Inescapable Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Revelations

Petal-pink lips opened in amazement, a warm huff of air expelled from them as Kagome continued to stare at the effervescent green light encasing Kikyo's flesh and blood form. The words spoken by the unidentified being that seemed intent on helping them rebounded through her dazed mind, the particular phrasing clicking pieces together in her mind.

"Her own soul? So... were our souls never one and the same?" The young miko waited patiently, wanting to understand how it was that Kikyo and she could both exist at once, even in this space, if she truly was the reincarnation of the woman before her. The voice blooming around her was soothing and patient, something Kagome was grateful for in light of everything happening.

"You are the reincarnation of not only Kikyo, but also the great miko Midoriko, whose soul was fractured through the creation of the Shikon no Tama." Spiced eyes flashed at this information, and Kagome felt her confusion increase at this revelation.

"Fractured? Like when Urusae tore my soul from me to restore Kikyo?"

"Yes... and no. What you must understand, is that all souls are made of three parts that work in harmony: the Shitai (Body), Herutsu (Heart) and Seishin (Mind). When in balance with each other, the Herutsu and Seishin form the part of the soul known as the Kokoro, and it is this which influences the purity of an indivudual's actions. When the Seishin is more powerful than the Herutsu, an individual tends to become more vulnerable to deceptiveness and malevolence, and when the Herutsu is more powerful than the Seishin, an individual is more open to compassion and honesty. The Shitai is the piece of the soul that carries the majority of the individuals skills and abilities, and reflects the personality and image and the individual the most.

"During Midoriko's battle with Magatsuhi, the power of her soul was pushed past the limits of any mortal.  Midoriko was overwhelmed by the energies within her and the demon accosting her, so her soul split into two pieces: the Kokoro and the Shitai. Midoriko's Shitai was trapped inside the Shikon no Tama with Magatsuhi while her Kokoro was released to be reborn in another.

"When Kikyo was born, she inherited Midoriko's Kokoro, which bonded with her own Shitai. When she died, both Midoriko's Kokoro and Kikyo's Shitai were reincarnated in you, interweaving through your own Shitai, Kagome. Thus, when Urusae interfered, Kikyo regained her Shitai, while the Kokoro was split between the two of you. You retained the Herutsu, while Kikyo claimed the Seishin. Because she was ruled only by the Seishin and her Shitai, both filled with memories of betrayal and fear, Kikyo was initially consumed with bitterness, anger, and a need for revenge."

Kagome watched the memories of her first year in the past replay in her mind's eye, feeling all the inconsistent pieces fall into place. It explained why, despite being Kikyo's reincarnation, she retained none of her skills with a bow or abilities over her miko powers. Why, despite discovering the truth about Naraku's deceit, Kikyo had clung to her hatred and pain. It also explained how both women had been able to survive with only a partial soul. Tearing her mind away from her inner thoughts, the young woman again focused on the billowing tones of the entity around her.

"When you died, the Herutsu and Seishin merged back into the Kokoro, but a much more powerful one than before it had been divided. Because of this growth, the Kokoro was too large for either you or Kikyo. Had she not brought you to the well, the power of the re-merged soul would have consumed her."

Kagome felt herself pale even as the light surrounding Kikyo began to settle underneath the miko's skin, weaving through sinew and muscle to bind soul and body. Drifting closer to her former rival in love, Kagome reached out to grasp her hands, desperate for the still woman to awaken as the blood quickened in her veins. Her voice falling softly into the embracing silence, Kagome felt understanding thread through her mind as she considered the information given.

"So, Midoriko's Kokoro basically divided itself equally into two new Kokoro in the same way a cell splits to form two new ones?" Kagome recalled how much she had initially hated biology, and sent a silent thanks to her former teacher for the knowledge she had managed to retain from that class. The voice was tinged with humor as it responded in the affirmative, adding that in doing so, the release of energy had firmly merged each woman's Kokoro with their Shitai, stabilizing their individual souls within them.

