A/N: Here is the first chapter of my little story. It sheds a little light about the woman's childhood. Plus we know her name now, Kyra! Please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters. I only own Kyra and Mai. Thanks.

FOURTEEN YEARS EARLIER…

A young girl, about the age of four, with long, wavy amber hair that reached down to the middle of her back giggled as she ran around a small house located a half a day's walk South of Konoha. There was a small garden located on the back side of the house that was flourished with large flowers in many different colors. The girl, dressed in a pale gray dress that reached at her knees, stopped in front of the flower garden. A smile stretched across her pink lips as she took in the sight. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a figure knelt to the right side of the garden. The figure was wearing a dark green dress, running down passed her knees. Her feet were bare, like the young girl not too far away. The older woman had long amber hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail. A tan straw hat adorned her head to shield her face from the bright sun, though she soon wouldn't need it as the sun was starting to descend from the sky. Nightfall was a short few hours away.

A tiny shadow made an appearance over the area the woman had just pulled a large patch of weeds. She glanced up, her bright green eyes shining with happiness as they landed on the small child. "Kyra," the woman softly said to the girl.

The child, Kyra, closed her eyes as she smiled, a few of her front teeth missing. She jumped at the woman with a happy squeal, her tiny arms wrapping around her neck. The older woman embraced the child as she stood up, balancing the girl on her hip. Her eyes looked into the girl's, still to this day taken back at what she saw. The girl's eyes were definitely unique to say the least. The right eye a bright green like the woman's but the left was a dark blue with splashes of gray surrounding the pupil. She drew in a small breath as she continued to smile at the small child.

"Mama, the flowers… So pretty!" Kyra exclaimed, pointing at the flowers. Her mother chuckled softly as she agreed. "Yes, sweetie. They certainly are pretty. They sure grew fast this year," she commented as she gazed at the large flowers in front of her.

As the mother continued to look over her garden, her mind couldn't help but wander. She instantly thought about her husband, who has been missing for the last three years. Her smile faltered as that night came to the fore front of her thoughts. Her little girl was one at the time. Kyra wouldn't know her father if he stood right in front of her. It was sad really. The woman just couldn't understand. 'He just… Vanished… she thought. He said something about going to the village for a job… But that was it.'

The woman was brought back from her thoughts as her daughter began to squirm in her arms. She looked down at the child, a deep frown pulling at her lips. The girl was pushing against her mother, who tightened her arms around her tiny body. "Kyra, careful!" Her mother exclaimed as she quickly but gently placed the child on the ground. As soon as her bare feet were on the ground, Kyra dashed towards a large oak tree that sat directly beside the small house. Her mother didn't understand the strange change in behavior of her daughter until she felt the presence of two figures coming towards her. She turned her head and came face to face with two tall burly men.

One of the men looked to be in his mid-thirties with short untamed brown hair. He looked well over six feet tall and had a black bandana was wrapped around his head like a headband. His shirt was white and the sleeves looked to have been ripped off. Without the sleeves his broad arm muscles could be seen very easily. Strange patterns were tattooed down his right arm and were visible along the right side of his neck. His black pants were ripped around the ankles and his feet were covered with sandals. As the woman observed this man, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy with the way the male's dark eyes continued to roam over her. She stifled a shudder as her eyes landed on the other man.

The second man looked a lot like his partner. Only his hair was a little longer and a lighter shade of brown. He was also slightly shorter than the other male. But he, too, had the same bandana around his head and his clothing was just the same. He even had the same tattoo pattern as the other man, only his was on the left arm and up around the left side of his neck. He was just as muscular but was slightly leaner around his middle. His dark eyes held a mischievous glint in them as they gazed at the woman before them. The said woman brought a hand up to her chin, holding a finger just under her slightly trembling lip. She held her stance with her legs slightly spread as her body was between the men and the tree just behind her. She was not sure if they knew about her daughter behind the tree but her protective motherly instincts started to kick in.

"W..what do you want?" She asked, cursing for the slight stutter in her voice. Her green eyes continued to shift between the two men as she waited for an answer. But all she was given was a sickening grin from both of the males. Her eyes narrowed but then widened as she heard a startled squeal from behind her. "Kyra!" she cried as she turned around. She didn't get far as one of the men, the taller, darker haired male, grabbed her and locked his arms around her small body. The straw hat she had been wearing fell to their feet as she struggled to get free. She froze, however, when she heard a low, hissing like chuckle directly in front of her; right where her little girl was supposed to be.

The woman stared on in worry as a third male appeared, his pale white fingers wrapped around the little girl's tiny arm. She struggled just as hard like her mother to get free. But his hold was strong, to the point that light bruises began to form. The newcomer paid no mind to the child as he continued to stare at the woman before him. His long black hair twisted slightly behind him as the wind began to pick up around the group. His bangs fell over a silver headband with a symbol engraved on the front. The woman saw that he was in more of a uniform unlike the brutes that held her. Long black pants covered his legs while a long sleeved black shirt covered his upper body and arms. Sandals adorned his feet and a green vest wrapped around his chest that looked as if he has never worn it before. But it was his eyes that seemed to have her captivated. It was as if a snake was staring back at her. Just under and around his slit like eyes, purple markings ran down the bridge of his nose. His pale white skin made the markings more noticeable. The male gave her a wicked grin, his canine teeth sharp like fangs.

