"It's not the only way," Genma said gently. He leaned in, resting an elbow on his good thigh, dangling the tea mug between his knees. "You can reach out—talk to people. Talk to your teammates, like you're already doing. Talk to friends on different teams. You're buddies with Shibata's son and that swordswoman Ayane on Hajime's team, right? It helps to realize it's not just you. My rookie year, after the first few missions, there was a lot of cross-talk between teams. It helped."

Ryouma probably didn't need friends to talk to nearly as much as Ayane did. He'd meant to see her before he left Konoha. There just hadn't been a chance, between his appointment with the chakra specialist and packing his gear for the mission. He hoped Hakone had looked for her.

She'd lost her entire team, on her first mission. How could talking to anyone possibly help her deal with that?

At least he hadn't lost anyone, despite Kakashi's most suicidal heroics. That probably wasn't the sort of comfort he should be looking for, but at the moment he wasn't ready to feel guilty for it.

Maybe by the time he got back to Konoha, slept a full night in his own bed, took Katsuko and Kakashi out drinking—because he still thought that was a damn good idea, no matter what Genma said—maybe then he'd be steady enough to look for Ayane and Hakone and his old friends.

Maybe he'd have a strong shoulder of his own to offer, by then.

He reached for the remaining half-tube of coffee crystals. "I think mostly my talking to teammates has been less reaching out and more— Hell. I don't know." Last-ditch efforts not to fall apart? Maybe that was only true of that thorny tangle with Raidou, yesterday. He had been doing better since then, and since talking with Katsuko today. He'd been pretty proud of himself during their game, actually, until he'd seen Fukuda and all the bottled-up anger broke out again.

Genma said, "You're doing fine." There was a new, forceful note in his voice, compelling Ryouma's attention up. He caught Ryouma's eyes, held them. "You've kept Hatake distracted and Ueno focused, and you've been helping me with medical care, and all of us with basic needs like food and hygiene. It's hard enough to keep it together in a bunker safehouse with injured teammates when you aren't freaked out by what you just had to do on your mission." He glanced through the open doorway, toward the cells. "Or what you're bringing back with you."

The whiskey-amber gaze fixed back on Ryouma. "Don't let the prisoner get to you. Leave her to me and the captain. You're doing fine, Tousaki."

Ryouma's throat hurt again. He ducked his head. "Thanks, lieutenant."

There was a moment's silence, and then the gentle brush of a hand over the top of his head. Chakra-warm, lingering, fingers sinking into his hair.

Then a quick ruffle, and a yawn, and the warmth and pressure were gone. Ryouma glanced up to see Genma rubbing his bandaged leg. "I should probably get back to bed before my leg starts swelling up again," Genma said. "Your throat and chest feeling okay? I can lay a little healing chakra in if you need it."

Ryouma shook his head. "Save it," he said. "I'll finish the coffee."

Genma yawned again, careful not to scrunch his bandaged nose, and set his empty tea-mug down. "Don't stay up too long," he said. "You need rest, too." He paused, halfway up from his chair, with a hand on the wall. One of Katsuko's clones hovered helpfully around the doorway. "And Hatake and Ueno need you in sightlines," Genma added. "It's been a rough mission for all of us."

Ryouma could probably stand to do a better job of remembering that.

"I'll be there, lieutenant," he said.