Days passed, and Shiki was slowly growing accustomed to the insects that inhabited her body. It grossed her out more than it freaked her out, but Shiki was quick to ignore the overall horror of it. They weren't hurting her—and as their host, the kikaichū would provide services in return to ensure that she would stay alive. And god dammit, was she going to need everything to stay alive…until she figured out where she was on the timeline.
And even then, Shiki still wasn't going to take her chances… Her last life came to an end all too soon, without her having any knowledge of how it happened. So given her current situation, Shiki wanted to ensure her current life was a long and prosperous one.
Especially since her clan was so damn loving of her. It was weird, seeing such a stoic and usually reserved clan being so expressive around her. Though, she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the attention—especially when it came from her father.
Shinjiro spent every waking moment with Shiki, never once showing annoyance in regards to her loud crying or the messes she made in her diapers. Shiki appreciated it all, even though she, herself, in her past life, would have grown annoyed with all the attention she was given.
Life was definitely good.
…
…
Then Shiki met her twelve-year-old uncle, Shibi, who had just returned from a C-ranked mission with his team, and that's when Shiki had a vague idea of when she was born. It certainly wasn't after the Fourth Shinobi World War, that's for damn sure, so good luck being part of Boruto's generation!
"Fuck my life…" Shiki thought before trying her best to remove Shibi's glasses. She failed spectacularly and ended up grabbing his nose instead.
Shibi was not amused…but Shinjiro was. And Shiki was now aware that, one day, she was going to have Aburame Shino as a cousin. Also, there was a war stirring up in her future (two wars, actually), so her chance of a civilian life just went out the window—oh whom was she kidding, she wanted to become a kunoichi. Better safe than sorry, even had she been born after the Fourth Shinobi World War—especially considering that Orochimaru was still alive and the drama involved with Uchiha Sarada was something out of a soap opera (just add ninjas!).
"Might as well fuck up the future while I'm here…" Shiki had knowledge, and knowledge was power. And if she planned carefully, then she could very well avoid the shitstorm that was the future and lengthen her life span while she was at it.
For now, Shiki was going to enjoy her time as a child and be the annoying niece Shibi never thought he would have—hell, he was still getting over the fact that his older brother even had a child.
…
Days turned to weeks, which soon turned to months, and it was at four months old that Aburame Shiki rolled over for the first time. Shinjiro had been watching the entire time and was chuckling when Shiki tried to roll over again.
She managed to do it once, she could do it again, god dammit! Shiki was determined to get through her developmental stages as quickly as possible! Because the sooner she could start walking, the sooner she could start toilet training.
"I must look ridiculous…" It sure explained why her father was chuckling…pfft, the dork.
…
…
A few days later, Shinjiro woke up one morning to the sound of his daughter's laughter. Her first laugh…and it was toward his disheveled looks in his sleep. It was enough to make Shinjiro laugh, himself. He really did love his daughter…
…
…
When Shiki finally started crawling, she was sixth months old and causing panic to anyone who hadn't notice her in their way until they nearly bumped into her. Shibi almost tripped on her once and, despite having shown visible annoyance towards her, Shibi nearly had a panic attack because he had accidentally bumped into his niece. Shiki just blinked and shook her head, not really understanding why Shibi was worked up—he barely even nudged her.
Then Shinjiro came rushing in, having just woken up, only to find Shiki missing from his side. Shiki looked at her father with the same expression she had given Shibi, as she still had no idea why they were even panicking.
"It's not as if I'm going to get myself killed…" Shiki did consider the fact that Shibi nearly tripped on her and then there was the fact that she kinda sorta did leave her father while he was asleep—yeah, they had justifiable reasons for panicking.
Still, Shiki was starting to notice something was off…and that was that, from the very day she was passed around from relative to relative, she had yet to see any other infants like her. The most she had seen were children and they were already far older than she was by at least seven years. There just wasn't anyone younger than that, but her.
"I guess that makes me the youngest again…" Again, referring to the fact that Shiki had also been the youngest in her family in her past life. Youngest, however, in her extended family, was something that was only exclusive to her life as Aburame Shiki. "That explains the overprotectiveness."
Because the Aburame cherished their clan's children, as Shiki had come to learn. Having been the first infant brought into the family in seven years was enough for everyone to not take her presence for granted. Grandfather Shingen sure loved drop by and visit at least once a day, and Great-Aunt Shikimi made her presence known whenever she wanted to dress Shiki up in some of the baby clothes she made.
