025 -- [Action || Voice]

[endgames]

[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.]

Comments

[screw_fate]

More or less.

[Neji shrugs, starting to feel uneasy with the topic. He'd intended this to be some time for Shikamaru to relax, not to play therapist for his own personal angst.]

Though given what you've said, I'll take it under advisement that it isn't a particularly effective strategy.

[endgames]

Heh. If it's my advice you want, Neji. Talk to Naruto.

[screw_fate]

[Naruto does have a way of looking at situations with a very different perspective.

But he also has a way of being an idiot, more often than not.]

Advice is one thing, but...

[Expressing any kind of emotional ties, what is that?]

Company is another. Friendship.

[endgames]

Better than any advice.

[Which is another reason why you need him, bro. 8|]

You can't beat that, or argue with it. It's a fact proven in two worlds.

[screw_fate]

[That's pretty much the sum of it, all right.]

Very true. [It actually earns a bit of a chuckle from him.]

[endgames]

Anyhow. You decided what you want yet? I can go place our orders.

[screw_fate]

[Oh right, they're supposed to be eating. Neji skims the menu and picks something almost at random; it has things he likes in it, that's all he cares about.]

I'll go for that. [Pointing to the menu.] Thanks.

[endgames]

Not bad, not bad. Heh. Next time, you can do the ordering though.

[And before he can get a retort to that, he mock salutes and goes off to find someone who works here.]

[screw_fate]

[It's a welcome reprieve, though; a chance for Neji to think through their conversation and settle some of Shikamaru's points in his mind.]