OK! Sorry about the short, and seemingly unimportant, first chapter. That was just to provide some history on my OC's homeland. It will be more important as the story goes on! Let's begin with the real story, shall we?

A year before the incident of the Nine tails in the Hidden Leaf, the king of the Kagami province, Lord Rasame Okura, became a father. His loving wife Mira gave birth to a beautiful pair of twins, first a girl, then a boy. The twins took after their mother in almost every way; they had her shiny black hair, eyes the color of chocolate, and a smile that could melt hearts.

The firstborn, the daughter, was named Kenya, and her brother was given the name Makaro. Rasame put an arm around his wife and squeezed her gently, a warm smile stretched across his smile. He couldn't be prouder.

"They're beautiful," he finally said, leaning to kiss his bride's cheek. "Just like their mother."

"And their father, too," she giggled.

Rasame gently took his newborn daughter in his arms. According to the traditions of the Okura clan, the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, is to be the heir to the throne. It seemed a bit unbelievable to him that this sweet, tiny baby would grow up to one day be a powerful queen of a beautiful land. He held the little princess closer to him and made a silent vow.

"To you, my daughter, I swear to protect you and your brother from anything that harms you. I will do all that I possibly can to guide you, not only to be a just queen, but to also be a wonderful, kind woman, an inspiration to all who meet you. These, and so much more, I wish for you."

The twins grew in size and in character. Kenya's raven hair grew very long, going almost to her knees, her eyes shined with energetic curiosity, her smile set entire rooms alight and her laughter lifted the saddest of hearts. Makaro was a quiet boy with a serious personality, not as boisterous as his sister, but just as polite. He did everything he was told, never a complaint or sigh. He could always be found at his father's side throughout most of the day, Kenya with her mother. It seemed all was peaceful in the royal house, however, this peace was not to last forever.

Ironically, it all happened on the loveliest of days. The twins were six years of age, and as usual, Rasame was very busy with his royal duties. But with his young son by his side, he didn't feel so frustrated. Whenever he felt on the verge of breaking, Makaro would place his hand on his father's arm, a calm but concerned look adorning his face.

"I'm all right, my son," the king would say, ruffing the boys soft black hair.

"Don't work yourself too hard, Father. Mother will worry," Makaro would reply with a gentle smile.

That smile was enough to calm the busy king's heart. The past six years were the best for him. Married to a beautiful, kind woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind, having two beautiful children with that woman, and watching those children grow into adorable, well-behaved young individuals; there was not a single thing he could complain about when he thought of them, his beloved family, the most important thing in his entire world.

Queen Mira had the whole day planned out for her and young Kenya. She planned to take her daughter to the southern plains of the province to show her the beautiful apple orchards in the village of Ringobara. They would admire the trees adorned with apples that shimmer gold and ruby red in the sunlight and bathe in the warm spring air as they enjoyed a delicious picnic.

"Mother! Mother!" the young princess called out to her mother as she ran closer.

"Kenya, dear, please be careful or you'll fall!" Mira called, but just as she completed her sentence, Kenya tripped and landed face first to the ground. She ran over to her daughter and helped her up. "Oh, are you alright, sweetie?"

"I- I'm ok, Mother," Kenya assured her mother, smiling but clearly holding back a few tears. She rose to her feet and patted the dirt off her skirt. "Anyway, I'm sorry for being reckless. I was just excited to show you this." She pulled out a chained made from an assortment of colorful flowers weaved together. "I made this for you. It's a flower crown!"

"Oh darling, it's beautiful," her mother replied, taking the gift from her daughter's hands and placing it over her short cut hair. She wrapped her arms around the young girl and hugged her tight. "Thank you very much. Now, come along, we had better hit the road."

The two mounted up their belongings onto the horse-drawn carriage and once the two were on board, the queen politely signaled the coachman to get the horses moving. The young princess pulled out another flower chain from her bag and placed it on the coachman's head. He turned to the girl and was greeted with a warm smile. He nodded to her in thanks.

Kenya's eyes widened as she beheld the beautiful land before her as they passed by. "It's so pretty, Mother!" she exclaimed.

"It is, indeed. But no where as pretty as the princess of this fair land," Mira replied.

The princess's face lost its glow of wonderment and she hung her head.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"Um...I….Mother, do you really think I have what it takes? I mean, I don't really know means to be a princess or anything like that. The whole idea seems kind of scary."

Mira knew exactly how her daughter felt. Back when she, a poor girl from the slums, became the love interest of a young prince Rasame, she too had doubts about what it meant to rule over a kingdom. But now look at her, a queen who has served the land for almost 7 years and mother to a handsome prince and a beautiful princess. If she could handle this job, there is no doubt that Kenya could as well.

"My dear sweet Kenya, you have nothing to fear." Her words made her daughter lift her head and stare quizzically. "I know how the thought of ruling an entire kingdom, seemingly on your own, seems terrifying. Trust me, I was exactly where you are back when your father proposed to me. But I didn't grow up the way you did, in a royal household, so I didn't have any idea how to act. I was even worried that my way of breathing was improper. But I did it, and if I can do it, so can you."

"I….I still don't know."

