Nagisa twirled a piece of her hair, wondering if hair dye existed in the world she was in right now. A simple blonde or red hair dye would maybe be a good way to separate herself from Yoshino Nara.

Walking besides her, Nono Yakushi was deep in thought. Nagisa was just happy that Nono didn't find her 'science rambles' boring or uninteresting like her old friends. The lack of interest was honestly one of the reasons why Nagisa had begun separating herself from her loved ones before she died. They had never quite shown enough interest in her passions, but somehow they always were eager to ask about her engagement or how lucky she was that James 'put up' with her ways. She was, probably.

"Sorry," Nagisa broke the contemplative silence. It was better to focus on the now and much easier. "It was just me rambling."

Nono shot her a bewildered look.

"Rambles are about inconsequential matters. This theory of yours is not inconsequential at all. It's plausible."

Nagisa glanced at Nono. The fake amnesiac took in how genuine Nono looked. The medic actually seemed so sincerely interested and invested that the sudden nervousness Nagisa was feeling just dissipated away. Her tensed posture relaxed and she offered Nono a grateful smile. Really, she felt forever indebted to this medic.

Though she could feel a bit of shame creeping up on her for basically talking about Charles Darwin's evolution theory and how chakra manipulation was probably an adaption that occurred through time so humans in this world could survive. But it wasn't like she could look at the woman and be like: oh you know, this is actually something I learned back in Middle School and is actually a groundbreaking discovery from where I'm from. Oh, didn't I tell you I'm actually not Yoshino?

Yeah.

Like that would go down well. It would probably be asking for a one way ticket to getting interrogated. Maybe even have Hanako Yamanaka messing around in her head for memories. Speaking of, would the Yamanaka be able to see her memories? She knew she had them. So did that mean that memories were attached to the soul? Nagisa added that question to a quickly-growing list of questions she wanted to find answers to in this world.

"Too bad we can't prove your theory since there isn't anyone alive without chakra."

Nagisa, who at this point knew that she couldn't suggest just cross-referencing chakra elemental data to see if the results could provide confirmation that natural selection was a thing in this world because she hadn't been told about elemental chakra yet, stayed silent.

"It's early."

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Nagisa looked at Nono. The medic-nin's attention was behind them. But there wasn't anyone there or anything. Though considering she now lived in a world where ninja actually existed…

"Was someone there?"

Nono looked back at her, face calm. It would have reassured Nagisa if it wasn't for the words that followed.

"Just my superior. He's likely here to have words with a co-worker of mine."

Danzo?

Nagisa carefully eased her face into a relaxed look. She didn't want to show how uneasy she was feeling. "Ah, okay. I can just go ahead and feed Shika-chan while you go talk to him."

Nagisa wanted to run to Shikamaru and hold the boy just to make sure he was okay. She didn't care how irrational her thoughts were. It was only the logical side of her pointing out that Shikamaru currently was not a point of interest to any shady people that made her not react on her irrational paranoia.

"No, it's fine," Nono quickly assured.

Nagisa wasn't sure if she imagined the woman holding back a grimace, but she didn't care to wonder about her new friend's motives right now. She didn't have time for paranoia since she just wanted to go see her little Shika.

It took all she had not to rush to her room and Nono shot her odd looks for the silence but didn't comment. A part of Nagisa felt silly though, here she was being a huge mother hen and worrying that something had happened to Shikamaru since the past half hour that she left him sleeping just because she thought Danzo of all people would be interested in him.

They had been in this hospital for days now, so why would anything happen now? Who even said it was Danzo that Nono was talking about? It could have been someone else. Besides, the person wasn't even walking near her room.

Nagisa tensed when someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Yoshino, are you okay?"

Yoshino?

Nono was calmly looking at her.

Oh right. She was Yoshino, but not really, but yes.

Nagisa exhaled, forcing herself to breath. "I just…feel paranoid for some reason." She couldn't help the sheepish laugh that escaped her, gosh she felt so silly for doubting Nono based on emotions.

