"Sir, could you state your name?"

…

"Sir?"

…

"Sir!"

Takumi snapped to attention as he found the receptionist glaring at him. "May I please have your name?" she asked.

"Ah, yes," Takumi said quickly, remembering where he was. "Takumi's my name." He swallowed nervously as he looked around the quiet waiting room.

"Insurance?" the lady inquired, not bothering to look up from the paperwork she was filling out.

Sighing to himself, Takumi answered the question, his eyes roaming around the room. Resting on single mothers tiredly smoking cigarettes, he felt a pang of unease run through him. Do we really need this? he thought to himself.

"Has there been any history of suicide in your family?" the receptionist asked, nibbling slightly on the red pen she was holding.

Takumi looked away shyly. "My brother," he admitted. "When he found out my step-sister was hanging out with some shady hooligans, he was already worried. But when he tried to get her to stop, she refused and…" He swallowed. "We found him on the pavement the next morning. He jumped out of a seventh-story window in the apartment building we lived in. My step-sister was the breadwinner of the family so we were all quite upset and disappointed when we found out who she was hanging out with in her spare time."

"Any suicidal or violent tendencies displayed by close relatives after the incident?" she flatlined, not caring at all about what he said.

Takumi sighed, Kisaragi floating to the top of his mind. "No," he replied. A hot pang of guilt spiked through him. Am I ashamed of him? No… I'm just worried. That's all, Takumi said, reassuring himself.

"Household income?"

Takumi raised an eyebrow, annoyance written all over his face. Is she even allowed to ask these probing questions? "About $6-700 a week," he sighed.

The receptionist made a disappointed sound, but said nothing more. Takumi gritted his teeth, feeling a surge of anger. "Go take a seat. Dr. Orochi will be with you soon."

Holding back a frustrated sigh, Takumi walked ahead and sat in a scruffy chair. After only a few minutes, he was surprised to see a younger-looking girl with pale, swirling pigtails walk in. He made eye contact with her, but she quickly jerked her gaze away. Not giving up, he walked over to her. "You're Leo's sister, aren't you? Isn't your name Elise?"

"Yes… What is it to you?"

"I just wanted to know why you're here," he persisted. "Leo's been telling me that he's worried about you. I'm his friend, so I wanted to know." He smiled and offered her his hand. "I'm Takumi, by the way."

Remaining still for a moment, she smiled and took it. Offering him a seat next to her, she sighed and leaned back. "I'm here because, like everyone here, I'm a single parent trying to raise a child."

"Didn't you marry Kamui's butler? Joker?"

She sighed and leaned back. "Yes. Unfortunately, he died in a car crash about a year ago. I'm trying to take care of Deere, but it's just too hard by myself." Despite herself, she could feel tears beginning to well up. "I think I might have to give him up for adoption."

Takumi put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to cry. I'm sure that Leo would be glad to take him in if it's too hard to support both of you. There's no way that we'd just let you give away your son."

Elise smiled starting to resemble that typical, cheerful girl he had known. "You're right," she said. "I can get through this." She sighed. "But for now, we both have appointments."

"Ah yes. With Dr. Orochi, right?"

"No." She shook her head. She gestured to the child services office on the left side of the room. "I came here about my son. They were pushing me to give him up. I came over here to sign over my rights as his guardian, but you convinced me that there's another way." She frowned as she looked down at her lap. "Unfortunately, I know they won't let me leave without a fight. I can see the receptionist has her eye on me." She gestured towards the lady Takumi had been talking to previously. Her eyes were discreetly fixed on them, although she was pretending to be enraptured by her paperwork.

"That bitch," Takumi muttered, feeling his previous annoyance flare up. He turned to face Elise. "Don't worry. I'm sure I can figure out a way to get you out of here."

"I hope you do," she whispered back urgently. "My appointment's in 15 minutes."

Takumi felt a small amount of nervous sweat drip down his back. "So I guess that means I have to think of something fast," he replied, his eyes darting around the room for an answer. Trying to look casual, he approached the receptionist. "Excuse me, but where is the bathroom?" he asked meekly.

