"Mommy! Mommy!" Cried Shizuko from her bedroom. "What is it Bug?" Amai asked as she walked into Shizuko's room. "I can't sleep. When's daddy coming back from his mission?" She asked. Amai smiled at her daughter. She walked over to the little girl and sat on the edge of the bed. Gently she laid the little girl back in her bed, tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "Daddy will be back in about two weeks." Amai whispered. "Aw! that's too long!" Shizuko whined. Amai smiled lightly at her daughter. "Tell you what." Amai said smoothing out Shizuko's short brown hair. "How about I tell you a story about your father and I when we were younger? Will that help you go to sleep?" Amai asked. "Only if you tell me one every night until daddy gets back." Shizuko said. Amai chuckled lightly. "Ok until Daddy gets back." Amai said kissing her daughter's cheek.
"I was about your age when I knew I liked your father...." Amai began.
"Hello Yukionna. I caught this for you." A five year old Shino said to a young girl with bright purple hair tied into two high ponytails. Shino lifted up a clear bug box showing the girl. Inside the box was a large green and blue beetle. The little girl screamed, and knocked the box out of Shino's hands it dropped onto the flat rocks they were standing on. The box shattered into pieces, and beetle flew away. The girl ran off screaming and crying. Little Shino stood there hurt from being rejected for his efforts. He picked up the broken box and started to walk home.
Meanwhile behind a tree, a four year old Amai had watched the whole incident. As the beetle fly away she stuck out her finger, hoping it would land on her finger.
"Are you all right?" Amai asked the beetle. It fluttered its wings in response.
"That mean ol' girl don't know anything. You're a pretty gift. I'd be happy to have you!" Amai said smiling to the beetle. Amai looked up and watched the hurt Shino throw the box into a near-by trash can. She didn't want him hurting, so she tried to find away to make him feel better.
Amai ran as fast as her little legs would carry her, to her mother's pet shop. She opened the the door making the little silver bell at the top of the door ring. Aishou was at the counter reading a book. She looked up from her book to see who it was. She smiled kindly at her daughter.
"Hi mommy!" Amai said running behind the counter. She crawled up on top of the stool next to her mom. Amai wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. Aishou hugged her daughter back.
"We've got a customer. Go see if he needs any help" Aishou said.
"Yes mommy." Amai said crawling down from the stool. She walked to the back of the store where her mother said the customer was. It was Shino looking at the bug boxes. "Hi Shino-Kun!" Amai said walking up to Shino. He looked at her through his dark sunglasses. He didn't say hi back.
"What cha' lookin' at?" Amai asked.
"I need a new bug box." Shino said looking back at the boxes.
"What happened to your old one?" Amai asked.
"It broke." Shino said flatly.
"Oh, did you need any help picking one out?" She asked.
"I don't need your help." Shino said not looking at her.
Amai had grown accustom to the Aburame coldness. She just shrugged it off, and tried to figure out which one he was looking at. She realized he was looking at her mother's high priced box. Shino reached into his pocket pulling out a few coins. He sighed as he counted the money out. He didn't even have enough for a basic bug box. Shino turned away from Amai and headed out of the shop. Amai looked up at the high priced bug box. She reached into her pockets, and pulled out some coins. She only had half the amount that box cost. She ran to her mother.
"Mommy if I do some extra chores, and feed all the animals, Can I have some money please?" Amai asked.
"For what?" Aishou asked.
"That really nice bug box." Amai said.
"Sweetheart, you already have a lot of Bug boxes." Aishou said.
"I know mommy but it's not for me. It's for Shino. Some mean old girl broke his box when he tried to give her a pretty leaf beetle. He looked sad so I want to give it to him to cheer him up." Amai said. "Alright how much do you have?" Her mother asked. "Only half of it." Amai answered. "Okay feed the animals, sweep up, and out the clean the out the bird cages and I'll give you the rest of the money.
"Thank you mommy!"
Later that night...
Amai walked towards Shino's house with her brother. Katai, made sure his little sister was wrapped up tight. It was almost winter. "So how are you going to give it to him?" Katai asked. "I'm not, my bugs are." Amai said. They were 30 feet from Shino's house. Amai commanded her bugs to put the box on Shino's window sill. The bugs did as they were told. They came back to Amai and hid under her clothes. Katai and Amai started to walk home.
"You're not going to let him know it was you?" Katai asked.
"He don't have ta know. I just wanted to make him feel better I don't care if he knows it was me." Amai said.
"Sis, you're too kind." Katai said.
The following day
Amai was in her mom's shop sitting on the floor, playing with her bugs. The bell at the door rang. Amai wasn't paying attention to who came in until she heard her mom speak to them.
"Wow Shino that's a nice bug box. Where did you get it?" Amai's mother asked.
Amai quickly climbed up on the stool and looked over the counter. Seeing Shino she waved happily to him. Shino looked up at Amai. He didn't smile or say thank you. He just looked at her.
"Oh Shino! Dat's a pretty box!" Amai said looking at it. Shino turned around and headed for the bug section of the shop.
Amai lightly kissed each of her sleeping daughters eyes as she snored lightly. "Good night my little bug. Dream of your daddy coming home to us safe and sound." Amai whispered as she left Shizuko's room.