Been working on this for a few years but thought I should at least start. B Movie is still ongoing, just haven't finished the chapter yet.

Last but not least, even if I'm a little late for this, in memory of Unsho Ishizuka, the voice of Dojima, Professor Oak and a slew of other great characters.

[000]

I

"We will arriva at Katsura terminal in a few minutes. Those heading to Soe City and Soejima station please head to the other side of the platform." Kyou slowly opened his eyes, sluggishly following the directions he'd been given. Making his way home was taking longer than he'd thought, enough so to tire him out it seemed.

As he stepped off the train, something fluttered in Kyou's vision and he turned his head to look but whatever it had been was gone. He looked down at the directions he'd been given; no one was available to pick him up, either too far away to make the trip or not close enough to ask a ride from, which left him with walking the rest of the way.

This is fine. At least it gives me time to get used to this place. Kyou looked up from his notes to make sure he hadn't taken a wrong turn, continuing on when he answered in the negative.

"This should be the place." A tall, imposing building stood in front of him. One of pale stone, with wrought iron cresting and a boxed off rooftop. The fine details of the place made it seem both regal and awkward with how out of place it was. It seemed fit for nobility of some kind rather than a dorm for high schoolers. Kyou went to the entrance and pushed in, quickly being greeted with cooler air and a pleasant scent. His eyes roamed across the inside, making note of the layout and heading to the counter to what he assumed to be the sign in sheet, writing his name and the time he came in before heading for the stairs.

Kyou knew no one should be here at the moment since school had already started and wouldn't let out for a few hours so he figured he'd get himself settled in now rather than wait for someone to help. Flipping the paper he'd used for directions, he found his room number and headed for the stairs, making his way to the second floor. Upon reaching the top, he headed to Room 7, opening the door and laying his bags on the floor.

He wouldn't be expected in school for a few days, and the day was long from over, not to mention his earlier exhaustion had waned a bit due to the nap he'd gotten in on the way. The best thing he could think of doing was heading out and looking around the town a bit, at least enough to catch all the nearest or most convenient places, he would leave the more detailed tour for the next week or so.

Kyou patted himself down to make sure he had everything he'd need for the short outing he'd planned and nodded when he found everything to his liking.

[0]

Hours later, when the sun had already sunken below the horizon, Kyou returned home, content with what he'd seen. Before choosing DeLeon, after hearing his family wouldn't be home for him to attend the local school, he'd made sure to at least look up the area for stores, recreational sites and the like but hadn't gone too far, more focused on affordability and entrance than anything. His brief skimming had brought seven areas to his attention, two of which he'd already been to. Those he'd already visited were the dorms and the station he'd arrived in, those he hadn't were the other station, the school, shrine, river and the mall. More could possibly come up but for now, he'd focus on these.

Kyou rolled his shoulders as he stepped back into the dorm, heading for the sheet and writing himself in again. As he looked around he saw there weren't many people in the lounge, which seemed a bit odd as the year was still relatively new and he thought most students would still be in the vacation mindset, but he shrugged and headed up to his room. When he stopped in front of his door, the exhaustion suddenly hit him again, practically dragging him to the floor. He'd been hoping to bathe before heading to bed but resolved to wake up early tomorrow so he could get it in then. It would be in bad taste to arrive, whether he'd be learning that day or not. As he was, Kyou felt lucky to drag himself onto his bed, slipping off his socks and under the covers before shutting his eyes, being pulled into sleep a few seconds later.

[0]

A piano was the first thing to grace Kyou's senses, one that was shortly followed by an Aria, both of the sound's sources unknown. When he opened his eyes he found himself inside a temple. The majority of the room was a royal blue, with different shades throughout. At the ends of the room, on opposite sides were two pillars. To the sides were two stained glass windows, the one to the left depicting a mask in front of a stark white face. The one to the right showed two butterflies circling each other. On the ceiling was a large painting, one whose quality and scale reminded Kyou of an ancient masterpiece beyond the modern era, though whenever he tried to focus on it the details blurred.

In the center lie a raised platform, the purpose of which escaped Kyou's mind. Directly in front of him was a short, hobbled man, his fingers steepled as he grinned up at Kyou. His bulbous, bloodshot eyes and the thin, wispy hair circling his crown did not endear him to Kyou either, though his attention quickly went to his nose; a large, sharp looking thing that extended some six inches or so past a normal person's. The sharp suit and polished shoes he wore did little to hide the fact that not only his appearance, but the very air around him seemed otherworldly.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." His voice was reedy and whimsical. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

"Velvet?" Kyou only managed to get one word out, still too tired and shocked to do much more than observe.

