Chapter 1: Welcome to the Family

So this is something I've been thinking about doing for the longest time, and finally, I decided to post this for the internet to enjoy. Whether they actually do enjoy it or not, well, we'll see. As for now: I don't own the Persona series, or the Shin Megami Tensei series (if I did, Yu would be the ultimate playboy). I just own Matsuda's ass (whether he likes it or not).

"Normal Talking"

"Shadow Talking"

"Technology"

'Thoughts'

Scene Changes

Time and Weather Changes

POV: General

City Train Station

Monday, April 11, 2011 | Daytime | Cloudy

A silver-haired boy stood by the tracks of the train station, a forlorn look on his face. His attire consisted of a white button-up with a black blazer and black dress pants.

'A whole year...' he thought to himself, his head spinning from that thought alone. These thoughts were interrupted by the screech of a train's brakes scraping against the rails. The silverette took himself out of his musings to get himself into one of the cars of the train.

He placed his stuff on the rack above his seat and sighed, sitting himself down. 'A whole year... At least that's longer than usual...' He lifted a small flip phone from his pocket and stared at the message that he received from his uncle earlier today.

"Meet us at Yasoinaba Station at 4pm. - Dojima Ryotaro." He closed the phone and placed it back into his pocket, intent on sleeping through the ride.

POV: Dojima Matsuda

Dojima Residence

Daytime | Rainy

I looked around my recently tidied room with a sigh and a slightly annoyed expression on my face. My father had insisted that I clean it for my cousin, wanting me to leave a good impression of myself. I almost laughed at the thought. 'Me? A good impression? That's hilarious…' was the thought that slipped through my mind at that request.

I exited the soon-to-be shared room and went downstairs. I saw my sister and dad watching the news as I did so, and turned my attention to the clock hanging over the hallway entrance. "3:40."

I looked back at my family. "Train arrives in twenty minutes," I informed them. "We should get going."

My father was a tall, gruff and strong-jawed man, with short black hair that barely touched his forehead. Five o'clock shadow shaded his face. He wore a gray button-up with a brown tie and brown dress pants, fitting for his occupation.

Next to him was my younger sister. Her face was round and had the fullness expected of a six-year-old, with her brown hair tied up into a double ponytails. She was wearing a white sweater with a blue sweater vest over it.

The former of the two looked up at the clock I had observed seconds before, and nodded. "Yes, it's about that time." He stood up from his seated position, my sister pulling herself up with him.

"Let's go," he said, leading us to his car.

POV: Narukami Yu

Train

I stared out the window of the train car, sighing at the rolling fields. Just seeing that was enough to make me feel out of place. It was the complete opposite of the cities I was used to staying in.

The town I was supposed to spend a year in, Inaba, was out in the middle of nowhere, and the few amount of people in the train car made something pretty clear to me. Almost no one knew about this small town. And there were still a couple of stops left before Yasoinaba.

I felt my heavy eyelids slowly close, leaving me to the dreams I was bound to have. A quick ten to twenty minute nap wouldn't hurt.

Unknown

My eyes shot open. I felt my surroundings shift, and quickly took in the sudden change.

I was on the inside of a limousine, with everything from the floor to the objects in the limo to the ceiling, all of these were in a deep shade of blue, lined in velvet. I peered outside the window to see nothing but fog and road, which only served to make my anxiety about the sudden shift worse.

It was only after taking this in that I saw the other occupants in the room. One was what some would call a goblin-man, with an extremely long nose, literally inches long. His ears were pointed, and his eyes were scarily wide, almost popping out of his damned head. You could see the red veins in them, and his extremely small pupils didn't help with his image. He had long, white hair forming around the sides of his head, with his scalp and forehead completely bare. He was also hunched over, wearing what would closely describe the stereotypical butler uniform: Black suit with a pair of white gloves.s

Of course, if it wasn't for his odd appearance, I would have paid more attention to the other person in the room. It was a beautiful woman, wearing what can only be described as a blue bellhop uniform, with long, somewhat curly and pale-blonde hair let down to the bottom of her neck, with strange, yet enticingly green eyes.

The older man looked up at me, and a freakishly large grin broke out onto his face. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

POV: Dojima Matsuda

Road to Yasoinaba Station

I blinked slowly, staring out the car window tiredly, watching as raindrops started to down the passenger side window. My sister, in the seat right behind me, followed my example, staring out the window.

