Author's Message:
📢 ATTENTION! 📢 VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ ALL OF THESE INFORMATION, NOTES, MESSAGE FIRST IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE BACKGROUND AND LAYOUT OF THE STORY!
Rated 'T' for some very, very minor violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes (in later chapters, i.e. Ch. 5).
You're probably thinking why the hell did I choose this pairing and this background setting? 💭 Lol, well, below is your answer! ✔️✔️✔️
I absolutely adore Tobirama! 😘 He's such a hottie! The leading male character that I envisioned is someone who has a stern and strict personality and a very responsible man, which perfectly fits Tobirama's 'real' character, so that's why I decided to pick him as our main guy. For the leading female character, I wanted someone beautiful (not too young or too old) and someone who doesn't resemble a 'good girl'-type (especially because I didn't want to create an OC!), so I decided to pick Samui. (Yup, same pair, just like "The Girl Next Door - A Tobirama x Samui AU Fanfic". That story was my biggest hit! It had +1,300 views! 😊 Sankyu! Go read it if you haven't yet!)
Yes, I know that Mabui and Samui are NOT siblings, but in this story, they will be! 😄 I picked Mabui, because she is beautiful like Samui and also from Kumogakure. Also, yes, I know that their age is not even close to their 'real' age, but who cares, right?! It's anime! You can never really distinguish someone's age anyways!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters! I'm just a fan that's inspired by the great works of its creators. This is just a fanfiction and does not have any affiliation to the actual anime or manga. Also, I personally don't know much about Japanese culture or feudal Japan in general. Therefore, I basically just researched these background information, so all these info are not 100% accurate! 🚫💯
***Note 📢📢📢 – In my story (1) every specific country or 'part of land' (i.e. Cloud Village) will be ruled by one person, the shogun, NOT -KAGE! Therefore, his children will be addressed as 'princess' or 'prince' by the citizens. Social ranking will follow the typical feudal Japan ranking, i.e. emperor, shogun's, daimyo's, samurais, etc. (2) According to Naruto Wikia, their version of the Warring States Period (as we all know) was "the long, violent era preceding the formation of the hidden villages." It was legitimately influenced by the Sengoku Period ("Age of Warring States", 1467-1568), "a period in Japanese history marked by social upheaval, political intrigue and near-constant military conflict." My point is, I STILL DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT JAPAN HISTORY! Sorry! Sooooo, just imagine the Naruto world, where there is NO NINJA/SHINOBI reference! WHY?! BECAUSE HAVING TO WRITE NINJUTSU STUFF IS GONNA BE HARD AF! Therefore, this story will only have ROMANCE ❤️️ and DRAMA 💔 (& barely or hardly any action scenes). (3) The LOVE development starts around Chapter 5 (But don't skip chapters... You might not understand the story line...)! (4) I guess I'll also add this - My stories/fanfics are heavily influenced by Thai, Korean, and Chinese movies/tv/dramas, manhwa's (Korean webtoons/manga), and manhua's (Chinese webtoons/manga). Soooo be prepared for Romance, Drama, some Humor, some sort of Poetic life lessons, some Adventure, Angst-y stuff, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, and maybe even Tragedy (I'm not 100% sure on that yet though).
Reading Guide: This story will be told in third person point of view (he, she, they), but may also include first person point of view "narrations" (I) from our main character (Samui). That can be annoying, so I will distinguish it in brackets with italic font, i.e. [iambabygg].
Ellipses ... indicates a change of time or scene.
Words in parenthesis (iambabygg) indicates my in-text notes.
Single quotation marks 'iambabygg' will be used to indicate a person's unspoken thoughts (kinda like a soliloquy).
Main Characters:
Samui, 21, second princess in the Cloud Village
Tobirama, 31, second prince in the Leaf Village
Mabui, 26, first princess in the Cloud Village
Karui, 17, Samui's maid and best friend
Kakashi, 31, samurai, Tobirama's right hand man
Hashirama, 35, shogun in the Leaf Village (originally first prince in the Leaf Village – promoted to be the shogun after his father died)
A, 47, shogun in the Cloud Village, Samui and Mabui's father
Darui, 26, samurai, Cloud Village's shogun's right hand man
*Note – other "side" characters will or will not be promptly introduced in their designated chapter of appearance.
