Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I don't own the plot, which is based on Serendipity. Alright? Okay.

Lola: I've decided that instead of being a horribly cruel person who writes everything and lets people wait slowly and painfully to finish it, I've decided since I did infact finish last night, that I would put it all up at once. Does that make me cool?

The rest of the world:.....No.

Lola: Oh. Bummer. :'( Well, anyway, here's the story.

A Fortuante Accident

Chapter 2- Fate Intervenes

A Few Years Later…

Not December anymore. Not even close. It's Spring in fact, May. It's a nice night in New York City. Inside, a wedding party is laughing happily at the best man, who is giving a toast.

"Now usually, I have to beg to be a part of weddings, and even if I DO end up being part of them, they postpone it, and it's overseas, and they cancel my passport and I can't be part of it and end up embarrassing myself." The others clapped happily and laughed amongst themselves.

Miroku, the best man, waved his hands for them to stop, "No seriously, thank you. It is an honor to be the best man. They say that sometime in your life, that special someone comes along. That person that you're meant to be with. The stars are aligned, destiny kicks in and everything feels great. For my friend here, Inuyasha, that person…was me." Once again, people broke into laughter. Inuyasha shook his head in embarrassment.

" But as you know," Miroku continued, "Inuyasha and I are brothers at heart. He's been my best friend since freshman year. And I'd watch him go out with girl after girl…and he'd always come crawling back to me. And it was embarrassing, I'm telling you."

"Really Miroku?" Inuyasha mused, "I could've sworn it was YOU who always came back to me in a desperate heap."

"But then one night he came home…and things were different. He didn't even respond to the playful but tormenting flicks of my finger across the back of his skull as he studied for finals. And that is because he had found her. The one he was destined to be with. And if anyone is qualified enough to make that judgment," Miroku said seriously, "it would be me. His first wife." They broke into a hysterical laughter as Miroku glanced slyly across the table at Inuyasha.

"She's smart, she's understanding, she's beautiful…. She's everything any man could dream of….and I'm sure we all have," he added as an afterthought. He raised his glass. "So it is with sadness, and fond memories that I raise my glass to the new Mrs. Inuyasha Taisho." People began to clap.

"I can tell you this, if there's anyone I'd have to give Inuyasha up to, I can't imagine a more perfect woman…than Kikyo." (A/N: GASP! I bet you weren't expecting that!)

As the guests gave cheers, the couple kissed. "On a scale from one to ten," Kikyo asked, turning to Inuyasha, "exactly drunk is Miroku?"

"Twelve."

"Do you think he and Courtney will last?" Kikyo asked. Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't know. She's not like some of the other girls he's dated. I've never seen them fight, ever."

"Neither have I," she agreed.

"Must be a bitch in their sex life," Inuyasha commented dryly.

As the many people hugged goodbye outside and bid Miroku (and Courtney) farewell, he commented, "You know Kikyo, it's not to late to back out. I live on 22nd street-"

"I know Miroku, you've told me more than once."

With a wave goodbye he and his (current) girlfriend walked down the street.

"Listen guys, I've got to make a leave to. My day is crazy tomorrow and I need to get some sleep," Inuyasha said. Although his parents (and soon to be parents-in-law) protested, he shrugged it off. "Sorry guys. I'll see you later."

"Inuyasha!" Kikyo called, before he could walk away. "Yea?" He said, stopping.

"You better be up later when I get home," she said seriously. He grinned. "Alright. I'll see you then."

"I love you," She said, hugging him around the middle and kissing his neck. He put his hand on her soft hair. "I love you too, Kikyo. I'll see you at home."

On his way home, he saw a peddler selling books on a large table. He stopped for a moment and skimmed his eyes across the book. He saw it. Love in the Time of Cholera. He picked it up and looked on the inside cover. No name. Shaking his head at his own foolishness, he set the book back down. "Sorry," he told the peddler, "just looking."

----Meanwhile, In San Francisco---

"Okay. And?"

"And nothing. I didn't do anything. I just let her walk out of the party and didn't say anything to her…and now she's gone forever," the teenage boy said shakily, running his hands through his hair. "I mean…she was my soul mate, and now…she's gone."

Kagome took a quick breath and said in a disagreeing tone, "Kenny, I think you shouldn't use the word 'soul mate' when you say that. It suggests that there's some sort of magic behind it…like fate, or destiny. And things like that stop us from doing real work. And the fact is, if your therapy stays on track, I think there's a lot of girls that you could be happy with."

"Do you really believe that, Kagome?" He asked. She nodded with a smile. "Yes, I do. I really do."

