I don't own Naruto or DC Comics.

1-02: Bielefeld

Shikamaru was sitting on the passenger seat. They were cruising on Sheridan Avenue for a good minute now. The car stopped and allowed a pedestrian to jog across the intersection. Then, they followed the curve of a winding bend, before making a sharp right on a new street.

"So, what about now? Anythin' that come at'cha?"

Brooklyn was beautiful.

Shikamaru didn't fully appreciate her beauty from Ted's apartment until they drove through her labyrinth. Her identity was woven together by the intricacies of her networks, the mixing colors of orange, cream, or charcoal buildings occupying each block, and the people sharing the stories beyond the walls. The residents of Brooklyn were shaping her as much as Brooklyn was shaping them.

It was amazing to witness this firsthand.

Frightening—at the same time.

Naturally, genjutsus weren't difficult to break out of and they were easy to spot. During the Sound Invasion, he easily tore apart Kabuto's sleep-inducing technique in a matter of seconds. Even as a genin, his sharp observation skills gloated around foreign chakra and swiftly disrupted the flow of his chakra.

Shikamaru would've played possum throughout the entire assault too! Letting the adults squabble amongst themselves… if only it weren't for those meddling kids!

But that, in an out of itself, was the problem he was currently facing.

No matter how much he tried to push his chakra, change the flow, or nudge it in a certain direction, there was no external force conflicting against his.

There wasn't anything containing him.

He was free to do whatever and free to think whatever.

Nothing was influencing him.

And it skyrocketed his anxiety to the fucking moon.

Ted was turning the wheel to merge to a new street, "Y'know, Shikamaru, I really wish you'd change your mind about going to Temple. They have specialists. They probably got someone who can repair your memories and someone who can prevent the worse from happenin'."

Why was Ted so incessant on him going to the hospital? Shikamaru had to make a note of his behavior, "I feel fine, Ted. It was just a simple headache."

"You keep sayin' that. But the fact that you can't answer some of the most basic questions tell me otherwise. Or maybe you refusin' to answer them honestly."

There it was again. On the four days that he spent with Ted, Shikamaru tried his best to skirt around the old man's perceptiveness. Ted had an interesting way of picking up on the smallest detail he'd dish out and carried the sharpest instinct Shikamaru had ever seen.

Even sharper than his father.

This time, Shikamaru's silence betrayed him.

"What? You think I don't notice anythin'? I'm old Shikamaru, I ain't blind. I've been out of the game for a couple years now, but I still got some plays that won't go away."

"Game?" grilled Shikamaru.

Ted gave out a hearty laugh, "I'm willing to show you the skeletons in my closet, if you'll do the same."

No way. He'd be playing right into enemy hands.

Shikamaru opted to remain silent.

Ted chuckled lightly, "Your loss, it's pretty good."

They waited for a large family of tourists to cross the streets, then Ted turned left to a new street. They were driving deeper into the heart of the city now, Shikamaru could tell. The buildings shifted from colors of charcoal, cream, and orange to buildings completely lined with glass windows. They must've entered the market districts or business plazas seeing as the structures changed visually. They were formal, uniformed, and elegant.

Just like the buildings, the people had a dramatic shift as well. Gone were the teenagers ransacking bodegas on the corner, or kids playing on the streets. Instead, adults dominated the streets dressed in clothing of gray, black, navy, or khaki. There weren't any street vendors either. Sidewalks were mainly used to walk from A to B and nothing else. The streets were monotone, and Brooklyn's breath transformed synthetically. Like gears revolving inside a machine.

They followed the stream of a roundabout and, just beyond it, made a right to enter an elevated parking lot. They drove up to the third level and Ted parked in a handicap spot located next to the elevators. When they got to the street level, Ted pulled Shikamaru to a medium-sized building sandwiched next to an office building and a shopping plaza. There was a large sign that said Blackout with two red, cushioned gloves crisscrossing each other.

Shikamaru's right eye was twitching, "What is this place?"

A sizzle of heat came from Ted, "Somethin' you don't like?"

"It looks… cartoony."

"This is the best gym in the city—the whole damn state! I've closed down six gyms in the neighborhood, more in the other parts of the city." Countered Ted. "Ain't nothin' cartoony 'bout it!"

Shikamaru stretched a hand out, "Alright! I get it."

"Get your ass inside 'fore I burst a vein," Ted commanded. If Shikamaru went on, Ted would no doubt bring the hammer down.

As soon as the doors slid open, Shikamaru's ears were bashed in by the music. Aggressive strings stabbed him while the heavy bass stomped whatever the strings missed. A woman was singing, playing back and forth between the thin line of angelic melancholy and demonic thirst for revenge. The raging drums storming through almost persuaded him to smash the closest object he could grab.

