Introduction: Part 1

XxX

Shikamaru exited his room and looked around him. It was his own house, part of the Nara clan's estate that he was finally able to buy from his dad after several years of saving. A modest place; living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. He had no need for a large house; he just needed enough to live comfortably. His mom had given him an earful about that, explaining that pretty women wouldn't be attracted to unflashy men and that if he ever wants to get married, he'd better aim higher. He didn't care too much about wives and children just yet, he was only 18, he just wanted this to be his place.

A place he could call his own and raise a family, hopefully marry a plain woman and have two children, a girl and then a boy. He would then grow old enough to retire peacefully and live out his twilight years surrounded by his family before dying before his wife.

"Shikamaru Nara, get your head out of your ass and come see your god-daughter NOW!" as expected, that troublesome woman was getting impatient.

Shikamaru shook his head, before heading down the hall. He had just woken up and was hoping to have a lazy day around the house today.

'No such luck. I just had to fall for that demoness in human's clothing'

"You really have no patience for a man such as myself, do you?" said Shikamaru as he entered the living room.

He turned into the room, looking towards the door when he saw his guests. His sensei's widow, Kurenai Yuhi, and her daughter Shiko Yuhi standing in the doorway. Shiko had inherited her father's strong jaw, as well as some of his odder habits. The two year old was already swinging off and jumping onto everything she could, causing Kurenai to invest in a pair of denim dungarees with adjustable straps, something strong enough to withstand her play. Her black hair was curly and growing to be similar to her mother.

'Hopefully she'll end up calming down a bit too'

"Hey Kurenai-sensei, want to stay for a cup of tea or something?" offered Shikamaru as he ushered them into the living room.

The woman took off her and her daughter's shoes and was about to reply when Shikamaru's face suddenly faced the floor as he was smacked in the back of the head by an open palm.

"Don't ignore me! Especially in front of company! Don't forget that I'm the ambassador for Suna, a bad report from me could mean a termination of our alliance you jackass" warned Temari, following it up with a punch to the gut.

"Ughhh… woman… Not in front of the kid." muttered Shikamaru, getting his wind back as he looked back up at Kurenai who, along with Shiko, was staring at the couple from their temporary seat on the floor.

"Mommy… why she hit Uncle Shika?" asked the two year old, looking up at her mother expectantly.

Kurenai was still half staring at Shikamaru and Temari, the former looking a little worse for wear after the gut punch and the latter huffing with her arms crossed under her chest. The former jonin giggled to herself briefly, before squatting down to address her daughter.

"Because they're in love, Shiko, a special kind of love"

Temari gaped openly as Kurenai just let out another small laugh, Shikamaru now had the good grace to grimace at the suggestion. He gestured to the large sofa against the wall, and the three adults sat themselves down. The two women either side of Shikamaru and Shiko happy to sit on Kurenai's lap.

"In love with this lazy guy? Puh-lease… I have offers from nobles in Suna, why would I pick him?" denied Temari loudly, looking away from Shikamaru.

Shikamaru just shook his head in dismay.

'Better save him before she gets too annoyed' thought Kurenai as she tried to hold back a smile, looking over the man's shoulder at Temari, 'she'll either brutalize him or ravish him, even if Shiko is here…'.

"Actually Shikamaru, we're just on the way to the park. Shiko saw that we were walking past your house and wanted to see you. She wouldn't take no for an answer." Said Kurenai with a smile.

Shikamaru nodded as he spread his arms, inviting Shiko in for a hug that she reciprocated.

"Have you been a good girl for mommy?"

"Yes! I'm always a good girl" came the excited reply.

"That's why we're on the way to the park, because she behaved and didn't make a fuss when she got her inoculations." Explained Kurenai.

"Oh, so you just had those did you?" questioned Shikamaru, a nod was his reply. "You must be a brave girl, seeing those big needles"

Shiko nodded again, this time speaking .

"Yeah, the needle was this big", the small girl extended her arms as far apart as she could.

