Fun story I wrote in response to a prompt on tumblr! It was hilarious to write. Given the timeline though, have to warn people that the SasuSaku in this is more onesided than anything. It's centered more on Team 7 lol.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

It was because of stress, she was sure. Her period had always come on time before since she'd first started two years ago, always on the 24th of each month—and she remembered Mother once warning her such factors could subject it to change.

Jaw tightening Sakura braced through the sharp pain curling at her abdomen, free hand sliding over to cup the area, as if that had ever helped before. She cursed her luck to whatever gods out there. Couldn't it have come tomorrow at least? She hadn't brought anything with her! By noon this next day, they were supposed to reach the village their mission target resided at… and all of this could have easily been dealt with there, she mused.

Spasms intensifying, she let the slightest wince flicker across her mouth, body bowing a little in itself. Her discomfort didn't seem to go unnoticed this time, however.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke called from across the fire, eyes narrowed suspiciously and a half-eaten ball of onigri momentarily ignored in his hand.

Sakura felt her cheeks warm in response. Of all the people to notice, why did it have to be Sasuke-kun?

"It's—It's nothing," she replied weakly, ducking her face down as she reached for her own share of onigri and began to nibble on it. Though she didn't have much appetite at all, she hoped maybe the sight of her eating would placate the matter.

(after all, there was never a day in the world of a twelve year old girl that she would want to discuss her period with her long-time crush.)

"Tch. If it was nothing, you wouldn't be making faces like you've been doing," Sasuke said, frowning at her all the more. "Spit it out."

"Stop being a bastard to Sakura-chan, bastard!"

"Do you want the mission to be jeopardized by a sick teammate, you idiot?"

Sakura gaped. "What? Sasuke-kun, I'm not sick—"

"Then what's wrong with you?" he demanded, impatience clipping at his breath.

"Sasuke, that's enough," Kakashi spoke, then, a certain admonishment to his tone. When Sakura looked at him, thankful for his intervention, his eyes were already set on her, brows furrowed with something like calculated concern. "Sakura—care to share what's been bothering you? I trust you remember the academy teaching you that a shinobi should always inform their teammates when they are not feeling their best."

Her cheeks reddened all the more at this, and she gaped once again. The nerve of these boys—

"Oh my g—I'm not sick!" she screeched, defensive and embarrassed all at once. She hated how nosy they could be, in times like these. "Gods, a girl can't even keep her decency around here," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away. "Fine, you want to know what's wrong with me? Really? I got my period early and I'm unprepared, okay?"

A deafening silence took over, then; this had not been the response her boys had been expecting, clearly.

Until:

"Ew! Gross, Sakura-chan!" Naruto wailed, making several faces of disgust as he too-dramatically dropped his ball of onigri. "Boys don't want to hear about that … that stuff! It's nasty!"

"It's human, Naruto," Kakashi replied. "You should be more mature than this."

Partly relieved that at least her sensei wasn't making a big deal out of this, Sakura's eyes found themselves flickering towards the boy she liked—to the only boy whose opinion truly mattered to her. Whatever anxiety she felt fluttering inside positively vanished within a breath's moment as Sasuke merely shrugged and nodded, seemingly completely unperturbed.

(seemingly thinking that it all made perfect sense, now; that what she'd just revealed to them hadn't made him feel remotely uncomfortable.)

Her heart rushed with warmth, lips tugging upwards in such a delightfully pleased little smile—but whatever soft feelings were evoked suddenly disappeared in the wake of her cramps worsening considerably, tearing a groan from her throat. Abandoning her meal, Sakura curled into herself and willed away the pain, cursing in her mind.

(this was the only time she ever hated being a girl.)

But, she mused, at least her teammates were understanding.

"Aw, come on, Sakura-chan, it can't be that bad," Naruto said, then, sending her body stiffening impossibly.

Correction, she fumed, a dangerous fire swelling at her heart, all of her teammates except the blithering idiot.

"Naruto," she called, her voice so sickly sweet as she turned to look at him. "Do you have a uterus?"

Raising a brow, Naruto huffed a confused laugh and replied, "Um… no?"

"Okay," she said, smiling in that cold, cold way of hers that always made him nervous. "Then shut the hell up before I pound you to dust."

Mumbling incoherently to herself and fetching out her sleeping bag, Sakura stalked away towards their tent. She was too furious to notice the way Kakashi's eyes crinkled in amusement, or the way Sasuke's lips had twitched into a smirk.

.

.

(a low whistle. "wow. i guess it's true what they say about girls and their mood swings during that time of month…"

"i can hear you naruto!" sakura bristled.

