HELLO! I'm Aslin Sohma and I'm proud to be telling you this tale bows thanks to everyone who helped me proof-read this blah blah blah – OH YEAH almost forgot the credits! I do NOT own spirited away – but I did make up Akina myself SO DON'T STEAL HER! Hee hee enjoy

Chapter One

"Oh…Late late LATE!" Akina was late. She had been late for school that morning. She had been late for seeing her mother off to work – and missed hermorninghug goodbye. She had missed the note about a quiz that day and now had to make it up after school tomorrow, which she would probably also forget. Akina was forgetful – she couldn't help it. But now she was late for her short train ride back home and this was the last train.

Running up to the ticket counter, she gets a few weird stares from the others in the train depot. It was no surprise, it wasn't every day you saw a pretty 15 year old in this bad part of town. She was wearing her navy blue school uniform, dark pleated skirt that went to her mid-thigh. She had on her short sleeved Sailor top because it was steamy out these days. It was mid April and Japan's springtime was in full bloom.

Akina blows her black bangs out of her face. Akina had always been teased about her hair – she had light blonde hair that was foreign from the masses of black and brown. She felt sort of like an outcast, but got a lot of attention because of it. She wasn't very outgoing by herself, but people seemed to be drawn to her because of her uncanny glow. Akina had shoulder length hair and wore it up in two messy buns. She had her favorite Pink ribbons in, her mother had given them to her for her birthday last year and wasn't seen without them. Reaching into her bag for her money, she bumps into a young man in front of her. He turns around and Akina stopped dead in her tracks. He was gorgeous. The teen had short spiky black hair and lively blue eyes. He had a muscular build and was wearing a long black jacket and baggy jeans.

Akina instantly felt her face redden as she said, "I'm sorry. I wasn't watchi-" Then he cut her off with a dazzling smile and a laugh. This startles her and he said in a soft tone "No harm done, and its not like you meant to hit me. I'm Hatsaharu. Haru for short. It's a pleasure to meet you miss..." "Akina. My name isAkina." She said with a small smile. Her face was still red, but it lessened as she talked with him. There was something mysterious about him that made her heart soar – but also made her think 'Why is he being so nice to me…' "Well Akina, I'm sorry to have held you up. What train are you taking?" He replies before she had a chance to think it all through "Oh…I'm going to-" "NEXT." Shouted a wrinkled old woman from behind the counter. Akina turns away to go to the ticket booth and Haru steps aside.

"Where too?" The lady said with a gruff voice. It sounded like she had been saying that over twenty million times a day. But – she was already late and didn't have time to waste. "One for West Hojo, please." She said quickly. The women looked at her through the glass window and heaved a sigh. With her old wrinkly hands she produced one ticket and spoke through the intercom "Three bucks." Thank goodness for American currency, she thought. Handing over three dollars, the women snatched it up and shouted "NEXT."

Akina walks over to the boarding point and looks down at her ticket. "Hmm…deck 4…" She walks quickly down the station until she reaches a loading dock labeled with an electronic sign reading "Dock Four: West Hojo". She heaves a sigh and sits down on a nearby bench. She still had a few precious minutes until the train came - a few seconds of bliss to relax. Suddenly she is tapped on the shoulder and she spins around to see Haru standing behind her "This your stop too? Weird." He sits down beside her and she looks at him funny "Why are you being so nice to me anyway?" His smile fades away a little and he says nothing. The train sounds from a little ways away. Akina stands up and doesn't look back at him. She had obviously hurt his feelings, and was sorry about it.

The train slowed to a stop and the automatic doors opened. The together passengers got on and Akina started to follow them when Haru reached out and Grabbed her hand and placed something heavy in it. "Remember something, Miss Akina, you are never alone. Your friends and family will always be there for you." He let her go, closing Akina's hand on the object. Akina looked at him as he walked away with that smile of his towards the exit "What do you mea-" She began but then the warning bell sounded and she ran onboard just as the doors shut. Running past the other riders into the very back to try and catch a glimpse of him walking away. The train started up and rumbled in departure. Haru stood on the edge of the platform and made eye contact with her. He smiles again, winks and disappears into a gust of wind.

Akina blinks and stares at where he had just been. How the HELL could that have happened? Hadn't he just been standing there a second ago? 'Maybe I dreamed the whole thing…' She thought, then placed her hands into her pockets – and felt a smooth jewel against her palm. She takes out her right hand again, remembering what happened. 'That boy…he was so weird…but it felt like I had seen him before…' she thought as she opened her palm. She stopped herself from gasping just in time. There was a small-crystallized teardrop sitting in her hand. It seemed to have some kind of aura around it, a strange light blue glow to it. There was a silver chain through the center of it. 'This day…its just too weird!'

Minutes passed and Akina clutched the stone in her hands and stared into it. "How had he…how was all of this happening?' she thought. 'Maybe this is all a dream…it must be a dream…' she thought frantically. Then she stopped and realized that they were going through a tunnel soon. She HATED tunnels. They were creepy and scary and what if one of them collapsed? What if they all died of suffocation – or getting crushed or WORSE? She was starting to panic a little when the necklace let off a little stronger a glow. Just for a moment and she looked down at it. Unclasping it from the ends she relapsed around her neck. It was a perfect fit, stopping just under her uniform shirt. Suddenly a shock wave emitted from the necklace and they went through the tunnel. Akina blanked out on what happened next – it went by so quickly that she couldn't catch it. One moment She was inside that dreadful tunnel, in a train filled with strangers and the next….the next the train was outside crossing over an ocean of water with no others in sight on the train. "What….Whats happening to me?"

Sorry its kind of short – shall write longer later but now I have to leave bye bye for now! REview if you feel nice OH and if you want to give sugestions I'm good with that too! THANK YOU!

-Aslin