Yolei walked in silence as she followed the Senju family around their compound. She looked around with amazement in her eyes at all the colors around her. Not to think wrongly for her village that was not it at all, it was simply that her village hid its beauty in the mist, you had to search for it, but once you found it, you were not disappointed, whereas this village displayed its attractiveness for its people to see far and wide. As they walked through the garden, she couldn't help but be in awe as it was covered in flowers she had never seen before. She wanted so desperately to end the tour here and leave the group to go on their way.

"Is there something the matter Yolei?"

Yolei turned to the Senju family members and blushed as they turned to her, "Oh no, I apologize, Lord Hokage," she bowed to him, "I was simply admiring your garden. You see, we don't have so many beautiful flowers such as these where I'm from."

Hashirama smiled at her as her innocents showed, "Oh, well, I'm glad you enjoy it. It's also my favorite part. You'll find that it's quite peaceful here at night."

He watched her smile at him as she tucked a strain of hair behind her ear. As they continued to walk, he couldn't help but turn around every now and then and smile as she admired the beauty of his village. He felt a sense of pride as she did. He didn't know what to expect when he was given the proposal. As with Mito, they had never met before, so there was an unknown of what he'd be getting his family into, but as they continued their journey, he knew deep down that this would work. She was delicate and peaceful. She was young, just about two years his brother's junior. She walked with grace, but it was not of pride and belittlement. It was of innocents and wonder. He did know one thing, though; her father had indeed sheltered her from the ugliness of the world. He could tell in her eyes that she had not been through the hardships that he and his brother had gone through to get here.

He glanced over at his brother and frowned. Tobirama was going to make this hard on everyone. He was against this from day one, but he understood what needed to be done. He understood the need to stop the fighting and gain more knowledge in the art of medical ninjutsu. He looked at his brother as he stood off to the side, eyeing everything she did. He didn't trust her; he also didn't like her. Hashirama knew that much. Yolei was everything his brother was not, delicate, innocent, and a pacifist. Hashirama signed as he let his wife lead the tour. If he wasn't careful with Tobirama, he knew he would hurt the girl. Hell, he thought, he had already broken her at the welcoming. He knew she thought she hid it well, but Hashirama saw the single tear that ran down her face as she stood next to his brother. He was no fool. He knew Tobirama wouldn't make this easy on her, but she was at least trying. He wished he could say the same for his brother.

Hashirama fell to the back of the group as Mito took Yolei's hand, guiding her into the main house where his family stayed and where she now will also be.

"You know," he whispered to his younger brother, "You could at least smile at her."

Tobirama rolled his eyes at his brother as he followed the women in front of them, "What I do is none of your business, brother."

Hashirama huffed, "Actually, as your older brother and Hokage it is. I also have to make sure she's happy here. The last thing we need is her writing to her family saying how rude and unwelcoming you are."

The younger brother kept walking down the hall, ignoring his Hokage. Hashirama waited until the women were farther away from them before he grabbed his brother's arm, signaling for him to stop. "Look," he started, "I know this isn't what either of you wants, but you're going to have to get over it. Trust me, I've been there. At the end of the day, you need to remember that it's her that's given up more than you. She has left her friends, family, and village to be with us. We need to show her the same respect she has shown us."

He looked over and made eye contact with his wife, and nodded to her. She nodded back, signaling she understood what was going on between the two brothers, as she took the younger woman's hand, leading them farther away from the men so that they may continue their conversation in private.

"You need to at least be welcoming to her. Don't let her be afraid of you. The last thing you want is her running to another man for comfort."

Tobirama laughed, "Why should I care who she runs to? We are to simply marry; united the villages. She can run into whoever's arms she pleases when she's upset. I'm not here to babysit her. She is a grown woman, not a child."

Hashirama looked at his brother and sighed with frustration, "You say that now Brother, but your pride will not let you allow such things. Just please, for the future of our village, do not push her away. She is to be a role model for our youth. She is now as much as a symbol of this village as you are."

Up ahead, Yolei couldn't help but feel upset again. She knew why the Hokage and his brother fell back. They were talking about her. It wasn't hard to tell she could, after all, hear them before they lost them in the hall. She just didn't know what she had done to make her future husband dislike her so much. She was polite and quiet; she had done everything Yamato had told her to do. She didn't speak unless spoken to, she didn't drop the formality, and also didn't try to cross into his personal space, so what had she done to offend him.

"He's not always like this," Yolei looked over at the woman standing next to her, her future sister in law, "He's really kind and a gentleman. Please don't let his appearance earlier give you the wrong impression of him."

Mito looked at the young woman as she gave her words of encouragement. She knew precisely how the Princess of the Village in the Mist was feeling. Mito had been there not too long ago, but unlike Yolei, her husband had made an effort from the moment she stepped out of the carriage to make her feel at home. She continued to lead them down the compound, "My brother is a prideful man, but he is also a generous man. He will take care of you, dear."

