<?xml version="1.0"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&amp;feedformat=atom&amp;user=SlothxKuriKara</id>
		<title>Torchwood Japan Library Archive - User contributions [en]</title>
		<link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&amp;feedformat=atom&amp;user=SlothxKuriKara"/>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php/Special:Contributions/SlothxKuriKara"/>
		<updated>2026-05-27T22:41:00Z</updated>
		<subtitle>User contributions</subtitle>
		<generator>MediaWiki 1.25.2</generator>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=User:SlothxKuriKara&amp;diff=368</id>
		<title>User:SlothxKuriKara</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=User:SlothxKuriKara&amp;diff=368"/>
				<updated>2014-12-12T20:47:47Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: Blanked the page&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=User:SlothxKuriKara&amp;diff=367</id>
		<title>User:SlothxKuriKara</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=User:SlothxKuriKara&amp;diff=367"/>
				<updated>2014-12-12T20:47:22Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[[category:authors]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=User:SlothxKuriKara&amp;diff=366</id>
		<title>User:SlothxKuriKara</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=User:SlothxKuriKara&amp;diff=366"/>
				<updated>2014-12-12T20:46:51Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: Created page with &amp;quot;[category:authors]&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;[category:authors]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=359</id>
		<title>A Shadowed Childhood</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=359"/>
				<updated>2014-11-23T17:02:23Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: Fixing spacing issues&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Storybox&lt;br /&gt;
|title=  A Shadowed Childhood&lt;br /&gt;
|author= SlothxKuriKara &lt;br /&gt;
|creationdate= 11/16/2014&lt;br /&gt;
|continuity= SSEU Unmei/Egae&lt;br /&gt;
|synopsis= Kurisutaru's backstory&lt;br /&gt;
|rating= PG-13&lt;br /&gt;
|additionalnotes= Some characters are on loan to this story by their creators &lt;br /&gt;
|}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;TABLE WIDTH=&amp;quot;650&amp;quot; HEIGHT=&amp;quot;30%&amp;quot; BORDER=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TD  style=&amp;quot;font: 100% georgia, times new roman, times, serif;  line-height:150%&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;A Shadowed Childhood&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='text-decoration:none'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 1 - The Prelude&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            It has been two years since I last saw my&lt;br /&gt;
beloved husband and I know in another year I shall join him, wherever he is…&lt;br /&gt;
Since then I have secluded myself in our old hidden room. This was so I could&lt;br /&gt;
remind myself to be strong and not cry although my heart was broken because I&lt;br /&gt;
miss him so… But he still lives… My beloved Leudast Akume Backlight lives in my&lt;br /&gt;
heart, and in my memories, and that’s why he is not truly dead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            His first friend, besides me, Arekai, his tiger,&lt;br /&gt;
has also left me, and I am alone living here… The only living demon in the Backlight&lt;br /&gt;
line besides my children; left this castle, after she wed another demon… Ki Backlight,&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast’s little sister, my little sister-in-law, will find me dead when she&lt;br /&gt;
returns to this place, that I know for sure… And if in a year, I do not die; I&lt;br /&gt;
shall kill myself out of grief. I cannot live without Leudast any longer than another&lt;br /&gt;
year… I long to see his face…look into those piercing golden eyes…&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It’s so nice to see those golden eyes reflected in the crown&lt;br /&gt;
prince, my grandson. My thrones long ago went to my children; Unmei’s throne is&lt;br /&gt;
now my son Rémi’s, and the throne that has been in my mother’s family that I&lt;br /&gt;
reclaimed –Egae- has now gone to my daughter Adair. They were born twins, but&lt;br /&gt;
are as different as night is from day. Everyone considers Egae a moon, but yet&lt;br /&gt;
it is not a moon…it is its own planet…the planet that the senshi of Unmei&lt;br /&gt;
always hailed from, the guardian of its twin planet. That title, too, has gone&lt;br /&gt;
to Adair. She bears the title, and the title of Crimson Butterfly, well despite&lt;br /&gt;
finally having become a mother herself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;Natalia, the child of my favorite&lt;br /&gt;
general, the first kitsune in a long time to marry into the royal family and be&lt;br /&gt;
taught all of our secrets; she keeps telling me to continue living…pleads with&lt;br /&gt;
me even. But her parents have long since gone as well…and I don’t wish to&lt;br /&gt;
continue this lonely existence, watching my grandchildren grow.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 2 - The Beginning&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            I, a young girl about the age of 7 walked&lt;br /&gt;
through the darkest forest in Unmei. My hair swayed gently with every step I&lt;br /&gt;
took, my raven black locks just barely brushed my shoulders giving me a&lt;br /&gt;
tomboyish look. My eyes were the color of the sky at midnight with flecks grey&lt;br /&gt;
as rainclouds.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Strangely enough, I had grayish black fox ears and I also had a&lt;br /&gt;
noticeable enough black foxtail that had a silvery tip to it. My name was and&lt;br /&gt;
has changed since, Kurisutaru Etowaaru Tatari. I was wearing what most human&lt;br /&gt;
women and girls thought inappropriate and horrifyingly boyish for a girl who&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to be human when they saw me that day. My black pants had been torn&lt;br /&gt;
short at the knees and had been stained by blood, which still showed in the&lt;br /&gt;
darkness of the forest. My shirt had at one time been a black, long sleeved&lt;br /&gt;
shirt that now had the sleeves torn short at my elbows and also had&lt;br /&gt;
bloodstains. Around my neck was a black choker with a silver chain attached to&lt;br /&gt;
a red gem, my black boots had silver blood-stained laces, laced up and tied&lt;br /&gt;
about an inch below my knees and made me look about four inches taller than I&lt;br /&gt;
actually was at the time.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Most of the human men and boys found it quite strange for me to be&lt;br /&gt;
carrying a quiver of arrows (poisoned, of course) and a bow. I was also wearing&lt;br /&gt;
a belt around my waist that kept the silver and onyx sheath that held my sword&lt;br /&gt;
from falling off.  It was not a wooden toy sword but a beautiful, yet deadly and&lt;br /&gt;
dangerous black crystal blade – given to me by my mother upon her death.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            My dark eyes were cold and full of hate because of something that&lt;br /&gt;
related to what I had just done. Most of the people in the village I came from&lt;br /&gt;
knew what I truly was, a half-blood Kitsune, and a dangerous one at that. I&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to have blood everywhere on my clothing but soon everyone in the Human&lt;br /&gt;
Village and the Kitsune Village near the Mansion would know why I had blood on&lt;br /&gt;
my clothes that day.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 3 - A New Home&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            &amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;As I neared my&lt;br /&gt;
home, the Mansion; as it was known as back then, I noticed my twin brother,&lt;br /&gt;
Kazuhiko; Kazu, as I called him, under the tree that the Demon Prince (as that&lt;br /&gt;
was my dear Leudast's title at that time) and I used to play under. &amp;amp;quot;Heh,&lt;br /&gt;
refusal to accept that we have no right living here since Mother and Jager (I&lt;br /&gt;
spat the name of our pitiful &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;late &amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;father, whom I have already told you,&lt;br /&gt;
was human)&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt; are dead&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;. The only one who has&lt;br /&gt;
the right to say who can stay here is Queen Madeline Blacklight…” I gasped as I&lt;br /&gt;
sensed someone unfamiliar but very powerful approaching us. I turned my head to&lt;br /&gt;
see who it was and gasped at what I saw. Javert Backlight, Demon King of Unmei.&lt;br /&gt;
“Run Kazu! It’s Javert! Get out of here as fast as you can! I stand a better&lt;br /&gt;
chance of surviving than you do!”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            “No…. If I leave&lt;br /&gt;
you…”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Mother knew that I would one day be stronger than both Javert and&lt;br /&gt;
his son Leudast, and I could, if I wanted to, overthrow the Backlight family.&lt;br /&gt;
Now run away and live!”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            Kazuhiko, my wretched twin, opened his mouth to protest but closed&lt;br /&gt;
it and ran off as I had instructed him to.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            As Javert approached me, he noticed I had drawn my mother’s sword.&lt;br /&gt;
“Insolent child, if it were up to me I would be leaving you for the scavengers.&lt;br /&gt;
But, since Spica insisted that if anything happened to her that my wife should&lt;br /&gt;
take her children in… That is the only reason you are coming with me, as your&lt;br /&gt;
twin is nowhere in sight.” Before I could object to being taken to my new home&lt;br /&gt;
by Javert, he had taken me to the foyer of the castle I had only visited a few&lt;br /&gt;
