Author's Note:

This is just an experience I made up for Canaan to dispel Yuri's quote when she said in episode 2, "A Cruel Game", that Canaan "probably hasn't even had a period yet." I find her comments quite annoying.

Canaan kicked her legs back on top of the covered desk. The copper, wired Eiffel Tower stood still on the windowsill. Rain drops tapped against the window and the dreary nimbostratus clouds stared back inside the room, but the Eiffel Tower still shined in the faint light.

The mercenary has not seen Yuri Natsume lately, and her absence made Canaan wonder about her. She remembered the woman trying to insult her with sarcastic jokes several times about puberty. Canaan never understood her jokes, but she didn't care anyway.

In fact, her employer was wrong. Canaan did get her period in her early preteens when Sham was training her. The mercenary remembered the awkward experience in detail. Canaan took out a sugar stick and tucked it in her mouth.

Flashback…

The sun rose to the highest point in the sky and it was a beautiful, clear day. Canaan and Sham had just finished eating lunch, and the silver-haired girl suddenly felt some physical discomfort. She excused herself and went a bit far from camp to find the usual bush where she relieved herself.

When Canaan arrived at her spot, she used her synesthesia to make sure there wasn't anyone else besides her in the woods. When she felt safe, she pulled her baggy pants down and discovered a light red liquid oozing down to her thighs.

Canaan stared back in shock at the red liquid. Was that… blood? The girl touched the liquid to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. A warm and iron smell. It was blood.

But how was that possible? She didn't remember getting hit or injured there. It wasn't painful either. Canaan immediately untied the red bandana by her neck and spread it out on top of her underwear. She pulled her pants up and hurried back to camp to alert Sham.

When she returned, Sham found the girl panting.

"Canaan, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously. He had never seen Canaan worrying before. It wasn't like her.

"I'm bleeding, but it doesn't hurt!" the young girl exclaimed bewilderingly.

"Bleeding? Where?"

"Right here." She pointed slowly toward her genital area with embarrassment.

His brown eyes deepened, and he lit a cigarette. Was it time for her? Smoke puffed out from the end of the nicotine stick.

"Canaan, I should have told you earlier about this, but I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable or confuse you," Sham replied quietly choosing his words carefully. "What I think you're going through is menstruation."

"Menstruation?" Canaan asked confusingly as the alien word rolled off her tongue.

"It's a natural process for all girls to go through when they become a woman. Blood is shed monthly from there in order for you to be able to have babies. Since this is your first period, it's telling you that you are now physically mature. The process will last for a few days, but it depends on each person. You will lose blood, but your body will always produce more of it. Some females find it painful or painless."

Canaan shook her head in disgust. "But I don't want to have babies! Why do I have to menstruate?"

The ex-mercenary chuckled. "You can choose not to have children in the future, but Mother Nature rules all. Besides, from what I heard when I was in high school, girls who are physically active don't have to worry. Their periods occur less, because they have less fat in their body. Prepare to menstruate at least twice or once a year."

The young girl sighed with relief. "Good then," Canaan replied and paused. "Do you have any extra cloths?" she asked timidly.

Flashback fades.

The sugar stick melted in Canaan's mouth, and the sweetness rushed to her head.

She chuckled.