Shikamaru smiled, "That's great, you stay that brave and I'll see if I can find something special for your birthday"

The girl let out a little cheer as she shuffled over to her mom, hugging the older woman's waist.

"It's good to see you again though Kurenai-sensei, how've things been?" asked Shikamaru, tensing up slightly as Temari put her hand on his shoulder.

Kurenai let out a small breath, "Not too bad, but things have been getting tight recently. A retired jonin's pension gets us through comfortably, but with the amount of food and clothes this girl goes through" she ruffled Shiko's hair "it's been a bit tricky. Fortunately, the pay at the restaurant is good enough and the manager just adores Shiko; she often buys things for her as presents."

She saw the look in Shikamaru's eyes and decided to cut him off straight away.

"Don't you even think about it Shikamaru, I've seen that look before. You asked me for news, this isn't me asking for help"

"Sensei…" said Shikamaru tersely, "if you ever need help, about anything, then you can always come here and ask. For anything.

Temari shook her head in mock exasperation.

"You've been taking lessons from everyone's favourite blonde idiot, haven't you?" said the younger woman. "Kurenai can take care of herself, she's just letting you know. Isn't that right Kurenai?"

Kurenai smiled and nodded.

"This is a girl who understands. Don't you worry yourself Shikamaru, if Shiko is unhappy, I'm sure you'll be the first person to know. She never could lie to you… remember when you asked about who made the mess in your kitchen?"

Shikamaru shuddered slightly, "I remember… that mess was catastrophic. Speaking of which, have the customers at the restaurant still not learnt how to use a napkin?"

Kurenai mimicked Shikamaru's shudder, she had taken a part time job as a waitress at a restaurant to help pay bills and kill time, but the customers were some of the most uncouth eaters she had ever encountered. Even ninja in the field had more table manners than they did.

"Don't remind me about that Shikamaru, I could honestly string them up by their toenails for the messes they make" grumbled the older woman "If they don't learn, they're going to learn that even retired Jonin can use blades."

Temari let out a small gasp, "You wouldn't threaten a civilian for something stupid like that would you?"

Kurenai shook her head, the girl had only known her for a few months and wasn't quite used to her sense of humor.

"Of course not, I'd just cut up their food like I do for Shiko, that way they'd make less mess."

Temari's expression changed to laughter almost too quickly, as if she'd been secretly hoping Kurenai was joking but wasn't sure.

'She's learning´ thought Kurenai with a smile

"Well, I don't mean to keep you two away from each other any longer. I really did only drop by to say 'Hi'. I'll be leaving you and your desert princess alone to all that… 'important work'… you have to do around the house." Said Kurenai as she got up, ushering Shiko back towards the door. Before she left, she turned around and gave the two a knowing wink.

Temari blushed slightly at the name, while Shikamaru remembered some of the 'important work' they'd done together before. Kurenai giggled at the looks on their faces, she enjoyed teasing them about it; the two were clearly in love, had a more-than physical relationship but for some reason refused to come clean about it. It was, in all probability, one of the worst-kept secrets in Konoha. Only Hinata's crush on Naruto and Chouji's reason for losing 3 stone in weight were as widely known.

Shikamaru brought himself out his haze before replying, standing up as he did so.

"I'll see you at Shiko's birthday next month. I've got a mission starting the day after tomorrow, but I should be back with time to spare"

Kurenai finished tying Shiko's laces and stood up to face Shikamaru.

"Not a problem, I'm sure she'll love to see you again. Make sure you take care of yourself; and Temari too. I'm sure she needs a big strong man to protect her" teased Kurenai, sticking her tongue out slightly.

Temari snorted from her seat on the sofa, "If I needed a big strong man, I'd pick someone other than a Nara". Shikamaru glared over his shoulder at her, but she glared back just as hard, before turning back to Kurenai and Shiko as they stood outside the door.

"You two have a fun time at the park, take care" said the shadow-user, closing the door.