times before.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            When I arrived, I noticed that my new “family” was standing there.&lt;br /&gt;
My best friend, Leudast, was waiting for me with his tiger, Arekai, at his&lt;br /&gt;
side. His mother, now my foster mother, was behind him, smiling. I smiled at&lt;br /&gt;
them happily, it was a wonderful sight, and even to this day, I don’t regret&lt;br /&gt;
going to live with them.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            “Welcome home,&lt;br /&gt;
Kurisutaru, but where is your twin, Kazuhiko?” Queen Madeline asked.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            “How should I&lt;br /&gt;
know? He wasn’t there when I arrived at the Mansion today,” I lied with an&lt;br /&gt;
innocent tone and expression.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “No wonder Spica wished for me to take her children in.” Madeline&lt;br /&gt;
sighed as she stared at my clothes. “You already have new clothes waiting for&lt;br /&gt;
you anyways. Please clean up before you change, it isn’t proper for a young&lt;br /&gt;
lady with such high standing to be covered in blood.”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “I will, Aunt Madeline.” I replied with a smile before grinning at&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast. “Do you have nothing to say? So what about all those years you and I&lt;br /&gt;
got into all sorts of mischief?” The question was pointedly asked, I even&lt;br /&gt;
smirked at my best friend.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “It’s as if you didn’t think of most of our escapades, Kurisutaru.”&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast responded with an equally wicked smirk as my own.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “It’s as if you didn’t think those times were fun.”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “You’ll have to tell me your latest escapade and why you look like&lt;br /&gt;
a peasant boy. You’re also covered in blood. Is it your own?”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “No, it’s not…”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “You can discuss this topic more when you’re not in my presence,&lt;br /&gt;
you two. For now it’s time for your literature lesson, Leudast,” Madeline&lt;br /&gt;
instructed.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Can’t Kurisutaru attend lessons with me, Mother?” He begged. “She&lt;br /&gt;
always used to attend my lessons at the Mansion when Aunt Spica was alive.”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Only because you taught me everything you learned anyway,” I&lt;br /&gt;
reminded.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Very well, only if she gets cleaned up now and changes into&lt;br /&gt;
something more fitting to her status as both the foster-daughter of the royal&lt;br /&gt;
family, as well as a foreign royal born in exile.” Madeline sighed, giving in&lt;br /&gt;
to her son’s request.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “I would be delighted to Aunt Madeleine,” I answered as properly as&lt;br /&gt;
I could without laughing.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;Soon&lt;br /&gt;
after, I would return from my new room; incidentally it was just across the&lt;br /&gt;
hall from Leudast’s, dressed in a very simple but elegant black dress, suitable&lt;br /&gt;
for full mourning. “Is this suitable enough?”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“Indeed,&lt;br /&gt;
you look as beautiful as your mother. In fact, you look even more dignified and&lt;br /&gt;
royal than your mother ever did.” Madeline answered with tears in her beautiful&lt;br /&gt;
hazel-brown eyes.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“Don’t&lt;br /&gt;
cry! Mother wouldn’t want us to be sad.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“How&lt;br /&gt;
true, my dear.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;I&lt;br /&gt;
smiled before being dragged to the schoolroom by my best friend, my only real&lt;br /&gt;
friend.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/TD&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TABLE&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:SlothxKuriKara]] [[Category:SSEU Stories]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=358</id>
		<title>A Shadowed Childhood</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=358"/>
				<updated>2014-11-23T16:56:56Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Storybox&lt;br /&gt;
|title=  A Shadowed Childhood&lt;br /&gt;
|author= SlothxKuriKara &lt;br /&gt;
|creationdate= 11/16/2014&lt;br /&gt;
|continuity= SSEU Unmei/Egae&lt;br /&gt;
|synopsis= Kurisutaru's backstory&lt;br /&gt;
|rating= PG-13&lt;br /&gt;
|additionalnotes= Some characters are on loan to this story by their creators &lt;br /&gt;
|}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;TABLE WIDTH=&amp;quot;650&amp;quot; HEIGHT=&amp;quot;30%&amp;quot; BORDER=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TD  style=&amp;quot;font: 100% georgia, times new roman, times, serif;  line-height:150%&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;A Shadowed Childhood&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='text-decoration:none'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 1 - The Prelude&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            It has been two years since I last saw my&lt;br /&gt;
beloved husband and I know in another year I shall join him, wherever he is…&lt;br /&gt;
Since then I have secluded myself in our old hidden room. This was so I could&lt;br /&gt;
remind myself to be strong and not cry although my heart was broken because I&lt;br /&gt;
miss him so… But he still lives… My beloved Leudast Akume Backlight lives in my&lt;br /&gt;
heart, and in my memories, and that’s why he is not truly dead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            His first friend, besides me, Arekai, his tiger,&lt;br /&gt;
has also left me, and I am alone living here… The only living demon in the Backlight&lt;br /&gt;
line besides my children; left this castle, after she wed another demon… Ki Backlight,&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast’s little sister, my little sister-in-law, will find me dead when she&lt;br /&gt;
returns to this place, that I know for sure… And if in a year, I do not die; I&lt;br /&gt;
shall kill myself out of grief. I cannot live without Leudast any longer than another&lt;br /&gt;
year… I long to see his face…look into those piercing golden eyes…&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It’s so nice to see those golden eyes reflected in the crown&lt;br /&gt;
prince, my grandson. My thrones long ago went to my children; Unmei’s throne is&lt;br /&gt;
now my son Rémi’s, and the throne that has been in my mother’s family that I&lt;br /&gt;
reclaimed –Egae- has now gone to my daughter Adair. They were born twins, but&lt;br /&gt;
are as different as night is from day. Everyone considers Egae a moon, but yet&lt;br /&gt;
it is not a moon…it is its own planet…the planet that the senshi of Unmei&lt;br /&gt;
always hailed from, the guardian of its twin planet. That title, too, has gone&lt;br /&gt;
to Adair. She bears the title, and the title of Crimson Butterfly, well despite&lt;br /&gt;
finally having become a mother herself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;Natalia, the child of my favorite&lt;br /&gt;
general, the first kitsune in a long time to marry into the royal family and be&lt;br /&gt;
taught all of our secrets; she keeps telling me to continue living…pleads with&lt;br /&gt;
me even. But her parents have long since gone as well…and I don’t wish to&lt;br /&gt;
continue this lonely existence, watching my grandchildren grow.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 2 - The Beginning&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            I, a young girl about the age of 7 walked&lt;br /&gt;
through the darkest forest in Unmei. My hair swayed gently with every step I&lt;br /&gt;
took, my raven black locks just barely brushed my shoulders giving me a&lt;br /&gt;
tomboyish look. My eyes were the color of the sky at midnight with flecks grey&lt;br /&gt;
as rainclouds.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Strangely enough, I had grayish black fox ears and I also had a&lt;br /&gt;
noticeable enough black foxtail that had a silvery tip to it. My name was and&lt;br /&gt;
has changed since, Kurisutaru Etowaaru Tatari. I was wearing what most human&lt;br /&gt;
women and girls thought inappropriate and horrifyingly boyish for a girl who&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to be human when they saw me that day. My black pants had been torn&lt;br /&gt;
short at the knees and had been stained by blood, which still showed in the&lt;br /&gt;
darkness of the forest. My shirt had at one time been a black, long sleeved&lt;br /&gt;
shirt that now had the sleeves torn short at my elbows and also had&lt;br /&gt;
bloodstains. Around my neck was a black choker with a silver chain attached to&lt;br /&gt;
a red gem, my black boots had silver blood-stained laces, laced up and tied&lt;br /&gt;
about an inch below my knees and made me look about four inches taller than I&lt;br /&gt;
actually was at the time.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Most of the human men and boys found it quite strange for me to be&lt;br /&gt;
carrying a quiver of arrows (poisoned, of course) and a bow. I was also wearing&lt;br /&gt;
a belt around my waist that kept the silver and onyx sheath that held my sword&lt;br /&gt;
from falling off.  It was not a wooden toy sword but a beautiful, yet deadly and&lt;br /&gt;
dangerous black crystal blade – given to me by my mother upon her death.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            My dark eyes were cold and full of hate because of something that&lt;br /&gt;
related to what I had just done. Most of the people in the village I came from&lt;br /&gt;
knew what I truly was, a half-blood Kitsune, and a dangerous one at that. I&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to have blood everywhere on my clothing but soon everyone in the Human&lt;br /&gt;
