DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of the Inuyasha series nor do I own the original storyline.

AUTHOR'S NOTE (MUST READ!!!
):
Hi everybody!! It's been a while, I hope you are all doing fine ^-^! As for me, yeah it's about time I posted this story. Okay enough of the chatter, let's get down to business ^o^! Below are several things you need to know before reading this story. This is just in case some of you overwhelm me with question ^-^.

First of all I don't know if Sesshoumaru, Miroku, Sango, Shippou or Kirara are going to be in this story. Maybe I'll be able to find some roles for them, and maybe I won't, who knows?
Second of all, this story takes place somewhere between the Sengoku Jidai (Warring Age) and the future. Oh and Kagome isn't from the future. And I guess you can fill in the rest for yourselves...no sealing Inuyasha, no reincarnations, no one-armed Sesshoumaru (if he's going to show up in this story that is) etcetera unless...I say it happens ^-^. So in short, this is a complete Alternate Universe. I'll try to keep Inuyasha as original as possible but Kagome is most definitely OOC and I'm sure you'll notice the same for some other characters.

By the way, have some of you seen the preview (subbed) of the 3rd Inuyasha movie? (Tenka Hadou no Ken - Sword to Rule the World). Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's father is SO HOT!!! And the story is SO COOOL in spite of the fact that there'll be little romance scenes between Inuyasha and Kagome. Anyway, he's going to appear in this first chapter so I'm going to try my best to describe him ^-^!! Oh by the way!! Although she isn't going to appear in this story, I've found out about the name of Inuyasha's mother, her name is Izayoi ^-^!!

I've cleaned up my whole mailing list after I finished my last story (An Elves' Child). Those who wish to be noticed when a new chapter is posted of this story, just ask using a review or by emailing me personally ^-^!!

This is it! Just sit back and enjoy reading this story. Please do leave a review behind to tell me what you think or you can ask me questions when something's wrong or unclear. Thanks in advance!!

~*~

Italic
: thoughts
-- --: locations
"...": spoken words
~*~: time gap OR change of perspective
*...* : noises



DESTINY

-by Kittymui-

A flower called Kagome and the girl named after it


~*~ afternoon ~*~


It was a warm afternoon, with the bright sun hanging high up in the azure colored sky. Trees waved along with kind breezes as birds decreased their altitudes and made their way toward the roof of the big white mansion that stood in the middle of the forest.

A first glance on the mansion would immediately tell you about the wealth of its inhabitants. Not to mention the huge courtyard that belonged to it. And there was this wooden fence surrounding the mansion and its courtyard, built to keep out ones who weren't welcome. All of this was built with a Japanese flavor.

~*~

The birds that were resting on the edge of the brown roof spread out all over the sky again as one of the inhabitants of the mansion exited the building. His silver hair billowed on the wind, together with his red garments. The white dog-ears on top of his head twitched at hearing the sounds created by Mother Nature as he closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of flowers and grass.

With the age of 14, he was the youngest lord of the mansion. They say the youngest siblings always get pampered the most, but unfortunately it didn't apply to this young lad. The fact that he wasn't a fullblood gave him a tough past and caused him to shut himself off for those who attempted to enter his personal space.

He shielded his eyes with his clawed hand from the bright sunlight as he descended the wooden steps that separated the courtyard from the mansion. A scowl appeared on his face as he saw the fence around the huge courtyard, which he knew all too well.

Not wanting to stay there any longer, he quickly made his way through the place and entered the forest.


~*~


-- somewhere in the forest --



After settling himself comfortable on the thick branch of his favorite tree near a creek, he closed his eyes. He was now lying on his side, his body spread out on the branch, with one arm curled to form a prop for his head and the other resting on his side. Several silver tresses rested on his shoulder while the rest dangled in the air behind his back.

A low growl escaped from his throat as the scene of this morning replayed before his very mind again.


