Winter soon turned to spring, and the weather became rather warm enough for Shiki not to worry about the cold air screwing up her day. Of course, running was still as difficult as ever, not only because of her asthma, but because she hated running in general. If there was one thing she was proud of, however, it was the fact that she could actually do twenty push-ups.

It took many days, of which Shiki had to endure sore muscles and collapsing onto the ground many times from her arms unable to support her own weight, but she finally did it and her father was nice enough to make sakuramochi to celebrate. This was certainly a huge improvement from what she was capable of in her past life. That is to say, Shiki couldn't do a measly push-up if her life happened to depend on it.

It was the little things that made Shiki smile as she snuggled up to her father's side. To think, she was born into this clan, believing the Aburame to be so reserved and serious, when they were anything but…at least, to their family. To most people, the Aburame clan seemed completely unapproachable. The idea that the Aburame were quite a touch-oriented clan was rather mind-boggling…but Shiki didn't mind.

Shiki loved her family. It made every horror she was going to have to deal with in the future just a little less intense. Living in the moment was what she did to avoid panicking over events that she could either have little to no control. That still didn't mean she wasn't thinking.

Aburame Shiki knew she was going to be the same age as Nohara Rin, Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Obito. If she planned things carefully, then maybe—just maybe—she could avoid the tragedy that will occur years from now.

It was nice having such a supportive family—one that didn't overbear her with expectations, just support. More often than not, Shiki would go along with whatever suggestions a relative mentioned. What's that—tea ceremony practice with Grandfather Shingen? Calligraphy with Cousin Shinobu? Poetry with Great-Uncle Naomi? Sign her the fuck up!

It was never a boring day at the Aburame compound. Shiki was always doing something with her family, besides preparing her body for when she would enter the Academy. Best of all, unlike her past life, spending time with her family didn't exhaust her. There was so much warmth and positivity—Shiki really lucked out…she lucked out so much.

I want to protect them.

I want to protect them all.

Those thoughts crossed Shiki's mind as she helped her ten-year-old cousins, Chiaki, Chihiro, and Chitose, make kusamochi. It honestly boggled her mind that these three brothers were all Great-Aunt Shikimi's sons. It wasn't that she was surprised that Shikimi had children, because Shikimi was just someone full of love to share, with a husband that was just as much of a gem as she was. It was more to the fact that Shikimi had triplets.

Chihiro was the shyest, out of the three of them, with Chitose being the most outgoing, usually picking up Shiki whenever she wasn't paying attention and letting her ride on his shoulders as he ran throughout the compound. Chiaki was neither outgoing nor shy…but he was a rather sleepy fellow, usually drifting off to sleep at the most random of times before being promptly woken up by his kikaichū a few minutes later (it depended on the situation).

Shiki liked Chiaki…it was always fun to stuff food into his mouth and watch him wake up a few moments afterwards. He usually patted Shiki on the head and smiled at her as he ate the food she had finished stuffing into his mouth. Chihiro just liked to comb her hair and make her things—just like his mother.

"Your hair is getting really long, Shiki-san." Chihiro sounded rather proud as he continued to gently run the comb through Shiki's long, black locks.

Shiki said nothing as she ate the kusamochi she and her cousins had finished making. Right now, Chitose was playing a harmless prank on Chiaki as he slept, by just braiding flowers into his long hair. So when Shinobu's sixteen-year-old daughter, Kunie, walked into the kitchen to check up on her younger relatives, she burst into a fit of laughter upon seeing Chiaki with so many flowers in his hair.

When Shiki first met Kunie, it was during a moment that the older girl was putting on make-up for no other reason, aside from wanting to look nice. Of course, Shiki had met Kunie earlier than that, but that day was the first time that Shiki actually sat down to talk with her cousin. That was about two months ago. Since that day, Shiki found herself going to Kunie to learn about make-up. Kunie was honestly a sweetheart in letting her own cousin practice on her face.

