I just got this idea the other day as I was Reading another fic around here, hope you find this interesting, while my shots follow a timeline (not in order but they still follow it, the "Naruto's original" timeline I suppose) this however is an not exactly an AU but you can call it that way, hope you like this idea of a randomly afternoon thought.

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Prologue

Everything was black. Everything.

Still in the empty darkness he had managed to walk around, he couldn't see his own hands let alone what lay in front of him but he knew he was walking down a path, he could sense it, don't ask him why, he just knew it. However he tilted his head to the side, wondering. Why was he here again? What was he doing?

More importantly, why was he doubting? Something in his mind vaguely told him he had absolutely nothing to be afraid of, and that this darkness was, to put it simply, normal. He nodded, he was not scared, and he was not panicking, if at all he felt calm. He didn't find anything wrong with being in complete darkness as he just turned to the front of what he knew was where he was supposed to go.

So he walked down, what he thought—was sure was a road, a road that lead home, again he found that indeed, that was what he was supposed to do. Soon, gradually and with each step the complete darkness around him disappeared, gradually and almost unmoving but it did, turning different shadows of gray. With each step he could see more clearly, however colors never made it to his eyes, again, he didn't find this unsettling, it was like the whole process was normal for him. Grey blurs became grey houses, black spots became windows and a grey line became a path home.

However with each step feelings aroused too.

He wasn't calm anymore, he could see the path now in a greyish tone and the sky above him in a lighter color close to white, no stars, no moon, no sun, just plain white-gray, like a sheet that covered the whole place around him. He didn't know what time it was, not that it bothered him, he didn't know why but he knew it was past eight. Again he was just sure of it. He kept walking. He could see houses but no people. For a few moments he was doubtful about was to why but after a minute or so he shrugged it off, he kept moving his feet sure that eventually he would reach home, he didn't know how he knew it, but he knew he was heading home, he knew it was dinner time. He just knew.

He saw a grey three towering over him and just to amuse himself he climbed with a swift jump in the nearest branch and then jumped off. Up until this moment he noticed that there was no sound either, no rush of air, no nothing. It unsettled him but as he landed on the other side to keep walking he just again thought that it was normal.

He kept on walking from that point on and every second he grew closer to his house he grew uneasy, he wasn't supposed to feel like this, mom would be waiting for him with dinner… dad would be waiting for him to start eating. So why he had this sudden feeling that something was wrong? He panicked as he rounded the corner, he could see his house one hundred yards away.

Without thinking he ran, his footsteps soundless, he realized his house wasn't getting any nearer but somehow he didn't find that distracting or weird. He wanted to reach home soon as possible and at the same time he didn't want to even get one step closer.

Suddenly he was in the front door of his house, the sudden length of difference from where he stood and where his house was reduced to zero in a blink of an eye, he doubted for the second time, not because of this and the impossible-ness but because the house looked empty. Finally his brain coming to feel that something must be wrong… the house was dark and the grey wooden floor didn't creak under his weight as other times. The empty sky and the grey and soundless world around him didn't matter to him, never had. What was troubling him was… where was his mom? She usually was there to greet him—and annoy him—to no end of as to why was he late.

He entered his house deciding to investigate why his mother wasn't there. Maybe she was cooking. Yeah, she probably was. He nodded, he pushed the door open.

However when he entered and the door closed behind him—he didn't seem to notice that the door was ajar to begin with, he didn't care at the moment— everything went black again, he seemed unfazed by it and walked around the house in complete and utter darkness, but he knew his house like the back of his hand. So expertly he walked down the corridor, feeling the walls around him and then he came to the kitchen as he stepped in it was like light had been made.

Like a switch had been turned on.

His gasp didn't make a sound but he knew he had done it. His eyes unmoving from the corner of the kitchen, he didn't know when red had became part of his white and black world, but if any it was just worst. He had never hoped in a million years to be seeing what he was seeing.

He felt like gravity pulling him off and suddenly and out of nowhere back to earth, that's how it felt, for a few seconds it all seemed unreal and out of nowhere it was like reality had kicked him in. He stumbled and fell on his back.

