A/N: I was discontent with the way I've written Kuro's first chapter, so I opted for a longer rewrite. Potentially triggering situations below, you have been warned.

"Hey mom, what was dad like?"

"He's dead, Kuro. Go to sleep," his mother snapped back, her thick Okinawan accent lacing her speech.

The boy believed his mother for almost the entirety of his life, until recently, he received an anonymous phone call from a foreign man. Palms sweaty and knees shaking, he listened to the voice, and though he had a hard time understanding the language, he knew full well that the person on the other line is looking for him. Though he never met this man before, he continued speaking with him, overwhelmed by a strange feeling of recognition despite speaking to a stranger.

Taking a few months to acquaint himself with the stranger, he finally agrees to meet him on the shores. On a cold summer night he met him near the docks, a tall man with a strange eye and a beard. Upon seeing the man, there was a look of familiarity on the boy's face, and the realization dawned upon him.

"Papa?"

"Hey son."

The boy went stumbling in the older man's arms, and his back met a rough, but warm pat. "Papa. I finally meet you," he stuttered, having difficulties grasping his father's language, but he did his best to send his message across. "It's nice to meet you too, son," his father replied, placing a large hand on the prepubescent boy's shoulder. "I never found out what your name was. What's your name, boy?"

"Yamada Kuro."

"Kuro huh? The name suits you. Your ma thought of that name?"

Kuro merely nodded, to which his father smirked at. "Did your ma ever talk about me?"

Gingerly, Kuro shook his head. "Mama said papa dead," he mumbled, scared and unsure of what his father's reaction will be. "Typical. Bet you don't even know my name," Kuro's father sighed, shaking his head. "My name is Kano. Just call me pops or papa, alright son?"

Smiling, Kuro nodded, but his subtle joy was replaced with embarrassment when his stomach growled loudly. Holding his stomach in an attempt to conceal his pitiful hunger, he looked away from his father. Kano was visibly groused. He was far from saintly, but starving your own child was out of the question for him. "The fuck? Does your ma even feed you?"

Kano picks up the boy, his straining muscles contrasting the lithe, malnourished form. "C'mon, let's eat somewhere. It's my treat."

The Okinawan child never felt fuller in his life as he continued to slurp his noodles, wooden chopsticks sloppily gathering his food from the takeout box. "Thank you papa," he blurted in between bites, his cheeks swelling with food. Kano merely rustled his hair. His father's large, burly hand disappeared inside his pocket, and emerged with a sizeable wad of cash. "Here's some spending money, boy, in case your deadbeat ma doesn't feed you again," Kano tells his son as he places the wad on the little boy's palm. "Really, papa? You're very good. Good father. Thank you."

The burly man didn't know how to react to his child, and just opted on giving him a firm pat. "Eh, it's nothing son. I just want to make up for lost times."

"Will you come home with me?" Kuro asks his father, to which his father laughed at. Confused, he stopped chewing and looked at his father with watery, pitiful eyes. "Sorry, Kuro. Papa can't stay with you. Your ma doesn't like having me around," his father replies, much to his chagrin. "But I meet you again, yes?"

"Yeah son, we'll see each other again. I'll call," Kano concisely answers. Kuro's frown didn't deepen any further and he let out a contented sigh. "When, papa?"

Kano gives him a mock thoughtful look. "Every week. Sunday. You 'kay with that my boy?"

"Yes papa, I answer call on Sunday," the child gleefully responds. "Good. Oh and, don't tell your ma I met you, okay?"

Kuro gives him a confused look. "But why?"

"Your mama will be very angry with you," his father merely responds, picking out bits of food from his teeth. "You don't want your ma to be angry with you, right?"

Truth be told, Kuro never wants to see his mother angry. Yet every time she sees him, her mood sours, her expression cold. The child would then grow up trying to seek her approval, until one day, he simply gave up. Not a word was spoken between the two in a span of weeks.

Two weeks after Kuro turned sixteen, he found himself strolling on the shores, checking his phone every so often to see if his father will call him. Three weeks had passed since his last call, much to Kuro's despair. He was afraid something bad might have happened to him, but he knew full well his father can defend himself. Kano even taught him how to fight back.

No longer was he pushed around and ridiculed because of his lanky stature and broken family. Kuro became the neighborhood's most notorious delinquent, much to the delight of his father, who helped him toughen up. Kano's methods were questionable, as it earned Kuro a few bruises from well-placed punches, but in the end, the teenager was grateful for it. Strength became his strongest suit because of his father's encouragement.

Naturally, when the volatile teenager heard bystanders talking about him, he'd just shrug it off, not giving a care for anyone's opinion. However, a particularly nasty gossiper replaced his apathy with rage when his father was brought up.

"Oh, it's him again. Yuko-san's boy," one of the local men muttered to his companion, completely unaware that Kuro can hear them. "Ugh, that bastard child. He's good for nothing."

"I bet he's going to end up like his father."

"Does he even have a father?"

Gritting his teeth, he marched over and his fist met the man's jaw. The impact was so strong, two of the man's molars went flying outside his mouth. The gossiper's companion ran over to aid him, screaming for help.