Village and the Kitsune Village near the Mansion would know why I had blood on&lt;br /&gt;
my clothes that day.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 3 - A New Home&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            &amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;As I neared my&lt;br /&gt;
home, the Mansion; as it was known as back then, I noticed my twin brother,&lt;br /&gt;
Kazuhiko; Kazu, as I called him, under the tree that the Demon Prince (as that&lt;br /&gt;
was my dear Leudast's title at that time) and I used to play under. &amp;amp;quot;Heh,&lt;br /&gt;
refusal to accept that we have no right living here since Mother and Jager (I&lt;br /&gt;
spat the name of our pitiful &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;late &amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;father, whom I have already told you,&lt;br /&gt;
was human)&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt; are dead&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;. The only one who has&lt;br /&gt;
the right to say who can stay here is Queen Madeline Blacklight…” I gasped as I&lt;br /&gt;
sensed someone unfamiliar but very powerful approaching us. I turned my head to&lt;br /&gt;
see who it was and gasped at what I saw. Javert Backlight, Demon King of Unmei.&lt;br /&gt;
“Run Kazu! It’s Javert! Get out of here as fast as you can! I stand a better&lt;br /&gt;
chance of surviving than you do!”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“No….&lt;br /&gt;
If I leave you…”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Mother knew that I would one day be stronger than both Javert and&lt;br /&gt;
his son Leudast, and I could, if I wanted to, overthrow the Backlight family.&lt;br /&gt;
Now run away and live!”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            Kazuhiko, my wretched twin, opened his mouth to protest but closed&lt;br /&gt;
it and ran off as I had instructed him to.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            As Javert approached me, he noticed I had drawn my mother’s sword.&lt;br /&gt;
“Insolent child, if it were up to me I would be leaving you for the scavengers.&lt;br /&gt;
But, since Spica insisted that if anything happened to her that my wife should&lt;br /&gt;
take her children in… That is the only reason you are coming with me, as your&lt;br /&gt;
twin is nowhere in sight.” Before I could object to being taken to my new home&lt;br /&gt;
by Javert, he had taken me to the foyer of the castle I had only visited a few&lt;br /&gt;
times before.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;            When I arrived, I noticed that my new “family” was standing there.&lt;br /&gt;
My best friend, Leudast, was waiting for me with his tiger, Arekai, at his&lt;br /&gt;
side. His mother, now my foster mother, was behind him, smiling. I smiled at&lt;br /&gt;
them happily, it was a wonderful sight, and even to this day, I don’t regret&lt;br /&gt;
going to live with them.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            “Welcome home,&lt;br /&gt;
Kurisutaru, but where is your twin, Kazuhiko?” Queen Madeline asked.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            “How should I&lt;br /&gt;
know? He wasn’t there when I arrived at the Mansion today,” I lied with an&lt;br /&gt;
innocent tone and expression.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “No wonder Spica wished for me to take her children in.” Madeline&lt;br /&gt;
sighed as she stared at my clothes. “You already have new clothes waiting for&lt;br /&gt;
you anyways. Please clean up before you change, it isn’t proper for a young&lt;br /&gt;
lady with such high standing to be covered in blood.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “I will, Aunt Madeline.” I replied with a smile before grinning at&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast. “Do you have nothing to say? So what about all those years you and I&lt;br /&gt;
got into all sorts of mischief?” The question was pointedly asked, I even&lt;br /&gt;
smirked at my best friend.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “It’s as if you didn’t think of most of our escapades, Kurisutaru.”&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast responded with an equally wicked smirk as my own.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “It’s as if you didn’t think those times were fun.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “You’ll have to tell me your latest escapade and why you look like&lt;br /&gt;
a peasant boy. You’re also covered in blood. Is it your own?”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “No, it’s not…”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “You can discuss this topic more when you’re not in my presence,&lt;br /&gt;
you two. For now it’s time for your literature lesson, Leudast,” Madeline&lt;br /&gt;
instructed.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Can’t Kurisutaru attend lessons with me, Mother?” He begged. “She&lt;br /&gt;
always used to attend my lessons at the Mansion when Aunt Spica was alive.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Only because you taught me everything you learned anyway,” I&lt;br /&gt;
reminded.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Very well, only if she gets cleaned up now and changes into&lt;br /&gt;
something more fitting to her status as both the foster-daughter of the royal&lt;br /&gt;
family, as well as a foreign royal born in exile.” Madeline sighed, giving in&lt;br /&gt;
to her son’s request.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “I would be delighted to Aunt Madeleine,” I answered as properly as&lt;br /&gt;
I could without laughing.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            &amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;Soon&lt;br /&gt;
after, I would return from my new room; incidentally it was just across the&lt;br /&gt;
hall from Leudast’s, dressed in a very simple but elegant black dress, suitable&lt;br /&gt;
for full mourning. “Is this suitable enough?”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“Indeed,&lt;br /&gt;
you look as beautiful as your mother. In fact, you look even more dignified and&lt;br /&gt;
royal than your mother ever did.” Madeline answered with tears in her beautiful&lt;br /&gt;
hazel-brown eyes.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“Don’t&lt;br /&gt;
cry! Mother wouldn’t want us to be sad.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“How&lt;br /&gt;
true, my dear.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;I&lt;br /&gt;
smiled before being dragged to the schoolroom by my best friend, my only real&lt;br /&gt;
friend.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/TD&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TABLE&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:SlothxKuriKara]] [[Category:SSEU Stories]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=357</id>
		<title>A Shadowed Childhood</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=357"/>
				<updated>2014-11-23T16:50:52Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Storybox&lt;br /&gt;
|title=  A Shadowed Childhood&lt;br /&gt;
|author= SlothxKuriKara &lt;br /&gt;
|creationdate= 11/16/2014&lt;br /&gt;
|continuity= SSEU Unmei/Egae&lt;br /&gt;
|synopsis= Kurisutaru's backstory&lt;br /&gt;
|rating= PG-13&lt;br /&gt;
|additionalnotes= Some characters are on loan to this story by their creators &lt;br /&gt;
|}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;TABLE WIDTH=&amp;quot;650&amp;quot; HEIGHT=&amp;quot;30%&amp;quot; BORDER=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TD  style=&amp;quot;font: 100% georgia, times new roman, times, serif;  line-height:150%&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;A Shadowed Childhood&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='text-decoration:none'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 1 - The Prelude&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            It has been two years since I last saw my&lt;br /&gt;
beloved husband and I know in another year I shall join him, wherever he is…&lt;br /&gt;
Since then I have secluded myself in our old hidden room. This was so I could&lt;br /&gt;
remind myself to be strong and not cry although my heart was broken because I&lt;br /&gt;
miss him so… But he still lives… My beloved Leudast Akume Backlight lives in my&lt;br /&gt;
heart, and in my memories, and that’s why he is not truly dead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            His first friend, besides me, Arekai, his tiger,&lt;br /&gt;
has also left me, and I am alone living here… The only living demon in the Backlight&lt;br /&gt;
line besides my children; left this castle, after she wed another demon… Ki Backlight,&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast’s little sister, my little sister-in-law, will find me dead when she&lt;br /&gt;
returns to this place, that I know for sure… And if in a year, I do not die; I&lt;br /&gt;
shall kill myself out of grief. I cannot live without Leudast any longer than another&lt;br /&gt;
year… I long to see his face…look into those piercing golden eyes…&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It’s so nice to see those golden eyes reflected in the crown&lt;br /&gt;
prince, my grandson. My thrones long ago went to my children; Unmei’s throne is&lt;br /&gt;
now my son Rémi’s, and the throne that has been in my mother’s family that I&lt;br /&gt;
reclaimed –Egae- has now gone to my daughter Adair. They were born twins, but&lt;br /&gt;
are as different as night is from day. Everyone considers Egae a moon, but yet&lt;br /&gt;
it is not a moon…it is its own planet…the planet that the senshi of Unmei&lt;br /&gt;
always hailed from, the guardian of its twin planet. That title, too, has gone&lt;br /&gt;
to Adair. She bears the title, and the title of Crimson Butterfly, well despite&lt;br /&gt;
finally having become a mother herself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;Natalia, the child of my favorite&lt;br /&gt;
general, the first kitsune in a long time to marry into the royal family and be&lt;br /&gt;
