Title: "The T Word"

Author: FrenchBeats (shelby)

Couple: Kaka/Rin

Summary: Rin has cramps, but she just can't say the 't' word in front of her male sensei and her male teammates. Oh, the joys of being a female. KakaRin; light humor and fluff.

Notes: a short drabble about why it's great being a girl (not). When I pictured this light KakaRin scene in my head, I just had to write it. I'm also assuming that Rin is about 13 (like in the Kakashi Gaiden episodes). Reviews = TLC for a total headache and family worries. Merci, as always.

Kakashi was always alert and always noticed everything; this was exactly why Rin hated him at the moment.

Minato was leading the team to Tea Country for a hostage mission. The daughter of a daimyo had been kidnapped, and they were going to infiltrate the kidnapper's hideout in a tea house (which was a very stupid place to hide-out, really) by posing as customers, and Rin as a cute employee, i.e, the bait.

Obito hadn't stopped complaining about her 'having to be sexy around another man'; Kakashi said that Rin wasn't the Uchiha's anyway nor did she want to be, which just caused an entirely new fight between them. Now the two were silent after a brief scolding from their sensei - nothing out of the ordinary there.

But, as they ran towards the border, the first cramp came. Hard.

Rin held in a gasp of pain and clutched her side, hoping neither her sensei or Obito had noticed. Thankfully, Minato was leading the group a few paces ahead, and Obito was on his own, running as far from Kakashi as possible.

Then, the second cramp hit, and a wave of pain passed over the medic-nin's body. Surely, she must have medicine for this somewhere! But what about...

Oh. The 't' word. Like she could really say that -tampon!- to her male sensei, and her two male teammates!

Now what? a desperate voice in her mind whispered. Another wave of pain, and a terrible twinge, and Rin knew that by Kakashi's strange look, he had definitely noticed. Yes, definitely.

But she could get through this - she just had to be strong. She could totally get through this! Cramps couldn't keep her down. Soon they would be at the border, and -

But suddenly, Rin felt herself double over and fall to the ground. So much for 'playing it cool'. N-iii-ce, the same voice in her head said sarcastically.

Obito rushed over. "Rin! Are you OK?!" Worriedly, the Uchiha stared at the girl, who was now lying on the ground and clutching her stomach in pain.

Minato, who had dealt with Kushina's tirades and pleas for midol enough to understand the situation at hand, awkwardly said, "I think it might be a good time for us to take a short break. Right, Rin?"

Kakashi looked at his sensei crossly. "No breaks. The border is only a half a mile off."

The Uchiha glared at his teammate, crossing his arms.

"Only a half a mile? You're so dense Kakashi! Rin can barely even walk. Oh, yeah. What's wrong with her anyway?" He did a horrid job of trying to whisper to their teacher, and Rin felt her face flush in shame.

How could she hold up their team this way? She scolded herself mentally, and tried her best to sit up. "I-it's all right. I think I'll be OK. I - augh!" she cut herself off when she grit her teeth in pain and once again found herself on the ground, the smell of dirt making her rather nauseated.

Holding back tears, listening to Obito and Minato arguing about her strange 'condition' - "We have to get Rin to a doctor ASAP!" followed by "Well Obito, I'm not quite sure if that's what she needs right now" and "Yes, it is!" - Rin felt even more embarrassed, wishing she could crawl into a hole and disappear -

- but suddenly, she felt herself being gingerly lifted from the ground. "Hold on to my back."

Rin found herself being carried - by Kakashi! Not Obito, not Minato-sensei, but her long-time crush. If she was humiliated before, nothing could compare to the shame she felt now.

"Kakashi, really, you don't have to -" Rin said, trying not to stammer as she held back a blush.

The jounin said - and was it her imagination when she noticed his tone was softer than normal? - "We need to get going. Don't worry about it." And, after a few awkward moments, she didn't.

Rin clutched around his neck and felt the blush fade away, smiling as Obito and Kakashi argued about why he was the one who got to carry her.

Good things really do come in small, painful packages.

[End note: cramps are evil. That is all. This was dedicated to all girls who have ever felt the pain, especially in front of a dude. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review :)]