Gazing out emptily at the horizon, Rukawa was deep in his own thoughts.

"Why am I what I am now?"

Looking back into his past, it is no wonder he turned out this way.

Neglected from childhood after his mother died when he was 6 , he seeked solace in his precious cats and passion for basketball.

His father was permenantly in the USA while his mother well was lying peacefully in her endless slumber.

Rukawa fingered the grains of sand on the beach he was at.

The leaves of a nearby tree fell gently down and Rukawa caught one.

The soft sound of the waves hitting the beach was soothing. He cocked his head to a side and thought, “ I’m better off these days now that I have my own life and my own freedom”

Suddenly, he was reminded of his childhood ambitions, other than to become a famous basketball player.

He smiled serenely as he remembered how he had always told his mother in all seriousness that he wants to own the world. His mother had laughed each time, promising to be forever by his side.

Sighing, Rukawa, with one swift movement, wiped off the tears that were threatening to fall.
“Don’t cry. I have promised myself not to cry when I think of oka-san…I have no regrets over my present life so why brood over the past?”

He stood up, picking up a bunch of gentle white lilies and slowly headed for the graveyard.