Kunie, like Shikimi, was one of the few female Aburame that Shiki had come across these past three years. Though, to be more precise, Kunie and Shikimi, as well as Shiki, were of the very few females that were Aburame by blood. One thing Shiki found out about the Aburame clan is that they had a tendency to adopt children into their clan, whether it was to solve an issue involving infertility, or just wishing to add more to the family, as well as giving an orphan a chance at having a family.

It was through Kunie that Shiki learned why there were so few females in the Aburame clan. The reason for it was because of the influence the kikaichū have had on the Aburame clan's genetics, making it so that more males are born than female. Though, a rather positive outcome that came out because of the kikaichū's influence was that the females of the Aburame clan were much deadlier than the males.

Kunie went on and on about how, during the Warring States Period, female Aburame were feared because of their destructive capacities. Kikaichū are much more in sync with their female hosts, connecting them as their "queen" and are much more defensive than the kikaichū found on male hosts. Kunie also brought up a rumor that was going around Konoha that she found hilarious.

That rumor was that, supposedly, the females of the Aburame clan ate males during the honeymoon. Just even mentioning that made Kunie laugh, while Shiki just blinked a few times, resisting the urge to smile as she asked, "What's a honeymoon?"

And that quickly prompted Kunie to change the subject. Sometimes, Shiki liked knowing more information than a child should know, as she was, mentally, an adult (albeit, not a mature one).

Shiki decided to bring up the information she had learned from Kunie around her father during one of their training sessions, a few months after learning all of that. Shinjiro seemed a bit surprised that his daughter knew such information, but quickly understood once Shiki mentioned Kunie's name. Since Kunie had taught Shiki what Shinjiro had been meaning to teach her, once she had asked, Shinjiro decided to move onto a different topic. The topic was that Shiki now had a responsibility once she entered the Academy. It was a responsibility that all Aburame shared.

"You will have to try and control your kikaichū, as they will try to do their best to protect you, their host, when they see fit," Shinjiro began. "In battle, this can be used to your advantage…but in a setting where there are civilians, this poses a threat to their safety. That threat only worsens around children, no matter what background they come from, as you are aware that kikaichū feed on chakra, right?"

Shiki stared at her father for a good two minutes, allowing her kikaichū to relay the information he had just given her. Once those two minutes were up, Shiki nodded her head in comprehension.

"Some of the signs that your kikaichū are ready to strike are when their presence becomes extremely tangible," Shinjiro continued. "An example of such is that prickling experience you feel now and whenever you start to drift off when your attention wavers—but much more intense."

Shiki made a face at this. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Shinjiro meant by more intense than the current experience she had with her kikaichū now. At least she was now aware whenever she needed to keep her kikaichū in check…but how was she to do that?

"Otou-san, how do I do that?" Shiki wanted to know.

"You need to use your chakra as a distraction for your kikaichū, and then use that opening to command them to stop." As Shinjiro explained, he held out his hand, which had lit up with a light blue color that just emanated from his skin. "Even the smallest concentration of chakra can make a kikaichū ignore their instincts to protect their host. Of course, they only pay attention to their host's chakra, in case you are worried about an opponent trying to take advantage of this."

Shiki hadn't actually considered that until now and was relieved to hear that.

"All it takes, after that, is a simple command—it does not even have to be a verbal one." Having said that, tiny little beetles flew off from Shinjiro's hand and made a heart-shaped formation in front of Shiki's face. "Do you understand?"

Shiki stared at the heart-shaped formation for a few seconds before smiling wide and laughing. "I understand, Otou-san! Hey—when are we going to practice using chakra?"

If it hadn't been for her Uncle Shibi explaining to her the fundamentals of chakra, Shiki would have been asking question after question in order to seem like a child still learning about the world around her.

"We shall start as soon as you built enough stamina—how have you been doing today, by the way?" Shinjiro asked, adjusting his glasses afterwards.

Shiki blinked a few times. "Fine…I only coughed twice today!"

