Raidou forcibly re-routed his thoughts before he tried to punch the entire universe in the face. "All set? Or does Ryouri-sensei need to yell at you first?"

"She’s been yelling at me, taichou," Katsuko said plaintively, which Raidou didn’t doubt. She turned huge, liquid eyes on Ryouri, radiating an aura of abused injustice, like a half-drowned kitten.

Ryouri remained unmoved.

Without looking away, Katsuko hissed at Raidou out of the corner of her mouth, "Save me."

"What’ll you give me?" Raidou asked.

"I won’t shank you next time we spar," Katsuko returned, still in the same urgent hiss.

"Next three times."

Katsuko made an impatient ‘YES FINE’ gesture; her eyes were starting to tear up with the effort of not blinking. Which might have helped the sympathy vote, if Ryouri weren’t made from the emotional equivalent of granite and shoe leather.

"Do you actually need her for anything else?" Raidou asked the medic.

Ryouri scowled at him, unimpressed on every level. "I hope you both realize that Ueno’s chakra is actually a serious matter, and it took heavy strain this last mission."

"Unreasonable strain?" Raidou said.

Ryouri was silent for a moment, then she said, "I’d recommend some time with Hyuuga Aizu. And continuing to meditate at least twice a day, more for preference."

No, Raidou translated. He’d seen Katsuko use significantly more chakra than she’d drained in the demon fight, but not in combination with also having to clamp her signature down hard, hiding it from the demons’ acute senses. He doubted that had been fun, or painless.

"Guess that means we should train more," he told Katsuko.

She brightened. "More sparring?"

"More small jutsu," he said.

"Oh." She drooped.

Ryouri gave a small, satisfied nod. "Now I’ll let you take her."

Raidou crooked a smile and stepped forward to rumple a hand through Katsuko’s hair, which was badly in need of a proper shower. "C’mon, trouble. You’ll get to hit me soon enough."

Narrow shoulders relaxed, settling down from Katsuko’s ears. She looked up at him with a blossoming grin. "Promise?"

"Past odds are in your favor," he said, and tugged her off the table. "We should find out where the lieutenant is, in case he’s being held hostage by medical staff, too."

Ryouri snorted.

"He’s probably happier than we are," Katsuko said, trotting towards the door. "He’s with his own kind."

She had a point.

"Well, then we should rescue him for his own good, before they turn him against us."

Katsuko considered that, one hand on the doorknob. "Oh god," she said, with dawning horror. "What are you waiting for, taichou? We have to find him before it’s too late." She yanked the door open and bolted out, then returned a second later. "Thanks, sensei!" And ran again.

Raidou snorted laughter, and bowed to Ryouri. "Thank you," he said, a touch more formally, before following the errant sun-blaze of Katsuko’s chakra.

Ryouri rolled her eyes, but the edge of a smile touched her lips. "Safe hunting."