[h3]   [/h3][hr][h3][color=indianred]Natsuko Rinha[/color][/h3][hr][sup][i]Morning ||  Land of Fire: Konohagakure — Rinha Compound[/i][/sup][indent] [/indent]
[color=indianred]“Mother, Father, I’m heading out!”[/color] Natsuko called down the hallway of her house. Silence followed her words, but after the pause came an affirmative grunt that indicated that her father had heard. 

So off she went, down the stone porch and out the wooden gate, dashing through the streets with a grin on her face. Her hair was tied up to allow the [url=https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/445452617263611905/600229575305330698/1563176222058-742304254.jpg]Rinha sign  [/url] to show on the back of her light purple shirt, which she tucked into her shorts to add an edge of “put-together-ness” that she’d come up sometime during the morning. While breakfast had been an unremarkable affair, with family already busy into their daily schedule, the tow around her was anything but. Along the streets were vendors calling out names of various brunchtime foods, and it took Natsuko a bit of effort not to get sidetracked when she heard “mochi” get called too. 

Soon enough Natsuko reached the street that turned onto her sensei’s street, and at her destinated corner she was surprised to see a familiar figure holding an unfamiliar bag as he paced. With a grin on her face, Natsuko sped up her pace, though Kazuhiko looked up before she even got close enough to pounce. 

[color=indianred]“Morning, Kazu-kun!”[/color] Natsuko called, waving as she sprinted towards him, but he turned the corner before she had a chance to catch up and grill him on why he’d been standing there and what he was holding. 

Muttering under her breath about how a certain male teammate of hers could thank his lucky stars she wasn’t inclined to ask Koharu boost her into fly-kicking his ass, Natsuko turned the corner as well, spotting that same teammate again as he spoke with Minoru outside their sensei’s house.

[color=lightsteelblue]“Thank you… gift… didn’t know… mochi,”[/color] Kazuhiko was saying to Minoru, but Natsuko was too far away to make out more. From what she did make out, though, it sounded like Kazuhiko had brought a gift she could appreciate as well: mochi.

[color=indianred]“Kazu-kun, wait for me!”[/color] she called, but again Kazuhiko simply ignored her, entering into the house before her without so much as a second glance. So, okay, she’d have plenty of opportunities to talk to him in a minute or two, but did he really need to ignore her so many times?

[color=indianred]“Ugh, morning Sensei!”[/color] Natsuko said, finally reaching the doors. [color=indianred]“I need to teach Kazuhiko not to ignore me. Now, I know you told Haru-chan not to use that ice thing again with me, but hear me out: What if we use it to check Kazuhiko? Please? If not for me, then for my honor! They’re not the same, promise!”[/color]

Once inside, Natsuko was greeted by the delightful smell of lunch already being made. Spotting her teammates with Azumi in the kitchen, Natsuko dashed over as well, pulling back just as she got within distance to hug the Hyuuga. Would she hurt the baby if she hugged Azumi too tightly? Well, not if she was gentle!

[color=indianred]“Good morning, Azumi-san! The food smells good!”[/color] she said, hugging Azumi gently around the waist.

Spotting Kazuhiko and an open box of mochi and sesame powder on a counter, Natsuko ran over as well, a grin on her face as he vocalized some surprise before she wrapped him into a hug as well. 

[color=indianred]“Morning, Kazu! Thanks for the mochi!”[/color] she said, swiping a bite and popping it into her mouth before Kazuhiko could stop her.

[color=steelblue]“Natsu—”[/color]

[color=indianred]“Nope, too late, it’s gone.”[/color] she said, opening her mouth for him to see.

Kazuhiko pulled a face, then sighed, turning back to Koharu. [color=steelblue]“So, again, new sword right?”[/color]

[color=indianred]“Oh, new sword?”[/color] 

Natsuko’s eyes stretched wide as she crouched down next to Koharu, looking her teammate’s new acquisition over. Truth be told, it looked about the same as her old one, though clearly more expensive. That its quality had gone up was about the only thing Natsuko gleaned from looking at it, and soon she was back on her feet, listening to Koharu chatter on to Kazuhiko. The talk didn’t interest her much, being of swords and the like, but both her teammates were invested. Kazuhiko seemed to show an open curiosity for it, but Koharu was much more animated, indicating some sort of deeper interest that Natsuko could only admire on the surface in this case. 

Instead of listening to them, Natsuko found her eyes wandering to their casual clothes. They’d all opted for shirts, which was just as well, considering most shinobi’s limited wardrobes. Practicality over all and all that. For Kazuhiko, that meant a black shirt and baggy cargo shorts of a similarly dark shade, calling into question whether he owned anything that wasn't in tha range of grey to black. His [url=https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/445452617263611905/600236181732458518/1563177838668-1868064300.jpg]clan sign[/url] was a lot simpler than either Natsuko's or Koharu’s, being a circle with a line through it, but the line had a sort of elegant curve that suited Kazuhiko well. Resembling a brushstroke more than a cut like Natsuko would expect, the line reminded Natsuko of the refined stiffness she’d seen in Kazuhiko’s father, but she quickly moved on to admire the intricacy of Koharu’s clan sign, which was much more to her liking. Symmetry could be tacky, but clan signs and symmetry went together like water and tea leaves: They’d been used together for so long Natsuko couldn’t imagine a world without them.

[color=indianred]“Azumi-san, when’s lunch?”[/color] Natsuko called, eyes drifting to Kazuhiko’s mochi again. 

When his hands swept the box closer to him, Natsuko’s eyes shot to his, and she pouted. [color=indianred]“Oh c’mon, Kazu-chan. I’ve been so good this morning—give me some reward.”[/color]
[indent] [/indent][hr][hider=Jutsu]
[hider=Ninjutsu][indent] [/indent][list]
[*]Wind Release:
[list][*]Gale Palm: a technique where the user increases the velocity or density of wind to form a powerful gale capable of knocking over a person.[/list]
[*]Dark Release:
[list][*]Kusunemasu [Needs Practice]: A basic technique that allows a Rinha to absorb chakra from others and use it as their own. They can do this through direct physical contact or from a distance 
(Limits: distance-restrained, more concentration required without direct contact)
[/list][/list][indent][/indent][/hider]
[indent] [/indent][/hider]
[indent]   [/indent][hr][h3][color=lightsteelblue]Kazuhiko Taketori[/color][/h3][hr][sup][i]Late Morning ||  Land of Fire: Konohagakure — Kawaguchi Household[/i][/sup][indent] [/indent]
[color=lightsteelblue]“Buy your own, or eat them after lunch with everyone else,”[/color] he said, putting the lid back onto the box. [color=lightsteelblue]“I didn’t buy them just for you.”[/color]

[color=indianred]“You should’ve,”[/color] came the retort, which prompted an eye roll from him. He’d wanted to bring an impromptu gift to set the tone for his apology to Azumi and Minoru, not feed the endless well that was Natsuko.

[color=lightsteelblue]“Anyway, Wakahisa swords. Do they get passed down? Or is it just the techniques that get transferred from generation to generation?”[/color] 

[indent] [/indent][hr][hider=Jutsu]
[hider=Ninjutsu][indent] [/indent][list]
[*]Lightning Release:
[list][*]Thunder: creates arcs of lightning that the user can direct towards a target.
[*]Thunderbolt [Needs Practice]: creates arcs of lightning that can hit multiple targets at once.
[*]Lightning Strike [Needs Practice]: creates a strong arc of lightning that can hit multiple close targets or be extended to hit a faraway one. 
[/list][/list][indent][/indent][/hider]
[indent] [/indent][/hider]
[hr][sup][@Sunflower][/sup]