Chapter 2: Genma?

Yugao gasped in shock as her eyes bolted open. Her heart was racing and she wasn't sure where she was. "Breathe Yuu, breathe." She said to herself trying to gain control of her panic. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, slowly moving her body starting from her fingers to her toes. It took a minute for her to gain her composure and slowly she opened her eyes. Slowly she looked around and saw that she was lying in a bed in a small unrecognizable bedroom. The room had white walls and was pretty barren besides the bed and a dresser that had a large vanity mirror, and picture frames that she could not fully see.

As carefully as possible she started to get up in bed feeling her whole body ache. She had gotten her ass whooped in the mission she had just come back from and it was finally getting to her. Carefully Yugao clutched her side and realized she was wearing a shirt. Puzzled she lifted the shirt up and felt towards her wounds on her side and could feel the bandages that carefully covered her body. Trying to get her bearings she lifted the front of the shirt and smelled it. The smell of the shirt was that of sandalwood and oak. A very unique smell that seemed to be a customized detergent.

One that she was unfamiliar with. "Where the hell am I? Who the fuck got me out of the water?" She asked aloud trying to process exactly what was going on with her. In a moment it seemed her questions had been answered. The door to the left of the dresser had opened and a man's head appeared inside before fully coming into the room. Yugao's eyes bulged when she recognized the figure. "Genma!" She exclaimed when she recognized him. A wave of nausea washed over her, the hangover that waited until the most inopportune time to show itself. "Hey kid, you look like shit." He said coming closer to her. Yugao sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I feel like shit right now." She said, Genma sat down next to her holding onto a cup of hot green tea. "Here, drink this, and then come into the main room when you can. I have something for you to eat to help with what I bet is a killer hangover." Genma said, Yugao took her hands off her eyes and cautiously took the cup. "Thank you, Genma." She said breathing on the hot tea to cool it down before taking a sip. "Of course. I'm heading back out to the main room, take your time." Genma said getting up and walking to the door. Yugao carefully watched his back as he exited the room realizing he wasn't wearing a shirt at the moment and was in a pair of sweats.

A few minutes later Yugao got out of bed holding the green tea. She went towards the vanity mirror and took a look at herself. Her eyes were puffy, she was covered in bruises, and seemed to be bandaged up in more spots beside her side. She blushed to realize she wasn't wearing anything besides the shirt that seemed to be massive on her going to her knees. Her eyes caught sight of the photos on the dresser and she took another sip of the tea. One picture was of a young Genma, Gai, and Ebisu during their genin days, another was a group photo of her elder jonin. Those in the photo included Kakashi, Asuma, Gai, Kurenai, Anko, Genma, Aoba, Raidou, Ibiki, Ebisu, and Hayate. She put the cup down on the dresser and picked up the photo and smiled, brushing the image of Hayate. It appears this photo was taken a few years ago when missions were normal and Kakashi had just left the Anbu. Carefully she placed that photo down and looked at the last photo. It was a candid shot of Aoba, Raidou, and Genma all standing at alert staring in admiration at Minato Namikaze. A picture Yugao guessed was from the third shinobi war. "Lord 4th, where would we all be if you were still here?" Yugao asked aloud, praying at the photo in respect before picking up the tea and opening the door.

The door opened to a larger space that seemed all connected. The front door was in the center of the house, with the living room on one side, a small dining table on the next. The bedroom door was on the side of the living room, and across from that was the kitchen with a door that seemed to go into the bathroom. In the living room was a loveseat, a large couch that had an end table with a lamp next to it that faced a tv stand with a large tv on it. On one wall stood two bookshelves, one was filled with board games, and the other had a large variety of DVDs. The dining room table was set with two bowls of miso soup, and on one side a cup of coffee was sitting. Yugao was surprised by the hominess she felt as she observed the small space.

"Hey, have a seat, okay I'm almost done cooking," Genma said motioning with a spoon towards the dining room table. Yugao looked at him and saw he had put on a white tank top and his hair was down minus his bandanna. It must have been the first time she had ever seen him in a more casual setting. "Thank you for everything," Yugao said, taking a seat. Genma just grunted, grabbing two bowls from a cabinet. Yugao awkwardly drank another sip of her tea and wasn't sure if she should continue to have any type of conversation while he was getting the food prepared.

She turned to watch him as he began pouring the very unique soup-like item inside of the two bowls and saw as he grabbed two spoons quickly. It was surprising to see him so skillfully work inside of his kitchen. She had just assumed that he was one of the types that survived on ramen and food pills. But it appeared those assumptions were wrong. Quickly he shut off the stove and carefully brought the two bowls to the table with a smile on his face. "Here is dinner and a show." He said chuckling when he caught Yugao blushing. "Thank you, um what is it?" She asked, staring at the meal that laid before her in confusion. "Well it is called Seonji Haejang-guk, it's a soup with congealed oxblood." He said, causing Yugao's eyes to widen and look with disgust. "I'm sorry that does not sound that good." She said poking at what she assumed was one of the congealed blood pieces. "Well it's not the best but it is the tried and true winner of all hangover cure meals I know. I keep this shit stockpiled in my freezer ready to go at a moment's notice." Genma said arrogantly. "Do you also have a hangover?" She asked him and he shook his head. "Nah, decided if I wanted to get you to try this crap I might as well do it in !" Genma said, grabbing a spoonful of his soup. Yugao sighed and also took a bite.