Terror. No other feeling was able to convey to him besides that. No other thought besides his utter shock as one word repeated over and over again in his head. No… No… No…

This was wrong. This was not real.

Tears wanted to make their way to his eyes.

The soulless corpse of his mother welcomed him back. His mouth opened to scream but no sound ever came as the eyes of his mother graved into his. Empty. An image he would be never be able to forget.

He woke up on his bed startled; opening his eyes as much as he could feeling his heart racing against his ribcage. He sat up abruptly and looked around, kunai in hand. Everything was dark here too, for a moment just a split for a second he thought he was there still, facing the grey world of his dreams.

But then it had clicked. It was a dream.

He looked around, it was dark indeed but the shine of the moon was entering through his window. He was able to see his small bed and the walls around his small room, his clothes discharged on the left corner of it. The figure of the black door and his night table besides his bed. He looked down taking big breaths. He was able to see his shaking hands. Somehow that made him mad. He wasn't supposed to shake. In mild anger he threw the kunai across from him and it embed himself on his door. The sudden thud against the wood made it all more clear. There was sound in this world, there was movement and feelings and doubt.

Annoyed he tossed the sheets off his body. He sat with his back against the wall and his legs crossed obligating himself to breath. To regain control. His hands went to form the circle as he thought of what he had just seen, however the more time he spent thinking the most he was forgetting. His face contorted slightly.

He hated nightmares; he was a smart man so it went beyond him why nightmares… made him so uneasy. Nightmares were not real, he knew that, and he knew if he tried he could suppressed them but now… it's been years and still…

His heart that was racing went back to normal, his face that had showed astonishment went back to emptiness, his whole self looked calm again. His head turned to the ceiling and he fixed his gaze there. He didn't move for minutes.

The only sign that he had a bad dream was that he was actually awake at three in the morning. Finally after having completely forgotten his dream—at least he pushed it away—he dared to relax his body, his muscles finally losing the tension and sighed.

He sat there for ten minutes, not moving, not feeling just white empty thoughts. Finally deciding sleep was something he needed he went back to lay in his bed, staring out the window to the moon outside. He loved to go cloud watching but he didn't find the sky that amusing at night, he turned on the bed to face the other side.

He sighed, maybe he should get up and—

His heart sank and for a moment he thought he was back in Akatsukis head quarters, for a moment he thought he would be able to exit his room and walk down the hall till he reached Konan's room. She was good with medicine, maybe if he asked she could give him some sleeping pills. She had done it before. Anything to have for once a good night sleep. He didn't need more nightmares coming his way.

However he remembered as he made a lazy attempt to get up, he wasn't in Akatuski's head quarters anymore. He was far away and down the hall he would only found the bathroom. Annoyed at himself for his forgetfulness he went back to sleep not bothering to cover himself with the sheets anymore.

He knew if he wanted to sleep he had to lay still for fifteen minutes, it was a fact so he did that, he could always work with facts. Twenty minutes later he was sound asleep.

The boy was finally gone into a dreamless sleep, hopefully for a few hours more. However, that wouldn't be the case, in roughly three hours more an annoying and certainly troublesome blond would come rushing in saying something had gone wrong. Saying that the plans of Leader were going smoothly, however with how many lives in the process? He would wonder. How many people there would have to suffer to gain peace?

However, at the time being three with forty two minutes Shikamaru was sleeping. He didn't know what would come, he didn't know of the decision the next day will counter, right now he slept. His hair tussled over his shoulders and a tired look on his face, his chest raising and falling and wearing nothing but his boxers.

A warm breeze entered through the window caressing his skin, he tossed over in the bed to get more comfortable, we find himself on his belly, both arms stretched parallel to his sides, his face buried in the pillow and his hair tickling his back.

He looked like a ten year old instead of twenty one.

Anyone would have laughed at the sight of such a troublesome man looking like that, however as destiny wanted it there was no one there to appreciate it, just the light of the moon as it illuminated his small room and finally it got caught in the Akatsuki robe that the young man had discharged before sleeping.

Shikamaru Nara will by all means have a rough day tomorrow, however, doesn't he always?

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Hope you like it!

My favorite boy is now in Akatsuki and this will lead to a lot of different events along the original story.