[FLASHBACK]


He was standing in a large chamber with bookcases standing against each wall and a huge desk standing at the center of the room. A beautiful red carpet could be seen on the floor, which should be giving the chamber a warm feeling to anyone who entered it. Yet he felt quite the opposite as he stood right across the Taiyoukai, who was looking at him from behind the desk; the one whom he should refer to as his father.

Long silver hair and golden eyes. Yes, they were definitely related, but those were the only things they had in common. Unlike Inuyasha, his father's hair was tied into a high ponytail. And unlike his older (half) brother, Inuyasha didn't get to inherit the two pairs of thick dark marks on each side of his face and the crescent moon mark that could be seen on his father's face.
[AN: Unlike Sesshoumaru, the dark marks on the cheeks of their father are more roughly drawn and thicker. They look...as if someone had been painting them with a paintbrush and a trembling hand ^o^. The more they approach the ears, the thicker they become. Oh right, they're kind of like the marks on Inuyasha's cheeks when he becomes berserk ^-^.]

The gaze between the two similar pairs of golden orbs was soon broken as the Taiyoukai cleared his throat and looked down at the documents before him. "Now that there is only the two of us, would you mind explaining to me why you had to send the son of my guest flying across the room while it was only a friendly duel?" his low voice sounded through the room.

The boy remained silent.

"Answer me, Inuyasha!" his father growled, losing his patience.

Inuyasha frowned. "You call that friendly?!" he defended. "Why do you always have to blame me, your own son, for anything that goes wrong!??"

The Taiyoukai sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose to suppress the upcoming headache.

"Look! You're not listening again! It's all your fault to start with!! You're the one who married a human!! And now you're blaming me for defending myself against those who point at me and mock me for not being full-blooded???" he argued angrily.

"Enough...you are dismissed. Go to your chamber." his father groaned, still rubbing te bridge of his nose.

"Why do you even bother lecturing me anyway, you don't even care about me! Why don't you spend more time lecturing Sesshoumaru?? He's the one worthy enough to follow your footsteps and inherit everything...NOT me__"

"I SAID ENOUGH!! DO YOU HEAR ME!! NOW GET OUT!!" his father cut him off with a threatening growl.

Without second thought, Inuyasha left the room, leaving his furious father behind.


[END FLASHBACK]


"Humpf!" he snorted as he sat up with his back facing the main branch of the three. He slowly opened his eyes again, only to find himself facing a small squirrel.

He frowned as he watched the curious creature. "Are you going to make fun of me too!?" he growled and slapped the squirrel off the branch with one swift swing of his hand.

"Feh! That'll teach ya!!" he smirked after perceiving a small thud from below.


Suddenly a very annoying scent reached his keen nose. Wolves huh...? They better not come this way or I'll rip them apart to vent my anger. he thought determined.

His white dog-ears perked up as a girl's voice could be heard from a distance.

"D-don't come near me!! Leave me alone...or I'll jump!!"

Shortly after that, the sound of something falling into water echoed through the forest.


*SPLASH*


Inuyasha jumped from the branch and approached the creek. It's coming this way... he concluded, sniffing the air.

Then something caught his eye. It was a girl, struggling to remain above the water surface as it dragged her downward and prevented her from reaching the bank.

"H-help!! I...I c-can't...swim!!!" she managed to cry before she got swallowed by the current again.

Without hesitation, Inuyasha jumped into the creek and grabbed the girl by her waist before he jumped out of it again. He rudely dropped her onto the grass as soon as he set foot on it again. Just when he was about to give her a piece of his mind, he was cut off when the girl spat out some of the creek water and started to cough.

"T-thank...you..." she said while coughing.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and stuck up his nose. "Keh! Stupid girl, why did you even jump into the creek if you knew you can't swim??" he spat.

"I-I..." she began as she coughed less hard than before. "...rather drown...than be some wolf tribe's prince's bride..."

True... Inuyasha agreed inwardly, not wanting her to know that he shared the same opinion.

When he slowly looked at the girl out of the corner of his eye, he found that she had raised her gaze and was looking straight at him.

She looks around my age...probably younger... he thought to himself.

