[center][sub][@Haruharara] [@Bee][/sub]
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	In the shadow of the eastern wall, the Sekiguchi Clan’s compound lay still, serene, and sedate. Dawn lit up their sprawling rock garden in blue-grey hues, and though beyond the gate Konoha was reluctantly stirring, the same could not be said of the shinobi residing within. To be Sekiguchi was to be lacking in ambition and energy. They were not Kaminari, related to the Hokage and thus recipient to the missions that sent them on top-secret, faraway missions at first light. Instead, their routine was marked in backshifts and second jobs, dull as dishwater.

	But Suzuhime was not one hundred percent Sekiguchi. One half of her blood hailed from the Land of Tea, the part that brought her milk-blonde hair and delicate complexion. That same part was to blame for her lack of sleep, and was the reason why she swung her legs out of bed and plodded downstairs like a girl ready to face her own execution.

	Dad would sleep through his own execution. Worries didn’t seem to gnaw a hole in his stomach as it did hers. They flooded her thoughts, whispering and chanting that there was a [i]chance[/i] she would end up like him, a jonin with no record of any special accomplishment, or her cousins, who peaked as chūnin in their twenties, or worse – worse than any of her family had ever been – an eternal genin.

	It was her firm belief that you weren’t really a ninja yet if all you took were D-Rank missions.

	Though she thought she was the only one awake in the house, the sliding door that led out into the garden from the dining room was left ajar. There was no chance that a family of shinobi would leave it unsecured at night – not even hers. She brushed it aside, careful not to make the faintest creak. Sitting on the bench outside was a woman in a meditative pose was her mother, milk-blonde hair braided but still long enough to brush against the grass.
	
	Suzuhime watched the rise and fall of her mother’s breath from the doorway. It sometimes scared civilians to realise that their Academy-trained children had the ability to kill them without them ever knowing they were there, but Suzuhime still made sure her footsteps made no sound as she approached. It was good practice for later. There was no doubt in her mind that stealth would be paramount in the chūnin exams, as important as aim and chakra control.

	Just when she was about to reach the bushes behind the bench, there was a flash of intent behind her that rang alarm bells in her head. Rolling into a crouch, a fan of kunai were in her hand in a second––

	[color=cdcdcd]“And just what are my two darling princesses doing up so early?”[/color]

	An arm snaked around her torso and hoisted her up into the air before she could do anything to block it. Less taijutsu, more dad-jutsu, always effective. Suzuhime’s father was a tall, broad man with wine-coloured eyes, a Sekiguchi inheritance. He was earnest in his appreciation and outrageous when showing it, and like her mother, Suzuhime had mastered rolling her eyes at his antics many, many years ago.

	[color=d3d3d3]“Husband,”[/color] her mother greeted. Her warmth was hidden behind an icy front, impossible to see unless you knew where to look. As it was, the frost in her eyes was light and reflected her mirth. [color=d3d3d3]“Perhaps you should put dear Suzuhime down. It’s the first day of the chūnin exams, is it not?”[/color]

	He dropped her without warning, but like a cat, Suzuhime twisted around to land on her feet.

	[color=cdcdcd]“The chūnin exams, eh?”[/color] he asked, as if he hadn’t even known they were happening. That seemed unlikely, given it was all anyone in the village had been talking about for months. [color=cdcdcd]“I still remember mine – good times, good times.”[/color]

	[color=e25a73]“Didn’t you lose yours, Dad?”[/color]

	A sheepish smile played at the corners of his lips. [color=cdcdcd]“Well, yes, but it was a near thing. Damn Ōkashi. I received a promotion not long after that –– and then I was sent on the mission where I stole the heart of your mother, with flowers, and presents, and a lot of dancing… you could say.”[/color]

	[color=e25a73]“You know that I'm old enough [i]to[/i] know what that means, right? Euphemism or not.”[/color] Suzuhime wrinkled her nose at that. [color=e25a73]“I don’t think I need to hear about that bit.”[/color]

	[color=cdcdcd]“No, don’t go yet! I made you a special breakfast,”[/color] he said, tugging on her arm to guide her back inside the house towards the kitchen. ‘Special breakfast’ sounded like something for a toddler, not a teenage trained killer, but the moment Suzuhime looked upon the kitchen table she saw plates piled high with sweet foods. The only thing ‘breakfast’ about it were the pancakes drenched in syrup, to say nothing of the cakes and pastries littering every available surface.

	A confused noise escaped her. Her dad wiped the back of his neck, abashed, and in the growing light of the morning, the shadows under his eyes looked even more pronounced than usual. [color=cdcdcd]“I may have made too much, but it’s a momentous occasion! My little girl finally growing up to be the strong kunoichi I always wanted to be.”[/color]

	[color=e25a73]“You wanted to be a strong [i]kunoichi[/i]?”[/color]

	[color=cdcdcd]“Eat your breakfast.”[/color]

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	By the time Suzuhime left the compound, stuffed full of everything sugary that she could eat (with leftovers in a neatly-wrapped bento for lunch), the sun was already high in the sky. So much for being early to settle her nerves. She rejected her father’s offer to walk her to the examination centre where genin from all the countries would be gathered, and figured that it was his privilege as a jonin to watch from the rooftops after giving her a few minutes headstart. 

	Settling into a comfortable position on the outskirts of the room, she looked around through her thick fringe at her colleagues, as well as those she hoped would not become her enemy. A true wallflower, petrified of the middle of the room. 

	The Hokage began her speech when she was halfway around the edge, sandwiched between a squad of lithe Suna-nin and what felt like an ocean from Kumo as they shuffled around. One jeered at her as she ducked around him, cementing the idea that they were truly willing to be her opposition in the test to come. Even so, she could not imagine those from her graduating class – her own village, Yachiyo and Iza and the rest – to be her enemies. Her allegiances started with Team 10 but they did not end there.

	Glimpsing her tiniest teammate leaving the crowd out of the corner of her eye, she let loose a sigh of relief and began to forge towards her.

	[color=e25a73]“Kurimi – finally – thank goodness! I’m sorry… I got here so late, I was worried I’d never find you,”[/color] she said, dipping in and out of an apologetic bow. It was difficult to tell sometimes how to best appease the Mochi girl with how tightly she held her cards close to her chest. Suzuhime could not tell what was wrong, but she could have sworn she heard her growling. [color=e25a73]“Where is Usagi?”[/color]