Yeah. [Chouji won't mention it again, and it almost hurts how glad he is to leave the choice entirely in Shikamaru's hands now. He'd never leave telling Ino, comforting her, to Shikamaru alone, but the decision? He relinquishes it completely.
Shikamaru may be the team strategist, but tonight is one of the nights Chouji realizes again just how heavy a burden that is. He forgets, every once in awhile. Never for long; circumstances are always too quick to remind him.]
And... the rest of it? [There aren't any right words. He knows there aren't. All the 'how are you's and 'I'm sorry's pile up unsaid because they're as obvious as the answers to them, and none of them change anything. Shikamaru's father was the one who knew what to say, and Shikaku-san is the one being mourned this time. Not only him, even, but everything else on top of it. Over half of the army... and Shikamaru would feel more responsibility for that than Chouji does.]
[April 2, Action]
Shikamaru may be the team strategist, but tonight is one of the nights Chouji realizes again just how heavy a burden that is. He forgets, every once in awhile. Never for long; circumstances are always too quick to remind him.]
And... the rest of it? [There aren't any right words. He knows there aren't. All the 'how are you's and 'I'm sorry's pile up unsaid because they're as obvious as the answers to them, and none of them change anything. Shikamaru's father was the one who knew what to say, and Shikaku-san is the one being mourned this time. Not only him, even, but everything else on top of it. Over half of the army... and Shikamaru would feel more responsibility for that than Chouji does.]