AUTHOR'S NOTE(S): 1--I claim nothing. Not the characters, not the costumes, nothing but Chris Jenkens and her character. 2--This is my first fanfic. Ever. Please keep this in mind as you read and review. I am more than happy to edit, but please say it nicely. 3--I am not entirely certain on some minor details. If you notice something I've gotten wrong, please email me or include it in the review and I will be happy to fix it.

So this is Tokyo… Chris Jensen looked out the window of the hotel, playing with the small prism she always wore around her neck. A soft breeze blew in the window, ruffling her cropped light-brown hair. She shaded her gray eyes against the sun and looked out at the city. She had never seen so many buildings so close together. In all fairness, it is…interesting, she decided. But I'd rather be home.

"Home" was at her aunt's house in England. Chris had lived there for almost as long as she could remember. She thought of Aunt Tina as more like her mother, and her cousins were like brothers and sisters to her.

Chris unzipped her carry-on and took out a photograph, a parting gift from her aunt. A smiling girl with blue eyes rode on Chris' back, while three other children smiled stiffly at the camera. Her aunt stood behind them all. Chris swallowed hard as she looked at her aunt's smiling face. I will not cry, she told herself firmly, and turned her gaze to the photo-image of herself. She was laughing at the camera, holding her fingers in a "V" shape. I remember…I wanted so badly to come to Japan… Chris shook her head at her own folly. And now I'd rather be home.

It had seemed like a dream come true when a Japanese agent had come backstage after one of her school choir concerts, offering her a chance to sing in Tokyo. She had quickly agreed, without a thought to what she'd be leaving behind. Even now, six months later, she had a hard time believing this was really happening.

Chris stuck out her chin stubbornly. "I will make you proud, Aunt Tina." She put the photo on the bedside table and walked into the bathroom, splashing water on her face. "Watch out…whoever is popular here in Japan…I'm a star on the rise." She nodded at the mirror before practicing her greeting one more time, smiling at her reflection. "Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Jensen Chris desu. Uh..." She always forgot what came after that! Her smile faltered, but she forged ahead. "Y--yoroshiku, onegaishimasu!" She smiled and bobbed her head. This was going to work! She walked back into her room and set about unpacking.

The next morning, she was awoken by the annoying ringing of her alarm clock. For the thousandth time, she regretted buying an old-fashioned alarm clock that clanged. Experiencing a healthy bout of jet lag, Chris considered throwing it under the other pillow in the queen bed and going back to sleep, but then she caught sight of the glowing numbers on the hotel clock. 8:00?! I have to get to school! She rolled out of bed, hitting the shower running. She was going to be late, and she heard that teachers in Japan were very strict. She ran a comb through her wet hair, glad that she had gotten it cut so that it looked good that way. Grabbing her uniform, she tried once again to shake the packing wrinkles out of it and put it on, hopping her way out of the room as she pulled on a sock. Running out into the street, she hailed a cab by waving a shoe at it. When one finally pulled over, she realized that she did not speak enough Japanese to be able to tell him where to go. Praying he understood English, she simply said, "Juuban High School!" He nodded and seemed to know where he was going, so maybe it was going to be okay. Chris checked her watch. 8:10…I just might make it.

Arriving at the school, Chris shoved money into the driver's hands and waiting while he counted the change. He was honest, she had to give him that, but right now she just wished she knew how to say "keep the change" in Japanese. Finally he was done. Thanking him, she ran up the steps to the school. Stepping in the doors, it hit her like a bus. She didn't know Japanese! She found an official-looking person. "Um…Watashi wa Iirisu-jinn desu." The lady nodded, which wasn't much help. "Umm…help?" Chris said, holding her hands in an "I don't know" gesture. The lady seemed to suddenly comprehend, for she took Chris to an office, where a large man greeted her. She had to listen hard to understand the English behind his accent, but she understood that he was the principal of the school, and that he would take her to class. Chris bowed. "Domo arigato." That phrase, she knew.

Inside the classroom, Chris stared at several Japanese faces. The teacher had been very kind, addressing her in English and asking her to introduce herself to the class. Chris smiled and faked confidence. "I am Chris Jensen. I am from the United Kingdom." Blushing, she followed it up with, "Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Jensen Chris desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." She bowed slightly to keep herself from grinning foolishly. She had made it!

