[color=#E34234][b]Takumi Minamoto - Stranger in a Familiar Land[/b][/color]
[i]5th Ward, Ruins of the Hayasori Mansion[/i]
[hr]
As he neared his destination, Takumi became increasingly aware of the sound of his own damp footfalls on the rain-soaked sidewalk. Every step forward made him grow more and more ambivalent, and every rumpling swing of the convenience store bag at his side was a tick of the clock counting down the seconds. As he advanced, his eyes traced the familiar-yet-unfamiliar sidewalk by the light of the streetlamps, the flash of passing cars, and the congregate glow of neon signs off in the distance. He was almost there. Whether that was good or bad, he didn't quite know just yet. [color=#E34234]"It can't be helped,"[/color] the brown-haired youth sighed as he anxiously scratched at the back of his head. 

At any rate, Takumi had been putting this off for far too long. Ever since he'd arrived in Tokyo, he'd been making a conscious effort of staying away from here. Unfortunately, there was a nagging voice at the back of his mind that kept urging him to continue homeward. Worse, the voice sounded like the old man's. Although Takumi Minamoto did not consider himself a sentimental person, it seemed that even he had to acknowledge that any visit to Tokyo would be incomplete without a pligrimage here. Despite his reluctance, he would be disappointed, but admittedly not surprised, if all this trouble was for naught, and the mansion had been torn down and replaced by some enterprising company. Although that [i]did[/i] bring up the troubling question of what exactly he would find if it [i]was[/i] still standing. 

[color=#E34234][i]'Whatever's waiting for me, I'm here now,'[/i][/color] he shrugged, turning the corner and coming face to face with the dilapidated form of his former home. It seems that though the years were many and the hand civilization moved ever closer, the old thing was still as indelible as ever. The smell was a bit different though, and by that, he meant that it smelled like shit. The dank stench of rot and decay overpowered the petrichor-scented air. [color=#E34234][i]'Looks like someone's been here recently,'[/i][/color] he noted, eyes falling on the faint vestiges of wet prints leading out of and in to the house. For a few more moments, he regarded the signs of life with his trained eyes. He noticed the vastly different print sizes. It appeared that there were more than one "someone"s that had been here. 
 
Tucking that information into the back of his mind, he moved closer to the house and sat himself down on the front step. Now the butt of his pants were wet, but it was no skin off his back. He hadn't packed - or even owned - an umbrella anyway, so there really wasn't much of a difference from the rest of his clothes. He set the small plastic bag down beside himself, placed his hands on his knees, and just stared outwards like an old dog. While he was confident he could handle himself against a few ghouls, he wasn't much in the mood to fight right now, and if it was CCG... [color=#E34234][i]'Best make this quick,'[/i][/color] he decided, reaching into the bag and removing a can of coffee. Wordlessly and with a somewhat amused expression playing at his lips, he cracked open the can and raised it into the air, as if he were giving some kind of toast. [color=#E34234]"Here's to you, old man."[/color] And he poured it out on the walkway, like some kind of low-budget, ghoulish libation. He set the emptied can back into the bag, pulled out a new one, popped open the tab, and took a swig. 

As he sat there drinking, Takumi watched the rain wash away his liquid offering. He took the can from his lips and swished it around in front of himself. [color=#E34234]"...Yeah, that's enough I'd say,"[/color] he mumbled, despite the can still having quite a lot more than half of its contents left. Truthfully, he'd never been one for coffee, and even after being rendered unable to eat anything but that and flesh he could never stomach the taste. He sat up from his seat, did his best effort at wiping his pants off (to no avail, of course; at least he had extras in his backpack), and began heading away from the mansion. After making distance, he stopped and looked back at the house one last time. [color=#E34234]"..."[/color] He shook his head and continued on his way, deeper into the city.  

To be frank, he had no particular plan in mind (which wasn't all that surprising if one knew who he was). Shelter was a good place start as any, given the time and the weather. Unfortunately Tokyo was a lot less spacious in that regard. It seemed that every abandoned building or warehouse already had tenants, and unless he wanted to stay overnight at a love hotel, the prices would bleed him dry long before he could do anything productive. Of course, he'd also heard rumors of places that harbored ghouls and handed out free food, just like the mansion had. Shame none of them were supposedly in this ward, though. That was no problem; as late as it was, there still should've been a train or two left doing their rounds. [color=#E34234][i]'No harm in checking,'[/i][/color]  he thought as he stepped down into a nearby metro station.

[hr][i]3rd Ward, Sakura Clinic[/i]
[hr]
After arriving at and exiting the station in Roppongi, it took a moment for Takumi's eyes to adjust to the contrast between the sudden neon radiance of Minato special ward and the dark of night. While he had come here pursuing a rumored ghoul sanctuary in the middle of the CCG territory, unfortunately this district was as precise as the rumors got. For good reason, he suspected: the 3rd Ward was a veritable suicide ground for ghouls, after all. If this place did exist, the person running this gig was either a mastermind or the biggest fool in Tokyo. He hoped for the latter, but acknowledged that he couldn't afford to be picky if he wanted a roof over his head.

[color=#E34234][i]'What was this place called again?'[/i][/color] Takumi thought, walking along the streets and looking at neon signs as he passed, [color=#E34234][i]'Lily Clinic? Garden Clinic? Sakura Clinic? Was it even a clinic, or was it a love hotel like that other guy said?'[/i][/color] Speaking of which, he'd passed by a few of those earlier, but none with a name that rang any bells. [color=#E34234][i]'I'll just keep a look out for flowers, then.'[/i][/color] After a few more blocks, he arrived in front of a four storey building with a floral-themed name. [color=#E34234]"Oh. I get it now,"[/color] he mumbled as realization dawned on him upon closer examination of the external appearance of the building. It [i]looked[/i] like a love hotel (and may have been one), but it was [i]definitely[/i] a clinic. Or maybe just an elaborate, nurse-themed love hotel. But whatever it was, this was as good a time as any to finally get out of the rain. 

So that he did. 

[color=#E34234]"...!"[/color] If he had to compare what he was currently experiencing to something, it would be mental static. Takumi's expression of disbelief slowly contorted into a wide, sincere grin. The sterile smell disconcerted him, but not enough to make him care. A fateful encounter such as this was far beyond what he'd been expecting from a jaunt to some random's safehouse. Inwardly, he was screaming. But in a good way. [color=#E34234]"Shit, I didn't expect to see you guys here!"[/color] he exclaimed, pulling down the wet hood of his jacket. Before saying anything else, he crinkled his nose and direct his eyes to the children. He took the opportunity to give a friendly wave to the kids as he thought, [color=#E34234][i]'Definitely ghouls, but the resemblance isn't close enough to be biological... Does that mean adoption, kidnapping, or rescue?'[/i][/color] This was supposedly a safehouse, so he figured it was the latter. Besides, he couldn't imagine anyone of the group having kids this old unless they'd been up to some very shady things under the old man's watch. Though speaking of the old man... 

Takumi regarded the scent again. [color=#E34234][i]'I see,'[/i][/color] he thought, mentally connecting the dots. [color=#E34234]"So, uh, why'd you bring the kids from the house?"[/color] he asked worriedly, his grin faltering a bit, [color=#E34234]"Is everything alright?"[/color] 

...Fortunately it was a clinic, or that might've seemed suspicious.