She was a scientist for Tenjin's sake. Being a mother really wasn't good for her logical side.

"I'm probably just fed up with being cooped up in here."

Yes, that had to be it. She was never really a fan of hospitals at all. That's why she chose the scientist road instead.

Judging by the agreeing look on Nono's face, she thought the same too.

"Oh, and we passed your room two rooms ago."

Nagisa could practically feel her cheeks redden in embarrassment and the teasing smile Nono had didn't help at all.

This time she walked ahead quickly, reaching the room in less than a minute. She could swear she heard Nono muffling an amused laugh.

The weird tension was gone at least.

Nagisa chuckled once she was in her room. There Shikamaru was, asleep without a care in the world. No one had been in the room since she left. Still, the logical side of her pointed out that she was normal so she couldn't really tell if a ninja had been inside or not.

"Having second thoughts?"

Nagisa blinked at Nono, wondering what her, well she didn't know what they were but she liked to believe Nono was, friend was talking about.

"You don't have to go live with the Nara. You can stay at the orphanage with me for a bit."

The offer was now out in the open. Nagisa felt her insides squeeze with warmth and was just glad Nono didn't comment or pay attention to how her eyes were watering.

The orphanage was Nono's most precious place. Nono's home. In the past days whenever Nono talked about the orphanage filled with kids it was with joy and pride.

Her offering to let Nagisa stay wasn't just casual. It meant more than it seemed to mean.

Nagisa wanted to let words tumble out of her mouths, wanted to try to get Nono to understand how much this kindness meant to her after so long of being treated like a distant figure in everyone's lives. She was so used to being written off that it was almost hard to believe someone actually wanted her around.

"Thank you."

That was all she could manage before little Shika woke up and started crying.

"Time to sign you out of here then."

Nagisa only smiled as she scooped her darling up gently.

Nono didn't need an explanation. Both women already knew that logically speaking, going with Nono would have been the best option for everyone involved.

Everyone except Shikamaru and her mother who refused to part with him.

"You went out drinking."

He loved Inoichi's wife, he really did. Yūga was as elegant as her name suggested and one of the least troublesome woman he knew. But that didn't change the fact that Shikaku hated it when someone stated the obvious. He reeked of alcohol, his movements were a bit sluggish and he was squinting a bit. Of course he was drunk.

"I'll take care of him, darling."

Yūga simply sighed, bestowing Inoichi with a chaste kiss on the cheek before closing the door on them. Presumably she'd be finishing the umpteenth book on flower arrangements that Inoichi had given her before their last mission. Shikaku briefly wondered if she was tired of the similar gifts she received from her husband or not. Then he realized he frankly didn't care when his life was a weird mess at the moment.

"You didn't go home yesterday."

Shikaku snorted. Why did people feel the need to point out the obvious?

"What happened?"

Yoshino. That's what happened.

"I don't want to tell the story twice," Shikaku grunted.

Inoichi, the damn closet sadist, smiled. "To Choza's then?"

The blond then grabbed his arm and jumped on top of a nearby roof. Shikaku swallowed down the bile that rose up his throat. His head was pounding, but he still managed to right himself up properly. Slightly at least.

"Troublesome," he groaned as the smiling blond slung him on his shoulder and started leaping from roof to roof.

The ease of which the Yamanaka did this betrayed the fact that this happened often whenever Shikaku was drunk. Though Shikaku much preferred it when Choza did it, because the Akimichi wasn't sadistic and made the ride as gentle as he could.

A part of Shikaku just wanted to let the bile escape from his throat. Damn any unlucky surface or human it would land on. But even in his drunk state he knew that he had some dignity. Also puking on Inoichi would only make the blond insufferable.

They arrived at the Akimichi compound without any trouble and were waved in by a jolly Chōbee who even offered them some chips on the way in. They politely declined.

Shikaku felt his headache growing as they stood in front of Choza's door. Why? He could hear his godson's crying. He hoped Shikamaru wasn't this loud. Though he'd take Shikamaru's crying over arguing with a screeching Yoshino any day.

