Sorry this took as long as it did. I've been busy of late.

I'm digging the response to my initial chapter, and I thank everyone for their OCs. I've already filled up the party, so thanks for that.


Chapter 1: Velvet Underground

April 8th, 2014, 8:05 AM

The sun kissed the ground as cars rumbled down the unusually quiet main street of Itsunami's shopping district. Shina Tachibana, a young girl just entering high school, looked out the window at the rapidly growing skyscrapers, that always seemed to be under construction for some reason or another. However, she had gotten quite used to the sight of a cityscape, living in Tokyo for most of her life prior to her moving away with her father to Itsunami. While she didn't mind living with only her father and younger sister - especially considering her mother's alcohol abuse - she did miss the many friends that she had left behind upon leaving Tokyo.

However, it also meant that she would have a great opportunity to advance academically, as she had been accepted into the prestigious Torodara Preparatory, to where she was on her way with her father (who had insisted on driving her despite their family not living more than a ten minute's walk from the school) and sister, who attended elementary school nearby. Shina had quickly grown tired of gazing out the window at the burgeoning city around her, and popped in her headphones to listen to some music quickly before she reached the school.

'Let's see...' she began thinking to herself, sifting though the contents of her iPod as if she were seeing the names of the songs within for the first time. 'What do I feel like listening to so that I can calm whatever nerves I've got towards starting school...?' She eventually found one of the songs that, despite the lyrics having nothing to do with high school, she felt would give her the best 'high' going into her new life as a high schooler - Back for More by Five Finger Death Punch.

Her father, meanwhile, hadn't even noticed Shina deciding to listen to her music and tried to begin a conversation with his eldest daughter.

"So, Shina, how does it feel to be going to one of Japan's newest and brightest schools? I imagine someone like you who has some trouble in finding her future path would enjoy coming to a school with the kinds of things that this place has," her father began. Shina, only just now noticing her father speaking - she presumed to her - removed her headphones and placed them gingerly around her neck.

"Hmm?" She replied, obviously somewhat unaware that she was being spoken to. "Sorry father... I had started listening to my music to try and calm my nerves... I'm actually a bit nervous about starting school here, not knowing anyone." Her father seemed very surprised to hear that, considering what kind of girl she usually was.

"What's this? My daughter, actually worried about something?" Mr. Tachibana joked, flashing the smile that Shina knew was meant to help calm her more than her music ever could - and usually, it worked. "I'm sure that a girl like you will fit in just fine with high schoolers, even ones who have been here all their lives."

Shina had a soft smile on her face upon hearing her father's words. It was true that she had the ability to be social, but that was back in middle school where people didn't care about looks; only about how they appreciated you as a person. She was by no means ugly; sure, her skin was pale and her hair was kind of messy and her curves just weren't there yet and 'oh god I can't do this oh god oh god'

"Daddy, look! There's Shina-chan's new school!" Shina's sister cried out upon looking out her window, snapping her elder sister out of her thoughts almost as quickly as they had begun. Shina glanced out the window to see the building and was immediately awe-struck. The building, rather than being made out of the traditional brick of most schools, was actually crafted entirely with marble, giving it a grandiose shine that seemed to reflect for miles. Out front was a fountain that was almost as tall as their family's house, also crafted directly from marble. The centerpiece seemed to resemble Hachiko, the famed dog statue that Shina saw almost every time she visited Shibuya, only it looked much more majestic and regal, as if it were a king.

'Wow... this is where I'm going to school? I have to say, a girl could get used to this.' Shina mused to herself, subconsciously grabbing her backpack and climbing out of their Toyota Accord to walk the last few steps into the school.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your new school, Shina." Her dad said, as Shina turned around to face back towards the car. "Remember to give me a call first if you're going to hang out with any new friends. I worry about you, you know."

Shina had another small smile on her face as she began walking backwards towards the school. "Don't worry, Dad," she called out, as she had begun to get too far for her regular voice to carry to him amid the hustle and bustle, "I'll make sure you're the first to know if I have a new friend here."

With that, Shina's father gave her a quick wave and drove off to drop off her sister at her own school. Before Shina got in, she noticed a highly energetic student carrying a large sign that, if she didn't know any better, had her own name on it. The next thing Shina knew, the student ran towards her, sign still in hand.

"Hi there! You must be Shina Tachibana, right?"the student asked. Shina had a hard time telling whether this student was male or female, considering their body type. She could make out some features well enough - somewhat skinny, like herself, dark red hair and brown eyes - but otherwise, she couldn't really tell anything about her. Shina also took notice of her black bag that had a small cord sticking out of it - judging by what was on the other end of it, she deduced it was a laptop bag of some sort.