"I have a father!" Kuro exclaims this loudly, his voice hoarse, and sweat making his dark hair stick to his forehead. "He's the one who taught me how to do that!" Kuro continued to yell, jabbing his thumb to his chest."He's the one who taught me how to fight back! He's the reason why I'm no longer a piece of shit that gets kicked around!"

Fire raging in his veins, he barged away, unaware that his phone had been vibrating like crazy for the past few minutes. Once his head finally cools down and the adrenaline coursing in his blood dies down, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he frantically picks up.

"Papa! Papa?"

"Kuro, what the fuck? What took you so long to pick the fuck up?!"

A sigh of relief escaped the teenager's mouth, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. "Sorry papa. Got in a fight. Some assholes were talking shit about you," he calmly explains, leaning against a wall as he spoke. "Huh. What'd they say? And what did you do about it?"

"They said I'll probably end up just like you," Kuro started, to which Kano laughs at heartily. "Well, they're not wrong, I wanna be like ya, pa," he continues.

"Aw son, yer touchin' my heart," Kano responds gleefully, his voice cracking with laughter. "Aww, pa. Anyways," the teenager continues. "One of the bastards wondered if I even had a father. I punched him so hard, his teeth went flying out!"

Boisterous laughter rang from the other side of the line. Kuro felt vaguely proud of himself for making his father laugh so loudly. "That's my boy! I'm proud of you, son."

Kuro almost dropped his phone as his father's last remark. His eyes were stinging with tears of joy, his insides inexplicably twisting. "Thank ya pa! Thank ya, thank ya. Wow," the Japanese teenager blurted out. "I never heard ma say that to me."

There was nothing but silence on the other side of the phone that made Kuro worrisome. "Hey, papa, are you there?"

A rustle can be heard from the other side. "Hey son, do you want to come with me? Do you think yer ready?"

Mouth going agape, Kuro's words were choking in his throat. "Yes pa! I'll come with ya! When will we meet? C'mon pa," he excitedly rambles, walking speedily to the direction of his house. "Tonight. Pack up kid, we're leaving."

"Motherfuck! Tonight?! Are you serious, pa? I'll pack up as soon as I get home," he exclaimed, his steps becoming more frantic and speedy. "Alright! See you in the usual place Kuro," his father responded, then the call disconnected.

As soon as his house was in sight, Kuro began to sprint, almost tearing the door down as he entered. He ran upstairs and pulled out his backpack, stuffing in what little clothes he had. He looks in the mirror, noting that he was still in his uniform, greasy and damp. Wanting to look presentable when he meets his father, the teenager quickly sheds his clothes and hastily cleans up.

Kuro was packing his personal papers when he heard his mother's voice, her tone hostile as she approached. "Kuro! You son of a bitch, you got into trouble again!" Fear took a grasp of him.

Heavy hands met his face as his mother beat him up, and pitiful cries escaped his lips as he writhed on the floor. Though Kano taught him everything he needed to know to defend himself, he couldn't bring himself to hurt his mother. Yuko stopped momentarily, and her eyes spotted Kuro's backpack filled with his belongings. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"I'm leaving ma!" The young man's voice was cracked and desperate. "I can't stand living with you anymore! Every time I try to get you to warm up, you push me away! You don't love me!"

Yuko's expression softens at his words. "Son…" she trails off, eyes bloodshot. "Kuro, my son, isn't working overtime just to get food on the table and clothes on your back not enough love for you? Is allowing you to live despite the fact that your father raped me not enough? I wasted my life for you when I should've just killed you! You ungrateful child!"

Tears started to prick Kuro's eyes. Hurt beyond measure, he picks up their picture on his bedside and throws it next to him, salty tears freely streaming down his cheek. "H-he what? I don't believe you! You lied to me before, why should I? And even if it's true, then you shouldn't have given birth to me in the first place! I'm going with father. At least he cares."

Angry hands gripped at his forearms, nails scraping his skin. "No! You're not going."

Hurt, Kuro finally manages to find the strength to shake his mother's hands off of him. "He's treats me better than you ever did in my sixteen years of existence. I love you ma, but I can't live like this anymore. Goodbye."

"Kuro, no! Don't go with him! I don't want you to end up like him! Please, Kano's a monster!"

Kuro shut out whatever his mother yelled after his final words, barging out of the front door without a care. He thought his nightmare was over when he left his mother's grasp, but as his father digs a knife in his chest, he thought otherwise.

"C'mon son, you're stronger than that!" Kano's voice reverberated throughout the empty warehouse. He took Kuro in a chokehold, the light from his cybernetic eye reflecting on Kuro's coal eyes. "Fight back!"

"Why papa? Why are you-hngk-doing this to me?"

Kano slams his son down, a sickening thud echoing against the walls as Kuro's back hits the floor. "Can't ya see son? If you want to survive in the world I move in, ya gotta be as tough as your papa! Now, get the fuck up."

And so, Kuro did.

A/N: * Italicized dialogue originally translated from Japanese.

Kuro's name means ninth son, hardships, suffering, or the color black. He is a reference to Kano's MKX ending, where it was revealed that he has a son, though it is disputed whether or not this is canon. Kuro is my attempt to flesh out his son's character more, as it would be interesting to predict what kind of character Kano's son would be, if NRS adds him to the next installment of the game.