It was the perfect for training.

And, Shikamaru was sad that he discovered it in an illusion.

The gym was larger than he expected. Probably because it adopted the same open concept as Ted's apartment. From the main entrance, Shikamaru had a clear view of the dumbbell racks and mirrors across the room. To the side were squat racks and deadlifting equipment, followed by a stretch room, treadmill rows, and stationary bikes. There was turf on the other side with lots of space for ropes, weighted sleds, multiple pull up racks, and weightlifting chains. Down in the middle was an octagon ring, occupied by a low-level sparring match.

"Breath it all in, Shikamaru. This'll be your second home for the next couple of weeks. I took a few days off, since I was takin' care of your sorry ass—"

"No one was forcing you," Shikamaru reminded Ted, almost rolling his eyes.

"Well, be that as it may, I got a big heart." Ted sent a smug grin down Shikamaru's way. "But, it's time to come back to the real world. Also, this place will go under in a month if I keep neglectin' her."

"Hey, screw you!" Shikamaru looked to his right and saw an old man approaching them with dirty gray shirt and dark pants. The lightly stained towel around his neck was threatening to fall down his shoulder. "You're the one who keeps buyin' shit we don't need."

Ted smacked his friend on the right shoulder, "Shikamaru, this is Juan 'Mauler' Montez. He's pretty good. Got a nasty right hook if you don't watch out."

Juan raised a brow, "Pretty good? I'm the best in the entire eastern coast."

"Sure, sure…" Ted nodded along. "Juan, this is Shikamaru."

Juan brought Shikamaru in on an iron handshake. It was impossible not to feel Juan's presence. Like Shikamaru was meeting another legend. Juan smirked, "Your Ted's newest stray, huh?"

Shikamaru gave a questioning glance to Ted.

"Ignore him," Ted responded, shaking his head. Ted turned to Juan, "Hey, do me a favor. Show Shikamaru around. He's here to help us for a few weeks. Hav'im start at the towels since you hate doing that so much."

That questioning glance transformed into pure irritation.

But, Ted didn't budge. "Don't look at me like that! You'd rather be in that apartment, watchin' that box all day long? This'll be good for you." He gave Shikamaru a strong push, "Now, go!"

It was strange to see so many people exercise.

…And having fun doing it.

Back in Konoha, the only ones to put their bodies into rigorous torture were shinobis, samurais, farmers, construction workers, fishermen, and other highly physically demanding labor. They were getting compensated for hauling their bodies through various hell.

These people were smiling, laughing, and taking pictures as they went through their routine of sculpting their bodies.

Noble men and women were notorious for being overweight throughout the Elemental Nations. The rest of the social class didn't have that luxury. They had to hustle and grind in order to support their lives and families. Their physical fitness just came along with it.

In this illusion, however, Shikamaru was forced to observe a different kind of breed of humans.

A world in which good health was a luxury.

"—cuse me," someone tapped on his left shoulder. Shikamaru turned around to face a young woman with wavy hair and umber eyes. She was wearing a white crop top with a high-waisted, aquamarine leggings. Her rose tattoo could be seen on her right side. "Hey there. Can I get a towel?"

"Sorry," Shikamaru tried to redress for his slip up.

The young woman casted a friendly smile as she took a warm, rolled towel from him. "It's fine. So, is this your first day?"

"That obvious, huh."

"No, it's just… I didn't think this place needed people. Ted usually keeps a tight crew around here and knows how to get the best of what he's got. Plus, everyone likes this place, and no one skips around."

"No, I'm just helping out for a couple of weeks. Nothing big."

"Oh," she finished drying her neck and chucked the towel on the bin that Shikamaru was rolling around. "You're one of Ted's strays."

That was twice now. And, Shikamaru didn't particularly liked the category he was in. "I'm not a stray."

"OH! I didn't mean it the wrong way." The young woman retracted. "Ted does a lot for the community. He likes to take in a bunch of people—it's sorta his thing. After the fourth time, neighborhood kids just started saying it. Eventually, it caught on. Bad or worse, he's there to lend a hand… Take a look at that guy in the squat racks."

There was a man a few inches taller than Shikamaru. He had a rough complexion, short brown hair, and black set of eyes. He was wearing a red tank top with blue pants. He was putting a lot of weight on his bar, probably too much to handle. Eventually, he gave in and dropped the bar on the mat. He walked up to the mirror and started flexing his legs.

Nausea climbed onto Shikamaru, "What about him?"

