Little Flower |Scaramouche| ✓

◤Part I​ |The Orphan Boy and Orphan Girl​|

Once upon a time there was a young boy named Kunikuzushi. He never knew of his parents or what happened to them and was left to live his life at the orphanage. Kunikuzushi was fine living at the orphanage. They gave him a home, food, and a decent life for a child. The orphanage made him content and he wished to never leave for who knew what lay in the darkness of the outside world.

It seemed, however, that life was not on his side and a man came to the orphanage one day, searching for a child, preferably a young boy, to "purchase for labour" in the words of the man. The man spotted Kunikuzushi and declared that he would pay the orphanage a hefty amount of mora for the young, clueless child. He would return the next day to take the boy home and promised to make very good use of the boy.

Kunikuzushi heard everything and couldn't help but to cry the entire night. He couldn't stop the long stream of tears that ran down his cheeks. The warm, salty tears from his eyes stained his clothes, pillow, and face. He didn't want to be taken away. No one asked for his consent! Why did he have no say in whether or not he could be taken away? The thought of having to leave the orphanage made him cry harder that night.

If he didn't want to be taken in by the strange man, Kunikuzushi knew he had to run away as it was the only option the young child had. As much as he wanted to stay at the orphanage for the rest of his life, the man had ruined it all for him as he was forced to now abandon the only home he wanted to stay in forever.

The next night, under the cover of darkness, Kunikuzushi snuck out of the orphanage and said goodbye to the only home he ever knew. He ran as far as he could and had no destination in mind. He didn't even know where he was and eventually, he ended up in the heart of Inazuma City where it silently greeted him as the residents and people were asleep save for the shogunate guards on patrol. He wandered the empty and mute streets looking for any house or building whose light was on showing signs of people who weren't asleep yet. Shogunate soldiers watched the suspicious young boy, keeping a close eye on him for fear of a threat coming to their nation stemming from a mere child.

Kunikuzushi continued wandering the streets until he came upon the gates of a rather large building that looked more like a palace. Guards were stationed outside and they questioned the young boy before deeming him as a child with ill intent. Outside the steps of Tenshukaku Palace, shogunate soldiers attempted to apprehend the boy and resorted to violence against him, causing a rather loud ruckus which awakened the Raiden Shogun.

In all her glory, the queen and ruler of Inazuma saved Kunikuzushi out of pity for him. She made sure he was taken care of that night and upon hearing that he came from the orphanage, she offered him a new life at Tenshukaku.

If he didn't want to receive punishment or be sent back to the "orphanage," then he would swear on his life to protect her heir to Inazuma, her beloved daughter. Should he ever let any harm come to the Shogun's heir or fail to protect her, his life would be no more. Kunikuzushi had no other choice and accepted her conditions.

Once upon a time there was a young girl named (̵̢̛̖͎͎͈̝̹̙͙̭͓̟͂̎̀͗̎͑͛͗̐̓̽͊̚͠ͅY̸̧̢̡͖̝̼̩͒/̶̡̣̪͔̙̜͇̠͕͙̰̣̖̍̑͐̈́̓̆͋͝ņ̸̱̬͈̮̯͖̘̟̥̮̮̠͖͂̔̊̾͛͑̌̎̄̈͗̊̕͠ͅ)̷̡̧͈̰̘̟̳̻̯̼̝̬̀́͆ ̸̛̫̮͈̫̺͙̫̤̫͎̗̭̙́͌͌̔̿͗͒̑̉̊̿͘(̸̧̢̡̨̥̥̝̩̈́̆̐̓̆̔͠͠ͅL̶̛͎͔̙̯͆̿̀̆͊̈̓̂̉̆̒̌̾̓/̵̜̤͔̺̥̮̣̯̣͕͓̥̠̩̜̏̀͒͐̂̓͒́͛͑͗̿͠͠͝ņ̸̱̪͓̞͓̗̤̬̯̻̯͈̰̎̇͆̎̒̇̇͗͑̕̕)̵̡̧̗̞̼̤͍̪̌̒́͆

(̵̢̛̖͎͎͈̝̹̙͙̭͓̟͂̎̀͗̎͑͛͗̐̓̽͊̚͠ͅY̸̧̢̡͖̝̼̩͒/̶̡̣̪͔̙̜͇̠͕͙̰̣̖̍̑͐̈́̓̆͋͝ņ̸̱̬͈̮̯͖̘̟̥̮̮̠͖͂̔̊̾͛͑̌̎̄̈͗̊̕͠ͅ)̷̡̧͈̰̘̟̳̻̯̼̝̬̀́͆ ̸̛̫̮͈̫̺͙̫̤̫͎̗̭̙́͌͌̔̿͗͒̑̉̊̿͘(̸̧̢̡̨̥̥̝̩̈́̆̐̓̆̔͠͠ͅL̶̛͎͔̙̯͆̿̀̆͊̈̓̂̉̆̒̌̾̓/̵̜̤͔̺̥̮̣̯̣͕͓̥̠̩̜̏̀͒͐̂̓͒́͛͑͗̿͠͠͝ņ̸̱̪͓̞͓̗̤̬̯̻̯͈̰̎̇͆̎̒̇̇͗͑̕̕)̵̡̧̗̞̼̤͍̪̌̒́͆

(̴̛̙̋̈́́͆̍̄͌͌̃̓͗͠͝Y̴̳̰̥̰̼̟̖̪͖̩̦̰͗̉̉/̸̨̢̤̜̳̫͇̐͒̋̿̈̆̇̾̎̓͠͠͝͠͝n̴̪̠̗̻͖̠͚̒ͅͅ)̷̡̩͎͕̣͈̈͐̈̌͋͗͠ ̷̬̞̟̳͍͎͔͎̏͆̀̏̿̾̀́̆̆͠͝

(̷͓̙̰̪̩͑̊͗̽̾̆̚͘L̶̨̹̲̱̇͋/̸̡̹̹͒n̴̲̺͚͇̹͚̗̖͓̗͕̣̞̏͐͊͑͒͊̑̈́̊̎̕ͅ)̷̡̢̛̝̼̫͙̘̲̼̓̓̄̋̄̎̐͛̚͝͝͠

....

I see how it is. Well then.

Ahem....

Once upon a time there was a young girl named Raijin Narukami. She was born in a different nation and somehow ended up in Inazuma where she was taken in by the Raiden Shogun to become her heir. In order to protect the girl's true identity, Baal gave her the name Raijin Narukami, lest she raise any suspicion of Raijin's real origins.

Raijin knew nothing of her birth parents and thus she was an orphan until she was left on the doorsteps of Tenshukaku where she was taken in by Baal. That night she was adopted, she became Raijin, no longer an orphan, but heir to an entire kingdom. On that same night, Baal took in another child under her care, but this young boy was not to become anything special, merely a bodyguard for her heir.

And thus the two orphans met, gifted with new lives by the Raiden Shogun who had some heart in her for the two children. Raijin Narukami, heir to Inazuma's throne, and Kunikuzushi, the protector of Baal's heir.