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Disclaimer: Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, and Shikako Nara belongs to Silver Queen. This is a Recursive fanfic of 'Dreaming of Sunshine' by Silver Queen.

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Fair Warning: If you're not up to date with Dreaming of Sunshine this contains spoilers from chapter 114/115.

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Road to Shikako

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It started as a shopping trip. And innocent thing, really. Shikako had had to go buy some important item that was absolutely necessary for dinner prep, according to her mother, so her shopping bag hung heavily from one arm as she walked through the village. It was dark in the park, the bright light of the moon barely penetrating the shadows within. Shikako walked by, gazing aimlessly at the park equipment. Well, not really aimlessly, as her eyes settled on what appeared to be the outlines of three of her friends. Sasuke was standing off to the side, listening intently but looking like he wasn't bothered. Sitting on the park swing, Naruto and Sakura were conversing quietly. The vibrant color of the orange swirl on the black shirt Naruto wore today, without his chunin vest as he wasn't training or working, stood out in the dark like a neon sign.

Sakura was swinging back and forth on the playground equipment furiously, talking in a voice that Shikako couldn't hear. Her red half skirts flew in the breeze behind her. It seemed everyone was busy enjoying their day off. Naruto was watching her closely, barely swinging, listening to her every word. Looking closer, Shikako noticed the pink haired girl appeared to be angry about something if her frown was anything to go by. Concerned, Shikako filtered a bit of chakra to her ears to listen in, and heard the girl complaining about how mean her parents were. Shaking her head, knowing Naruto and Sasuke had it handled, Shikako walked on, intent on getting home in time to help with dinner. Hungry people were waiting. Shikamaru was probably complaining about how troublesome it was to wait, while playing Shogi with her dad, who would have their baby sibling propped up on his lap, no doubt.

She thought about inviting her friends over to eat as well, and paused in her stroll, turning back to look into the park. It might make her feel better...

A flicker of movement, so fast she almost missed it as she turned. That was when she saw him, knew him, the outline of the black robe with the red clouds on it coming into view, dangerously close to her friends.

Akatsuki.

Dropping her bag and not even noticing that the glass sauce jar within it shattered as she tossed it down, she ran into the park, screaming for Naruto to dodge. Sasuke jumped forward, hand signs in motion. Naruto, already clued in to the fact they had an unwelcome visitor, had swiftly created a clone and charged up a rasengan to attack. It went right through the Akatsuki member, whom stabbed the clone violently until it dispersed into a whoosh of chakra and the air pressure around it equalized. Sasuke, with his sharingan active, tossed a fireball at the intruder at the same time, but it didn't even appear to singe him.

Sakura backed away, dodging to the side so as not to get hit by the flames or the intruder. Shikako ran in close to where her friends were, stopping behind the intruder. She had noticed he was wearing a dark orange mask, shaped in a swirl, with only one eye hole. The one calling himself 'Madara' had appeared before them once more.

"So close, yet so far, you missed me, you missed me!" Madara taunted in Naruto's direction, a childish voice making it sound even more demented than he'd probably intended, and twice as creepy.

She reached her shadows to grab him and felt...nothing. He was intangible. "Nice try, deer little girl! Get it, deer?!"

Choosing to ignore his stupid joke, she slid into a ready stance between Sakura and the Akatsuki member. The lucky sevens then formed a triangle around him. As a career medic, the girl behind her wasn't to be fighting, and was to stay out of the way as much as possible. She also had the best chance of running to get assistance, provided the three combat specialists could hold the S-class ninja off. Now, was she smart enough to catch on to that without being told, or was she just going to stand there and watch the proceedings like it's a bad B movie? Shikako hoped the pink haired girl got her act together and made herself simultaneously scarce and useful. Sometimes those whom aren't used to combat situations will freeze up when introduced to a real one. Shikako hoped this wasn't going to be the case, she knew Sakura was capable. The lucky sevens would protect her, and give her time to find back-up. She didn't want to alert the enemy to that plan, either.

"How did you get into the village?" Naruto asked, shouting so that someone would hear- a civilian, a ninja, an anbu, a passing dog (hopefully a nin-dog, hell, she'd take one of Gai's ninja turtles at this point) or someone- or well, possibly just shouting since that's kinda his thing. Sasuke readied a kunai from his ever-present holster. Naruto wasn't wearing his, his fingers trembling at his side as he himself realized his folly. All that shouting might help. If anyone heard, that is.