And that was because Great-Aunt Shikimi's triplets bought her green tea ice cream. The fact that it took Shiki this long to realize that it was her asthma that always made her cough after consuming ice cream in her past life and now was enough to make her want to slap her forehead for being an idiot. Of course, she did not do that and continued eating her ice cream, while suppressing the urge to cough.

Shiki needed to be extra careful with this life.

"Is that so?" Shinjiro sounded amused as he placed a hand on top of Shiki's head to ruffle her hair. "That is especially good to hear…now let us continue with stretching."

Shiki nodded her head and allowed her father to help her stretch, moving her body into positions she could most definitely couldn't do in her past life. There really were perks to being a child again—that being flexibility.

It was almost summer once Shinjiro sat Shiki down to teach her how to use chakra. And when Shiki managed to make her hands glow faintly with the same light blue color that came off of her father's hand, she felt absolutely elated. The sensation that came from using chakra was unbelievable. It was so warm and so soft…she almost wanted to put her hand into her mouth—just to see what it tasted like. After all, her kikaichū fed on chakra.

It was shortly after that, that Shinjiro stuck a leaf on Shiki's forehead and asked her to try her best to direct all of her chakra onto the leaf. That was when things became increasingly difficult. While Shiki was able to do what she had been told for a few seconds, the leaf didn't stay stuck on her forehead for very long. Shiki made a face when she watched the leaf flutter slowly onto the floor.

"You should not make such a face—even your father had a difficult time with the leaf concentration exercise," Shinjiro reassured his daughter. "Now let us try again and remember, practice makes perfect—so do take your time."

Shiki nodded her head and picked up the leaf. She then stuck it on her forehead and tried again. This time, she managed to keep it on her forehead for seven seconds. Seven soon became eleven and with each attempt Shiki tried, her time kept increasing ever so slowly. After about fifteen minutes, Shinjiro had Shiki stop.

"Slow and steady, remember?" Shinjiro said as he removed the leaf from Shiki's forehead. "You are still quite new to using chakra, so it would be best not to rush yourself. After all, using chakra continuously can be quite exhausting and strenuous."

"Okay!" Shiki understood.

"We shall try again tomorrow and keep at it, until your fourth birthday." Shinjiro smiled warmly at Shiki as he tousled her hair.


Shinjiro worried for his daughter more than one could ever imagine. So when he came across her as she learned how to play the koto, with their seventeen-year-old cousin, Shikuro, giving her lessons…Shinjiro felt a little uncomfortable. After all, Shikuro wasn't like a good majority of the clan, who were hosts to kikaichū.

Shikuro was part of a special branch of the Aburame clan, being a host to rinkaichū and not kikaichū. Rinkaichū, unlike kikaichū, act more independently of the host. Unlike kikaichū, rinkaichū are much more miniscule and are capable of destroying their enemies' cells, causing excruciating pain in the process. Fortunately, direct physical contact—skin contact being mostly preferred—is required for the Aburame to transfer rinkaichū onto the victim's body.

Unfortunately, this made it increasingly difficult for rinkaichū hosts to ever be physically affectionate, without precautions. Of course, the Aburame were never one to back down from a challenge and as dangerous as it was to do so, they never went as far as to exclude any rinkaichū hosts from the familial warmth extended to everyone else. An Aburame would rather die than allow something to hinder their desire to embrace their own child.

Still, even with Shikuro dressed the way he is, to avoid exposing any skin that could potentially transfer rinkaichū onto someone else and as skilled as he was in controlling his rinkaichū, Shinjiro worried. Shinjiro worried like the parent he was, for the "what ifs" going through his head as he watched Shiki interact with Shikuro. Shinjiro felt a little guilty, because he was underestimating the precautions Shikuro, himself, was taking, in order to ensure the utmost care so as to not transfer any rinkaichū onto Shiki.

