"Knock their sandals off Dango, you've got this," was the last thing I heard before I entered the room and closed the door behind me. In the room were my father and mother, Chinami, Tobirama and Hashirama, and surprisingly my grandmother. This made my eyebrows raise. She almost never came out to greet guests.

"Ah, now that Kana is here, we can begin," said my father as he motioned for everyone to begin filling their plates. " You've met my eldest daughter Kana already, but I'd like to introduce you to my wife, Anzu, my daughter Chinami, and my mother Fujita." The brothers greeted them each before silence filled the room. To my own surprise, Hashirama broke it by addressing me.

"So Kana why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? We haven't gotten much time to see you so far," he said with an easy smile. Tobirama looked ready to stab him and if I wasn't in a formal setting, I would have cackled.

I was at a loss for what to say to him. "I enjoy being in nature very much. I spend much of my time on the beach because I especially love water. Though I doubt I've been in a setting quite like Konohagakure, I hope to adjust there quickly." I said, trying to remain poised under the watchful gaze of not only my mother and Hashirama but Tobirama too. His gaze was set intently on my face and I could barely fight the blush that was about to rise to my face.

"Ah yes! I've come to realize that the Aikawa has a strong attachment to the ocean here, isn't that why your clan remains here?" The conversation from there went back and forth with my father and Hashirama, speaking of things that were considered 'beyond the capacities of women.' We eventually finished eating and moved to the sitting room where Hashirama was heatedly describing all the things he wished to do for the village once he returned. Finally, it was Tobirama that cut in, curtly saying, " Hashirama, control yourself. You're about to bore these people to sleep with your nonsense." A giggled slipped out after the pause of silence and everyone swivelled to look at Chinami, whose face had turned beet red.

She hung her head as she explained herself, "I'm very very sorry Lord Hokage, Lord Tobirama," Chinami said quickly. "It's just that at that moment you reminded me very much of my older sister Kana and our cousin Koshiro. He commonly goes off on a tangent when speaking of something he's passionate about."

To my relief, Hashirama guffawed but Tobirama beat him to a reply. "I believe that I met this Koshiro earlier today when I had come back from a walk around the compound, isn't that right Lady Kana?" he said, turning to me. I don't know what it was about his eyes but I couldn't decide if I liked them or not. I felt like he could peer into my mind with just a glance.

I did nothing but nod. The conversation after that flowed more naturally. Chinami was the first to excuse herself, wishing everyone a good evening and leaving. At that time I turned to my grandmother and inquired quietly, "Grandma, is there a particular reason you attended this dinner? Did Koshiro tell you some absurd tale of the Senju brothers?" I wouldn't put it past Ko to tell some nonsense to grandma just to get a kick out of it.

"My Kana, no. I simply wanted to see the man you'll be a wedding soon, is that such a bad thing?" she whispered back at me with a suspicious twinkle in her eye. I suddenly realized where Koshiro had gotten that same glint for mischief. "And it seems that I am not the only one with a keen eye. He's been paying very close attention to you the whole time my dear. He may be trying to hide it but these old eyes can see things that even you youngsters can't," she chortled. I silently wondered how my partly blind grandmother could see more than I could as my eyes darted over to Tobirama, who did indeed have his eyes intently set on me. Once he caught my gaze he smoothly moved them to another part of the room.

I finally rose and bowed to my father, "I'll be retiring early today as I'm feeling quite tired and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow." I said

"Well, have a good night Kana!" Hashirama said brightly. My family all wished me well but before I could leave, Tobirama spoke up.

"If it would not be a hindrance to you, would you allow me to walk you to your rooms?" I would also like to retire early," he said. I consented with a nod, too shocked to speak. Our walk was silent and our forms cast slight shadows on the walls, the sky turning from orange and pink to a rich purple.

"Please be honest with me Lady Kana, are you truly tired? I was hoping to spend some time with you before the wedding but it appears that you have a very busy schedule." Tobirama spoke out, breaking the silence.

I replied with a conspiring voice, "Well if it doesn't bother you, would you like to take a walk before retiring? Where would you like to go?"

Tobirama looked much gentler in the soft light. He didn't seem as stern when I was talking to him personally compared to during dinner. Take me to your favourite spot, he said. I hesitantly put my hand on his arm after he offered it to me and we made our way through the courtyard and down the stone steps that led to the beach.

A small smile escaped his lips, "Somehow I had a feeling that we were headed here. My brother and I came here the other day to see the significance of the shore. While it is a sight to behold, I do have to say that I miss Konoha's abundance of trees," he said serenely, looking out at the beach. I tugged my sandals off and he did the same before we made our way right to the shore. Without hesitating I walked into the water calf-deep, holding the skirt of my kimono up. A deep breath escaped me as I closed my eyes, the rhythmic movement of the water soothing me.

"I'm going to miss this very much when I leave," I said quietly, looking out at the water and the inky reflection of the now dark sky. "My body may leave this place but my heart will always be here."

"Lady Kana," Tobirama started, making me turn to face him. "I'd like us to be honest with each other so that we can build a relationship over time. I will not lie to you and tell you that I love you at the moment but I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and give you a good life in the Hidden Leaf Village. Over time I hope that we will be able to grow closer to one another." he said, his face serious and his eyes focused on me.

I nodded slightly, "Thank you very much Lord Tobirama. You truly are a kind person." Apparently, this statement shocked him as his eyebrows lifted closer to his hairline. Over a short time, we had spoken with each other, I found that he had a very strong grasp on his chakra, making it harder to read. I could barely understand what he was thinking at the moment and it was a bit unnerving. "I would also like to try my best to be a good wife for you and hopefully build a friendship with you."

We spoke for a while more as we walked along the shore together, our feet in the shallow water. While he was indeed more serious than his brother was, he still managed to make me laugh when he thought that Koshiro and I were interested in one another. I was quick to assure him that he was no more of a brother to me than Hashirama was to him and this seemed to soothe him in away.

I asked him shyly, "Was there anyone in Konohagakure you were interested in?" It was common in arranged marriages for one of them to fall back onto their old romances and this was one of the fears that grasped my heart. The last thing I wanted was to spend my entire life married to someone who had given their heart to someone else.

"No, I was never interested in any of the women in Konoha. For me and my brother, the whole village is like our family and we do all that we can to protect that family," he said thoughtfully before trailing off. I was curious as to just what this village looked like but as of now, it sounded much like my own clan and the semblance of a village that had formed around it.

Eventually, we made our way back to the house and he walked me back to my room. Standing outside, I hesitantly took a hold of his hand, making the split-second decision to be a bit bold tonight. "I probably won't see you until the wedding," I said apologetically, looking up into his red eyes. To my surprise, he didn't pull his hand away from mine though he did seem a little more unsure of himself than he did before. I wasn't sure of how to say goodnight to him. A simple verbal farewell seemed too cold, while a hug was a bit out of my comfort zone. It ended up being a mixture. I murmured a soft goodnight and gently squeezed his hand before slipping inside my room and closing my door. His chakra waited outside my room for a few moments before moving away, probably to his own room.