A/N: Another story. Actually Closing the Case has already been written in full, I;m just taking my time posting it. As for FoNG, I haven't forgotten about it, my muse just doesn't want to cooperate. She keeps running off. Ironically, she's always poking at my brain while I'm taking a test. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this.

Echo of Destiny

Chapter 1

Kagome sighed happily as she stretched. The bright sunlight warmed her skin and sparkled off her raven hair. She reached up a hand to shade her bright cobalt eyes as she sat up. Salty air blew gently past her, tossing her locks and cooling her skin. For as long as she could remember, she had always loved the ocean. When she was little, she drew pictures of dolphins and whales. As she got older her interest turned more scientific. Now she was on the honeymoon of her dreams, miles from shore with only the man she loved.

Propped on her elbows, Kagome looked out over the scene spread before her. The sea stretched out in a deep blue-green carpet in all directions, broken only occasionally by a fleeting white cap. They were far enough from land that it did not taint the perfect horizon, but not so far that they would have trouble getting back if the need arose. She sighed in bliss.

The sound of soft footfalls caught her attention and she turned. Inuyasha appeared from the inner depths of the yacht's cabin. His long white hair and bright gold eyes gave him an exotic, almost primal look. The fact that he was half demon, with claws, fangs, and triangle dog ears atop his head, did not hurt either. He was also strong, much more so than any human.

Kagome had met Inuyasha in college. She was following her dream and studying for a degree in marine biology. Inuyasha was following his father's footsteps into law. They had almost nothing in common, but their core courses overlapped and fate placed them in the same College Algebra class. Inuyasha was a math wiz, while Kagome was anything but. In desperation, she asked him to tutor her. He agreed, but refused her offer of payment.

She soon found out he came from a very rich family. He had his own apartment off campus, with all the amenities, while she was stuck sharing a cramped dorm with three other girls and a communal shower down the hall. From that time on she told him he, "had more dollars than sense."

Still, he tutored her. Soon the tutoring turned to dating, and dating into a relationship. It was strange, but when they were together it was like a piece of her soul, that she had not known was missing, fell back into place, and when they were apart, the emptiness ached. He proposed three weeks before Christmas break their senior year, in front of all present at the 'Christmas Bash.' It had been at once the most wonderful and most embarrassing moment of Kagome's life. He had climbed onto the stage, where a local band was playing Christmas carols, and, getting down on one knee, asked for her hand. Between the tears, blushes, and cheering, she had somehow said yes. A year and a half later they were married.

Now they were on their honeymoon at sea, anchored near some of the best diving waters of the Atlantic, aboard Inuyasha's private 100-foot yacht the 'Lost Paradise.' The boat had the best of everything; from the fully stocked kitchen to the luxury living cabin. Space was limited at times, but the newlyweds did not mind.

"Hey, Kag." Inuyasha's voice broke her out of her reminiscing. "You ready for some snorkeling?" He held out a mask and snorkel to her. She smiled.

"When am I not?" She stood, picking up her beach towel and hanging it across her arm. Inuyasha watched in silence as she stretched her arms over her head, showing off just how well her forest-green bikini fit. Dropping her towel where the wind could not sweep it away, she turned to take the offered mask and snorkel. But Inuyasha did not let go. With a slight tug, he pulled her off balance and into his chest. Kagome blushed automatically, and Inuyasha chuckled.

"What's the matter, Kag? You're not embarrassed about letting a few fish see us getting cozy are you?" She snatched her snorkeling supplies and slapped his chest. He just laughed and let her go.

"You're so full of yourself." She pulled on the mask and adjusted the snorkel. "Let's go, before your head inflates too much and leaves you bobbing like cork." He made a rude gesture, but his smile took the bite out of it. Inuyasha pulled on his own mask and snorkel, along with a rubber swim cap. It was not overly comfortable, but it beat having water in his sensitive ears. Together, they placed the snorkels in their mouths and slipped over the edge of the yacht and into the crystalline water.

Below the surface, the water was a smooth plane of fine sand. The reef proper was a good 40-yard swim away, but Kagome would not let them anchor any closer for fear of damaging the reef. But already life was swimming around them. Below, small fish made their homes in the sand, while larger ones swam lazily in search of their next meal. Many darted away, their brightly colored scales flashing, at the sight of the intruders to their world.

