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

[He shrugs, still here.]

We'd have been next, but back-up arrived - Ino and Chouji's groups. They got us out of there while the rest of their squad distracted the Akatsuki. Didn't last long - seemed like they were called away to do something else.

Ino tried to heal Sensei, but he was toast and he knew it. Rather than put her through that, he imparted some last words to each of us. He told me about the King, and the one that was still in Kurenai's womb, which I promised him I would look after. Gave me a message for her.

[He's cutting out a lot here, but that's not for Masaomi to know.]

His final request was one last smoke. That's what he's going back to. I hope he enjoys it.

[...Uh huh. So that's that. There might be more (has to be) but holy shit he was still alive with that many injuries?]

And that's that. Sarutobi Asuma dies at barely thirty, with a baby on the way and an almost future.

[And like last time, it's because he didn't do enough. If Shikamaru listens closely enough, he can hear his heartbeat telling him that.

use-less

fail-ure]

By the sound of your story, you weren't very involved in the fight. [He says this lightly. It's not accusatory, it's... if anything, he's baffled]

I used up all my chakra in the first part of the battle. After holding Hidan back and dragging him out, I'd reached my limit.

Hoooh. How old were you?

Sixteen. It wasn't long ago.

Then you've improved a lot since then.

[He shrugs.] That's a different story.

[You asked about Asuma, and that's that.]

True.

So how was the funeral? Do ninja do that?

["By the way, does Konoha bury their dead?"

...]

Ask Ino, if you want to know that.

Ah, so you skipped that, did you? Killing that Hidan fellow, or just to skip it?

You heard me say he's immortal, right. I didn't have a plan at that time.

I feel like a lot of immortals have been killed in stories I've heard here. I'm starting to think that Eternity has an End.

Not quite. He'll rot before he dies. Which would be enough... if this place didn't exist.

Luceti matters for him?

It'd be a "get out of jail free" card, so to speak.

Isn't it that for everyone?

[...right. Again Masaomi sees things differently.]

What else did you want to ask?

[ . . . Fine, let's do it]

Are you accountable for his demise?

Hidan's? Or Asuma's?

Edited 2012-07-11 02:12 (UTC)

I'm sure you killed or as good as killed Hidan. I meant Asuma.

[He tilts his head - yes, Masaomi would be right about that. ...he wonders if that's just a good guess, or if he knows about the other thing.]

Then in part, yes. I'd say by about twenty percent.

Hoooh. Maybe that makes more sense in context, because that's a lot higher than where I'd put it.

[Well it's not like he was there. Shikamaru glances at his reflection in the lighter and switches hands.]

(no subject)

generalflirt - 2012-07-11 05:50 (UTC) - Expand

endgames - 2012-07-11 06:00 (UTC) - Expand

1/3

generalflirt - 2012-07-11 06:07 (UTC) - Expand

generalflirt - 2012-07-11 06:12 (UTC) - Expand

generalflirt - 2012-07-11 06:13 (UTC) - Expand

1/2

endgames - 2012-07-11 06:50 (UTC) - Expand

endgames - 2012-07-11 06:51 (UTC) - Expand

generalflirt - 2012-07-11 06:54 (UTC) - Expand

endgames - 2012-07-11 07:10 (UTC) - Expand

generalflirt - 2012-07-11 07:12 (UTC) - Expand

endgames - 2012-07-11 07:27 (UTC) - Expand

generalflirt - 2012-07-11 07:37 (UTC) - Expand

endgames - 2012-07-11 07:57 (UTC) - Expand