"Down the hallway and to the right," she replied flatly, looking him right in the eye. Takumi swallowed but proceeded with what he was doing. Walking out into the hallway, he leaned against the wall, not knowing what to do. After about 30 seconds or so, the answer hit him suddenly as he saw the fire alarm on the wall. For a split second, his fingers twitched as if he wanted to pull it. No, you can't do that, he told himself. That's a class one misdemeanor no matter what my reason for doing it is. He swallowed. I can't afford the court fee. Not to mention Kisaragi and Kanna shouldn't be hearing that their dad got in trouble with the law while they're dealing with Kamui's stroke. Nevertheless, he could feel time quickly running out as he stood there. Slowly, he felt his feet carry him towards the alarm. You will not pull that switch, Takumi, he told himself. You'll be in big trouble. He felt himself grip the alarm. Not if they don't see me. Before he could assemble a single coherent thought, he felt himself pull the switch. Immediately, he heard a loud alarm blare. A few seconds later, he felt his clothes get soaked as the fire prevention system spewed water from the ceiling.

Glimpsing the door to the waiting room open, he dashed down the hall, turning the corner just before the secretary dashed into the hallway, followed by the patients. Rushing down the stairs, Takumi burst outside the building and kept running. By the time the rest of them had made it outside the building, he was already down the street to the light. Before any of them witnessed him, he turned the corner and kept jogging until he was several blocks away. Finally, he stopped and bent over, gripping his knees and gasping for breath. Glad I didn't drive over here, he thought to himself. Straightening up as if nothing had happened, Takumi reached into his pocket and took out his phone. Scrolling through his contacts, he finally decided on Leo, seeing as he had news for him anyway. Pressing the "call" button, Takumi waited a few rings until Leo picked up.

"What the hell are you calling for, you stupid pineapple?!" an annoyed voice answered.

Takumi smiled to himself. Still the same old Leo. "Stop being all grumpy, tomato boy," he taunted back. "I just need a ride. Where the hell are you?"

The line was silent for a few seconds. "I'm with Foleo at the house."

"And Charlotte?"

"...She's shopping," he admitted. "Fine, I'll pick you up. Where are you?"

Takumi paused for a few moments, looking for the street signs. "I'm on the corner of Center and Fifth."

"I'll be there in 15 minutes." The line went dead. Sighing to himself, Takumi slumped back onto the corner of someone's lawn. After a few more seconds, he could hear the approaching sound of sirens. After waiting a few moments, he saw a firetruck roar past, its sirens screaming. I hope he hurries up, he thought to himself. He sighed as he put his head in his hands. Thinking like a criminal already, huh, Takumi. For a few moments, he felt a tight insecurity constrict itself around his throat. What the hell did I just do? he wondered to himself in despair. I'm going to get arrested and my kids are going to be home alone. Who's going to take care of them then? He gritted his teeth. All to help out a friend's sister.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there thinking to himself when he heard Leo pull up with Foleo in the front seat. "Are you just going to stay there?" Leo asked with a cocky smile. He soon frowned, though, as he saw Takumi's face. "What happened to you?"

Takumi shut the back door, not looking up. "I…did some stuff," he admitted.

The car was silent for a few moments. "Foleo, I'm going to drop you off at Velour's house. I want you to stay there for a while."

"But-"

"No buts," Leo interrupted, his voice serious. "You're going to stay at Velour's house until we get this settled out."

Foleo frowned and looked down at his knees. "Yes, Father…" Making a few turns, they were already in the neighborhood. Surrounded by wealthy, affluent houses, Takumi couldn't see an end to the almost surreal place. Perhaps a long time ago, he would have felt some form of jealousy. He chuckled to himself softly.

"Maybe back in my younger days…"

"What did you say?" Leo asked, only taking his eyes of the road for a second.

"It's nothing," Takumi said softly, starting to feel better. He was slightly surprised over how easy it was to get lost in wistful thoughts after doing something that weighed so heavily on the mind.

About 30 seconds later, they pulled up to a swanky-looking white house with a generous yard. It was one of the cheaper houses in the neighborhood, but it was still nice enough to put even the best house in Takumi's neighborhood to shame.

Foleo opened the door. With one last look cast at his father, he hopped out and started walking towards the door. A few moments later, he was greeted by an enthusiastic Camilla hugging him tightly. He didn't seem to be overjoyed about it, but didn't act uncomfortable around the large breasts pushing against him.

"So what's your deal?" Leo asked as soon as they pulled away.

