"From the Great Above she set her mind on the Great Below."

-A translation from Inanna's Descent to the Netherworld

(~)

On the day Haruka left her hometown there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The air was fresh, with just a small chill to signal the beginnings of spring. This made her all the more melancholy as she stood on the concrete steps that led up to the station. She looked up and out; this would be all left behind.

Her parents had said their goodbyes the night before, so she was alone. The trains weren't that far from their house, and most of her things had already been sent. All that she had with her was a messenger bag that carried a few personal items and things she could use to pass the time. She was dressed in a navy blue blazer opened to a blue vest with silver buttons lined two in a row down her torso, and underneath that was a white button-down with a pin-stripe tie. Her skirt was the same color as her blazer and vest, and she wore gray stockings with brown patent-leather loafers that still had a shine only new school shoes could carry. This was her new school uniform. New, new, new and more new. The newness of the clothes on her felt stifling; more like a military uniform rather than a boarding school's…

"The train for Okina Station will be arriving in ten minutes. If you are in the change-over for Kudarizaka Station please have your ticket ready when…"

"Good bye, home." That was all she said as she tightened a turquoise ribbon: the only thing that was old and familiar on her. The ribbon held her dark hair back from her face while she walked up the remaining steps to enter the station.

She did not look back.

Haruka got to Okina and switched over to a bullet train without any hassle. There were not many people in her section of the train and the food service had already passed by, so she just sat and ate the simple boxed lunch that had been offered.

She did not know what else to do. She did not feel like reading, and the train was going too fast to really watch the scenery, so she leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes and exhaled.

"Might as well sleep for a bit…" she mumbled to herself, and soon enough she was in a deep slumber.

(~)

As Haruka opened her eyes, she felt a strange impression that she was somewhere else. She was still seated, and there was a familiar rumble under her feet that reassured she was still in a moving vehicle. As her eyes focused she took in the area, a comfortable room of sorts, with a sliding door on the right side and a window on the left, with the outside pitch black. The remainder of the room was tastefully done, something you would expect the cabin on a western-style upper class train car. The only thing that made it any different is that the whole room was colored in shades of dark blue. Blue wallpaper, blue rug, and the seat she was curling her fingers into a soft, plush periwinkle.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. It seems you have awakened."

Haruka tried to focus on where the voice came from and her eyes moved to the center. There were two people sitting across from her. One was a woman who wore a blue dress with shining blue buttons and gold buttons. She had platinum blond hair and golden eyes that looked at Haruka steadily.

The other person was a girl who looked to be around Haruka's age. Like the woman, she had gold eyes, but her hair was more silver and done into two braids with blue ribbon. Her outfit held a similar look to the woman: a blue vest clasped with two sets of blue and gold buttons, a blue skirt, and dark tights. The only difference was the woman wore blue high heels and the girl wore black boots.

"Awakened?" was all she could think to reply with, but "where am I?" or "who are you?" were probably better responses.

"I apologize for contacting you in such an abrupt manner, but this will be the best time to warn you of the events to come," the woman replied. "Some time after you reach your destination, you will be sent on a journey that could decide the ultimate fate of not only yourself, but other souls that you meet."

Haruka was growing more and more confused. She supposed her new school could be a journey of sorts, but that did not mean it should have any real effect on others. "I'm… sorry, but I'm afraid I don't understand."

A small smile crossed the woman's face. "Do not worry, you will learn in time if you choose to."

That made the girl even more confused. "You mean I have a choice to what is about to happen?"

The woman snapped her fingers. Haruka nearly jumped when a piece of paper and a fountain pen appeared on the oaken table that separated her from them.

"This document is a contract; those who arrive here in the Velvet Room must sign one, if they intend to come back."

Haruka moved forward in her seat to look down at the paper, reading the lines until it was too hard to make out, save for a line for her signature. The room was dimly lit, and light came from the window.

The woman continued. "By signing, you are simply taking responsibility of all your actions henceforth."

Haruka squeezed her hands against the upholstery, trying not to panic. This had to be a dream, and if it was- and since it was, whatever she answered should not matter.

"It does matter." A new voice made her look up. The girl sitting next to the woman had finally talked and she was looking directly at Haruka.

"Whether or not you sign is your choice, but you need to realize that every choice has consequences."

Haruka waited for the girl to continue, but she turned her gaze away and remained silent.

The woman sighed, looking at the girl with a frown before bowing her head apologetically to Haruka.

Haruka looked back down at the contract, lifted the pen, and wrote down the kanji of her name before she gently set the pen back down. The paper floated up and disappeared in a shimmer of light.