Chapter 1: The Two Princesses in the Cloud Village
"Hya! Hya!" A group of men, armored with bow and arrows, commanded their horses to speed up as they chased after their prey. The frightened deer runs for its life, but unfortunately stopped its tracks when a sudden arrow punctures its neck. The wounded animal falls to the ground, struggling to survive. After a good minute or so, it laid stiff. A fair-skinned man with white, shaggy hair and three red markings on his face (one under each of his eyes and one on his chin) dressed in blue armor with a distinctive white, fur collar over a simple black suit draws his weapon away and commands his servants to go retrieve the dead animal as he heads back to base.
"Nice catch, Tobirama," complimented a tall man with tan skin and dark eyes, sitting behind a table sipping hot tea.
"Thank you, ani," the younger brother replied back, as he got off his horse to come sit with him.
The older brother pours him a cup of tea. "I want you to take an expedition to the Cloud Village. I want you to personally deliver a message to the shogun of that country."
"Yes, ani," he firmly replies.
...
"Samui! Get down from there right now!" softly demanded a darker skin girl with light grey hair, lavishly dressed in a floral furisode kimono, as she patiently waits for her younger sister to get down from the tall fruit tree.
"Ehh?! Mabui-nee! But I haven't gotten enough fruits yet!" the girl, high up in the tree, disappointingly yelled back. She has blonde hair, fair skin, and was plainly dressed in a black, sleeveless kimono held closed with a white obi (sash).
The older sister gave her a look that said "you better come down, or else". The younger sister awkwardly smiled and obeyed. Once she got low enough, she jumped straight down, expecting a perfect landing. Unfortunately she miscalculated the elevation of the ground, making her fall on her butt.
"Ouch!" she cried out, while rubbing her behind.
"Tsk tsk tsk," the older sister shook her head, predicting that exact outcome. Mabui helps her mischievous sibling up. "Samui! You are not a kid anymore. You are a princess. You cannot keep acting like this."
"But Mabui-nee! I just wanted to pick out these fruits for you and father," she replied, while holding onto the fruit basket.
"You should have just asked the servants to pick it for you."
"Eh?! No! I wanted to pick it up myself, so it'll be more special hehe."
Mabui sighs at the silly younger sister. "Alright, fine. But next time, don't do it again, alright?" Samui smiles and puts up an 'ok' sign. "Let's go get ready for dinner." The two girls left the garden and headed to the formal dining room.
...
"Samui! Why is your face so dirty?" asked a masculine, dark skin, older man, sitting at the front of the dining table.
Samui wiped her cheek and notices a smeared dirt. "Aha! I was climbing a tree earlier. I must have accidentally wiped my face with a dirty hand."
The man sighs. "Samui, dear, you are a grown woman now. You need to take better care of yourself and be more ladylike."
"But father-"
"Samui. I want you to act like how you're supposed to from now on." She looked at him weird. "Starting tomorrow, you will be taught manners and etiquette's that you should have been already mastered in."
"Eh?"
"We will be having an important guest from the Leaf Village, and I certainly don't want you to embarrass yourself or our family. Therefore, you better be on your best behavior and learn as quickly as possible."
Samui pouted at the thought of it. She had never been trained in etiquette's before, unlike her older sister, because she was a spoiled tomboy. She doesn't know any proper ladylike manners, cooking, or any feminine duties. Samui had always been the wild and carefree daughter, finding excuses to freely run around and play outside ever since she was a kid.
...
It was an early morning, and the roosters were barely crowing. Samui was awoken by constant knocking at her front door. "Princess Samui, it's time to wake up," called out a red hair, dark skin maid, while standing outside by the princess's room. "Princess Samui!"
"Go away, Karui!" she yelled back.
"Princess! Your father ordered you to get up!"
