2.

Graduation. The happiest time for at the academy students, and their parents. Yuuki found it the most stress inducing time in her entire life, probably it was as happy moment but always it seem to result in the longest final exam in order to 'graduate' from school into the free world. The happy atmosphere seemed to have caused a chill down the girl's spine, and she rocked her ankles back and forth already on ease. Academy was only the remaining safe place before they were sent directly towards the world, with only their wits and skills to keep them alive. There was no telling how many children barely made it past the academy stage, or rather their Junín exams.

In the happy atmosphere, which she wasn't really paying attention too? She watched both of her classmates, Makoto and Mizuna standing with their respectable clans, she could see the clan symbols for each, and she could really care less about them. She didn't belong in a clan in the first place, and besides her mother was floored with patients at the hospital, so she took it a upon herself to walk home. Her footsteps were constantly dragging in the sand, causing tracks. A hand twirled with the dogs tags that were once her fathers; she squeezed it hoping for some kind of familiar warmth.

Her footsteps were leading her towards her father grave; she had no destination in mind, so that was where she was heading to. She hadn't been at her father grave since the funeral, and the vigil on stop of that. There was no actual burial mound, since sand was actually a way of preservation; especially hot sand which clearly cleaned out the body's liquid leaving a dry husk. Her father was cremated; his ashes were placed in an urn which was buried instead of his body. Yuuki looked left and right, looking around to see anyone was here in this disheartening place, and yet there was no soul, not even a breeze could have made her feel in the slightest welcomed. It was empty and almost stagnant, which was nearly disturbing for a living person to venture where the dead slumbered.

Carrying her footsteps forward, she kept walking towards the gravestone, which clearly read. Kōyō Asai. The words were beautifully engraved in to the stone, with functioning Hiragana. Yuuki could clearly remember the events leading to her father's death, and decided that it was best that she didn't remember it for it was far too painful to be progressed into the living memory. Her father would be proud, with that face splitting grin on his face, or rather that warm laughter that was ridiculously warm and infectious. She sank onto the warm sand, it was like four in the afternoon, the sun was going to set in a few hours, and the sand was warm in the shade provided by the gravestone. There was no really anything she could say, expect stay where she was and look at the gravestone still onward pondering silently to herself.

"I got it," She said softly in a hoarse whisper, almost not wanting to disturb the peaceful silence of which the graveyard seems to have provided. "I thought that you should know that I finally got it. I know you would want to know before mom." She said with a warm smile, unaware of the tears that were threatening to trickle down her face, only rubbing her eyes with her arm, furiously getting past biting her lip from breaking into a fit of sobbing.

She scrambled up onto her feet, dusting off the sand with swift motion, and sniffled with a smile. "Don't go pinching the sake. See you later old man." She said taking her departure. She glanced at the sky seeing that it was high time that she would have to return home, her mom should have finally made it home, probably exhausted from the work. The medical field was at best, the best but of course highly taxing to others. Especially where there were roughly more poisonous creatures in the entirety of Suna than the other nations. Venomous creatures ranging from snakes to scorpions were a common occurrence and daily poison draining from the bites happened on the daily. Her mother was nearly on call on the daily; for some idiotic civilian decided it was best to dance with death, than actually let someone else handle it.

Soon enough, she had arrived home with the door slamming behind her. She took off her shoes, and entered her house. It was still reasonably still dark inside, groping the wall for the light switch, which in turn she flicked on which gave to the light inside, causing a mild hiss to slip out. While her eyes got adjusted to the artificial light, her house like every other house was in a adobe style for the houses were made to keep the house cool at night, but kept the warm in the winter.

There was still the furniture that was adored in the room, but she was more than likely headed towards the kitchen, at least to make her own dinner. Which was without a doubt was going to be between having sukiyaki or Aburasoba? She really couldn't decide, between the two of them. Either one tasted really good, but apparently she was more skilled in Aburasoba which was ironic. Aburasoba was considered to be a junk food since it was so fatty.

She walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge pulling out the pork belly, the leek and the ginger. Placing the meat onto the counter, she headed onwards towards the cupboard which she pulled out the pots. One for the noodles, the other for the meat. She pulled out what she was required to use, and started to work.

Naturally she would have just routed for more meat and noodles but her mom was a monarch and a straight up health addict. So respectfully remained the normal amount for consumption. It was going to take the meat at least an hour to boil and remain nice and tender and delicious.

Now she was frowning she had just made broth for a good enough bowl of ramen. She could just skimp out of making the difficult process of Aburasoba or just make ramen and call it a night. The fatty broth boiled with the delicious pork belly, although somewhere in the process she threw in the pork ribs in the mix whoops. The house smelled of pork broth, and her mouth watered. She had to make a seasoned egg now, which was usually made a day or hours in advanced.