Later that afternoon, after she was done with work, Kagome went to the San Francisco Ferry terminal to take a ride home. Since she lived on the other side of the bay (and had taken the bus to work that morning) she decided to live a little and enjoy a trip on the bay. Seagulls flew around the boat, adding more noise to the clutter of the city. The breeze swept through Kagome's hair as she held the railing. Looking back on the city she loved, she smiled.

By the time she got home, the sun had just set and a indigo twilight set into place. Kagome unlocked her front door and went inside. As she stepped inside, pink and yellow flower petals scattered with a sweep of the outside air. She looked around the room, taking in all the beauty displayed. The lights were dimmed and fragrant candles sat on every table. There were flower petals all over the floor. A large box stood at the center of the room.

She gasped silently and covered her mouth with her hands. She set down her purse and walked towards the box. It was covered in tissue paper and a big red bow. The box was so tall it came up to her stomach. A small post-it note on the box said 'Open Me!'

She carefully ripped off the bow and the layer of paper. She lifted the box lid to find a smaller box inside. Inside of that box was a smaller box. And in that one, an even smaller box. She continued to take out box after box until she got to the smallest one of all. A small, dark blue box covered in soft velvet. A ring box.

Hands quivering, she opened it to see what was inside. It was empty. She looked around, slightly confused.

"You've got to say yes first."

She turned to hear where the voice had come from. A man stepped out of the shadows, a small smile on his face, holding a diamond ring. She smiled widely as he came towards her with the ring.

"Yes," She said, barely above a whisper. He kissed her lightly and held up her hand. He put the ring on her finger and began to push it back past her knuckle when she gave a slight wince.

"Hold on a second," he said, pushing it slightly further. She protested slightly and tried to pull her hand back as that the ring was not fitting. Finally, she let out an 'ow!' and pulled her hand back to tend to her poor knuckle.

"Now you're not going to read into this, right Kagome?" He asked, slightly uneasy. "I mean it's just an accident, nothing more."

"Yes, yes, I know. We'll get it refitted, don't worry Koga," She assured him. He relaxed slightly. "It's beautiful, I love it," She said, admiring the beautiful ring she held in her hands.

"Hold on. I'm going to call my manager and tell him you said yes." He began to walk out of the room.

"Why, was he worried?" Kagome asked. Koga shook his head.

"Not about you. About the tour. He's hoping to fit the Honeymoon into the schedule you know. How does Hawaii sound?"

"Wonderful," she said, a small, girlish smile planted on her face.

"Wonderful," Inuyasha said, getting up from the small bench, where he had been watching the small TV screen. Working as a supervisor at a television station was so incredibly boring. Today they were filming a short bit on a new golf drive that had opened and needed good advertisement. He had sat on that bench for nearly an hour. Now it was time to go home.

"Paging Miss Kagome Iwasaki, Miss Iwasaki," A voice said over the intercom system.

"Hi, I'm Kagome Iwasaki!" A rushed girl said as she burst through the doors. Inuyasha whipped around to look at the girl. It wasn't her. The woman that stood at the end of the hallway, a fairly large and busty woman, was definitely NOT the same Kagome. Shaking his head slightly, he laughed. Why would he jump to such conclusion just by hearing her name?

After work, Inuyasha realized he was in dire need of a haircut. Luckily, Kikyo had already taken care of that and made him an appointment. As he sat down in his chair, an unrecognizable woman came towards him with a smile.

"Hello Mr. Groom!" She said in a very cheery voice. Inuyasha looked at her, slightly confused.

"Where's Lauren?" He asked.

"Oh, Lauren took the day off. I'm Kagome, I'll be cutting your hair today!"

Without a second thought, Inuyasha stood up out of the chair and said, "you know what, I really don't think I need my hair cut today. I mean, I don't think I want the 'fresh cut' look for my wedding."

"Oh but, I could just cut off only a little!" She protested.

"Nah, I mean, they're my wedding pictures, I'm gonna have to deal with them for the rest of my life!" He said, walking out of the salon as quickly as he could.

Slightly paranoid, he called for a taxi and got in. Today, everything seemed to remind him of Kagome, whom he had met YEARS ago. Why, all of the sudden, did she continue to pop up places. Halfway through the ride, when the driver had mentioned something vague that reminded him of her, Inuyasha said, "Hey, could you take me to The New York Times building on 42nd instead? It's really important."

"I keep running into her Miroku! It's insane! Every five minutes something happens that makes me think of her. She was at the golf range, a big girl with big hips. Then I go to get my hair cut and she's there, waiting to cut my hair! And then, on the way home, the taxi driver keeps asking me where to get a pair of black cashmere gloves!" Inuyasha said, pacing around Miroku's small cubicle.

