DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I don not own Inuyasha. I just like playing with them.

Relinquished Destiny

Ch. 16

By: Lara Winner

Give me a break. This can not be happening.

It wasn’t so much a conscious thought, as it was feeling that nearly swept Kagome away in a flood of hopelessness and frustration. How much more could she take? This was all happening at once. Too many memories of the past were clouding with the present and her emotions were so confused she didn’t know where to begin to sort them out. It was even worse when staring into the eyes of someone that she could never truly tell was enemy or a friend…

Friend was a strong word.

Kikyo had always been a mystery to Kagome. Her actions were never predictable and her detached demeanor was more than a little unnerving. Yet on more than one occasion Kagome would sense serenity inside the un-dead miko and Kikyo’s anger and sadness would fade as if her true soul were emerging from a deep slumber. It was a fleeting sensation but it made Kikyo seem more real and it gave Kagome a glimpse to the person she truly was. In these rare moments they would see eye to eye and because of it Kagome could not call her an enemy or even bring herself to hate Kikyo despite the hold she had on Inuyasha.

A hold that she apparently still has, a waspish voice inside Kagome’s mind snapped.

It took everything in Kagome to put aside her confusion and focus on the girl before as she spoke softly, "Can I help you?"

That voice, so soft and gentle, sent an eerie chill down Kagome’s spine. She had never thought to hear that aloof tone again. The foreboding air that had once radiated about Kikyo was absent and in its place was the serenity that felt vaguely familiar. Yet despite that Kagome was still plagued with a sense of unease. Or maybe it was just too much to take in at one time and she was clearly over-reacting.

There was only one way to find out. As the inviting expression on the young woman’s face started to turn into concern, Kagome managed a ragged whisper. "Is Inasho here?"

"Hai. Please come in."

Kagome did as requested clutching the shoulder straps of her backpack in a death grip. Forcing herself to take calming breaths, her gaze darted about her surroundings. It was an average two story house, nice and roomy with quaint décor and a lived in feel about it. Seeing boxes that still needing unpacking residing in the corner right next a furniture that, while in good condition, had obviously seen years of use was an odd balm to Kagome’s flailing emotions. The axis of her world, which had once again shifted without warning, began to steady itself at the inane realization that her surroundings looked… really normal.

"Forgive the mess, we’re still trying to get things settled in." she said with an embarrassed laugh. "My name is Kieko, I’m Inasho’s sister. You must be Kagome. He’s told me a lot about you."

"Uh… he has?" Kagome blushed and promptly wanted to kick herself at how lame her reaction sounded. Wow, what an intellectual answer.

Kieko laughed at Kagome’s proverbial deer-in-the-headlights expression. "Don’t worry. It was all good things. He’s in his room. It’s up the stairs, third door to the left."

It was an eloquent but none-the-less obvious dismissal that Kagome did not hesitate to obey. Mumbled her thanks and headed up the stairs as if flames lapped at her feet. She needed time to accept this new development. Thoughts of Kikyo were still too raw and instantly brought up feelings of fear, inadequacy and even jealousy. But Kieko was different. The young woman was exactly how Kikyo should have been and had been when Inuyasha had met her. Of course bringing up Inuyasha made her wonder just how in the hell did Kikyo end up being his sister in this life?

Absently Kagome rubbed her temples as the faint stirrings of a headache began to develop. When she reached the top of the stairs her pace slowed as a new thought struck her. You’re going to be alone with Inasho in his bedroom… A heated flush spread from her face all the way throughout her body. Pressing her ice-cold fingers to her blazing cheeks, she frowned. Determinedly she buried the thoughts and feelings under a wave of annoyance. This was ridiculous.

Kagome knocked lightly on the door and her hand trembled traitorously. Almost instantly a muffled "come in" was issued as reply. There was a certain amount of hesitance in her movements as she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Inasho was lying across his bed on his stomach; madly working the controller in his hands as his undivided attention was focused on the small TV next to the bed. Absently his feet kicked back and forth and Kagome fought back a smile. Inasho was incredibly cute when he was engrossed in playing a video game. Of course if she wanted to be brutally honest he was cute all the time but when he was preoccupied it allowed her to watch him without fear of being caught staring, something she was guilty of doing all to often.

It took Kagome a moment to understand why she felt compelled to simply observe Inasho at times. Inuyasha in his human form was just as intense and grumpy as when he was in his hanyou form. Although he was apt to become softer and more compassionate when human, he still chose to hold himself back from emulating most boys his age. But knowing Inuyasha as she did, Kagome was almost positive that he had no idea how to identify with his peers and in order to protect himself he shied away from the prospect of making friends and living normally.