taught all of our secrets; she keeps telling me to continue living…pleads with&lt;br /&gt;
me even. But her parents have long since gone as well…and I don’t wish to&lt;br /&gt;
continue this lonely existence, watching my grandchildren grow.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 2 - The Beginning&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            I, a young girl about the age of 7 walked&lt;br /&gt;
through the darkest forest in Unmei. My hair swayed gently with every step I&lt;br /&gt;
took, my raven black locks just barely brushed my shoulders giving me a&lt;br /&gt;
tomboyish look. My eyes were the color of the sky at midnight with flecks grey&lt;br /&gt;
as rainclouds.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Strangely enough, I had grayish black fox ears and I also had a&lt;br /&gt;
noticeable enough black foxtail that had a silvery tip to it. My name was and&lt;br /&gt;
has changed since, Kurisutaru Etowaaru Tatari. I was wearing what most human&lt;br /&gt;
women and girls thought inappropriate and horrifyingly boyish for a girl who&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to be human when they saw me that day. My black pants had been torn&lt;br /&gt;
short at the knees and had been stained by blood, which still showed in the&lt;br /&gt;
darkness of the forest. My shirt had at one time been a black, long sleeved&lt;br /&gt;
shirt that now had the sleeves torn short at my elbows and also had&lt;br /&gt;
bloodstains. Around my neck was a black choker with a silver chain attached to&lt;br /&gt;
a red gem, my black boots had silver blood-stained laces, laced up and tied&lt;br /&gt;
about an inch below my knees and made me look about four inches taller than I&lt;br /&gt;
actually was at the time.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Most of the human men and boys found it quite strange for me to be&lt;br /&gt;
carrying a quiver of arrows (poisoned, of course) and a bow. I was also wearing&lt;br /&gt;
a belt around my waist that kept the silver and onyx sheath that held my sword&lt;br /&gt;
from falling off.  It was not a wooden toy sword but a beautiful, yet deadly and&lt;br /&gt;
dangerous black crystal blade – given to me by my mother upon her death.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            My dark eyes were cold and full of hate because of something that&lt;br /&gt;
related to what I had just done. Most of the people in the village I came from&lt;br /&gt;
knew what I truly was, a half-blood Kitsune, and a dangerous one at that. I&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to have blood everywhere on my clothing but soon everyone in the Human&lt;br /&gt;
Village and the Kitsune Village near the Mansion would know why I had blood on&lt;br /&gt;
my clothes that day.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 3 - A New Home&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            &amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;As I neared my&lt;br /&gt;
home, the Mansion; as it was known as back then, I noticed my twin brother,&lt;br /&gt;
Kazuhiko; Kazu, as I called him, under the tree that the Demon Prince (as that&lt;br /&gt;
was my dear Leudast's title at that time) and I used to play under. &amp;amp;quot;Heh,&lt;br /&gt;
refusal to accept that we have no right living here since Mother and Jager (I&lt;br /&gt;
spat the name of our pitiful &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;late &amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;father, whom I have already told you,&lt;br /&gt;
was human)&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt; are dead&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;. The only one who has&lt;br /&gt;
the right to say who can stay here is Queen Madeline Blacklight…” I gasped as I&lt;br /&gt;
sensed someone unfamiliar but very powerful approaching us. I turned my head to&lt;br /&gt;
see who it was and gasped at what I saw. Javert Backlight, Demon King of Unmei.&lt;br /&gt;
“Run Kazu! It’s Javert! Get out of here as fast as you can! I stand a better&lt;br /&gt;
chance of surviving than you do!”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“No….&lt;br /&gt;
If I leave you…”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Mother knew that I would one day be stronger than both Javert and&lt;br /&gt;
his son Leudast, and I could, if I wanted to, overthrow the Backlight family.&lt;br /&gt;
Now run away and live!”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            Kazuhiko, my wretched twin, opened his mouth to protest but closed&lt;br /&gt;
it and ran off as I had instructed him to.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            As Javert approached me, he noticed I had drawn my mother’s sword.&lt;br /&gt;
“Insolent child, if it were up to me I would be leaving you for the scavengers.&lt;br /&gt;
But, since Spica insisted that if anything happened to her that my wife should&lt;br /&gt;
take her children in… That is the only reason you are coming with me, as your&lt;br /&gt;
twin is nowhere in sight.” Before I could object to being taken to my new home&lt;br /&gt;
by Javert, he had taken me to the foyer of the castle I had only visited a few&lt;br /&gt;
times before.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            When I arrived, I noticed that my new “family” was standing there.&lt;br /&gt;
My best friend, Leudast, was waiting for me with his tiger, Arekai, at his&lt;br /&gt;
side. His mother, now my foster mother, was behind him, smiling. I smiled at&lt;br /&gt;
them happily, it was a wonderful sight, and even to this day, I don’t regret&lt;br /&gt;
going to live with them.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            “Welcome home,&lt;br /&gt;
Kurisutaru, but where is your twin, Kazuhiko?” Queen Madeline asked.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            “How should I&lt;br /&gt;
know? He wasn’t there when I arrived at the Mansion today,” I lied with an&lt;br /&gt;
innocent tone and expression.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “No wonder Spica wished for me to take her children in.” Madeline&lt;br /&gt;
sighed as she stared at my clothes. “You already have new clothes waiting for&lt;br /&gt;
you anyways. Please clean up before you change, it isn’t proper for a young&lt;br /&gt;
lady with such high standing to be covered in blood.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “I will, Aunt Madeline.” I replied with a smile before grinning at&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast. “Do you have nothing to say? So what about all those years you and I&lt;br /&gt;
got into all sorts of mischief?” The question was pointedly asked, I even&lt;br /&gt;
smirked at my best friend.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “It’s as if you didn’t think of most of our escapades, Kurisutaru.”&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast responded with an equally wicked smirk as my own.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “It’s as if you didn’t think those times were fun.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “You’ll have to tell me your latest escapade and why you look like&lt;br /&gt;
a peasant boy. You’re also covered in blood. Is it your own?”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “No, it’s not…”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “You can discuss this topic more when you’re not in my presence,&lt;br /&gt;
you two. For now it’s time for your literature lesson, Leudast,” Madeline&lt;br /&gt;
instructed.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Can’t Kurisutaru attend lessons with me, Mother?” He begged. “She&lt;br /&gt;
always used to attend my lessons at the Mansion when Aunt Spica was alive.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Only because you taught me everything you learned anyway,” I&lt;br /&gt;
reminded.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Very well, only if she gets cleaned up now and changes into&lt;br /&gt;
something more fitting to her status as both the foster-daughter of the royal&lt;br /&gt;
family, as well as a foreign royal born in exile.” Madeline sighed, giving in&lt;br /&gt;
to her son’s request.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “I would be delighted to Aunt Madeleine,” I answered as properly as&lt;br /&gt;
I could without laughing.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            &amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;Soon&lt;br /&gt;
after, I would return from my new room; incidentally it was just across the&lt;br /&gt;
hall from Leudast’s, dressed in a very simple but elegant black dress, suitable&lt;br /&gt;
for full mourning. “Is this suitable enough?”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“Indeed,&lt;br /&gt;
you look as beautiful as your mother. In fact, you look even more dignified and&lt;br /&gt;
royal than your mother ever did.” Madeline answered with tears in her beautiful&lt;br /&gt;
hazel-brown eyes.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“Don’t&lt;br /&gt;
cry! Mother wouldn’t want us to be sad.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“How&lt;br /&gt;
true, my dear.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;I&lt;br /&gt;
smiled before being dragged to the schoolroom by my best friend, my only real&lt;br /&gt;
friend.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/TD&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TABLE&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:SlothxKuriKara]] [[Category:SSEU Stories]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=356</id>
		<title>A Shadowed Childhood</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=356"/>
				<updated>2014-11-23T16:48:54Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: Chapter 3 Added&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Storybox&lt;br /&gt;
|title=  A Shadowed Childhood&lt;br /&gt;
|author= SlothxKuriKara &lt;br /&gt;
|creationdate= 11/16/2014&lt;br /&gt;
|continuity= SSEU Unmei/Egae&lt;br /&gt;
|synopsis= Kurisutaru's backstory&lt;br /&gt;
|rating= PG-13&lt;br /&gt;