"Arigato, Jensen-san, for that introduction," the teacher said. She then pointed towards a desk that Chris supposed was hers. She bowed again, and sat. In front of her, a girl with pigtails turned around and grinned at her. "Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Tsukino Usagi desu." Chris nodded, hoping she looked friendly yet not friendly enough that the girl would keep talking. She had had enough trouble keeping up with her introduction, forget understanding if the girl said anything else!

The teacher, whose name Chris had learned was Haruna, spoke sharply to Tsukino-san. She then led Chris to another desk, next to a girl with glasses. "Mizuno-san will be your interpreter." The girl nodded shyly at her, and Chris nodded back. Returning to the blackboard, the teacher began to write Japanese characters. Mizuno-san began to translate, and Chris was kept furiously taking notes for the rest of class.

A bell rang, and Mizuno-san put away her notebook. Chris was puzzled. It was only afternoon, and she had been told that Japanese children stayed to school very late. Looking around, she saw that Tsukino-san and everyone else were getting out lunchboxes. Ah. Aha. Lunch. Chris reached for her backpack, but suddenly realized that she had forgotten to pack a lunch! She flushed with embarrassment. Tsukino-san ran over, grabbing her hand and chattering away, but Chris just shook her head. She did not want to have to fake understanding all lunch period, especially when she had no lunch of her own. She saw Mizuno-san slip out the door. Extracting herself from Tsukino-san's grip as politely as possible, she followed the girl.

She eats alone? Chris stood at the doorway to the schoolyard, watching Mizuno-san fish a sandwich out of a grocery bag. Not wanting to look like she'd been spying, Chris walked nonchalantly onto the roof and stood staring at the outside. She couldn't help but glance at Mizuno-san's lunch, and her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten breakfast, either. Chris sighed, and tried to distract herself by counting trees.

"Would you like some?" a quiet voice interrupted her. Startled, Chris forgot the number she was up to, turning to see Mizuno-san holding out a sandwich. Chris blushed. "If it won't inconvenience you," she took the sandwich. "Domo arigato." Mizuno-san nodded, retreating to her bench. Chris sat on her own, counting trees again. 47…48…49…

The bell rang for class again. Chris stood, heading back to class behind Mizuno-san. For the rest of the day, she tried to keep up. She took notes and listened to Mizuno-san until her head spun. When school finally ended, she wanted nothing more than to get back to the hotel and lose herself in a good book, forgetting about wa and desu and everything Japanese.

Okay, so they don't stay in school all that late, Chris thought as she walked to the hotel. In her bag she carried Japanese-symbol flashcards, as well as some household words to tape up in her room. Unlocking her door, she kicked off her sandals and socks, sighing with pleasure. These sandals were uncomfortable! She picked up a book, losing herself in the adventures of the heroine.

Looking up, Chris realized that it was dark, and time to go to bed. Undressing, she walked into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, turning the pages of her book with one hand. She read until the chapter was over. Finally sighing and switching off the lamp, she lay there for a while before drifting into a fitful sleep.

"The Crystal is Dying."

Huh? Chris sat up, rubbing her eyes. She was wearing a uniform, almost like her school uniform except that it was all white. She couldn't see very well, probably due to the mist that covered everything. She squinted at the figure in front of her.

"The Crystal is Dying. We must save it, Star-born. For that, we need a power not born to this sphere."

The figure stepped forward, somehow simultaneously illuminated and obscured. Chris could only make out the crown on the figure's head. The manikin's next words chilled her to the heart:

"We need you."

--CHAPTER TWO PREVIEW--

Chris stopped, staring at the pamphlet that had just been pushed under her door. That's it, Christina, she told herself sternly as she dressed. You're going to this park, and you're going to have fun!

Senshi…they're soldiers? She wanted to stop, but something in her wanted more than anything to see the boy's face and to find out where she knew him from. She felt as if he held all the answers in the universe. Out of breath, she finally stopped, looking back to the park. A figure was on top of the park wall, silhouetted against the sky. Chris felt a pull towards it, and an uneasy feeling of impending disaster. She began to run towards the park, but by the time she got there the figure was gone.