There are two selves. There is the self of the present and there is the ghost of who you were...the self before the Shikon no Tama.
Just look at Kagome. The girl who fell down the well was not the same girl who climbed back out.
Except we know who Kagome was before.
But who was Kikyou?
Kikyou was simply a girl. Despite training almost all of her childhood as a priestess there was no denying that. There was a brightness in her eyes that would one day fade into something unrecognizable.
At a very young age a small group of girls were selected as potential guardians of the Shikon Jewel. From that moment onward they were trained as priestesses. And not just ordinary priestesses – martial arts, weapon wielding, anything it would take to protect the Jewel.
One of these girls was Kikyou. Another was Tsubaki.
Tsubaki poured herself into her training. She was passionate in advancing her skills and awakening her spiritual power. Something was calling her. She could almost taste the day that the responsibility would be handed down to her.
Kikyou was the opposite. She had dreams that fell beyond the barriers of life as the Shikon Jewel's guardian. She didn't feel that it was meant for someone like her. More for someone like her sister, Kaede, she thought.
...Although she did enjoy archery class.
Kikyou was lonely. She had no friends. In fact none of the girls did. Even if there had been time to socialize it would not have been permitted. They were strictly advised not to form relationships. Kikyou would later, too much later, understand what the elders meant when they told the girls that attachment would be a guardian's worst weakness.
The handing down of the guardianship was to be on the 16th birthday of the youngest girl. Tsubaki was the youngest and she had all along considered that as a sign.
"But I deserve it most!" Tsubaki spat out when she did not hear her name. "I outperformed everyone in the tests!"
"What you believed to be the tests were not always the tests." Explained a monotone voice from the row of priests before her.
The eldest of the priests stepped forward. His voice was weathered but distinct, "Your desire will only lead to corruption."
And as we know it was Kikyou who was chosen. Something had been seen in her. Something that Kikyou did not desire.
The girl with bright eyes and dreams that Kikyou had once been was quickly forgotten by the world as the weight of the responsibility aged her soul beyond its years. Sometimes she didn't feel human.
Everything was going perfectly as planned until one day a certain half-demon found her and loved her. This was the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning depending on how you look at it.
And a bit of the ghost was resurrected.