This one's a lot longer, sorry about that.

I decided to include Tobirama and Mariko's trip to Hurricane in this story.

It's endless in my head, because I'm allergic to plot, but I'll work it out... This is part one, in any case, so at least it's not like...a novel. Tell me what I can do to make it more interesting!

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. I only made up the Hurricane Country, and my OCs are Mariko, Sumiko, Katsurou, and Ryouichi.

Tobirama's a Senju, so...(why doesn't he have overpowering Senju DNA and trees?!)

Chapter 7: Hurricane - Part 1

There comes a time when the serious boyfriend meets the family. There also comes a time when the result of an unhappy arranged marriage turned cliché-but-adorable love story has to meet the family as well.

When Hashirama told his younger brother, "Pack your bags, you're going on a trip", Tobirama had no idea what they had in store for him.

"You're going to Hurricane tomorrow," was the last thing he expected to hear at dinner that night. His astonished face was probably worth taking a picture, but Mito and Hashirama just laughed at him. Mito began one of her stories, the kind of reminiscing told over quiet dinners in the Senju household. It was the story of the time Hashirama went to meet her parents in Uzushiogakure.

Tobirama blanched.

"Here, Tobirama," Hashirama said the morning of departure, "is a list of names I think you'll need to know. Important people, that's all. Nothing too detailed or extreme, you don't need to know more than this, really."

The list was four pages long, and Tobirama stared at it dejectedly. He already had a hard enough time remembering the current Konoha genin, let alone others. He still called Danzo by "Dan", and called Torifu "Tora" by accident sometimes. Besides, didn't he have to learn all of Mariko's siblings' names first?

"This…is long," he said simply.

"I'm sure Mariko will help you. Hop into that carriage, your travel group is ready to go." Hashirama patted his brother on the shoulder, smiling sympathetically. As the older brother, he should've offered Tobirama some advice and cheered him up a bit, but Hashirama remembered very clearly his own traumatic experience when he left for Whirlpool. He'd been a wreck on the inside, but in the end, it turned out well. Hashirama was sure that Tobirama would be fine, despite the pale-faced expression on the already pale younger Senju.

Mariko's consistent naps on the carriage and her distracted lessons on names were the only things that he could really remember—well, he'd forgotten the names, mostly, but still. If she hadn't been sleeping on his lap or curled into his arms, Tobirama would've high-tailed it back to Konoha ASAP. After three days of travel, he decided running all the way back probably wasn't worth it.

They sailed past what Mariko claimed to be Uzushiogakure, which was probably true, since several working fishermen waved at them when they saw the Leaf Village sign on their sails. Tobirama observed the easily recognized swirl of Uzu on the fishers' small boats.

A few hours later, they ran into the next biggest island, and that would be Hurricane.

Welcome to Hurricane was the first sign that they met on land. After traveling by foot and horse again for a few more hours, reaching high noon of their fifth day of travel, they read the second sign:

Welcome to Esmeralda, capital city of Hurricane.

Mariko's hometown. It was much bigger than Tobirama expected, and the style was vastly different from that of Konoha. A wall enclosed the capital city, and far into the distance, he saw high towers reaching high into the blue sky. Tobirama wondered why a wall had been built around such a vast city. Or rather, he wondered how long it took.

"That's just on the south end," Mariko informed him, as if reading his mind. "The other borders are mostly farmland or small towns."

"It's…different than what I thought," Tobirama answered, studying the source of all his Hurricane jokes he pinned on her.

As their horse pulled the wagon to the gate, armed guards stopped them and asked their purpose. Toka, who had been charged with organizing the trips to and from Hurricane, stepped up. She was only obligated to drop off Tobirama and Mariko, then pick them up after three weeks. Anything more, and she would probably kill something.

"Where is your party coming from?"

"Konoha, Land of Fire."

"Destination and reason?"

"Emerald Palace, and delivering the fourth princess with her fiancé." Toka crossed her arms, satisfied with her answer, especially when the guard abruptly looked up at her from his border log, nearly dropping his pencil.

"Go right ahead," he said, almost forgetting to check their wagons. When the guards saw the border check man bent at the waist in a frantic bow towards the second wagon, they peered inside to see who it was. Upon recognizing the blue hair of the royal family, they all put their heads down and twisted their bodies in 90 degree angles, forgetting to check which member of the family it was.