Turning, he faced the blonde haired woman stretching her legs out on his sofa. His eyes drifted from her feet, bare in the summer heat, up her legs, partly covered by her kimono. The toned muscle of her legs obvious under the thin fabric, his eyes carried on up, eyes meeting her exposed skin just above her cleavage. He admired that skin, darkened by the desert sun, seeing the hints of tan lines under the kimono. Moving further up, he saw her eyes. Those green eyes he noticed for the first time as he fought her in the chunin exams.

"Oi, Nara, what are you staring at" she taunted from her seat, as if asking him to fight back.

"Well, I don't have to behave now the kid's gone, so I'm not sure," said Shikamaru as he stepped slowly towards his sofa. "It could be a teenage girl who got angry because I showed her up." A step "It could be the same girl who saved my bacon on a failed mission" Another step.

"Shika-" started Temari but Shikamaru just kept talking, silencing her with a look.

"It could be the woman who got embarrassed that Naruto saw us walking down the street together" He was finally next to the sofa. He started to lean over the woman. "It could be the woman who came to comfort me after Pain attacked the village"

"I told you, Gaara sent-" she tried again, but still he kept going, his voice changing as he gently but firmly grabbed her wrists.

"It could be the woman who took my first kiss in the back room of her middle brother's 18th birthday party" He slowly raised her wrists above her head, pinning them to the wall behind them. Temari didn't even try to fight him, more interested where this was going. "It could be the woman who took my virginity as her 21st birthday present" He moved his head close to hers, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"Didn't hear you complain" whispered Temari as she closed her eyes.

"Or, it could be the woman who I lo-Mmpphh", Shikamaru was stopped mid-sentence as she leant her head forwards, catching his lips in hers.

The pair stayed like this for a few seconds before separating, Temari grinning slightly and Shikamaru with his mouth still ajar. She felt the tightness on her wrists loosen.

"What? You think I can't read you like a book? Idiot" teased Temari, pulling her wrists from out of his grip and linking her fingers behind his neck. She saw his mouth tighten into a grin as he went forward, capturing her lips a second time and climbing onto the sofa to join her. Him kneeling, legs astride her, as they continued.

"I figured… I had you fooled… this time" said Shikamaru between kisses.

"Never" replied Temari triumphantly, she felt for the zip of the jonin vest he always wore while his hands wander to the obi around her waist, still joined at the lips. "Besides… don't you have… anything to do today?"

"Not a thing… except you" replied Shikamaru, caressing her hips as he searched for the right part of the obi to pull, nearly falling off the sofa trying.

"Do you really… want to do this here…" asked Temari, undoing the zip before guiding his hands to the knot on her obi. 'He never could figure out how I do this… he watches me do it up enough…'

"Why not?" said Shikamaru, moving his kisses down to her neck as she showed him the right place to pull on that infernal belt. "You can tidy up… later…"

"Me?... oooohhhh Why should I do itttt?" asked the sand ninja as Shikamaru suckled on a spot on her collarbone, pulling the obi apart with one hand, and stroking her back with the other.

"Because," said Shikamaru as he took a breath, "You look amazing in a maid uniform". The young man leant back down, trailing kisses down her collar to the exposed skin where her kimono was opening, taking his jacket off without even looking.

"And what makes you think I'll wear that… oh SAGE!" answered Temari as his kisses found their way to her nipple, a small peck just on the very tip.

"Because…" whispered Shikamaru, moving up to whisper in her ear "I can stop at any time if you don't agree." He let the fingers of his free hand gently rub her chest, occasionally catching on the stiff buds but never stopping for long. Temari let out a small moan every time, each one slowly growing in volume.

"AH! Shika! Stop. The. Teasing!" exclaimed Temari, as he carried on his ministrations. She grabbed the bottom of the fishnet shirt he was wearing and nearly tore it as she pulled it over his head. Swearing in her head as she the contact, she ran her hands down him, one stayed in his hair, grasping for that hairband he kept using while the other explored his front. In a few seconds, she found it and pulled it out, throwing it to one side and letting his hair drop down, covering his face slightly.

Shikamaru changed positions, letting his hands continue their work while he moved towards her ear. He took the lobe into his mouth and bit down gently, eliciting another moan from her.