|additionalnotes= Some characters are on loan to this story by their creators &lt;br /&gt;
|}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;TABLE WIDTH=&amp;quot;650&amp;quot; HEIGHT=&amp;quot;30%&amp;quot; BORDER=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TD  style=&amp;quot;font: 100% georgia, times new roman, times, serif;  line-height:150%&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;A Shadowed Childhood&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='text-decoration:none'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 1 - The Prelude&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            It has been two years since I last saw my&lt;br /&gt;
beloved husband and I know in another year I shall join him, wherever he is…&lt;br /&gt;
Since then I have secluded myself in our old hidden room. This was so I could&lt;br /&gt;
remind myself to be strong and not cry although my heart was broken because I&lt;br /&gt;
miss him so… But he still lives… My beloved Leudast Akume Backlight lives in my&lt;br /&gt;
heart, and in my memories, and that’s why he is not truly dead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            His first friend, besides me, Arekai, his tiger,&lt;br /&gt;
has also left me, and I am alone living here… The only living demon in the Backlight&lt;br /&gt;
line besides my children; left this castle, after she wed another demon… Ki Backlight,&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast’s little sister, my little sister-in-law, will find me dead when she&lt;br /&gt;
returns to this place, that I know for sure… And if in a year, I do not die; I&lt;br /&gt;
shall kill myself out of grief. I cannot live without Leudast any longer than another&lt;br /&gt;
year… I long to see his face…look into those piercing golden eyes…&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It’s so nice to see those golden eyes reflected in the crown&lt;br /&gt;
prince, my grandson. My thrones long ago went to my children; Unmei’s throne is&lt;br /&gt;
now my son Rémi’s, and the throne that has been in my mother’s family that I&lt;br /&gt;
reclaimed –Egae- has now gone to my daughter Adair. They were born twins, but&lt;br /&gt;
are as different as night is from day. Everyone considers Egae a moon, but yet&lt;br /&gt;
it is not a moon…it is its own planet…the planet that the senshi of Unmei&lt;br /&gt;
always hailed from, the guardian of its twin planet. That title, too, has gone&lt;br /&gt;
to Adair. She bears the title, and the title of Crimson Butterfly, well despite&lt;br /&gt;
finally having become a mother herself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;Natalia, the child of my favorite&lt;br /&gt;
general, the first kitsune in a long time to marry into the royal family and be&lt;br /&gt;
taught all of our secrets; she keeps telling me to continue living…pleads with&lt;br /&gt;
me even. But her parents have long since gone as well…and I don’t wish to&lt;br /&gt;
continue this lonely existence, watching my grandchildren grow.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 2 - The Beginning&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            I, a young girl about the age of 7 walked&lt;br /&gt;
through the darkest forest in Unmei. My hair swayed gently with every step I&lt;br /&gt;
took, my raven black locks just barely brushed my shoulders giving me a&lt;br /&gt;
tomboyish look. My eyes were the color of the sky at midnight with flecks grey&lt;br /&gt;
as rainclouds.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Strangely enough, I had grayish black fox ears and I also had a&lt;br /&gt;
noticeable enough black foxtail that had a silvery tip to it. My name was and&lt;br /&gt;
has changed since, Kurisutaru Etowaaru Tatari. I was wearing what most human&lt;br /&gt;
women and girls thought inappropriate and horrifyingly boyish for a girl who&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to be human when they saw me that day. My black pants had been torn&lt;br /&gt;
short at the knees and had been stained by blood, which still showed in the&lt;br /&gt;
darkness of the forest. My shirt had at one time been a black, long sleeved&lt;br /&gt;
shirt that now had the sleeves torn short at my elbows and also had&lt;br /&gt;
bloodstains. Around my neck was a black choker with a silver chain attached to&lt;br /&gt;
a red gem, my black boots had silver blood-stained laces, laced up and tied&lt;br /&gt;
about an inch below my knees and made me look about four inches taller than I&lt;br /&gt;
actually was at the time.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Most of the human men and boys found it quite strange for me to be&lt;br /&gt;
carrying a quiver of arrows (poisoned, of course) and a bow. I was also wearing&lt;br /&gt;
a belt around my waist that kept the silver and onyx sheath that held my sword&lt;br /&gt;
from falling off.  It was not a wooden toy sword but a beautiful, yet deadly and&lt;br /&gt;
dangerous black crystal blade – given to me by my mother upon her death.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            My dark eyes were cold and full of hate because of something that&lt;br /&gt;
related to what I had just done. Most of the people in the village I came from&lt;br /&gt;
knew what I truly was, a half-blood Kitsune, and a dangerous one at that. I&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to have blood everywhere on my clothing but soon everyone in the Human&lt;br /&gt;
Village and the Kitsune Village near the Mansion would know why I had blood on&lt;br /&gt;
my clothes that day.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 3 - A New Home&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:16.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            &amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;As I neared my&lt;br /&gt;
home, the Mansion; as it was known as back then, I noticed my twin brother,&lt;br /&gt;
Kazuhiko; Kazu, as I called him, under the tree that the Demon Prince (as that&lt;br /&gt;
was my dear Leudast's title at that time) and I used to play under. &amp;amp;quot;Heh,&lt;br /&gt;
refusal to accept that we have no right living here since Mother and Jager (I&lt;br /&gt;
spat the name of our pitiful &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;late &amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;father, whom I have already told you,&lt;br /&gt;
was human)&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt; are dead&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;. The only one who has&lt;br /&gt;
the right to say who can stay here is Queen Madeline Blacklight…” I gasped as I&lt;br /&gt;
sensed someone unfamiliar but very powerful approaching us. I turned my head to&lt;br /&gt;
see who it was and gasped at what I saw. Javert Backlight, Demon King of Unmei.&lt;br /&gt;
“Run Kazu! It’s Javert! Get out of here as fast as you can! I stand a better&lt;br /&gt;
chance of surviving than you do!”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“No….&lt;br /&gt;
If I leave you…”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Mother knew that I would one day be stronger than both Javert and&lt;br /&gt;
his son Leudast, and I could, if I wanted to, overthrow the Backlight family.&lt;br /&gt;
Now run away and live!”&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            Kazuhiko, my wretched twin, opened his mouth to protest but closed&lt;br /&gt;
it and ran off as I had instructed him to.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            As Javert approached me, he noticed I had drawn my mother’s sword.&lt;br /&gt;
“Insolent child, if it were up to me I would be leaving you for the scavengers.&lt;br /&gt;
But, since Spica insisted that if anything happened to her that my wife should&lt;br /&gt;
take her children in… That is the only reason you are coming with me, as your&lt;br /&gt;
twin is nowhere in sight.” Before I could object to being taken to my new home&lt;br /&gt;
by Javert, he had taken me to the foyer of the castle I had only visited a few&lt;br /&gt;
times before.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            When I arrived, I noticed that my new “family” was standing there.&lt;br /&gt;
My best friend, Leudast, was waiting for me with his tiger, Arekai, at his&lt;br /&gt;
side. His mother, now my foster mother, was behind him, smiling. I smiled at&lt;br /&gt;
them happily, it was a wonderful sight, and even to this day, I don’t regret&lt;br /&gt;
going to live with them.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            “Welcome home,&lt;br /&gt;
Kurisutaru, but where is your twin, Kazuhiko?” Queen Madeline asked.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            “How should I&lt;br /&gt;
know? He wasn’t there when I arrived at the Mansion today,” I lied with an&lt;br /&gt;
innocent tone and expression.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “No wonder Spica wished for me to take her children in.” Madeline&lt;br /&gt;
sighed as she stared at my clothes. “You already have new clothes waiting for&lt;br /&gt;
you anyways. Please clean up before you change, it isn’t proper for a young&lt;br /&gt;
lady with such high standing to be covered in blood.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “I will, Aunt Madeline.” I replied with a smile before grinning at&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast. “Do you have nothing to say? So what about all those years you and I&lt;br /&gt;
got into all sorts of mischief?” The question was pointedly asked, I even&lt;br /&gt;
smirked at my best friend.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “It’s as if you didn’t think of most of our escapades, Kurisutaru.”&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast responded with an equally wicked smirk as my own.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “It’s as if you didn’t think those times were fun.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “You’ll have to tell me your latest escapade and why you look like&lt;br /&gt;
a peasant boy. You’re also covered in blood. Is it your own?”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “No, it’s not…”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “You can discuss this topic more when you’re not in my presence,&lt;br /&gt;