Her dark blue eyes were almost depthless and the wet bangs and tresses of her raven black hair that framed her face made her kind of...pretty. Yeah...pretty was the word to describe the girl who was still kneeling on the grass and staring at him.

He didn't notice before but the girl was actually prettier than he had imagined when he only heard her voice several minutes ago.

Inuyasha quickly shook off the thought and mentally smacked himself for finding a human girl pretty. What the hell am I thinking?! I'm not going to follow the steps of my father!! he scolded himself, averting his gaze.

When he still felt her eyes on him, he turned to look at her again, but this time with a scowl on his face. "What the hell are you looking at!?" he growled.

The girl was slightly taken aback by his sudden outburst but she didn't avert her gaze. Instead, her gaze moved upward to the white dog-ears on his head. "Kawaii..." she whispered softly, which was still audible for Inuyasha's excellent hearing.

Inuyasha quickly turned aside to hide the blush that was about to appear on his cheeks and 'Feh'-ed. "Watch your tongue, human!"

"I-I'm sorry..." she apologized as she averted her gaze and got to her feet again.

Not being able to suppress her curiosity, her eyes automatically moved to the dog-ears again as she straightened her yellow yukata, which had red flowers embroidered on it here and there. "C-can I...touch them...?" she suddenly blurted out before she knew it.

Inuyasha widened his eyes and gave her a dumbfounded look. First she thinks my ears are cute and now she wants to touch them!?!? he thought shocked. That's it...I'm outta here!

With that he turned around and started to walk away.

"Wait!!" the girl halted him.

Inuyasha stopped walking and sighed.

"Can you tell me your name?" she asked.

He looked over his shoulder, only to find her looking at him with puppy eyes.


"It's Inuyasha." he finally replied after a short silence.

The girl smiled. "Well then, Inuyasha. Can you please stay here and wait until I come back?" she asked.

Inuyasha turned around and gave her a surprised look.

"I promise it won't take too long, please?" she pleaded with those puppy eyes again.

Before he could even object, she already disappeared into the woods.

Great... he thought as he walked towards his favorite tree and jumped onto his branch. He laid on his side and propped his head on his hand. Oh well, since I have to wait for my clothes to dry before I go home... he decided, closing his eyes.


~*~*~


I fell asleep... Inuyasha groaned inwardly as he slowly opened his eyes. He sat up and looked up to the orange-colored sky. It's almost dusk already... he realized and looked around. She didn't come back...Keh! I knew humans couldn't be trusted...Stupid me! he mentally scolded himself as he stood up and jumped off the branch. Maybe she was getting reinforcements to capture me...to make me her pet or something... She did look like some rich lord's daughter. Inuyasha mused as the thought sent shivers through his body. He quickly shook off the thought and flexed his claws. Well, if that's the case, I won't hesitate to rip them all apart! he grinned.

Inuyasha examined his clothes. "Well, they're dry...I guess I should be heading back home now..." he said nonchalantly and turned to leave, until a voice suddenly called out his name.

"Inuyasha!!!"

He turned to the voice and realized it was the girl again. He frowned. What the...I can smell blood coming from her... he thought disturbed. His thoughts were cut off when a very sweet yet enjoyable scent reached his nose.

When he traced the origin of it, he saw it was coming from the flower that the girl was holding in her hand.

She moved her hand with the flower towards Inuyasha. "This is for you," she smiled. "to thank you for saving me."

It was a flower that looked like an Iris at first glance, but it was different, the petals were slightly bigger and blue of color with white edges.

Inuyasha lowered his gaze, but he wasn't looking at the flower when he raised his hand to retrieve it; he was looking at the girl's hand, which was filled with cuts and gashes. Those cuts...they're fresh wounds... he concluded.


Noticing his gaze, the girl quickly hid her hands under her sleeves. "I-it's nothing...I was clumsy...a-and I fell," she stuttered.

He knew she was lying but did not find the need to ask her why. Why aren't you thanking her, you moron!? His little conscience cried.

Shut up! She jumped in the creek at the first place so it's obvious she should reward me! he argued mentally.