"Why should I stop the teasing?" He whispered as he eased the pressure off again "It's so much fun to tease a princess" As he said 'princess' he gave her nipple a light squeeze, making the blonde woman squeak in surprise. "Of course, you could always stop me. But Ithink you like me doing this more than the alternative.

"Shikamaru, you are so unfaaiiiiirrr" drawled Temari as one hand moved down even further. With nothing in its way, this hand started to feel the smooth slit, gently rubbing in circles. He felt her breathing increase as he applied this constant rhythm.

"Soo… will you wear that maid outfit for me? Or am I going to be here teasing you for hours" he felt her shiver as he emphasised the word "until I get bored? Because you know… I have all day"

He could almost hear her breaking as he said those last words.

"Fiiine, jussttttt fiiiniissshhh itttttt" moaned the woman who had been on his case less than an hour earlier.

"Oh no Temari," Shikamaru said, kissing her neck softly as he moved down her body again "You're still going to be here for hours, I just won't be teasing you for it."

Shikamaru grinned as she let out a low whimper.

XxX

Shikamaru lay on his bed, hands behind his head and a small smile on his face. He could see the streetlights on outside, telling him he'd had his lazy day. To the right of him, he felt Temari shift slightly in her sleep. Drifting his gaze over to her, he could still see the outline of the maid head piece she had kept wearing after finishing cleaning up. That was all she had been left wearing, cuddling up to his side naked while he had slipped on a pair of boxers.

He closed his eyes, revelling in the feeling of Temari's warm body next to his as he felt himself heading towards sleep.

'About time… I have to report in for a mission tomorrow.' Were his final thoughts as his brain started to relax.

"Wake up, Shikamaru Nara" came a female voice, piercing the relaxed silence of his room.

Bolting upright immediately, he opened his eyes rapidly and grabbed the kunai he kept just under his bed for emergencies. His thoughts immediately swung to the other person laying in his bed.

"Temari! Wake up! Intruder!" yelled Shikamaru, slapping the bump in the covers where her hip was, worried that she hadn't woken yet at his sudden movements.

The woman didn't move or respond as Shikamaru refocused on the source of the noise.

A young woman, possibly only a year or two his junior and half a foot shorter, stood across from him. Although she wore a typical Konoha chunin uniform, her light purple hair and glasses immediately set Shikamaru off. There were no chunin in Konoha like that, regardless of what her forehead protector indicated.

"Who the hell are you? This is Nara property, and for that matter, my room" spat Shikamaru, moving himself between the girl and Temari.

"Inconsequential, you have been identified as a person of note." Spoke the girl in a calm monotone.

"Incosequent-!" Shikamaru started to exclaim before his voice suddenly stopped working.

"You have been silenced to allow the explanation" continued the girl. The ninja ran through several hand seals, trying to use his Shadow Paralysis Technique without having to say the words. He had done it before in practise, and had it down to an art now, but he something was stopping him from moulding his chakra.

'Why now? I'm not out of chakra, in fact I'm probably full right now… gotta find someone to help… but Temari… I've got to make this girl chase me.'

Shikamaru's eyes opened in panic as he ran to the door. He turned the handle and pulled hard towards himself. The door wouldn't open. He pulled again and again, his mouth opening in protest, before turning around and running towards the window.

The girl remained still as he leapt at the window, arms and legs brought in to protect his vitals.

There was silence as Shikamaru hit the window and fell to the floor again, the window having not even moved. He looked out of the window and saw two drunks walking down the street, one pushing the other who was walking at an odd angle.

He desperately slammed on the window, trying to make enough noise for them to notice. The pair just continued on their merry way, most likely to the next bar on their list.

'No… they have to be able to hear me. I'm making such a noise.'

"This space has been isolated for maximum data flexibility, no data exchange is allowed unless authorized" said the girl, waiting for Shikamaru to turn around. "You were identified as #5 in the multiverse in intellect, #374 for combat ability and #1 for battle tactics. I am now recruiting you for our team."