"Yes, this is a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter, although it seems that such a fate has yet to pass." His smile shifted a bit in a way that was foreboding yet told little. "And yet, I believe a bit of introductions are in order, as we will be helping with your duty, whatever it may be." This statement was punctuated by a chuckle and Igor waving his hand behind him, at which point a new person stepped forward.

The woman before Kyou could be easily summed up with the word breathtaking. Her hair was silver and curled, mostly hidden by some kind of headdress. Her body was covered by what seemed to be a cassock and shawl, with several golden buttons running down the center. Her face was unblemished but bare, with golden eyes that were staring intently at Kyou. "This is Agda. She is a resident of this place, like myself."

"A pleasure," Her voice was soft and pleasant, Kyou instinctively bowed his head a bit before looking back to Igor.

"As you have yet to form your contract, the details shall come another time. Until then, farewell." With that being said, Igor closed his eyes and dipped his head, the area around Kyou fading shortly after.

[0]

Kyou opened his eyes, the vague memory of blue rooms and little men in the back of his mind. He tried to shake himself out of his slumber and went to put on the uniform he'd ordered beforehand before recalling that he'd gone to sleep dirty yesterday. He looked to the clock hanging on the wall and saw he had some time until he was expected. Kyou softly sighed and went to get cleaned up.

[0]

As he'd shown up a week or so into the school year, he'd already missed a bit, but his homeroom teacher, who'd introduced himself as Honma Junichi, assured him it would take no time at all to catch up. He'd been given a student ID and a student handbook, then told he would start tomorrow followed by a goodbye. Kyou assumed this was to give him a bit more time to adjust before he started.

"Kyou?" He turned his head upon hearing his name. "Hey! What are you doing here? I thought you transferred?" The person was his childhood friend, Daichi, though it seemed Kyou had finally gained a few inches on him. He, closed the distance and tilted his head, thinking a bit. "It was Hachigami, right?"

"Yasogami, and it was only for the year." Kyou corrected.

"I guess it doesn't matter, glad to have you here." Daichi clasped his friend's shoulder, shaking him as he did so. "So, were you here to register or something?" Kyou nodded and Daichi's smile came back, "Then since you're new to this school just let your senpai show you around."

Kyou raised a brow and shrugged off his friend's arm. "You're still in school."

The teen blinked a bit and then blew out a huff of air, "Damn, guess you're right. We'll just do it later then, where're you staying now, anyways? Doesn't your family live a few hours from here?" Kyou nodded, telling him of the circumstances. "The dorms, then? Alright, see you in a bit, yeah?" Kyou nodded and waved, heading back to the dorms for a bit of unpacking and such to busy himself until then.

[0]

"Fo over dere iv," Daichi stopped to swallow his food, "karaoke, and right next to that is the pharmacy, which might seem kind of odd but I'm not an architect or whatever so I couldn't really tell ya. At the very end is some kinda natural medicine place, they seem to have beef with the Pharmacy, and they have these pills that seem to help with exhaustion, so it gets a lot of traffic during exams." Daichi stopped to get another mouthful of takoyaki. "Damn, this stuff's good. Where was I? Oh yeah, in the middle over there is the arcade and-" Daichi went on, talking about his favorite places and the ones he though weren't worth their time or money. They'd met up at the dorms sometime after school had ended, originally just lazing about Kyou's room until Daichi had remembered why he'd come and hauled them both to the mall. Kyou had wondered if Daichi was in any clubs, apparently they wouldn't start up for another two or three weeks, unless they were the competitive type, of which Daichi wasn't. Another few hours passed with the two of them going around the places he'd pointed out and getting a feel for them. It was getting past nine when they decided to call it a day and head home, though that was mostly on Kyou, who'd suddenly started feeling tired a little before the hour had come. He'd told his friend he'd be in class 2-3, at which point Daichi had whooped and told him that was his class.

Stepping into the dorm, it was just as empty as the day before. Kyou was a bit more curious but shrugged it off again. If there was a reason, then he'd found out soon enough. He mustered the energy to clean himself up first before dragging himself to bed again. Upon entering his room, he pulled the covers back and flopped into bed, falling asleep just as quickly as yesterday. Right before he went under, he had a vague feeling he was forgetting something. Despite the feeling rising up, he wasn't awake long enough to recall what it was.