16autumnroad | Notes and Encounters

[Chouji spent the day distracting himself but left a note for Shikamaru saying where he'd gone. His arrival home finds the note sitting untouched, and he crumples it to throw away.

He's on his feet as soon as the apartment door opens, but Chouji lets Shikamaru come to him.]

Welcome home, Shikamaru.

[In other words, go to your own room if you have to, but Chouji isn't going to close the metaphorical door on the conversation by wishing you good night.]

[At first it seems like he's going to do just that. He spends a good five minutes in his room before the door opens again; slowly, as if trying to quiet squeaky hinges. It's followed by hesitant padding of feet back down the hall, stopping outside Chouji's door. He pushes the door open, just a little.]

[Shikamaru is a ninja. If Chouji can hear him moving, he isn't trying as hard as he could to be stealthy. Chouji takes this as a sign he ought to notice his friend's approach.

This time, he doesn't stand up. Chouji stays seated, and he speaks softly once his own door moves.]

Come on in.

[Invitation made, he lets himself in and shuts the door behind him. He's not really sure what to open with, so standing there awkwardly, he just goes with the first thing that falls out of his mouth.]

...my stuff's gone.

[Chouji will go along with whatever Shikamaru uses as an opener. Any starting point is better than nothing at all.]

I'll help you find as much of it as we can in the morning. A lot of it would've gone to the shops, right?

[And he gestures for Shikamaru to sit down.]

[He takes him up on that, shaking his head as he sits.]

Maybe. A lot of it I found in the shops to start with, but who knows with the stuff from home.

[He flicks one of his ears, which is pierced again. He didn't have the earrings on the draft, but they were the first things he looked for when he got back today. Helps explain what he was off doing today.]

I found some of it like clothes and weapons, but I dunno about the rest. [He snorts.] Didn't think even the bedsheets would be gone, or I'd have looked while I was in town...

We'll look. [His voice is quiet but firm.

Chouji's eyes widen momentarily at the gesture to the earrings. Of course. When Chouji arrived, it took him a little while to notice their absence. They're so much a part of him that Chouji rarely consciously notices his earrings unless he's thinking about all that they represent. As soon as he realized, those were his primary concern, above armor or anything else. He's glad to see Shikamaru's earrings back where they belong, and he nods.]

There are spares here. You can use those until you get around to choosing your own. Is the pillow gone too?

Everything but a mattress, a nightstand, and dresser drawers.

[The furniture the room came with, basically.]

I found the things I acquired from missions in a drawer... and the teleporter Masaomi gave me is still there. The room is bare aside from that.

Take mine, or fold the blanket and use it instead.

I'm glad your birthday present is still here, at least. [That teleporter is proof of just how well Masaomi knows Shikamaru. Chouji is done wasting time worrying about what he missed. Nothing important changed between them, and it's for the best that Shikamaru has extra support here. Especially now.]

Mm. Thanks. [He repositions himself so he can better lean against Chouji, back to back, reaffirming those thoughts even as he's unaware of them.] And yeah. One of them is, anyways.

[Nothing has changed in their friendship, but Chouji supposes one thing has changed. Right now it's literally between them. He shifts slightly with a frown, adjusting for the wings. He has less experience with that.

Once he's gotten comfortable, though, the familiarity of the contact is a relief. He half-expected Shikamaru to shut him out after everything that happened.]

One of them? What gifts disappeared?

[Shikamaru's never cared much about parties. He finds them embarrassing, to have that much attention on himself. Still. He's had three birthdays in Luceti. For all he tries not to care about gifts, he's gotten one present every year that meant a lot to him. He's a little bummed than one of them is gone now.]

...it was September here, when you and I first showed up. [Even if Chouji can't remember.] A girl had taught me a cool game from her world called Pai Sho.

My birthday was a few weeks later, although I didn't really get older. I told you not to bother with it, but you made a Pai Sho board for me anyways, so I could have one for myself.

[There's a smile on Chouji's face when he sighs. This gap in his memory doesn't bother him the way others do. He was here for Shikamaru in the beginning. Forgetting isn't as important as the fact that it happened.]

If I saw what they look like I could make you a new one. It'd still be a gift from me, even if it doesn't make up for losing the other.

[It won't be the same because Chouji can't remember the things that led up to it. He'll offer anyway.]

I'll teach you how to play. You can decide what you do.

[Shikamaru speak for "don't go out of your way". He doesn't think the game would be as special to him as it was without that board, though.]

After having you as an opponent, making the board will be the easy part.

[No uncertainty. It's as good as a promise now. Chouji can tell the board and its loss mean something to Shikamaru, and why would he leave that alone if he could try to help? Something like this, Chouji doesn't consider "out of his way."

He leans his head against Shikamaru's for a second, a silent reminder that he doesn't mind the work or the fact that he'll lose every game.]

[He laughs, a little. It was like grudgework getting Katara to play. She doesn't like losing. Aang and Ikki were better sports. He thinks he remembers these things now.

He sits here and lets himself relax a bit, but still wonders if it's real.]

[Chouji can feel a little of the tension leaving Shikamaru, can hear it in his laugh. With a deep breath, he relaxes too. He'll be here for Shikamaru, but he won't walk on eggshells.]

It's good you remembered when you came back. [While they were on the draft, Chouji realized just how much it would have hurt certain people to be forgotten. Masaomi is the first that comes to mind, of course.

Chouji still doesn't know whether anyone feels like that because he can't remember.]

Aa. You think so?

Yes, I do.

It's probably awful that I'm also grateful you came back at all. [Because this isn't home for any of them. The draft drove that point home well enough. Battles to fight in either place, but at least the ones at home are theirs.

Chouji may not want his teammates here, but he also doesn't want to think about being here without them.

He continues to skirt the issue of events at home for the time being.]

If you're guilty for that, it's not like I'm worse.

[This is the second time Chouji's been back, actually. He was glad both times, even if he knew he shouldn't be.]

Well, at least we're on the same page.

Mostly. [He frowns.] I ran into Ino, in the hall.

[A similar frown, and a sigh] She asks a lot of questions. I had trouble answering honestly without giving everything away.

[He snorts.]

No kidding. Troublesome girl...

She wouldn't be Ino if she weren't.

[A pause, then very quietly] She asked me about her dad. I told her what he was doing, where he was stationed. Then I stopped.

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