"Hey, Shikamaru. Good work. I'm proud of you for taking the lead the way you did." Asuma smiles, walking over to the other and sitting down in the grass next to him. His back was against a tree, legs extended out in front of him and his gaze wanders up towards the moon still high in the sky.
Asuma's head turns back to his student, brows furrowed for moment when he remembers the way Shikamaru hesitated and his breath hitched through the mic. He hadn't had time to check in with him after the first test though the least he could do was ask. "I'm not judging you or anything but... I noticed you sounded a little unsure after you left the classrooms. Like the breath caught in your throat kind of nervous. There wasn't a whole lot of time to ask during this exam and we needed to focus but I wanted to know if you were okay or if there was something I could do to help if you needed it?"
Shikamaru had a pretty good idea what this conversation was going to be about even before Asuma took a seat.
A part of him had hoped that Asuma didn't notice, that perhaps his little mishap would be brushed aside as brute effort to get through the vents—but Asuma had watched over him all these years, always attentive, always there. Only a fool would try their hand at lying in his face.
"I'm outta shape." He feigned a yawn and tucked his hands behind his head as he laid back in the grass. "I wasn't expecting to be thrown into the Exam and made into a spectacle." At least, that's what he assumed this was all about. Entertainment for the feudal lords. Still, a heads up would've been nice.
Far above, a stray cloud floated across the night sky, its wispy tendrils curling for the full moon. It was the perfect excuse to draw his gaze away; he didn't trust himself to look at Asuma in the eye.
Asuma had enough to worry about. The nukenin. Chouji's health. Ino's love life. In comparison, Shikamaru was fine. He had nothing going for him physically, and he didn't give a damn about relationships. Sure, he had woken up drenched in cold sweat and gasping for air the past few nights, but that was just the byproduct of ...
Of what? Of nearly drowning? Of nearly letting his comrades' lives slip through his fingers while he toddled around with half-baked theories?
It wasn't the first time he had a close call, and in this line of work, it certainly wouldn't be the last time either. Everyone had their own burdens to carry. This was unfortunately his.
The same stray cloud drifted over the moon, cloaking them in shadows.
"... So, you and Kurenai-sensei."
He didn't really care, but he needed to change the subject.
"It's not my place to lecture you, but had this been a real mission ..." His lips curved into a faint smirk. "Should I start factoring in the possibility of you getting distracted?"