"Um... I'm sorry, but..." Shina seemed a bit nervous and confused by this student's sudden kindness towards her. Although, she did have a sign in her hands that she was waving around as if to get attention, so maybe it wasn't unusual... somewhat. "Who are you again?"

The androgynous student gasped - rather femininely, leading Shina to figure out that, yes, this was a girl - and put a hand to her face. Shina could already feel her guilt, but decided not to say anything. "Oh my god, I am SO sorry. I never introduced myself!" the girl shouted, at a volume level that was just below normal for this point in the day. "I'm Miko Tabichou. Nice to meet you!"

Miko thrust out her hand, as if to invite Shina to shake it. She began to reach for it, but then felt a strange pulsing in her head, causing her to close her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, Shina could swear she saw the number '18' in Roman numerals floating above Miko's head. "H... ar.. .. o..y?" Shina barely heard, before she managed to compose herself enough to become fully responsive to the world around her once again

Shina shook her head violently as if to expel something from her mind, and to make sure that she had everything straight on her head. Just what was that all about? It made her head hurt all over again thinking about it, but she got a strange feeling that wouldn't be the last time something of that sort occurred to her today.

"Shina...?" Miko squeaked out. Shina jumped ever so slightly upon hearing it, as she had totally forgotten that Miko was still there after the strange sight that penetrated her mind. "Are you okay now? I hope that wasn't my fault." Miko looked down at the ground, almost feeling guilty. This in turn made Shina feel guilty, though for what she couldn't quite figure out.

"Heh, don't worry Miko." Shina responded, lightly ruffling her hair in the process. "I'm okay now." She quickly looked around to see if there were any others with numbers over their heads, but she couldn't find any. Perhaps it was just first-day jitters? Shina couldn't tell, but decided to drop the matter. "Come on, let's head inside."


As the two went inside the school, Shina took a moment to look at her surroundings - and immediately became awestruck by them. The ceilings were high and seemed to be made out of glass to allow the sunlight to beam down into the main foyer, which had several hallways shooting off from the center. The walls were an unusually bright white, but this was offset by the many banners hanging from the walls that wee most likely designed to increase school spirit.

"Come on, Shina-chan!"Miko suddenly cried out, snapping Shina out of her brief trance. "We have an assembly before classes start so that the principal can welcome all the new kids - like us!" Miko seemed oddly cheerful, though Shina supposed that it was endearing in a way. Shina eventually nodded, smiled, and walked with Miko towards the auditorium.

"Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Torodara Preparatory Academy. My name is Chisamu Odaima, and I am the principal of this school."

Shina was surprised as how well the woman's voice could carry over the entire auditorium. Principal Odaima was not a big woman in stature by any means - while she was in no way small, however - but it seemed as if she exuded a sort of commanding aura that told people that she was a woman to be respected. Shina quickly glanced over to her left, watching Miko look at the principal in awe. Suddenly, they were both jostled by someone coming in behind them, settling in to a seat nearby.

"Sorry 'bout that." the male began. Shina turned to look at this new voice so she could match a face to it, and seemed as if she was looking at her self in a man's body. The student was shorter than most of the males around him, had messy hair and a largely unassuming build, and wore headphones around his neck - though unlike Shina's set, his were black. "I'm Shou Nishimura. Welcome to Torodara." he said, somewhat trailing off at the last part. Again, Shina suddenly felt a pulsing in her head, and saw the number eleven in Roman numerals above Shou's head.

This time, however, Shina was not feeling like she needed to jostle herself back into place. Instead, for whatever reason she began to feel tired, as if she had been peppered by the Sandman himself. She tried desperately to avoid falling asleep in her seat, but eventually felt her consciousness drift away as her eyes began to flutter shut...


Shina's eyes suddenly shot open, as if they had been forced that way by some strange force. She darted her head around, looking for some sort of clue as to where she was right now... but what she saw shocked her.

She had noticed that everything in the room had drastically changed - namely, rather than the auditorium that she was in before, she was instead in what appeared to be a dressing room for an actor in a stage production. Scattered around the room were several loose doors that seemed to lead to nowhere, prompting Shina to question why exactly they were there in the first place.

The other confusing thing for Shina was that everything in the room was blue in some manner. Some objects, such as the flowerpot sitting on a small table in the corner behind her left arm, were entirely blue, while other objects had only tinted blue. Shina was somewhat disturbed by this, but what disturbed her most were the next few words she heard, seemingly out of thin air... words that would forever change her life in Itsunami.

"Welcome... to the Velvet Room."


So, yeah. We've begun. Hope you're strapped in, cause shit's going to get interesting soon.

As always, R&R. And tune in next time.