Kagome touched Inuyasha's arm and pointed. A few yards away an angel shark, camouflaged and half buried in sand, rested on the bottom. Its ray-like body hiding it effortlessly as it waited for prey to swim close enough. Both snorkelers gave it a wide berth, not wanting to be its next meal.

Inuyasha's arm came across her vision and Kagome turned to see where he was pointing. A parade of lobsters scurried across the ocean floor, one right behind the other, in search of a hiding place. Several large fish were attacking the unfortunate one that brought up the rear. Touching her arm, Inuyasha drew her attention and rubbed his stomach. Kagome rolled her eyes and swam faster.

They reached the reef and were instantly engulfed by life. Brightly colored fish of all shapes and sizes swam in and out of the coral, doing all the exciting things fish do in their lives. Inuyasha hung lazily at the surface while Kagome swam down to take closer looks at things. He marveled at the breath control she exhibited even after so many years.

When he had learned she was studying to become a marine biologist, he had offered his boat and took her on many trips out to sea. Over the course of many summers they had followed Orcas and Humpbacks, swum with dolphins, and explored most of the reefs on the American Atlantic coast. And he had stood at her side while she protested environmental hazards like off-shore drilling and over-fishing. Still, she swam among the reef and explored everything like a child would for the first time.

When she rose to the surface again for air, she pointed down. Inuyasha followed her line of vision to see an octopus shifting and changing colors against the coral. Taking a breath, they went down together. Kagome was able to swim right up to the eight-legged creature, but he managed to startle it and got a jet of 'ink' in his face. Kagome's eyes danced with amusement behind her mask and he glared back. Bubbles rolled out of her snorkel and she was forced to surface, still laughing.

"Oi! What's so funny?"

"The great Inuyasha, felled by a mollusk!"

"I could go back to the boat and leave your ass out here alone," he threatened.

"You could," she agreed, "But you won't." he huffed and crossed his arms over his bare chest. They bobbed at the surface for a moment, catching their breath. A dark shape moved below them and Inuyasha looked down.

"We'd better head back to the boat, we have sharks." Kagome ducked under the water and looked around. A moment later she resurfaced and shook her head.

"They're just nurse sharks, crustacean eaters. They're not a threat as long as you don't harass them or put your hand in their mouth."

"You're sure?"

"Yes." She rolled her eyes and disappeared under the surface again. With a sigh he followed. As she had said, the nurse sharks took no notice of them as they fed between two huge bulbs of brain coral. The two continued to explore the reef for another half an hour, before the strain of being out of their element began to take its toll on their bodies.

The swim back to the yacht was more sluggish as tired muscles propelled them through the water. They were shortly detoured however, when a trio of Eagle Rays 'flew' past and Kagome dove down for a closer look. The placid creatures ignored her and continued filtering the waters for their mainstay, krill.

When they finally climbed back onto the yacht, they both collapsed into lounge chairs to rest their tired muscles. The wind blew over them, chilling their wet skin and creating fog on their discarded masks.

"I'm cold," Kagome mused, but made no move to rise.

"Then we'll have to go into the cabin and dry off," he replied, sitting up.

"Can't you just throw me my towel?" Inuyasha grunted and lifted his arm in the general direction of the discarded beach towel, but made no real effort to retrieve it. With a dramatic sigh, he let his arm drop.

"Nope, can't reach it." Kagome rolled her head to glare at him. The look only darkened when she saw him sitting up, completely recovered. "Guess I'll have to take you inside, strip you of those wet clothes, and warm you up myself." Kagome gave a shocked squeak as he scooped her up from the chair and carried her off to the living quarters.

&&&

Inuyasha lay in bed, the boat gently rocking in the waves, enjoying the afterglow and the heady scent of the woman next to him. Kagome's head was resting on his chest, her eyes half closed as sleep threatened to take her. Sweat was slowly drying on her brow, but the warm, albeit disheveled, blankets of the bed and Inuyasha's close proximity kept her cozy. Inuyasha tucked her closer, a soft smile on his lips, and let his body sink into sleep.

Outside, far over the horizon, dark clouds began to build. Lightning flashed inside the clouds and reached down to strike the water. The wind picked up, whipping the waves into frothy white caps. The two young lovers slept on, oblivious to the approaching danger.