"It is an honor to have you as our guest here in the Velvet Room, Haruka Endo."

The girl swallowed, before voicing her response. "I will take responsibility… but I would like to know what I'm taking responsibility for. And what…"

Haruka felt her vision start to get hazy. She raised her hand to her forehead and cringed.

"Our time for now is at an end. Do not worry, we will meet again soon," The woman replied, her voice steady. "Until then, I bid you farewell."

The last thing Haruka saw as she fell back into consciousness was a pair of gold eyes.

(~)

"Attention passengers: we have arrived at Kudarizaka Station. Please make sure to take all your belongings with you as you depart from the train. Thank you for riding…"

Haruka groaned and rubbed her eyes as she sat up. What a strange dream…

She looked around, thankful to be back on a train that was not entirely blue for a color scheme. The girl stretched a little before she got up to grab her bag from the storage space and moved to exit the train. Haruka's first impression of the station could be described in a single word: loud.

Kudarizaka Station was much louder than her home station; hell, it was louder than Okina City! It had trains coming and going along the tunnel systems and shops filled with people in street and business attire going to and fro around her. Everything was so loud.

"How am I going to find them in a place like this?" Haruka whispered to herself, but took a deep breath and moved through the station and ignored the strange looks people gave her as she passed by. It was probably strange to see someone in a school uniform on a Sunday, but her directions were to be wearing it when she met her ride to the dorms, and when she thought about it was probably smart since they would find her quickly.

In directions she was sent via email, Haruka was instructed to stand beside the samurai statue outside of the station, which she pinpointed with relative ease. There was a tall man there who also seemed to be waiting for someone. He was passing the time by flicking a lighter on and off. Haruka decided it was probably best to leave him alone, so stood on the other side of the statue. She took out her cellphone to check the time. The school told her they would be meeting here, but she had not seen anyone stop to speak with her yet…

"Hey, you. Over there," a deep voice called out.

Haruka turned to find the tall man facing her directly. He was not bending his head anymore, which was covered in thick brown hair that was starting to show gray, and he looked even taller for it. He had brown eyes and strong features, but no facial hair to speak of.

"Are you talking to me?" Haruka's eyes blinked back at the stranger.

The man moved his head to look around, as if making a second check to see if they were the only ones standing at the statue before turning back. "Who else would I be talking to?"

"The statue?" was the girl's response, and the man frowned in confusion.

"The-? Never mind that; by your clothes I'm guessing you're the new transfer student?"

Haruka's eyes widened. Was the man one of her instructors? He… did not look like a teacher. He was wearing a leather jacket and jeans- not the sort a professional she supposed would where. Even if it was a day off.

Haruka panicked a little and gave a small bow. "Yes, I am the transfer student. Forgive me, Sensei."

When she looked up she noticed that the man had crossed his arms and was averting his eyes. "It's nice to see kids being polite these days, but you do not have to be so formal. I'm not... one of your teachers, I don't even work for the school."

The man sighed before he looked up. "Seems we got off on the wrong foot- my name is Tatsuya Suou; I'm a detective in the city police department. The reason I'm picking you up is a favor for an acquaintance of mine."

"Oh," Haruka blinked, before a small smile spread across her face. It was silly how she reacted so formally, maybe the nerves and that dream were getting to her. "It's nice to meet you, Suou-san. I'm Haruka Endo."

She held out her hand for the man to shake, while he stared blankly at her. "Shouldn't you ask for my identification before going into introductions? You're in a new city; what if I'm a pervert or something?"

Haruka thought about this. "Well, you don't seem like a pervert, but if it makes you feel better… may I please see your identification?"

The man continued to grumble as he took his wallet out. He showed Haruka an police identification card with his name and picture in plain sight.

"Does that mean you also have hand cuffs?" she asked. "If so, may I see them to make sure you are a police officer as you say?"

"Don't push it." Suou responded, irritated. "And I'm off duty."

"I see." Haruka replied as she lightly banged her bag against her legs. There was a lull in their conversation. The girl took the time to see more of her surroundings. The sky was off-white, with a breeze that had the salty smell of the sea. It was an entirely different smell from her home, but as Haruka breathed in and out she did not find the scent unpleasant.

She gave a firm nod to herself, as if giving a pep-talk in her mind. She would do her best to make the most out of this new place. No matter how tough it would get, she would not run away on the next train back home.

The man turned. There was nothing left to say. "We should get going."

"Right," she replied with more confidence as she jogged after Suou. Along the curb among the bike racks and small motor bikes was police car that looked rather out of place.

"…Suou-san."

"Yes?" the man replied, as he walked up to the vehicle.

