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

Relinquished Destiny

Ch. 7

By: Lara Winner

Hours passed and Kagome tears had finally run dry. For the first time in over a week she was feeling a little like her old self again. Releasing her emotions had been therapeutic and it allowed her to finally let go of the desperate dream she had been holding on to.

However, Kagome was still lost in the rambling of her mind. Only now different thoughts were filling her head. They were the thoughts of a violet eyed boy who would be sitting in the seat beside her come first period tomorrow.

Inasho Sigai.

He had to be Inuyasha’s reincarnation. There was no other way Kagome could explain the identical features, voices and even attitudes of the young men. Even the proud manner in which Inasho had stood before the class, looking at everyone and daring them to speak despite his unease, was a trademark reaction of Inuyasha. The similarities between the two were downright uncanny.

Kagome had observed Inasho through the corner of her eye the entire class period. She had taken note of his every movement and again the feeling of seeing Inuyasha in him was undeniable. Inasho was also in her science class, final period of the day. It had been her guilty pleasure to watch him from her seat two rows over and one desk behind him. If he had felt her pinned stare he showed no sign of it. But having the chance she studied every expression, compared every line of his face to her memory and what she’d found left her feeling guilty, stunned and completely confused.

If Inasho was Inuyasha then why did they look and seem to act exactly alike? She and Kikyo had been different in so many ways that after first glance you could not mistake them for each other. Kikyo build had been taller and her voice was octaves deeper. The bitter sadness of her personality was a stark contrast to Kagome cheerfulness. Even their mannerisms were opposite. Where Kikyo was lithe and graceful Kagome was rounded and clumsy. Nothing about the two females was identical.

It made Kagome wonder… Were they really the same soul?

Kaede assumed they were because of the Shikon no Tama being with Kagome body. It was an obvious assumption at the time but now it left her filled with doubt and the question would not leave her alone. And if they were separate souls? The possible answer intrigued her to no end.

Curiosity peaked, Kagome went in search of the one person that would know the answer. It took her ten minutes of searching the house top to bottom but finally she found the elderly man outside in the shrine, sitting on the top steps and soaking the sunset over Tokyo’s skyline.

"Mind if I join you Gramps?"

He patted the stone step and smiled but his eyes never left the breathtaking scene before him. The sky was alive with hues of deep indigo, pale purple and flaming red. Skyscrapers made a jagged outline in the flawless clouds and Kagome smiled as she saw the beauty that held the old man under its spell.

Minutes passed and Grandfather and Granddaughter sat in silence just soaking in the evening’s last glow before the cloak of night descended upon the city. Caught in the poignancy of the moment, Kagome felt like a child once again, keeping her Grandpa company and secure in the knowledge of his presence. Giving into the comfort of childish fancy she rested her head on the old man’s shoulder and she felt a soft chuckle rumble his chest.

"You’re unusually quiet. Is there something on your mind Keechi?"

The childish nickname filled Kagome with warmth and her sentimental mood grew stronger. Her father’s death had left a void in her life, but her Grandfather had been there to give her the strength she needed. Though she didn’t always show how dear he was to her, she knew he understood that no one would ever replace him in her life or her heart… in this life or the next.

With a sigh, she asked. "What do you know about reincarnation?"

The question caught the aging man off guard. "Heh. Such a serious thing to wonder about. I don’t believe you’re going anywhere soon." He paused, then sighed. "What makes you curious?"

Kagome shrugged, "Just something I saw on television." She hated to lie but the truth was better left unexplained.

"Oh well then, let me see…" he replied softly, "When a person dies there are many places the soul can go. Some get trapped in the land of the living, unable to move on due to things left unresolved. Others reach a level of enlightenment that allows them to move on to Nirvana, the spiritual state of bliss and peace. And evil souls, filled with hate and malice go to an eternal place of suffering they bring upon themselves by their inability to forgive either their own deeds or the deeds of others."

Kagome remained silent and he continued. "But most souls are able to achieve a level of peace and are gifted with the innocence of ignorance. All souls begin that way and only time and experience can teach the lessons that bring knowledge to the heart. Yet no soul can experience everything in one lifetime and so we are reborn, each life giving us different circumstances and obstacles that we must endure and overcome, teaching us the great spiritual lessons that we harbor in our sub-conscious."

"And when we learn all there is to know we reach enlightenment?" She asked.

"Yes, that is the general principle." He stated in agreement.

"Okay I got that part. What I don’t get is when a soul returns do they keep the same body and personality or do they come back as someone completely different?"