Flabbergasted at the revelations, Kagome nearly missed the slight twitching of Kikyo's fingers within her grasp, signaling her return to consciousness. Dismissing everything else for now, the young woman anxiously waited for pale lids to flutter open and reveal the light caramel gaze of her predecessor. Kikyo seemed disconcerted, blinking slowly as her body woke into life once more. Unable to contain the relieved tears dripping from her eyes, Kagome pulled the still discombobulated woman into an uncomfortably tight hug. Euphoric laughter spilled from smiling lips as the miko from the future rejoiced internally, even as Kikyo began squirming in her grasp for freedom and some sorely needed air.

With a final chuckle, Kagome loosed the now quite ruffled miko, pulling back to grin unabashedly at Kikyo's miffed expression. After a few moments of glaring at persistently smiling mahogany eyes, Kikyo relaxed enough to smirk back before peering around them again. A questioning furrow developed between her eyes, pinching her expression into one of worry as she looked back at Kagome, who hastened to assure her newly revived friend.

"Yes, we're both alive, Kikyo-san." Kagome spent the next few moments explaining the information the entity had revealed about their souls, watching with compassionate understanding as Kikyo's face filtered through a range of emotions before settling on one that clearly conveyed 'migraine'. As Kagome excitedly finished her explanation, realization blazed across Kikyo's normally composed features, followed quickly by an elation she had rarely experienced.

Smooth lips peeling into a reckless grin, Kikyo whispered happily, "We can both go back!" Another second and her eyes became radiant with unrepentant joy. "I can be with InuYasha again!"

In an uncharacteristic move, the normally reserved miko threw her arms around Kagome's shoulder, crying with a heart-healing euphoria at the wondrous turn of events. Kagome held her close, her own joyous tears renewed at the happiness enveloping Kikyo at the thought of being with her love again. At the thought of the brash hanyou's expression when they both emerged from the well, Kagome couldn't help the pang of loneliness that echoed in the depths of her heart.

Before it had a chance to taint her good mood however, an image of Sesshomaru's sun-sweet eyes flashed through her mind, making her breath exhale in a whoosh. Kagome wasn't given a chance to ponder the significance of her thoughts, as the energy around them began to fluctuate violently, the entity once again calling for their attention as the pink bubble they were suspended in darkened to a marbled gray.

"There are more revelations for the two of you before you will be allowed to return. Pay attention well, daughters, for what you learn here will decide the course of Fate once you leave this place. Take care to keep the previous actions of others from tainting your judgments now. And know, Shikon Miko, that your group is all that stands between the three worlds and utter annihilation.

"You cannot falter."

With that final ominous warning, the two women felt the energies of the well begin to slip by them again, and following their instincts they stepped forward, walking the paths of Time. Instantly, they were in the middle of an unassuming field, the bright sky above them filled with the sounds of nature and a crisp wind urging them to continue on. In short order, they were dawn to a dilapidated hut at the furthermost edge of an otherwise ordinary village. From inside the house came the sounds of a woman's harsh voice raised in anger, coupled with the pained shrieks of a child.

Kagome felt bile rise in her throat when a child stumbled from the entrance of the structure, his unclothed back bleeding freely from multiple lash marks. This was undoubtedly the same child whose cries had punctured the early summer air, and both women felt helpless as they watched his mother chase after his retreating, malnourished form. Heedless of the arms he threw up in an attempt to ward off more blows, the enraged woman backhanded him, her coarse, bony knuckles splitting the tender flesh of his sunken cheek as he fell to the ground from the force of her assault.

Forgetting momentarily that they were merely observing a time that had come and gone, Kagome moved to defend the whimpering boy, placing her body between his trembling form and that of his mother. Drawing in breath to berate the violent and pathetic excuse for a mother standing before her, the miko felt the words die in her throat as the woman's next words reached her loud as clear. To the side where Kikyo remained standing, a gasp was heard, followed by a disbelieving glance exchanged with her companion. Swallowing, both women once again looked down at the tormented innocent  curled into the ground weeping under his mother's harsh treatment. Conflicting emotions raged inside each of them as they realized it was this child that would one day cause both their deaths.