"Fate is telling me something. It's messing with my head."

"You're getting married in three days," Miroku said heavily.

"I know, that's my point!" He said exasperatedly.

"It's completely unfaithful! Why would you risk your relationship with Kikyo for some one night fling that happened nearly five years ago?" Miroku protested.

"Oh and your one to talk about being duplicitous," Inuyasha commented scornfully.

"My question is why. Why in the world would you even think about it?"

"You've got to hear me out, Miroku. I know I love Kikyo, I'm sure of that, but it's wrong to compare the different times you've fallen in love because it's different every time, I get it. It's just….ok. I'm going to try to explain. Kikyo is The Godfather Part II."

Miroku blinked and tried to figure out Inuyasha's strange form of logic. "She's what?"

"Godfather Part II. That was an amazing movie. Maybe even better than the original. BUT as much as you love The Godfather Part II, you still have to see the first one to love and appreciate the sequel, right?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what his friend was asking him to do. Finally he said, "What are you asking of me?"

"Help me find her. Come on Miroku, you work at the New York Times!"

"I'm the best man! I can't do this! Besides, The New York Times, no matter what people may think, cannot just track down people with a snap of a finger. I need a last name, a social security number-"

"If we could just find that damned book," Inuyasha mumbled.

"We looked! Five years ago remember? And we never found it. Look, Inuyasha, I don't want any part of this…alright?"

An Hour Later—

Inuyasha and Miroku ran around New York, searching through book stores.

Yes, Inuyasha had eventually gotten his way, and now he and his friend were on a mission. He dragged Miroku around the city, looking through store after store. The unfortunate part, as Miroku said, was that they spent less than a minute in each store, and nearly 5 times as much driving around trying to find the next store.

Finally, they had given up, after checking every store they knew. "Maybe I am just getting cold feet," Inuyasha finally said.

"I'm telling you, girls like her probably don't age very well. Sure, years ago she was beautiful. She probably looked like that chick from Titanic. Kate Winslet or something. Now she probably looks like…the very old chick from Titanic."

"The one who through the necklace in the ocean at the end?" Inuyasha asked wearily.

"Yea, that one," Miroku said, nodding. They both shuddered.

"That's a great haircut," Kikyo said, running her hands through Inuyasha's hair. He smiled in irony and replied, "Thanks."

It was later now, evening. Inuyasha and Kikyo had been home for awhile, getting ready to pack for the honeymoon.

"Tell me you love me," She instructed kindly. (A/N: Oo WTF?)

"I love you."

"Tell me something romantic."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like…I'm the only girl in the whole universe meant for you."

Inuyasha was somewhat hesitant to say this. He was just about to open his mouth in reply when a loud beeping noise interrupted him. Kikyo gasped.

"Oh no! Dinner!" She jumped up and ran into the kitchen, where the smoke alarm was going off. She coughed and waved her hands around, trying to clear the smoke. The smoke alarm continued to go off. "Will you shut up?!" She yelled at it, hitting it with a spatula.

"Hey, don't hit it with the thing!" Inuyasha called, watching his fiancé marvel in the kitchen. (--')

"Inu, I'm going to go yell at the super," she said tiredly, "Keep packing while I'm gone, ok?" He nodded.

Sighing, he lied down on the bed, where his clothes were lying. His hands brushed across a bag, which he picked up. It was from Bloomingdale's. Had he kept it all that time? He sat up and looked inside the back to find one of the black cashmere gloves Kagome had bought all that time ago.

He looked at it closely, trying to remember everything he could about that amazing evening. He rubbed the smooth fabric between his fingers, sighing disdainfully. Suddenly he stopped. He felt something inside the clove. He put one of his hands inside and pulled out a slip of paper. It was a receipt from the store.

"A receipt," he said softly to himself. Suddenly, an idea struck him. Tomorrow, he would go back to Bloomingdale's.

Meanwhile---MANY MANY Miles Away in Hong Kong

Kagome watched happily as her fiancé play. The entire audience moved along with the melodic flow of the eastern music. His fingers moved quickly along the many holes of his shehnai

(A/N: A Shehnai is an Indian instrument that looks somewhat like an oboe. It's a double reed instrument about the same size, except instead of keys, it has 8 or 9 holes, like a recorder. )

When the song was finished, every member of the audience stood and clapped enthusiastically. The smile upon Kagome's face was that of pride for her future husband. Her claps were the most animated in all the audience.

"Kagome! Kagome!" A voice called out. She turned to see her brother Souta and his girlfriend Mayu came running up.

