[Right][h2][color=a187be]Koharu[/color][/h2][/right]

She smiled at Natsuko's enthusiasm. Koharu couldn't deny that having the other girl around was a good thing. She could remind Koharu that they were just twelve year old girls, not adults. At home Koharu was talked to as an adult. She attended the meetings Osamu had with his advisors and she even trained with him. Everything in her life was centered around her status as heir to the clan. She was not a child. She was their future. This sort of stuff, being with her team and being treated like a kid, made it all bearable. If only she wasn't so awkward at trying to be informal. (Hey she could have been as bad as Kazuhiko.) 

Koharu was also thankful that Natsuko seemed assured that she and Kazuhiko could keep her safe. So much was piled onto her shoulders, and his. So much was riding on them to be perfect for their clans. It was nice that they had someone around that only expected them to be safe havens rather than cold perfection. 

[i]"Why's your hair white?"[/i] The question didn't catch her off guard. No, the speaker had caught her off guard. She looked at the little boy and gave a small smile. It wasn't uncommon for people, especially children, to ask about her hair. She was aware that it wasn't exactly common in Konoha and many of her classmates had made fun of her for it. She couldn't ever remember a time when Natsuko or Kazuhiko had made fun of her hair. She'd been about to explain that it was common back in the Land of Snow, and that it was the only good thing she had to remember her father bye, but he'd moved onto Natsuko.

Koharu's snorting laughter was quickly drowned out by her hand as she attempted to smother away the sounds. She had to be dignified and there was nothing noble about snorting. This little boy surely wasn't winning any points with Natsuko. Koharu moved closer to her teammate and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. [color=a187be]"It's okay, Suko-chan. He isn't winning any beauty contests either."[/color] Koharu paused at her awkward wording and quickly withdrew her hand to bow deeply towards Natsuko, muttering out a soft apology. Koharu was used to impassive adults as cold as the ice she could wield, not pretty girls who were insulted.

[Right][h2][color=darkgray]Minoru[/color][/h2][/right]

He'd thanked the guard captain and gave assurances that this would go smoothly but when he turned around and seen the wide smile on Natsuko's face and Koharu bowing while apologies streamed from her mouth made him rethink what he'd told the captain. With a defeated sigh he moved closer to his team and put a hand on Natsuko's head and told Koharu that she didn't have to bow anymore. 

[Color=darkgray]"I see you've already met our charge. He is Hachiro, the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning."[/color] He motioned for his students to follow him as the carriage began moving. The journey would take three days, and that was without any interruptions or mishaps. He had a good team and they'd done good on their other missions and their training. This was their chance for some real world experience. The Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning were on...tense grounds with each other. While they would likely jave a run of the mill escort mission it wouldn't hurt to teach them just how this world really worked. From what he understood and had learned about his students was that Natsuko was saddled with the least burden by her family but the other two were the exact opposite and likey all they knew about the world was how their clans fit into it. 

[color=darkgray]"Are you alright?"[/color] Minoru asked as he fell in line with Koharu.

[color=a187be]"Yes sir."[/color] She kept her gaze on everything but the village gates they'd barely just passed through.

When the Wakahisa clan had been brought to Konoha there were a great many people who didn't care if a new clan would live within the village walls but some of the older and bigger clans had raused concerns, namely the fact that the Wakahisa clan didn't tell anyone, possibly beyond the Hokage and his advisors, shy they'd been exiled from Yukigakure. The people of Konoha were welcoming but could be suspicious. Not that he blamed them, he'd been suspicious at first to but once the shinobi from Yukigakure had shown their talent and desire to protect their new homes people began to change their minds.

[color=a187be]"You might want to check on Natsuko. That blow to her ego is hurting her more than she wants to show."[/color]

[Right][h2][color=a187be]Koharu[/color][/h2]
》 [i]Dusk//Land of Fire border[/i][/right]

When they finally stopped for the night she could feel a deep ache in her feet and once Minoru gave the word that they were stopping for lunch Koharu stripped her shoes off and tossed them into a small pile. To hell with being dignified when her feet hurt! The day had been largely uneventful aside from Natsuko teasing them and Minoru trying to impart wisdom as they walked. 
The guards set the carriage down and Minoru was in the process of already making a fire, showing off his use of fire jutsu to the [s]sppiled brat[/s] Daimyo's son. 
So far the mission was fun. Being so far from her family was a little odd and it made her nervous but ultimately she was enjoying it. This was their first real mission after all. Maybe in a little while she'd practice her iaido. 

[@Dusksong]