Chapter 1
Falling through time

It was a beautiful morning. The sky was bright blue with a few puffy, white clouds. The leaves rattled gently to the soft breeze blowing through the forest. The birds chirped happily, the animals scurried under the nearby bushes, and it was nearing noon. The grass was soft and thick beneath her as she opened her eyes and took everything in. In all the splendor of nature surrounding her, there was one small problem.

'Where the hell am I?'

Avery Stark could have sworn she had last fallen asleep in her dorm after a long day of studying for her next biology test. She sat up slowly, her head groggy and unfocused, and tried to recall how she had mysteriously ended up in the middle of a forest. She doubted it was a prank, she hardly even knew anyone since she kept to herself and made little effort in forming friendships. Avery certainly didn't come here while conscious and she didn't sleepwalk. So, then, why was she here?

'No use sitting here wondering all day.' she decided, carefully standing and attempting to get her bearings. She spotted a river in the distance and what looked to be a small village, so that's where she decided to go.

'Something isn't right.' she thought, coming up on the collection of huts. Now that she could see them clearly, she realized what the foreboding feeling was for. Everything was a mess. The huts were torn down or burnt and the smell of death permeated the air. She spotted a few bodies with arrows sticking out of their backs and others with various lacerations but most of them were simply too charred to even properly identify. Avery was staring at the remains of a village ransacked by thieves.

'I reiterate: where the hell am I?'

Nothing here seemed familiar. The trees, the animals, the smells and sounds; all of them were wrong. Her brain was beginning to hurt from the onslaught of questions and confusion when a small noise snapped her out of her stupor.

"Hello?" she called out. 'Maybe someone survived... or maybe whoever did this is back.' With that in mind, she crouched down to pick up a discarded dagger before calling out again.

When she heard it once more, she turned toward the outermost hut near the riverbank. Avery noticed it was mostly untouched, the only damage was the broken door. While she doubted it was a bandit (and how silly was it for her to consider the word?), she was still wary. Cautiously, she approached the dwelling and peered inside.

"Hello? Is anyone-" her question was cut short when her eyes adjusted and focused on a small girl huddled next to a pair of corpses.

'Oh... oh no... poor thing...' she thought, debating on what to do. Leave the child to die and pretend none of this was happening or get her to safety? Being the big softy for small animals (and consequently children), it was a no-brainer. She slipped the dagger in her belt and tried to make herself look as harmless as possible.

Slowly, she approached the girl while doing her best to ignore the pungent scent of expelled bowels and rotting flesh. "Hey, it's going to be ok. Let's get out of here, huh?" she cooed, using a soft tone to coax the child away from her long-dead parents.

The child only looked up at her blankly for a second before her eyes widened and she scrambled back in fear. Holding her hands up, she tried to placate the girl.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to get you somewhere safe. Is that ok?" she tried, crouching down just out of reach and extending a hand. "My name is Avery, what's yours?

The confusion on the kid's face made her falter, was she not speaking clearly? Avery examined the kid more closely. Pale skin, dark hair and eyes, approximately 6 or 7 years old, Asian decent and wearing a dirty kimono... 'Wait... kimono?'

Before she could think further, the girl hesitantly came forward and took her hand. Avery decided to get them out of there quickly, she didn't want to stay in the village any longer than she had to. Lifting the child and holding her close, she followed the river upstream in hopes of finding another village nearby.

It was getting late into the evening when they finally got to the next village and it was there that Avery decided she wasn't in Kansas anymore. Or, well, California anyway. She'd never actually been to Kansas.

She had noticed that the air was crisp and clean, there were no power lines or towers, and she had yet to see any kind of plane or helicopter. There was absolutely no sign of modern civilization and this was causing Avery to panic a little. She had to force it to the back of her mind when she came into view of the villagers. It wouldn't do for them to become too wary of her, so she put on a polite smile and approached one of the fisherman who looked to be finished and heading back home with his catch.

"Excuse me? Can you help us?" she asked, pleasantly.

The fisherman's bewildered face was enough answer for her. It was official, she was in another country altogether. And what's worse, one that was behind the times and didn't speak English. Feeling a bit hopeless, she showed the fisherman the slumbering child on her back and pointed at the smoke still billowing in the distance behind her. He seemed to understand and gave her a sad smile before indicating for her to follow.

He led her to a small hut made of wood and straw and took her inside. It was obvious that he lived alone although Avery was certain he was old enough to be married and have a family. She couldn't ask him if she wanted to and so didn't pursue the topic. He introduced himself and that's when it clicked in her head that he was speaking Japanese.

"My name is Takeshi. You are welcome to stay here for the night."

Avery bowed politely and replied. "I'm sorry for the intrusion. My name is Avery. Please take care of us."

