Chapter I: Steel Blue
Hello loyal fans (or perhaps new kiddies)! This is a rewrite of a fic I did on a different account. There will be some changes such as the last names of main family (due to a technicality) and some new elements to the plot, so if you've already read the original Blinded, this one will be a million times better. But anyway, I don't own RuroKen, it's characters, or the mind of Nobuhiro Watsuki-sama. I do, however, own all original characters. Please review (especially people who have read the original). Here you go! =P
Risako Kitagawa woke up to the sun shining on her bare legs, warming her. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes: her blue eyes that got her so much attention, whether she wanted it or not. "School…" the sleepy 13 year old mumbled to herself. "I wish I could skip today."
"But you can't, Risa-chan!" her sister Ann popped in the room, "You don't want to be a rebellious child like your sister, now do you?"
Ann was Risako's (almost identical) older sister. Tall, with long black hair and light brown eyes, Ann enjoyed nothing more than men and sex. She grabbed Risako around the waist and slung her off of her bed. "Let's get your hair braided so I can walk you to school."
When she got to school, she sat on the floor alone as always. The other girls picked on her harshly, and most of the boys were afraid of her. It was because of her eyes. They were the color of cold steel. Her father was an American, and she received his eye color unlike her brothers and sisters, who all had brown eyes.
When it was time for recess all the other children would toss a ball or play tag, but Risako would sit with her back to a tree drawing in the sand with a stick, or listening to the other children playing. On this particular day, she was wishing she would have tried harder on her math test, because she knew her father would not approve of subpar grades.
Her thoughts were rudely interrupted when a group of rowdy boys ran up to her. "Hey Kitazawa! Who is your sister sleeping with now!?" they teased.
"Leave me alone!" She cried as she covered her face with her hands.
As soon as she heard the little boys run away, she looked up. There was one boy left. He had smoky grayish hair and grey eyes.
"Are you ok?" he whispered.
"I suppose so. They pick on me a lot. Who are you?"
"You would know if you paid more attention!" he growled. She frowned and looked at her feet.
"Listen, girl, I'm sorry. They pick on me too. My name is Jine Udo. What's yours?"
"Risako Kitazawa. Want to have dinner with me at my family's restaurant tonight? My brothers and sisters bring friends over all the time." She smiled for the first time that day.
"I'm your friend?"
"If you want to be." She looked at him as she patted the ground beside her.
"Sure. What else do I have to do?" he said as he sat down with the young girl.
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After school, Risako and Jine walked to the restaurant in silence. Jine looked deep in thought and so Risako decided to ask him about it. "Hey Jine, whatcha thinkin' about? You don't have to come with me if you don't want to."
"It's not that at all. I just don't have the money to eat at a restaurant…I would never be able to pay for even a bowl of rice." He winced as if the words stung.
"It's not a problem! I assure you, you won't have to pay." She smiled, and grabbed his arm. "Come on! Here we are!"
The building was large and elaborately decorated, the smell of simmering food wafted out on the street. When they came in they were greeted by Ann. "Risa –chan! You've brought a friend home from school!? That's great! I'll set you up a table over there, but you'd better go introduce him to father." She yelled above the commotion.
"Come on, Jine." Risako said, grabbing Jine by the hand.
She led them into the kitchen where a tall, blonde man was cooking what seemed to be an enormous pile of noodles. He turned and looked at the pair; his piercing blue eyes met Jine's. "I see you have a new friend. What is your name, boy?" Even his smile was intimidating.
"Jine Udo."
"Is your father Hideki Udo?"
"Yes, sir."
"Ahh…I respect him greatly. He works hard."
"I don't. He is a drunk and a coward." Jine growled.
"You shouldn't speak about your father in such a way. But I will overlook that for now. Risa-chan, please wash your hands before you eat."
"Yes, father." She said as she bowed and left. Jine bowed also and followed the girl to the table Ann had prepared.
"You'll have to ignore father. He cares about nothing more than work." She laughed as she put her hand on his shoulder.
"He's American? You're half American? But your last name is Japanese…"
"Yeah. My family history is a boring story that I wouldn't dare bother you with. "
"Why not? I'd like to learn more about you." Jine looked at her attentively.
"Ok. If you say so…You see, father just works at the restaurant to help my mother; he really does a lot of business work mediating between Japan and the United States. Mostly trying to see if products successful here will work over there. He came to Japan on business and met my mother and he decided to live here. Her side of the family has owned the restaurant for several generations. I have one brother, Andrew, who lives in the United States, he is the oldest. He helps father with his work from the other side of the deal. He's flourishing there."
"Ahhh. That still doesn't explain your last name…"
"Oh yeah! Of five children, only my youngest brother Iwa and I have Japanese names. We kept mother's name just to have some ties with our nationality. I have two sisters, one whom you just met and Andi, she's just adorable. Hehe! Ann is really a good person, but she has a bad reputation as a rebel. She got made fun of in school because in Japan her American name means "bean paste". Hahaha. I don't advise you tease her about it though. It makes her mad, on top of the fact that she hates the taste of an."
"I never made that connection…Uhu."
"What is your family like, Jine?"
"Feh. My mother is a very nice woman, always cooking for us or cleaning our house. But my father is unmercifully cruel. He abuses my mother when he drinks, and sometimes hits me…I cannot wait to move out."
"I'm sorry to heard that Jine-kun. If you ever just want to get away from home, come here." She smiled and put her hand on his.
"You are too kind, Risako. I am glad we are friends." He beamed.
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