&&&

The room was dark, the only light coming from a circle of finely hand-crafted light blue candles. They stood silent guard around a crystalline pool. The waters were calm and still as glass, sparkling and reflecting the candlelight in odd patterns. The light danced off the smooth stone walls, but did not reach the high ceiling. A low table rose out of the center of the pool. Like the rest of the pool bottom, it was made of polished Mother of Pearl, and sparkled in the dim light.

The sound of soft footfalls echoed around the room as a man approached the pool. He was tall, with dark hair pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. He wore heavy, dark-colored robes that swished softly as he moved.

His feet carried him to the pool's edge where he stopped, bowed his head, and spoke softly. Then he stepped into the pool, causing the water to ripple and the light to dance. The water was only up to his ankles, but it soaked into the bottom of his robes and climbed upward. The man took no notice and continued to wade out to the low table.

Once there, the man reached into his robes and pulled out a small, brightly polished shell. He made a sign over it and spoke more soft words before kneeling down in the water, soaking his robes further. He placed the shell on the table, made a sign with his hands, and bowed his head. His lips moved, but no sound came out. After several long moments he made another sign with his hands and rose, water splashing and rolling off his robes and back into the pool.

He walked back to the edge and stepped out of the water. Water dripped from his robes onto the stone floor as he made his way back into the darkness.

&&&

Inuyasha started awake at the loud crack of thunder and the violent tossing of the boat. The storm had come upon them like a stalking lion, silent until it was right on top of them, then roaring its fury. The yacht tossed again, this time so violently it almost dislodged them from the bed.

"Inuyasha?!" The panic was evident in Kagome's voice.

"Get dressed, get on deck, and put a life vest on." He instructed, pulling on his pants and hurrying out of the cabin. Kagome was quick to follow his instructions. She knew from a previous trip with Inuyasha where they had been caught in a storm, that if the boat overturned while she was still in the cabin she could be trapped. No matter how good a swimmer she was, the prospect was ominous. Dressing in only the necessities, she rushed up to the deck.

The wind was blowing so hard it was almost impossible for her to open the cabin door. In fact, it was only a sudden shift in the wind, that just about ripped the door off its hinges and sent her tumbling across the deck, that allowed her out. Outside, it was nothing like she had ever imagined. Lightning, flashed dangerously across the pitch black sky and the calm blue-green sea had become a boiling, churning monster.

Kagome pushed herself to her feet, swaying and almost falling again as a wave smashed against the side of the boat. She could feel her hands and knees bleeding where they had hit the wooden deck, the flesh stinging from the saltwater that had come over the edge of the boat. Gaining her balance and shielding her eyes with her arm, Kagome peered into the darkness.

Inuyasha was at the helm, trying with all his strength to get back to shore, even though they could not see more than ten feet into the blackness. He was barefoot, shirtless, and without a life jacket. Fighting wind, rain, and unsteady footing, Kagome made her way to the seat with the storage space underneath it.

She pushed the latch and opened the lid. Reaching in, she pulled out the two life jackets they kept there. The wind changed suddenly, coming up behind the open storage lid. It snapped shut, causing Kagome to jump back with a loud yelp and lose her grip on the two life jackets, both flying high. The wind caught the jackets and, before Kagome could stop them, they flew over the edge and into the churning sea. All she could do was watch as the two bright orange vests floated away into the blackness.

Knowing there was nothing for it, she hurried to join Inuyasha at the helm. The latter was tricky with the elements joining forces against her, but with much effort she finally made it.

"Where's your life jacket?" Inuyasha growled.

"The wind caught them, they're gone." She held onto the railing as the boat tossed again.

"Damn it!" They hung on for dear life as the sea treated their large craft like a child's toy. Kagome's sudden gasp made him look her way, but her gaze was off to their right. Following her line of sight he saw it too. A huge wave, whipped up by wind and fed by rain, towered against the sky and barreled towards at them. "Oh shit…"

There was nowhere to go and, even if there had been, there was no time. As the wave crashed over the boat, Inuyasha grabbed her, pulling her close as he braced for impact. Kagome clung to him with all her might, her heart pounding in her chest.

The wave hit the boat like the hammer of some mythical god. She could hear the wood cracking and steel whining as Mother Nature again proved she had the last say. The unstable footing beneath her suddenly vanished with a wash of warm saltwater. She tried to keep her hold on Inuyasha, but it was useless. The next thing she knew he had been ripped away, his claws digging into her skin in his desperation to keep a hold on her.

Something heavy hit the back of her skull and the world went black.