Disclaimer: .hack and any related games, shows, or toys are not owned by me, and never will be. It is owned by Bandai.

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The soft pound of rain could be heard on the stone roof. Sean Uzuki looked out into the dark, wet streets of Tokyo from his second story room. The weekend was over, and school was about to begin for another week. "I hate these damn uniforms... Ever since I moved here from America, I have to go everywhere in them.." He muttered quietly, staring at the grey and dark blue school uniform. He stood up, and fell down on his bed. He was reaching for the remote, when the phone rang. "Hello?" Sean asked.

"Sean. It's Yamato." The voice on the other end said in a bored tone. "I got the new 'The World' software, and I'll give it to you tomorrow." He said.

"Cool. By the way, can I come over to your house tomorrow? My mom's gonna be gone, and if she leaves out her '1000 Yen Deluxe Sashimi' out again, I'll puke..." Sean told his friend.

"Sure. See ya tomorrow." Yamato said.

"See ya," Sean replied, and hung up. "Maybe Kairiyu and Rylla will come." he thought aloud. He turned around, and looked at the neon green numbers of the clock. "11:40?" he yawned. "Damn... I also have to walk to the train tomorrow.." He said, then turned off the lights and fell asleep in his bed.

The next morning.

Sean woke up with a yawn. "Good.. 6:00.. Didn't oversleep.." He yawned, and stretched. The sun could be seen over a few buildings, shining brightly. Sean squinted his eyes, and pulled down the rice paper curtain on his house. It was constructed in Traditional Japanese style, like the houses of the Edo period. He went to his bathroom, where he took a quick shower, and put on his uniform. He scratched at his shoulder.

About an hour later, Sean grabbed his wallet from the table, and raced out the door. It was another few minutes before he reached the train. The doors opened, and he stepped inside. It was about 15 minutes on the train, before he was able to get off. He had a small jaunt through the neighborhood, as he was still not familiar with the surroundings, until he got to his school. He walked inside, just as the bell rung and a teacher came out to close the gate. He ran to E-4, his classroom, and the long day began.

Sean slowly paced over to Kairiyu and Rylla, both sitting at their desks, giggling. "Hey!" Sean said. "I was gonna go to Yamato's house after school today. He has a new upgrade to 'The World'! Wanna come?" he asked them.

"I'll come!" Rylla giggled, and Kairiyu nodded her head, almost bursting with laughter.

"Okay! See you later!" he called back, and ran over to his desk. Weird girls. Sean thought.

The bell rang with a loud ding, and morning announcements began. Sean stifled a yawn, and stared blankly at the board. He ran his hand through his hair, giving it a small flip. The teacher picked up her stick, and pointed to a math equation on the board.

At 3:00, the bell rang. Sean's school was relatively shorter than the others, but it still began earlier. Sean, Rylla, and Kairiyu stepped out of the school and started walking towards the train station, and waiting for Yamato to join them. He finally ran up, panting.

"Sorry.. guys.. I had.. a.. test to.. finish.." He told them, kneeling down, and holding his hands on his knees.

"Yamato, you're pathetic! Even I can run a mile in 7 minutes, and you can't even run half a block without getting the wind knocked out of you!" Kairiyu sneered. "You spend too much time on 'The World'."

"That may be.." said Yamato, now standing. "But, what would be the fun in reality 24/7???" he grinned, letting out a short laugh.

"She's right, you know." Rylla said quietly, her short lavender hair blowing in her eyes. She flipped it back. "You're more athletic then any of us, and we have all achieved higher scores in running. Maybe you are spending too much time on that game. You'll get fat!" she giggled.

"No comment..." Sean said. "Anyways, the train leaves in," he held is watch up to their faces while tapping it, "15 minutes left until the train leaves!!!"

A scream came from Kairiyu's mouth. "SHIT! WE NEED TO GET TO THAT TRAIN! IT ONLY LEAVES TWICE A DAY!!!" she ran off at a mad dash towards the station. They all broke into a run trying to keep up with Kairiyu.

Luckily, they got to the train with five minutes to spare. Sean, Yamato, and Rylla finally jumped in, panting. Rylla fell down. "Look..what..you.did to. my hair.." she wailed in a shaky voice.

Sean sighed, slightly panting, and slumped down on a chair. He took out his CD player and started listening to a song called "Kettobase" by Utada Hikaru. Sure, it was old, but it was good. He tapped his finger against the player, as a beep could be heard, the doors closed, and the train sped off.

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Well, I hope you liked the first chapter in .hack//NETWORK! Please tell me what you think!!!