Yet when around Inasho Kagome found herself drawn to observing his actions and reactions. Sometimes they caught her off guard and sometimes they brought home painful reminders of everything she left behind. She knew the comparisons had to stop but sometimes it was so hard to look at him and not see Inuyasha. And that was why she clung to moments just like right now when it was easy to differentiate her memories from the here and now.

What made Kagome even more perplexed was how odd it felt to see Inasho act his age. It was this kind of everyday behavior that was so typical it felt foreign. She had told Inuyasha once that she was loosing her sense of self by living in the past and now that was more relevant than ever. This was her world. This was the lifestyle, the technology of her generation and yet she once again felt like a small child full of wonder. It really threw her off balance to watch Inasho fit in perfectly with this era when it seemed that she could not.

But what frightened Kagome was that everyday that had passed since her time in the Sengoku Jidai her stability returned a little more. She didn’t want to forget. She didn’t want to let go of all the ways she’d changed since meeting Inuyasha and the others. But in her heart she knew that Inasho was here to help her pick up the pieces just had she had been there for Inuyasha. Now that she understood how he must have felt, constantly torn and uncertain, she realized that a small part of the pain she’d harbored over his feelings for Kikyo had eased. Even though she would never be sure if he loved her, she at least understood that he did care and he had tried in his own way to show her.

But her fairy tale did not end as she had hoped. Instead her destiny seemed to mirror Inuyasha’s, to be thrown in and out of time, to leave a piece of her heart behind while struggling to move on…

Kagome swallowed against the sudden pressure of tears that threatened to choke her. Eagerly she grasped onto her surroundings and forcibly pulled herself out of her reverie. She needed to focus on now. She was here with Inasho and Kikyo was downstairs right this second doing the whole big-sister-thing. This time around things had changed drastically. Whether or not for the better was yet to be discovered but that was not important. What was important was that Inasho had invited her over and they were alone, in his room, and she was watching him play his video games. Confusion and tears were not part of that equation.

Gathering her composure, Kagome closed the door behind her. Taking a few steps forward she stopped by the edge of the bed. Not wanting to ruin his concentration but unsure of how long she stood there gawking, she blushed. "Hi."

"Hey." He greeted without tearing his gaze from the TV screen. "Just give me a few seconds. I’m trying to get to the save point."

Taking advantage of Inasho’s preoccupation, Kagome looked around his room curiously. It was sparsely furnished with only a bed, a desk, and a chest of drawers that looked as if it had seen better days. The television and play station sat on the floor even with the bed. The bed was lacking a frame so it was also on the floor. More than half of Inasho’s desk was cluttered with papers and textbooks while the remainder of the desk was piled with clothes, but whether clean or dirty she could not tell. The better portion of all four walls was covered with rock band posters, a few Japanese but most in English. There was a black light propped in the corner and resting right beside it was an acoustic guitar surrounded by music sheets. The last thing to catch her attention was the worn skateboard half hidden behind the ajar closet door.

This was Inasho’s space. Everything about the room screamed his personality enticing an amused smile to appear on Kagome’s face. He was truly in his element and she was completely out of hers. Not that she felt awkward, or even out of place, it was simply uncommon to be alone with a boy her age in his bedroom. However, her peaked interest quickly turned to embarrassment when she realized that Inasho had long since put down the game controller and was watching her intently.

Ignoring her stern mental command to not blush, her cheeks turned the brightest shade of pink. "Uh.. nice..room. " she floundered for a moment but his guitar caught her eye and she grasped it like a lifeline, "I didn’t know you played the guitar."

His smirk was instantaneous. "Yup and I’m pretty good too."

"I was making an observation." She said dryly. When his grin only widened she rolled her eyes. "I swear I was not trying to goad your delusional, overbearing ego."

Slowly Inasho’s content expression dissolved into a melodramatic pout. "You have gravely wounded me. Now I must defend my honor and prove my worth." He said in all seriousness as he rose from the bed and retrieved the guitar. Then he turned to her and winked, completely ruining the effect is his somber tone. "Check this out."

His fingers moved with practiced ease over the chords and suddenly the air was filled with a familiar tune. As Kagome watched Inasho she noticed a subtle change in his demeanor that told her, as clearly as spoken words, that this was something he took very seriously. The care in which he played the notes, the thoughtful look on his face, even the precise way he held himself was added proof. As the rhythm began to increase in speed and complexity and he closed his eyes in concentration. The sound enveloped the room creating a surreal sensation that lasted for a few moments until Inasho’s fingers tripped up and the smooth flow of chords was interrupted.