"My, well isn't this a nice little surprise. I had no idea that this little creature was your daughter, Mai," the black haired male stated, hissing her name as his devilish grin widened just slightly. The little girl continued to tug against the male's hold, reaching out to her mother, Mai, as she cried out to her, "M..mama!"

Mai's jaw tightened as her teeth ground together, her lips spreading into a snarl as she stared at the man before her. She suddenly remembered who was in front of her, his outfit only making more sense. The man in front of her had haunted her every thought after she had escaped from his grasp. She trusted him and he betrayed her. He promised to protect her family but instead caused their quick demise. She shook her head to get rid of the painful memories and glared with narrowed eyes at the male. "Orochimaru."

A satisfied smile formed across Orochimaru's lips as he tilted his head back with amusement dancing in his snake like eyes. He hasn't seen the woman in close to be ten years. Those years have done wonders to her he had to admit. Her body had grown from a lanky teen to a filled out woman. His eyes began to roam her, taking her in. Of course, her body had to accommodate to baring children. Or in this case, one child. He shifted his gaze to the girl who had still continued to pull away from him. Orochimaru took in her features as well. Her hair, the beautiful shade of amber red like her mother's. Her face, still round with left over baby fat in the cheeks, but he can tell that as she would grow, she would resemble more and more like Mai. As he continued to look at the girl, she shifted and glanced up at the strange man. That's when his eyes caught hers. Both her eyes this time. When he had snagged her from the tree, he had only seen one, the green eye. But now that she is facing him fully, he couldn't help but snicker in pure joy. It's just as the prophesy had fore told:

"Child with right eye, green like the Earth;

Left eye, blue like the midnight sky;

Hair, red like the burning flame of Amber stone;

Whose power not yet known;

But more powerful than any other"

"'More powerful than any other.' Child, have I got many plans instore for you," Orochimaru grinned evilly as he recited the last phrase of the prophesy. The girl's eyes widened, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She watched in horror as the scary man leaned down to her level. She didn't know what to expect. But she surely didn't expect him to bite her. She cried loudly, a blinding light forming around her that forced Orochimaru to withdraw from her. He wasn't able to perform the seal fully as he was quickly rejected from the girl.

Inside the bubble like shield, Kyra was crying from the pain in the part of her shoulder that connects to her neck. She was gripping it and scratching at it as it bled. A semicircle appeared around the puncture marks that seemed to burn the girl's skin. Her eyes shined brightly as tears continued to pour down her cheeks. She was confused, terrified, and desperately wanted her mother. She looked around and saw that her mother was still being held by the very large man but she could tell her mother was struggling. She can just faintly hear her call out her name.

"KYRA! Kyra, no! Orochimaru you… You bastard! What did you do to my daughter!?" Mai continued to scream and struggle against the man holding her. She growled silently as the dark haired man ignored her. From her struggle she was able to bring her hands closer together. As quickly as she could she made a few hand signs, her eyes shutting closed as she waited. A second later, the man who was holding her flew back, screaming in surprise as a wall of rock shot up from the ground between him and the woman. The other male who was standing beside the couple looked on in shock from what just happened. They certainly weren't expecting her to know any form of ninjutsu let alone earth style. Before either man could grab her, Mai charged towards Orochimaru with a scream of anger.

Hearing her cry, Orochimaru turned his head toward the sprinting woman and shook his head. In a flash, two snakes appeared and shot out of his outstretched hands. They wrapped themselves around Mai, squeezing her body in a crushing embrace. She cried out in pain as she was brought to her knees. 'Seconds… In seconds he had managed to have me on my knees… Again!' Mai thought bitterly as she snarled up at the man.

"Well that was sure exciting," the snake man snickered as he dragged the captive woman closer to him. "However, you have become very rusty, my dear. Though I do have to admit, you did catch both of those fools off guard. Now," he knelt down in front of her, becoming level with her, "I need to borrow your daughter for a while. If you want to see her alive, you will give her to me. Otherwise, I can make this very, very painful for the both of you." To show her what he meant, he tightened the snakes around her. Mai both heard and felt a couple ribs break as she struggled to breathe. Tears prick her eyes as they closed shut tight.

"Mama…" Kyra cried in a whisper. She was feeling very tired, the bubble that seemed to protect her slowly faded in and out. It took a lot of her energy and she wanted nothing but to curl up with her mother and sleep. She looked on through blurry eyes, her mother was lying on the ground her head turned away from her. The child pressed her tiny hands against the shield wall, wishing it to disappear. As if hearing her command, the wall faded away and Kyra slowly crawled towards her mother. Before she could reach her, she collapsed in exhaustion. Her breaths came out even as she slept; tears began to dry on her cheeks as she curled into a ball. She felt herself being lifted into a pair of arms. Kyra didn't know who it was that held her, she only hoped that it was her mother and they were going inside to sleep the night away. Oh how wrong she was.

"Well, Mai, it was really nice to meet up with you again after those ten long years. Maybe we will meet up again. Not anytime soon mind you. Don't worry, though," he continued as he petted the young girl's head, running his fingers through her soft red hair, "I'll take good care of Kyra." Her name rolled off his tongue in an evil whisper. "She'll be like the daughter I never had." Orochimaru chuckled as he walked passed the beaten woman on the ground. As he walked away, Mai slowly lifted her right hand towards the disappearing forms that walked towards the setting sun. First her husband, now her only daughter. Tears fell from her eyes, wetting the dirt against her face.

Kyra…