"i—i didn't say anything, sakura-chan, i swear!" after a short, panicked moment, he pleaded in a whisper still loud enough for her to hear, "kakashi, do something! you're the adult here!"

"i can't control bodily functions, naruto, but i'm flattered you have so much faith in me."

"i can still hear you!")

.

.

It was in the very early hours of the morning that Sakura woke again, startling out of her dreams in a sudden jolt, feeling unpleasant but familiar warm wetness between her thighs. She almost whimpered at the unfairness of it all; apparently, the makeshift pad she had made out of clean bandages hadn't worked at all.

This is quickly turning out to be the worst day of my life, she thought, wallowing in her misery. How was she going to clean this up discreetly? There was no way she could step out of that tent without whoever was on watch duty noticing her… situation.

(and gods forbid, if it was naruto…)

Maybe she could carry her sleeping bag around herself without being questioned about it, Sakura reasoned. At three or four in the morning, the weather was usually cold anywhere–or so she hoped, anyway. Swallowing the lump in her throat tightly, Sakura pushed herself to her feet, wrapped her body in her sleeping bag, and quietly navigated around her teammates to make her way out of the tent. A silent part of her cheered when she distinguished Naruto's snores, thankful he wasn't the one on watch.

Though she still far preferred encountering either of the other two, she still found herself freezing as she walked out and set her eyes on Sasuke. Her cheeks flushed against her will.

"Sakura," Sasuke acknowledged, brows furrowing curiously. "What are you doing up?"

"I, um…" She trailed out, and paused, blushing more furiously. Should she be honest with him? Though he hadn't minded hearing she'd started her period early, she doubted that any boy would be comfortable knowing the gorier details. "I… have to pee?"

The unimpressed look he gave her in response had her cursing herself for sounding so unsure. Why did she have to make it seem like a question?

"Convincing," he replied flatly, but didn't push any further. Either he didn't care to press for more, or he didn't think it was any of his business—especially if she didn't want to talk about it, anyway.

Ironically, Sakura felt herself falter in return. "I bled through my clothes," she said, trying not to let herself grow flustered though her face burned more than ever. "This doesn't usually happen when I'm prepared but… well… like you heard, I'm… not."

Gaze falling to the floor, she fiddled with the material of her sleeping bag anxiously, transparently embarrassed.

"Ah," she heard Sasuke answer, after no more than a moment. Her eyes quickly flickered up to him again, finding him just as unruffled as before. "That sucks."

Astounded by his composure, Sakura couldn't help herself from blurting out, "Doesn't this stuff gross you out?"

Apparently taken off guard, Sasuke paused, blinking a few times. Then he frowned at her, and asked, "Why would it? This happens to all women. Like Kakashi said, it's only human. I don't see why any of this should bother me."

Awed, Sakura could only stare at him in return, not quite sure what to say. She only looked away when he fidgeted uncomfortably under her gaze, a smile curving to her lips.

The moment only found itself ruined, however, as her stomach started cramping again; at first in slight waves of stinging, before growing uncomfortably strong once more, shifting her smile to an irritated grimace.

Sasuke seemed to take notice again. "There's a tin of green tea in my backpack if you want me to make it," he said.

Sakura nearly recoiled with surprise. "Huh?"

He sighed in response. "For your…" Quieting, he gestured at his general midsection. "…cramps or whatever. It's supposed to help."

"How do you know green tea helps with cramps, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke shrugged at this, and looked away, apparently not of the mind to discuss this. "I just do," he said.

Silently, Sakura couldn't help but to wonder if maybe this was a detail he always remembered about his mother; something he wanted to keep to himself, to treasure forever.

"Well, okay then," she finally answered, lips twisting with a beaming smile. "I'll take some green tea, Sasuke-kun. But, um, can I wash my clothes first? I feel kind of… gross like this."

Humming noncommittally, Sasuke nodded and made some sort of vague wave, muttering something about how the tea would be ready when she'd come back. Crossing her arms cheerily behind her back, Sakura all but skipped away towards the nearby river on the other side of their camp, giggling contently to herself. Maybe this was Sasuke's way of asking her on a date!

(as she flirtatiously pointed this out to him later, sasuke scowled irritably and wasted no time proving her wrong, quickly shoving her hopes back down.

oh well. maybe next time.)

A/N: I didn't mean to make Naruto the Typical Dumb Ignorant Boy but I mean... let's face it, do you any of you think genin!Naruto would have reacted differently? Poor boy had a long way to go in terms of maturity.

DeepPoeticGirl