AN: This has not been fully edit, please excuse any mistakes. Been playing with this for a little while and will continue as ideas come to me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with the manga/anime.

Chapter Two: Interpretation & Misguidance

What are fate, destiny, and prophecy? Fate is the power that predetermines events, the inevitable. Destiny is what one is fated to attain. But what is a prophecy? Does it have any weight on one's destiny; is it influenced by fate? In reality, it's quite simple. Prophecy is the creation of mere mortals who proclaim to see fate's design and foretell the destiny of mortals. There is no denying that occasionally prophecies do 'hit the nail on the head.' However, occasionally more than one prophecy claims to know the true destiny of an individual. When two prophecies contradict one another, who decides which prophecy is true? Can we trust those who interpret these prophecies? Could a single misinterpretation lead to an unfulfilled prophecy? Or lead to a disruption in one's destiny? That is where faith comes to play. When mortal error interferes with one's chosen path, we must have faith that something will intervene on our behalf, for the sake of our own destiny.

"Sango? Sango, can you see anything?" whispered Kagome.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Inuyasha has excellent hearing. Best not speak until after I have come to get you." Shippou's voice came from outside the box. "Oh, and I wouldn't try putting up a shield either. Inuyasha can sense those as well. Don't worry, it won't be too long."

'How in the world did he know I could do that? Is my cloak broken?' Kagome strained to look at Sango. She assumed Sango shrugged at her silent question. 'I wish I could talk to Sango. We would be able to figure something out before seeing this Inuyasha character. Inu-yahsa – hmm – interesting name. I wonder if that is his real name, or some kind of nickname. Sigh, guess I'll have to wait and see. I just hope we aren't stuck in here too long.' Kagome shifted so she could stretch her legs slightly. 'Oh Kaede, I wish you were here. What will I do now?' Kagome held back a sob as she blinked back her tears.

"Oh, before I go. Try not to cry. Inuyasha will definitely find you too early if you cry. He hates the smell. Well, I gotta go. I'll see you soon "

Kagome listened to Shippou's receding footsteps. 'Now what?

"Oi runt, what the hell took you so long?" Inuyasha clenched his fist as he eyed the small boy.

"I had some trouble loading the kitchen supplies aboard. The crate was heavier than I had anticipated." 'Which is the truth, technically, so I ain't lying.' Shippou smirked at the irate hanyou.

Inuyasha glared at the kitsune. "You're hiding something runt. Now, tell me what it is!"

"Leave the boy alone, I thought you wanted to leave as soon as possible." Miroku spoke as he walked to his seat.

"Damn it, I did. I do. But I want to know what the brat is hiding!" Inuyasha growled as he fixed a scowl on Shippou.

"He already told you. Now let us be on our way" Miroku turned as a slight smirk played across his face. 'I know what Shippou is hiding. Two gorgeous women trapped on our ship. I am truly blessed, that I am.'

"Fine, let's just go. I'm tried of this." Inuyasha unceremoniously plopped down behind the ship's center control console. "Just get us the fuck out of here, now!"

"Aye, aye captain sir." Shippou saluted Inuyasha before turning back to his control panel, suppressing a snicker.

"And knock that shit off. I told you before I don't like it when you do that."

After initiating take off, Shippou turned towards Inuyasha. "But El Capitán you are our lea-der, are you not? And we are your crew, are we not? We should use the appropriate language, should we not?"

"Damn it! Now I know you are hiding something. You're just like all other Kitsune; you get extra playful when you've played some trick. Now, tell me what the fuck you did."

Sigh. "Okay, I'll make a deal with you." Shippou's lips curled into a smirk. "Once I finish getting us out of here I'll show you exactly what I am hiding."

"You little piece of …"

"Inuyasha, do you think you can give it a rest now?" Miroku stood up, turning towards the irate hanyou. "We do not need a demonstration of your colorful vocabulary right now. I am more interested in finding out what the surprise is, what about you?"

"Fine! Shippou set the autopilot for the nearest colony and show us exactly what you have been hiding." Inuyasha waved his hand as he stood to leave his chair.

Checking to make sure they had cleared the planet's atmosphere, Shippou got up from his seat and began skipping towards the kitchen.

"Oi runt, where are you going?"

"To get my surprises." Shippou hummed as he continued down the corridor.