My father looked over at us, only to shoot his eyes back to the road a split-second later. "You two alright?" he asked, a slight bit of concern in his tone.

I shrugged uncaringly, not really wanting to divulge any of my problems onto my family's shoulder. "Nothing..." I said.

My father sighed at my answer, but, unwilling to push the subject with me, answered with, "Alright."

After an uncomfortable, yet thankfully short car ride, we arrived at Yasoinaba a couple minutes early. My dad sighed and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. I was uncaring towards the situation and ended up getting myself something out of a nearby vending machine.

POV: Narukami Yu

I walked out of the station, fully awake after the weird dream I had just had. I looked around for a moment, trying to decipher which of the very few people here was my uncle.

This was solved almost immediately by the shout of who I assume is my uncle.

"Over here!" I turned my head to the side to see a man waving me over, with a teenage boy of my age to his left, and a young grade-schooler to his right.

The boy had short, unkempt black hair. His eyes had dark circles under them, and were a dull shade of grey, though they had a strangely happy light in them, as if he was laughing to himself. The pupils in said eyes were larger than average, almost as if they were dilated, adding to the creepy effect of them. He wore a grayish white, oversized T-shirt with blue jeans to match it, one of his hands shoved haphazardly into his pocket. Over the T-shirt was a gray hoodie, with the hood over his head. Combining that and his eyes, and he came off as somewhat creepy. He waved a hand at me, gesturing me over to him.

POV: Dojima Matsuda

I laughed to myself at a joke I just came up with. 'Heheh... silver-hair... silverware...' My own sense of humor disappoints me sometimes…

He walked over, greeting us with a short nod. My father gave him a smile and thrusted his hand out to him.

Yu accepted the handshake, and my dad greeted him. "And you must be Narukami Yu. Well, you're more handsome in person than in the photo." Yu took the compliment, answering with what was more of an off-handed comment more than anything.

"It's been a while," he said, getting a quick nod from my father.

"Yeah," he responded. "You've really grown. I remember when you were in diapers." The silverette gave him a look at the comment, which had my father rubbing the back of his neck. "Right..."

"Well," he continued, breaking the awkwardness of the moment, "I'm your mother's younger brother, which sums that up… These are my kids," he said, gesturing to us. I walked up to my cousin, holding a hand out.

"Name's Dojima Matsuda. Welcome to the family!" I said overly enthusiastically. "You'll be signing the papers when we get home. Once that's done, you gotta sign up for the full package. This includes your rights as a human being, your refrigerator privileges, and your bathroom privileges. It'll cost extra for a room to sl-" My long introduction was rudely interrupted by my dad tapping my shoulder, holding a hand to his face as he shook his head.

"Ignore him," he said. "He's just pulling your leg." I gave my dad the straightest face I could manage.

"I actually have the paperwork." I could see the uncertainty in his eye, before I broke out into a grin, unable to hold my blank face. He sighed and once again shook his head.

"I can't believe I even considered that the truth for a single second..." he looked back to my sister and gestured for her to come up to her cousin.

"This is Nanako," he introduced. He tapped her back. "Come on, say hi."

Nanako hid behind my dad's leg and gave a quiet "Hello." Yu gave her a little friendly wave.

My father chuckled at her quiet introduction. "Why are you being so shy?" he asked her. Nanako gave him a small smack on the leg, getting a small bark of laughter from me, while my father let out a small "Ow," before laughing with me. There was a short silence between the four of us, and my father eventually asked that we get in the car.

Central Shopping District

After about fifteen minutes of driving, we stopped at a gas station right outside of the Central Shopping District. The pumping assistant ran up from the front of the store, coming around the side of the car. "Welcome to Moel!" he (or is it a she? I can't tell…) greeted.

My father looked back to my sister. "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?" he asked. Nanako gave a noise of confirmation.

"The bathroom's in the back," suggested the attendant, "It'll be on the left. You know which way's left?" he asked, setting up some sort of joke or something. "The side you don't hold your chopsticks in."

Nanako sighed at what the attendant said. "I know... Geez."

The attendant must've saw my cousin's bag or something, and decided to make conversation. "So you guys just got back from a trip? Or are you going on a trip?"

My father shook his head. "No, we're just picking this one up," he said, pointing his thumb back at Yu. "He just moved from the city."

"City, huh?" said the attendant in what I assumed was false interest.

My dad got out of the car. "Fill the tank," he requested from the attendant. "Regular, please." He pulled his cigarettes out and went away from the station.

