Sakura had found an incredibly old tree to hide behind. It was gnarled, trunk large, covered in soft green mosses, with branches reaching high into the sky. She considered crawling up into the branches somewhere but decided against it after seeing that the inviting moss continued onto the forest floor. She found herself leaning back against the tree, cushioned by the soft, green moss, trying to stifle her sobs, as she decided what to do.

She didn't want to look at her clothes, the intense concern that had taken her team's faces made her worry that maybe she was dying. She wiped uselessly at her wet cheeks, and taking shaky breaths, she unzipped her qipao and pulled the fabric from her shoulders. She shifted it in her hands and almost cried out at the obvious blood stain that marred the red fabric.

Where did that blood come from? She wondered terrified. She didn't remember getting stabbed, she hadn't scratched herself, there was absolutely no reason there should have been blood leaking through the fabric covering her backside.

She paled when she realized that maybe her qipao wasn't the only fabric stained. She quickly pulled her dress back on and ironed her nerves to the best of her ability, she pulled down her shorts and underwear.

A squeal of fear escaped her lungs as she stared down into a pool of blood. I'm dying, that has to be it. She sank down against the tree, tears streaming over her face. Maybe I've been poisoned… Maybe-

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice carried in from the woods between her hiding place and their camp. "Sakura-chan, are you there?" the way he was barreling through the underbrush of the forest, crunching leaves and splintering twigs reverberating with every footfall, he must not have been worried about being stealthy. And if he was trying to be stealthy, well Sakura decided she would have to talk with Kakashi-sensei about getting Naruto more stealth training, because he was bad at it. That conversation, of course, depended on whether or not she survived whatever illness was plaguing her.

"Go away Naruto!" she sobbed halfheartedly. "I don't want you here, I-I think I'm dy- just leave me alone!" she tried shouting it, but the words were weakened by a cracking of her voice.

"Sakura-chan," he ignored her demand and instead within heartbeats she could see the bright orange of his sweatshirt appearing between the tree branches.

"Naruto get out of here! I'm not decent."

His movement forward hesitated, and she was confused to see his blue eyes tightly shut when he turned towards her. "Are you okay?" Sakura didn't know that Naruto could ask a question so softly.

She looked down at the pool of blood in her underwear and remembered the crime-scene like stain on her qipao and managed to murmur "No."

"Do you know what's happening to you?" He asked just as softly, eyes still closed.

Her teeth ground together, angry at herself for the tears still running down her cheeks, how utterly defeated she felt when Kakashi had told her the boys were out catching the stupid fish again for dinner that night. "I think I've been poisoned and am dying or something." She said quietly, swallowing a lump in her throat. She felt so silly facing death with such frivolous anger and terror. She was a kunoichi! She was supposed to face death with a sharp kunai and a plan to escape it. Not cry like a child about fish.

She did not expect him to laugh at her, but his mouth widened, the dimples on his whiskered cheeks showing, as the rumbling laugh fell from his throat.

"Why are you laughing at me?" she squeaked, sadness and self-consciousness momentarily forgotten. "I'm serious!"

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, you're all just so clueless. It's refreshing to not be the one left in the dark for once."

"Naruto what-"

"It's basic biology," his laughter subsided but his face still held his trademark grin. "The cousin who lives with us, Karin, do you remember her?"

Sakura nodded, and then remembering Naruto was being really kind by keeping his eyes closed, she mumbled "I remember Karin."

"Well, this happened for her a couple of weeks ago. Do you remember when I came to training with a black eye?"

Sakura couldn't stop the short giggle that escaped her constricting chest, wiping at her face with the back of her knuckles. "Yea?"

"Karin got really emotional that day and threatened to hit me if I suggested ramen for dinner. So, when mom suggested it, Karin kind of lost her shit and ended up hitting me anyways. I was as bad as Sasuke and Kakashi-nii when my parents explained it to me in more detail." He scrubbed the back of his blond head with his hand sheepishly. "But, I learned and here I am."

"Naruto why are you telling me that?"

He sighed. "You guys need to stop selling me short. I'm much more knowledgeable than I let on. Here." Even with his eyes closed, he tossed her pack to her and managed to get it within arm's reach. "Do you have any pads or tampons in there?"

"Do I have what?"

"Holy shit Sakura," the drop of the honorific at the end of her name made her jaw fall open. "You've started your period; I'm asking if you have anything in your bag to help manage it."

She gaped at him, mouth forming an oh, pink brows knitted together, and suddenly she remembered that awkward day at the academy when the preteens learned about puberty. "Oh my god," she grabbed at her bag and fumbled through the variety of pockets inside. "No, how do I have three sets of backup kunai but nothing for periods!"

Naruto snickered at her. "It's okay Sakura-chan," he turned around, presumably opening his blue eyes to shift through his own bag. "My parents made sure I brought extra in case something like this happened." He turned back to her, eyes closed again, with a smaller pouch in his hands. He tossed it her way too. "There's also some other helpful items in there if you want to use them, I think dad packed chocolate." He grinned, and Sakura felt more like herself in that moment than she had for the last 24 hours. "Do you want me to wait for you or to go ahead and head back to camp?"

"Could you…" she felt herself blush. "Could you stay nearby but facing away. So, if I have any questions I can ask?"

He nodded. "No problem, Sakura-chan. I'll be right here."

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!