Well her cooking was placed on a brief halt, the door opened. Yuuki froze mid-dump of the noodles into the pot, which had been boiling for the past twenty minutes or so, and she turned her head in the direction of the door, watching the entrance. She dumped the noodles into the pot, and headed over towards the door, although granted she couldn't sense any charka, at least not yet.

"Ramen? Out of all things you want to eat it's that. Well I guess today is a special day I suppose."

Even though the tone of voice wasn't filled with disappointment, it was warm with amusement. Yuuki felt her cheeks warm, and she raised her head higher trying to pull off been embarrassed. Turning her back to her work, and dipping her head her cheeks were now fully colored pink, which neared a soft chuckle from the apparent amused viewer.

Tsua was always forever amused by the antics of her daughter; she could clearly hear her beloved brag loudly to anyone who was willing to listen within hearing distance, bringing both hilarity and embarrassment to anyone knew him. Ah today of all days was of course a special day, although she clearly was looking for something. She scanned mainly the backside of her daughter, where on earth was the headband? And where exactly did Yuuki put it?

Yuuki still had her headband in her pocket, she wasn't going to wear it yet, until well probably tomorrow which would be required of her without much of a doubt. She kept herself focused on her task; she was hoping that she didn't have to speak much to her mom. She stirred the noodles from been clumping together and poured out the water into a sieve.

"So who are you teammates?" Tsua asked taking her seat at the table with her hands folded and watching her daughter cook.

"Makoto Kagami and Mizuna." Yuuki said nearly groaning in response. She sounded annoyed, Tsua chuckled in amusement. Two boys that would have been planned of course, probably not because of their dynamics or how the three interact with one another.

"And your sensei?"

"Shiso-sensei?"

Tsua felt a shiver than ran down her spine; she couldn't believe that Koyo's own former teammate would be teaching his old friend's daughter. There was some kind of well awarded commitment in this. She schooled her reaction, while Yuuki wasn't looking. The girl looked up from where she was cooking and finished promptly after. She carried a bowl each towards the table, and sank onto cushion sighing, she was going to enjoy this.

The bowl was steaming and smelled delicious. Steaming hot as a matter of fact, Yuuki swirled her chopsticks in the bowl and started to slurp on the noodles, her eyes nearly closing in bliss. Tsua chuckled, she could clearly see her husband in her child, Yuuki raised her eyes towards her mother prompting her to at least eat, and Tsua still chuckled. She would say prompt but, really it was a puppy eyed gazed look that is what she was looking at.

Tsua tucked in been prompted and wordlessly begged by her own daughter. She had to admit that the broth was flavorful, with the ginger and leek with the additional pork marrow added into it made it even richer than it was supposed to. It was insanely delicious. Within a few bites, it was indeed the most fatting thing she had ever had, well in terms something homemade and delicious does need to be taken to account.

"How is it?" Yuuki asked with chopstick nearly dangling out of her mouth, she had paused eating.

"Well you can make a handsome profit from making ramen, if you decide to retire from been a shinobi." Tsua said with a slight grin. "You'll run every other shop in the village bankrupt if you decide to."

Another l0ud slurp, and near cough for Yuuki nearly choked. She had a face splitting grin. "You really think so?"

"Mhm. I know so." Tsua smiled.

Yuuki beamed with joy, positive encouragement or praise was somewhat of a good thing. She had started to nom on the braised pork, and she reached heaven. It was so good, she was proud of herself. Tsua smiled warmly at her daughter, her eyes were warm and bright with warmth.

"Mom. How does poison work?"

"Mmh? It depends on the type actually. There are various times, ranging from chemical related poison to herbal and then venom."

Yuuki absorbed the information, and nodded. "There isn't much antidotes for poisons right? If depending on the poison right?" She asked curiously.

"If caught early enough you can save a life, if not then the slow painful death would start to form. It depends clearly on the poison. I should be asking why the sudden in poison?"

"Just curious that's all." Yuuki said been promptly serious on that part, it was curiosity before it turned into an actual hobby. Tsua raised an eyebrow at that statement, it sounded it was more than a curious nature. Unless her daughter had an interest in poison. There were more than hundreds of them, and each one was more deadly than the rest.

"You know how to detect if something had been poisoned right?" Tsua said questioned her daughter almost instantly; it was really a no-brainer. Anyone should know this.

"Bronze? It turns black if there is poison in any kind of substance."

"And how to go about undetected with poison needles?"

"You heat the needles repeatedly in the flame, and keep dipping it in poison and repeat the process."