Hey everyone! I watched Spirited Away yesterday, and BOOM! i had the best idea for a story! I feel like such a meanie...posting all of these stories and then not updating regularly. But I'm trying! if you guys like it, REVIEW! it'll inspire me to keep writing new chapters!

Hope you like it!


Chapter 1

Ayama wished that she could lay back on the car seat and stare up at the ceiling of the small mini-van, holding tightly the soft pink flowers her best friend had given her, but unfortunately her two younger sisters were already doing just that, both of them small enough to lay side by side on the wide seat without any trouble. Ayama knew that, being almost sixteen, it wouldn't be that easy.

The girl sighed, leaning her head against the window, her hazel eyes sad as she watched the new town come into view. It had been so hard to say goodbye to her friends; and it would be hard to get to know a whole new group of people. The wind blew gently outside the closed car windows, tousling the leaves of the bright summer trees that grew strongly along the streets.

Chihiro Scott looked back at her three daughters with a small smile, though her brown eyes were slightly nervous as she glanced out the window. Her short brown hair was beginning to gray slightly at the roots, and the corners of her mouth were beginning to develop lines from her almost constant smile. But those small differences didn't bother Chihiro. She had learned long ago, when she was quite young, that appearances weren't anything to base a person upon. She had learned that lesson very well…though the circumstances of learning that lesson were still quite vivid in her mind. She knew that that day when she was ten and following her parents into the tunnel could've been a dream…but something in her heart told her that it wasn't so.

Everett Scott looked over at his wife and grinned, his bright hazel eyes speckled with gold in the sunlight. His hair was black, and his skin was a much darker tan compared to Chihiro's porcelain complexion.

The two had met in a local Tokyo college, where Chihiro was studying psychology and Everett – an American student traveling to Japan as part of an abroad program – studying to become a brain surgeon. They fell in love, and when they graduated three years later immediately got married and moved into one of the cottages a mile or so away from the city. There they had their first child, Ayama, and it was obvious from the start that she inherited most of her appearance from her father, the almond shaped hazel eyes, the wavy black hair…everything except for the pale skin and the button nose…both of which she got from Chihiro.

When Ayama was almost four, Sakura had been born. Sakura had the eyes of her mother and the hair of her father, and the rest of her was a blend of both Japanese and American features, quite unlike Ayama who had a distinct American cast to her features with a small hint of her Japanese heritage. Then, two years after that, Ruki was born.

Ruki was, to say the least, the mirror image of Chihiro. If they were the same age, even Chihiro's own mother wouldn't be able to tell them apart. They had the same rosy cheeks, the same smallish nose that gave them a rather shy appearance, the thin frame and small hands that gripped so tightly. Straight brown hair was tied up in a thick ponytail. Their eyes were the same soft brown, their smiles the exact same shape and with the same innocence.

Ayama felt a small hand on her arm, and she turned to see Ruki smiling at her. Ayama sighed, leaning down to lean her chin against the girl's head. All three sisters had uniquely close relationships, but Ayama had always held a special spot in her heart for Ruki.

Ruki hummed a little song as she leaned on her older sister's shoulder, and after a moment asked.

"Ayama?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to move."

Ayama laughed. "Neither do I, but its not like we can do anything about it now."

Ruki harrumphed to herself, and Sakura gave a little snore from her position on the seat, and the two sisters looked over to see that Sakura was sound asleep, her hands curled under her cheek and her legs bent up to her chest. Ruki poked her in the arm, and the girl didn't stir, her snores only growing louder. Ayama and Ruki looked at each other, and both started giggling at the same time. Their father looked at them through the mirror that hung above the dashboard, and raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

Ayama cleared her throat as Ruki snickered. "Nothing, Dad."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

Everett's eyes crinkled good-naturedly as he noticed Sakura's unconscious form, and turned his gaze to the road once more. "Your mom's out for the count as well…how are they so tired? All we've done today is sitting around in this car! I'll be glad when we finally get to Grandpa and Grandma's house…" Everett grumbled, making a right onto another long stretching street that passed the stores and houses of the town.

Ruki and Ayama shrugged, and both of them stared out the window, lost in their own thoughts.

"Admit it Dad…you're lost." Ayama said loudly, and Everett laughed confidently as he drove through away from the road and onto the dirt path, the rocks causing the car to jerk violently. The town had disappeared a long time ago, leaving a faint trail in the brush. Sakura and the girls' mother were – miraculously – still asleep, and Ruki and Ayama were left trying to understand how their father had forgotten the way to their grandparents' house, when they had been there numerous times before.

They were driving along the path, and they passed a large area that was covered in scattered shrines that were cracked with age, a dark gray color.