Before Inuyasha and his conscience had finished arguing he realized that the girl had already began to leave.

"Where are you going?" he suddenly asked, not knowing why.

The girl turned around. "It's late, I should be heading home now. It was nice meeting you Inuyasha." she smiled and bowed politely before turning her back to him again.

"At least give me your name, now that I've told you mine!" he cried annoyed, causing her to turn to him again.

"I'm named after the flower I gave you!" she replied cheerfully and ran away before Inuyasha could halt her again.


He shifted his gaze from where the girl had disappeared to the flower in his hand. Great...how am I going to find out what this flower is called? he thought irritated and grunted. Keh! What do I care what her name is...maybe I should just throw it away!

You might not want to hear this but you're a real jerk if you did that. the little voice in his head spoke again.

Oh will you just shut up?! Inuyasha snarled back mentally. It's mine now...so I do what I want to do with it!

If you say so...but that still doesn't change the fact that you're a real jerk if you threw it away! it replied casually.

Inuyasha grunted. All right!! If that's the only way to shut you up! he gave in growling and started to leave the area.

See? I won...I won... the voice teased.

Inuyasha growled and stretched out his hand with the flower. One more word from you and I will__ he threatened.

Ok, ok, shutting up...

After that, he silently continued his walk through the forest back to the mansion where he lived.


~*~*~*~


After dinner, Inuyasha immediately excused himself from the table and retreated to his bedroom.

It was a pretty big bedroom for a boy of his age. White walls and carpeting. There was a huge bed at the end of the room, made of dark wood of the best quality. The sheets were white and the blanket and pillows were dark red of color, which almost completely matched the color of his clothes. There were a couple of bookcases standing against the walls. Even the nightstand and wardrobes were made of the same excellent material.

He made his way to the rectangular balcony and settled himself comfortable on the balustrade. His position on the marble balustrade was similar to the one back in the forest, when he was taking a nap on the thick branch of his favorite tree. His left hand was propping his head while the other took the flower out of his sleeve.

I wonder what this flower is called... he pondered as he examined it.

~*~

"My my...what an extraordinary flower..." a voice sounded from behind him.

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder and realized it was just a servant.

It was a woman twice his age, dressed in a black robe with a white collar. She had long brown curly hair and blue eyes.

"Don't you knock!?" he growled, turning to the flower again.

"I have, my lord...but you must have been too intrigued by the flower's beauty to have heard me knock on your door." she giggled as she approached the young lord.

"Tell this to another soul and I'll have you executed by dawn." he growled, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry my lord, your secret is safe with me." the servant replied obediently.

A moment of silence took place as Inuyasha continued to examine the flower. "What can you tell me about this flower?" he finally asked the servant, who was still standing at a small distance behind him.

"May I look at the flower more closely my lord?" she asked politely.

Inuyasha didn't reply nor turn around, instead, he raised the flower up to the air until it was completely visible to the servant behind him.

"Oh my..." the servant started. "...if I'm not mistaking, which I'm sure I'm not, this must be the flower called Kagome. My lord, where did you get such a rare flower?" she asked surprised.

"None of your business," Inuyasha replied, lowering his hand with the flower again. So the girl's name is Kagome... he thought to himself. "Tell me more about this flower called Kagome," he ordered after realizing that the servant had fallen silent.

"Yes my lord. As I have already said, it is a very rare flower. And from what I've been told, it should only bloom once in a century," she explained. "And because of its rarity, this flower has a very peculiar property...you see...it tends to only show its true beauty after midnight, when the animals of the night start to leave their hiding places to hunt."

"But I also heard that this flower is quite dangerous." she added after a moment of silence.

Inuyasha frowned bewildered and looked more carefully at the stem of the flower. But it doesn't have any thorns... he thought.

"Don't be fooled by the innocence of this flower for not having any thorns, my young lord," the servant continued, drawing Inuyasha's attention again. "For it isn't the flower that poses a threat to those who wishes to possess its beauty. Rather, it is the bush where this flower blooms that's responsible for all the scars and gashes. Its vines and sharp thorns, which try their best to protect its only flower, can even cut through my young lord's fire rat's fur if not being careful."