Takumi sighed, his whimsical mood gone. "I saw Elise at the counseling place I went to today."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Really? How's she doing? She's been so busy lately. And I also have a sneaking suspicion that she's been avoiding us."

Takumi looked away, unable to meet his friend's gaze in the rearview mirror. "Er, not good." He looked his friend in the eye. "Leo, she's going broke. After Joker died, she's been struggling to take care of Deere." He looked down once more. "I…told her that you could take Deere in until she found a stable job."

"Wait a minute. You can't just go telling her that Charlotte and I will just drop everything and take in Deere. I mean, of course we would, but that doesn't mean you have the right to-"

"I know how it feels to struggle to care for your children because you're short a spouse," Takumi interrupted bluntly, his eyes devoid of any compassion. "True, I may have overstepped my boundaries by telling her something like that without checking with you first. But I understood her, Leo!" he protested. "Ever since Kamui…" He swallowed. "Ever since Kamui has been in the hospital, I've struggled to care for Kisaragi and Kanna. Kamui made the money in the family. I've struggled to make a couple hundred a week." He sighed and shrank down back into the seat. "Elise may be taking care of Deere by herself, but I've been taking care of Kisaragi and Kanna. You only have one child. You don't understand how hard it is."

"How much did Kamui make before she landed in the hospital?" Leo asked, a slightly bitter tone giving rise to his voice.

"About $1,000 a week," Takumi replied. He narrowed his eyes.

Leo snorted, scowling at Takumi. "She would have been making triple that if you hadn't knocked her up."

Takumi glared at the man who he had considered his friend. "I loved Kamui and she loved me back."

"She was your step-sister. What you did was wrong in the eyes of the law."

"Both my father and her mother are dead," he replied, his eyes flashing. "There's nothing tying us together except for our love." He looked out the window. "Besides, I didn't grow up thinking she was my sister. I only met her a little while before Mother died."

"Kamui left us because you seduced her into joining you."

"Like you can talk!" he shot back. "I may be in love with my half-sister, but at least I didn't grow up with her secretly wanting to bang her!"

Leo quickly shut his mouth, his eyes icy. He smoothly pulled over to the sidewalk and unlocked the doors. "Get out," he said calmly.

"You can't just-"

"Get the fuck out of my car!" he shouted, his eyes blazing. "If you're going to say those horrible things, you might as well walk home!"

Realizing he had went too far, Takumi looked down and obligingly opened the door. Stepping out, he shut the door behind him and saw Leo speed away. Putting his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts, he slowly walked back to his house. Despite an increasing sense of guilt digging into him, Takumi shrugged it off and merely kept walking. He had gone a few blocks when he turned the corner and tripped over a blue recycling bin. As he hit the ground, he felt an overwhelming sense of defeat wash over him. Sitting on the sidewalk, he put his hands to his face and felt several tears fall. What the hell am I doing? he wondered to himself as he sobbed. I'm a grown man with kids crying on the sidewalk like a little bitch. He gasped as he struggled to draw in another breath of the humid air. Despite his critical thoughts, he didn't even slow down for a moment. For 30 minutes, he remained there, hopelessly allowing the tears to run down his face and gasping in deep breaths. Trembling and quivering, he finally stopped when he could no longer feel any tears. Licking his lips, he felt parched. I probably cried all the water out of my system, he thought to himself as he struggled to his feet.

Stumbling down the sidewalk, he barely registered his surroundings. Instead, he relied on that deep instinct inside him. The one that told him where he could find "home" no matter where he was. It was hard to describe. No matter where he was, he could feel almost a sort of tug in his gut whenever he was going the right way. Something somewhere telling him, "That's the way. Keep going."

Of course, it wasn't too long until he found himself staring down his house. Until that day, he hadn't really noticed how pathetic it looked. Unlike Leo's and Camilla's, it was only two floors. The roof was slanted slightly, a home for squirrels sitting near the corner. Poison ivy draped down the side of the walls, making the white paint appear sickly and eggshell. The porch was cracked, making the whole structure looked lopsided and sad.

"Che," Takumi sniffed as he walked up to the front door. Upon opening the door, he found his youngest son tackling him gleefully.

"Father!" he shouted. "You're home!"