"What are those, Dad?"

Everett shrugged. "I don't know. Your mom probably knows, but let's not wake her up."

Ruki shivered as they passed them, shrinking into Ayama's side, and the hill was soon lost from sight as they drove away.

A few minutes later, they were driving through the trees and it was now obvious that this path hadn't been used in centuries.

They were hopelessly, completely, and utterly lost.

Ruki whispered. "I think he and Grandpa hang out too much…"

Everett scowled at her as he barreled through the undergrowth, and Ayama held on for dear life as she and Ruki bounced all over the seats, trying hard not to scream. Ruki's eyes were wide, and she grabbed Ayama around the waist and buried her head into her sister's neck.

Ayama shouted. "Dad, stop!"

Everett put his foot on the brakes, but suddenly something sharp and piercing filled the air, and the car skidded to a halt. Everett swore vehemently – Amaya covered Ruki's ears hurriedly – before getting out of the car and leaning over the front tire. Ayama and Ruki clambered out of the car.

The car was slanted slightly, as the front tire was slowly deflating and soon became a limp puddle of black rubber. Everett growled some indistinguishable curses under his breath, and ran a hand through his hair. Ruki and Ayama bit their lips, trying not to laugh.

Ayama moved off a little, and something red caught her eye in the distance, and she frowned as she squinted. It was a building, and the girl brightened as she called to her father.

"Dad, there's a building over there. I'll go get some help."

"Sure, just be careful, okay? Ruki, come help me–"

"I want to go with Ayama!" Ruki said excitedly, her eyes stubborn as she grabbed Ayama's hand. Everett chuckled, and kissed her on the forehead before sending them on their way. Everett would soon come to regret this mistake, come to regret it with every bone in his body.

Ayama led the way through the trees, and looked around in curiosity at the large trees that clustered together in the dense forest, bright green and full of life. The grass beneath their feet was lush and brightly colored flowers were scattered across its velvet surface. The wind blew gently, blowing through Ayama's black hair that went in waves to just above her shoulders. The girls held hands and though they both had so much to say, couldn't find the words to speak to one another. It was like their lips were sealed shut, unable to open for fear of disturbing the ancient beauty that dwelled here.

The building was far in the distance, and after a minute or so of walking Ruki spoke, so softly that Ayama had to lean in to hear her.

"Ayama…tell me Mommy's story, the one about the spirits."

Ayama sighed – it was a long story, and she always felt so uncomfortable after telling it…almost like it was a spell waiting to be cast – but complied with a smile.

The story was about a young girl who had somehow gotten lost in the land of the spirits. Her mother and father were turned into pigs, and to get them back the girl had to get a job with a greedy witch who ran a prestigious bathhouse. She met a boy who was secretly a dragon, a dragon that was searching for his name. His name was what tied him to the witch, and if he remembered his name he could be free at last.

Ruki's lips turned up in a grin as she watched her sister make the story come to life. The long staircase that was so old and creaky that one had to run down it in fear of stepping down and breaking the frail wood, it sent Ruki's heart racing. The many shaped spirits who came to renew themselves in the warm waters of the baths, the six armed man who prepared herbs and was kind despite his grotesque appearance. The servant woman who was rude and unsympathetic at first to the girl, but was really a kind soul. The beautiful sparkle of the moonlight on the water, the train puffing along its glassy surface. How breathtaking it was in the innocent eyes of the ten year old, who was in awe of the images that whirled before her young mind.

"…and then, the girl went back to her world, and her parents were back to normal, unaware of their experience in the spirit world. Even though she tried, the girl could never forget."

Ruki was silent for a moment after the story ended, and looked up at Ayama. "But, what about the boy's promise?

Will we meet again sometime?

I'm sure we will.

Promise?

Promise.

Ayama sighed. "It's just a story, Ruki. You can make the ending whatever you want it to be."

Ruki shook her head solemnly. "No…you can't. Not with this one."

Ayama frowned, but before she could speak they reached the edge of the trees and were face to face with a large red-plaster wall. It was immeasurably old, with chunks of the wall missing and the red plaster faded from the elements.

The only entrance was a single dark tunnel that was so long that the end was nowhere in sight…just a path that loomed before them like a dark and shadowy sentinel.

The wind blew harshly against their backs, and the leaves whipped around them and disappeared into its inky blackness.

Ruki looked up at Ayama, and the two of them, side by side, made their way into the tunnel.

The wind whispered in their ears, but their senses weren't accustomed to the speaking of the old ancient language that lived in all of the natural world.

I promise…I promise…I promise…

The girls were swallowed up by the tunnel, and a deep humming filled the air as the wind blew even more fiercely.

A dragon's promise can never be broken.