Sakura dashed towards the park's exit. The man intercepted her and she backed away. "It's almost ready. Just have to test it," Madara backed her towards Shikako, "And here's some guinea pigs! You like testing new things, don't you, deer girl? I bet you do, you even got into trouble for it, you two did!" the masked Akatsuki tisked as he eyed the two females before him. He didn't see the rasengan being aimed at his head, or seem to hear when the shadowclone behind him had begun his attack. It didn't matter, as it blew right through him as if it were a ghost. Or perhaps as if he were a ghost. Sasuke's kunai barely missed grazing Shikako's arm, having also passed directly through the masked intruder. Her shadows did nothing to hold him.

With widened eyes, Shikako finally realized what was happening. His hand signs had been so rapid, she couldn't follow them. By the time she moved to do anything about it, the four Konoha residents were trapped in the enemy's enveloping jutsu. A sphere of black light instantaneously surrounded them. The moon shifted phases, and appeared in another place in the sky. The masked man vanished as the last of the sphere slid over them like a cascade of water falling.

The empty darkness of the park was all that was left. The enemy had truly fled with no sign of the direction of his departure. Shikako couldn't even feel his chakra.

"We... we need to report this to Tsunade-sama!" Sakura hesitated, looking left, then right, then up in the hopes of finding where their opponent had vanished to.

Shikako stretched her senses, as far as she could, but couldn't sense him anywhere. "What kind of jutsu would make the moon move?" Sasuke mused aloud, pulling her out of her searching. She saw his vibrant red eyes watching a thin misting of grey clouds coming in above them.

Looking up, the others noticed the moon had changed positions in the sky as well. A creeping chill settled in the air. Naruto doubled over, groaning, "Ugh, my stomach."

"You ate too much ramen earlier." Sakura chided.

He looked up at her, his face a little red. Turing to the pink haired girl, he countered, "I did not, I had just enough- Huh, has that neon sign always been there? Since when was there a bar next to the park?" Naruto asked while rubbing his belly. He curiously eyed a blinking neon sign a distance away, the coiled neon lights representing the figure of a woman, her leg blinking in and out as if swinging back and forth when the light turned on and off.

The sign was situated above a bar called the "Dark Temptation." If it was what Shikako thought it to be, based on the shadowy poster of a busty half-dressed brunette on the door, it was most definitely not the kind of bar that belonged next to a children's park. Or even anywhere near the residential district. Or the shopping district. Or any decent area of Konoha unless it was near the P!nk Bookstore Kakashi-sensei tended to frequent. Seeing something so out of place just made her blood run cold. It did not belong there.

Twirling quickly towards the entrance of the park, Shikako spied something that made everything click into place. The ground at the base of the steps into the fenced park was clear. The bag she'd dropped was missing, and any shattered remnants of the spicy red sauce that was in it had vanished. "We aren't in Kansas anymore." She whispered aloud.

"Where is Kan-sa-su?" Sakura asked, having stepped up behind her. She badly mispronounced what she had just heard in English while still eyeing the area like a startled deer, inching closer to Shikako unconsciously.

'Where indeed, Toto.'

"Guys, look!" Sasuke pointed up to the stone Hokage faces on the great mountain overlooking the village. It was hard to see in the moonlight, but... "That's not Yondaime..."

"Is that..." Naruto squinted, stepping closer to the girls in his scrutiny of the stone faces, "Your dad?"

Sakura screeched, "It is! That's him!"

"No way," Shikako breathed, her breath looking like misty vapors in the chill night. She was looking up into the etched stone face of her own father, scars and all. "No."

"So... does that mean we're in some strange alternate world? Is this a genjutsu!? Well, KAI!" Naruto tried to dispel it, but nothing happened. Taking his cue, the girls performed the hand sign and did the same to no avail. Shikako pinched herself, but even pain didn't disrupt it.

"No good genjutsu would be that obvious," Sasuke grunted then nonchalantly cast his own dispelling which was followed-up by a look of uncomprehending shock. His mouth was actually hanging open, which was so out of place on his face that it sent Sakura into a fit of giggles.

"What. A. Drag." Was all Shikako could manage to say, hands falling to her sides in defeat. She had no idea how this one would play out.

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"What do we do?" Sakura asked, still staring at the out-of-place stone face. Naruto was more intent on the mesmerizing yellow moving leg of the neon sign across the street, still absentmindedly rubbing at his belly. Sasuke was watching Shikako, though his mouth was still hanging open. Actually, he might not have been seeing anything, even with his sharingan active. He was a bit unresponsive when she waved her hand in front of his nose. She placed her hand on his shoulder and sent a jolt of chakra into his system. He jumped in place, looked her in the eye, then shut his mouth abruptly. She could hear his teeth clack painfully as he did so.

"Were you in a genjutsu just now?" she asked, her hand on his shoulder, voice concerned. She thought of checking his temperature but decided that may be going too far if he didn't continue his odd behavior.

Sasuke deactivated his sharingan, shaking his head, "I thought I was... but the world is still wrong. I'm still in it." He performed the hand sign again, "KAI! No. Still crazy."