Takumi put a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder and smiled. Looking past Kanna, he saw Kisaragi leaning against the kitchen door. Kisaragi scowled at him. "Where were you?"

Takumi sighed and emptied his pockets onto the island. "Sorry I'm late. There was an issue at the place I was going to. Leo drove me home but we had a fight so he kicked me out of the car and I had to walk home."

"Wow!" Kanna said, his eyes gleaming. "That's so cool! How far did you walk?"

Takumi chuckled softly to himself as he patted his son's head. "Not very far. Let's just leave it at that." He had just begun to settle down on the couch as he heard sirens growing louder and louder. At first, he paid no attention. After all, it was fairly common in their part of the neighborhood for police sirens to be blaring. But as it grew closer and closer with no signs of stopping, Takumi began to realize that perhaps they weren't just passing by. Feeling a nervous chill settle down his back, Takumi approached the front door and opened it. That nervous chill quickly turned to dread as he saw the police cars surrounding his house.

A cop stepped outside of one of the cars. He raised an amplifying device up to his mouth and spoke: "Sir, put your hands up in the air and exit the domain. We do not wish to make this violent."

Turning to his sons, Takumi beckoned them closer. He knelt down and looked at his youngest son face-to-face. "Go call Leo. I know we just had a fight, but he should understand that it's serious." Takumi looked up at Kisaragi. "And if he doesn't answer or doesn't want to help, call your aunt Hinoka." He hugged both of them. "I should be home soon," he whispered, hiding his tears.

Not looking at them, he turned around and walked outside, his hands in the air. Almost immediately, he was swarmed by policemen. Jostled in almost every direction, he felt himself being slammed against one of the cars. "You're under arrest," his assailant grunted. Takumi could feel the cold metal of handcuffs fasten around his wrists. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court."

"Yeah, right," he muttered. Abruptly, he felt himself being shoved into the back seat of one of the cars. Looking out the window, he could see his sons running out onto the yard, yelling in frantic voices he couldn't hear. He put his hand against the glass, spreading his palm out as far as he could. It'll be all right, he mouthed silently at them as the car sped away. He looked up at the darkening night sky. "I'm sorry, Kamui," he murmured to himself. Slumping against the backseat, he felt shame flow through him. Seriously, how many times a day do I have to feel this much guilt? he thought to himself bitterly. He sighed. He didn't know how long he was sitting there until the car slowed to a stop. He saw the cops get out of the front. A few moments later, rough hands grabbed him, forcing him out of the car. Being marched into the station, Takumi felt humiliation wash over him. Hanging his head, he kept his eyes fixed firmly on the sidewalk until it was replaced by hard flooring. I hope I'm not in too much trouble, he thought to himself. But he rather doubted that.

Wow, this was a really long chapter. It took me so long because not only was I slacking off by working on the Joker/Kamui fic, but I'm also really prioritizing my schoolwork over writing at the moment. So basically, I just haven't been working on it as much as I normally do. But I hope my quality has improved a bit. I don't know how many chapters this is going to be. I don't really want long time skips right now, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. It might. But as for right now, I don't really have too many plans for this. I just want to see where it goes.

Also, Takumi was kinda lying when he was telling that receptionist about his brother. Ryouma really did kill himself, but that "shady gang" Takumi mentions is actually the Nohrian royal family. And they ended up being friends after. Basically, Ryouma jumped out of the seventh-story window after trying and failing to get Kamui to stop hanging around with Leo and company. But Kamui couldn't because she felt like she couldn't abandon her adoptive family, even though she chose to leave them to live with her birth family as soon as she turned 16. And her birth family (Mikoto and Sumeragi, etc.) was very poor while her adoptive family was rich. So Kamui got the best education so she was indeed the breadwinner of the family.

There's other stuff I could go over, like Takumi's borderline-incestuous relationship with Kamui. Even though that sort of thing is totally fine inside the game, I doubt they could get away with that sort of thing in this century without some law-evasion. Especially in America. But I'm not a law expert, so I don't know. Plus, they're not blood-related, so it's not that bad, in my opinion. And technically, they're not even legally tied together after Mikoto died. The only thing that makes it creepy is that Takumi refers to Mikoto as "Mother" even though she's only the biological mother of Kamui. But yeah, that's a lot of complicated stuff I might touch upon in a later chapter. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed~