Nanami swept the concrete in front of her store, occasionally waving to those who pass by. Children ran around her, their feet hitting the concrete steadily as they laughed and ran away from their parents. The day was sunny and breezy, just as the weatherman had predicted. It was days like this that she enjoyed the most.

"Good morning, Nanami! How's your father?" An older man who owned the bait shop across the street from her asked, waving at her as he smiled cheekily.

"Good morning. And he's fine, thanks for asking." She replied,unmoved, before sweeping the trash into the dustpan and emptying it into the trashcan by the tree.

He smiled warmly before returning into his shop. Nanami had done the same, opening it as she unlocked the door and stood behind the counter. She leaned against the counter, tracing the top as she awaited customers. Her shop was always busy but it was a slow day for her today.

Mau rode her bike quickly down the streets of Shikkun, throwing newspapers here and there so people could get the daily word.

Today's newspaper read: RAIN OR SUN? Good morning, Shikkans of Shikkun! We will be getting a slight chance of rain today followed by a breezy afternoon. But not a worry, there will still be a good chance for a good day. SO pack your umbrellas! Of course, there was also a daily report of crimes and comics for the children, as well as job findings and local advertising. "Head on down to Nana's shop today!

Avaron stood in her house making sure everything was in check. Last night’s experiment went kind of haywire and left a big mess. It took her hours of cleaning and so tough elbow scrubbing to get it looking normal again. Her robot stuffed panda rolled around the now clean house. “That is the last time I try experimenting with cats and water again.” She said to it.

The panda paid no mind to her as it rolled around. The cat was fine now, it slept in her bed. Before her experiment the cat was orange and white. Now he was purple and red. Avaron had no idea how the colors appeared, but chucked it up as a side effect. Now she had to name it. “Rodney….Rodney sounds like a good name.” She said as she entered the room. Rodney, like the panda, paid no mind to her. She sighed and fell onto the bed exhausted.

More rain.

The noodle-cup vending machines in Shikkun City's downtown area quickly became a staple for commuting businessmen, sightseeing tourists and budgeting college students. The machines are so heavily used, in fact, that they often have to be restocked multiple times a day just to keep up with the flow of customers. One such customer arrived much later in the day than the common folk, as the latter would currently be inside, away from the rain, eating dinner together.

A lone patron, young and likely male from his clothing (a completely soaked hoodie with the hood drawn and a baggy pair of track pants), leaned over a steaming cup of soup with a pair of the machine's complimentary chopsticks. The cold raindrops dripped down from the now-useless hood, but refrained from landing in the steaming soup due to careful positioning with the owner's hands. Instead of letting any more rain have a chance to fall on him, he darted into a nearby alley, finally sitting down under an awning where it was slightly more dry than the surroundings.

Only then, secluded and under mediocre shelter, did he peel away the soggy hood from his head. The water and mild pressure mashed his hair into a disheveled mess, but two noticeable tufts still stood out among the rest. Then, the two tufts stood up, revealing themselves as flicking, functioning feline ears. Once they were reasonably dry and un-cramped, they folded back as he began to eat. The boy ate ravenously, much betraying his frail looks and delicate frame, finishing the meal in little over a minute.

After discarding the empty cup in a nearby dumpster, he made his way down the alley and towards a different area in the district, one where he knew he could stay...

---

The teenager panted as he hoisted himself onto the roof of the building, one that was tall enough to overlook much of the nearby city, but low enough to still be reasonably scale-able. At the summit lay several pallets with sheets of plywood over them, with a somewhat large camping tent affixed on top.

He quickly shed the hoodie and pants once inside, draping them over a "borrowed" sawhorse to dry and reaching for a nearby towel. He was soaked to the bone, and ended up needing two towels to dry himself off, as well as replacing the rest of his clothing with sweat pants and an oversized t-shirt.

"Some day, this will all change. Let's hope it's tomorrow."

On a nearby empty fruit crate lay a few pieces of paper, alligned neatly and stapled together. A job application, sporting a generic design that suggested its origin in a public library. Along the top of the cover letter, the boy's name was printed in big boxy font: Haruka Yukimura.