you two. For now it’s time for your literature lesson, Leudast,” Madeline&lt;br /&gt;
instructed.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Can’t Kurisutaru attend lessons with me, Mother?” He begged. “She&lt;br /&gt;
always used to attend my lessons at the Mansion when Aunt Spica was alive.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Only because you taught me everything you learned anyway,” I&lt;br /&gt;
reminded.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “Very well, only if she gets cleaned up now and changes into&lt;br /&gt;
something more fitting to her status as both the foster-daughter of the royal&lt;br /&gt;
family, as well as a foreign royal born in exile.” Madeline sighed, giving in&lt;br /&gt;
to her son’s request.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            “I would be delighted to Aunt Madeleine,” I answered as properly as&lt;br /&gt;
I could without laughing.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;            &amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;Soon&lt;br /&gt;
after, I would return from my new room; incidentally it was just across the&lt;br /&gt;
hall from Leudast’s, dressed in a very simple but elegant black dress, suitable&lt;br /&gt;
for full mourning. “Is this suitable enough?”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“Indeed,&lt;br /&gt;
you look as beautiful as your mother. In fact, you look even more dignified and&lt;br /&gt;
royal than your mother ever did.” Madeline answered with tears in her beautiful&lt;br /&gt;
hazel-brown eyes.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“Don’t&lt;br /&gt;
cry! Mother wouldn’t want us to be sad.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;“How&lt;br /&gt;
true, my dear.”&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='font-size:11.0pt'&amp;gt;I&lt;br /&gt;
smiled before being dragged to the schoolroom by my best friend, my only real&lt;br /&gt;
friend.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/TD&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TABLE&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:SlothxKuriKara]] [[Category:SSEU Stories]] [[Category:The Suburban Senshi]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=355</id>
		<title>A Shadowed Childhood</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=355"/>
				<updated>2014-11-23T16:40:34Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Storybox&lt;br /&gt;
|title=  A Shadowed Childhood&lt;br /&gt;
|author= SlothxKuriKara &lt;br /&gt;
|creationdate= 11/16/2014&lt;br /&gt;
|continuity= SSEU Unmei/Egae&lt;br /&gt;
|synopsis= Kurisutaru's backstory&lt;br /&gt;
|rating= PG-13&lt;br /&gt;
|additionalnotes= Some characters are on loan to this story by their creators &lt;br /&gt;
|}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;TABLE WIDTH=&amp;quot;650&amp;quot; HEIGHT=&amp;quot;30%&amp;quot; BORDER=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TD  style=&amp;quot;font: 100% georgia, times new roman, times, serif;  line-height:150%&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;A Shadowed Childhood&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='text-decoration:none'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 1 - The Prelude&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            It has been two years since I last saw my&lt;br /&gt;
beloved husband and I know in another year I shall join him, wherever he is…&lt;br /&gt;
Since then I have secluded myself in our old hidden room. This was so I could&lt;br /&gt;
remind myself to be strong and not cry although my heart was broken because I&lt;br /&gt;
miss him so… But he still lives… My beloved Leudast Akume Backlight lives in my&lt;br /&gt;
heart, and in my memories, and that’s why he is not truly dead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            His first friend, besides me, Arekai, his tiger,&lt;br /&gt;
has also left me, and I am alone living here… The only living demon in the Backlight&lt;br /&gt;
line besides my children; left this castle, after she wed another demon… Ki Backlight,&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast’s little sister, my little sister-in-law, will find me dead when she&lt;br /&gt;
returns to this place, that I know for sure… And if in a year, I do not die; I&lt;br /&gt;
shall kill myself out of grief. I cannot live without Leudast any longer than another&lt;br /&gt;
year… I long to see his face…look into those piercing golden eyes…&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It’s so nice to see those golden eyes reflected in the crown&lt;br /&gt;
prince, my grandson. My thrones long ago went to my children; Unmei’s throne is&lt;br /&gt;
now my son Rémi’s, and the throne that has been in my mother’s family that I&lt;br /&gt;
reclaimed –Egae- has now gone to my daughter Adair. They were born twins, but&lt;br /&gt;
are as different as night is from day. Everyone considers Egae a moon, but yet&lt;br /&gt;
it is not a moon…it is its own planet…the planet that the senshi of Unmei&lt;br /&gt;
always hailed from, the guardian of its twin planet. That title, too, has gone&lt;br /&gt;
to Adair. She bears the title, and the title of Crimson Butterfly, well despite&lt;br /&gt;
finally having become a mother herself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;Natalia, the child of my favorite&lt;br /&gt;
general, the first kitsune in a long time to marry into the royal family and be&lt;br /&gt;
taught all of our secrets; she keeps telling me to continue living…pleads with&lt;br /&gt;
me even. But her parents have long since gone as well…and I don’t wish to&lt;br /&gt;
continue this lonely existence, watching my grandchildren grow.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 2 - The Beginning&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            I, a young girl about the age of 7 walked&lt;br /&gt;
through the darkest forest in Unmei. My hair swayed gently with every step I&lt;br /&gt;
took, my raven black locks just barely brushed my shoulders giving me a&lt;br /&gt;
tomboyish look. My eyes were the color of the sky at midnight with flecks grey&lt;br /&gt;
as rainclouds.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Strangely enough, I had grayish black fox ears and I also had a&lt;br /&gt;
noticeable enough black foxtail that had a silvery tip to it. My name was and&lt;br /&gt;
has changed since, Kurisutaru Etowaaru Tatari. I was wearing what most human&lt;br /&gt;
women and girls thought inappropriate and horrifyingly boyish for a girl who&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to be human when they saw me that day. My black pants had been torn&lt;br /&gt;
short at the knees and had been stained by blood, which still showed in the&lt;br /&gt;
darkness of the forest. My shirt had at one time been a black, long sleeved&lt;br /&gt;
shirt that now had the sleeves torn short at my elbows and also had&lt;br /&gt;
bloodstains. Around my neck was a black choker with a silver chain attached to&lt;br /&gt;
a red gem, my black boots had silver blood-stained laces, laced up and tied&lt;br /&gt;
about an inch below my knees and made me look about four inches taller than I&lt;br /&gt;
actually was at the time.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Most of the human men and boys found it quite strange for me to be&lt;br /&gt;
carrying a quiver of arrows (poisoned, of course) and a bow. I was also wearing&lt;br /&gt;
a belt around my waist that kept the silver and onyx sheath that held my sword&lt;br /&gt;
from falling off.  It was not a wooden toy sword but a beautiful, yet deadly and&lt;br /&gt;
dangerous black crystal blade – given to me by my mother upon her death.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            My dark eyes were cold and full of hate because of something that&lt;br /&gt;
related to what I had just done. Most of the people in the village I came from&lt;br /&gt;
knew what I truly was, a half-blood Kitsune, and a dangerous one at that. I&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to have blood everywhere on my clothing but soon everyone in the Human&lt;br /&gt;
Village and the Kitsune Village near the Mansion would know why I had blood on&lt;br /&gt;
my clothes that day.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/TD&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TABLE&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:SlothxKuriKara]] [[Category:SSEU Stories]] [[Category:The Suburban Senshi]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=354</id>
		<title>A Shadowed Childhood</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=354"/>
				<updated>2014-11-23T16:39:10Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: Added spaces between paragraphs&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Storybox&lt;br /&gt;
|title=  A Shadowed Childhood&lt;br /&gt;
|author= SlothxKuriKara &lt;br /&gt;
|creationdate= 11/16/2014&lt;br /&gt;
|continuity= SSEU Unmei/Egae&lt;br /&gt;
|synopsis= Kurisutaru's backstory&lt;br /&gt;
|rating= PG-13&lt;br /&gt;
|additionalnotes= Some characters are on loan to this story by their creators &lt;br /&gt;
|}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;TABLE WIDTH=&amp;quot;650&amp;quot; HEIGHT=&amp;quot;30%&amp;quot; BORDER=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TD  style=&amp;quot;font: 100% georgia, times new roman, times, serif;  line-height:150%&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;A Shadowed Childhood&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='text-decoration:none'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 1 - The Prelude&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            It has been two years since I last saw my&lt;br /&gt;
beloved husband and I know in another year I shall join him, wherever he is…&lt;br /&gt;
Since then I have secluded myself in our old hidden room. This was so I could&lt;br /&gt;
remind myself to be strong and not cry although my heart was broken because I&lt;br /&gt;
