[h3]   [/h3][hr][h3][color=indianred]Natsuko Rinha[/color][/h3][hr][sup][i]Early Morning  ||  Konoha[/i][/sup][indent] [/indent]
[color=indianred]“I’ll try,”[/color] Natsuko said with a devious grin. Such went the frequent exchange between Minoru and herself, since both of them knew she would only tone it down a bit after the warning. Of the team, ironically, it was Minoru that was most comfortable around her—something that Natsuko found endlessly funny and exploited on a daily basis. She was on Minoru’s good side, and she knew that. Though she also knew that he did his best to show no favoritism, she was glad that her sensei accepted her antics since the her teammates would need a lot more work before Natsuko got them to where she wanted them to be.

When the group started for the western gate—where they’d arranged to meet the daimyo’s entourage—Natsuko fell into step beside Koharu. In Natsuko’s head, it made sense that Koharu came from the Land of Snow, since the girl quite literally tried to freeze everyone out. Natsuko, though, had never been a one to give up easily, and she’d taken to poking and prying at Koharu’s icy shell whenever possible, hoping to get a glimpse of the personality that appeared when Koharu was overly tired or angry.

[color=indianred]“Haru-chan,”[/color] Natsuko sang, grinning as she peered at her teammate. [color=indianred]“You know, yesterday Kazu-chan was training with Mariko. If you’re not careful, she might steal him away from you,”[/color] Natsuko said, stretching her eyes wide with worry. [color=indianred]“And star-crossed lovers from enemy families are [i]so[/i] last century.”[/color]

For Natsuko, it didn’t really matter who Kazuhiko was paired up with, since the boy was too gosh-darned awkward for his own good. While Mariko Hyuuga was a bit less frigid than both her teammates, the possibility of matching them up and allowing them to simultaneously grow out of their shell was too good for Natsuko to pass up—not that such was likely anyway. The first few times she’d brought it up, both her teammates had spluttered with denial, red-faced and adamant in setting the record straight. Nowadays, though, the most she got out of Kazuhiko was an exasperated look, and Koharu was beginning to grow used to the topic as well, sometimes even playing along. 

Meaning, really, that Natsuko was making progress.
[h3]   [/h3][hr][h3][color=lightsteelblue]Kazuhiko Taketori[/color][/h3][hr][sup][i]Early Morning  ||  Konoha[/i][/sup][indent] [/indent]
Hearing his name mentioned, Kazuhiko glanced back at his teammates, but—seeing that Natsuko was likely up to something again—quickly looked away, hoping that doing so would spare him her attention for another while. He walked beside Minoru, the jonin a good two heads or so taller than him. Being tall for his age, Kazuhiko was almost level height with some of the shorter adults, but standing next to Minoru always made him feel like a kid again. Though it was usually the jonin that started their conversations—Kazuhiko never understood the nuances of making smalltalk—Kazuhiko felt comfortable in their silence, which was more than he could say about most people.

[hr][@Sunflower]