Good Morning, Starshine

[savethelastchip.livejournal.com]

Who: savethelastchip, its_troublesome, highly likely markofthebrave and then we'll just start adding as we go if anybody else starts a thread.
What: Visiting hours.
When: backdated to April 11th
Where: Clinic.
Summary: In which Chouji wakes up, gets the lowdown on how he got here, possibly takes a couple of visitors and...you know, tries not to fall asleep on them if he does.
Rating: If it gets past PG, something is clearly awry.


[ It could be said that this has not been Chouji's week. And while he would normally go to the trouble of finding something salvageable that happened to counter-balance the claim, this time around he's more inclined to just agree. Possibly because he spent a couple of hours yesterday almost dying and a little over half of today unconscious.

You can just guess how nicely this afternoon is going to go.

After his return to the land of the living is taken care of, there's really only one place to find him all day, and that's where he'll be- dozing on and off, but still never against a friendly face if one should decide to pop in. ]

Comments

[endgames]

[Hey. Hey Chouji.

When you finally do decide to come around, you might notice that there is a certain smell wafting through the air.

It is a delicious smell.]

[savethelastchip.livejournal.com]

[ ...the delicious smell makes a compelling argument to his subconscious about the merits of waking up.

Never much of one for confrontation anyway, Chouji has no choice but to give in to this argument.

Well played, sir. Well played indeed. He'll be right with you.

Just, uh. Give him a few seconds to blink that ceiling into focus first. ]

[endgames]

[About time, man.]

Rise and shine there, sleeping beauty. [He takes a moment to swallow a mouthful of mashed potatoes before smirking in Chouji's direction.] Welcome back to the land of the living.

[savethelastchip.livejournal.com]

[ Shikamaru: check. His being present, uninjured and calm does a lot for getting rid of the ninja-training-based assumption that waking up in unfamiliar territory means it's time to get up and get gone.

Chouji's kind of grateful for that, because he gets the feeling that he wouldn't make it very far. Sitting up is looking like it'll be enough of a challenge. ]

Thanks. I guess. [ Sounding a little hoarse, but hey, not incomprehensible. He takes advantage of the prime opportunity to look at the parts of the room attached to the ceiling before getting back to Shikamaru with a raised eyebrow and unspoken "where exactly are we?" ]

[endgames]

I'm starting to feel homesick. The chairs here at the clinic are about as comfortable as the ones at the hospital back home.

[Which is to say: not comfy at all.

And yeah, just casually slipping that location in there for you. It's a topic to be discussed seriously, and he will, but...

Hospitals don't generally mean good things for ninjas. You only joke with someone when you know they'll be walking out those doors later on.]

[savethelastchip.livejournal.com]

[ ... Oh. Damn. Then something happened. While Chouji makes his best efforts to pick through a semi-muddled brain and find the last thing he can remember, he is also offering up a smile.

This is pretty familiar territory for them, isn't it; never hurts to start out on a lighter note (all in all, it's a nice reminder: hey, you're alive). ]

Must be universal.

[endgames]

Maybe the universe really is against me then. How troublesome.

[He takes another bite of potatoes, then kicks his feet up onto a nearby chair opposite of the one he's sitting in.] ...so. How you feeling?

[savethelastchip.livejournal.com]

[ Good question. The answer takes a while- "fine," he figures, won't cut it as a viable answer. He's not all that smart, but he's not dumb enough to try it, either. There are plenty of potentials that come to mind: thirsty, hungry, tired, confused, weak, all complete with an ache going down a lot deeper than bone and muscle (that doesn't seem to worry him for some reason- if anything, it makes him feel a little better).

Of course, that's kind of wordy and complicated. He's putting his best tries into trying not to make Shikamaru worry any more than he probably already has. Kind of a tough balance to find. Chouji doesn't quite abandon the smile, but it softens up by a couple of notches- hits the crossroads between reassurance and apologetic. ]

...I think I've been better. [ But I know I've been worse.

It's all about keeping with perspective. ]

[endgames]

Heh. Good answer. I'll probably have to call a doctor in in a minute to check up on you. They'll be glad you're awake, at least.

[This is probably the first thing he should've done actually, but he figures he'll give you a chance to get your answers from him instead of them.]

[savethelastchip.livejournal.com]

[ A nod. What can he say, it's not quite his first rodeo; doctors usually make a habit of turning up once you're up and talking. Chouji succeeds in latching onto the fact that he was distinctly more upright and on his way to the plaza when last he checked. Things take a turn towards blurred and dark and waking up in a bed in the clinic after that- and he almost doesn't want to ask.

But he will, with a semi-cautious tone and a very careful eye cast on his best friend, because he'd rather not go through the impossible-to-understand medical jargon right off the bat and Shikamaru's his best bet. ]

So what happened?

[endgames]

[And that was the question he knew had to come up. Shikamaru stirs around the potatoes, trying to think of how to word his reply.

To hell with it. In the end, he decides to keep it simple and straight-forward. Chouji isn't made of glass, and even if he'd never say it, he doesn't appreciate it when people beat around the bush with him. You don't treat your friends with kid gloves, whether they're ninja or not.]

You almost died.

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[ His eyes definitely widen at that, but Chouji doesn't ask if he's serious or have him repeat himself.

Shikamaru wouldn't lie to him about something like that.

Chouji nods, a little belatedly, but he's also calm about it- even if he's still waiting to ask how. Can't change it now. He's far from happy to hear it, but it's a bit late for panicking. ]

Okay.