Haruka picked up the application and gave it one last inspection. He planned to bring it in the next day, to a little cafe in another part of the city. It had been almost two years since he had an 'honest job', one that paid regularly. Maybe this might allow him to have somewhere to live, or even a chance to eat more than once or twice a day.

Maybe.

The room was dark and she could hear the pitter patter of rain against her window. Avaron had unknowingly fell asleep next to the bruise colored cat. He now slept curled against her stomach, softly purring. She didn't really want to move, her body ached from all the cleaning, and her head was slightly pounding.

She curled around the cat before her stomached growled so loud the cat jumped and ran. The thought of just sleeping through the hunger was tempting, but she got up anyway and stretched. Her elbows, spine, and knee all popped at once. "Uggghhhhh!" She moaned as she slowly stood straight again. Slowly walking out of her room Avaron walked down the hall and went down stairs to the kitchen. She rummaged around for awhile for food and when she couldn't find anything she went straight to the door. Putting the panda in her backpack she threw a purple raincoat over her and the back before putting her purple rubber boots. Rodney watched her from the top of the stairs.

"I will bring back some cat treats." She said looking at the cat. His face expressionless turned away from her before going into one of the rooms upstairs. Give one last sigh Avaron grabbed her panda umbrella and headed down a small ally that was a shortcut to the store.

An ally cat skittered across her path scaring her out of her day dream and making her scream, "SON OF A!" She kicked water at the cat as it ran away.

The sudden shouting of a girl and yowling of a stray cat jolted Haruka from sleep. Most likely, she was either chasing the animal or she stumbled upon it and yelled at it. While one was slightly more excusable than the other, both were completely unacceptable in his eyes. No matter the cause, he felt almost agitated by it. It made him curious as to the source of the cat's distress. That curiosity quickly mounted until he couldn't bear to stand around, he had to see what was going on.

He grabbed an old umbrella to prevent his toweling efforts from going completely to waste, and stepped outside of the tent. He gingerly stepped towards the side of the rooftop where the commotion was coming from. He squinted his eyes and looked carefully, until he spotted a girl walking down a nearby alley, surely she must be the culprit.

Yet, instead of jumping down or saying anything, he decided to try to enact a bit of karma from where he was standing. He picked up an empty soda can, crushed it down to a ball-like shape under his shoe, and took aim.

With a wide swing of his arm and a blistering flick of his wrist, he pitched the can directly at the girl. Instead of waiting for any sort of feedback or watching the events unfold, he skulked back into his tent and tried to lay down again.

She heard the sound of something, but wasn't sure what it really was. Something metal flew a mere inch from her face. One step in the wrong direction and should would have been hit. She watched as the metal disappeared behind some other trash before turning around and facing the way the metal came from. The way it was angled made where the come from a lot easier. Closing her umbrella and placing it on a trash can, Avaron slipped her arms into her rain coat and rummaged around.

By the time she got her panda out, not only was her hair soaked, but she looked pregnant. The panda robot was held near her stomach. Her hand swiftly moved over the panda before slipping one hand out, taking the panda from under her raincoat and taking it, and sliding her other hand out. The panda's eyes were red and she held it on both sides before leaning down. Avaron her arms through her legs, like if she was going to bowl granny style, before throwing it up in the air and screaming, "SCAN!" The panda went flying, scanning everything in its sight. It barely made it to the top before coming down.

She caught it with ease and let it play back the video on the wall. She had to watch it a few times to see what was exactly at the top. "Is that a tent?" She thought. She slide an arm in, passing the panda back under her rain coat, before sliding her free arm in the rain coat, and putting the panda back into her back pack. "HELLO! ANYONE UP THERE?!" She asked.

The call in response only caused Haruka to bolt back into his tent. They must have seen him, why else would they say something like that? He scrambled towards one of the old suitcases that housed his clothes, and donned a beanie to cover his head. He did not dare venture from the tent, for fear of being seen again and possibly being taken away by the police. He knew that even a week in jail would be nightmarish for someone such as himself, on the street he at least has the luxury of being able to be alone.

One other thing came to mind, a glinting piece of metal by his bed. A butterfly knife, lifted from a would-be mugger a few years ago. He reached for the knife and held it in his hand, keeping it folded shut so that he only has to open it when it's needed. If everything went well, he wouldn't need it.