Mira took the crown of flowers from her head and placed it upon Kenya's. "You're still a child, my dear. It's ok that you don't understand now. But I know that in time, you will become a wonderful, beautiful queen. I have faith in you; you are your father's daughter, after all."

Kenya's warm brown eyes regained their shimmer of wonder from her mother's words. Maybe Mother was right. Maybe, just maybe, she could be as great a queen as Mother. All she needed was time, and at six, she had all the time in the world.

The royal ladies were so busy chatting and taking in the view, they didn't see a flash of black that swooped past them, slashing the coachman's neck. Blood sprayed in all directions, they screamed in horror and the horses became spooked and broke free from the reigns, leaving the queen and princess stranded with the dead body.

"M-Mother, I'm scared! What's going on?!"

Mira did all she could calm her daughter, a difficult task since she was just as afraid. Wrapping the frightened girl in her arms, she called out, "Who goes there? Show yourself!"

With a low chuckle, a group of three rogue ninja emerged from the shadows. They all wore masks, save for one, who Mira assumed to be the leader. A massive burn scar stretched across the face of the unmasked man. "My, my, I heard the queen was one to always speak her mind, but who would guess she'd be this feisty? Just look at that face she's making."

Mira's face was indeed twisted into a scowl. No one was going to lay a hand on her daughter, not so long as she had breathe in her body.

"I would advise you turn around and leave us at once," the queen snarled.

"My apologies, your highness, but I'm afraid that won't be happening," the rogue said, bowing sarcastically. "You and your daughter here are our meal tickets to fortune."

"You are a fool. There is a tracking justu placed upon me; it will not take long for my husband to send for help. Oh, and if you lay a finger on my daughter, you will regret it."

"Oh, really know? Well then.."

A rogue came from behind and pried Kenya from her mother's embrace. She screamed as she was roughly pulled away. Mira got to her feet, pulled a small dagger from inside her dress, and lunged at her daughter's captor. Another ninja grabbed her by her wrists and held her back. She struggled with all her might, stomping her feet on the ninja's, flailing her arms and yelling for help.

The ninja, annoyed, tried to regain his grip, carelessly placing a hand close to her face. The queen opened her mouth and bit down on his hand as hard as she could. The ninja yelped in pain. The blood was bitter in her mouth.

"Why, you!" The ninja, blinded by rage, pulled out his sword with his free hand, pushed Mira slightly forward, and plunged the sword in to her back. Her grip on his hand laxed as the blood-covered sword gleamed from her chest. Kenya's whole body shook; slowly her mouth opened in horror, she took a deep breath, and let out a deafening, blood curdling scream that vibrated its way back to the castle, where it found her father's ears.

"That sounded like…..oh, no! Guards, ready the horses and head south!"

"Father, what's going on? Was that Sister who screamed?"

"There isn't any time to explain, Makaro! We must go now; your mother and sister are in danger!"

The king took his son in his arm and raced to the palace gates, mounted on his horse, and rode to find his wife and daughter.

Kenya's scream did not lose frequency or volume for a whole minute. The rogue ninja covered their ears, shouting from the pain. That's when the princess's consciousness went black. She fell to her knees and became eerily silent. Once their ears stopped ringing, the ninja moved closer towards the girl, only to me blasted with a powerful surge of chakra that radiated from her. The chakra glowed a faint gold around her body.

"You...you little!" The unmasked man charged toward her, only to stop just a few inches away. He caught a glimpse of her eyes, which were no longer the sweet shade of brown. They were now yellow, with slanted pupils, like a cat. "Wh- What are you?!"

When King Rasame finally made it to scene, he was shocked at the bloody reception he received. The rogue ninja all lay dead, his daughter passed out, his wife impaled by a sword; his wife…

"Mira! Kenya!" he shouted as he ran to them. Makaro was assisted off the horse, for he was too horrified to get off on his own. "Mother…..Sister….." he mumbled as he forced his legs to walk closer.

Kenya's eyes fluttered open, her head pounding with pain as she arose. She looked around, confused, scared. Her eyes fell upon the form of her mother, and she froze. Her gaze finally broke when she felt her father's hand on her shoulder. "Father, I….I don't know what happened….I-." She couldn't hold it in, she began to cry. Her brother moved to her side and held her close.

"Ra...same?" the queen softly called, blood dripping down the side of her mouth. Her family quickly encircled her, her husband gently lifting and holding her. Holding back sickness, he pulled the sword out of her body, she cried out in pain and coughed more blood.

"Mira, please, hold on. We will get you help," the king desperately begged.

"Rasame….Kenya….Makaro…." She looked at the worried faces looking to her, the faces of all she loved. The man who stole her heart and made her the woman she was, a queen, a wife, and a mother. The son and daughter who brought so much light into her world. "I'm...sorry. I don't think...I'm going to make it…"

"Mother, no, don't say that!" The twins yelled simultaneously.

"Mira…" Rasame's voice was shaking

"It's all right. Don't...be sad. I have lived...a great life. I have all of you. I'm so...grateful.." Her sight drew darker. It was time. "I love all of you...more than anything.." And then, she was gone.

WOOOW! This ran a little longer than I had anticipated! But hey, at least we got the major beginning of the story in. I hope you all enjoyed, I will get the next chapter up as soon as possible.