[endgames]

[Shikamaru's eyes dart upwards again, almost angrily but not quite. Because it's not okay, and even knowing that's not what Chouji meant with that one word, it never will be.

He relaxes a second later, slumping back against the back of the chair again. He stays quiet for about another minute, giving Chouji a little more time to process it, before speaking again.]

That was yesterday. It's Monday now. You slept through most of the day, but you're already doing a lot better.

[markofthebrave]

[When Katara enters the next day, she's mostly recovered from he exhaustion. Probably because she skipped school and slept like the dead until this afternoon, where the first thing she did was head towards the clinic. No calls during the middle of the night were good calls, but - still.

When she enters, they're still both sleeping. Shikamaru's sprawled out over two chairs and Chouji is, well, he looks better, but there's still a stab of concern so fierce it's almost like fear when she sees him. She streams some water out, places a hand lightly on Chouji's chest and checks - good. Good. That's a relief.

And then she glances at Shikamaru and then at the door and back to him.]

I know you're not still sleeping.

[endgames]

[Eyes still closed and head tucked down, he shifts his arms across his chest a little more comfortably.] But I should be.

[He actually hasn't slept - aside from some brief dozing in the past hour. With Chouji having woken up earlier, he didn't feel as guilty for wanting to get in some rest. He was wide awake again, however, the second he heard Katara's footsteps outside the door.]

[markofthebrave]

[...okay, she hadn't planned for a response like that, and immediately a part of her feels guilty. The rest of her isn't even sure how to talk to him.

So she looks back towards Chouji.]

Did he wake up yet?

[Because nothing felt wrong when she checked just now...]

[endgames]

Mm. [He opens his eyes now, first checking on Chouji still sleeping in his bed before looking back up at Katara.]

Time is it... [He slurs the comment to himself, glancing at the clock before speaking up again.] Few hours ago. We talked some, and the doctors checked on some things. I think it wore him out. [Understandably.]

[markofthebrave]

[Her shoulders slump with relief.

She'd said he was going to be fine, believed that he was going to be fine - but knowing it. Knowing it was so much better.] Good. He's going to need a lot of rest.

[Her gaze flicks towards the door, uncertain if she should just say 'And you should get some too' and 'Please let him know I came by when he wakes up' (because he can tell someone that, can't he) and leave or if she should attempt to talk to him about what happened yesterday.]

[endgames]

[He nods at the comment, watching her eyes. With a sigh, he pushes the second chair away from him with his feet, rubbing his face and leaning forward.

Dropping his hands to his legs, he looks back up at her again.] ...I owe you an apology.

[Leaving this alone is what he really wants to do, but he recognizes that it's a selfish thing. It's better to take care of it now and handle it like a man than to let things get troublesome between them because of it.]

[markofthebrave]

[...someone else actually taking this step first? That's a rare thing in Katara's world. And so she moves to take the seat that his feet so recently abandoned. She's not anywhere near as tired as yesterday, true, but it still feels good to sit down.]

What for?

[If it's for not telling her - then yes. If it's for anything else... then she has something different to say.]

[endgames]

I was out of line last night. Among other things.

[Like leaving like he did, or saying half of what he said. Or doing all of the above in front of a girl, no less, not that he'll admit that one.]

You shouldn't have had to put up with that.

[markofthebrave]

[...so, not what she was hoping for. Her look turns assessing. Katara's not sure where she stands with him anymore, and it's... distressing. 'Shouldn't have had to put up with that?' Is that the kind of apology you give a stranger? She didn't 'put up with it,' she yelled right back, and isn't that something which friends do?]

Leaving like that is a cheap trick. [She'll agree to that much, anyway. And regardless of the kind of apology this is or isn't, Katara has some things she'd like to say as well.] We were both angry and upset. I should have waited before talking to you. I was just so surprised to hear that he'd been back so long - I thought it had just happened. I was angry that you hadn't told me and angry that it had happened in the first place...

[A little sigh.] I didn't think about how you must have been feeling, and I'm sorry for that too.

[endgames]

[Of all things, that's what's still bothering her? He frowns, thinking that over.]

You shouldn't have had to worry about my feelings. I'm a shinobi. I'm not supposed to let that kind of stuff get to me. [He rests his chin against one hand, leaving it at that and skipping straight toward the heart of the matter.] As for why I didn't tell you... [He can't apologize for that.] It's not like I didn't because I don't think of you as a friend or anything, you know?

[markofthebrave]

[Not supposed to let that stuff get to him? What is he talking about? His best friend had nearly died despite everything he'd done to try to prevent it and he was supposed to just shrug that off?

But as disturbing as that thought is - and don't think she'll forget it - he's already moved on to address the more immediate issue on her heart. So she'll answer honestly.]

No, I don't know. Or at least... I hoped you'd had a different reason.

[That was why she'd asked, after all.

And because she's really just tired of people befriending her for their own reasons. When they'd sparred last, she'd made the decision to trust him despite the way he revealed his penchant for trickery. And she was trusting him still - this just made it harder.]

[endgames]

...how troublesome. [It would be obvious back home, he thinks. Culture clash again then, maybe? He's getting really sick of that.]

Where I come from, when you have a problem, you don't just needlessly involve others in it. You're expected to handle it yourself, or work through it with your family - or your closest friends, if you don't have any. You might be friends with more people than that, but that doesn't mean you're going to tell all of them. You need to have a reason.