Inwardly, she grimaced. Japanese wasn't a language she was fluent in, even if she had Japanese blood running through her veins. She was only maybe 1/4 Japanese, which was where her straight black hair and eye shape came from. Everything else was distinctly more European or Native American. Her skin was lightly tanned and her build was curvy, while her eye color was (oddly) a deep blue. She could probably blend in without too much trouble but anyone who focused on her would note that she was obviously foreign. She wasn't sure if it would cause her any problems in the future but she wasn't optimistic.

Avery was glad she took a few Japanese lessons with her grandmother before she passed away. It would be horribly accented and choppy but she could hopefully explain her situation to the kind man who took her into his home.

As she settled the child on a spare cot, Takeshi got to work preparing dinner. He refused her offer for help and told her to relax. The child woke up shortly before the fish was done cooking and Avery reassured the girl that she was safe and introduced her to their host. The older woman thanked the fisherman profusely and bowed deeply to show her gratitude but he only smiled and told her it was no trouble.

"It's been a long time since I shared a meal with anyone. Please, eat and rest. We will talk tomorrow, I'm sure you're both tired from your journey." was all he said and they did just that.

The next morning, Avery explained what happened to the best of her ability. She told Takeshi that she was a foreigner and didn't know her way home. That she found the child's village ransacked and burnt to the ground and the girl was the only survivor. The fisherman was silent throughout the whole thing, which caused the young woman to worry. Would he tell them to leave the village? Would he regret helping them?

Finally he gave her a sad smile and said, "I'm sorry I cannot help you find your way home. You may both stay here for as long as you need."

This time, Avery bowed so low her head touched the ground.

That day, Avery wandered the village, asking the villagers questions and discovering that her situation was much worse. Nobody had heard of the United States of America or even North America. Any modern technology mentioned was given blank or suspicious looks. Her Japanese was too poor to ask any specific questions and so she decided the first thing she needed was to learn.

Takeshi offered to teach her and she accepted but she had to wonder why he was so kind and trusting. When she asked, his eyes lost their spark and became dull with pain.

"My wife and child died a long time ago. I've lived alone since. You seem trustworthy and kind, and it would be nice to have someone to come home to again. Even for a short time. Besides, I'm always happy to help those in need."

Avery's heart went out to him and she decided then and there to help him in return. With whatever she could, anyway.

It was that night that she learned the child's name. Apparently, the two villages traded goods often and, though Takeshi didn't know her family personally, recognized her. Rin. It was a cute name and the child smiled up at her but still refused to speak. Avery was afraid she never would but wasn't surprised. Such a traumatic event was definitely enough to cause children to go mute. It wouldn't be the first time she had witnessed such a thing.

From that moment on, she did her best to take care of Rin and learn everything she could about the village and help out Takeshi. She learned everything from fishing to sewing, picking up skills from the villagers who were willing to teach her. At the same time, she kept an eye and ear out for any information on how to get home. Though, she wasn't exactly hopeful to find anything.

Days bled into weeks which turned into months. It was nearly a year when suddenly Takeshi became very ill. It was winter, and many of the villagers had become ill. Many of the oldest and youngest afflicted were dying. Though he was strong, Takeshi was old by their standards and Avery started to fear the worst when he wasn't getting better. She did everything she could but, reluctantly, she realized there was little hope for him.

One night, he took her hand and told her, "Don't worry about me, Avery-san. I will soon reunite with my family."

Avery felt tears pool in her eyes but held back her sobs. "I thank you for everything you have done for us. For me."

His smile was carefree and gentle and she returned it. "I leave everything to you. You will be just fine, I know it. Stay strong and watch over Rin-chan."

She bowed her head and replied, "Of course, Takeshi. I wish you happiness in the afterlife."

That night, Takeshi passed away in his sleep. Avery and Rin held each other as they cried themselves to sleep.

The death of so many caused the surviving villagers to become bitter and their frustrations were aimed at the foreigner and the orphan girl, the easiest targets. Avery could not fault them but didn't tolerate their violence toward herself or Rin. After a few fights , the villagers realized how strong she had gotten and decided not to cause trouble while they were together. Avery noticed that they would still lash out at Rin when she was alone and so made her promise not to wander alone in the village and to stay out of sight if she could.

Rin was lonely, she knew. The other children refused to associate with her and either chased her away or tried to beat her up. Rin stopped trying after the third time and Avery did her best to keep her occupied with lessons and games when she could but she had chores to do and so couldn't keep an eye on her 24/7.

It was spring when everything changed with a meeting of an injured demon.

This chapter is short but the rest of this story should have longer chapters. This one was basically a long prologue disguised as a chapter. It might seem rushed but once I'm done writing this story, I might go back and edit it. Please let me know if there are any errors or if you have any suggestions to improve this chapter! I love constructive criticism!