Overcoming his panic since there was no obvious threat, Shikamaru listened to these terms. Multiverse, data flexibility, exchange, authorized. All words he had never heard in context to ninja duties before. He turned around and looked at the girl

'She's wearing a Konoha uniform… surely she'll let me speak again'

Shikamaru pointed at his mouth but the girl shook her head.

"Recruitment is non-optional. This uniform was chosen to ease the culture shock, but no laws implied by it are applicable. Questions may now be asked" the girl said, continuing her near stare as Shikamaru's voice came back him.

"Just who the hell are you, and what are you recruiting me for?" yelled Shikamaru "For fuck sake, Temari, WAKE UP!"

The woman continued to sleep, snoring gently against the pillow.

"A man acting antagonistically to me has started his plan. There must be a response to this or we face the loss of a universe and the safety of the multiverse."

Shikamaru eyed her cautiously again.

"So you're using that as an excuse to invade my home and threaten to kidnap me?" Shikamaru growled, clenching his teeth. "Well, screw you!" Shikamaru lunged forward, fist already in motion for a punch to the girls face.

'I never liked hitting girls.' thought Shikamaru as he waited for impact. He felt none though. Looking back at the girl, his fist was hovering a few inches away from her body, held in place by what looked like an invisible barrier surrounded by blue sparks. He pulled away to face her, cradling his fist to check for injuries.

"You are not being threatened, I am relaying a fact. Help is required or the Integrated Data Sentient Entity will be killed. If the IDSE dies in the universe I have just come from, then every IDSE will die. Including the one in this world. I will then be unable to draw on my abilities, and my opponent will have won. He will control the multiverse. But this plan can only be enacted from the universe where everything joins together, the very core of the multiverse, Namkaga"

Shikamaru listened in interest, hand still holding the kunai in a normal grip, the blade extending past his thumb.

"So how are you here? If the fight is in this Namkaga." He said hostilely.

"It takes a great amount of my own power, but I can travel between universes myself. The enemy, however, doesn't have to; he chose this dimension because of defenders dedicated to his cause. We are the 'invaders' in this fight. Given enough time, he will disable the IDSE. We cannot allow him to have that time." The girl replied, never moving from the position she had been in all this time,

"So if I refuse to help you, what happens? And what happens if I agree?" asked Shikamaru, glancing at Temari still laying asleep on his bed.

"Regardless of your assistance, you will be brought to Namkaga. Refuse to cooperate and you will be left alone until either my enemy or I win. Upon my victory, you will be restored to your own universe. If my enemy wins, the multiverse will be destroyed. There are limits to my power; I can only recruit so many people, a single spot cannot be wasted or replaced. You have already been chosen. If you agree, then you will enjoy the benefits of experiencing a world unlike any other, learning from the type of people you will never meet again and finding new uses for your energy and, more so than ever before, you can make a difference."

"And what about Temari, and my world?" asked Shikamaru.

"When we arrive in Namkaga, it's data will remain stationary. As will hers." Was the bland reply.

"So she'll be safe?"

"Correct."

Shikamaru heaved a sigh of relief and resignation.

"Fine… I'll help you. But if a single hair on her head is harmed, I will find you through all those universes you talk about, and I will kill you," warned Shikamaru as he threw the kunai to the floor.

"Understood" said the girl, stepping over to him and grabbing his hand. He looked around at the woman he loved one last time.

"Temari…"

The room was, for an instant, filled with bright light and then the shinobi and the strange girl were gone.

XxX

In a dark office, lights started flashing on every available surface as siren's started to blast their tones everywhere. The office itself was huge, easily the size of an auditorium. Two walls were taken up by various computer components, a third contained all the doors to the room and the final wall was taken up by a series of large monitors.

Men and women started to scramble into the room in various forms of sleeping wear, taking up positions on the various computers with practiced routine. Row after row of computer terminals were filled, each one with workspace and facing the screen wall. Barely anyone looked up at the famous three seats in front of the monitors, or the large, round desk that connected them. They were used to it.