"Didn't you say you were off duty?"

"I did, but I don't have another car. I own a motorcycle, but I can't let a minor on that without the right equipment." The man opened the door for her. "Slide in."

Haruka took a small moment to stare at the open door, before heaving a small sigh as she did what was asked of her.

Maybe she had spoken too soon about not running away.

(~)

The ride to the dorms was quiet, but Haruka did not find it odd for it to be. From what she had gleaned from Suou's personality so far, he was not a fan of small talk. It also gave her time to look at the various places they passed on their way. The detective pointed out landmarks sometimes, and gave a small description of the place and what to find there. Shizuoka was a smaller city than she first thought. It did not have the sprawling metropolis she thought you were likely to find in Tokyo, but it was still far bigger than her home town.

Suou even made a small drive along the coastal street where the ship port and harbor were so she could get a glimpse of the sea. The dorms weren't by this street, and when it took an additional ten minutes to reach their destination Haruka realized that Suou was showing her the scenic route out of the kindness of his heart. Suou was not as gruff as he first appeared.

When they pulled up to the curb, the detective pointed to the western style building in front of them. It was on the corner of the street, around four floors tall with a flat roof.

"Here is where you'll be saying. There should be another student waiting inside to show you around," he said. Haruka nodded and opened the door before she stepped out of the car with her carryon.

She turned back to close the door and gave the detective another small smile. "Thank you for the ride, Suou-san."

Suou blinked a bit in surprise. It made Haruka think of how you would probably look if you realized you walked out the door with two different shoes on.

It only took another moment for him to come back to his senses, though. "Stay out of trouble."

Haruka watched from the sidewalk as the police car pulled away. She looked up at the dormitory one last time before taking on more deep breath and making her way to the door. She took out a card key she had been sent in the mail and slid it into a slot before the door unlocked with a small click-clack.

She eased the door open and peered inside. "Hello?"

No answer.

Haruka walked in, closed the door behind her, and entered the common room. It was nicely yet simply furnished: there were couches, armchairs, and a television set. She walked to the center and looked around and held her bag behind her back as she turned. It was late afternoon by this point, and there were shadows cast across every surface, as the lights had not been turned on yet.

Where was everyone? It was a day off; shouldn't there have been at least a few people walking around the common room?

All of that changed when she heard the pounding of footsteps and looked up to the stairway. A girl with blonde hair was running down, her hair in a slight disarray as she looked down at Haruka, before sighing.

Haruka heard a voice mumble "I forgot again…" before the blonde girl continued down the steps. She was wearing a blue plaid skirt and soft yellow v-neck sweater that was almost the same color as her hair with a blue button down shirt underneath, the sleeves rolled up. Muscular looking legs were dressed in navy blue knee socks, and she wore no shoes. In one of her hands she grasped a post-it note.

"Y-you're Haruka Endo, right?" the unknown girl asked as she caught her breath, and Haruka was shocked at how deep her voice sounded for a girl, before she began to laugh. "Oh, scratch that, of course you are. You wouldn't be able to get in if you didn't have a card key."

"Yes, are you alright?" Haruka asked.

The unknown girl waved her hand. "Oh, I'm fine! It's my own fault for not being here on time. Even wrote down a note to remind me you were coming today…"

Haruka figured that was probably what was written on the post-it. "Well at least you remembered in the end."

"Haha, I suppose you're right." The girl held out her hand for Haruka to shake. "I'm Hajime Reika, third year."

"It's nice to meet you, Reika-senpai. Um, I didn't know 'Hajime' could be a girl's-"

That's when Haruka realized how big the older "girl's" hand was: it clasped around her own easily, and let her feel the calluses along the palm. She moved her head higher to focus on her senpai from above the shoulder. Her schoolmate had vibrant green eyes that matched in the unexpectedness along with the blonde hair on Japanese features, light gloss along the lips, and a defined Adam's apple peeked out from the undone button on a shirt.

"Oh, I'm a guy by the way." Hajime Reika gave her a beautiful smile and squeezed her hand gently.

"Welcome to your new home, Haruka-chan!"

(~)

TO BE CONTINUED

Hello there! Since Persona 5 will be released winter 2014, I thought now was a good a time as any to begin a Persona story. Chronologically speaking, this story takes place around ten years after the events of Persona 4 Arena. You may recognize a familiar name if you have played the older Persona games, but so far no one from SEES or the Investigation Team will be in this story. Save for certain members of the Velvet Room, this story will be filled with original characters!

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and will continue to read to see what happens next!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Persona series.

Thanks goes to my beta InfinityPhoenix for his help.