Chapter Text
The Kingdom of Akatsuka was ever thriving.
They had been thriving for hundreds of years and hadn't stopped. Their current rulers were kind and just, if not a bit firm. Together they raised a daughter, who would be next in line to rule.
Akatsuka was known for its beauty, wealth, royals, and most of all, its army. The kingdom was undefeated in its wars. Many were fearful to even pick a fight. They were protected by their mighty knights, led by six men in particular who were the best of the best: The Matsuno Sextuplets.
When you're a poor family raising six sons, there is no other option than making them strong enough to join the royal guard. Matsuyo and Matsuzo struggled constantly to keep all the mouths in the Matsuno household fed. They knew the only chance they could possibly have of keeping themselves afloat, was having the boys strive to work in the castle. They had trained since they were old enough to hold a sword. They all had a naturally lazy attitude, but their family on the line, they forced themselves to push through. Even just one of them getting in would be enough to keep the family supported, but the Matsunos were lucky enough to have all six make it through. Though their strengths were different, they quickly went to the top of their classes together.
Osomatsu was the first born and the head of the royal guard. He was a reckless fighter, as unpredictable as he was strong. While he was known as the man with the plan, he almost never followed through with them, frustrating his more careful brothers. Even so, he was clearly a natural born leader, never once failing to complete any mission successfully.
Karamatsu, the second born, was a shield. With his long sword, he was the main protector, always on defense and always on the front lines. He could take more hits than anyone, constantly throwing himself in front of his brothers and fellow soldiers. He was the second strongest of the six.
Choromatsu, the third born, was the brains behind their operations. He helped Osomatsu make the plans, but he instructed the troops from the back with his long reach spear. He wasn't as strong as his brothers, so he focused on making sure their troops always made it out alive.
Ichimatsu, the fourth born, was a bit of a wild card. He couldn't take hits, but he could deal them out rather well. With his many knives and short blade, he was a master of surprise attacks and usually led the covert missions. His sneaky and deadly way of attacking had saved his brother's lives on many occasions.
Jyushimatsu, the fifth born, was their heaviest hitter. He was impossibly strong, and like Karamatsu, whenever he got hit he popped right back up. He was called the Axe-Wielding Demon, though the bright smile on his face usually threw his enemies off, giving him more of a chance to throttle them.
And then there was Todomatsu, the sixth and final born. He seemed fragile and weak to most opponents, but that's how he liked it. With his custom heart-shaped shield he had made when he was knighted, you were barely able to see him unsheathe his sadistic looking weapon before you were dead. Though he strived with strategizing the stealth missions, on the field he was quick and effective, striking down his enemies and getting out of there before they even knew what happened.
The Matsuno siblings were the champions of the Akatsuka Kingdom. Though they were specifically the princess’s champions.
Princess (Name) begged her parents to give her more responsibility, and reluctantly, they allowed her to see over the trainees for the guard, placing the army in her care, and the care of a team she would choose. She watched the men and women train hard for the right to fight for their land. Though it seemed no one was training harder than the Matsuno Sextuplets. They soared above all others, shocking everyone, who believed only one of them would make it in. (Bets were on the one in the yellow scarf.) When the Princess first chose the sextuplets to join her royal guard, she knew how it would help their family. She also knew, after watching them, that they were special. One, in particular, was incredibly special to her.