"If you are then so are we. Naruto, get your mind out of the gutter." Guiltily, the blond backed up, and turned to the group once more, with only a halfhearted parting look at the sign when Sakura called him out, "You're not old enough for strip clubs. You've spent way too much time with Jiraya."

"I- I have not." his protest met deaf ears. His eyes kept sliding back to the neon sign. Sakura raised a fist in his direction, but he backed away, arms upraised.

Shikako snapped her fingers, everyone's attention settled on her. "Your protest is noted. We need to do some research and recon. Points of interest: Where are we, why are we here, what is going on and what is this place, and most importantly- how do we get back home. Whatever the reason, it must be malevolent as it has been conducted by the Akatsuki. At this point they're probably targeting Naruto, but you never know. Expect traps around every corner.

"If this is a genjutsu, and we can't break it, we need to ride it out and act fast the moment it breaks. Remember, in Genjutsu it could feel like years have passed to your perceptions, but in reality it's only been seconds. We might not all really even be here, it could be a trick of the enemy though second guessing could cost us. For the sake of solidarity, let's assume we are in this together." At everyone's accepting nods, she turned to Naruto, "Five shadow clones. Just five. We want a small number to scatter around and get intel on our immediate surroundings. We need to know if anything too out of place- aside from the obvious- is going on here. Five clones should be enough to search and get a feel of the area without being too intrusive as to be noticed. The rest of us stay together, the real Naruto stays with us. If the clones find anything useful, they dispel to report. We do not separate."

A chorus of agreement, and five shadow clones later, and the four of them were walking down a dimly lit street in a loose formation. They kept a watch on their surroundings, Sasuke going first, then Sakura, followed by Naruto and Shikako. If anyone tried to jump them from behind she would catch them by their shadows. Sasuke could scan the area with his sharingan every few streets. Naruto's job was to defend Sakura if anything tried to hurt her, not that she was helpless, but she wasn't used to real combat and they were. Plus, Naruto insisted. Shikako gave them each a set of kunai and holsters, pulled from hammerspace, as Sakura also wasn't carrying any, just in case.

Apparently, based on their muttered conversation as they were walking, Shikako pieced together that Sasuke had crashed a date Sakura had finally agreed to go on with Naruto when he believed he had heard Sakura was in distress. In actuality she had been crying out in rage earlier at her parents restrictive behavior, but was glad to be able to give both boys an earful rather than simply venting her frustration on her date. Which was when Shikako had come upon them, and then the Akastuski member attacked.

Stepping into a well lit street, the four teens encountered a welcome sight; Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino were heading their way. But something was off. The first thing they noticed was the startling appearance of the Akimichi. Chouji was skinny. He didn't look to be tired or injured or in any way having used the pill recently, and was calmly strolling down the street, having a quiet discussion with his teammates. Ino, to his right, was dressed plainly- which for her was quite odd as the girl was usually the height of fashion. She almost looked drab in comparison to her usual clothing, and most of her skin was covered modestly. Then there was... then there was Shikamaru. Everyone stopped in their tracks. He had both of them.

Shikamaru had both of his arms.

'How it should have been, how it could have been, if only. If I had... If we could have... Brother...'

Naruto's stomach ache returned with force, making him lean against the wall of the building they were walking alongside. Sakura touched his arm, the pressed her hand to his forehead, checking him over. "I just...I don't feel well. My gut is roiling. I think I'm gonna be sick!" True to his word, Naruto pulled away from the girl's diagnostic jutsu and turned to the wall to lose his dinner. Shikako backed away with rapid steps so as not to get splashed.

Coming upon the scene, Shikamaru being the closest, the boy held his nose with his (missing, but it's still here, it's missing, isn't it? It's supposed to be missing, this arm...) also looking ill, "Nice one, Menma."

"I didn't eat any menma. Don't like the stuff." Naruto choked out.

"That's funny, coming from you," Chouji said, brows knit together as he eyed Naruto's bent over form, "You always pig out on it. You're such a glutton. It's no wonder you've made yourself sick. Such an oinker."

Sasuke had his sharingan active, and he was eyeing the other boy with caution, "Chouji, you look... and sound... different."

"If you start hitting on me, I'm going to deck you into next week. I'm not one of your fangirls, Uchiha." Chouji said, his angry 'humph' and glare enough to make everyone turn to look his way. Definitely didn't sound like the Chouji they all knew. And was he implying that Sasuke was...? "You and Shikako still an item, or did you finally break it off for one of the other fangirls that cling to you for dear life?" The Akimichi asked, brows raised, "I see she's not hanging off you today."