"Surprises?" Inuyasha turned towards Miroku, who shrugged his shoulders at the comment. "What the fuck is going on here? And why do I get the feeling you know something about it already?"

"Now my dear friend, why would you say something like that? I have not given you any reason to think that I have deceived you along with our little friend."

"Haven't given me a reason, huh. How about that shit eating grin you're trying so hard to suppress right now."

"I have no idea what you are speaking of. I am just amused at the antics of our young companion. He certainly enjoys his little tricks."

"Yeah, well knock it off. So, should we follow him or what?"

"Perhaps it would be best if we waited for the 'surprises' to be brought to us." Miroku turned his chair towards the door. 'It will give Shippou the chance to prepare our new guests for Inuyasha and his temper.'

Drip

Drip

Kagome stretched, 'Where am I?' Standing up, Kagome took in her surroundings. Taking a step forward, she noticed ripples. 'Water! There's water everywhere. What is this place?' Kneeling down, she noticed small blinking lights in the water. 'What are they? They look like stars, twinkling in…oh, it's not water; I'm standing in space.'

Drip

Standing, Kagome watched as a small ripple formed around her. 'This is an odd place.' A light flashed in the silvery sky before descending towards the ground. After hitting directly in front of her, it shot forward several feet before breaking into two separate paths. A flash of white light from the horizon engulfed Kagome, followed by darkness.

"Two paths; one is false the other…truth. Misguidance can and has led you down the wrong path."

Kagome watched as a path to her left became illuminated. She could make out a figure at the end of the path with short dark hair. Squinting, Kagome realized that the figure was a man, waving at her.

"An easy path to take; one in which you will achieve contentment but not happiness. You will fulfill what has been predicted by men; however, you will not fulfill your destiny."

Kagome opened her mouth, only to find her voice missing.

"To choose the right path will mean undergoing many hardships. The reward…"

Kagome watched as the path on her right illuminated once again, this time revealing a second figure.

'Who is that?' Kagome could only make out a tall slender figure, looking straight at her.

"…will be a life… one of the greatest…"

"MK? Sango?"

Kagome turned her head to the side. 'Not now, I need to know more!' Turning back towards the paths Kagome noticed the lights begin to fade. 'Wait, I need to know what to do. Who will lead me to the right path?'

TAP, TAP

Kagome twisted. 'Wait!' Kagome's mind shouted as she stretched towards the path on her right just as a brilliant golden light flashed. As Kagome shielded her eyes, she was engulfed in complete darkness.

TAP, TAP. "Hey, MK? Sango, are you guys awake?" Shippou lifted the top of the crate, allowing light to pour in. "Oi, are you awake in there?

Kagome flinched as the darkness shattered.

"Is it safe to come out now?" Sango stretched before standing up.

"Well, that all depends on how you look at it." Shippou hopped back, allowing the two girls to emerge from the box. "You don't have to worry about being tossed off the ship…yet. But you do have to face an angry Inuyasha. But don't worry; he's all bark and no bite. Well, hardly any bite." Shippou turned in time to shove his fist into his mouth, keeping his outburst to himself.

"Well Ka…MK are you ready to face this Inuyasha character?"

Turning towards Sango, Kagome gave her a small smile. "As ready as I can be, I guess."

"Let's go. The sooner we talk to him, the sooner we can get you to Houjou."

Kagome's smile completely vanished as she watched as Shippou helped Sango out of the box.

'It was Houjou at the end of the wrong path. A life of contentment only…can I really live with that? Maybe I'm just looking for a way to avoid marrying Houjou. Maybe he was on the right path. No, Houjou was definitely on the left. But who could have been on the right?'

"MK!"

Kagome jumped. Looking up, Kagome noticed Sango frowning at her.

"What is it Sango?"

"I've been calling your name for several minutes." Sango's slight anger melted into genuine concern. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. Just thinking, sorry about that; I didn't mean to cause you to worry." Kagome smiled at her friend.

"It's alright. You've been through quite a lot lately. Come; let us find out exactly who this Inuyasha character is."

"It's about time! I'm just dying to introduce you to him." Shippou bounced around the two women. "Let's go, follow me."

Kagome and Sango watched as the young kitsune skipped down the hall.

"Well, should we follow him?" Sango asked.

"It would be rude of us not to." Kagome giggled as she followed the lighthearted child, forgetting her troubling vision.