Kane Feels Overwhelmed

Holding onto Kane's legs, Kai'Sa began swinging in mid-air.

Using the momentum from her swings to adjust her angle, she simultaneously exerted force with both hands, leaping a short distance up to grab Kane's waist, followed by his shoulders and head, and finally stepped on his shoulders to climb into the passageway above.

After ensuring Kai'Sa had successfully entered, Kane retracted his bone spines and followed her up.

The deliberate change in their entry order wasn't because Kane wanted to admire Kai'Sa's shapely rear. Instead, the size of her shoulder pods determined whether they could pass through the narrow sections of the tunnel.

Kai'Sa's shoulder pods were quite bulky, and if she couldn't fit through the narrow parts of the passage, then there was no point in proceeding.

They climbed up the tunnel in sync, their sharp claws gripping the rock wall to ensure stability and speed.

However, Kai'Sa's pace suddenly slowed. Kane, who was searching for the next foothold on the rock wall ahead, accidentally bumped into her, causing her to emit a suppressed shriek.

"What's slowing you down? Is there something up there?"

Kane initially thought something ahead caused Kai'Sa to slow down, but when he looked up, he was momentarily blinded.

He slid down a meter, awkwardly averting his gaze.

In his mind's network, there were no void creatures above. Kai'Sa's halt could only be due to some personal discomfort.

"Kai'Sa, what's wrong?" Concerned by her complete stop, he asked.

"My stomach... it's bothering me," Kai'Sa responded.

"Stomachache? Are you sick?"

Kane was taken aback. During their years underground, Kai'Sa had experienced pain from injuries but never from illness. However, it was impossible to examine her properly in almost vertical tunnels. They first needed to reach flat ground.

"Can you move? I'll carry you."

"Okay..."

Kai'Sa slid down to wrap her arms around Kane's neck and her legs around his waist, and he continued the climb with her in tow.

Along the way, Kane noticed Kai'Sa's body occasionally shivering, enduring the discomfort. He increased his speed. The tunnel above wasn't their hoped-for exit; as they ascended, the slope eased until it was almost flat.

Kane set Kai'Sa down, removing his helmet to ask about her condition.

"What does your stomach ache feel like? Is it the carapace causing it?"

"It just came on suddenly, in waves... I don't know what's happening," Kai'Sa, also helmet-less, said, her cheeks unnaturally flushed.

"I'll find some food for you." Concerned by her symptoms, Kane set off to hunt, thinking her stomachache might be a severe hunger signal from the carapace, intending to find a heart for Kai'Sa to absorb and soothe it.

In the past, no matter the severity of an injury, as long as the carapace absorbed enough energy, it would return nutrients to repair Kai'Sa's wounds.

To Kane, the hearts of void creatures were like a cure-all.

"Wait." But Kai'Sa stopped him, urging him to stay.

Meeting Kane's puzzled look, she shook her head, explaining, "It's not the first time this has happened; it'll pass in a while."

"Ah?" Realizing a gap in his knowledge, Kane asked, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He felt frustrated that she kept such important information from him.

"It's just a little discomfort... I didn't mention it," Kai'Sa said, downplaying her symptoms compared to the carapace's pains, which seemed trivial.

The discomfort made her moody and unwilling to move, souring her mood.

"How long has this been happening?" Kane pressed, unsettled by the unknown aspects of Kai'Sa's condition.

Kai'Sa didn't understand Kane's insistence over a minor ailment that would resolve with rest.

Reluctantly, she recounted the frequency and nature of her discomfort.

"It's recent, happening a few days each month. It was sudden the first time, but it's been uncomfortable since..."

Kane fell silent, viewing Kai'Sa with a complex expression before finally speaking, "Kai'Sa, I think I know what's wrong, but I'm not sure if my solution will work."

"How to treat it?"

"Let me see your stomach."

Confused but compliant, Kai'Sa revealed her abdomen. Kane's hands, moving over her carapace, seemed to offer relief, but the discomfort returned when he stopped.

Eventually, Kai'Sa positioned herself for easier access, asking, "Why does it feel better when you rub it? What's wrong with me?"

"It's a natural part of growing up. You're experiencing your menstrual cycle, which happens to girls a few days each month. They need some care during this time."

Kane sighed inwardly at the awkwardness of explaining this to her. Blaming Malzahar for his predicament, he wondered if boys experienced similar cycles.

"Do boys have them too?" Kai'Sa's curiosity about gender differences piqued, having observed Kane's behavior without understanding the reasons behind their physical differences.

"Of course..." Kane began, sensing a tricky conversation ahead, then switched tactics, "Yes, but it mainly affects their mood, making them irritable. If you see me like that, you know to be careful around me, okay?"

Kai'Sa inquired further, leading to an awkward revelation about her condition being absorbed by the carapace, leaving Kane in shock and facing the complexities of growth.