It took Sunny exactly 3 days to make it all the way to the Gourmet City. When he arrived at the location; it was a deceptively small shop the sign on the door said, "CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT." He knocked anyway.

"Hello!" the door opened.

"But it said.." Sunny looked away, as if part of him didn't want to enter.

"yes, the private event is our counseling session," she said as she opened the door and ushered him in. "take a seat at the counter." She brought them out some tea. She then went back to what ever she was doing behind the counter.

"you and Rin don't have the same father," she said rather casually. It was interesting she chose to open with the line.

"that's correct although most people are too polite to point it out". It was obvious to anyone with eyes, he and Rin looked nothing alike, but she was still sister and his best friend.

"tell me your story," Setsuno said, still working on other things. It was clear she already knew his main history, but she knew it had been a long time since he said the worlds out loud, perhaps it would be therapeutic to reflect. Sunny kept his eyes focused on his tea as he started his story.

His mother was with a man with blonde hair for a little over a year. He was a fisherman, or at least that's what she told Sunny. He would go out on the boat for days on end, and come back with the beautiful, exotic fish. The other fishermen said he would always venture further than anyone else, to bring back rare items that no one had ever seen. He was wealthy for his profession, and he treated Sunny's mother with love and respect.

But one day he left; there were reports of a bad storm, and his boat never made it back. Sunny was born 4 days later. Since they were never married, the government took everything. She could have hired a lawyer to get the government to recognize Sunny as his child, but she had no idea where to start.

Later, his beautiful mother, while working as a waitress found the man who would be Rin's father. He was an abusive drunk, but he was also a factory worker making well above the minimum wage, his income allowed them to be able to pay rent and even eat.

He never actually married her; he would come around only when he wanted something. Sunny knew full well what that 'something' was. Most nights he slept in the bed, but for those particular nights he was forced to sleep in the closet with his hands over his ears. And Sunny had to be in the closet BEFORE the man came through the front door. He hated the sight of Sunny and made it known. Once, when he was only 3 years old, he didn't get to the closet in time, so the man slammed Sunny's hand in a door repeatedly then attacked him with angered fists, until his mother struck him with a cooking pot. The man grabbed her by her hair, and threw her to the ground, kicked her in the face. With a nose bleed and broken jaw, he left her for the night allowing her time to get Sunny to a hospital. The scars were faded after all those years, but still visible.

That was when she left him. She grabbed whatever she could and fled, starting a new life the next town over. She got a job as a cleaning lady, in a fancy hotel-but more importantly she got Sunny into a school. Everything seemed ok; until she found out she was pregnant with Rin. She continued to work hard, right up until the day she gave birth; on the reception floor. She was rushed to a hospital. When school got out, Sunny was brought to her by his teacher.

"Mama!" Sunny ran to her side. Her labor had been short, she held in her arms his new baby sister.

But his mother seemed strangely sad, "I don't know what to do." She said, looking stressed and scared.

"what's her name, mama?" sunny asked, taking the baby from her. He had never held a baby before, but this little girl seemed to like him right away.

"I don't know if we can't keep her." They could barely take care of themselves. She needed to abandon the baby, it would be put up for adoption and got to a good home.

"I'll take care of her." Sunny said happily. His hair was reaching out to the baby, caressing her cheek. She opened her big brown eyes and smiled without a care in the world.

"But, you need to go to school" his mother said in the pain full tone.

"I know allot already, mama. I can get books from the library and learn at home.." Sunny knew how to read at the age of 4; his mother knew that would not be enough. But the love in his eyes was unmistakable. "She's my baby."

With those words, she knew in her heart she could not give up her baby daughter; Sunny and the baby were meant to be. In the years to come, they would give each other strength.

"her name is Rin," she finally said. It was a very plain name, but one full of possibility and hope.

The plan was for Rin to go to a low income, government sponsored day care until she was old enough to go to school. Sunny would be allowed to sign her out on his way home from school (under the lie that their mother was 'waiting in the car'.) He would give her a bottle, and make a little food for himself before doing his homework. After work, mother would come home to cook dinner, read to the children, and put them to bed.

They could have lived the rest of their lives this way and been perfectly happy, but fate had other plans.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore!" Sunny said, gasping for breath. The sadness was too painful. He relived his mother's death over and over in his mind; she slowly slipped away to sickness and all he could do was watch.

He slammed down his tea cup so hard it shattered, "I can't find my meaning! Why am I here, why am I doomed to suffer through this life alone?!"