Each chair had a figure sat in it; an imposing man in a dark blue suit and red long sleeved shirt filled the right chair, while a man in leather trousers, a haramaki and a large blue coat with a sunglasses wearing dragon on the back sat on the left seat, and finally a young man wearing a crisp white uniform of trousers and a zip up jacket was in the centre.

"So… another change in dimensional balance. The Traveller has brought someone else into our midst" announced the right-most of the figures, his suit looking perfectly ironed, as if he had been awake and ready for just another business meeting.

"Now now, be nice; we shall remain kind and courteous, until we crush her and her group" the man in the centre chided, before adding "Would anyone like a candy?" to everyone in the room as he withdrew a large jar of candies from a drawer in his desk.

Several people, still drowsy, in sleepwear at the computers raised their hands. The figure threw several candies to each person, some hitting the person if they were too tired to catch them. Some tried to catch the candies, but were too slow and grasping air as a candy met their face.

The figure who threw the candies let out a small laugh before addressing the room again, turning his seat around to address them.

"Sorry to have you all out of bed so late, but destruction of one's enemies has no set schedule!" sung the figure cheerily.

"You do realise that destruction will always be my last priority… to stop them using that is my objective and the objective of my brigade." warned the man on the left, sitting calmly in his chair, slightly amused at the formers antics.

"Yes, of course I understand Simon, I appreciate that you chose us. It'd be such a shame if you sided with the enemy and we had to crush you." Said the man in white; leaning back on his large leather office chair and popping a candy into his mouth.

"Sir!" called one of the women on the front row. "We now have a rough estimate of the enemy base's location. The emergence signature came from inside Western Namkaga."

The man in the blue suit looked over at the woman before turning away in disgust.

"Now now Gendo, just because you can't send your giant machines to destroy their base doesn't mean you're going to be left out. I seem to recall you having a large amount of skilled ground troops no?" Said the candy-eater. "Thanks for the information Miss… Haru right? You can leave and go back to sleep if you want. I'm sure the Baron is missing you."

The addressed woman got up and left, nearly tripping up on her pyjama pant's leg as she walked out. The man then turned back to continue his conversation with Gendo.

"You may be right, but the general operations of my organisation requires a large workforce. They are those skilled troops" confirmed Gendo

"Aww, shame, looks like we'll have to leave this one to Simon" said the man, adding another candy to his mouth "Oooh, blueberry"

"That's fine by me, but it'd be better for us if we could somehow get them into Eastern Namkaga. My brigade is currently there, and mobilising them all is very obvious. The enemy'll be gone before we get there."

"Well, I'll leave that to you" said the man, "If you can do that, then by all means do it in the east. But I want their heads… yes… Hey Gendo, would you like to watch a Bunraku with real heads showing our glorious victory?"

The blue suited man got up from his chair and started walking to the door, not dignifying the jest with a response.

"Do whatever you like, but remember our agreement, Byakuran," called out Gendo over his shoulder as he neared the door.

"Oh of course, the deal will be upheld, don't you worry about that" replied Byakuran with a smile.

Gendo nodded once and carried on walking out.

"So Simon, do you want to get going? I'm sure your advisors would like some time to plan and the sooner they're all dead, the better!" said Byakuran, the last part in a singsong voice.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Damn it… now I have to wake Leeron up…" The leader of the Dai Gurren Dan groaned, a frown on his face at the concept.

Byakuran laughed as he saw the almost childish frown on the grown man's face.

"I remember him," added Byakuran with a large grin on his face "A little crazy, but all geniuses are. You should cut him some slack"

Simon got up as well, moving across the room to the nearest door.

"Yeah, you're right, I'll see you at the next meeting Byakuran"

"Indeed, Simon the Digger"

As Simon walked out, Byakuran small smile turned into a full blown grin. His cheeks rose high and his gums ever so slightly exposed. Reaching under his table again, he pulled out a small gun. Too small to fire a real bullet and each of the people working the computers knew that.

