Destined Love by Valore

A Startling Discovery

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha of any of the characters mumbles doesn't mean I cant dream ;; I want my fluffy! *cries* O.O ahem coughs well now that's out of the way...

Chapter 1- A startling Discovery O.O

"SIT BOY!" Kagome's voice echoed in the forest, Inuyasha was trying to stop her from going home AGAIN. Sango sighed and shook her head trying to figure out why he was always so difficult with her, she was just about to interrupt the fight between Inuyasha and Kagome when all of a sudden she felt a warm hand on her backside. Sango was visibly shaking with rage and turned to look at the soon-to-be dead monk grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"HENTAI!" she screamed as her palm made a nice indentation into his cheek and sent him flying.

"Listen wench you're not goin' home and that's that!" Inuyasha said pouting like a little kid.

"Look Inuyasha, I HAVE to go back. 1, I need to study; 2, I need some me time; and 3, I HAVE AN EXCURSION TO THE ART MUSEUM TOMORROW THAT I DON'T WANT TO MISS!" Kagome yelled right into his sensitive ears. Inuyasha whimpered and covered his ears after which Kagome 'humphed' and jumped into the well before he could protest. She found herself surrounded by blue light as the sounds of Inuyasha's cursing diminished and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Mum I'm home!" Kagome yelled in greeting, but found that she was home alone. She shrugged and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge to look for a snack; then she groaned as she shut the door, disappointed that her search for edible goodness had ended in tragedy. As she shut the refridgerator door, she noticed a note taped there, and, blinking, she plucked the note from its perch on the door and read it.

Dear Kagome,

We have gone out of town for about two weeks to go to a trip to see your aunt K, I know you would have liked to come dear but we didn't know when you were coming home. I've left you some money in the far right kitchen drawer and I have signed your permission slip for the class trip to the museum. We miss you so much dear, and if Inuyasha comes to our time please try to restrain him from destroying the house.

With all my love, Mum

Kagome's heart sank, she would have loved to go see her aunt but knew Inuyasha would let her. At that thought her blood boiled and she decided the best way to cool off would be to take a nice bath. As she lowered herself to the bubbly embrace of the water she let out a relieved sigh. "Finally! Some peace and quiet without Inuyasha around for once." She sighed once again and sank deeper into the bubbles that surrounded her.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Came a gruff voice from her room. Her eyes shot open in an instant and she climbed out of the tub, bubbles sticking to every curve. She quickly wrapped herself in a towel and stalked into her room to see the one and only Inuyasha going through her books. Forgetting her state of undress she stormed forward towards the unsuspecting male and poked him in the back. This made him jump in shock -though he should have noticed, but he was preoccupied- spinning around he himself lost balance and fell forward onto Kagome,

"Ouch" Came a muffled cry from Kagome, underneath Inuyasha, who quickly stood and looked at her - only to freeze in place, his eyes as wide as dinner plates, his jaw on the floor and his face as red as a tomato. Kagome looked at him in puzzlement wondering what had gotten him so worked up when she noticed his line of vision. She followed it down her neck to her bare chest... wait bare chest? Without her knowledge her towel had come undone with Inuyasha fell on her. She let out a blood curdling scream and ran from the room yelling "SIT" every few seconds.

The Next Morning

"I'll see you when I get home, okay, Inuyasha?" Kagome said gleaming down at the subdued half-demon.

"Yeah, yeah.... Just don't take too long I can't stay like this forever." He all but growled at her. Inuyasha had been placed in the center of a very strange and elaborate booby trap, if he even moved an inch the arrows that Kagome had placed around the room facing him - which were filled with her purifying energy - would be let loose.

"You're so going to pay for this Kagome," Inuyasha said this time actually growling.

Kagome smirked and walked out the door whispering under her breath, "That's what you think," knowing full well that he could hear it.

The Museum

"This is sooo boring," a girl behind her whined, as Kagome rolled her eyes and continued looking at the beauty that was the painting before her. She continued along until she came to one and her eyes instantly widened; she couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips she was staring straight as Sesshomaru.

The museum director saw this and smiled as she walked over to her. "He is lovely isn't he?" she asked, looking at the picture. Kagome looked at the woman as if she had a second head and quickly reminded herself that this woman didn't know the man in the painting.

'Would you like to hear about the legend of this painting?" she asked, and, curious, Kagome nodded.

"The story of this painting is one of danger, denial, betrayal, love and hope," she began. "This was painted in the feudal era of Japan, supposedly a time of constant conflict between humans and demons. The man portrayed in the painting was one of the most brutal, heartless demons in the land; he was the mighty lord of the western lands; a demon by the name of Sesshomaru. He was as proud as he was stubborn about life in general, but one thing that fueled him to no end was his hatred for human kind. He thought them to be weak and fragile, not worth the time of day; and for most of his life he believed this. Then one day he saved the life of a young human girl not knowing why, after which she followed him around everywhere and idolized him." The woman stopped noticing the look on Kagome's face, knowing she was recalling fond memories... but unknown to her they were memories of the child of which she spoke.

"He was in constant conflict with his half-brother over a possession of his long dead father - a sword of great power. But no matter how hard he tried he never obtained it. After a while, he gave up on the sword with the knowledge that it was the only thing keeping his brother from total insanity. There was a great evil in the land at this point in time, making a dark cloud fall over all of Japan. None had seen an evil quite like this, not quite human, but not a demon; he was no half-breed as they would call them for they were born naturally. This creature though, was born from lust, greed and a need for power; a thief who had given his soul to demons for the chance to gain his life once more... but it backfired miserably, and he became the sickening evil known as Naraku. They had fought on many occasions, Sesshomaru and Naraku, but neither managed to kill the other. Finally a beautiful human girl helped convince Sesshomaru to join his brother in their quest for Naraku. He begrudgingly accepted her help, and before he knew what was happening he found himself falling for the girl. He was in constant conflict with himself over this because she was human, but no matter how hard he tried he could not get rid of these feelings for the human girl." Kagome looked up once again at the picture to notice he was holding a woman in a tender embrace and she was holding a small child. 'she must be talking about Rin,' she decided seeing the raven black hair of the woman he held, she absentmindedly reached out to stroke the painting where the child lay.

"During the battle with Naraku, the woman he had grown to love used her body to protect Sesshomaru from death as Naraku attacked him. As the life of the woman he loved slipped away, so did the restraints he had on his beast. The last shackle that held his sanity together was shattered as soon as she took her last breath, and he flew into a blind rage and - with the help of his brother - killed the evil that had been plaguing the land. After the battle he fell to his knees in front of the woman he loved and for the very first time in his life, the proud demon shed tears as if his heart was being ripped out. His brother came to him and reminded him that he could revive her, lying the sword beside him. He used the sword and she regained her life, and he regained his love." She looked over at Kagome who's cheeks were the slightest shade of pink and she had tears streaming down her face.

"How did it end?" she asked in barely a whisper.

The woman sighed and turned back to the picture, "The way fairy tales always end," she said with a smile, "they lived happily ever after." Kagome smiled knowing that Sesshomaru was going to finally be happy when she noticed something odd about the picture. She leaned in closer for a better look at something she saw draped around the raven haired woman's neck. Her eyes widened, her hand flew up to her mouth and she backed away as if the painting would burn her. She looked at the painting wide eyed and the fainted, the last thing she remembered was seeing the Shikon no tama draped around her neck, the woman in the painting wasn't Rin... it was HER!