeded inside, heading directly towards the colourful stacks of feminine hygiene products.
Back at the apartment, Rin let herself revel in her own ingenious. The stunt she'd pulled comparing Gai and Kakashi then claiming that Gai was manlier had truly been a great use of her intelligence. Kakashi man enough to buy tampons? Who knew? Not Rin that was for sure. Contemplating more about this rather strange occurrence, Rin realized that, if worded correctly, there was a lot that she could probably make Kakashi do and that thought, now engrained in her mind, greatly pleased her. Her laughter rang throughout the empty apartment as she envisioned a stoic Kakashi standing in line at the drugstore, a pink package of tampons in his arms.
In the drugstore, Kakashi quickly found the pink package he'd set out to buy, and nimbly lifted it off the top shelf, stuffing it casually under his arm but hiding it well enough in the dark fabric of his t-shirt so that no one would notice. He turned sharply when he heard someone call his name. "Kakashi!"
"Asuma?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I needed to buy something."
"Oh?" Asuma questioned innocently. "What 'something' did you need to buy, especially when that something is pink?"
Normally Kakashi didn't have much against the boy before him besides the smell of cigarettes that always stained his clothes and his scruffy facial hair, but at the moment, he was thinking of adding his loud voice and curiosity to the list.
"It's just something," Kakashi persisted, hoping that either Asuma's line would move faster or that the other boy would just relent in his interrogation. However, Asuma was not feeling merciful or sympathetic to Kakashi's feelings.
"Yeah, I got that it's something," he responded gruffly, "but what is it exactly?"
"I'm not telling."
"Oh come on Hatake, don't be such a big baby."
Kakashi glared at Asuma. "I am not a baby."
"Stop acting like one then. Come on, just let me see. It's not like it's anything embarrassing!"
'Yes,' Kakashi thought, 'it is very embarrassing. Now go away before I kill you.' "Hn."
When Kakashi looked ahead to see if his line was moving, Asuma seized the opportunity and tugged the package from under his arms.
"Aha!" Asuma cried. "It's…tampons?" He looked weirdly at Kakashi. "Dude, what are you carrying tampons for?"
Kakashi glanced at him, the one look communicating everything Asuma needed to know. Rin.
"Oh man," Asuma sighed, "She owns you now, doesn't she? You've got to be careful; you never know, you blink your eyes once and suddenly she's going to have you doing house chores like making lunch or something. And then, next thing you know, you'll be married and have kids and-" Asuma paused to shudder while Kakashi looked on, bemused. It's true what they said about cigarettes then, the toxins really did poison your mind.
Not having the time to think up a proper retort, Kakashi settled for, "She makes lunch," then mentally slapped himself upon realizing how stupid it sounded.
Asuma just shook his head in a pitying manner, put his hand on Kakashi's shoulder and muttered, "Poor boy never stood a chance," before walking away.
Shaking any ideas he had about the incident that had just occurred out of his mind, Kakashi focused on paying and getting out, silently praying that he wouldn't meet any of his other so called friends in the small drugstore and that he wouldn't come across any more possibilities of losing his pride.
After a long wait (in Kakashi's opinion) it was finally his turn in line and just his luck he'd landed the most talkative female cashier. The young woman, with a full head of blonde hair and eyes of sky-blue colour, reeked of bubblegum that she'd probably been chewing all her life. "Hey sweetie," she greeted Kakashi.
Pretending he didn't hear her, he greeted back, "Hi," and placed his small package on the scanner.
"So who are you buying tampons for cutie? Your girlfriend?"
Perhaps it was just in his mind, an illusion of sorts that had been created by his fear and embarrassment of the situation, but he could have sworn that the girl had practically yelled her words and sneered at him mockingly as well.
Ascertaining to himself that he'd come out of this a better, more mature person, he tried to pay no heed to the female's words or the blush that was slowly making its way up his cheeks. "My sister," he'd fibbed.
"Wow," the woman replied, seemingly believing his white lie, "your sister's one lucky girl."
He wanted to say, damn right she is but alas, that would have been uncharacteristic of him. Paying her, Kakashi practically ran out of the store and back to his apartment. Yes, his safe apartment where there were none who could question his manliness or masculinity and none who would outright laugh at his misfortune.
Making it to his home in what he considered to be record time, Kakashi burst through the door, package still bundled in his arms. "Rin, I'm back!" he called throughout the small apartment and found her still slaving away at trying to get the bloodstain on her sheets out.
"Here," he panted, exhausted. "Here's your stuff."
Taking the plastic bag, which contained her objects of great need, she thanked him graciously and praised him over and over, hoping to make up for whatever scarring and bruising his ego had sustained throughout the duration of his trip. Reaching in, she pulled out her small package and immediately frowned.
Kakashi, ever the observant one, noticed and inquired, "What's wrong?"
Rin's frown only deepened, making her look annoyed but Kakashi knew she wasn't from the apologetic look in her eyes. Wait a minute, apologetic? Now he was seriously dreading what she was going to say and choked on an incoming breath when he actually heard the words come out of her mouth. "I told you I needed the hot pink package, not the salmon pink."
Author's Note: Alright guys and girls (let's be gender inclusive!) hope you enjoyed it and please remember to leave a nice, long, detailed review filled with constructive criticism for me:D You know, make my day if I made yours (and even if I didn't P)
Special Thanks To:
snappa- I'm glad you're satisfied after your daily dose:) Your concrit is always awesome for me to read and your reviews are so fun! I really like it that you let me know which specific parts you liked and all the praise I get! Aw, I'm not sure I deserve it all!
catgirl9696- Thank you once more for all the positive reinforcement. Even though you don't dish out the concrit, your kind words always make me feel happy with my work. :)
chibibrain94- Yay, you liked it! If you have any concrit for me, please feel more than free to insert it into your next review!
Sakra-chan- Don't feel bad about leaving long reviews: I love them! Your chapterly reviews are something I look forward to and I like how you point out the content things that you're unsure of just to make sure that I am aware of them and to get your questions answered:)
YebbadebbaOnee-chan- Haha! I hadn't even noticed the Team 7 reference I'd made until you pointed it out and even then it took me a while to get it! As I mentioned to snappa, I really like that you let me know which specific parts you enjoyed!
JoiZ.D- You're great! I love how you leave an honest review always and even more how you review everything! ;) All your positive reinforcement and concrit is one of the things I look forward to when I put out something new!