"Can I see the ring?" Mayu asked. She had been Souta's long-term girlfriend for quite a while. Kagome wouldn't be surprised if the two got married later on. In that time, Kagome and Mayu had become rather good friends. In fact, their looks were even somewhat similar.

Kagome held out her hand willingly, showing them her engagement ring.

"It's very nice, but I thought you wanted a round cut one," Mayu said. Kagome raised her eyebrows.

"When did I say that?" She asked.

Mayu shrugged. "I don't know. It was quite a while ago, I suppose."

"Well quite a while ago, I thought I was in fashion. Goes to show that I wasn't too bright back then."

"Hey guys!" Koga said, joining them. He hugged Kagome tightly and asked, "What did you guys think?"

"It was great," Kagome told him happily, "the crowd loved you."

"But, I must ask, was that last song really inspired by my sister?" Souta asked.

"Every artist needs its muse," Koga said fondly.

"Okay, who wants to hear the good news?" Ryan, Koga's manager said, a sly grin upon his face.

"I pay you for the good news," Koga stated.

Ryan shook his head. "No, you pay me to keep away the bad news."

"Oh bring it on," Koga said laughing.

"Koga's gig in Stockholm sold out in only 8 hours!" He said gleefully.

Kagome hugged her fiancé tightly. "That's wonderful!"

Ryan nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is. That means we need to add a few more shows, so we bump Paris-"

"Sorry," Kagome said, letting go of Koga, "I don't want to ruin anything, but we've already set the dates for our wedding & Honeymoon, and I've already told my patients when I'm going."

"Kagome, your patients can wait a few more weeks, right?" Koga asked her pleadingly.

"Yea Kagome, a few extra weeks in Europe aren't going to kill you," Mayu said.

Souta laughed. "Mayu's just pushing you so she can house-sit for you guys," he said, giving her a fond look.

Mayu narrowed her eyes, then laughed as well. "Thanks, Souta. I was going to ask her when she was drunk."

"Actually," Koga said, "it wouldn't be such a bad idea. We'd be glad to let you house-sit."

The couple smiled brightly as he said this. "Thank you so much Koga! Now we should go, before Kagome changes your mind." The two ran off, pushing through the crowd of people.

Koga turned to a slightly unhappy Kagome. He frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all. It's just….you know I've got a busy schedule, and my patients are important. I guess what I'm saying is that I hate changing dates at the last minute. That's all."

"Excuse me," a woman said, coming up to Koga, "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but I really need you to approve these T-shirt designs for Australia."

"Oh, no problem," Koga said.

"You don't mind do you?" The woman asked.

"Can we do this later?" Koga asked Kagome. She nodded.

"Yea, that's fine."

Koga turned back to the woman. "Nah, she don't mind." He followed her along, leaving Kagome alone in the crowd.

Kagome ran down the busy streets of Hong Kong. It was pouring heavily, and she had no umbrella. She used her jacket for cover as she ran down the sidewalk. She had left in a rush of frustration and distress. She finally stopped beneath the cover of a building to catch her breath. She was soaking wet and close to tears.

She leaned up against the window of the store and tried to steady her breathing. When she had done so, she noticed the poster in the window. It was an old poster for an American Movie. Cool Hand Luke.

She really wanted to cry.

"Now, the tea is nice and hot, so be careful not to burn yourself," Sango said, setting the tray of tea down on the table. She walked away, Kagome in tow.

"But Sango-"

"Kagome, it was a movie poster, it's no big deal!" Sango said with a sigh.

"But it's peculiar, don't you think?" Kagome protested.

"I thought that you were through with all that new age bull shit like horoscopes and Feng Shui and all that crap."

"Sango, for someone who owns a New Age Store you are disturbingly earthbound."

Sango set down her tray, on which she was carrying cups and dishes. "And for a Shrink-in-training you're a little bit crazy, I'll tell you that much."

"Excuse me, do you have the Casanova Candle?" A customer asked Sango keenly.

"Yes, in fact we do," Sango said knowingly, "check on the shelf next to the Caligula incense."

"Thank you!" She said, running back into the store.

"See," Sango said pointing, "that is what happens when you get hooked on the 'new age life'. You end up sitting at home on your ass burning candles for mister right, when mister good-enough-for-right-now is waiting at the corner bar."

Kagome sighed. "Look, I don't know Sango-"

"Kagome, do you want to end up like that?" She said, pointing to the woman who stood a few feet away, waving ardently, holding a large candle.

Kagome shook her head.

"Then trust me."

Lola: Okay, that's two chapters down. The next three are on their way. Please review and tell me what you think!