Shiko Aburame was an unusual one for an Aburame. Silent in the womb, she sent both her mother and father into multiple trips to the hospital in order to be reassured of their daughter's continual existence. Keiko fretted about the lack of response for days on end, bending to her husband's 'wool wrapping' tendencies and minding her cravings with a watchful eye. Aburame's tended to be quiet, reserved and withdrawn, yes, but not until after they'd left the womb.

This was the first sign of abnormality.

The second sign -a stark contrast to the first- was the unholy wail that ripped itself from the newborns throat. But it wasn't the volume, so much as the length which frightened Keiko- 48 hours. Nonstop screaming for 48 hours until the child finally -finally- exhausted itself to sleep. Their first child had done nothing of the sort; he had cried a bit after birth, sure, but after 20 minutes he was quiet- and was still quiet up to this day, in fact.

But this child, battered and bruised for reasons none of the medics could explain, screeched and screamed itself hoarse, crying out for reasons unknown. It wept, it weeped, it wailed and they waited, waited until it had finished throwing it's fit. Keiko was only thankful they could heal her vocal chords afterwards, that they were still undeveloped enough that fixtures could be made.

The third sign, though.

The third sign; bruises littered the child's body, despite the lack of movement from within the womb. Purple and black, blood welling under the skin. They were everywhere, from head to toe, but the worst one- the worst one was directly over her heart. The size of an adult's foot, it covered her entire chest, a plethora of blues, greens, purples scattered over the deadly, dark black centre.

That one never went away.

Healing them was difficult, medics working over six hours over the infants body, but even after hours of work, they could not remove the discoloured patch over the girls heart. They couldn't spend more time trying, as they risked overloading the child's system- as it was they'd already stretched it too the limits. The bruised heart would remain, and Shibi and Keiko were only slightly mollified by the news that it didn't actually effect her heart, it was only skin deep. Keiko was devastated- her child hadn't even seen the training field, and she was already scarred for life. It just- it wasn't right.

After all that, however, they were free to take their baby home.

Shino, their year old son, peered curiously at Shiko when she arrived home in his father's arms. Kneeling down, Keiko accepted her daughter from her husband, and invited him closer.

"Look, Shino, this is your new baby sister." He stared curiously at her, slowly reaching out a hand to stroke the infant's face. Gently he touched the black patch around her eye, and peered up at his mother.

"Why does she look like that?"

"Because," Keiko's voice cracked, her smile wobbled, and Shino watched her closely, cataloging the behaviour for later, for comparison. "Because she's special- she'll need lots of care and love. We need to take care of her."

Eyebrows furrowed, but the boy nodded, and stroked the infant again. Keiko smiled again, this one remaining strong on her face, and Shibi nodded from above her.

It was going to be okay.

This was no okay.

Shino watched, amused, as his new sister doggedly avoided the food being spooned at her. Nothing would get her to eat it, he didn't think, and his mother's attempts would be as fruitful as the ones this morning. Actually, his sister hadn't eaten since mother decided to put her on solid food- maybe she didn't think she needed food?

That was a silly thought, he decided, everyone needed food.

Regardless, his sister had decided she didn't need food, and that wasn't okay. Coming to a conclusion, he hopped out of his chair, and waddled over to where his mother and sister sat. Taking the spoon from his mother's hand, he held it out in front of Shiko and gave her a look.

"Everyone need food, Shiko." The brown eyes met, and the two had a staring contest before she, slowly, opened her mouth. Shino's lips quirked up, and he put the spoon in her mouth.

An hour later Shiko and Shino were being dragged to the hospital by their frantic mother (Shibi was away on a mission) after Shiko's stomach had bloated to twice it's usual size after throwing up her lunch. After an hour of investigation (and another half hour of them attempting to heal her remaining bruise again), the medic's told them that it was an allergic reaction and while it wouldn't kill her this time, if she continued to eat it it was predicted she would die before she reached the age of ten.

Keiko looked horrified, and Shino held his sister a little tighter at the news. The medics carried on, explaining identifying tests and possible diet supplementation paths -all of which had been discovered by Akimichi's who'd had various allergies over the years- but Shino wasn't listening, too busy staring down at the doll brown eyes in his arms, watering from the pain stewing in their stomach. Quiet and recluse, the loyalty of the Aburame was never a mystery within the village. This was his baby sister, and nothing was going to take her away from him. Nothing and no one. Gently he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Nothing.

They were still at the hospital when Shibi arrived home the next day, and they were there for another six hours before the medics came to a conclusion. Shiko was allergic to a barely known substance- so unknown, in fact, that it didn't have a name yet. That fact set fear into Shino's heart- how could he protect Shiko from something they didn't even know anything about? Apparently reading this thought on their faces, the medic nin quickly covered his mistake, assuring them that there was a diet known to avoid the substance, as a single Akimichi -Shigure- had had a similar allergy.

"I don't think he had it as severely, however." Jyugo Makamiya commented. "So you may have to keep an eye on her to start with, just in case she's sensitive to something Shigure wasn't."

Shino decided he'd keep an eye on her forever.

Shibi can't believe he was watching this. His daughter was eyeing the Akimichi in front of her, and he could feel the kikaichu buzzing inside her suspiciously. The fact that his six month old daughter was, in fact, suspicious of anyone at her age was a curiosity in and of itself. Shigure, however, appeared to be taking it all in stride, and scooped her out of Keiko's arm with the gentle ease of another parent.

"Hello, Shiko, I hear you and I share some allergies." The infant blew a bubble at him, something Shibi had been told was her way of affirming a statement -how his son decided to interpret a child's behaviour was something he didn't care to understand- and Keiko nodded, wringing her now-empty hand fretfully.

"Yes, we noticed as soon as we put her on solid food." Though his eyes remained on Shiko, Shigure raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "The medic's directed us to you, I hope it's not trouble, I-"

"It's fine," Laughter boomed from the large man, startling Shiko. "No trouble at all! I am surprised you noticed right away, however." His voice quietened a little. "It took my own parent's a couple of weeks to notice." Coming from an Akimichi that was incredibly meaningful. It implied Shiko was not only more sensitive than Shigure, but to an extreme degree. This was an extremely troubling thought.

As if sensing this, Shiko looked over at him, brown eyes wide and, perhaps Shibi was projecting, apologetic. As if she was aware of the trouble she was causing, and the future efforts that would go towards her diet and health.

He was being ridiculous.

(but perhaps he wasn't)