Well, then again, the eldest son resided in Esmeralda, and the two others had already arrived beforehand. This was obviously Princess Mariko, but they didn't really register that.

"I'll be leaving at this point," Toka told them. She turned to Tobirama and glared. "Behave, Tobirama."

"Yes ma'am." The Senju almost shuddered when he saw his cousin pull out a kunai, threatening to dismember him should he create political war.

Tobirama and Mariko stood in front of the royal palace, an insanely tall thing that was supposed to be where Mariko had lived.

"You lived in that?" Tobirama asked her. She linked arms with him and nodded proudly, pointing to one of many tall tiers, calling it her room. Tobirama shook his head. "Don't you get lost?"

"Nope."

When they reached the gate, the first guard's jaw nearly dropped as he scurried to get the head of security. Meanwhile, all the other armed men looked ridiculous as they scrambled into position, forming two rows for Tobirama and Mariko to walk through. They planted their swords in front of them and dipped their heads respectfully.

Tobirama did his best not to tell Mariko the myriad of Hurricane jokes that popped into his head right then.

The head guard, an old man of nearly 80 years, propped himself up on his cane and ambled down to meet them. Despite his age, he could still easily lose the cane and fight a storm if he had to. He had seen the current king get married, and he and his wife had overseen the birth of every child of this generation. It had been years and years since all four of them had been in the palace at the same time.

"Welcome home, Mariko," he said, dipping his head.

Mariko broke from Tobirama's side and ran to hug the old man, known as Arr. Old Arr gently patted Mariko on the back, smiling as his armor clinked and scraped like old bones.

"It's good to see you, Arr."

"It's good to have you all back."

Mariko paused. You all? If Arr mentioned more than just her, and moreover, "all", then that meant… Mariko whipped her head towards the next voice that sailed through the courtyard.

"If it isn't Marie, Marie, Marie," a woman's voice sang. Tobirama had to blink twice and make sure he wasn't staring an alternate world version of Mariko. This woman was much taller than Mariko, built like a model, with swept back hair and dangly gold earrings. Her heels were disastrously high, but yet she paraded over with the lithe grace of a stalking cat.

"Well?" she asked, holding her arms out. Tobirama watched as Mariko's face burst into a smile and she ran into the woman's arms.

"Sumiko!" she exclaimed, throwing herself at her older sister. Tobirama recalled bits and pieces of things Mariko had told him about Sumiko; this was her only sister, then one that took care of her in place of a mother when the Queen had died.

"What in the world are you wearing, Marie?" Sumiko asked sarcastically, taking in Mariko's Konoha-style dress. It was one of those flat skirts to the knee, comfortable, but shaped like a rectangle. "Is this the best they can do in the Leaf?"

Sumiko didn't even spare a glance at Tobirama…yet. She herself wore the most fashionable thing one could find in the Hot Springs Country, and from what Mariko heard, Hot Springs was very fashionable. Koharu had said something about new trends, some time or the other.

"These are my traveling clothes. I'm in disguise," Mariko joked, smiling at her sister.

"Yet you look three times as dull as Mr. Boyfriend over there." Sumiko nodded at Tobirama, feigning a pout. He was quite good looking, if she could say so herself. "But then again, Mr. Boyfriend hasn't greeted me yet."

"Tobirama, this is my sister, Sumiko," Mariko laughed. Tobirama smiled, casting a nervous glance at his little blunette, before holding his hand out to the taller one.

"Ah, Mr. Boyfriend, here in Hurricane, you shake hands with men and you greet women with a friendly kiss on each cheek," Sumiko informed him. Mariko stifled a giggle as Tobirama did as he was told.

"I see Hurricane is more interesting than I thought," he said lightly, glancing at Mariko again. She crossed her arms. "And now I've met the woman of all Mariko's stories, Sumiko-san. All good things, of course."

"I'd hope so, Mr. Boyfriend, because the hide I'd skin would be yours and not my baby sister's," Sumiko quipped, arching her perfect eyebrows. Tobirama cringed internally, but on the outside, he was as cool as Izuna's witty remarks, and laughed just as lightly.

"Your sister is just as interesting as Hurricane," Tobirama said to Mariko.

"Mr. Boyfriend's got a great sense of humor," Sumiko approved. "I like him."