The door went open and the Nara-Yamanaka duo were greeted with the sheepish face of Minori Akimichi.

"Ah…" She beamed at them, taking them into a hug.

Shikaku only sighed, when it came to a chronic hugger like Minori it was best to just go along and get it over with.

"It's been awhile! How's Yūga-chan been?"

Shikaku stayed quiet as the woman exchange pleasantries with his teammate.

Then Minori turned to him. He once again confirmed that while the woman was very touchy, at least she didn't bother pointing out the obvious.

"And how's Yoshino?"

Her voice didn't even hold a grain of the warmth it did when she asked about Yūga. She obviously only asked out of obligation and no genuine care. Though, Shikaku really couldn't blame the woman.

After all Yoshino had made sure to thoroughly burn any bridges between her and his teammates' wives. To her, Minori was nothing more than an 'overweight, loud and brute' woman. Yoshino's opinion on Yūga, calling the woman a pretentious gossiper with a royalty complex, wasn't any much better.

Shikaku grimaced.

What else could he do?

Minori's face softened in sympathy and she led them inside towards the living room.

"I'll go make some tea."

Shikaku barely got out a thanks as he sagged against the couch. He had chosen to have this conversation with his closest friends at Choza's purely because of the more modern living room. He was more relaxed now, especially since Choji stopped crying.

It didn't take long for Choza to enter the living room with a joyous smile and the tray of tea his wife promised held in his hands. He placed it on the table and sank onto the sofa next to Inoichi.

"Another fight with Yoshino?"

They were both looking at him now, waiting on him to wave it off with the usual troublesome or damn the old man. He had only ever vented about his arrangement with Yoshino three times. The last time was after Yoshino had calmly pulled out some divorce papers and said she didn't care about what happened to Shikamaru.

Shikaku silently grabbed a cup of tea and sipped. No sugar, just how he liked it. He thought back to yesterday. To finding out Yoshino was diagnosed with amnesia and then meeting her. How Yoshino suddenly cared about what happened to Shikamaru.

He was half-convinced she really did have amnesia. Getting drunk right after seeing her and their son was probably counterproductive to wrapping his head around the amnesia thing. It just felt so outlandish. Yet he didn't think she was faking it. Her body language would have given her away, yet it didn't.

"I met Shikamaru yesterday."

That felt easier to say and it even made relax.

"Congratulations!" Choza immediately cheered. "Minori, bring out the sake!" He exclaimed and honestly that was another reason he chose the Akimichi residence to have this conversation at.

"Congratulations," Inoichi repeated with a smile. "It's a bit earlier than expected though, right?"

Shikaku nodded. "Kid was too lazy to wait, that's what Kasuga said at least."

His teammates chuckled.

"Why didn't you bring him?" Choza grinned. "Minori would have liked to see him."

"Maybe he was too busy getting drunk to celebrate his new martial status."

Shikaku couldn't help it. He laughed, a raspy sound filling up the living room. Inoichi would have been right on the mark, if it wasn't for the amnesia.

"He's with Yoshino."

There was a dumbfounded silence and Shikaku couldn't help another laugh. Because the expression on his friends' faces was exactly how he felt.

"She has amnesia."

The casual bomb drop startled his friends back to focus.

A snorting sound grabbed their attention. Minori was standing at the door with a skeptical look, a bottle of sake with three cups in her arms. "She's faking it," the woman confidently said. "It wouldn't surprise me. She doesn't care about your son at all."

"You heard all that?" Choza sheepishly asked as his wife unrepentantly set the bottle and cups on the table. She didn't waste anytime in pouring the liquid into the cups.

"Shikaku-chan, she is a messed up woman. It would not be out of character for her to do something like this as part of a scheme."

Shikaku quietly took an offered cup and gulped it down. "It really wouldn't be," he agreed as Minori poured him another cup. "But I highly doubt that she can trick several medic-nin into believing that she really has amnesia."

That was the gist of it. That was the only argument he couldn't tear down. The professional confirmations of trained individuals who were convinced that Yoshino had amnesia.

