The village was in ruin.

Every shinobi village saw destruction. Every village felt the effects of fear and panic and rage. Buildings were destroyed and rebuilt. Whole sections renewed at a time after becoming dust in the wind. It was the unity and strength of the people that held any ninja village together.

Konoha was broken.

Where once shinobi had been respected they were now feared. Instead of seeing the usefulness of their ninja's techniques, the civilians saw only the evil. They cringed from the possibility of darkness in the things they couldn't learn themselves. They ran from the prospect of domination.

Shikamaru dreamed sometimes of before. He knew the times were gone, but the dreams came on him anyway. He had been more successful than he ever would have liked, but he'd fully enjoyed it. His life was full of the small joys of seeing his friends return safely from missions and of helping to bring them home. Love, friendship, happiness had grown there, then. There was enough light that these had been plentiful.

Those are shameful feelings in this new place. A shinobi is a beast, a monster in human skin that waited to steal your life from the shadows. To love one was to love your own destruction. To love one was to embrace a life not worth living, or that would not last long anyway.

Ruined lives. Lost futures. Shikamaru picked out these things as he wandered the streets. They were there, ghostly images of possibilities forgotten; hanging in the air hoping someone would pick them up again. They clung to the wall, the symbol of their being; the monstrosity that divided the village, civilians from ninja.

It was a feeble construct, more symbolic than practical. No such thing could ever stop the shinobi if they decided to fight for their right to live freely. They were hated, and even so kept their compassion for the village they protected for so long. They didn't fight. No one bothered to cross the wall without reason.

Shino was standing at one of the few entrances between the other side and this one. His girl hovered on the other side. Ruined lives and lost futures. Shameful feelings she couldn't admit without joining him in exile. Shameful feelings he'd never expect her to show him now. Neither crossed the barrier, the future they almost had hanging in the eternity between them. Shino was going to marry her, once. Before. He had the ring that could have been hers hidden in that dark place all good memories are protected.

Shikamaru left them alone. Their pain was their own. It made no difference that he had to detour around them. In a world where work was hard to come by, being later than expected was no real problem.

He was lucky in that regard, Shikamaru supposed. Most everyone in his clan was shinobi trained or at the least shinobi loved. They were all outlawed and frowned upon together. But their deer were instrumental to the medicinal world and the economy of the village. As such the entirety of the Nara clan got a partial pardon. The sin of being a shinobi was somewhat excusable when protecting a valuable village resource.

Not everyone had gotten off well during the negotiations of peace. There had been talk of having the Aburames exterminated, of having the Inuzuka's canine companions put down. One particularly violent faction of civilians wanted the Hyuugas blinded, there being no known way to seal their Byakugan. The same almost happened to Kakashi, for his sharingan, with the argument it wasn't his to begin with. All weapons were confiscated and grand debates were fought over the basic living supplies that could be used as such. It took quite a few promises and oaths for the worst to be kept at bay.

Choji's mother answered the door. Shikamaru opened his arms to the troubled woman, giving what comfort he could offer. She was a civilian, scorned for her love for her family. AT the dividing of the village she'd been given the chance to turn her back on her husband and son to live on the other side, where life was better. It had changed her, broken some part of the happy woman's heart that no one could reach.

Choji came to welcome him as he released the woman. Somehow his smiled hadn't changed. He smiled, but the happy aura was dimmed, stolen away by the manacles on his wrists and ankles. Think iron bands welded shut with no lock or key. His father had identical bands, as did every other Akimichi on this side of the wall. A compromise to avoid unnecessary fighting. Weights, then been called instead of something worse, to hamper movement and prevent use of their expansion jutsu. I didn't. Under stress, any Akimichi could break those bonds. It was a sign of faith that they didn't.

"Hey Shikamaru." Choji put a comforting arm around his mother.

The Nara grimaced as he returned the welcome. Even after years of Choji swearing he hardly noticed them, it pained him to see his friend chained.

"Oh, don't look like that Shikamaru." The good-natured shinobi kissed his mother gently, "I'm going out, Mom. I'll pick up some more meat from the butcher. Few more vegetables too." He promised.

"Not too much Choji." The woman reminded him quietly. It was difficult, both men knew, for her to deny her family food, but money came hard. They grew what they could, but when they shared what little they could more was always needed.

"Well, you know my plans today," Choji said when they left after reassuring his mother, "You have any errands?"

"No. Just needed out of the house."

"We could go watch the clouds. Do nothing for awhile." Choji pondered how they could spend the day.

"They haven't changed, from before." Shikamaru noted, turning his gaze to the sky. It was irrational, he knew, to feel betrayed. Their passive beauty continued when his world deteriorated. "The clouds just get to keep floating in the sky."

"that's good isn't it? It would be depressing if everything changed. Especially if even the clouds ran away from us."

Shikamaru didn't respond. He just watched a cloud drift lazily around the sun. He felt the familiar wish to become a cloud, and the disgust with himself. Somehow his wish was polluted. Deep down he knew he'd use the heavenly freedom to darken and storm on those that imprisoned his friends and family.

"I saw Shino today." He said instead, "while heading to your place."

"Yeah? I haven't seen him in awhile. Did he look good?"

"He was talking to his girl, through the wall."

Choji faltered before trying for optimism. "It's good they're still talking, isn't it? I mean, if things change they, they could still have a chance."

Again Shikamaru didn't say anything. The silence was filled with the hollow metallic sounds of Choji's manacles hitting together with every step.

If things change.

It took so many deaths to change the world once. How many would it take for the world to change again, even if the Konoha ninja were willing to fight?


NOTES- not my characters, rights not mine, the usual disclaimer, you all know it.

I needed something new to write about, so this is my try at that. Honestly, I don't know where this is going. I don't know if it'll just be action and darkness and such, or if romance will take over. This chapter was mostly just to set the setting, so it's the next few chapters, when I get around to them, that will dictate where things will end may change, characters may change, genres may change.

I encourage reviews, criticism, and ideas if you would like to share them.