I sighed in boredom and stared outside window. My cousin got out of the car and took a breath of fresh air. The attendant turned his attention to the silverette. "So are you in high school?" he asked, probably recognizing the uniform.

Yu nodded, and the attendant continued. "It must be surprising to see how little there is out here. You'll get bored fast. In the end, you'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing a part-time job." The attendant looked over at the store, and nodded to him/herself. "Speaking of, we're actually looking for part-time help. It'd be nice if you joined us. We don't mind if you're a student." He held his hand out to my cousin, to which he accepted. The attendant looked over at my father, and nodded to him/herself. "I should start filling up the car."

My sister had come back to the car, and looked up to my cousin. Somewhat suddenly, the boy grabbed his head, as if he had some sort of headache.

"You doing alright?" I asked through the window. He nodded, blowing it off as exhaustion.

Eventually, my dad got back from his smoke break, and got into the car. "Alright. Let's get going."

POV: Narukami Yu

Dojima Residence

Evening | Rainy

We were sitting around a coffee table, which seemed to serve as our dinner table. "Let's make a toast," started my uncle. We held our glasses up, and all took a sip of whatever we were drinking. Once that had gotten done with, the middle-aged man looked over at me.

"So your parents are busy as always, eh?" I nodded, reminded of the reason that I was moved here.

My parents work for some sort of shipping company, one that I never bothered to learn the name of. They had a job that would require them to be working overseas for the next year. They did this sort of thing a lot. Move somewhere, leave me with someone, and come back to get me for maybe a month or two. It's a tediously annoying cycle. One that I've got to deal with until I'm old enough to get a job.

"I know it's only for a year..." continued Dojima-san, "It must be a pain to be moving around like that. It's gotta be rough." He took a pause. "Well, it's just me and my children here, so go ahead and make yourself at home. I'm sure these two will enjoy the extra company," he gestured to my cousins, the older of which was watching the TV disinterestedly, while the younger was paying more attention to her food than her dad's speech.

I looked over at Dojima-san, giving him a small bow. "Thank you for letting me live here." He waved off the gesture.

"Don't be so formal about it. We are family."

The older man was about to eat his own food, but was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. Matsuda-san's face notably dropped into a frown, as well as Nanako-chan's.

Dojima-san let out a sigh, staring at the small device. "...Who's calling at this hour?" He flipped open the phone. "Dojima speaking." There was a small pause for the caller to get in some words. "Yeah? I see... Well where is it?" He let out another sigh. "Alright. I'm on my way."

He closed the phone and turned back to us, muttering "Looks like it was a good idea to skip the booze..." he looked down to us from his now standing position. "Sorry, but I need to go take care of some business." He looked over to his son. "Help him out, okay?" The teen nodded and Dojima-san walked towards the front door.

"It's raining... Nanako, did you take in the laundry?" he called from the doorway.

"I brought it in already!" Nanako called back.

"Alright. I'm heading out." The front door shut, leaving me with the two youngest of the house.

There was an awkward silence, before the news suddenly cut it off. "-for this week. Next, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas."

This did little to raise the uneasy tension from the room. Eventually the two Dojima children were staring at me, Matsuda-san with a neutral expression, and Nanako-chan with slight anxiety. Eventually, the silence got to me, and I asked the first question.

"So what does your father do?" I asked. Matsuda's face suddenly lost its neutrality, dropping into a frown.

POV: Dojima Matsuda

I felt my facial expression drop. My father's job is not a very enjoyable topic, and the regret on Yu's face shows that he realized that topic is sort of taboo.

Honestly I was hoping to get the first question off. I was curious about the city. Never seen it before. I thought it'd be interesting to hear about.

"Uh... He's a cop. Detective, specifically," I said disinterestedly.

Before the conversation could get any more awkward, the news continued to blare out of the TV. "And now for the local news. City council secretary Namatame Taro is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Hiiragi Misuzu, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages."

Ah, politics. The ultimate friendship destroyer. I don't particularly care for it. But, since I have nothing better to watch, might as well watch politicians be idiots. "In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of the announcer Yamano Mayumi's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Namatame-san are resolved, she will remain off the air and out of the public eye."

Before the news could elaborate more, my sister yawned. "...This is boring." She took the remote and changed the channel.

"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" A little jingle played at the end of the commercial, something my sister repeated.