Minori pursed her lips. She couldn't argue with that either, but she seemed to still want to say something.

"This…" Choza delicately started, sake cup still full in his hand as he sloshed it around. "It's an unusual situation. Have you spoken with her?"

"Yes." Shikaku knew that wouldn't suffice so he added: "She was scared of me."

"Why?" Inoichi prompted.

Shikaku closed his eyes. At first he thought she was scared of him being around Shikamaru. That a subconscious part of her was disgusted by his career. If he put himself in her shoes, it sounded plausible that an amnesiac Yoshino that somehow cared about Shikamaru would not want him touching the baby.

But it was after a few drinks yesterday that he reached a conclusion that made more sense.

"She's scared I'll take Shikamaru away from her."

Minori snorted in disbelief. "Up until now, she didn't even want poor little Shikamaru. Remember how she even called the baby a parasite?"

The Akimichi still sounded angry about it. Frankly it had disgusted him as well when he had heard that casually coming from her mouth.

But…

"Amnesia, remember?"

It honestly seemed more plausible by the second. Especially when he compared Yoshino calling Shikamaru a parasite months ago to Yoshino calling Shikamaru Shika-chan yesterday. Such a drastic personality change was logical because of amnesia, but the skepticism in him refused to let go of pre-amnesia Yoshino.

"Do you believe it?" Inoichi asked.

Well, that was the big question wasn't it?

"Troublesome."

It wasn't an answer, but he ignored the frowns anyway.

It was too bad Yoshino didn't want to take her up on her offer to let the amnesiac stay at the orphanage.

Or rather, Nono amended as Yoshino alternated between gazing at their surroundings and cooing at the baby in her arms, that Yoshino couldn't come live with her because that meant giving up Shikamaru.

Maybe this was better too.

Nono thought back to earlier when she had noticed dark hair out of the corner of her eyes during her conversation with Yoshino.

It was better that Yoshino didn't come to stay with her after catching his interest. She just hoped it was passing curiosity.

"Is there any map of Konoha?"

Nono felt like laughing at that silly question. A map could easily get into the hands of outsiders.

"No."

Yoshino appeared disappointed, she couldn't blame her considering Yoshino's amnesia included directions.

"I wanted to see the library and the ramen stand…" Yoshino mumbled.

"Ramen stand?" Nono questioned.

The library, she could understand since Yoshino had been tearing through reading materials in the hospital. But a ramen stand?

Yoshino started muttering gibberish before going back to giving little Shikamaru attention. Not that the baby seemed to care either way.

Shikaku stared at the bottle in front of him. It was probably too early for his mission to get so shit faced he forgets his own name. Though that hadn't happened since the first time he went out drinking, when his old man took him out. According to the geezer all Nara men should be able to hold their liquor if they had a good head on their shoulder.

The Nara Clan head had a brilliant one on his, so he knew that that was just a trick he and his clansmen wanted to portray to outsiders.

"Rough day?"

Shikaku glanced to his right where his vision was met with a shock of white. He wasn't sure whether to grimace or not. As much as he respected the man who had just greeted him, he knew the man didn't seek him out in these hours unless it was important.

"Jiraiya-sama," he greeted with a nod, tipping back a cup. The liquid went smoothly down his throat and he placed the cup back with a sluggish sigh.

"I'll take that as a yes," the Sannin chuckled and took a seat next to him and waved the bartender for two more drinks.

Shikaku wryly smiled as the man unrepentantly eyed a passing waitress. "Something like that."

Jiraiya hummed.

"Did Minato talk to you about Iwa?"

The Jonnin Commander nodded.

"Think they'll go along with it without a hassle?"

"No."

Jiraiya sighed. "Neither do I. But Minato's hopeful as it gets, kid just wants things to dial down. Get the village back in a peaceful and secure state now that the war's ended."

"Iwa's always been prideful."

"Too much for their own good," Jiraiya muttered with a tired tone. "I'm leaving soon."

"Recon?"

Shikaku was met with a wry smile.