She waited, her ears straining to hear movement. Faintly she heard something and smirked. "So there is someone up there." She thought. Avaron looked around for a way to get up. "How did they get up there?" She whispered, looking around, and sighing when she saw no safe sign of a way up. Rain poured around her and the ally was starting to collect water.

"Look, I won't hurt you. I just want to know why the hell you are throwing shit at me. This is not the place to be starting fights you know? And why are you living on top of this stupid building? I think there is a shelter on the other side of town.." She drifted off, wondering why she was even wasting her time. Avaron was starving and wet, two things she cared not be. She looked up, twitching as the rain hit her face. "If I buy you something, will you promise not to be a pain in the ass and throw things at people for no logical reason?"

Shit.

There was little hope of trying to hide now, so Haruka changed into pants that were slightly more presentable, a pair of ragged khaki pants that were clearly a few sizes too wide and held up with a cloth belt. Most importantly, they had pockets, which soon found the teenager's means of self-defense stuffed into one of the front ones. Finally, he threw on his least-tattered pair of sneakers in hope of keeping his feet a little more dry. He grabbed the old umbrella again and, with a sigh, hesitantly exited the tent.

Within a few moments, Yukimura emerged from around a corner on the ground. His eyes narrowed, but the rest of his expression seemed too divided between several other emotions to show any particular leaning. Before he spoke, his expression softened, borderline pleading when he finally opened his mouth.

"So, what do I have to do to make sure you don't tell people about my place?"

She heard noises coming from the other side of the building and slightly took a fighting stance, just in case. Her panda was ready if need be too. Her eyes eyed the guy that emerged. He definitely looked homeless. She took a step back and smirked, one hand on her hip. She took a look over him once more before speaking, "Well...come home to the story to pick up some food with me..and we can go home and have some...uh fun." She winked, trying to be seductive, but failing so hard.

"Is that so?" Haruka raised an eyebrow and gave a half-grin. It was a little weird to think that many people knew about him, or at least what he used to be. He fished through his pockets, briefly murmuring "Aha," when he grabbed a small slip of paper that looked like a business card. He gave the printing on one side a quick glance before returning it to where it came from.

"If you're seriously soliciting me, I'll have you know that I'm not cheap," he rubbed his thumb and index finger together. "Quality pay for quality work, and all that."

"This dude is seriously in need of money or a..." She thought taking a step back. She contemplated just round kicking him and running, but he didn't want people to know where he was living. "He did try to throw something at me." She thought. She took the stance like before.

"Will a hot meal and a shower do? You stink to the high heavens." She mumbled as she pinched her nose.

"That would work," Haruka shrugged. "However, I plan on staying overnight at least, if you're going to offer me food and a shower," with which he darted back out of the alley. Within a minute or two, he returned with a battered briefcase. The latch barely held itself shut, so a leather belt was looped around the case to hold it shut. He finally approached Avaron to within ten feet, much closer than the previous encounters.

"So, uh, are we going?"

She watched as he disappeared back to where he came from. She waited, watching her surroundings and stepping to a higher level in the alley so her feet would be drowning in water. When he returned her heart broke. She looked at the worn briefcase and then nodded. She started walking to the store, which wasn't far. "How long have you been homeless?" She asked after a few seconds of awkward silence. There was no point in bringing the umbrella out, her hair red hair looked like fire in the glow of the street lights.

The teenager stayed close on Avaron's heels, never straying more than a few feet from her. The kindness of strangers (usually clients) provided him with often needed food and shelter, particularly in the wintertime. His eyes practically lit up upon seeing some of the stores and displays. He didn't often get to look at the myriad of options, as he tended to only stare at the price stickers and go for the lowest number.

"Uh, if I'm remembering dates right, about 3 years? I managed to crash in somebody's place for a few months a year or two ago, but I've sorta been on my own since then."

Haruka held the umbrella over the two of them, so they'd both get at least some protection from the rain.

