endgames | 025 -- [Action || Voice]

[When Shikamaru heads down to Asuma's apartment Monday morning, he finds it empty of everything but Kurenai's things and a silver lighter standing on the table. It's wrong, but he doesn't give in to the false hope.

Of course it would stay. Even though Shikamaru gave it back to him, the lighter stopped being Asuma's the moment he picked it off his dying body.

Kurenai must've stepped out before it happened. She's a ninja, and not so senseless to have left the door wide open and run off in her grief. And so he waits for her, and tries to find his words.

After he leaves Kurenai, he has to tell Ino. Team 8 he'll find in person too - he has a request for them on top of this. It's been too long since they've heard a stir from their enemies.]

[It's well past midnight before an announcement comes, after he's made this post and spent a few hours going over the discussions there. When people are either busy with the information he gave them, or asleep.

He smokes a cigarette on his way back to his apartment in the night air, putting it out before he steps into the building, his posture falsely relaxed until he steps into his own room.]

Sarutobi Asuma is gone. [There's a pause and- no, he doesn't think it was mentioned.] Also, Haruno Sakura returned to her world a few weeks ago, for anyone who knew her.

Funnily enough, I haven't seen that masked Akatsuki guy in a while either...

[Too many people to filter that too. It's vague enough, but anyone who needs to know should get what he means. It would have been better news if he'd known before.

He'll answer journal comments in the morning.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's a matter of survival. Life isn't like a board game; there aren't strict rules, and people don't move in set ways.

I... I was talking more about for tests. I understand how sometimes you have to be uh, tricky, to survive. [He did lie to settle a war between two tribes.]

...aa.

[He took that too seriously then. It's all he's been thinking about lately, so in hindsight he's not surprised he made the mistake.]

...when I was a younger and my team entered the Chuunin Exams, one of our tests was designed to show how well we could cheat.

[Aang does take this as a sign that he might be a bit wound up. His teacher did just go home after all.]

I guess that answers my question for me. But I assume you're more honest when it comes to Pai Sho.