"Someone's gotta make sure the future peace treaty is secured. It won't even take a month."

Nagisa carefully avoided staring or looking at anyone as she walked inside the Nara compound. Kasuga, who had received her and her baby at the gate, was casually guiding her with greeted teeth under Nono's watchful gaze.

It comforted her a little. However she couldn't fight off her anxiousness at the gazes she was receiving. Some of the Nara were subtle about it, the others just blatantly followed her movements with their eyes.

Wasn't it just funny that she couldn't quite muster her normal courage under their gazes? It was probably because she didn't want to be met with their casual dismissal.

"Here."

They stopped in front of a simple house. Nagia couldn't quite hide her raised eyebrows. She was expecting maybe something more spacious. Not to say that this house was small by any means, it just wasn't where she'd expect the commander of the Jonnin to live.

"Make sure she doesn't mess anything up," Kasuga ordered her friend and walked away.

Nono simply fixed her glasses and produced a key out of nowhere. "Ready?"

"Not really," Nagisa admitted as the medic-nin opened the door.

"As can be expected. Just ease your way in, I'll hold Shikamaru while you explore. Go find your room upstairs."

Nagisa nodded quietly and handed her friend her most precious tie to the world she was in. It was better to leave Shikamaru with Nono anyway, that way she could have more mobility in her quest to get accustomed to this new place.

Taking off her shoes, she left them by the door as she walked up the stairs that greeted her directly when she entered the house.

On top of the stairs she paused. There were four doors. Two to her left and two to her right.

Now which was her room?

She tried the one closest to her on her left. The bad news was that it wasn't her room, but the good news was that it was Shikamaru's. The baby crib in the center of the room was simply pretty, but what caught her attention was the antlers attached to the crib. A Nara thing maybe?

Though aside from the crib and a closet there wasn't much to the room. The curtains were plain and the walls were bare. She'd have to fix that as soon as possible, no way was her son not getting the best in life. That included an awesome room.

The second door going down vertically to her left lead to a bathroom. It was a more modern one, since both the toilet and showerhead were there. She was kind of disappointed to not see a bathtub. She'd give about anything for a good soak right now, added with a relaxing lavender soap.

The door directly in front of the bathroom was one that made her pause at the entrance. There was an unmade futon in the middle of the room, but what really grabbed her attention was the low table that held a set of shogi.

It was obviously Shikaku's room.

She quietly closed the door. Last room that was left was Yoshino's then. This time she didn't pause at the entrance, forcing herself forward. She let the door close behind her and looked around the room. Her futon was made.

"Clean and clinical," she observed. It was sad that Yoshino's room didn't have a personality.

That none of the rooms in the house had a personality, actually. It only served to emphasize that Shikaku and Yoshino were not happy. At all. She forcefully didn't allow herself to continue on that line of thought and head over to Yoshino's closet. There was mostly kimono inside, the type that their fabric screamed expensive when touched. It made Nagisa wonder if Yoshino had used Shikaku's money to buy them.

Digging a bit deeper she found a box. Nagisa worried her bottom lip. Was it an invasion of privacy even though she was technically Yoshino at the moment?

At the prospect of understanding Yoshino a bit more she sat down and opened the lid. An envelope greeted her immediately. She opened it up, already having an idea on what lay inside.

She was proven right. These were divorce papers. Its contents included Yoshino Nara forfeiting her parental right of Shikamaru Nara and the Nara clan paying her a sum that only made Nagisa more pissed. How could Yoshino put a price on her own son? The only comfort Nagisa had was seeing that they weren't signed yet. They never would be. She'd fight tooth and nail for her little deer.

Putting away the crumbled papers, she sorted through the other stuff. It was just mostly jewelry so Nagisa eventually put the box back where she found it.

Mustering up some courage, she set forward to downstairs where her friend and son were. Downstairs simply consisted of a living room attached to a kitchen.

"Well?" Nono was calmly sitting on the sofa and looking expectantly at her.

"This house needs some work."

Nono looked proud and that was enough for her not to breakdown crying.