"Everyday's great at your Junes!" I can't stand that damned jingle because I hear it everywhere, but my sister just sings it in the most adorably off-key way. I sighed at that, and looked over at the hall clock.

9:04. Wow. Time flew faster than my hand does when I… nevermind…

I patted Nanako on the shoulder. And pointed up at the clock. "You gotta get to bed." I told her. She sighed and walked off to her room, leaving me with the dishes.

Once those were done, I gestured for my cousin to follow me. "Let's head upstairs."

POV: Narukami Yu

Matsuda-san's room was oddly clean. Well, it was odd because he didn't seem like the type of guy who would bother with his room. It was also surprising how large the space was. It's actually a pretty good thing, considering it's shared by two people.

There was a table in the middle of the room, with a black couch to the right of the door, right up against a wall and on that wall was a window. There's a shelf to the left of the door, with a bunch of random models and figurines on it, ranging anywhere from tanks to a giant robot. On the left wall was a dresser, with an old antenna TV on it.

"Welcome to our bedroom," he said. He pointed towards a futon next to the large shelf. "That's yours. Mine's over there." He pointed towards a futon right in front of a desk.

I excused myself from the room for a moment, heading to change into some sleep clothing. When I came back, the light was off, and Matsuda-san was staring at the ceiling, probably trying to fall asleep. He hadn't even changed into any sort of pajamas.

I sighed and laid down on my new futon, remember the dream I had on the train.

Earlier Today

Velvet Room

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." I looked at the hunched over man, who was grinning madly at me with wide, unblinking eyes. His voice was an unusually high pitch, though it seemed to fit him well. He let out a surprised noise. "It seems we have a guest with an... intriguing destiny..." he let out a little chuckle. Once he had finished, he looked at me and greeted me. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

Igor, as he called himself, gestured to the room itself. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract may enter... It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then, Why don't you introduce yourself?"

With hesitation, I greeted him with my name. "Narukami Yu." The aged man nodded.

"I see." He pulled out a deck of cards, though these are cards I've never seen before. They had different symbols on them, from towers to people, without any sort of number. "Let us take a look into your future, shall we?" Igor asked, leaving me confused. Noticing this, he grinned up at me. "Do you believe in fortune telling?" He turned his attention to his cards again. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different..." He let out another chuckle. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" He placed down a card from the deck.

"Hm... The Tower in the upright position. That represents the immediate future. It appears that a terrible catastrophe is imminent."

This led me to sighing. So right after I move off to a small town miles away from my home, I'm going to suffer catastrophe along with that. The luck. Then again, I never really believed in fortune telling, so maybe I won't.

"The card indicating the future beyond this..." He pulled another card out, placing it down. "The moon, in the upright position. This represents "hesitation," and "mystery." Very interesting indeed."

After he said this, I realized something. I hadn't asked a single fucking question.

"Where am I?!" I immediately asked.

The hunched man gave a small murmur of laughter. "As I said, this is the Velvet Room. If you are worried about your sudden disappearance from the real world, I would not worry. You are fast asleep in the real world."

That answered... two of several. "Okay, Then why am I here?!"

Another chuckle. "That is because soon, you will have signed a contract, and then after that, you will return here." I would've asked more, but he had cut me off before I could get the first syllable out. "The coming year is a turning point in your destiny... If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be lost forever." He put a hand to his chest. "My role here is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen."

I gestured to the admittedly beautiful woman next to Igor. "Okay, who's she?" Igor looked to the woman.

"Ah. My apologies. I have neglected to introduce to you my assistant. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself." She gave a small bow.

"I'm Margaret," she said, her voice smooth. "I am here to accompany you through your journey."

Igor looked towards me. "I shall give you the details another time. For now, you are about to awaken. Until then, farewell..."

Present

I blinked at the oddity of it. 'It's just a dream...' I thought to myself. '...Right?' Well, fate has a funny way of messing with you.

And that's the first chapter. I thought I did decently enough. As you can see, I'm not including the Golden stuff I don't know Marie's character enough, and I've only played the PS2 version anyway. Nothing major happening yet (though for anyone knowing how the story goes, you know when it'll pick up.) As you can see, the main points of view are gonna be Yu and Matsuda. Maybe the occasional third person perspective. I hope you enjoyed. This is the first time I've ever posted something like this, so it was awkward as fuck getting it out there. Tell if you thought it was good, bad, and tell me how to improve on it. Also tell me if any characters are being OOC.