“Occasional smoking,” Genma said, arching an eyebrow. Slack? Ryouma thought his taijutsu was slack? He might not be the powerhouse that Raidou or Katsuko was, and he didn’t have Ryouma’s reach or brute strength, but what Genma lacked in power he made up for in flexibility and speed. He knew for a fact he could evade and twist out of most holds, and he was pretty sure he could leave Ryouma in his dust in a sprint if he had to.

“It’s my job to criticize your strategies, coping and otherwise.” He held up the review form. “Also what was that about my taijutsu? I haven’t filed this yet, there’s still time for me to add something about insubordinate behavior.”

“‘Troubling recklessness,’” Ryouma said promptly. “You covered it already.” He smiled. “My genin sensei said that, too. ‘Under-developed sense of self-preservation.’ It means I pick fights when I shouldn't.”

Genma laughed. “Self-awareness is the first step. Changing your behavior is the next.”

“So…” Ryouma leaned back, adjusting his seat on the cushion. “I'll do extra sparring with you, and you'll do medical training with me?”

“We could do that. When my leg heals up.” Genma looked down at the review again, reminding himself of what he still needed to go over. “I’m on medical leave now, obviously, but we could start your training any time, as long as the interim captain doesn’t have a problem with it. I got Taichou’s sign off this morning, and I already submitted paperwork so I can be registered as an instructor. We’ll just start with things I can teach you while seated. Also, you need to go ahead and sign up for the next Field Medic Basics class with Continuing Ed.”

There was a long silence. When Genma looked up, he found Ryouma staring at him, with his lips half-parted like he’d been about to speak and forgotten how to begin. Ryouma took a deep breath, swallowed, and nodded. “Yeah. I’ll do that. Today.” He still sounded a little dazed when he added, “What did Taichou say?”

Genma gave in to impulse and leaned across to lay a hand on Ryouma’s arm. “He said, and I’m trying to get the quote right, ‘I would pay gold for a second medic.’” He’d also said if you can give Tousaki something to focus on that actually helps his teammates and isn't just murder but that wasn’t quite the reassurance Ryouma seemed to need at the moment.