A/N It is important to note that, in this story, the people of the modern era know about demons. Just letting you know.


It was just a legend. A fireside story meant to frighten people. Or at least, that was what Kagome had believed. She slowly opened the book she had borrowed from her local library and reread the passage that had caught her attention earlier that day.

"Around three hundred years ago, a powerful new race of humanoid beings appeared in Japan. These beings later revealed themselves to be a race known as the Okugi. Any assumptions that these beings were demons were swiftly corrected by both the demons and the Okugi themselves.

The Okugi showered the humans and demons with gifts and offers of services, trade, goods, alliances, and even friendship. Though the humans easily accepted these wondrous things, the demons were suspicious. Many refused to let the Okugi anywhere near their lands. For years, their remained any icy distrust between these two powerful races.

Then, fifty years after their arrival, the Okugi turned on humans. Several villages were slaughtered in the dead of night, the structures burning until there was nothing left. The Okugi then announced their belief that they were a superior race to even the demons. They began to systematically hunt and kill all the demons they could find, as well as the elderly and ill humans. Demons, they said, were a threat. Humans, however, they planned to keep as slaves.

A war quickly ensued between the demons and the Okugi. The humans joined months later, but were forced to withdraw after scarcely two years due to the ferocity of the fighting. For sixty years the war raged, and the demons were slowly losing. But then, in the early days of the new year, an emergency council was held. A leader was chosen, a man who was able to somehow unite the demon forces and launch a new attack on the enemy. His name was lost to history. After a hundred years of fighting, the demons won the war. But victory came at a cost. More than a million lives were lost, the majority of them demon.

No one knows where the demons are today. Some believe that they have hidden themselves away so that they will never suffer again as they did during the war. However, no matter where they are, their legacy lives on. Without their efforts, none of us would be here today."

Kagome closed the book with trembling hands and hugged it close to her chest. She'd never thought the war was real. And yet, here it was, written in this national history book. She blinked misty eyes as the faces of her friends passed through her mind. Inuyasha and the others… Did they fight? Did they… die? She shook her head furiously as several tears slid down her cheeks. No! They can't be dead! They have to be alive… They have to be…

(-)

The insistent buzzing sound of something vibrating near her head pulled Kagome out her dreams. Too early. She sat up and blinked open bleary eyes. Her gaze soon locked on the source of the noise: her cell phone. With a groan, she reached over and picked it up. This had better be good… "Hello?"

"Kagome! You'd better not still be asleep!" It was her friend, Eri.

"I was," Kagome muttered.

"Well hurry up and get moving! We have to be there in an hour!"

"What are you talking about? Be where?" She leaned back and closed her eyes. She just wanted to sleep.

"The docks!" Eri exclaimed. "We're going on a cruise for your birthday!"

Kagome bolted up, sleepiness instantly forgotten. "Oh my god! I completely forgot!"

"Obviously! Now hurry up and get ready! I'll meet you there!"

"Right!" Kagome thanked her lucky stars that she'd had the foresight to pack several days before as she threw some clothes on and shoved her phone in her pocket. She shouldered the old yellow bag she'd dragged around with her in the Fuedal Era and extended the handle on her suitcase, rolling it behind her as she exited her small apartment. I am so late… She rode a bus to the docks and ran to where she was supposed to board. She scanned the crowds and a smile blossomed on her face when she spotted her friend.

"Hey Kagome!" Eri said happily as they approached the people checking tickets. "You ready for the best cruise of your life?"

"Of course I am!" Kagome replied. "I've been looking forward to this for months! This is going to be awesome!"

"I know!" Eri squealed excitedly.

They showed a man their tickets and quickly boarded the ship. Kagome looked around the large ship in awe, her smile growing with each passing moment. This will be the best week of my life. She knew that was exaggerating; nothing could compare to the time she'd spent in the Fuedal Era. But this would be pretty darn close.

(-)

Two days of boredom passed and Kagome and Eri sat on lounge chairs in the shade by the pool. "We could… Go swimming," Kagome suggested.

"It's way too crowded," Eri replied. "…We could go play in the arcade."

"The only reason I would ever go in there was if Sota was here and needed to be entertained for a while." Kagome shielded her eyes when her umbrella shifted a bit, taking with it some of her shade. "We could go check out the buffet."

"I'm not really hungry," Eri sighed. "Why? Are you?"