She never let her guard down, but she didn't want to scare him, especially after seeing his face once they hit the street with stores. Avaron tightened her lips to keep her from giggling. She gasped when he said three years, it was normal for her to see homeless people in town, but they were all older people. This guy had to be around her age and for him to say three years. And here she was thinking she had it rough with her parents. "That must have been hard." She managed to say.

They got to the store's entrance, the lights bright against the darkness. "Well, get what you want...don't hold back. I know I won't." She laughed and patted her stomach. When she notice what she did she lightly blushed and hurried into the store, taking a small cart and shoving food into it.

"Yeah, it's been kinda tough," Yukimura managed to provide a response before the subject changed to the food.

"Oh uh, okay," he hesitantly started reaching for things on the shelves, only taking a few canned meals, some prepackaged snacks and a few bottles of soda. While the options all made sense for someone his age, two notable patterns could be made: not only did he choose food that can be rationed and stored for long periods of time, his total selection was still very cheap, enough to pay for with a single bill in fact.

Avaron's cart was full of already made meals, snacks, and Dr. Pepper. When she rounded the corner and saw him only taking cheap food she started piling already made meals and snacks into his cart. "I don't know what kind of joke you are pulling, but I told you not to hold back. If you are worried about money, don't. I have more money than I know what to do. The only reason I have the job at the café is to get out of the house." She spoke as she added more of what he was getting along with Dr. Pepper, because she was appalled his cart. It had no Dr. Pepper.

Once she saw the boy struggling under the weight of cart she smiled, "Ready to go?" She asked.

Haruka eyed the cart of food warily, at this rate he was expecting it to either overflow or buckle with all of the treats and drinks inside. The comment about having lots of money brought an air of unease to him, but surely she wasn't one of them. He had to supply considerably more effort than before to push the hefty cart around, but after a while it felt more and more natural. By the time they reached the checkout area, he was walking with the cart just like any other shopper.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," the teenager nodded and began hesitantly placing items on the checkout counter.

She placed everything of his and hers on the counter and smiled at the cashier. She looked at Avaron and then at the guy. The cashier made a slight face before ringing out the total. "Ma'am that will be 10,876 yen." She said eyeing the guy next to her. Avaron looked back at him before looking back at her.

"Is there a problem?" She asked the cashier. The cashier's eyes grew wide before shaking her head.

"No ma'am." She said quietly, before handing the smaller bags to him, and taking the bigger bags herself. The rain had stopped, which made walking to the house easier. Once they were in the alley she smiled at him. "I am Avaron, but you can call me Ava." She said smiling.

Yukimura kept his eyes plastered to the floor when they checked out, all too aware that she recognized him. Not only were his clothes clearly indicative of his current state of life, but seeing him shopping with so many random people over the years all but confirmed suspicions that the employees of the store had. He quickly followed Ava out of the store, looking nowhere but straight ahead. No matter how often he went on shopping trips like this, it never made it any less shameful to him.

"Haruka, but please just call me Haru," his mouth tried to curl into a smile, but the lingering embarrassment prevented it from advancing much past an awkward halfway point between that and a frown. To make matters worse, now the store employees will likely pass judgement on Ava based on her chosen company.

Accepting her offer was already feeling like a poor decision.

She tilted her head back. "My father is named Haru...hope you not as much of an asshole as he is." She said, looking at him, and winking. Before they knew it they were at Avaron's home. The two story house almost looked gloomy in the dark. She hefted up the bags and hurried to the door and unlocking it. They made their way into the home, Rodney walking by stopped in his tracks and turned towards Haru. A soft meow came from him before he jumped at Haru. "No! Bad Rodney!" She shouted stumbling to try and get the cat away from him and keep the groceries from spilling.

"Fucking must be a side effect too.." She mumbled to herself before placing the bags on the counter in the kitchen.

"I can't promise much," Haruka gave a somewhat awkward laugh, but with a noticeably more genuine edge to it. He smirked as the cat jumped towards him, scooping the little one into into the crook of his elbow. He placed the groceries on the nearest counter and took a closer look at the cat, sitting on the closest chair and plopping the fuzzball into his lap.

"What do you mean?" Yukimura's expression finally reached a singular point, curiosity. His head cocked slightly to the side, and he began absentmindedly scratching the back of the cat's head, particularly behind the ears.