Naruto groaned, looking pale in the lamplight. He looked up when he heard what Chouji said, confusion written across his face. Everyone else was also shocked into a confused silence as well. It was Shikamaru that answered with a shrug, "Of course they are. They've been dating for a year now. The creep seems to have moved in to her bedroom this month, though." Shikamaru stared impassively at Sasuke, whose face had turned red to match his eyes. "Having fun in there, Uchiha? What's with the silencing wards? Is there something our mom will want to know?" His voice was getting colder by the second, "You think you can just move right in, because your pretty face is an Uchiha, you think we'll just accept-" Ino jumped between them, like a shield.

"Well, no need to get offensive." Ino was placating, her voice diminutive and quiet, so very, very meek, hands upraised as if to ward Shikamaru away, "We're all friends here-"

"Whatever. I only hang out with you losers because we have to as a team." The skinny Akimichi turned away and started heading down the street on his own.

"Great, guys, now you got him started. He's gonna be impossible to deal with for the next day." Shikamaru said, shoving his hands (both of his hands...) into his pockets. He nodded to Shikako, then headed off after Chouji at a run. Ino gave a small polite bow, then followed them at a more sedate pace, sidestepping Naruto's sick puddle carefully. "Chouji, come on man, let's get some all-you-can-eat. My sister's cooking sucks, so I can't eat at home." Shikamaru said, sending a smirk back at Shikako as he said it, elbow pointing in her direction as if to be offensively. "Sasuke will just have to live with bad food for the rest of his life."

"What was that about my cooking?" Shikako, eyes slanted, turned to glare in her brother's direction, finally shocked out of the shock of seeing him with both arms intact, but only managed to mentally scratch him on the back for that comment. And what was with this Sasuke thing? Her brain felt like it was going to explode, and she wasn't surprised to feel heat in her cheeks. Just where was this coming from?

Almost catching up to his teammate, Shikamaru paused then turned to face her, "It gives me heartburn! My belly is still aching from the bento you made me for lunch!" came the shouted reply. This from a shinobi who really should know better than to piss off his sister.

"See if I cook for you again, this week!" Shikako growled. How dare he?

"I'm eating out. Chouji, good buddy, you'll spot me some cash, right?" came his faint reply, as by that time he was long out of normal hearing distance. Chouji gave him a rude hand sign in response. Ino shook her head, looked back at the four of them, and took off after the boys.

Naruto stood upright again, panting. Color started to come back to his cheeks.

"Wait, when did I make him a bento? Mom did." Shikako mused aloud.

"Did he just insult your mom's cooking?" Sasuke asked, a bit in awe and even more confused than before. He was not commenting on what they'd just heard.

Carefully not commenting.

"I think he did." Naruto spoke up, wiping his mouth. "That's unforgivable. She's an awesome cook. And since when were the two of you dating! I never saw this!"

"We. Aren't." Sasuke finally responded, after a lengthy silence.

"Did you see Shikamaru's..." Sakura breathed, "And Chouji, he's... skinny! What was wrong with Ino all of a sudden... Was it just me or did you guys notice that?"

"Yeah, we did." Sasuke said, eyes red and staring straight at their retreating forms. "This is something truly messed up."

"Ugh, I feel so sick..." Naruto groaned once more, turning back to lean against the wall, dry heaving.

"Naruto!" Sakura soothingly rubbed his back as he bent over, coughing.

"They called you 'Menma'." Shikako noted. "That was used like a given name. This place is like another world. There are buildings where buildings don't belong, and people I don't recognize here, chakras I've never felt before. Familiar things have changed, and there is something simply... wrong."

"Let's see... if this place is some kind of alternate world, isn't there an alternate version of us here, then?" Sakura asked, curiously looking around while still patting Naruto's back.

"If they're here, I don't feel them anywhere near. That's something to find out about. Where are they, who are they, and what happened here?" Shikako clenched her hands, looking at her friends, each in turn. They were going to find their way home.

Naruto, finally recovering, began to walk down the street once again. They all followed, having lost their cautious formation. "Sasuke...?" Naruto started, when silence had fallen over the group, as the Uchiha stepped up beside him, "There's something else that's strange."

"Hn?"

"Shikamaru thinks you're pretty..." that earned him a smack on the arm.

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Author's Note: This has been sitting on my harddrive for a while; edited to reflect recent DOS chapters. This is all there is to it, as I was contemplating posting it as a longer finished fic, but then forgot about it while writing other things. Might continue it later if I feel like it, so I won't list it as complete but that's up in the air. If anyone wants to add Recursive fic forum snippets to the idea in the meantime, have fun, cuz we'd love to read them! (The link to the forum is in Silver Queen's profile.) Regardless, I'm focused on writing other things like Dreaming of Death Note. This was too long to post as a forum post, so fic it is.