"Not really."

"We could go shopping."

"The only things they're selling are clothes, purses, jewelry, and the like. Not interested."

"Yeah… me either."

Kagome sighed heavily. I swear… If something doesn't happen soon, I'm going to go mad. Then, as if to spite her, the heavens suddenly opened up and it began to pour. "This is not what I meant!" she exclaimed furiously, earning a few odd looks. She and Eri grabbed their towels and ran inside, each of them deeply regretting wearing their bikinis outside today. They stood in the halls on their floor, teeth chattering.

"I-I'll s-see you l-l-later, K-Kagome," Eri chattered. "I n-need to g-g-get dried of-f-ff."

Kagome mumbled an agreement. The rain had felt like ice. She was freezing. They parted ways, each heading to their separate rooms. As she shut the door, she glanced to the alarm clock on the nightstand by her bed. It was nearly two in the afternoon. She shivered and tossed her towel onto the ground. Without bothering to look for a change of clothes first, she padded into the bathroom with bare feet and turned on the shower as hot as she could stand it. She stripped naked and gratefully stepped in. She stood there for at least an hour just savoring the warmth before finally finding the motivation to start washing.

She practically sparkled she was so clean when her shower was over. She took her time drying off. Once she was finished, she wrapped the towel around herself and walked out of the bathroom. She sighed happily as she dressed in warm clothes and slipped some sandals on. She plopped down on her bed. Now what to do… She grew annoyed at facing the same dilemma as before. Stupid boredom. She glanced to her door, wondering if Eri was done warming up as well. She stood, intent on finding out, when the entire suddenly shook with a thunderous boom. Barely a few seconds later, alarms began to wail. The lights turned a dim red. An authoritative voice echoed from speakers located all over the ship. The alarms drowned out most of what he said, but Kagome had heard enough. A monster storm was raging outside and the ship was going to sink. In a panic, Kagome grabbed her old yellow bag and mad a mad dash toward Eri's room. The two met in the hall, wearing equally terrified expressions, and fled up the stairs to the main upper deck.

Rain pelted the deck, as sharp as needles and colder than ice. Thunder boomed in the distance. Lightning cracked ominously in the sky, even striking the ship once or twice. Kagome was up to her ankles in water. The ship rocked dangerously. Waves crashed against it. She followed Eri toward a lifeboat, but her way was barred when someone else boarded it just behind her friend.

"Just go, Kagome! There's another boat behind us! You'll be okay!"

Unable to do anything else, Kagome followed her friend's order and ran to the other boat. It was the last one. She climbed in, slipping several times as she attempted to put on her life jacket. Once it was finally on, she sat down and watched as a young couple ran toward her lonely boat. She was trembling. Then, more lighting struck the ship. It hit the deck scarce feet before the couple, stopping them dead in their tracks. Then, a second bolt attacked the supports holding her boat up. With a shriek, Kagome plummeted to the raging sea below.

Dark liquid enveloped her. For several frantic moment, Kagome didn't know which way was up. But then the water released her and she gasped in several much-needed gulps of air. Her eyes blinked open and she felt a moment of relief when she saw her boat not far away. She paddled toward it slowly. Her backpack weighed her down, but her lifejacket prevented her from sinking. She grabbed hold of the side of the small wooden vessel just as a terrible wave caught her pitiful boat. She screamed when she was carried high into the air, far above the height of a normal wave.

I-I'm on a tsunami! The wave grew and grew, picking up speed as it raced endlessly forward before crashing down to the see with horrific force. The boat splintered, leaving her with only half of it to cling to. She coughed violently and spat out seawater. She opened her eyes again, said eyes widened in pure terror at the sight before her. Four separate cyclones spun around her, one so close that it's winds whipped her hair around. She trembled harder.

Another wave picked her up then, surging past the cyclones before slamming her back under the water. Wave after wave crashed over her. Each time she managed to suck in a breath, she was dragged under once more. She clung desperately to the remnants of her boat. Kagome finally managed to keep her head above the water for more than a few moments and gasped at the sight of a huge lightning storm in the distance. The blinding white light it created illuminated her despite the miles separating them. Then she was dragged under once more and everything went black.


A/N Everything in this chapter happened more quickly than I had hoped, but whatever. I may edit it later. But for now, enjoy! Posted 02-02-15.