She stepped closer to Tobirama.

"Though if you do anything weird, her brothers and I will cut off parts you don't want cut off."

"That sounds like something I said a few months back, Sumi. Besides that, hey, Sumi, long time no see!"

A familiar, tall figure with a recognizable swagger made his way towards them. He held a glass of who-knows-what in his left hand, and was sipping it casually, sunglasses reflecting the high noon sun with a glare.

Katsurou pressed two light kisses to both his sisters' cheeks, and then pulled him into a bear hug without spilling his drink. He held out his hand to Tobirama, who shook it firmly, despite still shuddering at Sumiko's threat to his manliness.

"Katsurou's here, it's a party!" Katsurou exclaimed, pushing his sunglasses on his head. Again, the green of his eyes, identical to Mariko's, always threw off Tobirama. "And look here, you survived! I'm surprised you're alive, with my sister and all."

Mariko elbowed him, rolling her eyes.

"No, I meant with Sumi! Don't take that threat lightly, my good man." Katsurou patted Tobirama on the shoulder, nodding gravely. "If she catches you doing anything wrong…" Katsurou made a slicing motion across his neck, eyes widening for dramatic effect. "And then some other parts, too."

"Kats, you're scaring him. I'm sure Mr. Boyfriend is a 'good man', as you said," Sumiko interrupted, smiling. "He wouldn't touch our pure Marie, would he?"

Tobirama made a mental note not to make any jokes about Mariko's purity, seeing as he'd already taken it away. That was besides the point, so he just laughed along with them, though he sensed an oddly murderous undertone.

"Let's see the big man, then." Katsurou waved at them.

"Dad?" asked Mariko.

"Nope, the other big man, good old Ryou." Katsurou began making his way to the main gate, but not before throwing out a hello to old Arr. The old soldier nodded and patted Katsurou's hand, unable to reach the man's head as he had been able to when Katsurou was just a boy.

"Take care," Arr told them as they left.

Unlike the many Uzushiogakure people that had escorted Mito to Konoha, the people of Hurricane did not all have the same color. Mito's people all had some shade of red hair or the other, some of them deviating into more brown and black shades, and some random blonde heads that somehow got worked into the population. Nevertheless, the main color was red.

Hurricane, however, saw all shades of hair-colors, a diversity of people, just like Konoha. It appeared that only Mariko's family had the brilliant blue hair of the Aokami. The other blue-haired people running around must've been cousins or clan members, Tobirama supposed. After walking through at least three gardens, Tobirama was effectively confused and lost. Katsurou and the two sisters easily navigated their way through, despite the older two having been out of country longer than Mariko. Somehow, Sumiko picked her way successfully through the bustling palace on her frightening heels, a sure-footed mare taking careful steps.

"Is that Mariko?" a few blue-headed girls whispered.

"No way!"

"Who else could it be?"

The two girls ran over and tackled Mariko, wrapping their arms around her, giggling. They turned out to be cousins, and despite Tobirama's obvious presence, they wouldn't stop laughing and talking to Mariko, absolutely delighted to see her. They didn't even acknowledge the two other siblings.

"I have to go, guys," Mariko said, smiling. "I'll catch up with you later."

"You have to," said the taller one with curly blue hair. "You have to hear about what happened last week!"

She and the shorter one squealed, before taking off into the palace again.

"Those were my two cousins," Mariko explained. "We always spent time together."

Tobirama nodded as they continued indoors.

"Ryou, Ryou," sang Sumiko, sauntering into a massive library with the rest of the group in two. "Are you locking yourself up in here again?"

They came upon a slim man wearing a suit, his tie slightly loosened and his nose buried in a book. He glanced up and pushed his glasses up his nose, the action reminding Tobirama a little bit of Homura. The Senju suddenly wondered what his team was doing at the moment. Maybe they were hanging out with Team Toka, and spray painting buildings with graffiti?! He discarded the thought.

"Just taking a break, Sumiko. Nice to see you again." He stood up, brushing his straight blue hair out of his face. This must be the eldest brother, Ryouichi, Tobirama thought. Though "eldest" meant the same age as Tobirama…

"Ryou, bro, how's it going?" Katsurou had put on his sunglasses again, despite being indoors, and flashed a sharp grin. He held up a fist. Ryouichi sighed, a small smile on his lips, and fist-bumped with his brother.