miss him so… But he still lives… My beloved Leudast Akume Backlight lives in my&lt;br /&gt;
heart, and in my memories, and that’s why he is not truly dead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            His first friend, besides me, Arekai, his tiger,&lt;br /&gt;
has also left me, and I am alone living here… The only living demon in the Backlight&lt;br /&gt;
line besides my children; left this castle, after she wed another demon… Ki Backlight,&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast’s little sister, my little sister-in-law, will find me dead when she&lt;br /&gt;
returns to this place, that I know for sure… And if in a year, I do not die; I&lt;br /&gt;
shall kill myself out of grief. I cannot live without Leudast any longer than another&lt;br /&gt;
year… I long to see his face…look into those piercing golden eyes…&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It’s so nice to see those golden eyes reflected in the crown&lt;br /&gt;
prince, my grandson. My thrones long ago went to my children; Unmei’s throne is&lt;br /&gt;
now my son Rémi’s, and the throne that has been in my mother’s family that I&lt;br /&gt;
reclaimed –Egae- has now gone to my daughter Adair. They were born twins, but&lt;br /&gt;
are as different as night is from day. Everyone considers Egae a moon, but yet&lt;br /&gt;
it is not a moon…it is its own planet…the planet that the senshi of Unmei&lt;br /&gt;
always hailed from, the guardian of its twin planet. That title, too, has gone&lt;br /&gt;
to Adair. She bears the title, and the title of Crimson Butterfly, well despite&lt;br /&gt;
finally having become a mother herself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;Natalia, the child of my favorite&lt;br /&gt;
general, the first kitsune in a long time to marry into the royal family and be&lt;br /&gt;
taught all of our secrets; she keeps telling me to continue living…pleads with&lt;br /&gt;
me even. But her parents have long since gone as well…and I don’t wish to&lt;br /&gt;
continue this lonely existence, watching my grandchildren grow.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 2 - The Beginning&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            I, a young girl about the age of 7 walked&lt;br /&gt;
through the darkest forest in Unmei. My hair swayed gently with every step I&lt;br /&gt;
took, my raven black locks just barely brushed my shoulders giving me a&lt;br /&gt;
tomboyish look. My eyes were the color of the sky at midnight with flecks grey&lt;br /&gt;
as rainclouds.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Strangely enough, I had grayish black fox ears and I also had a&lt;br /&gt;
noticeable enough black foxtail that had a silvery tip to it. My name was and&lt;br /&gt;
has changed since, Kurisutaru Etowaaru Tatari. I was wearing what most human&lt;br /&gt;
women and girls thought inappropriate and horrifyingly boyish for a girl who&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to be human when they saw me that day. My black pants had been torn&lt;br /&gt;
short at the knees and had been stained by blood, which still showed in the&lt;br /&gt;
darkness of the forest. My shirt had at one time been a black, long sleeved&lt;br /&gt;
shirt that now had the sleeves torn short at my elbows and also had&lt;br /&gt;
bloodstains. Around my neck was a black choker with a silver chain attached to&lt;br /&gt;
a red gem, my black boots had silver blood-stained laces, laced up and tied&lt;br /&gt;
about an inch below my knees and made me look about four inches taller than I&lt;br /&gt;
actually was at the time.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            Most of the human men and boys found it quite strange for me to be&lt;br /&gt;
carrying a quiver of arrows (poisoned, of course) and a bow. I was also wearing&lt;br /&gt;
a belt around my waist that kept the silver and onyx sheath that held my sword&lt;br /&gt;
from falling off.  It was not a wooden toy sword but a beautiful, yet deadly and&lt;br /&gt;
dangerous black crystal blade – given to me by my mother upon her death.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            My dark eyes were cold and full of hate because of something that&lt;br /&gt;
related to what I had just done. Most of the people in the village I came from&lt;br /&gt;
knew what I truly was, a half-blood Kitsune, and a dangerous one at that. I&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to have blood everywhere on my clothing but soon everyone in the Human&lt;br /&gt;
Village and the Kitsune Village near the Mansion would know why I had blood on&lt;br /&gt;
my clothes that day.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/TD&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TABLE&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:SlothxKuriKara]] [[Category:SSEU Stories]] [[Category:The Suburban Senshi]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=353</id>
		<title>A Shadowed Childhood</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=353"/>
				<updated>2014-11-23T16:38:02Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: Chapter 2 added&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Storybox&lt;br /&gt;
|title=  A Shadowed Childhood&lt;br /&gt;
|author= SlothxKuriKara &lt;br /&gt;
|creationdate= 11/16/2014&lt;br /&gt;
|continuity= SSEU Unmei/Egae&lt;br /&gt;
|synopsis= Kurisutaru's backstory&lt;br /&gt;
|rating= PG-13&lt;br /&gt;
|additionalnotes= Some characters are on loan to this story by their creators &lt;br /&gt;
|}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;TABLE WIDTH=&amp;quot;650&amp;quot; HEIGHT=&amp;quot;30%&amp;quot; BORDER=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TD  style=&amp;quot;font: 100% georgia, times new roman, times, serif;  line-height:150%&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;A Shadowed Childhood&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='text-decoration:none'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 1 - The Prelude&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            It has been two years since I last saw my&lt;br /&gt;
beloved husband and I know in another year I shall join him, wherever he is…&lt;br /&gt;
Since then I have secluded myself in our old hidden room. This was so I could&lt;br /&gt;
remind myself to be strong and not cry although my heart was broken because I&lt;br /&gt;
miss him so… But he still lives… My beloved Leudast Akume Backlight lives in my&lt;br /&gt;
heart, and in my memories, and that’s why he is not truly dead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            His first friend, besides me, Arekai, his tiger,&lt;br /&gt;
has also left me, and I am alone living here… The only living demon in the Backlight&lt;br /&gt;
line besides my children; left this castle, after she wed another demon… Ki Backlight,&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast’s little sister, my little sister-in-law, will find me dead when she&lt;br /&gt;
returns to this place, that I know for sure… And if in a year, I do not die; I&lt;br /&gt;
shall kill myself out of grief. I cannot live without Leudast any longer than another&lt;br /&gt;
year… I long to see his face…look into those piercing golden eyes…&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            It’s so nice to see those golden eyes reflected in the crown&lt;br /&gt;
prince, my grandson. My thrones long ago went to my children; Unmei’s throne is&lt;br /&gt;
now my son Rémi’s, and the throne that has been in my mother’s family that I&lt;br /&gt;
reclaimed –Egae- has now gone to my daughter Adair. They were born twins, but&lt;br /&gt;
are as different as night is from day. Everyone considers Egae a moon, but yet&lt;br /&gt;
it is not a moon…it is its own planet…the planet that the senshi of Unmei&lt;br /&gt;
always hailed from, the guardian of its twin planet. That title, too, has gone&lt;br /&gt;
to Adair. She bears the title, and the title of Crimson Butterfly, well despite&lt;br /&gt;
finally having become a mother herself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;Natalia, the child of my favorite&lt;br /&gt;
general, the first kitsune in a long time to marry into the royal family and be&lt;br /&gt;
taught all of our secrets; she keeps telling me to continue living…pleads with&lt;br /&gt;
me even. But her parents have long since gone as well…and I don’t wish to&lt;br /&gt;
continue this lonely existence, watching my grandchildren grow.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 2 - The Beginning&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            I, a young girl about the age of 7 walked&lt;br /&gt;
through the darkest forest in Unmei. My hair swayed gently with every step I&lt;br /&gt;
took, my raven black locks just barely brushed my shoulders giving me a&lt;br /&gt;
tomboyish look. My eyes were the color of the sky at midnight with flecks grey&lt;br /&gt;
as rainclouds.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            Strangely enough, I had grayish black fox ears and I also had a&lt;br /&gt;
noticeable enough black foxtail that had a silvery tip to it. My name was and&lt;br /&gt;
has changed since, Kurisutaru Etowaaru Tatari. I was wearing what most human&lt;br /&gt;
women and girls thought inappropriate and horrifyingly boyish for a girl who&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to be human when they saw me that day. My black pants had been torn&lt;br /&gt;
short at the knees and had been stained by blood, which still showed in the&lt;br /&gt;
darkness of the forest. My shirt had at one time been a black, long sleeved&lt;br /&gt;
shirt that now had the sleeves torn short at my elbows and also had&lt;br /&gt;
bloodstains. Around my neck was a black choker with a silver chain attached to&lt;br /&gt;
a red gem, my black boots had silver blood-stained laces, laced up and tied&lt;br /&gt;
about an inch below my knees and made me look about four inches taller than I&lt;br /&gt;
actually was at the time.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            Most of the human men and boys found it quite strange for me to be&lt;br /&gt;
carrying a quiver of arrows (poisoned, of course) and a bow. I was also wearing&lt;br /&gt;