"Hmm.." He frowned in thought. "Good question Keechi. That issue is the subject of great debate. Some say the body is merely a vessel and that a soul can inhabit any living body with no limitations between human or animal forms. And there are many who say that the soul remains the same species while gender does not particularly matter. However, I’ve always tended to believe that the body is the physical personification of the soul and therefore the body would remain similar if not exactly the same. Personality is much different though. A soul’s personality is individual and will not be duplicated for it is belonging of that soul. I do not see how a soul could loose it’s identity for that’s what a person’s personality would be, the representation of their soul. Where the physical may differ the mental and emotional will not."

Emotions would stay the same? This new aspect caused an interesting feeling surging within Kagome. "Does that apply to love and soulmates too?"

"Ah, now that’s a tricky one. The concept of a Soulmate is that for every soul there is an opposing soul and when brought together they compliment each other and make a whole. However, time, distance and even spiritual development, or lack of, play great roles in preventing souls from ever meeting. But once a soul finds it’s other half it will never be complete without it and not even time can stop it from seeking its counterpart. Of course, the soul is not limited to when it comes to love. Studies done have proven that in most documented cases of past life regression a person will have at least one if not several souls it is connected to and they will migrate with each other in each life. Where the concept of a soulmate is a direct sharing of a soul, there is another similar concept widely excepted and it states that the individual soul can have many counterparts, each raging in depth of emotional attachment and spiritual guidance. Love is not confined just to the romantic heart. Love varies as do the reasons we feel love to begin with."

"I guess it really is complicated." She lamented as her fears and doubts were given a thousand new directions in which to go. Digesting all the information she just learned, Kagome asked her final question. "Would you say I’m old soul or a new soul?"

"You are still quite young Kagome, but there is a great inner strength about you. I would say not too old or too young but just right." He replied with a wink.

Kagome laughed.

It felt good to laugh after the hours of crying she had done. Helping the aging man to his feet, she sighed, giving the darkening horizon one last glance. Out of the dark blue came an interesting thought. Inasho was in this city right now, sharing the same canopy of stars as she. Inuyasha watched these stars five hundred years ago. It was the same sky, the same stars- she glanced the Goshinbu tree- even the same thinking spot and yet infinite time separated these events and erased any connection they might have had. In essence, they were close to where they started and yet still so far away.

Kagome perished the thought and turned her attention everything she’d just learned. She walked with her Grandfather back to the house still perplexed. Questions were swirling around in her mind, going in a multitude of conflicting directions all at once. Kaimi had referred to Kikyo as Inuyasha’s soulmate. Was that indeed true? And if so, what relationship had that left between herself and Inuyasha?

The answer would be simple if she was Kikyo’s reincarnation. Yet something nagged at Kagome, insisting she inspect the assumption thoroughly. If the eyes were the windows to the soul then what Kagome had seen in Kikyo’s gaze was not the lack of a soul, but the loss of faith. Torment and grief brought forth an anger so fierce it diminished her inner light and numbed the warmth of her heart under layers of ice that refused to melt. Kikyo had lost her will to live and had even confessed that she had not wanted to return to the land of the living. The tragic souls of women that she stole from the deceased were merely energy, giving life to her earth made body that her own broken soul could not. And when Kikyo had tried to take Kagome’s soul, was it really the soul that sparked Kikyo’s lust to exist or was it the feeling of having their combined miko powers at her command?

Though nothing said they did not share the same soul, the differences between Kikyo and herself were there and she could not forget them so easily. Was she a replica of the powerful Miko or were they both gifted souls sent from the Gods that merely shared a destiny? It was a troublesome question and it left Kagome to wonder if she would come face to face with her rival in this life and if so, would the outcome by any less painful this time around?

Tbc…  

A.N.- Uh… *scratches head* Any questions? Yeah? Okay, you did read right. Kagome’s got the feeling she’s going to run into Kikyo again. Whether she does or not I’m not at liberty to say right now. I know in the series Kagome is Kikyo’s reincarnation and I know Kikyo did take back a tiny part of her soul. However, this is fanfiction and I’m bending the rules a little. That goes for anything in this story that is different from the manga/anime original plot

I tried to make the reincarnation speech as simple and to the point as possible. If it was confusing I’m sorry. Basically the soulmate principle can go for multiple souls at once because it does not limit itself to strictly boyfriend/girlfriend relationships. It goes for platonic love and the love you feel for your best friends. I’m not making this up, this has been found in research studies. *grins* Now I get to exploit it! HA!

I know I said you get to meet Inasho soon and you do… That what next chapter is all about. *gets on knees* please don’t be mad and I’m sorry the chapters are so short. With Mardi Gras and my work scheduling me for ten- twelve hour shifts, I haven’t had as much time to write as I’d like. Sorry. Chapters will start getting longer… I think.

*Hugs* Thanks for reading! Luv ya guys!!!! *_*