"That is quite beautiful, Shiki-san," Shikuro complimented Shiki as she plucked on a few strings in a specific order, making a rather pleasant sound.

"Thank you, Shikuro-san," Shiki said as she continued to pluck the strings on the koto, using her tsume-tipped fingers. She listened carefully, trying to find the right note before plucking on the same strings as before, except adding another note to the current song she seemed to be making.

Shinjiro was honestly amazed at how creative his daughter was, but that was to be expected of her, considering how much time she spent with her relatives.

Shikimi's husband, Naomi, had started teaching Shiki how to read after she took quite an interest in his poetry. Shinobu had only continued from where Naomi began, teaching Shiki how to write, as well as letting her dabble in calligraphy, in order to improve her penmanship. Shiki liked to listen to Kunie, who loved to talk about the history of their clan and the village they lived in, Konohagakure. Chihiro, Chiaki, and Chitose had already introduced the basics of mathematics and measurement to their cousin, using cooking and eating as a medium—which was honestly quite clever.

No matter what it was she was doing, Shiki was always doing something with her family…and learning. She was certainly going to be quite the bright student once she entered the Academy, Shinjiro couldn't help but think. He was already imagining his daughter, rushing out of the Academy building, where he would be waiting for her at a tree, each and every day, after classes were over. She would be showing off the good marks she had received on her papers and exams, looking so proud.

And even if she didn't receive good marks, Shinjiro wouldn't mind. It wasn't as though he was hoping to have a genius for a daughter. He was just happy having a daughter—one he could love and cherish. With that in mind, Shinjiro continued to watch his cousin and daughter interact, not wanting to interrupt them.

Because, like Shiki, Shinjiro was also learning…he was learning to trust.


It was late in the summer when Shiki started to notice an issue with her eyes. Over the past few days, it had been taking longer and longer for her eyes to adjust to whatever lighting there was in the room. Whether she was just waking up or walking into a different room, the lighting just irritated the hell out of Shiki's eyes. Shiki thought nothing much of it, just pegging it down as something someone of her age would experience—she wouldn't know, as she had hazy memories of when she was three-years-old in her past life.

Then she woke up one morning, unable to open her eyes at all. Everything was just so much brighter than usual, that her eyes just didn't want to adjust. It hurt to open her eyes, to the point she was starting to get headaches from trying to open them. She had no idea what to do and was extremely glad that her father had come to check up on her, asking what she wanted for breakfast.

"Otou-san—everything is too bright!" Shiki exclaimed as she covered her eyes, feeling more vulnerable than ever.

Shiki was almost expecting Shinjiro to panic, as he had when he witness his daughter's first ever asthma attack. However, Shinjiro stayed calm and just lifted Shiki off her futon, calmly speaking to her in a voice that always seemed to ease her nerves.

"Everything is fine, Shiki," Shinjiro reassured. "Your eyes are just in need of protection from the light."

"What?" Shiki was confused.

"I might just be making assumptions, but you must have wondered why the Aburame always wear glasses…am I correct?" Shinjiro asked her in a rather calm and steady voice.

"I guess…" Shiki always wondered, but never felt the need to ask…but it seemed as though she was going to get an answer, even without needing to ask.

"Once the children of this clan reach a certain age, their eyes become increasingly sensitive to light," Shinjiro explained. "This light sensitivity does wane with age, but never enough to discard our glasses completely."

"So that's what it is…" Shiki never considered that it was something as simplistic (in her opinion) as light sensitivity that warranted the use of sunglasses in the Aburame clan. Though, now she couldn't help but wonder… "Is it because of our kikaichū?"

"You are correct," Shinjiro replied. "It is because of our kikaichū, though it is nothing too serious. You will eventually grow accustomed to your glasses, as you have your kikaichū—how are they now, by the way?"

"Fine!" It had actually been months since Shiki realized she could no longer feel her kikaichū's presence within her body. She could still feel them whenever they induced that prickling sensation whenever she wasn't paying attention, but aside from that, it was as if they weren't there. "Is this what you meant that I would eventually wear my own pair of glasses like you, Otou-san?"