"No!~ I'm too tired!" Samui covers her ears, attempting to go back to sleep. It was impossible though, due to Karui's constant knocking. Suddenly, her door swung opened. The sleepy girl turned around to see who her guest was. She sighed and frowned. "Gosh! Who wakes up this early anyways?!"
"Apparently you will have to from now on," Mabui teased. Samui pouted and pats her cheeks, forcing herself to get out of her comfy, warm bed. She quickly gets ready and goes to the study room, where her new teacher was waiting for her.
Samui goes inside and sees a corpulent woman with dark brown hair. She had heavy makeup on: pink lips, pink nails and purple eyeshadows. The older woman got up from her seat and circles around Samui, quietly evaluating her. "I am Madam Shijimi. I was told to teach you proper etiquette and manners."
"Yawn… Umm, okayyyy," Samui sluggishly replies while confusingly looking at her, thinking to herself 'why is this lady checking me out?'
"That should have been 'Yes, ma'am,'" the woman corrected her. She pushes Samui's body upright.
"Ey! What the hell-"
"An ideal lady should be graceful and elegant, so she can stand tall and proud. Don't hunch and stand upright. But first of all, look at the way how you are dressed! No, no, no! Absolutely unacceptable," she said, while shaking her head and finger.
Samui scrunches her nose and looks down at her wardrobe. It was her typical attire (a short, sleeveless kimono and shorts) that she was comfortable in.
"A proper lady should always be dressed to impress. Maids!" Madam Shijimi called out for the maids waiting outside the door. "Prepare a bath for Princess Samui. We have lots of work to do."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Madam Shijimi gestures Samui to head to the bath house. "Eh? But I don't usually bathe till night time." Madam Shijimi disregarded her comment and drags her to the bath house. "M-Madam Shijimi!" The teacher helps strip off Samui's clothes and pushes Samui into the tub. It was refreshingly warm and filled with flower petals, something Samui had never tried before. It was very aromatic and relaxing. Then, a group of maids entered the private bathroom, while holding onto baskets full of varieties of soaps, towels, and scrubs.
"A lady, especially someone of high rank like yourself, princess, should always be clean and follow proper hygiene. Therefore, these maids will help scrub your body until you are cleaned from head to toe."
"Huh! Are you crazy?!" The maids walked up to her and started scrubbing her arms, back, and legs. "Ahh! This is so embarrassing!" Despite the uncomfortable pampering, Samui couldn't deny the fact that it felt amazing to have a cleaned body. After the long bath, she was transported back to her room, where a beauty team was already setting up various cosmetics and outfits prepared for her. Her eyes blinked in disbelief. It was way too excessive.
"A proper lady should look and feel beautiful. She must look her best at all times."
The maids dragged Samui to sit on a chair as they worked their magic on her. They styled her hair in an elaborate bun, decorated with a matching kushi kanzashi (comb) and kogai (hair pin), applied heavy makeup (consisting of bright red lips, dark brows, and voluminous lashes) and dressed her in a floral furisode kimono. Samui was very uncomfortable with her attire. She wiggles on the delicate silky cloth, trying to make it looser.
"Princess Samui, that's improper!" Madam Shijimi shouted.
"Tsk! But they made it too damn tight," she argues back. Madam Shijimi gave her 'the look', immediately shutting her up. She didn't want to listen to the teacher lecture her again about 'lady' this or that.
…
When they went back to the study room, Madam Shijimi stacked various textbooks on her desk. "It is important for a lady to have both beauty and brains. Take a seat. I will be teaching you history, language, grammar and vocabulary, along with various arts such as music, dance, musical instruments, calligraphy blah blah blah..." Samui's jaw dropped. If there was one thing Samui hated, that would be learning. She slumps into the seat, making Madam Shijimi yell at her. She curled her lips, making the strict teacher yell at her again.
After a few hours, the maids brought in their lunch. Samui was excited to finally take a break from all the learning. She was about to dig in, but Madam Shijimi immediately stopped her.
"Hey! What was that for?"
"Another important aspect of behaving like a lady is executing proper dining etiquette. This includes properly using all of the different utensils, knowing when to start eating, how to act..."
Samui slouched down on her desk and loudly sighs. 'You've got to be kidding me!'