Inuyasha widened his eyes as he remembered the cuts and gashes on the girl's hands and recalled her excuse.

"I-it's nothing...I was clumsy...a-and I fell..."

"Keh! Stupid girl..." he mumbled under his breath, inaudible to the servant.

"My lord, if you can forgive my curiosity...who gave you that flower?" she asked.

Inuyasha scowled. "I picked it myself," he lied.

"Not good at lying as always my lord," she chuckled. "There's no way you could have picked it up without at least having a single cut on your hands. Why don't you just__"

"Don't act as if you know me, because you don't!" he snapped. "I've heard enough, you're dismissed."

Before the servant could say anything else, she was cut off again by a threatening growl.

"And don't let me repeat myself."

"I understand. I bid you goodnight my lord." she obeyed, bowing deeply and turning to the door to leave.

"Wait!" Inuyasha suddenly halted her. "Bring me a fitting vase for the flower, filled with the right amount of water. But don't tell anyone about this or you'll regret it," he ordered.

"Yes my lord. I'll be right back." the servant replied before leaving the room.

After hearing the sound of the door closing, Inuyasha turned his attention to the flower again. Won't show your true beauty until midnight huh? he thought, slightly amused.
Inuyasha looked up at the dark starry sky. It should be midnight soon... he concluded.

He growled when the comfortable silence was broken again by the sound of the door opening.

"Here is the vase you requested my lord. Should I just put it on your nightstand?" the servant asked.

"It'll do. Now leave." he replied sternly.

"Goodnight my lord." the servant bowed after putting the vase on the nightstand and left the bedroom once again.


After a couple of minutes of staring at the flower, Inuyasha became impatient. Great...how stupid can I be for believing a servant? he mentally smacked himself. This is no special flower! It's just some good-looking weed that probably grows in the girl's own garden!!

Just when he was about the stretch out his arm and throw it away, something shimmering caught his eyes. He slowly widened his eyes when he realized where the light came from. It came from the flower, which had started to glow.

The edges of its petals and its stamen were giving off a pale light similar to that of the moon and its pollen began to shimmer like tiny little crystals.

Inuyasha almost gasped at the beauty of the flower and slowly moved toward a sitting position. He was at a loss for words as he realized that all of the servant's words were probably true.

A sudden guilt washed over his heart when he recalled his arrogance towards the girl before. I wonder if I'll ever get to thank her... he thought, without taking his eyes off of the flower. ...or even meet her...this Kagome...again...


Hope you liked the "first taste" of this 3rd story of mine. Don't forget to leave a review okay? Thanks!! And again, if you want to be noticed whenever I post a new chapter, just give me a sign either via personal email or review okay? The same holds for those who were already in my mailing list, because after I noticed everyone (of my previous mailing list) about posting this chapter, I will be emptying my mailing list.
But of course, if you have an account on FF.net, you can always put me in the "Author's alert" list because I always write one story at a time so you won't receive several emails about me updating things ^-^.

Anyway please look forward to the next chapter: A start


~*~
\\"Feh! Why am I fascinated by this crap anyway, it will wither away like all the others as always."//

\\I guess I should thank that prince of the wolf tribe...hmm...what was his name again...Kouga? Yes! That was it! I mean...if he wasn't all eager to get his hands on the flower that I had discovered and hadn't sent all those minions of him after me, I wouldn't end up jumping into this creek.//

\\"Ite!" she winced as the pain reminded her and dropped the handkerchief as soon as she picked it up.//

\\Suddenly she felt a soft gush of wind and the next thing she knew was the silver haired boy standing right in front of her within arm reach, with her handkerchief in his clawed hand.//
~*~


Vocabulary:
Taiyoukai: literally 'big demon' (Inuyasha's father's name is still unknown)
kawaii: cute


Lots of greets
~Kittymui~

Posted: 22 January 2004
Last Edited: 22 January 2004
Spelling check: YES