"It is, indeed…" If Shiki's eyes hadn't been so sensitive to the light that she needed to keep them closed, she would have noticed that her father was smiling at how good her memory was. "Though, I should have been more truthful, as you will start off with goggles before you start wearing glasses."

"Goggles?" Shiki repeated questioningly.

Shinjiro chuckled. "You shall see…"

About half an hour later, Shiki found out what her father had meant as she looked at her own reflection in the mirror in front of her. She blinked a few times, her hands moving towards the frame of the goggles that she now wore. Dark lenses completely obscured her eyes, giving her a similar look to that of her father and other relatives. They made her almost look…creepy. But…she could see.

I can see.

The light no longer irritated her eyes and she could actually keep them open. The goggles also fit rather comfortably, so they weren't pressed so tightly against her face, but enough to stay in place. And they covered her yellow eyes…

"Otou-san…what happened to Okaa-san?" Shiki felt the need to ask after she turned around to face her father. She knew that the only person she could have inherited her yellow eyes from was her mother—that woman who had made Shiki feel safe and warm on the day she had been born.

Silence followed her question, as her father's expression went blank. Shinjiro stared at his daughter for a good minute before kneeling down to her level and placing his hand on top of her head.

"A mother is someone who is there for you," Shinjiro began. "Who cherishes every moment spent with you…who will do anything to keep you safe…who loves you…who accepts you…"

Shiki was almost confused as to why Shinjiro was telling her this…then she realized that he had chosen his words carefully.

She didn't want me, did she?

That was a sobering thought…to be rejected by the person who had given birth to her. What made it so conflicting was how loved Shiki had felt when that woman held her, fed her, and even sang to her…

Why?

"Why was I born?" Shiki didn't like how fast her heart had started to beat…or how her chest had started to hurt, as though something had been squeezing her heart. Her mouth was dry and it felt as though something had gotten caught in her throat. Her eyes were starting to burn and she felt…cold.

Why?

"Because of unplanned circumstances, you came to be…" was Shinjiro's response.

There was literally no other way to interpret that except that Shiki was an accident. She was never planned. Whatever it was that went on between her father and that woman ended up with Shiki as the byproduct of that encounter.

So that's why…

If Shiki were to be honest, this was not the first time she found out she had been an accident or rather, the product of an unplanned pregnancy. In her past life, that was the entire reason why there had been a near thirteen-year age gap between her and her fourth oldest sibling. The only difference, however, is that her past mother wanted to have her, unlike the woman who had given birth to Shiki.

Why was I even born, if she didn't want me?

Shiki felt like crying, because she was so frustrated with this information she had received. She had so many questions, but no motivation to ask them. She was better off just being happy that she had her father and the Aburame clan.

At least one good thing came out from being unwanted…

"If you must know, I am very happy that you were born," Shinjiro's comment snapped Shiki out of her thoughts. "I am happy, because you are my daughter…and nothing will ever change that. Do you understand?"

Shiki stopped to contemplate what her father had just told her. She heard him clearly, but she just wanted to let his words sink in—to remind her that, while someone didn't want her, someone else did. And because of that, she wasn't alone.

I'm not alone.

"Otou-san…can I have tamagoyaki for breakfast?" Shiki asked her father.

Shinjiro looked at his daughter and smiled. "Of course…"

As the days passed since that faithful morning, Shiki acted the same way she usually did. She smiled when she felt happy and laughed when she thought it was appropriate. But deep down, she still felt hurt over the fact that she had been unwanted by the one person who had given birth to her…but decided it wasn't worth letting it get to her. She had more issues to worry about—such as preventing Obito from ever becoming Tobi.