"Now everyone, EVERYONE!" yelled Byakuran as he stood up. "We're going to play a fun drinking game… but because I don't have any alcohol with me, we'll be playing it with this" He said as he indicated the gun. Immediately, a loaded silence fell over the room. "The game is called 'No Daddy No'. You all know roman numerals yes?" He didn't wait for an answer.

"Good. I'll be going to you each in turn, and you have to tell me the right combination of words to match your number. The letter I is 'No', the letter V is 'Daddy' and the letter X is 'Don't Touch Me'. So if you were the number seventeen, the roman numerals are XVII. This would be 'Don't touch me daddy no no' Got it?" Again, he didn't wait for a response "Excellent! Now, let's go!"

The man leapt forward, pointing the gun at the woman at the end of the first row. Luckily, the people on the front row caught wind quickly and the 'game' began, each person looking around, trying to work out their number in advance. Byakuran made it harder for them, skipping rows and then doubling back on himself to mess with them.

"Isn't this FUN?" yelled the dimension hopper as he rounded on one woman sitting on the end of a corner, the sleep deprivation having gotten to her and she had fallen asleep. He pointed the gun squarely in her direction. Walking up to her silently, he was right beside her when he yelled at her.

"TWENTY-SIX!"

The woman jerked awake instantly at the loud noise. She looked around and saw the gun pointed straight at her and his hand out to nudge her awake.

"DON'T TOUCH ME, DON'T TOUCH ME! DADDY! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" yelled the woman as she curled up in a ball.

Byakuran looked stunned for a moment as the woman's screaming slowed to a halt. She looked through her arms at Byakuran, her eyes being all that was visible.

"Well… you played the game right" said Byakuran, "BUT NOW YOU'VE WOKEN EVERYBODY UP!"

He pulled the trigger. An unnaturally loud bang followed as the small weapon went off.

As Byakuran had yelled, everyone had looked away, no one willing to look at the inevitable mess. The loud thump as the woman hit the floor was enough to make the weaker stomached workers throw up at their stations and into the wastepaper baskets.

Byakuran sulkily walked back to the front to his chair. He sat down turned to the computer console, pressing a few buttons.

The giant screen changed from its standby image of all the systems' diagnostics to a television station. An ever too smiley woman was mixing a bowl of what looked like frosting in a well-stocked and roomy kitchen.

"Everyone likes baking shows, don't they?" called Byakuran over his shoulder to the computer staff, spinning in his chair to get a good position for the show.

He got no response.

"Good"

XxX

"Daaaah!" exclaimed Shikamaru as his rubbed his eyes. The light emitted when that girl had grabbed his hand had dazzled him.

"Hey! Miss Boss! Is this the new guy you were talking about?" came a loud male voice, Shikamaru tried to locate the sound before he felt someone grab both of his shoulders and start shaking him. "He's so brave, look at him, he went through recruiting in his boxers! Is he our new secret weapon?"

The shaking had brought Shikamaru's arms away from his, letting him look at the person shaking him. A guy around his age, medium length spiky brown hair dressed in a black blazer and pants with a red undershirt. On his arm he had a band, with the kanji for 'Senior' on it, surrounded by a green diamond.

He pushed this guy away, backing away until he bumped into someone else; seeing the girl that brought him here sit down on a sofa, he knew it wasn't her.

"Hey kid, have some shame" came a deeper voice from behind him. Shikamaru turned around, and had to look directly up. It was an older man; looking to be in his early thirties, wearing a large white cape with a collar that was taller than his head. Underneath, he wore a blue gi top and black martial artist zubon, held up by a white obi. At his side, he kept what Shikamaru saw was a classic katana. Made for a samurai, like the men from the Country of Iron.

Shikamaru looked around him, familiarising himself with the environment for the first time. He was in the living room of a large flat house. Sofas were spread around so that they all focussed on a black box attached to the wall; a kitchenette area was off to the side, big enough for several people to cook in at the same time comfortably. He saw one particularly solid door opposite the kitchenette, while another lead down a corridor to what he assumed was the bedrooms.

Finally, he looked outside the window into the night and was shocked at what he saw.

"Are we flying? What kind of technique is this?" asked Shikamaru, approaching the window. "How can a house be this high?"