Shikimi was a sweetheart and, so far, the only female presence in Shiki's life that was consistent. That was yet another thing Shiki was starting to notice. The majority of her clan consisted of males. Why, Shiki had no idea, but it was certainly a question she was going to ask when she knew how to ask the question.
For now, Shiki had yet to say her first word and it was pretty damn difficult getting her mouth to form coherent words. All that kept coming out was incomprehensible words that her father seemed to find adorable.
It was only a matter of time before Shiki soon grew tired of crying when she felt hungry and yelled, "Tou-tan!"
The sheer volume of her voice and the fact that the youngest member of the Aburame clan had just spoken her first word brought not only her father toward her, but also some nearby relatives who had heard. So as Shiki was being fed what she believed to be pureed fruit, Shinjiro was dealing with the praise that came from their relatives.
It was shortly right after saying her first word that Shiki began to grasp the language that was spoken around her.
"Now if only these freaking bugs can stop making me itch…" Shiki thought as she scratched at her elbow. Kikaichū were going to be the bane of her existence until their presence within her body finally made itself nonexistent in terms of tangibility.
"What is wrong, Shiki?" Shinjiro crouched down to his daughter's level as she sat on the floor.
Shiki looked at Shinjiro, ceasing her scratching momentarily before continuing. "Buh…"
"I understand that it must be irritable, but do not fret—you will eventually grow accustomed to your kikaichū." Shinjiro smiled as he lifted his daughter off the floor. "Now it is time for your bath…"
And that was Shiki's cue to blank out for the next half hour or so.
…
Shiki had not been looking forward to teething…but teething wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be when she finally reached that stage in her life. Of course, that was mostly because Shiki's kikaichū had had a hand in keeping their host content. While the prickling sensation was something that still bothered her, Shiki was slowly, but surely, growing used to her kikaichū and their presence.
…
…
It was on the day of Shiki's first birthday that little Shiki took her first wobbly steps. Everyone was around to see her and it just so happened that Shingen was in possession of a camera, so when Shiki lost her footing and fell into her father's arms, it was caught on camera. Shiki was starting to wonder how she had yet to lose her sanity with the gratuitous attention her clan was giving her.
"Still not complaining…" Shiki was smart enough not to take things for granted and…it was pretty boring without her clan keeping her entertained. "I wonder when I'm gonna start wearing those glasses…"
…
Since taking her first steps, Shiki made it her mission to practice walking so as to avoid falling down every few steps or so. Shinjiro was never that far behind, not wanting to leave his daughter on her own nor miss out on every little thing she had done.
Thankfully, by the time Shiki had started potty training, she had managed to establish the boundaries she wanted her father to respect, with a little help from her kikaichū. Kikaichū were quite useful whenever Shiki couldn't communicate with her father verbally. What she couldn't do, her kikaichū did, as means of keeping their host happy.
They were also the reason she was learning the language spoken around her so quickly. Now if only her mouth would cooperate with her…
"Umebo!" Shiki tried to repeat the word her father had given her, but failed.
Shinjiro chuckled as he held what looked like a dried plum in between his index finger and thumb. "Umeboshi."
Shiki puffed up her cheeks and tried again. "U-me-bo-shi!"
"Close enough," Shinjiro said before plopping the dried plum into Shiki's mouth. "Umeboshi."
It was shortly after doing this that Shiki quickly realized that it wasn't a dried plum that her father had just given her…it was an umeboshi or, a sour pickled plum. The taste was so sour that Shiki held out her hand in front of her mouth and spit out the umeboshi. She felt betrayed when she heard her father chuckling at her expense.
She was tempted to throw the umeboshi in her hand at him…but then she licked her lips and looked at the umeboshi in the palm of her hand. Curiosity bubbled in her mind and soon got the better of her as she put the umeboshi back in her mouth. It was still as sour as ever—but Shiki liked this flavor.
Slowly, she chewed before swallowing. Afterwards, she held out her hand and exclaimed, "Umeboshi!"
This caught her father off-guard, but surprise quickly turned into delight as he picked off another umeboshi from the plate that had been on the table near by them. He held the umeboshi in between his thumb and index finger and said, "Umeboshi."
"Umeboshi!" Shiki repeated before opening her mouth.