Why Shiki focused all of her attention on Obito, was because of how deeply he had affected the plot of Naruto. Had Obito not "died" and become Tobi, Namikaze Minato and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, would still be alive. Naruto would have had a much happier life—one spent with his parents. The Uchiha clan would have stayed intact because the Kyuubi never attacked Konohagakure on the night Naruto was born…

It was frightening, that one character could have so much impact on the future…but Shiki didn't have time to be scared. All she had time for, at the current moment, was to plan. Shiki had been thinking long and hard about how to approach this situation. If she could find the exact moment that would solidify the foundation that made Obito become the type of person that was manipulated by Uchiha Madara—if she could weaken that foundation, then maybe…

"The future could be changed…" Shiki thought to herself as she carefully guided the brush in her hand across the paper. She had been working on her calligraphy alongside her cousin, Shinobu. Shinobu had been waiting patiently for her to finish, looking rather proud that his three-year-old cousin had progressed so well. When Shiki had finished, she held up her paper for her cousin to see.

Mirai, or future, is what Shiki had written on her paper. She wanted something to look at, each and every morning, to remind her of the mission she placed on herself. It was not going to be easy, but if there was one thing Shiki had learned, growing up alongside the Aburame, it was that trying was better than doing nothing at all.

Days soon turned to weeks, which quickly became months and before Shiki even knew it, she was turning four. And the day right after, marked the start of another year—the year she would enter the Academy. From what she heard, the Academy began accepting students in the spring, which she presumed would be sometime in April. That only gave her four months to prepare herself for meeting a multitude of people who she only knew as characters from a manga she had read in her past life.

It was going to be rather difficult, as Shiki was never one to do well around strangers, which was something that carried over from her past life. It also didn't help that she would be the only Aburame attending the Academy this year, as her remaining relatives that had been attending had recently become Genin. Being the current youngest member of the Aburame clan, Shiki would be the first and last member to enter the Academy within the past seven years, and it would stay that way for at least five years. After all, the minimum age for entrance into the Academy was five or turning five within the end of the year.

Shiki sometimes thought to herself about how close she had been to being left behind, had she been born a day later. But then she remembered that those types of thoughts were pointless, now that everything had been said and done. The only way she could change her own birthday was to make a fake identity, but even then, that still wouldn't change the fact that she was born on New Year's Eve.

It was a comforting thought, just thinking that…but then Shiki realized that, if things didn't go the way she tried to plan, her birthday wouldn't be the only thing that couldn't be changed.

"This really sucks…" Shiki sighed as she looked over the freshly cut flowers, stems, and twigs that were laid out in front of her. To anyone who came across her now, she would appear to be making an arrangement. What she was actually doing, was using these materials as a substitute for people she had to keep in mind and the connections they had.

Rather than write it on paper, as she had previously considered, Shiki decided to use ikebana. It was the safest option she had and it was easier to keep track of names when associated with something so familiar to her. The container for her arrangement was what she considered, in her mind, to represent Konoha.

The kenzan that had been placed inside the container would be Obito, who started off alone, as Naruto did in the manga. The kenzan would fix the flowers to the container, thus representing a connection. Shiki had no specific style in mind, though it would be considered jiyūka, as it was a free creative design that was not confined to flowers. Every material can be used in jiyūka and that is what Shiki wanted.

Soon, the kenzan had material fixated to it, keeping it inside the container. How Shiki saw it was that Obito was no longer alone, having made so many connections…but what caught her attention was how, before all of that, it began with one person…

Nohara Rin.

Shiki was already aware of how much importance the girl was to Obito, as he considered Rin to be the only light in his life. And when Shiki cut off the flower representing Rin, with a pair of scissors she referred to as Madara, the arrangement she had made no longer looked complete. Shiki was honestly not that surprised.

"Everything starts with her," Shiki thought as she looked at the flower she had finished cutting off from the arrangement. "She kept them together…and drove them apart, until the very end…"

An easier outcome would be to prevent Nohara Rin's death, but that would make events too set into stone. After all, Madara always seemed to have a damn backup plan…

"That salty bastard…" Shiki made a face as she resisted the urge to crush the flower in her hand. Instead of crushing the flower, Shiki looked at it, almost wistfully. Rin was such a nice girl, only to get screwed over because Obito happened to fall in love with her and Madara noticed.