Yolei nodded her head, not looking at the woman, "Please don't worry about me, My Lady. I understand what my role here is. I understand it, and I will not turn away. You don't need to give me sweet words of encouragement. It is an honor to be here and marry Lord Tobirama. I will not complain about him."

Mito signed as she nodded her head. The girl was trying to be strong and show no fear Mito knew. "I wasn't trying to insult you in any way, dear. I just want you to know that you are much more than a diplomatic object. You are a woman and soon to be a wife—a wife to not only a man but a village. If my husband and I step down one day, you and your husband will need to step up. He doesn't know it now, but he will need your support."

Yolei nodded her head, "Yes, My Lady, I understand. And I will be there for him whenever he needs me. I will not abandon him, no matter how much he tries to push me away."

Mito signed; this was a woman who was doing her best, but she turned to look at her. Who was she really? Behind the formalities and the daintiness, who was Yolei Inoue, soon to be Senju. Was she smart? Yes, Mito thought, she was fluent in the art of Medical Ninjutsu, was she kind though, could she care for this village's people as much as Mito and her family do? Was she brave? Will she fight for her people? Mito shook her head; of course, she was brave. She was doing this for her people. But could she love, that was most important, could she love a man who didn't know he wanted to be loved and a village she did not grow up in? Just who was she, and what would she do to her family?

"My Lady?"

Mito stops as she looked behind her. Yolei stood behind her, fiddling with the ends of her hair, not looking at her.

"Yes, dear?"

Yolei took a deep breath as she turned to the woman and pushed her hair back, "When you married the Lord Hokage, was it out of love or honor?"

Mito smiled as she walked over to the troubled woman, placing her hands on her shoulders, "It was out of honor," Yolei sighed as she looked at the ground, "But," Yolei felt the fingers of the woman lift her chin up, "It turned into love."

Yolei scoffed, "My advisor told me that love is nothing more than a child's dream."

"Love is whatever you make it out to be dear," Mito told her softly as she saw the brothers come around the corner, "Come, let me show you to your temporary room."

"My temporary room?"

"Well, the wedding is in a few weeks, and Hashirama and I thought it best that you have your own personal space while you get settled in."

"Oh, well, thank you," she tried not to show how relieved she was.

"Of course, dear," they stopped in front of a door, "This will be your room, across is Tobirama's room and then a few doors down in mine and Hashirama's room. Why don't you go in and get settled? Your things have already been dropped off. When you're ready, feel free to explore. Someone will find you when dinner is ready."

Yolei bowed to the woman, "Thank you, My Lady."

Mito stood back as she watched the young woman step inside and close the door behind her. She then turned and walked back over to her husband and her brother.

"So," Hashirama walked over and placed his arm around her waist, "What do you think of her?"

She rested her head against his shoulder as she smiled at Tobirama, "She will make a fine addition to our family."

"See," Hashirama pointed to his brother, "Mito even approves, now stop being rude and go in there and be a man."

Tobirama glared at his brother in frustration, "Quiet."

Mito signed at the brothers, "Boys, please stop. Hashirama, this is not your relationship. This is between Tobirama and Yolei. We are here for guidance and support, not to control the relationship. Tobirama," she turned to the younger man, "Please, I'm not asking you to take this relationship and run and live happily ever after, but please do not ignore her. Yes, she is young and innocent, but she is also brave and strong."

Tobirama simply nodded at the couple as he walked past them, not saying a word to either of them. Mito was correct. This was not their relationship. This was between him and the woman from the Land of Water. As he passed her door, he heard her crying on the other side. He shook his head; Mito was wrong. She was neither brave nor strong. She was just good at pretending. He was never one to think of himself wedding someone, but if he would have to pick. His wife would be strong and confidant. She would be intelligent and cunning and be able to defend herself and her people. This woman that they brought to them was neither of those things. This was not the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but he would do it if it meant protecting his village.

Inside the room, Yolei sat on her sizeable soft bed as she opened a box that Yamato had left for her. It was a good size box; she wasn't sure where he had kept it until now. It was wrapped in blue paper with a white bow on it. As she opened the box, she slowly let out one tear at a time until they all flowed out at once. Inside the box were gifts from her people. She was given flowers and cards stating how proud they were of her and how much they would miss her. There were even a few pictures in there of the village and families that lived there. Yamato and everyone else lied to her, saying that this would be easy. While she had enjoyed seeing the beauty of the new land and enjoyed the excellent hospitality that the Hokage and his wife had given her, she missed her home. She missed the sun being behind the clouds, the way the mist covered the land. She missed her villagers walking up to her to give her gifts of flowers and hugs, but most of all, she really just missed her father.