By the time Rei Yorutsuki stumbled out of the cab, the sun was setting, painting the sky with a crimson hue. [color=Gray][i]The color of blood[/i][/color], he thought absently. He looked up at the pristine building ahead of him, dimly aware of the man - whom he had been calling 'dad' for the past nineteen years - stepping out of the car behind him. Rei felt drained from the long ride - it was bumpy; each time he tried to doze off, he was thrown out of his seat with a horribly-timed jerk.

"Let's go," the man said, a hint of uneasiness in his voice. He then strode ahead of his son, seemingly in a hurry to get through the glass doors. Rei followed after him silently, and through the blast of cold air they arrived in front of an intercom. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of it.

[color=Gray][i]How welcoming.[/i][/color]

The man pushed the button rather forcefully and the device buzzed, "Hello, how may I help you?"

He cleared his throat. "I'm here for a power application." He stole a quick sideways look at the bored teenager beside him and added, "Not for myself. For my son, actually."

"May I have your son's name, sir?"

"Rei Yorutsuki." The man fumbled with his black briefcase before he fished out a stack of slightly crumpled papers. "I've brought the documents with me---"

"Thank you," the cool, robotic voice from the intercom continued, and Rei could hear the faint sound of someone typing on a keyboard in the background. "Rei Yorutsuki, aged 19. Power applied for is hemokinesis, is that right?"

"Y-Yeah - I mean, yes."

"The gate is now unlocked. You are free to pass through."

The man passed the papers to the boy, his eyes pointedly avoiding contact with his son's. "Here. Now go on."

Rei took the documents and went through the gate without a second glance, his mind mentally erasing what's remaining of the little memories he had of the man who had chosen to desert him, to this strange faraway place beyond the walls of society.