Kagome winced and Inasho peeked up with a sheepish grin. "I meant to do that."

"Riiight."

"I didn’t say I was great," he defended. "I’m no Jimmy Hendrix."

Kagome’s brow scrunched up in a questioning frown as she asked, "Jimmy Hendrix? Who is that?"

"Good Gods…" He breathed, his eyes wide in an exaggerated combination of shock and horror. "Don’t tell me you have no idea who he is."

"Nope." She laughed. "Should I?"

"Everybody should pay homage to the guitar god. I mean, he was only best musician there ever was. The man was a genius. Nobody could play like he did." When her expression remained a little dubious, he sighed sadly, "You have no idea what good music is."

"Well excuse me. I’m sorry I’m such a baka when it comes to American music." She huffed despite her smile.

"Don’t worry, there’s still hope for you yet." He said, his confident bravado returning full force. He set the guitar against the wall and came closer to Kagome reaching out and affectionately, yet purposely, ruffling her hair. "Stick with me kid and you can’t go wrong."

Did he really want her to stick around…

Kagome’s heart skipped a beat and for a second she came dangerously close to voicing the thought out loud but almost instantly she caught herself and forced out a jaunty reply, "Okay, now I have the feeling of impending doom."

"Oh that’s funny. You’re a real smart ass, ya know that."

Kagome’s smile turned sweet as candy. "I get it from you."

"Touché," he conceded with an approving nod. "Not bad. Real smooth comebacks. I’ve trained you well. Now you must go forth and piss off the world."

She couldn’t help but laugh at Inasho’s antics. He was staring at her, his violet eyes twinkling with mirth. His smile was contagious and she felt herself returning it whole-heartedly. For the moment she was free to enjoy herself with Inasho and take advantage of his extremely good mood. She let the world beyond his room fade from her mind and instead gave herself up to the pull of his presence.

It was easy to get lost in his eyes. So easy that she lost track of how long they stood there staring and grinning at each other like idiots. Slowly an emotion built inside her, an emotion that hadn’t felt in such a long time. Like light breaking through the darkness, a warm and fuzzy feeling pooled in her chest and then suddenly burst filling her to the brim with contented excitement.

Inasho’s expression was softening and suddenly Kagome wondered just how much of her emotions were written on her face. Looking down, breaking the spell, she laughed nervously, "So.. uh .. what’s this emergency project meeting about? I’m dying to hear what’s so important."

Inasho took the change in subject in stride, not even blinking. "I’ll do better than that. I’ll show you."

He walked over to his closet and disappeared inside. The sound of rummaging and a few mumbled curses later, he stepped back out trying to maneuver a long rectangle shaped wooden box without banging it into the wall. The box was tall, reaching a few inches above the top of Inasho’s head. Kagome could hardly contain the sudden intense curiosity that filled her.

Inasho’s excitement was almost a tangible thing as he placed the box carefully on the bed and opened both gold fastenings. He lifted the lid and gingerly parted the purple velvet cloth to reveal the box’s contents.

Kagome gasped in pure shock.

There before her, lying against the backdrop of crushed velvet, shining as if it were band new, was a solid gold staff. At the top was a large ring that was adorned with six smaller rings and the intricate design of the gold was flawless. Though it was obvious the staff was kept in perfect condition, polished and cleaned meticulously, nicks and scratches remained glaringly obvious along the body of the staff. Each abrasion told a tale of danger and intrigue. At one time it had been used and used well from the looks of it.

Again the axis of Kagome world tilted, attempting to send her spiraling out of focus, but this time she was able to get a grip on her self a little more quickly. Still this was far too much for her to take in too short a period of time. The full impact of what was happening would hit her later when she had time to dwell on it’s implications. Right now she had to focus on what Inasho was saying.

"Are you all right? You look as if you’ve just seen a ghost."

You could say that… Not paying mind to her actions she reached out and gripped Inasho’s hand tightly, her voce choked as she asked, "Where did you get this?"

Tbc…  

A.N.- *hides from angry mob* Sorry about that cliffy. I decided at the last minute to divide the original outline for this chapter into two parts. Again I feel this chapter was unsuccessful. But that’s just me.

Kudos to all of you who knew Kikyo was Inuyasha’s sister in this life. It may seem strange and weird but by the end of the story you will see why fate turned the tables this way.

So we all know the owner of that staff right? Hehehe… will he make an appearance? You’ll have to read the next chapter to find out. *Hugs* Thanks so much for sticking with me. I’ll try to have the next part out as soon as time allows. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and an awesome start to the new year. Later guys!!! *_*