Shinjiro chuckled and placed the umeboshi in Shiki's mouth. He ruffled his daughter's hair afterwards as he watched her face scrunch up as she ate the umeboshi. Her hair was definitely getting longer…
…
As her second birthday neared, Shiki soon found herself standing in front of a mirror. She blinked a few times, tilting her head to the side before placing her hand on the cool glass.
"This is me…" Shiki couldn't help but think as she took in the pale skin that reminded her of a porcelain doll, the black hair that held a lustrous sheen and was soft to the touch, and the pair of yellow eyes that almost seemed to pop…this was Aburame Shiki.
"Enjoying your reflection, I see?" Shinjiro sounded rather amused, as he had been the one who had put Shiki in front of a mirror.
Shiki looked up at her father, who was smiling at her as he looked down at her. She could tell that she had inherited his hair and complexion, but the eyes were something she wasn't too sure. Like many of her relatives, Shiki had never seen her father's eyes. So when her father picked her up at that moment, Shiki took the opportunity to snatch her father's glasses.
Yellow met with a warm, chocolate brown. These eyes of hers were not his eyes…they couldn't be.
"Curious, aren't we?" Shinjiro chuckled as Shiki returned his sunglasses. "If you are worried about your eyes, do not fret—you will soon wear your own pair of glasses like your father."
Shiki didn't know whether she should be happy or not to hear this.
…
…
…
A/N So yeah, Shibi's age is relevant in regards that he was thirty-nine when he first made his appearance in Naruto (pre-Shippuden) and Kakashi was twenty-six going on twenty-seven. There is a twelve-year age difference between the two, so that's how Shiki knew where she was on the timeline…
Also, Shinjiro's teammates, Uzuki Tsukiya and Gekkō Shō—they're the fathers to characters Uzuki Yūgao and Gekkō Hayate, both whom have yet to be born (give them five years or so…). Anyways, doing the math to be more specific, Shiki was born literally thirteen years before the events of Kakashi Gaiden, meaning the Third Shinobi World War is in her future, as is the whole situation involving Team Minato's Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, and Nohara Rin.
You can totally see what this summary means when there are worse things than being covered in bugs. Of course, there are other things Shiki has to worry about as well, but that's something I will show much later into the story.
In the meantime, have this interpretation of the Aburame clan. While the Akimichi clan is one big happy family, as Akimichi Chōko has come to know, being so open with their emotions and being more casual out of the Four Noble Clans of Konohagakure, the Aburame clan is an interesting case. While the Aburame clan is one of the most reserved and polite of the four in mannerisms, they are also the most domestic—yes, you read that right.
The silent and stoic Aburame clan is a family-oriented clan that shows their true colors at home. They will care for whomever they consider part of their family, be it a blood relation, a bastard child, or an adoptee—they don't discriminate. They also quite open-minded, as in the case of Aburame Shinjiro and trust me when I say they go far beyond that.
Just keep in mind that their domestic behavior is reserved for home and family, because for the most part, Aburame will keep to themselves, which is why they are always so stoic and silent. And if you guys are confused with this interpretation of the Aburame clan, look up what constitutes for a eusocial insect—your biggest example is bees, by the way. The Aburame are quite a lot like eusocial insects in the same way the Inuzuka are to their canine companions. So that is why you have these family-oriented, domestic Aburame who are anything but on the battlefield.
I'll go more into the Aburame clan as this story progresses, but this is your biggest hint as what to expect from me in regards to the Aburame clan. Also, I haven't mentioned this before in the previous chapter, but a HUGE shout-out goes to UnstableFable for the fan art of Shiki, which is being used as the cover art for this story! I'll be posting up the link to it soon on my profile, so do keep an eye out for it!
While I have not yet reached ten reviews to make shout-outs (as I usually do), I will still do honorable mentions because the reviewers so far for this story have just earned a special mention! Anyways, honorable mentions go to nic611 (I have not started Bittersweet Candy Bowl yet), Shinan7, and ClownWhosFeelnDown (I LOVE your name, by the way!). Also, thank you so much for taking the time to review—I truly appreciate it! And thank you guys so much for taking the time to favorite and follow this story!
Anyways, I know it hasn't been long since I posted this story, but I'd rather get this chapter up just for the hell of it. I'll be posting chapter three soon as well, since again, I've been working on this story for some time. After I reach a certain point, updates will be a bit sporadic, since I'm working on a lot of fics, but I am totally accepting the challenge of multi-tasking fics! ^^
Well, that is it for now, so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter—I certainly did! So until next time, everyone! KD out! XD