Chapter 1: The Beginning

"Mommy? Where are you? Daddy needs your help in the backyard!"

"Tell him I'll be right there!"

" 'Kay!" The little girl ran outside. "Mommy said she'll be right out." Her father smiled.

"Thank you, Kaiyra. Now, I need your help as well," he said.

"OOO! With what!"

"Do you remember who's coming to dinner?" The child nodded. "I need you to go change into your best outfit, 'kay?" Kaiyra stared at her father.

"...Really? That's it? You don't need me to light candles, or make salad, or wing that pesky fly?" Dai Haruchi laughed.

"No, Kaiyra. That's all I need you to do."

"Lame!" she exclaimed as she walked back inside. "Making me get dressed for those dumb old geezers," she mumbled. "Not to mention the stuck-up Kazekage. I oughta stain my dress." Kaiyra sighed. She couldn't do that. This dinner was very important to her family, her mother, specifically. This dinner would determine if they got to stay in Suna or not. "Cuz apparently her mother committed some crime, but they had no proof, so they'd been watching the Haruchi family very closely. From her room upstairs, Kaiyra heard the doorbell ring. Joy, she thought.

"Kaiyra, our guests are here. Do you need help picking an outfit?"

"Yes, Mommy," Kaiyra answered. "And with my hair, please." Kaori Haruchi walked to her daughter's closet.

"Hmmm...What about this?" She held out a white, knee-length dress with a sky blue ribbon at the waist. "It's cute, but practical." Kaiyra looked at it, thinking.

"I don't know...It is cute, but white? I could stain it." Kaori laughed.

"I doubt you will. Now get dressed and I'll do your hair. Besides, this dress brings out your eyes."

"Yeah, my poopy-brown eyes," Kaiyra muttered.

"They are not! They are a beautiful chocolate brown, and they go great with your blonde hair." Kaiyra opened her mouth to speak. "AND DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT YOUR HAIR IS THE COLOR OF PEE!" Kaiyra closed her mouth and pouted.

"Party pooper," she said.

~A few minutes later~

At the table, Kaiyra was seated between the Kazekage's youngest son(GAARA!) and her father. They had finished their salads without incident, but now, they were at the soup. Kaiyra gulped. Why soup! Why does every fancy dinner have to have soup! I REALLY hope i don't spill it, or slurp, or anything embarassing like that!

"So Kaori," one elder said, "how have you and your family been? It seems that you're getting along alright."

"Yes sir," she answered. Kaiyra sipped her soup, listening intently.

"And your daughter doesn't show any signs of...rebellion?"

"No, and are you implying something?"

"We know what you were like as a child, and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Kaiyra really wished she could say something, but the whole "Children are to be seen and not heard" thing was really in the way.

"What I was like as a child has NOTHING to do with Kaiyra! She is one of the most well-behaved children you will ever meet!" her mother yelled.

"Kaori..." Dai warned.

"Really, Kaori," another elder said. "To act this way in front of your own child, and not to mention the Kazekage? Where are your manners?"

"I don't know," Kaori answered, "but I know where my foot's gonna be if you don't can it!" Kaiyra had seen her mother angry before, and she knew what was coming, and what would happen after.

"Kaori! This is not the way to convince us of your innocence! Need we remind you of what will happen if we find you guilty?" The elder looked at Kaiyra. "Perhaps the child knows more than she's letting on. We might need to take her into custody and see what she knows."

"Yes," the firts elder agreed. "That sounds like a very good idea to me. I say we torture her straight away, to save time. That'll get her to speak." And then, Kaori Haruchi snapped.

~ 3 months later~

"Kaori Haruchi, we find you guilty of assaulting a village elder, stealing from the Kazekage, and lying in court when you were under oath. We hereby sentence you to death, and your family must leave here at once." Personally, Kaiyra thought the death sentence was a little harsh, and making her family leave? Wtf was up with that?

The next day was Kaori's execution. Kaiyra's father went, but he made her stay home with the mean old lady that lived next door. That was okay with Kaiyra, She didn't feel like getting out of bed anyway. She had to think of how to say good bye to Gaara, and all of her other friends. By the time her father got home, she knew exactly what to do.