"That's Cameron Biggsly. He failed the MCAT twice. He was in a pretty dark place, but Ted swooped in and got him to keep working. Cam comes in here Monday through Friday after work and studies with Tommy. He's gonna retake the test in two months and I hear they're making good progress."

"The woman on the bike is Melissa Douglas." Melissa was cautiously moving the pedals on the stationary bike. She was going through the motion with delicacy. Her left leg could ramp up the intensity, but she was worried for her mechanical right leg.

The young woman continued, "She's going through a lot of stuff from her previous deployment. Ted lets her come in whenever she wants so that she can work it out. She's close to getting a job at city hall."

The young woman nudged him to another individual, "The kid on the counter is Mark Grissom. He works here after school and, on the weekends, Ted has him in a prep program for college. He'll be the first in his family to get a higher education. Ted's making sure nothing gets in between that."

"You sure know a lot about these people," Shikamaru remarked.

"This place might be just another gym to most people. But, my dad and Ted have worked hard to take care of this place and the people that come here." The young woman took a large swig of her water.

"Your dad?"

"Yup! Juan Montez." She held out a hand. "I'm his daughter, Yolanda. And you are…?"

"Shikamaru," he introduced, accepting her greeting.

Yolanda beamed, "Unique name. It's the first I've heard of it. That's cool! Well, I'm going to finish up here. I'll catch you later, Shikamaru."

"I saw you talkin' to Dolly."

Ted approached Shikamaru as he resupplied the cart with warm towels. He was carrying a mighty chunk of used towels, throwing them into the bin Shikamaru just emptied.

"Who?" Asked Shikamaru.

"Yolanda." Ted answered. "I call her 'Dolly'. It's short for—never mind! What's important is that you don't let Juan see you talkin' to her. He'll blow a gasket and chase you to the ends of the Earth."

Shikamaru understood quite clearly. Yolanda was pretty like Ino. And, just like Ino, she had to constantly go toe to toe with her overprotective father. Tsunade and Ino had to keep Inoichi from traumatizing every shinobi that flirted with his daughter.

Shikamaru reassured, "He doesn't have to worry. I just met her. That's all."

"Good, good." Ted was flexing his arms. "If it came to that, I could take on Juan. It'd be sloppy at first but give me time to adjust and I'd lay him out flat!"

Shikamaru shook his head, "I thought you said he had a nasty right hook?"

"He does. So, don't get hit by it."

Shikamaru laughed.

It was genuine too.

Soon, Ted joined in.

When their laughter died down, Ted asked another question. "So, tell me what you think?"

Still?

Ted must've been really hurt when he said that his gym was cartoony. Shikamaru tried his best at keeping his comments to himself, but Ted strong armed him into revealing what he really felt. If anything, Ted shot his own foot by forcing Shikamaru to give his first impression.

Shikamaru sighed, "Yeah, yeah. At first I wasn't into this place. But, it sort of grew on me—"

"No, not the gym." Ted revised. "The people! Did 'ya talk to them? Did 'ya get somethin' out of it? Tell me it shook some things in your head and remind you of somethin'!"

Shikamaru was taken back.

Suddenly, Yolanda's description of Ted's character flooded in.

Shikamaru dipped his chin, "No. My memories are still vague."

"Well? What can you make out?"

"Rain and mud. All I hear is rain and all I feel is mud."

"Stayin' in my condo ain't helpful. What you see from the news or internet ain't gonna help you much. It's talkin' to people and walkin' around the city that'll give you the best chance at givin' you a clear picture of what happened before you arrived on my porch. If your brain receives information that seem familiar, it might start linkin' thoughts you previously had. From there, you might get a glimpse of somethin'. It ain't much, but you're dead set on avoidin' Temple. So, there's not a whole lot we can do."

"Okay," Shikamaru agreed. "Thank you, Ted."

Ted wasn't satisfied, however. "I haven't done a whole lot. Thank me after we get your memories back. A slice of pizza or two should be enough."

No one was this good of a person.

Well, actually, he could think of one blond idiot who might fill that category. But, even then, it took him seventeen years to become the person that held up the shinobi world.

Ted was something else. The certain type of kindness the man had was super rare. The type of rarity where if someone sees it once, they know it's real. It showed in his gym, the people that surrounded Ted, and his actions ever since he arrived in Brooklyn.

The thought of this place as an illusion still dominated his mind, but Shikamaru could tell that he was gradually easing the grip.

Shikamaru's wrinkles were popping.

"What's a pizza?"

Ted exhaled, "Jesus Christ…"

AN: Life was pretty hectic for a while. But, I'm back! I'm currently editing chapter 3, should be up in a few days.

Thanks for reading my story! =)