Moonlight Blue
Chapter One: His thoughts
One day in the boring life of our handsome guy…
"Hey! You move out of TENSAI's way!" Sakuragi Hanamichi shouted.
"Hn, stupid monkey." That was one of Rukawa Kaede's famous 2-3 liner phrases.
"Who? Who's stupid?" the red-haired "self-professed genius" cried out. "You look at yourself first, and then judge the tensai!"
"Mirror, please."
"Grrr…. This is going nowhere…" he said. "Kitsune-kun! I hate you!"
"Me either."
"Hmph!" As soon as Sakuragi exited the gym after a late night practice, Haruko appeared his way, smiling.
"Sakuragi-kun!" she greeted "late from practice?"
"Yup and also from arguing with a stupid fox." Sakuragi pointed at Rukawa, who was staring at space with a blank expression. Sakuragi scowled at that. Haruko was blushing already.
"Never mind him, I'll walk you home!" he cheerily replied. She nodded, and then took a short glance at the boy.
Wow, he looks cuter at night… the girl who couldn't help but think of the lonesome boy is flushing.
» Rukawa continued his daily night practice, unaware that his dad might scold him again. On the second thought, he would not care much, because all in his mind is to make him study and to forget basketball. But what would they do if their only heir was as useless as a bum? He is never interested with their company--- the one his dad had inherited and his greatest grandpa invested.
An heir. Rukawa murmured in the air. They all expect me to do something good. Why don't they drop me off and leave me alone? They treat me as an ultimate bastard.
His "good" conscience spoke off. Well, because you do not go according to his standards.
"I simply do not care!" he dribbled quicker, imagining an opponent on his front, and as expected, he defeated it. After few more 3-pointers, our protagonist decided to go home.
» The Rukawa mansion is a great mixture of 3 cultures, Western, Chinese, and Japanese. With his dad Japanese, and mom a Chinese, Kaede grew up in simple confusion of his life--- to bear with different cultures and types of people he gets along with. Kaede's childhood is not as bitter as anyone, but it was such a nice and comfortable living. But he didn't want that but his parents' attention to his artwork and activities, and so on.
He never liked basketball till he reached Junior High. His extravagant living was sure nice, but still, he hates social contacts with his dad's business partners. He would rather sulk in his room that to ever hear the rest saying:
"Is he your heir? He's such an adorable kid! Your future rests on him!"
But now, of course he'd grown into a lad, there was some change in their dialogue.
"Is he your son now? He's so handsome! I want him to be my daughter's fiancée!"
And, he didn't want that either.
So as for now, Kaede still lives on confusion. That made way for his character to be annoying to most. He hated girls as much as he wanted, but as soon as you'll know him in this story, it's not much of a truth. Everything in his lonely and wealthy life contributed to his so-called "cold" and ambiguous character. He's trying to rebel against his parents' will for him. Poor guy after all…
Pedaling his way to their mansion, his thoughts wearying him more after the practice bugs him. As he was thinking… do other guys experience what is going on with him? He just needs someone to confide with his random thoughts… his feelings…
But who in this world?
No, not to my teammates nor those annoying fan girls. Enough of our butler too.
He realized that he's suffering just by himself. Alone and that's it, but hoping for another chance to change his entire life--- something different, to live as the happy kids in his neighborhood. To make friends and find people who could relate to him and his problems. Somebody. Somebody to LOVE…
Love?
He never felt that, nor expressed it. He knew from his parents that they love him. And his primary school teachers had taught them that. But he does not know anything about it still until this time. This point of time where in girls yells something like:
"We love you Rukawa-kun!"
Not that kind of love! He yelled pathetically to himself. At last, he's home. The gates open for his return. The maids fall in line as he arrives. The young maids were pinched by their mothers. Many ladies still apply as his personal maid. He declines it. He wants to stay alone. By and by, he realizes that it's not that easy to be him.
Someone with the famous name of Rukawa Kaede.
That stupid Kitsune. A selfish brat. He told himself gently. What is love anyway? Why do we need it?
Climbing up to his room, he considered that as a missing part of his life… and he seeks for it as time goes by slowly…