Love…

Shiki paused for a moment to think. She could try to prevent Obito from falling in love with Rin…but Shiki wasn't going to get herself involved with that—she didn't even know where to begin with that. And if there was one thing Shiki knew about herself, it was that she had little to no experience with love. The most experience she ever had with love, was a first crush on a high school friend who wasn't interested in getting into any relationships at all, whatsoever. That still didn't make the mixed signals from said friend any less confusing, as it was just her luck to be friends with a bisexual flirty jokester.

"I miss everyone so much…" Shiki sighed as she allowed herself to slump onto the floor. She missed the friends and family she had left behind. She could only hope that her past life's death wasn't too gruesome… "Great, now I'm worrying about this life."

Because a gruesome death seemed to be a staple, living in a world where child soldiers were the norm, and old age seemed to be the ultimate life goal. Speaking of which, old age was definitely one of Shiki's life goals.

"I better die of old age…" Shiki huffed as she dug her hands into her jacket's pockets. She made a face when her right hand came across her inhaler. "How is this even gonna work?"

It was going to be a pain in the ass, dealing with asthma in this world. Shiki could only hope it didn't prove to be too much of a hindrance, once she entered the Academy. She really hoped that people wouldn't stare…

And deep down, she hoped to make some friends…


A/N So more world building, with a side of family interactions—I enjoyed the hell out of making these OCs. By the by, names such as Kunie, Naomi, Chihiro, Chiaki, Chitose, and Shinobu are all gender neutral—in case anyone is wondering.

In any case, I had fun with the Aburame clan this chapter and might have based the way they are on bees—because bees. And considering how every Aburame has always worn sunglasses, I just came to the conclusion that they're just photophobic—meaning they have light-sensitive eyes. Like the reason why there are so few females in the clans, the kikaichū have also had an influence for an Aburame's light sensitivity. I mean, there has to be some cons to the symbiotic relationship, but it still balances out. I mean, female Aburame are something you do not wish to encounter on the battlefield—like noooo.

So yeah, fun fact, I just recently learned that the reason I kept coughing after eating ice cream was because my asthma was acting up. All these effing years, and it takes me until now, to realize that's why I've been coughing. Honestly, I just can't believe myself sometimes. And credit goes to ChibiFoxAI for the suggestion of the rumors involving female Aburame eating the males during the honeymoon, like insects do.

Oh, and Butterfly Child readers will probably find Shiki's experience with her first crush familiar and let me just say…it's the same damn thing. Chōko's first crush and Shiki's first crush are the same person and I think I should mention it upfront, right now, that Shiki is asexual.

Notice a trend with how all my SI OCs have been asexual? That's because I am asexual—yes, if you guys haven't caught on or read my profile. In any case, that's enough about me, though, to clarify, just because Shiki is asexual doesn't mean she does not experience romantic attraction—she's not aromantic, like her father.

Anyways, Shiki found out about her mother this chapter! Not exactly as dramatic, as one would expect and you would think Shinjiro would lie to Shiki, since she's only three…but he knows his daughter isn't stupid, considering the way he told her. And while Shiki knows her mother didn't want her, she doesn't know the exact reason why.

Okay, shout out goes to Aviserised, for being reviewer #10! Honorable mentions go to anonymous reviewer, AnonPerson Thing, Ninazu (for their hilarious review—it made me laugh, so thanks!), and Uchiha Salad (I will never get over how awesome your name is!). Thank you guys so much for taking the time to review! It really means a lot when you guys take the time to make a review! ^^

So I guess that is it for now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I certainly did! I am still doing the whole multitasking thing, so do expect me to be all over the place this summer, in case you thought I was joking! Until next time, everyone! KD out! XD