"I'm well, though I've no idea what the Frost Country's done to you." Ryouichi turned to Mariko. "If it isn't Mariko."

"Marie, Marie, the last one to leave us, huh?" Sumiko smiled.

"I'm back, aren't I?" Mariko replied, smiling as Ryouichi drew her into a gentle hug. Tobirama felt a twinge of jealousy, seeing as Mariko was completely absorbed in her siblings, but reminded himself that she must've missed them badly. He recalled that Ryouichi was the heir to the Hurricane throne, and also the one who had always been on the island despite Katsurou and Sumiko leaving, up until Mariko had left as well.

"You must be Tobirama, then." Tobirama and Ryouichi shook hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Tobirama said. Inwardly, he thought, See Toka? I'm behaving…

"Please, join us for lunch."

"I can't, can't, can't, I'm simply too busy, please, leave now." A snippy voice sailed through the quiet garden where a nice table had been set up, and the five were eating. Tobirama found that Hurricane dishes were quite good, though the craisins in the cake made him want to laugh. Mariko obviously read his mind, because when the cake was served, she glanced suspiciously at her fiancé. (Craisins had been the subject of a strange joke ever since Mariko tried to convince Tobirama that they tasted good.)

The source of the snippy voice was a tall, gangly man with shocking red hair.

"Ah, Sumiko, can you please tell that woman outside that I don't want to deal with her?" He planted his hands on his hips, rolling his eyes. Tobirama thought he had a funny accent, but it was familiar, too. "I simply cannot style her hair at this time."

"Sure thing, Rosso." Sumiko excused herself from the table.

"That's our hairdresser. He's from Uzu," Katsurou explained. Now the accent made sense.

"I've noticed that you and Mariko have similar hairstyles," Tobirama commented. Katsurou chuckled, glancing at his baby sister. His own hair was, in fact, swept to the side in a similar manner to Mariko's, besides the obvious difference in length.

"Someone thought I had cool hair when she was little."

"So?" Mariko pouted.

"Well—"

Suddenly, there were shouts, a few screams, and the clattering of horse's hooves on stone pavement.

"Loose horse!"

"Someone, get that mare!"

Everyone at the table stood up, turning towards the gate Sumiko had just gone through. It was closed, but they watched in awe as a beautiful dapple gray mare sailed over the top and landed lightly on the path through the garden, cantering briskly to the table.

"It's Katrina, huh?" Katsurou laughed, but then fell backwards when the horse pushed him with her muzzle. Ryouichi held his hands up, as if to stop the horse, but the animal simply trotted to Mariko's side and bumped her arm gently.

"You missed me that much?" Mariko rubbed the horse's ears affectionately, and she nickered softly through her nose.

"That's your horse?" Tobirama asked.

"Yep, this is her."

Katrina the horse glanced over at Tobirama, then, as if scrutinizing him. The Senju reached out to stroke her neck, but the mare snapped her teeth at him. Tobirama withdrew hastily, surprised.

"She's not very friendly towards strangers. I'm sure she'll like you, though." Mariko apologized a few times.

"That horse doesn't like anyone except you, Marie," Sumiko called, coming back inside the garden. "She's thrown Katsurou at least ten times, doesn't let Ryou even approach her, and barely lets me trot her around the ring. The most exercise she gets is one of the bolder trainers letting her out in the arena or paddock."

"Nine," corrected Katsurou.

"Same thing."

Tobirama glanced at the horse, whose presence now took up the entire dining space. Katrina swished her tail impatiently, nudging Mariko again. She seemed to glare at Tobirama, who watched the animal warily.

"Well, I'll be watching my fingers from now on, then," he announced, creating a ripple of laughter. On the other hand, the horse continued to glare at him…

Was it possible for a horse to hold grudges?

-checks word count- Huh. It's shorter than "Summer Homework". How funny.

Is this too much of a character explosion? Oh well. Too bad. :'D Hope you like it!

Sumiko is sort of like Aiko from Sukitte Ii Na Yo, but more cheery, Katsurou has Tony DiNozzo's personality (from NCIS), and Ryouichi...I don't really know. Still under development.

I...need to write my essays.

Procrastination has appeared. Kill it with fire! =3=