a belt around my waist that kept the silver and onyx sheath that held my sword&lt;br /&gt;
from falling off.  It was not a wooden toy sword but a beautiful, yet deadly and&lt;br /&gt;
dangerous black crystal blade – given to me by my mother upon her death.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            My dark eyes were cold and full of hate because of something that&lt;br /&gt;
related to what I had just done. Most of the people in the village I came from&lt;br /&gt;
knew what I truly was, a half-blood Kitsune, and a dangerous one at that. I&lt;br /&gt;
seemed to have blood everywhere on my clothing but soon everyone in the Human&lt;br /&gt;
Village and the Kitsune Village near the Mansion would know why I had blood on&lt;br /&gt;
my clothes that day.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/TD&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TABLE&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:SlothxKuriKara]] [[Category:SSEU Stories]] [[Category:The Suburban Senshi]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=316</id>
		<title>A Shadowed Childhood</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=316"/>
				<updated>2014-11-16T18:27:10Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: removed disclaimer&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Storybox&lt;br /&gt;
|title=  A Shadowed Childhood&lt;br /&gt;
|author= SlothxKuriKara &lt;br /&gt;
|creationdate= 11/16/2014&lt;br /&gt;
|continuity= SSEU Unmei/Egae&lt;br /&gt;
|synopsis= Kurisutaru's backstory&lt;br /&gt;
|rating= PG-13&lt;br /&gt;
|additionalnotes= Some characters are on loan to this story by their creators &lt;br /&gt;
|}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;TABLE WIDTH=&amp;quot;650&amp;quot; HEIGHT=&amp;quot;30%&amp;quot; BORDER=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TD  style=&amp;quot;font: 100% georgia, times new roman, times, serif;  line-height:150%&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;A Shadowed Childhood&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='text-decoration:none'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 1 - The Prelude&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            It has been two years since I last saw my&lt;br /&gt;
beloved husband and I know in another year I shall join him, wherever he is…&lt;br /&gt;
Since then I have secluded myself in our old hidden room. This was so I could&lt;br /&gt;
remind myself to be strong and not cry although my heart was broken because I&lt;br /&gt;
miss him so… But he still lives… My beloved Leudast Akume Backlight lives in my&lt;br /&gt;
heart, and in my memories, and that’s why he is not truly dead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            His first friend, besides me, Arekai, his tiger,&lt;br /&gt;
has also left me, and I am alone living here… The only living demon in the Backlight&lt;br /&gt;
line besides my children; left this castle, after she wed another demon… Ki Backlight,&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast’s little sister, my little sister-in-law, will find me dead when she&lt;br /&gt;
returns to this place, that I know for sure… And if in a year, I do not die; I&lt;br /&gt;
shall kill myself out of grief. I cannot live without Leudast any longer than another&lt;br /&gt;
year… I long to see his face…look into those piercing golden eyes…&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            It’s so nice to see those golden eyes reflected in the crown&lt;br /&gt;
prince, my grandson. My thrones long ago went to my children; Unmei’s throne is&lt;br /&gt;
now my son Rémi’s, and the throne that has been in my mother’s family that I&lt;br /&gt;
reclaimed –Egae- has now gone to my daughter Adair. They were born twins, but&lt;br /&gt;
are as different as night is from day. Everyone considers Egae a moon, but yet&lt;br /&gt;
it is not a moon…it is its own planet…the planet that the senshi of Unmei&lt;br /&gt;
always hailed from, the guardian of its twin planet. That title, too, has gone&lt;br /&gt;
to Adair. She bears the title, and the title of Crimson Butterfly, well despite&lt;br /&gt;
finally having become a mother herself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;Natalia, the child of my favorite&lt;br /&gt;
general, the first kitsune in a long time to marry into the royal family and be&lt;br /&gt;
taught all of our secrets; she keeps telling me to continue living…pleads with&lt;br /&gt;
me even. But her parents have long since gone as well…and I don’t wish to&lt;br /&gt;
continue this lonely existence, watching my grandchildren grow.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/TD&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TABLE&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:SlothxKuriKara]] [[Category:SSEU Stories]] [[Category:The Suburban Senshi]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=315</id>
		<title>A Shadowed Childhood</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://node001.lib.torchwoodarchives.org/index.php?title=A_Shadowed_Childhood&amp;diff=315"/>
				<updated>2014-11-16T18:25:34Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;SlothxKuriKara: Created page&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Storybox&lt;br /&gt;
|title=  A Shadowed Childhood&lt;br /&gt;
|author= SlothxKuriKara &lt;br /&gt;
|creationdate= 11/16/2014&lt;br /&gt;
|continuity= SSEU Unmei/Egae&lt;br /&gt;
|synopsis= Kurisutaru's backstory&lt;br /&gt;
|rating= PG-13&lt;br /&gt;
|additionalnotes= Some characters are on loan to this story by their creators &lt;br /&gt;
|}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;TABLE WIDTH=&amp;quot;650&amp;quot; HEIGHT=&amp;quot;30%&amp;quot; BORDER=&amp;quot;0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;TD  style=&amp;quot;font: 100% georgia, times new roman, times, serif;  line-height:150%&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;A Shadowed Childhood&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:18.0pt;color:black'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style='text-decoration:none'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and I never will,&lt;br /&gt;
not that I would want to steal Naoko Takeuchi's work. I technically don't own&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast Akume Blacklight, or Arekai, those two were given to me by their&lt;br /&gt;
original creator. The same goes for Inu Kitsune, Javert Blacklight and Trevaj&lt;br /&gt;
Blacklight. I most certainly don't own Ki Blacklight; she's on loan for this&lt;br /&gt;
story from her creator, as is Natalia Langister. I &amp;lt;u&amp;gt;am&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; the creator of&lt;br /&gt;
Kurisutaru, Kazuhiko, Madeline, Spica, Jager, Adair and Rémi. This is complete&lt;br /&gt;
fiction! The planets of Unmei and Egae don't actually exist in reality, they&lt;br /&gt;
are my own creations. Any similarities to existing people, places, events and&lt;br /&gt;
so on and so forth are merely coincidental and may have been inspirations for&lt;br /&gt;
things in this story.&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;Part 1 - The Prelude&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span&lt;br /&gt;
style='font-size:14.0pt'&amp;gt;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/b&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            It has been two years since I last saw my&lt;br /&gt;
beloved husband and I know in another year I shall join him, wherever he is…&lt;br /&gt;
Since then I have secluded myself in our old hidden room. This was so I could&lt;br /&gt;
remind myself to be strong and not cry although my heart was broken because I&lt;br /&gt;
miss him so… But he still lives… My beloved Leudast Akume Backlight lives in my&lt;br /&gt;
heart, and in my memories, and that’s why he is not truly dead.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal&amp;gt;            His first friend, besides me, Arekai, his tiger,&lt;br /&gt;
has also left me, and I am alone living here… The only living demon in the Backlight&lt;br /&gt;
line besides my children; left this castle, after she wed another demon… Ki Backlight,&lt;br /&gt;
Leudast’s little sister, my little sister-in-law, will find me dead when she&lt;br /&gt;
returns to this place, that I know for sure… And if in a year, I do not die; I&lt;br /&gt;
shall kill myself out of grief. I cannot live without Leudast any longer than another&lt;br /&gt;
year… I long to see his face…look into those piercing golden eyes…&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
            It’s so nice to see those golden eyes reflected in the crown&lt;br /&gt;
prince, my grandson. My thrones long ago went to my children; Unmei’s throne is&lt;br /&gt;
now my son Rémi’s, and the throne that has been in my mother’s family that I&lt;br /&gt;
reclaimed –Egae- has now gone to my daughter Adair. They were born twins, but&lt;br /&gt;
are as different as night is from day. Everyone considers Egae a moon, but yet&lt;br /&gt;
it is not a moon…it is its own planet…the planet that the senshi of Unmei&lt;br /&gt;
always hailed from, the guardian of its twin planet. That title, too, has gone&lt;br /&gt;
to Adair. She bears the title, and the title of Crimson Butterfly, well despite&lt;br /&gt;
finally having become a mother herself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'&amp;gt;Natalia, the child of my favorite&lt;br /&gt;
general, the first kitsune in a long time to marry into the royal family and be&lt;br /&gt;
taught all of our secrets; she keeps telling me to continue living…pleads with&lt;br /&gt;
me even. But her parents have long since gone as well…and I don’t wish to&lt;br /&gt;
continue this lonely existence, watching my grandchildren grow.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/TD&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TR&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/TABLE&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:SlothxKuriKara]] [[Category:SSEU Stories]] [[Category:The Suburban Senshi]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>SlothxKuriKara</name></author>	</entry>

	</feed>