The older man pushed the younger one forward as they both walked to the window as well.

"This is an apartment man; it's like lots of single storey houses stacked on top of each other..." explained the young man. "But if you're going to stay in boxers, you may want to step away from the window. People will see you and we could do without bringing the fuzz around here."

"The fuzz… ?" asked Shikamaru, before noticing that he was still in his boxers. "Hey, girl, why didn't you tell me to get dressed first?"

"Oh man, did she do that to convince you to join us?" asked the young man, snickering to himself.

Shikamaru was nearly ready to explode, confusion and annoyance were building up in him.

"Right… Where are some clothes? I want to get dressed, and then an explanation of where I am… Now." asked Shikamaru, his tone even but his intent clear.

"All the clothes from the wardrobe in your bedroom were transferred here when you arrived. Feel free to dress while the others arrive. Your room is at the end." Said the purple haired girl quietly.

Shikamaru nodded and walked down the corridor that he, correctly, assumed was for bedrooms. On the way, he passed 3 doors on either side of the corridor as well as another corridor that headed left away from the living room. Reaching the door, he quickly and quietly checked it for traps, as was his habit. Finding nothing, he entered and looked around.

The room itself was sizeable, painted white and bigger than the one he had in his house. A large bed was in the corner with a bedside cabinet beside it. A large window was opposite the end of the bed with black curtains to close at night. Aside from the wardrobe beside the door, there wasn't much else in the room.

'I suppose I have to fill it myself' thought Shikamaru as he opened the wardrobe, finding everything in this as he left it in his world.

Dressing himself in his black pants and black jumper, he slid his old chunin jacket back on and attached his kunai and shuriken holster. He checked himself in a mirror he found attached to the inside of the wardrobe before heading back down towards the living room.

'Shame… I left my jonin jacket back on my living room floor. At least my chunin jacket still fits.'

As he walked, he heard more voices, one very gruff and masculine while the other was clearly female but stern.

"So who's this kid? You say he's meant to be some super genius, but he's a kid from some military village, how smart can he be?" said the female voice.

"Oi, Kitty, stop badmouthing military intelligence. I came through the military education system and I'm fine."

"You call me 'Kitty' again and we'll see how far that intelligence gets you." replied the woman icily.

At this point Shikamaru entered the room, observing the new people sitting on opposite sofas as they each regarded him. The young girl who brought him here was sat next to the tall samurai

The woman was a slight, young woman, older than him but not by much, dressed in a pair of black hakama, a black shirt tied by a thin white obi and covered by a sleeveless haori tied with a thick yellow obi. Her blue hair was cut short except for two long covered braids tied down her back, each ending in a metal ring.

The man was much different; he was dressed in a puffy white jacket with a fur lining, lined with cigars almost like body armor. Underneath, he wore no shirt, but a pair of jeans and a thick brown belt. His head was partially obscured by the smoke from the two cigars he had in his mouth, but Shikamaru could see a grizzled face and slicked back white hair.

Shikamaru silently nodded to each one, each returning the gesture as he sat down, finding a seat next to the teenage guy who had assaulted him a few minutes ago.

"So what's your name then dude?" asked the teenager "My name is Kazuki Muto, and I'm pleased to meet ya!" He outstretched his hand to Shikamaru

Shikamaru looked at him before taking the hand in his and shaking it.

"Shikamaru Nara"

"Seijuuro Hiko the 13th" The large swordsman nodded at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you Shikamaru Nara, now that you're dressed."

"Soifon, Captain of the Gotei 13's second squad and leader of the Stealth Forces." Announced the woman with the blue hair.

Shikamaru turned, almost involuntarily to the bare chested man. The man sighed before copying the others.

"Commodore Smoker of the Marines"

"Yuki Nagato" the emotionless voice sounded from the door.

That last line surprised Shikamaru, turning towards the young girl.

"You wanted answers, feel free to ask questions. Tomorrow is just another day, but the other members will help you as best they can." Said Yuki, looking at each person in the room.

"So… ask."

XxX